So, after this chapter there's only the ending left. Now comes the difficult part, should I post it tomorrow or make you wait for a week or so? Hmm, that bears further thought.

Anyhow, thanks for the reviews. Sorry to give you such a fucking depressing story, but I suppose you wouldn't keep reading it if you weren't interested.

Disclaimer: Jesus, I've only got two more chapters, is this really necessary?

Enjoy!

Evy really didn't know what was worse, the days filled with constant lines of friends and doctors or the long nights filled with nothing but pain as her body let her down and the agonizing longing that overwhelmed her whenever she felt Jack's presence. At the present, she was leaning more towards the former.

Angelina Jackson was a nice girl, she really was. But if the girl said, "But of course you know that everyone is just so worried about you," one more time, Evy was going to use her IV bag to strangle her. As the girl continued onto a new topic (the truly heinous shade of yellow they'd painted the lockers in the girls' locker room) Evy decided it was time for drastic action.

"Angie," she gasped. "Thanks for spending so much time with me, but I'm really in pain and I think I'd like to sleep for a bit."

"Oh of course, Evy," Angelina said sympathetically. "You sleep and feel better. Everyone's just so worried about you and I'm sure they'll be glad to know that you've been getting enough rest. Ciao, dear!" she said with a merry little wave.

Evy leaned up a little bit to make sure she was gone before collapsing back on the bed and groaning. "My thoughts exactly," a glib voice said from the doorway. Evy grinned and opened her eyes as Chris and Amelia walked into her room. "Feeling any better, sweetheart?" Chris asked as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Evy shrugged, trying to ignore the shooting pain that stabbed her muscles as she moved. "How was school?" she asked them.

"Oh, you know," Amelia said. Putting on a falsely high voice, she said, "Everyone is just so worried about you."

"I'd throw something at you but I'm too damn tired," Evy growled. She could feel weakness seeping into her limbs like it did so often now. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to leave the hospital next week after all.

Amelia grinned, keeping her face carefully free of sympathy. "It was fine," she said. "Couple of the teachers asked about you. Mr. Olken wanted to know your room number so he could send you some flowers."

Evy smiled, but she felt a faint sinking in her heart as she thought of the man. Now that she knew he had been her father's lover, there was something hard about facing him.

"We brought you homework," Chris said, dropping her messenger bag onto the table next to her bed along with a few school books. "Nothing you can't handle. Reading a few chapters, two essays. The teachers were really happy to help."

"Thank them for me," Evy said, pushing the button to raise her bed up. "I need a smoke, can one of you find a wheelchair for me?"

"I'll go," Amelia said quickly. After she left the room, Chris's smile faded and he let his concern show.

"How are you really?" he asked quietly.

Evy sighed and tried to shrug again, but her arms felt too tired. "It comes and goes," she said quietly, looking down at her blanket. "Sometimes I feel okay, but it only lasts for a little while and I'm back to being too weak to move. The pain is pretty constant now. It spikes sometimes, but mostly I can handle it." She looked up at Chris. "Have you given any thought to what we talked about?"

Chris sighed and sat back in his chair. "Which bit?" he asked, his voice harsh. "The part about me finding a new girlfriend because you're going to die or the more insulting part about me needing to get sex somewhere cause I obviously can't get it from you?"

Evy closed her eyes at his anger. "I'm trying to help, Chris," she said softly.

"Evy, it's not going to be easy to watch you die whether I have another girlfriend or not."

"I know," she said quietly. "I just want you to have the chance. You're such a wonderful guy, I feel bad that you're becoming that guy with the sick girlfriend. I want you to move on and live."

Chris took her hand. "Babe, I will move on and live after you're gone," he said quietly. "But right now I want to live as much with you as I can so that I have plenty to remember when I can't talk to you anymore."

"Masochist," she laughed quietly.

"Frankly baby I'd be anything you wanted if you'd give me just one date," he replied lightly.

- - - -

Pain. Blinding white pain. She couldn't even cry out. Evy knew that Bobby was holding her hand and that her fingers were so tight against his that she was cutting off the circulation, but she couldn't feel it anymore.

The fit passed and left her gasping for breath and blinking white lights out of her eyes. "Want me to get someone?" Bobby asked. Evy shook her head.

"Won't . . . do any . . . good," she gasped.

"We could at least get them to give you something to make you sleep," Bobby said.

Evy shook her head. "Don't want . . . to sleep. Might not . . . wake up."

Pain ripped through her again and Evy cried out. "That's it," Bobby said sternly. "I'm getting them to give you something."

All Evy could do was nod as the pain receded. It hurt to bad, Bobby was right. After a nurse came in and gave her a sedative, Evy lay there holding Bobby's hand.

"It's late," she said suddenly, her words slightly slurred with the medication. "You're probably tired."

Bobby shrugged. "I hate the thought of you here alone," he told her. "I want you to know that you're not alone in this."

Evy laughed, but it came out more like a gasp. "I feel alone, Uncle Bobby," she whispered. "But only because I'm in pain and the rest of you aren't."

