msnooky: I think I've even got a little lost on the kids situation, especially after I went back and read about how many I put in at one of the chapters. So for the record, here they are: Jeff and Randy's kids--Jack(14), Sid(10) and Maggie (7). Then there's Matt and Katie's brood--Aaron and Jenny (14), Gary (11), Rachel (8) and Caleb (5). Ted and Cody: Emma (13) and Dakota (9). Phil and Kofi: Doug (15--adopted at an older age). Miz/Lillian: Derek (13) and Maria/Morrison: Sasha (10). I hope that helps a little bit.

Randy had heard about how hard chemo and radiation treatments were from Mark, but since he had never seen what the Deadman had gone through, he wasn't fully prepared to deal with what poor Maggie had to go through. It became very hard as the week went on to stay optimistic. The treatments made her so sick and weak, and she was already starting to loser her hair. She actually started to cry when she saw the clumps coming out of her head and it almost made him cry too. Matt and Katie tried to be helpful by bringing in all kinds of pretty wigs for her, but the damage had been done. She had been traumatized by that incident.

"Dad?" Maggie said weakly. They had gone ahead and had her head shaved, so now she really looked like a shadow of her former self.

"Yeah honey?" he said, taking and holding her hand gently.

"When are Jack and Sid coming to see me?"

"They'll be here in a little bit. Matt and Katie are bringing them and all your cousins to see you."

"Do they know why I'm sick?"

"Nobody knows why you're sick. We're just here to make sure you get better."

"Oh." She looked over at Jeff, who hadn't said a word in hours. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?" Jeff said in a shaky voice. It didn't seem like he was going to hold together for that much longer.

"Don't be sad. I don't like it when you're sad."

Jeff almost managed a small smile. "I know you don't honey. I just wish you weren't sick."

"Me too. Chemo is terrible." She made a face. "It makes me look like a weird, shrunken old man."

Randy frowned. "What?"

Matt and Katie arrived with Jack, Sid and their whole brood. "Surprise," Aaron said, holding a teddy bear out to Maggie.

"Ooohhh! Gimmie!" Maggie said eagerly. She weakly held her arms out so she could get the stuffed animal.

Jack came to sit by Randy and Sid sat down on Jeff's lap. Randy couldn't help but notice how pale and thin Jack was becoming. "Have you been eating buddy?" he asked.

Jack shrugged. "I haven't been hungry."

"Sid hasn't been hungry either," Gary informed them. "He even put off marrying Nancy until Maggie's better."

Maggie grinned. "You did?"

Sid nodded. "I can't have a wedding without a flower girl. It wouldn't be the same."

Jeff kissed the top of Sid's head. "That was very sweet of you."

Matt reached into the bag he had brought and pulled out some board games. "Maggie, you pick which one you want to play first. We'll do whichever one you want first."

"Say Pretty Pretty Princess, say Pretty Pretty Princess," Aaron whispered.

Jenny gave him a look. "Why do you want her to say that one?"

"Oh come on, we all know how awesome I look as a princess."

Jack rolled his eyes and started reaching towards the games Matt was holding so they would be closer to Maggie. By chance, his sleeve rolled up just enough for Randy to see the cuts on his arm. "Jack, what are those?" he asked quickly.

Jack froze. He looked at Randy and then at his arm before gulping. "What's what?"

Randy took his son's arm and rolled up the sleeve even more. There were cuts everywhere on his arm. And not only were there cuts, but there were burn marks too. It looked like he had taken a lighter and just held the flame up to his skin until it burned. "Oh my God. Jack, what have you done to yourself?"

Jack closed his eyes. "It's nothing, okay? I'm fine."

"It's nothing? Jack, look at your arm! This is not nothing!"

"Randy stop for a second," Jeff said quietly. He took Sid off his lap and stood up. "Jack, can you come out and talk to me for a second?"

Jack pulled his arm away from Randy and reluctantly went out of the room to talk to Jeff. Randy just sat there for a moment, not believing what he had just seen. He looked at Matt and Katie. They couldn't believe it either.

Caleb just grabbed the Pretty Pretty Princess game and held it up to Aaron. "Pretty. You pretty."

Aaron grinned triumphantly. "See? Caleb agrees with me."

XXXXXXXXX

Jeff took Jack all the way out into the car so they could talk completely alone. "Daddy this isn't what you think it is," Jack said. Now that he had been busted, he was trying to talk his way out of it. "I haven't done anything to--"

"Just stop," Jeff ordered. He was rolling up his own sleeves. "I know what you've been doing. You can't fool someone who's been there and done that." He held up his own. "You see those scars?"

Jack looked closely. "Yeah but what…" His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. "You?"

"Me."

"Why?"

"A lot of reasons. I was hurt as a lot when I was younger." Jeff gave Jack a serious look. "Has anyone hurt you?"

"What? No, of course they haven't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Yes I'm sure. I'm just…" Jack shook his head. "I'm just really depressed. And no matter what I do, it won't go away."

Jeff sighed. This was bad. This was really bad. "I'm going to get you a psychiatrist and we're going to get you on some anti-depressants. We've got to get this stopped before it gets too far."

Jack glared at him. "You want me to see a shrink? I'm not crazy Daddy!"

"I didn't say you were. But I'm not going to stand by and watch you get worse." Jeff looked Jack in the eyes. "I can't you lose you Jack. I don't want to lose you and I don't want to see you suffer. Let me help you, okay?"

Jack sighed and finally nodded reluctantly. "Okay.