Free Fall

Chapter Eleven: Mid-West Invasion

"Yo, check out Miss M's bling bling!"

Kenzie instinctively put her hand behind her back, hiding the engagement ring. Leave it to the kids she had been taking chemo therapy with to point out something like that. Unfortunately, Keshia's announcement had set off all the kids there today, even Penny Marko, who was going through her last session of chemo.

"Are you married?"

"No, stupid, that means she's going to get married."

"What hand is it on?"

"What's his name?"

"Hey!" Doris' shout quieted everyone and the kids went back to their chairs and settled down. "I'm sure if you're all quiet and take turns asking Miss Marshall about her engagement, she'll be more than happy to answer your questions."

Kenzie sat down and took deep breaths as Doris hooked her up. She still hated being hooked up to the IV and couldn't help but squirm somewhat. Once Doris had finished she stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Now, I go first. When did he ask?"

Kenzie should have expected Doris to want to know the whole story before anyone else. "Last night, he asked at dinner when we were eating with friends."

"And you said yes I take it?"

"Actually, I said no. But then when I thought about it, I said yes."

Doris chuckled. "That poor boy."

"What's his name?" one of the kids shouted.

"Harry," Kenzie answered.

"Did he kiss you?"

Kenzie was thankful she was already sitting down, remembering that kiss he had given her after she had yes. "Oh, yes he did."

A chorus of "ewws" issued forth.

Kenzie and Doris rolled their eyes and laughed.

"Did you set a date yet?" Doris asked.

Kenzie shook her head. "He said it didn't matter to him when we have the wedding but I'm thinking it should be soon."

"How soon?"

"I don't know," Kenzie shrugged, "What are you doing next Saturday?"

"A week and half? You're going to plan your wedding in a week and half?"

"It's going to be a small wedding. We didn't want a big production. You wouldn't believe how the press follows him."

"Are you marrying Prince Harry?" one teenage girl asked.

"No," Kenzie laughed. "Harry Osborn."

A couple parents nodded their heads in recognition while the kids went back to their plastic action figures and coloring books. Kenzie looked over at one little boy and saw him playing with a Spiderman figure and had to bite her cheeks to keep from laughing.

"So next Saturday then?" Doris was still looking skeptical.

"My Dad's coming into town today. I figured he would want to be a part of the ceremony so," Kenzie finished with a shrug. "But, uh, Doris?"

"Yeah?"

"I need some help picking out something to wear," Kenzie ran a hand over her shaved head. A regular wedding gown wasn't going to look right with a shaved head and she was really getting to despise the wigs. Fall had entered into New York City and last Saturday she and Harry had gone on a hat shopping spree. He had bought her far more than what she needed but she now had a hat for every occasion.

Doris was still trying to look severe but Kenzie could see the telltale signs of a wide smile beginning to creep across her face. "I know just the place."

"Are you sure this looks alright?"

Kenzie looked Harry over again and nodded. "Of course it looks alright."

Harry couldn't remember the last time he had worn jeans. His wardrobe consisted of tailored suits, dress pants and dress shirts. When they had spent the day shopping for hats for her, she had insisted he buy a pair of jeans for when her dad came to visit. He would have thought she would have him decked out in Armani with his Rolex. But there he stood in her living room, Calvin Klein jeans, Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt and sneakers. Not exactly dressed for success in his book but Kenzie seemed more than pleased with his appearance.

"Did you tell your Dad about next Saturday?"

Kenzie was busily straightening up the apartment, though even Harry could tell she was having difficulty finding things to straighten. "Uh, no, not yet."

"So he's just going to get a couple of major bombs dropped on him in one night?"

She stood up from fluffing the throw pillows on the couch. "No, I just planned on telling him about the wedding tonight and save the cancer announcement for sometime later on in his stay."

"If anything, the cancer should come first. He needs to know that."

Kenzie sat down on the couch and twisted the pillow in her hands. "I don't know how he'll handle it. I don't know if he can."

Harry sat down next to her and pulled the pillow out of her grasp. "He'll handle it because you're handling it."

She gave him a "yeah right" look and put his arm around her shoulders. "You are. You have some bad days but you never lose your humor." And it was true. There were some nights that he stayed with her because she was crying so hard and couldn't stop. It was a side of herself that she showed to no one else, not even Peter and MJ. There were times when the fear and frustration were so great and she would break. That was when he stayed by her side, holding her and trying to bring some kind of comfort. If he was honest with himself, those times scared him. That was when her doubts of getting better became his own doubts. But by the morning, she would compose herself and face the day with her steely determination.

