Disclaimer: Lalalalalalala (thing used in barbershop quartet) For the twelfth thousandth time, I do not own this! That's all everybody

The Third Demi-God: I realise you won't remember your review, but I see what you mean about Alister having a kid...but you didn't really want it to be Marina's did you? Kurtis said he enjoyed his date last night, btw-thanx 4 reviewing!

Team-chaser: I love your theories, honey! Keep 'em coming, okay? And I think two pregnancies would have been too much for poor Alister...like he hasn't already got enough going on...ahem-thanx 4 reviewing!

Timeless4Life: Ah, the egg of doom. I love that egg! And yes, Zip and Garethpure randomness even we couldn't match...ooh I should write it! Yes! Excellent idea! thanx 4 reviewing!

Sweet Christabel: I hugged Zip lots of times for you. And yes, the prodding device-she shall be hunted down. You may use my poking stick if it is your will, my friend. You have my full support-thanx 4 reviewing!

jacoblove: Like I would keep her in hospital with a nurse who wants to kill her? Ooh, I should do that...anyways, thanx4reviewing! (and hurry up wiv yours!)

A/N I'm really sorry about the long delay, but I got writers block over the summer...then I started A-Levels...but the writer's block is a bit better! Just expect longer update periods because of it but I'm not abandoning this! Nu-uh! Also, everything's been focused on Lara recently, so I dedicate this chapter to our favourite supporting characters, the men-Zip and Alister!

Author's POV

It was late at night-around midnight-when he emerged into the fluorescently lit Atrium of the hospital. The area was mostly deserted with only the night secretary at the desk, sipping a black coffee. He nervously approached her and requested the room number of a patient. She raised her eyebrows at his lateness and apparent inconsideration for said patient's feelings, but told him regardless; Room 42 in the short-stay ward.

He thanked her and-without even asking for directions-headed off down the corridor. She looked after him apprehensively and then sighed. What business of hers was it?

He knew these wards well-he should, he'd dated her long enough! And she appreciated being met after work, as she'd told him on the many occasions he had. It made her feel better. Her job was very stressful 'all that death' she'd told him once, forgetting that he, himself, was worried for a loved one.

He'd come as soon as he'd got the call, with no regard or cares for his work or duties. She came first…she always came first.

He knew she'd be awake-she loved a fuss! She wouldn't have dared go to sleep, anyhow-she knew him and she knew that he would come to see her, rain or shine, night or day. No matter what.

Upon reaching Room 42, he raised his hand, only just realising he'd forgotten the obligatory flowers. 'She won't notice,' he told himself, and knocked.

"Come in," called a voice softly from the other side. He poked his head around the door and, upon seeing her, came in properly. "What, no flowers?" she remarked, in a mock-disapproving tone. "You really let me down this time."

"The gift shop was closed," he lied, smiling shiftily. One look told him she knew he was lying, but didn't press it. "So, what have you gone and done this time?"

"You mean, what have you gone and done?" she smiled mysteriously. He frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"It's nothing bad," she smirked mischievously. "I'm pregnant!"

Zip's POV

I did not know Alister could run so fast! He's always full of surprises, isn't he? I don't do well with surprises!

But, oh my God, what he said! What does he mean, she was never pregnant? What, was this some sorta sick joke of his that got outta hand? Or did she make a mistake and he was too embarrassed to tell us?

"Alister!" I call after him, but he ignores me. Whatever, dude, I got the car. I can just follow you…damn, he's got the keys. "Alister, wait up! Come on, we gotta talk about this! Alister!"

Okay, fine, you wanna ignore me, I'll just have to come to you.

I turn back to the car-you know to close it, make it look secure so some bastard doesn't steal it-when I see in the ignition, a set of silver, jangling keys. Oh, Alister…you stupid fool.

Sniggering to myself, I climb in and turn the keys. The car gives a great rumble as the engine starts. Putting the gear into reverse, I do a 90 degree turn and face the gap between the bushes head on.

"Ride of your life, dude," I mutter to myself and press down on the accelerator. The car revs and hurtles forward, climbing the teeny slope no problem, although smashing a little tree…eh, there's so many! No-one'll notice!

