Author's Note: Well, this is a surprise. I'd never thought I'd actually do a sequel to a request chapter, but thanks to the kind words of scrawn and leveragefan I present the second installment of Mrs. Gabbler! Enjoy!

Nate frowns as he listens to Mrs. Gabbler's story.

It's not that he doesn't trust this nice lady before him, but he's never seen Parker react that way towards anyone before and frankly, it has him worried. Why would Parker try to hurt this woman that raised her? What happened between them?

He suppresses a sigh.

He hates unanswered questions.

"So, Mrs. Gabbler, you came because . . .?" Sophie prompts.

"Parker ran away when she was 15." The woman pushes some of her brown hair out of her face. "Ever since then, I've wanted to see her again." She met Nate's gaze. "You see, I couldn't have children and Parker was like a daughter to me."

"Why did Parker act that way the way she did when she saw you?" Nate questions. He doesn't know what to make of this woman, but he's starting to think that things are fishy.

"I honestly have no idea." She replies. "Look, Mr. Ford, I love Parker and I just wanted to see her."

There's a knock on the door and then Eliot walks in. Sophie quickly jumps up and Nate knows that something must be wrong with Parker. Sophie always knows when things are wrong with Parker and by the look in Eliot's eyes, it must be bad.

"Go, Sophie." Nate tells her and Sophie gratefully nods her head as she runs out the door. Eliot shuts the door and takes her spot. Nate can feel the fury coming off of him as he looks at the moment before him. Something must be completely wrong with Parker if Eliot is acting this protective.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ford," Mrs. Gabbler starts. "But, I flew all the way out here for a reason and that was to see Parker." Nate stands up and helps Mrs. Gabbler from her seat.

"I'm afraid that Parker isn't feeling up to it today, but I'll be sure to—"

"I'm dying, Mr. Ford,"

Shocked silence.

"Excuse me?" Nate questions.

"I have cancer and I intend to see my daughter before I die regardless of what she thinks about it or not." Mrs. Gabbler has her hands on her hips and Nate, for once, doesn't know what to say or do. He looks to Eliot for support, but he can still tell that the hitter doesn't care what this woman has, he won't let her get near Parker.

"Mrs. Gabbler," Nate says opening the door. "Please come back tomorrow and we'll sort out what to do."

The woman nods and exits the room. As soon as she is out of his line of sight, Nate curses. What the hell was going on here?

"Didn't see that one coming," Eliot remarks. "But, I don't trust her."

"Is that your gut feeling or do you not trust her because of the way Parker reacted when she saw her?"

Eliot doesn't answer and Nate knows that he's cornered.

"She was crying, Nate." Eliot admits. "Parker never cries."

The door opens and Parker walks in with Sophie behind her. He can see her eyes are red and puffy from crying.

"Is she gone?" Parker questions.

"Yes," Nate answers and the tension visibly leaves her features. He hesitates about whether to tell her the rest, but he decides that it's best if he tell her now. "But Parker, she's dying."

Parker's eyes widen and then she slowly blinks.

"Parker?" Eliot asks, taking a step closer to her.

"Dying?" She repeats.

Eliot nods and Parker's eyes glass over.

"Oh,"

And with that, Parker collapses.

Author's Note: Does anyone want Mrs. Gabbler part 3? Review/Request!