Cancer. Could it really be true? Just a week ago, Maddie was a healthy, happy little girl and now she had cancer. Kurt and Blaine were just in awe. "We'll be moving Maddie up to a room on the pediatric cancer ward. We should start chemo as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow." Dr. Bell said. "I'm sorry. I know how much this is to process, but I assure you I will do all in my power to help Maddie beat this. It's going to be a tough road, but she seems like a strong little girl. I know that she can beat this." She added. "I'll give you guys a moment alone to process all of this." She said before leaving the room. Kurt slowly wedged himself out from under Maddie's tiny body and got off the bed and practically ran into Blaine's arms.
"How can this be happening?" Kurt cried. "She was healthy!"
"I knew I should have listened to Skylar." Blaine said in an angry voice. "She warned me! I just didn't listen." He grumbled as he wiped a few stray tears that were rolling down his face. Maddie started to stir and wake up from her nap.
"She can't see us like this." Kurt said as he frantically tried to wipe his tears. Maddie opened her crystal blue eyes and looked at her fathers.
"Am I better?" She asked in an quiet, innocent little voice. Kurt got off of Blaine's lap and walked over to Maddie's bed.
"Honey, you know how we go and visit Auntie Skylar in the hospital because she's sick with cancer." Kurt said.
"Yes." Maddie replied.
"Well, honey, the doctors say that you have cancer too. It's a condition called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It's the kind of cancer that Auntie Skylar has, so we're just going to go up to-"
"Floor 5." Maddie said cutting Kurt off.
"Yes, baby. That's right." Kurt replied. He was a little surprised that Maddie wasn't more upset. The thing was Maddie didn't really understand what cancer really was. She understood that having cancer made you lose your hair. That had happened to Auntie Skylar, but she got to wear a lot of pretty scarves now. Auntie Skylar also got to decorate her room anyway that she wanted. The only thing was Maddie had never truly seen Skylar after chemo or when she was really sick.
"Will I be in Auntie Skylar's room?" Maddie asked.
"No,honey, you'll have your own room. It'll be near rooms for other kids with cancer. Auntie Skylar is an adult so she's with the other adults." Kurt replied. Maddie nodded her head.
"Can we go now? I want to see Auntie Skylar." Maddie asked. Kurt looked to Blaine. Dr. Bell was in the hallway with a wheelchair.
"We have a room all ready for you Maddie."She said. "I'll wheel you up there if you want." She said with a smile.
"Katie? Are you my doctor?" Maddie asked.
"Yes, honey. I am." Dr. Bell replied. Maddie smiled and pulled her arm down in triumph as if she had won a prize. She pulled herself from the bed. Despite still feeling sick, she seemed a lot better. The fluids that her IV had provided her really seemed to help. She sat in the wheelchair, which she thought was so cool, and allowed Dr. Bell to wheel her into the elevator. Kurt and Blaine followed silently. They still were very much in shock. Maddie pressed the number five and the elevator started to move. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, instead of going left, they went right, towards the pediatric cancer wing. Dr. Bell wheeled her down the hallway and stopped at room 576. "This one is your room." Dr. Bell told her. Maddie got out of the wheelchair and looked around.
"Papa, do you think I can let Auntie Skylar decorate my room." Maddie asked.
"Sure honey, if you want to." Kurt replied as he heavily leaned onto Blaine for support.
"I'll come by later to talk about chemo for her tomorrow. Go and contact your families and make sure Maddie is situated." Dr. Bell said in a low voice.
"Thank you so much Dr." Blaine added before she walked away.
"Can I go see Auntie Skylar? I know where her room is." Maddie asked.
"Honey, not right now." Blaine told her. Maddie placed her hand on her hips.
"Please?" She said in a sassy attitude. Kurt looked to Blaine.
"She's not going to stop." Kurt said. Blaine sighed and his shoulders drooped.
"Okay, honey. Let's go." He said. Blaine took her hand and they walked down to Skylar's room. Skylar looked pale, but her face brightened when Maddie walked in.
"Hey baby doll, I thought you were sick." She said as she sat up.