Keeping a close eye out for Alister, I steer the car into the field, and grin when I see a small figure up ahead. He's very still…either he's resting or someone got him with a stun gun! Man, those things hurt!

I honk the horn as I get closer, driving probably a little too fast. This car does not like this ground-it's too bumpy. What I really need is a tractor…or one of those things with wings…that'd be cool-shit!

I swerve to a very sharp left to avoid the stupid man that stopped in the middle of the field!

"Jesus Christ, Zip!" Alister yells, getting up. That was some dive, dude. It's weird, I didn't have Alister down as a football goalkeeper. He seems more like the guy who'd copy their schedule onto his computer without actually going to the games. "Are you trying to get us all in hospital?! Only in your case, it would be the bloody psychiatric ward!"

"What I'm trying to do is get some answers!" I retort, getting out of the car.

"And killing me is the way to do that?"

"No…shock might work, but…" I trail off, seeing his death glare. He is maaad. "Look, I'm sorry, I sort of lost control, but if you hadn't stormed off…!"

"Or if you'd followed me on foot like a bloody normal person!" he shouts.

"Yeah, well, you run freakishly fast! I'm not Superman!" He frowns at the comparison, but doesn't say anything. I can only be so good, you know! "Now, come on, dude, what's all this about?" I ask a lot quieter. "You can't just tell me that Marina was never pregnant and then just storm off. We gotta talk."

"We don't have to do anything, Zip!" he sighs. "Although can I just point out that if this was Lara, you'd be leaving well alone!"

"Do you have guns on you?"

"I wish I did," he mumbles. "Then maybe I could shoot my own bloody brains out." He flops down to the floor, hanging his head. I have never seen him like this. It's kinda sad.

"Oh, come on, what do you wanna do that for?" I console, taking a seat next to him.

"So I don't feel like such a prick? So I don't feel so embarrassed I want to fling myself from the hospital roof? So I don't-"

"I get the message, Alister," I stop him. He gives me a look-kinda disappointed-and hangs his head again. "What even happened?"

"She was never pregnant, Zip, how much plainer can I get?"

"Well, how did it happen? How do you know? And why did you have an engagement ring?"

"I already answered that!" he sighs, frustrated. "I-I wanted to do right by her."

"By proposing?" I ask sceptically. "Dude, this isn't the nineteenth century-you don't need to be married to get knocked up."

"Well clearly my principles are a bit different to yours," he mutters. Well, yeah. If I got my girlfriend pregnant, that wouldn't make me wanna propose, even if I wanted the baby! I'm not saying he should've dumped her or told her to get an abortion…actually, why didn't he just do that? It would've made things a hell of a lot easier!

"It's her body, it's up to her what she wants to do!" is what he said to me. I guess he sorta has a point…

Author's POV

"You're pregnant?!" he finally gasped. She nodded excitedly, beaming. "But…but how did this even happen?" She sighed, sounding slightly frustrated and amused at the same time.

"Let me explain it to you one more time," she began as a teacher would address her Sex Education class. "When a man and a woman get close, they have sex. That involves the man putting his penis-"

"Okay, okay!" he stopped her hurriedly. "We did it, all right, I don't need it laid out graphically!" She raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes but said nothing. He was one strange man at times, she found.

"So?" she asked him, looking expectant.

"So?" he repeated, looking confused. Men!

"How do you feel?" she clarified, sitting up properly now. She looked into his eyes-his warm, welcoming chocolate brown eyes-feeling hopeful yet oddly nervous simultaneously.

How did he feel? How did he feel?! What sort of question was that? He felt a lot of things! He felt fear, he felt a willing to get away from this…and yet he felt oddly excited as well.

"How do you feel?" he turned the question around.

"Oh no you don't, I asked you first!" she protested.

'Damnit!' he thought.

"I feel…" he began, trying to think of a way to string the words together. She clasped his hand in her own, now looking extremely nervous. He smiled at her. "I feel like this could maybe work out."