"Come on," he said as he pulled to her feet, "I want to practice dancing again with you so I know what to do next Saturday."

She gave a slight laugh but turned on her stereo anyway. Michael Buble poured out of the speakers and he took up the classic dance hold that Kenzie had taught him. As usually, she had to fix the hand that placed on her back as it inevitable ended up too high or too low.

"I'll get it by the wedding," he promised.

"I know you will."

He waited till he heard the right measure of music start and then began the basic steps for the foxtrot that she had taught him. It was an easy and fun dance that Kenzie had promised looked great when it was being executed correctly. It was enough to wow the small crowd that would be gathered but it just didn't feel like them. Sure, he was more traditional in his suggestions for the wedding but Kenzie was naturally a rule breaker. He started thinking too much and ended up missing a step and getting her toes.

"Sorry."

She laughed it off. "No problem. What were you thinking about?"

Well, honesty was the best policy when it came to her. "I just think this is a little too stuffy for us."

"We can always try the cha cha again."

"No, no please." She had taught him the basic steps which he got down once she made him do them for a solid hour. But then she had told him that was only half of it, the other half was how you moved your knees and hips. The only hip movement he could do in a dance was the twist, and even that was hit and miss.

"How about the funky chicken?"

"How about," he said, reaching over and turning on the radio, "we dance our own way." Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" started and he was pleased to see Kenzie throw caution to the wind. All proper dancing etiquette went out the window and soon they were laughing so hard at their antics, the dance had disintegrated into sitting on the floor and wiping the tears from their eyes.

"That would look so much better than the foxtrot," Kenzie teased.

"You said they have freestyle competitions in ballroom. We could just call it that."

"Well," Kenzie leaned back on her elbows, "the free would work but I'm afraid there's no style involved. But we might be able to work something out."

Harry leaned over to kiss her when a loud knock on the door stopped him just centimeters away. He would have kissed her anyway but she had turned her head towards the door.

"It's probably my Dad."

"Then we better open door."

Harry helped her to her feet and watched as she straightened her shirt and took a deep breath. He honestly didn't know what to expect her father to be like. Kenzie had never spoken about him in great detail, other than he lived in Oklahoma, had his own ranch and was a cowboy. But that still didn't prepare him for who walked through the door.

He looked to be the same height as Kenzie but Harry couldn't tell for certain due to the large hat that was on his head. He came through the door with a boisterous "Hey Darlin'" and wrapped Kenzie in a hug. Harry had to stifle a laugh. Kenzie was a very affectionate person but only with people she deemed close friends. Clearly, her relationship with her father hadn't made it into that category yet.

He also realized why she wanted him to dress so casual. Her father was in a pair of jeans, with a button down shirt, cowboy boots and a huge silver belt buckle. He wondered how in the world her father got through the Bronx without getting mugged. The older man released his daughter when he caught sight of Harry standing a few feet behind Kenzie.

"Now, who is this?"

Kenzie gently disentangled herself and quickly retreated to Harry's side. "Dad, this is Harry Osborn. He's my fiancé."

Harry extended his hand and almost wished he hadn't. Her father had the strongest grip he had ever felt and secretly wondered if the man was just trying to break his hand for the sole purpose of keeping it off his daughter.

"Joe Marshall. Funny, Kenzie here hasn't said anything about you."

Harry pulled his hand free and crossed his arms behind him so he could flex his fingers. "Kenzie and I haven't been together for long, sir. That and she's had other issues to deal with as well." And apparently, that was all that had to be said. Joe regarded Kenzie with a crestfallen face.

"You've got cancer, don't you sweetheart?"

Harry watched Kenzie's face carefully but the only tell-tale sign of her being upset was a brief twinge around her mouth.

"Yeah, Dad, I do. It's a brain tumor," she pointed to the space between her eyes. "They've been doing chemo and radiation to make it smaller so they can operate. I go for a CAT scan and MRI in three weeks."

"You alright? How are ya feeling?"

"I'm fine, really." She smiled slightly and took Harry's hand. "I've made some very good friends who've helped me a great deal."

Joe Marshall just stared at the Harry and Kenzie, and Harry felt a momentary brush of panic. What if he didn't like him, didn't think he was good enough for his daughter? Harry could hear whispers in the back of his mind that sounded like his own father's voice reminding him of what a failure he was. But suddenly, Joe's face lit up with a large smile and he practically lunged at Harry.

"Welcome to the family, son!"