"I am, I guess." Maddie said. "Dr. Bell says that I have "a cute limpy ballastic lukemia. That's what you have right?" she asked. Skylar was taken off guard, but she couldn't resist how cute Maddie was trying to pronounce that.
"Come sit with me honey." Skylar said. Maddie walked over and Blaine set Maddie on the bed. "You guys go and do whatever you have to do." Skylar said to Kurt and Blaine. "I've got her and there's a herd of nurses watching me. Trust me she's in good hands." Skylar said. Blaine and Kurt nodded and left the room. They walked over to a little waiting area on the cancer floor and sat down.
"I have to call my dad and Carole." Kurt said.
"And, I have to call Cooper. I'll just send my parents a text." Blaine said. Kurt nodded and disappeared to call his own family, while Blaine hit Cooper's icon picture. The phone rang and Cooper answered on the end.
"What do you want baby brother?" Cooper said. "I have rehearsal." Blaine sniffled and let out a "Hi to you to Coop." Instantly, Cooper recognized that something was wrong. "Blaine, what's wrong? Is it Sky?" he asked.
"No, it's not Sky." Blaine replied. "It's Maddie. We just found out that she has- has the same cancer that Sky does."
"Oh Blaine, I'm so sorry." Cooper said. "Did you tell Mom and Dad? Do you want me to fly out there?" He asked.
"I'll text them after I'm finished." Blaine said. "And, no don't fly down. I know how important your movie is. She's not dy-dying." Blaine choked out.
"But, she's my niece and I love her." Cooper said.
"I know, but for now I don't really think she understands what's going on. I'll call you when you should come down." Blaine sniffled out.
"Okay, Blainey. Please, just keep me in the loop." Cooper said.
"I promise I will, Coop." Blaine replied.
"I love you and tell Maddie I love her too." Cooper said.
"I will. I love you too." Blaine said before hanging up. Blaine put his phone down on the coffee table as Kurt walked back over. "Did you get in touch with Burt and Carole?" he asked.
"I did. Dad can't get coverage at the shop for about two days. They'll be over after that." Kurt replied his eyes filling with tears. Blaine gave his husband a sympathetic face and walked over and pulled him into a tight hug as Kurt sobbed into his chest.
Back in Skylar's room, Skylar was trying to get Maddie to fully comprehend what she was up against. "Honey, do you understand what cancer is?" Skylar asked.
"It's a disease." Maddie replied.
"Yes, it is, but do you understand what goes in your body when you have cancer?" Skylar asked. Maddie shook her head no. "Okay, well you have tiny itty bitty cells that are a little different than your normal cells. These cells like to keep multiplying so that they can have more cells just like them.
"It's like there making friends." Maddie said.
"Sort of, but the thing is that your body doesn't like these cells. They're bad for you. So, what doctors like Dr. Wood and Dr. Bell do is try to get those cells out of you with medication like chemo." Skylar said.
"I heard Dr. Bell say that I was getting that tomorrow to Daddy and Papa." Maddie replied. "What is it?"
"Well, honey, it's a medicine that's going to make you better, but it's going to make you feel really yucky before it can make you better." Skylar said. Maddie's face started to change as Skylar talked about the chemo. "Does this scare you, sweetpea?" Skylar asked. Maddie nodded.
"What's you favorite thing to do?" Skylar asked as she changed the subject.
"I like making up stories." Maddie replied. Skylar smiled and pulled out her laptop and opened a blank word document.
"You and I are going to write a story together." Skylar said. "Then, whenever you're feeling sick or scared you can think about our story."
"That's a good idea." Maddie said with a smile.
"Should we brainstorm ideas for our story now?" Skylar asked Maddie. Maddie nodded and the two girls started talking about all the possible ideas to write. In the lobby, Kurt and Blaine had finally stopped crying for the time being.
"We should really get back to Maddie." Blaine said to Kurt. Kurt wiped away his tears and nodded. He took his husband's hand and they walked back over to Skylar's room. Maddie and Skylar were giggling together, but this time neither Blaine nor Kurt was going to reprimand them for being loud. Who knew how long it would be until they would see Maddie's smile again? Chemo was a horrible drug and the mere concept that that poison was going into their daughter's body was a nightmare becoming a reality.