Okay, so I knew that writing about this subject was controversial, but it's my story and I'm going to write it. My best friend of almost 20 years had something like this happen to her. Her son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. Everyone in our lives were tested to be a bone marrow donor. None of us were a match,but it brought awareness to the fact that thousands of people could be helped if people would sign up to be a donor. I for one have been a registered bone marrow donor for over 10 years. I'm looking forward to the day that I'm called to donate.

If you are interested in becoming a bone marrow donor, go to be a match dot org Remove the spaces and put a period in there. The tests are simple. A mouth swab and you are put into a database. You could save someone's life. That being said, no one is forcing anyone to read this story. Yes, childhood leukemia is a scary thing, but so is child abuse and child murders.

This will be the last time I say this, don't like, don't read. That's what the little red x in the top right hand corner is for. As for me, I'm not planning on changing this story to suit anyone. Read it or don't read it. As long as I'm having fun writing I will continue writing what and how I want. 'K? K...

The next morning found Kate and Rick on the phone with their families. Martha promised Rick that she was on her way to the hospital. Jim and Johanna Beckett were also called and asked to come. They wanted to tell everyone at once so that it was less painful for everyone involved.

After that was done, Kate called the police commissioner and informed him that she would need to take a leave of absence. She briefly explained the situation to him and her boss was sympathetic and told her, "I will let everyone know."

"Thank you Sir."

"Oh and Captain Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"I will ask that the officers and detectives at the other precincts are given the time off that they need to see about being tested as a match. Should it be needed."

Kate swallowed hard. She finally managed to choke out, "Thank you Sir."

Commissioner Gates smiled and told her, "Anything. You are one of our best Captains. You need to concentrate on getting your son better."

"Thank you Sir."

With that, Kate hung up and walked into the room where her and Rick's family had gathered. Kate looked at her daughter and brought her close to her. She held her tight and nearly started crying. This trip definitely wasn't turning out like she had hoped, but she was glad that Rick was here with her. She honestly wasn't sure that she could have done it on her own.

She took one look at her family and she lost it. She put her face in her hands and started crying. Rick squeezed her shoulder gently and whispered, "We have some news about Noah."

Johanna asked, "Is he okay?"

Martha looked at her son, "What's wrong?"

Rick looked at everyone and finally managed to tell them, "Noah's sick." He found it hard to continue, but knew that he needed to. So, he told them, "He has leukemia."

He knew that he had stunned everyone. They were completely silent and Johanna, Jim and Martha all looked shocked. While Samantha and Alexis looked confused by the way that the adults were acting.

Finally Samantha asked, "What's leukemia?"

Kate had finally regained her composure and went to sit by her daughter. She didn't want to scareher daughter, but she knew that she needed to give her some answers. She took her little girls hand and told her softly, "It's a kind of disease. It's in his blood."

Samantha asked softly, "Can't they give him something to make him all better? Like a shot or something?"

Kate shook her head, "I'm afraid not sweetheart. It's a little bit more complicated than that. See, this kind of disease it destroys all of the healthy white blood cells and then they bad ones take over. As well as not growing properly, these white blood cells also grow very quickly in Noah's bone marrow, then they spill out and crowd his bloodstream. Soon there isn't enough room for his other blood cells to grow, so then they don't work properly either. This causes all kinds of problems."

Kate watched as Samantha's bottom lip quivered and then she asked, "Is he going to die?"

"The doctors are going to do everything they can for him. They want all of us to get tested and see if we are a match."

The adults all agreed to be tested and then Jim asked, "What odds are the doctors giving him?"

Kate smiled at them, "Well, Doctor Darby, that's his pediatric oncologist, said that since we caught it early his chances are good. They are going to perform a few tests to give them a better picture of everything going on in his body. Then she will know what steps to take next."

Alexis and Samantha watched as their parents and Grandparents talked about everything. Neither girl understood exactly what was wrong with their brother, but they could tell that it was serious. Alexis took Sam's hand and walked out of the room. Then she told her, "I want to be tested."

"Me to, but.."

"But what?"

Looking at their family, Sam said, "They will probably tell us that we aren't old enough."

"Yeah."

"It's not fair. We are almost eleven and if we could help him..."