She gasped. "Really?" He nodded. "Oh my God…oh my God! You really think so?!" He nodded again. She jumped from her bed and pulled him into a deep kiss. "I can't believe it! We're going to be parents!"

"I know," he laughed. "And you're happy about it, too?" She nodded vigorously.

"I feel like…like this is a blessing…"

…………………………………….

Zip's POV

"Even so," I argue. "You probably scared her more than when she took the pregnancy test." Like in a classic comedy, he slowly lifts his head and turns around to face me, pure confusion etched on his face. "What?"

"Zip, did you not hear what I just said?" he asks me, slowly.

"Yes," I answer, just as slowly. "But just because she isn't actually knocked up doesn't mean she didn't take a test. She coulda just read it wrong."

"If you say so," he mutters, but I don't think he really heard me.

"So, did she?" I ask him

"Did she…what?"

"Take a test and get confused?"

"What? Yes-no…I don't know!" he snaps.

"Good-cos, I gotta say, as a nurse, she should know better," I point out. He nods vaguely.

"I don't know if she even…took a test…" he mumbles. I kinda had to strain to hear him.

"Well, obviously she must've-or did she skip a period and just assume?"

"I don't bloody know, Zip! Probably not! In fact, I have a slightly suspicious feeling the bitch had been lying from the very beginning!"

"Why-?"

"To humiliate me! To scare the bloody…living daylights out of me! To-to…to force me to commit so she could then shoot me down in front of the entire intensive care staff!"

"Again, I have to ask-why?" Be a little clearer, would you?

"She knew, Zip!" he cries. "She knew that I cheated on her! She knew that I was in love with Lara and that herself was my 'bit on the side' as she so eloquently put it!"

"What, how-?" I start, but apparently he's not finished.

"She heard us! Do you remember the time when we had that conversation a few days after Lara and I broke up and she'd stayed the night? I thought she'd been in my room the entire time-I went to get breakfast-but apparently not! No, the bitch had to snoop and she heard the entire bloody thing! Wouldn't you be pissed off!" he rants. He takes a deep breath and starts again; "I had it coming, didn't I? This is all my fault really."

"No, no it's not," I argue. "I don't know what she did but if it's got you this upset, then it was bang outta order!"

"Was it?" he asks me feebly, a lot less angry and a lot more upset-sounding. Oh man, the poor guy. Just what the hell did this woman do?!

"Well I don't know!" I cry. "What did she do?"

"She lied, to put it simply, Zip."

"Yeah, about being pregnant! That's pretty serious, Alister!" I point out. "I mean, you were-you were crapping yourself when you first told us!"

He's hugging his knees to his chest and looks so freaked-it's kinda cute, actually. It just makes you wanna hug him like you would a little kid and tell him it'll all be okay.

"What can I do?" he asks desperately. "It's her body-it's up to her what she wants to do."

"And I'm asking, how would you feel if she did get an abortion?" He shrugs.

"I don't know. Relieved, I suppose."

"Really?"

"Yes," he says obviously. "I'm not ready to be a father!"

Except the thing is, by the time we'd finished, I'm not sure that's how he was feeling. From what I'd gathered, he did want to be a father…I mean, duh, he proposed! But I don't think he did it to do 'right by her'. Well, maybe, but also because it's probably what he thought was best for the kid. You know, to have two parents and not be a bastard. I mean, not that it matters-I mean, come on, this isn't the nineteenth century-but Alister said himself, he has different principles.

Principles! I don't know anyone besides Alister who still has 'em! Always knew there was something not right about that dude. You gotta admit it, asking Marina to marry him for the kid was all very sensitive and everything, but it was a little much. They barely know each other! They only slept together once! They knew each other for, what, six weeks at that point? Not exactly the best foundation…

Author's POV

This was so weird! He'd seen this moment more times on TV than the number of takes it took to make the film, so thought he would be at least partially prepared, but no-he was bricking it!

"Will you calm down?" she muttered, annoyed. "I'm the one having the sonogram that could tell me my baby is a phantom and you're acting like a kid who's just discovered constipation! You even had the face a moment ago!" He turned and shot her a mock glare but saw she'd not even looked up from her magazine.