"That's a crock of shit," Bobby said matter-of-factly. "We're all in pain too. Speaking of pain, why are you trying to push Chris away?"

Evy groaned. "Because it's the right thing to do," she snapped.

"Why?"

"What good is it doing him to be dating a girl who can't leave the hospital?"

"What good would it do him to go out and pick up the first single girl he came across?"

"You don't get it," Evy snarled, but she couldn't finish. A coughing fit ended their conversation and left Evy gasping for breath again while aches filled her body from the violence of her coughs.

"Sleep baby," Bobby said quietly. "Sleep now." As he had so many times, Bobby started to sing quietly to Evy.

After Evy had spent a week in the hospital and it became clear that she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, Bobby had tore the house apart looking for Jack's stuff. He'd found a bunch of his brother's notebooks and had Evy look through them to find the songs that Jack had sung to her. His own voice wasn't very good, but the simple act of repeating her father's lyrics was guaranteed to put Evy to sleep.

The one he sang the most was one called "When Stars Fall." Evy always felt sad after she heard it because it was the song Jack would sing to her every night, but it was wonderfully soothing as well.

When the stars fall

And there's no more light

I can just look at you

And know it's alright

I was a shadow

Drifting along

Then you appeared

And gave me a new song

So I say,

Only when the stars fall

Only when my heart stops

Only when my soul dies

Only when this heart breaks

Will I go away.

Bobby was only halfway done with the song when Evy passed out. He smiled down at his niece and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Dr. Alexander was standing by the nurses' station and he smiled when he saw Bobby. "How is she?" he asked.

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "She's getting worse, Doc," he said quietly. "It's been almost two months and the pain just gets worse each day. Tonight makes three weeks in a row that I've had to have her sedated so that she can sleep."

Dr. Alexander patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I know you don't want to hear this," he said quietly. "But it's good news that the pain is so bad. That means it's close to over."

Bobby nodded. Two weeks ago, something like that would have brought tears to his eyes, but he didn't have the strength to cry anymore. "It's too soon," he said softly. He could hear how broken it was, like a little boy was speaking instead of a man well into his forties.

"It always is, Bobby," the doctor said quietly. "It always is."

- - - -

Another month passed and with it went the last of Evy's strength. Now she could barely move her fingers on her own. Bobby and the others took it in turns feeding her and reading to her, but they knew that now there was only one thing left to do. All that was left was to wait for the inevitable end that was looming ever closer.

Bobby sat with Angel and Jerry in Evy's hospital room when they finally addressed what was to come. Evy, knowing perhaps more than the others that she didn't have much time, was the one who brought it up.

"We need to talk about my funeral," she said, her voice so quiet and strained that Bobby and the others had to fight back winces of pain.

"I guess we do," Jerry said quietly. I'm not ready for this.

Evy smiled painfully and the brothers were forcibly reminded of the small smile Jack had managed for them just before he died. Almost as if she'd read Jerry's mind, she said, "No one's ever ready for this, but we need to get it fixed before it's too late." They nodded.

"I wrote a letter that I want you guys to read," she said quietly. "It has everything I want to say . . . everything I need to say. It's on the computer at home. I wrote it a few days before I came to the hospital."

None of the brothers were surprised that she'd done that. They knew now that Evy had always had an idea of what was making her sick. She knew her body better than anyone; she had known first that her time was getting short.

"It's in a locked file," she continued quietly. "Just remember that I'm forgiven and you'll be able to get into it." She gasped as pain ripped through her again. This time it was so intense that she was almost unconscious when it stopped.

"Forgive," she said quietly. "Forgive everyone when I finally go. Especially . . . yourselves." She blacked out then, leaving her uncles staring at her in fear and confusion.

"What did she mean 'I'm forgiven'?" Angel said.

"I dunno," Bobby said. "Maybe it's the password or something."

"Who are we supposed to forgive?" Angel asked after a moment.

"Everyone," Jerry replied. "She's been around long enough to know that there's a lot of baggage carried around with this family. She wants us to get rid of it."

"Easier said than done," Bobby muttered. The three of them smiled, the expression feeling oddly out of place, but still comfortable.

"I'll go home tonight and find that letter," Bobby told the others. He fixed them with a serious gaze. "We need to decide how to tell people that it's getting close to the end."

Angel gulped. "Jake's going to break down," he said quietly, his mind filled with the broken hearted look that had haunted his son's eyes since Evy had gone to the hospital.

"Amelia's never going to recover," Jerry whispered.

"Not to mention Chris," Bobby said. "Or us," he added softly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Jerry asked, his voice carrying the weary sorrow that filled them all.

Bobby stared down at Evy. I wish Jack was here, he thought wistfully. He'd know what to do. He was always so much better with feelings and loss than the rest of us. He'd be able to make her laugh, to make her stop being scared. He'd be able to make it okay for her to go. "We live," Bobby said gently. "We going living because she won't and someone needs to."

Only one more chapter to go. I'm actually really sad about that. As depressing as this is, I was having a good time writing it.

Oh well, all good and depressing things must come to an end. Or so people tell me.

Please review because I love getting them.

Next chapter should be up soon.