"They probably won't even listen to us."

Sam shook her head, "We need to make them listen to us. I mean, he is our brother."

Alexis smiled at her friend and took her hand and led her back into the room. She walked over to her father and told him, "Sam and I wanted to be tested dad."

Rick smiled down at his little girl, "I don't think that's a good idea pumpkin."

"Why?"

"Well, you both are young and..."

That was when Rick and Kate heard a voice say, "As long as they are healthy and have your consent I see no reason why they can't at least be checked to see if they are a match."

Rick and Kate turned to see Doctor Darby standing behind them. The woman walked into the room and shook hands with the other adults. Then she turned to them and told them, "I know that this is very scary, but I am willing to answer any questions that you might have."

The next hour or so was spent answering the various questions that the adults had. In the end, it was decided that everyone in the room would be tested. When the question of insurance came up, Kate told the doctor, "I have insurance, but I'm not sure if it covers everything."

Rick broke in and said, "Whatever insurance doesn't cover I will."

"I can't ask you to do that Rick. I..."

"You're not asking. He's my son to Kate. Let me share some of the burden of this."

They turned to look at each other and then Kate whispered, "Fine."

Doctor Darby smiled at the couple and then said, "I stopped by to see Noah. He seems to be feeling a little bit better. He was asking for something to eat and his fever seems to be coming down."

Kate looked at her and asked, "Is that good news?"

"It is. While he's not out of the woods yet, it is a good sign. I want to set him up for the biopsy's for later today. I've also requested that the blood bank here in the hospital stay open a bit later than normal."

Kate and Rick looked at her and asked, "Why?"

The doctor smiled, "Well, it seems that we have almost three hundred men and women in blue waiting and demanding to be tested as a possible match for your son. I spoke with one of them and they said that they are just the first ones to come. That others will come after shift change."

Kate had never been rendered speechless before in her life. Until now that is. She looked at the doctor and said, "Police Commissioner Gates said that she was going to put the word out."

Doctor Darby smiled, "And if no one turns out to be a match, we will have many potential donors that can possibly save the life of someone else in the future. Lets just hope that one of them is a match for Noah. Now, lets see about getting Noah some ice cream. What's his favorite flavor?"

Kate smiled and told her, "Mint chocolate chip."

The doctor nodded and hurried off to get him some ice cream. Rick looked at her and whispered, "That's my favorite flavor to."

Kate smiled at the man that she had loved once. There were so many things that Rick and Noah had in common. She wasn't sure what she had done to bring Rick back into their lives, but whatever she had done, she was grateful for it. She looked at Rick and whispered, "I know. We should probably head back to Noah's room. I'm sure he's wondering where we are."

Rick nodded and they all headed to his room. When they got there, they couldn't help but laugh. Noah was surrounded by other boys and girls of various ages. Some of them had short hair and others had no hair. They were showing Noah their different toys and talking to him and making him smile.

Doctor Darby came up behind them and told them, "Sorry. The other kids found out about him and well, they wanted to come and say hello. I hope you don't mind."

Kate asked, "How did they find out so quickly?"

Doctor Darby smiled, "Word travels fast here among the youngest of our patients. Once one kid finds out about it, well, the rest just naturally gravitate towards them. It's like their own private clique. Noah will find love and support from them."

Kate looked offended and said, "We can give him that."

Doctor Darby smiled at Kate and told her softly, "I know you can, but these kids are all going through their own cancer journey and they all know what his journey is going to be like. No one, not you or his father will ever be able to comprehend what lies ahead for him." Looking over their shoulder at the children sitting around the bed with Noah. It was obvious that the little boy didn't understand what was going on,but it was also clear that he was loving the attention. Doctor Darby continued, "These kids have their own language and it's clear that they have accepted Noah as one of them. They will be able to give him strength when you and his father are having a hard time hanging on. These kids are stronger than most adults give them credit for. Just because they are young, it doesn't mean that they are helpless or clueless. Trust me Kate, this is a good thing. Think of it as an extra support group for Noah and your family."

Watching their son interact with the children, Kate found that she couldn't be upset. The oldest of the children, a girl that appeared to be about Samantha's age, was holding a big fluffy teddy bear. She was making it talk and when she was done, Noah was left giggling and the little girl, a stranger until ten minutes ago, leaned down and hugged Noah tightly. Then she walked over to Kate. The girl turned her head to the side and asked, "Are you his mother?"