"There's nothing like the support of your loving partner," he muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" he added hurriedly. She frowned suspiciously but then gave up. Either she had decided it just wasn't worth it, he thought, or she had psychically known the gynaecologist was about to call her in.

"Mrs Cartwright?" She stood up.

"It's Miss Cartwright," she corrected. "We're not married." The gynaecologist nodded.

"Sorry," she muttered, not really sorry at all. "Would you like to come this way?" She took a deep breath, and headed for the door where Dr Addison had just disappeared.

"Are you coming?" she asked him.

"What, you think I'd let you handle that alone?" he said supportively. She shrugged. "I may be scared, but I wouldn't do that."

"Well, you also promised you'd put the condoms on right, and look how that worked out!" she smirked, taking his hand.

"Well, everything seems to all be in working order," Dr Addison smiled at the couple, swivelling the screen around so as they could see. At the sight of the tiny blue form on the screen that was their baby, they both gasped. Dr Addison smiled to herself again-it was always the new parents who had 'the gasp'. She didn't even need to ask if this was their first.

"What about the sex?" he asked after a few moments of staring mesemerised at his child.

"It's too early to tell," Dr Addison explained patiently. "You'll have to wait until a later scan. Miss Cartwright?" She looked up at her, stomach still bared and-honestly-cold from the gel. "Judging by the size of the foetus, I would say you are between three and five weeks along."

"And what's my due date?" she asked interestedly.

"I would say-this is just using my judgement, you understand, we'll get a better calculation next time we meet-but I would predict…late January, early February time?"

Cecelia looked at him excitedly, who had been gawping at the screen up until that point.

"What?" She sighed, though smiling.

"We're getting a baby! Isn't that great? I really do have life growing inside of me!" He nodded, smiling for her and Dr Addison-who seemed to be frowning at his lack of enthusiasm at one point-but he wasn't convinced. Yes, all was fine now, but what if something went wrong? It was already a miracle she had been able to become pregnant. Their last gynaecologist had told a heartbroken Cecelia only a few months ago it was unlikely she would be able to have children.

He just felt-after what had happened last year-that a perfectly healthy child was tempting fate a little…

"Mr Trent, is everything all right?" Dr Addison asked, interrupting his train of thought.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Cecelia asked worriedly.

"Nothing," he promised her. "We're really gonna have a baby!" It was tempting fate, of course it was…but what if, just for once, it actually went right and in less than eight months, he would be cradling the child borne by the woman he loved?

Zip's POV

"She…she must have been very hurt, to have stooped so low," Alister whispers from nowhere.

"That doesn't matter," I argue. "That's no excuse for lying to you like that!"

"Well what excuse do I have for cheating on her like that?!" he protests.

"Uh…you were in love?" I suggest sarcastically. Still got it, my friends. Just doesn't have quite the same effect when everyone else is doing it…or when I'm in a serious situation like this, that too.

"So? She was right, I should at least have had the guts to own up!"

"Alister, stop blaming yourself here, all right? What she did was wrong. Okay, so you cheated on her-happens everyday. Telling a guy you're pregnant and working them up for nothing-not so common. There are rules and…lines and she went over it." He nods feebly, but I don't think he believes me. Well, gotta start somewhere, right?

Wait a-he had a box, a blue box, to hold a ring in it. And he told me…he was gonna propose-no, wait he did propose, I knew that! And then she rejected him, in front the entire ICU staff…oh…my…God…was that her plan all along? To have him propose-hell, it was probably her idea at one point!-lure him into a false sense of security and then…shoot him down? What a bitch!

"Alister?" I begin.

"What is it now?"

"Did-did you actually propose to her? Got down on one knee and everything?"

"I already told you that, Zip." Oh, Alister, Alister! You just gave her what she wanted!

"But-but why?"

