Chapter 8

Mary- Kate POV

So today's the day… the day I have to tell the rest of the glee club about my cancer. I don't think I can do it. I don't want everyone to get super worried. They'll all be watching me all the time now… No. You can do this MK… no wussing out. I think to myself as I open my locker after five minutes of turning the lock in circles because I'm shaking so much.

"Hey, love… You okay?" Says Stephen as he comes up behind me.

"Hi. Yeah, I'm just swell." Okay, Mary Kate… a little too much sarcasm… he'll notice that you really aren't okay… and then he'll keep worrying.

"Mary Kate, you know I know that's a lie…" He says, moving from behind me and leaning against the locker next to mine.

"Stephen… I'm fine." I whine. "I'm just tired and everyone at home is treating me like I'm going to break at any moment, I don't need that from you too."

"Oh… really? Then how about this?" He asks before slamming my locker after helping me shove the rest of my books in my bag and picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"STEPHEN! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW! THIS IS INSANE!" I screech as he walks towards the choir room.

"Well, hello you two… thanks for joining us." Ms. Rose says once Stephen has passed her and put me in my chair and sat down next to me.

"Sorry… Mary Kate's been moving a little slow today… she's gotta pick up her pace." Stephen says winking at me and Ms. Rose… he's not talking about me physically… he's talking about the cancer.

"Well, next time try and be on time." She says smiling softly. "Now… any announcements before we start today's lesson?" I nod, but don't move.

"You can do it, love… I know you can." I shake my head at Stephen's quiet encouragement. "Do you want to go up front? I'll go with you." I again shake my head.

"I can't…" I whisper just soft enough for him and him alone to hear. "I can't do it."

"Do you want me to tell them? Would that be better?" he asks as he pulls my chair closer to his and I put my head against his shoulder. "Mary Kate… Someone's got to tell them…" I nod. "You'll do it?" I shake my head a third time. "Do you want me to?" I nod again into his shoulder. "Okay, you have to let me get up though." He laughs and I shake my head again.

"You can stay there if you want Stephen… you don't have to be up here." I hear Ms. Rose suggest and nod my head into his shoulder again.

"Okay… well, so you all know how MK has been getting sick really easily recently? Well the other week her doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong and her mom had found some bruises on her back. The doctor sent her to get some tests done and when she did, they found out…" He fades out some and I squeeze his hand to give him encouragement. "Guys, Mary Kate has cancer."

I make a squeaking noise at the gasps from our friends and bury myself further into Stephen. Everyone starts yelling and asking questions and suddenly my head is pounding. I hold onto Stephen in a tighter grip, hoping he doesn't notice. It's just a headache, right? He does notice though.

"MK? Love, are you okay? Don't lie to me either." I shake my head.

"No I'm not… My head is killing me…" I admit. I can feel him move around and then next thing I know he's in front of me, kneeling to look at me closer.

"Do you want to go in the hall? Would that help?" I nod. He nods back and then picks me up as though I was a child, wrapped around him. We get out in the hall and he sits down on the floor and I sit in his lap. "How's that? Lot less noise, huh?"

"Yeah… I'm sorry…" He gives me a confused look.

"Why are you sorry? You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"I just- for making it so you have to – have to deal with this… and with me…" I say, whispering at the end.

"Mary Kate, I am not 'dealing' with you… or with your illness… things like this happen all the time."

"You say that now… but what happens when I get worse… what happens when I don't get better? What are you going to do then?" I ask, my insecurity that he'll leave me at the drop of a hat getting the best of me.

"I'll be here. I'm telling you now, that I'm in this for the long haul, dear… you're not gonna get rid of me just because you're itty bitty tiny bit sick." He teases, knowing I'm getting too serious.

"I don't think having cancer qualifies as being an itty bitty tiny bit sick, Stephen…"

"Well, I here to stay… no matter what, that's a promise." He says. I blink away tears while he pulls me closer.

"Why? Why are you putting yourself through this when you know you could end up heartbroken?" I ask, with a gigantic lump in my throat. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, something he only does when he's thinking or debating something with himself.

"Because I love you." He admits without any hesitation. I blink a few times before I realize that this is real.

"Really?" I ask startled by his answer.

"Yes, of course I do... you're amazing..."

"I- I love you, too." I tell him, finally looking at him. He's got a giant smile on his face and looks happier than I've seen him in a while. And trust me, I feel exactly the same way.

"Really?" He asks surprised.

"Yes, really, you big idiot… Of course I do!" I tell him, laughing before he kisses me sweetly.

Hey dears! So I know this chapter is a bit on the short side for what I like to post and it's NOT RYLEY! I'm a little bit stuck on how to move forward with their storyline right now, so I decided to sort of take a step back and expand on another storyline to give the story more depth. And after the last chapter I've been kept up night after night trying to decide if I wanted to do a chapter like this and finally I decided to do it. I feel, after re-reading the story on this sight as though it wasn't mine, that I would want to know how Mary Kate is feeling from her point of view. So here it is! Let me know if you like it, if it was a dumb idea, if I should continue to do some chapters in Mary Kate and Stephen's POV's, or if I should just forget about it.

Love, Love, Love,

MiggieMoo2014