Kate smiled at the girl and told her, "I am."

"Cool. I'm Elizabeth,but all my friends call me Beth."

"I'm Kate and this is Noah's father Rick."

Beth smiled and said, "I know who he is. My mom loves his books. She reads them whenever I'm getting a treatment. They make her smile."

Kate had a feeling that it was a good thing. Then, Beth said, "Do you mind if we take him to the play room? We have some cool toys there. Plus, we always want to initiate new members."

"Initiate?"

"Yeah. It's very cool. We give them a hat and we sing a bunch of songs. Then they are given their club badge. What kind of leukemia does he have?"

Doctor Darby stepped in then and said, "We don't know yet Beth. He's going for his biopsy today."

Beth nodded and then told Kate, "I have acute lymphocytic leukemia or ALL."

"How long have you been battling yours Beth."

Beth smiled, "I'm a long timer. I've had it since I was six."

"You haven't been cured?"

Beth shrugged, "You're never really cured. I've gone into remission now. My mom brings me to visit and meet the new kids. I've been in remission for a year now."

Doctor Darby smiled and told Kate and Rick, "Beth is just one of my many success stories." Looking at the little girl, "Maybe you can tell Kate and Rick about it later."

Beth nodded and smiled at the doctor, "I'd love to."

Kate smiled as she watched the little girl, a girl not much older than her own daughter. She had been through so much in her young life. She found herself longing to learn more about this little girl. However,before she could ask any questions, Doctor Darby was hurrying them out of Noah's room. Telling the children that it was time for Noah's tests. The kids all walked by Kate and Rick and one by one they hugged Kate and then Rick. By the time all the kids were out of the room, there wasn't a dry eye from the adults.

Then they watched as the nurses walked over to get Noah ready for the tests. Kate and Rick smiled and each of them leaned down to give their son a kiss. Then, they watched as he was wheeled out of the room. Looking so very small, but so very brave. Only once he was out of eyeshot did Kate break down crying. Rick held her and placed a small kiss on the top of her head.

They stood there in silence for a moment and then Kate felt a small tap on her back. She wiped her eyes and smiled when she saw Beth standing there. The little girl looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she simply threw her arms around Kate's waist. Kate wasn't sure how to react at first, but then she found herself hugging the little girl back.

Then, Beth looked up at Kate and told her, "He will be fine."

Kate could only nod as she watched the girl walk back over to her mother. The woman sent the girl off to a room set off to the side. Then her mom came over to Kate and before Kate could react, she felt herself engulfed in a huge hug. Then Beth's mom said, "I know it's scary. Every time Beth gets a cold..." She sighed, "I wonder if the leukemia has come back. Every trip to the doctor is scary as hell for us. More so for me than for her. She had more optimism in her little finger than I do in my whole body."

"She's amazing."

"She is. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. When she heard about Noah, she insisted that I bring her here. I really think she would live here if I let her."

Kate laughed for the first time that day, "She's destined for great things."

"She wants to be a doctor. Wants to find a cure for cancer."

"If anyone can do it, it would be her."

It was then that Beth's mom realized she hadn't introduced herself, she stuck out her hand and told Kate, "I'm Cindy."

"I'm Kate."

"It's nice to meet you Kate. Look, it's going to be awhile before he's back up here. Did you want to get a cup of coffee with me? Beth is going to be busy for awhile and you look like you could use a bit of a break."

"I don't want to leave him and.."

"Did they give you your beeper?"

Kate shook her head, "No. What's that for?"

Cindy held up her hand and smiled, "Wait one second."

Kate watched as the woman walked over to the nurses desk and talked with one of the woman sitting behind it. She put out her hand and the nurse handed her a small square object. She thanked the woman and walked back over to Kate. She handed Kate the beeper and told her, "This is how they will contact you when Noah gets back from the biopsy, but it won't be for awhile."

Cindy looped her arm through Kate's and led her to the elevator. Rick smiled as he watched the women leave. Rick wasn't a religious person, but he soon found his way to the chapel in the hospital...