"Oh for God's-how many times, Zip?! I wanted to do right by her-and for my child! I thought she was carrying my baby and I didn't want them to be a bastard! I felt it was the least I could give them! I…I didn't want them to grow up like I did, with some mother turned alcoholic because she couldn't cope and living in some dosshole of a council flat. I wanted to be a good father…"

"But you would have been anyway," I soothe.

"Well, I'll never know now, will I?"

"No, hey, don't say that! This will happen for you, Marina was just a bad 'un!" He raises his eyebrows. What did I say? He shakes his head but says nothing. "You will find someone Alister, someone who you love and who loves you back and who you'll settle down with, have kids with…"

"Yeah, well, I thought I had that," he says sadly.

"With Marina?! You'd known each other six weeks!"

"Not her," he sighs impatiently, putting his head in his hands. Who's he...?

"What?"

"Lara?" he tells me, sounding very sarcastic.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," I mutter shiftily. "But…you know, maybe it could still be Lara!"

"What?"

"Well, from what I saw, she was feeling very guilty and I have never seen her cry as much as when you guys broke up. Maybe it could still happen." He scoffs.

"I doubt it. Maybe I'm just destined to be…alone. To drift by hazily, occasionally being with a woman, having my heart stomped on until I eventually just…fade away…"

Author's POV

He caught up with her, sooner than he expected. This hospital was so damn big, he thought it would take him ages to find her! Thank God for designated smoking areas!

"Dr Addison?" he called. He saw her over with a group of her colleagues, having a smoke and a laugh. At his call, she looked up and sighed.

"Catch you later," she muttered to her friends, and walking over to where he was. "Can I help you, Mr Trent?"

"What are you last naming me for?" he asked, mock insulted. "You embarrassed to call me Uncle-"

"Shh, quiet, will you? People'll hear!" she scolded. "I knew there was a reason I got married!"

"Cos you love him so deeply?"

"No, cos I don't share the same name as you anymore!" she said, sounding serious. He knew she was kidding, though. He might embarrass her-very occasionally-but she loved him really. "What do you want?"

"I saw the look," he explained. She frowned in confusion-what was this freak on about now? "Cecelia's sonogram?" he reminded her. "I saw the look, El-Dr Addison-and I've known you long enough to know that you weren't in deep prayer!" At his words, her face fell even further. She breathed a deep sigh and gripped his arm.

"Not here," she told him. She led him out of the smoking area as fast as possible, and down several corridors before finally stopping, in what he presumed was her office. Did OBs have offices? He didn't know.

"What's going on, Ellie?"

"I guess you have a right to know," she sighed. "I was talking with some colleagues-before her sonogram-and-"

"Which colleagues?" he asked her.

"The ones on Cecelia's last case," she clarified. "Anyway, they-that is, the consultant who performed her surgery-told me that he didn't think he got it all. That to get it would have meant keeping her under for a further four hours, which he didn't want to do in her weakened condition." He nodded. When she didn't continue, he felt his heart begin to sink-that silence was just as condemning as 'the look.'

"Well, what does this mean?" he asked nervously, knowing no good would come of it. She sighed again. That, he knew-from what Cecelia, being a nurse, had told him-was never a good sign. It was always a doctor's way of trying to soften bad news. When you heard the sigh, you knew you were in 'deep shit' as Cecelia herself had eloquently phrased it.

"They're gonna have to wait for her next scan before being certain of anything. When is that, by the way, in two weeks?"

"What does it mean, Ellie?" he repeated. If it was so bad she was changing the subject, he had to know!

"It means that there's a high chance it could return...and if it does you will probably have to terminate the pregnancy."

Alister's POV

"Did you mean it?" he asks out of nowhere. Mean it…why am I getting a flashback of when I told Lara…?

"Did you mean it?"

"Lara, I don't-"

"On Thursday night-do you remember it?" I nod. She lifts up her wrist. "While I was unconscious," she begins nervously. "I-I heard you say that-that…that you…loved…"

"Did you mean it?" she asks again, trying to stay cool and collected, but I've seen Victoria sponges with more stability than her!

"Yes," I finally whisper.

Mean what? That I'm destined to be alone, whilst having my heart stamped on? Until I…give up? I don't know…I'm starting to believe it. I don't want to, of course I don't, but it does seem a bit…ominous that I should have my heart broken twice in two weeks!

