I looked up at the doctor pleadingly, and Mabel opened her eyes. He slicked his hair back and sighed, his voice becoming shaky.

"It appears to be acute myeloid leukemia. I've never been so sure of anything else. I'm truly sorry."

I felt completely defeated and powerless. This couldn't be right.

The color seemed to fade out of the room. I couldn't believe it- no, I wouldn't believe it.

"No!" I snapped, standing up and stomping my foot indignantly. "You're wrong! She was absolutely fine a month ago. You have to check again! There must have been some sort of...misreading or-or something!"

"Dipper, stop-"

"No!" I cried again. Stan seemed slightly shocked that I would raise my voice at him. "Grunkle Stan, you can't possibly believe he could have come to a diagnosis so quickly!" I clenched my hands.

"We can try a bone marrow transplant. But I don't know if it'll do much justice at this point."

"I'll do it!" I insisted."Take as much as you need! I-I just need her to be okay!"

He turned to Stan.

"I assure you, it's an expensive procedure. Your insurance doesn't cover more than half of it, and even then..."

"How much?" Stan questioned.

"It's going to be around fifty-thousand dollars. I know it's a hefty amount, but I feel it's crucial if you want your niece to survive this."

Stan looked at me. We both knew we didn't have nearly enough.

"Are you sure...there's no other option?" Stan asked. "I'll sell a kidney on the black market or-"

"The only other option is chemotherapy, which will cost even more, given the circumstances. I highly suggest fundraising or selling anything you can to accumulate the amount you need."

"Surely there's something else you could do!" I begged. "Please..."

"It's either that, or I'm afraid she won't likely make it."

Those words were like daggers.

I walked out of the room quickly and stood near the waiting room. I covered my face and began to sob. I had never cried so hard in my life. Why couldn't it have been me?

I was hysterical. I couldn't even think right. Why did this have to happen to her? I didn't love anyone more than I loved my sister, and she was slipping away faster than I realized. My entire body began to shake as I choked out the tears I had tried so desperately to hold back. I didn't want to face the truth. The doctor had to be lying or wrong. I mean, it seemed like just yesterday, Mabel and I were skipping rocks and playing indoor mini-golf. But now it was the beginning of the end. I didn't know what I would do without her. I was nothing without her.

I fell to my knees. My head began to hurt from crying, but I couldn't stop. I didn't want this. I would have given anything to trade places with her.

I was out there for about ten minutes. I rushed to the bathroom a few times to puke, then finally just stood near the bathrooms and didn't do much of anything. Besides, you know, crying my brains out.

I looked up to see Stan. I didn't know how long he had been watching me cry, but I wiped my tears and tried to suppress my whimpering, to no avail. I expected him to say something about how I was being childish, but I could swear he was holding back tears himself.

"Dipper," he got on one knee and put his hand on my shoulder. "No kid should have to go through this. Neither you or her. I've tried so hard these past few years to protect you guys, to prevent you from seeing how truly cruel the world is."

"She's g-going to be f-fine," I choked out.

"The doctor says it might be too late."

"W-What does he know? He's not a psychic! He's not God! He d-doesn't know for sure!"

"Look," Stan looked me in the eyes, and his I could see he was truly in pain. I felt he couldn't possibly be as broken as I was. "She needs you. If she knows you're terrified, imagine how she'll feel."

"I know...," I hiccuped, trying to keep the tears in. "I know, Grunkle Stan."

"It's going to be tough, but you need to go in there and suck it up, alright?"

"B-but what are we gonna do?" I asked. "How are we going to get enough money?"

"We're not. It's impossible, Dipper. That is unless I...you know, sell the shack."

"Y-you'd do that? For Mabel?"

"I...I need to think," he sighed. "I'll be homeless. But...it'll be worth it if she lives. The thing is, though, there's a high chance she won't...and I will have sold the shack for nothing."

I looked down, wiping my tears with my arm.

"B-but...you...you have to..."

"Even that might not be enough..."

"I...I can fundraise, just like he suggested."

"Dipper, you can't make fifty-thousand dollars selling chocolate. If every person in town bought one, it wouldn't be enough. So just...just, go and talk to her. I need some time alone."

I did as told and went back into the room. I felt so stupid. The past few weeks, I had ignored her symptoms. I thought the nosebleeds were just the heat. Maybe the pain was just cramps. Maybe she was tired from playing all day. She was always there for me, and the one time she needed me, I wasn't. I was a failure. I didn't deserve such an amazing sister.

When I reentered the room, she was crying into her arms. Neither of us cried much, in all honesty, but she had every right to.

"Mabel...," I placed my hand on her back. Though I had stopped crying, my eyes were deep red. "Don't worry. I'm going to do whatever I can."

She looked up, teary-eyed. It broke my heart to see her this way.

"I-I'm going to die," she whimpered.

"No, no you're not...," I hugged her tightly. "I'm not going to lose you."

"Dipper, you heard what he said...," she sniffled. "I'm never going to get married or have kids. I'm not going to go to the places I wanted to go or meet the people I wanted to meet..."

I would have thought she would be the positive one in this situation. But I knew where she was coming from. She was rarely serious, but this was an exception.

"Of course you will. I promise you will," I cupped her face in my hands. "When you leave the hospital, I swear, we're going to have the time of our lives, okay? We'll go anywhere you want, and do whatever you want to do."

She took my hand.

"Thank you."

Aww

Reviews are my food source. And I'm very hungry.