I have tried to be a good man, a good person. Yes, there have been times I've slipped up (such as that one time I was in prison for-you don't need to know about that.)

But that's it. I've never killed anyone, never intentionally or consciously hurt anyone…well, except my mother…she always said I would get my comeuppance. Actually, what she said was much more colourful but I feel no need to repeat her profanities of rage. Perhaps she was right…perhaps this is my punishment for not having looked after her better…to be a hermit (in regard of women, anyhow) and die alone.

She won't die alone. She'll die with people around her-it won't be very dignified I should imagine, but at least she won't be alone and only discovered when someone who feels sorry for the hermit invites him to a New Year's party, and only then do people gossip and they realise they've not seen head nor tail of me for three months!

Maybe I do deserve this…maybe my mother was right…I'd always had an inkling at the back of my mind, a fear. The fear that it would come true. I know you won't believe me, but that is why I've tried to surround myself with people. Not massive crowds of mates, you know, close friends, ones you have a real intimate relationship with. The sort whose tears at your funeral would be genuine.

I…I suppose that could be why I-I clung to the idea of Marina being the mother of my child. Not because she was the mother, but because it would have been my child. He would have been my son. A son can't reject you, not at that age. I could teach him-not to be like me, that would just be cruel. But I could teach him right from wrong, I could teach him to be loyal, to be a good person. And I would let him know that I would always be there for him. Whether it be for drugs, prostitution or even murder…one phone call from the police station would be enough to take me from my bed and down there in a flash. I would love him…I would have loved him.

"When I proposed," I say quietly, "it wasn't just because I wanted to do right by her." I already have his attention. I don't even need to look up to feel his enquiring yet sympathetic eyes on me.

This is the sort of friend I was talking about earlier. The sort who wouldn't sit in the car and let you have your huff, but who would follow you, not for gossip, but because he cares. I think-well, more hope-that is why he's doing this. I don't want him to be doing this just to relay gossip back to Winston! They're like blood brothers, I tell you, at times!

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't even ask 'why did you?' for the third time!

"I…it didn't matter to me that she would have had to raise the child single-handed if I hadn't," I continue, "nor how hard it would have been for her."

"What mattered to me was my son, growing inside of her. She could have been anyone, Zip-she could have been…Angelina Jolie and it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference! All I cared about was him-my David-and that he didn't grow up feeling as rejected as I did by my father." I pause, and see him gazing at me intently and slightly confused. "So you see, Zip, when I proposed to Marina, it wasn't her I was committing myself to, or even to fatherhood…it was to David."

"I was ready, Zip…I was ready to be his daddy. And then she took him away from me…and I feel as lost and hurt and battered as I would if a court of fucking strangers had ruled me unfit to raise him!" I emit a quiet sob and finally surrender to those tears that I have been holding back for so long.

I was more angry before…I'd never really considered the loss. You probably think me a right wimp. But you try getting attached to a child and then to discover he never existed and not feel this hurt!

Zip doesn't approach me. He doesn't put an arm around me, he doesn't whisper pointlessly that it'll be okay…he leaves me to it. That's good. I think he'd make it worse if he did. I'm not ready for that…not yet. I'm not strong enough.

Author's POV

"Positive?" She blinked. "What do you mean it's 'positive'?"

"The results of the test show that it's come back-metastasized in your lymph nodes," the doctor explained patiently. Cecelia looked over at her partner, who-from her observations-didn't look too surprised. Rather than pressing on this, however-that could wait-she turned back to Dr McCauley.

"All right," she said calmly. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"The cancer is currently at Stage 2-you were lucky this time, Miss Cartwright. We caught it early enough so surgery should correct it." Lucky? Cecelia smiled ironically-it seemed to her 'lucky' would have been not having this conversation at all! Lucky would be not having this 'positive' result from her scan! Lucky would be never having had it in the first place!

"All right, so do that," Cecelia ordered, clutching her stomach protectively.

"The thing is, Miss Cartwright," Dr McCauley began, in a tone that both mother and father knew all too well. "The surgery would be to remove your lymph nodes-it wouldn't eradicate any cancerous cells in any other part of your body. For that, we would need chemotherapy. But unfortunately, due to your condition," he waved at the swelling on her stomach, "this wouldn't be a viable option, unless you had a termination. The chemotherapy wouldn't allow the baby to survive."

"Well couldn't you just do the surgery, I'll take a risk!" she pleaded desperately.

"Even surgery would be putting both of you at risk, due to the pregnancy," he explained. "And it's got a much lower success rate anyhow-"

"I'd have the chemo later, after the birth!" she said somewhat fiercely. She turned away from the doctor and to the man who had been silent the entire time. "We can do that, can't we, honey?" He looked back at her, and one look told her that he didn't think it was a good idea. "Why aren't you more shocked by this?" she accused him. "Did you already know?"

"I-" he stuttered. "Well, Ellie told me-"

"Ellie? Who the fuck is Ellie?"

"Dr Addison-your OB? She's my niece, Cecelia, remember?"

"So, why did she tell you and-and not me?" Cecelia asked him, sounding betrayed. This was her body they were talking about, surely she had more right to know first than anybody!

"I went looking for her, after your appointment. I knew something wasn't right and she told me."

"That the cancer could return?" He nodded grimly. "And why you didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to get you wound up for nothing-" he protested.

"For nothing?! This is our baby we're talking about, our baby! Don't you care about that?"

"Cissy, of course I do, but the stress of waiting wouldn't have done you or the baby any good!"

"Yeah, cos the cancer's just rocking on!" she spat. She turned back to Dr McCauley, who had kept completely silent during the encounter. "Isn't there anything you can do that could save my baby?"

"Like what, Miss Cartwright?"

"Like…I dunno, a drug that could keep me in remission, just until after the birth! It's only five months away."

"Miss Cartwright, if such a drug existed, I can guarantee, I would've had it sent to your door!" Dr McCauley assured her. "But unfortunately, the only drug available-in so many words-is currently being tested. Prescriptions to patients are strictly prohibited. We have no idea of measuring the side-effects, you see."

"Oh, for the love of God, don't you have anything?!" she cried, "that could save my baby! I don't care about me, I just want to save my baby!"

"Cecelia, no!" her partner protested. She turned away from the doctor and gazed at him, earnest and fear written all over his face.

"This isn't your decision," she told him sternly, yet sadly. She looked back to the doctor. "I'll wait," she declared, as if that were the end of the matter.

"Miss Cartwright, I really wouldn't advise-"

"Screw you," she whispered. "You're not the one having to choose between yourself and your baby. Even if I go ahead with treatment, there's no guarantee that I would survive again. I've been battling this cancer for four years-"

"You've also beaten it three times already, Miss Cartwright," Dr McCauley pointed out.

"And maybe I'll beat it again-but I'd rather get fat and happy and then die rather than thin, sick and miserable. I've made my decision. I'm keeping the baby and I'm gonna wait till it's born." She nodded, as if trying to assure herself of it as well.

"Mr Trent?" Dr McCauley turned to him. "How do you feel about all this?"

"If Cecelia wants to wait…then I'm gonna wait with her." She smiled gratefully at him and took his hand;

"We'll battle this together, right?" she asked him later. He nodded.

"I promise."

Zip's POV

"Hey," I say in a soothing manner, after a few minutes. "I know how you feel, dude."

"Know how I feel?" he repeats disbelievingly. "How in the whole-bloody-world can you know how this feels? Are you taking the piss out of me, Zip?!"

"No," I answer seriously, but quietly. "I've also lost a baby-and I know how much it hurts." He looks at me as if in shock; then confused; then disbelieving.

"W-what?!" he exclaims. I gotta say, that was way too predictable!

I don't say this, though. I open my mouth and-out of nowhere, it feels like-some voice that sounds a lot like mine, starts to talk.

Right yes, there it is. So if you could be absolutely lovely and press that small button to the left, would much appreciate it! lolx!