4. Can we go back to happy ever after?

Melinda was in the hospital bed, the doctor had assured her that everything was going to be all right, but she had not been able to believe him in anyway. He had that tone. She had a MD, she knew about the tone. The tone a doctor had when he knew that something was not right. Zach obviously did not know the tone. Brennan knew that something was wrong. She knew that because of the look. The look when you just know that something is not right. Cam seemed to have both. The look and the tone. That was what made her worried. The newt day, the doctor had excused himself. The lab had had trouble, and they told everyone that results would come later that day. However, they did not. Her 1-year-old daughter had come to visit. And the girl had been pulling her hair all the time. At the end, she had fallen asleep in the bed right next to her. All that time her little boy was sitting at her father's side.

There was a knock at the door. The doctor walked in. He did not have the look; he had a look that was worst then that. He had a look like he knew that something was very wrong, and like he knew that it would not get any better. The doctor walked towards her bed. She could just know what he was going to say. That she was very sick and not getting better. When she was pregnant, the doctor had hope in his eyes. Now he had this fear, fear for her. And she could read it. She could read it all. She had done years as an intern, and she had told her part of bad news.

"Miss Ryan." The doctor took her name in his mouth

"It's Dr. Ryan." She changed. Her title gave her some kind of hope, telling him that she had a title made her very secure. "I know something is wrong doctor."

"We found a decrease in white bled cells. It could come from anything. We are going to get you to oncology, to do some other tests. "The doctor was interrupted

"Is that bad?" Zach asked, "I mean yesterday you were sure it was some kind of virus. What is going on today?"

"We have no idea. The truth is that increase of white bled cells could be cause by anything. Even a fold in your diet. You say that your wife has not eaten well in weeks. It is possible that it was cause by that. We just want to be sure.

Zach and Melinda were sitting next to each other. She was weak. Zach could tell that this was not due to the food she ate. Something more was going on. He could feel it in his bones. In the deepest fiber off his body. She had not gotten out of the hospital ever since the test started. Her friends had been over all the time, and as specially Brennan. Who was trying to make it up to her? Melinda had the test on oncology yesterday and now they were waiting for the prognoses. The thing she would know. That look that would destroy their happy lives forever. Melinda remember the eyes of the first doctor when he told her, they did not know anything. She knew that he did. That he was sure. And that she would not be the one in a million that was going to get away with a warning. She was going to be the one that was going to get bad news. The news that would destroy her whole being. And probably even more. She did not care about herself, she cared about Zach. And Prue, Selina and little Ruben. She cared about how it was going to change their life. A doctor with black hair, walked towards them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Addy." Melinda nodded slowly. She was too tired to correct the Dr. who was standing right in front of him. "You have something we call AML. Are you familiar with it?"

"Acute myelogenous leukemia" Melinda said before he could "I have an MD. Therefore, you have to take a marrow puncture to know for sure. I probably have a decrease of white blood cells.

"You know if you have marrow transplantation, it could save you. You have to find a perfect match. Sister or any close family." Melinda watched him

"I don't have family left." Melinda watched him "I don't have any sister, couldn't I use a donor."

"It is possible." the doctor sat down "We have to look at boon morrow donation, for strangers. It is your only choice, since both of your parents are not alive. And you don't have any relatives who are alive."

"I have a grandmother." Melinda reacted "But it won't have enough similarity."

"Actually, in your case I would subject we check if her bone marrow could be used. We have no other choice. Your case is one of the most difficult I ever had. Most people detect this cancer when they are young. However, with the minority, the cancer develops later. And it's more lethal most of the time."

"Couldn't we check if anyone of our team could give the marrow, our daughters?" Zach watched the doctor.

"We could check anyone who wants to give you their marrow. It happens that no family or children are a possible donor." the doctor replied, "It is possible that one of them could be the right donor. The chance that children can donate is highly it this case, I wouldn't say no."

"I am." Melinda replied "I'm not going to put Prue trough that. I'm not."

The doctor left the room as fast as he came in. Melinda watched Zach, she was sure that the doctor was right. It was not good. In addition, looking back on the day, she had known.

"Zach?" Zach had a tear in his eyes.

"Why can't we just go back to happy ever after?" Zach asked "Didn't we have the bad things?"

"Zach." Melinda touched his hand

"Didn't you have enough shit coming your way?" Zach stepped up "You are a good person, and what do you get for it. Your sister disappeared, your mother and father die in a tragic car accident, your grandfather dies, you spend 3 years in the foster system, your grandmothers boyfriend tries to kill you, your real parents didn't want you and your husband gets killed. Wasn't that enough? Why can't we have happily ever after?"

"We almost had it all." Melinda replied "But nothing stays. We will get trough this. You will get trough this. Zach, I want you to promise me that you'll move on with your life. If I die, I want you to marry someone ells. I want you to promise me."

"What if you die? You shouldn't talk that way. I don't want you to die. You are not going to die. You can beat this;" Zach cried, "It is always supposed to be me and you. Not just me, not just you. You and me. That is how it always is supposed to be."

"Yeah." Melinda replied. She removed the hear from his face. She looked in his eyes." Nevertheless, no matter what happens to me, it is always me and you. You know I'll always be there. I just want you to promise to be okay. Just okay. I'm not asking you to throw a party at my funeral. But you don't have to go trough life hating it."

"Stop it!" Zach yelled. He had tears in his eyes.

"You hear him. You heard what he said. Not much people survive this." Melinda replied. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Scully walked trough it. She had a DVD box in her hands. "I thought when you're in the hospital why don't we watch McDreamy, McSteamy and perhaps some McVet." She waved the boss of grey's anatomy in her hands. She was not carrying any pizza.

"No pizza." Melinda was smiling. "Grey's anatomy + greasy pizza equals fun."

"I know. The nurses took it." Scully was rather embarrassed "They said pizza equals no no. On the other hand, something. So what's the test?"

"Leukemia." Zach replied, "The doctors think it is leukemia."

"Perhaps they could cure it by trying a marrow donor. We are going to find anyone that can give. Maybe we find anyone that matches mine."

Scully said down next to her friends bed, not sure what to do. She was stunned. She survived cancer, and now her best friend perhaps had leukemia, one of the most dangerous cancers ever. It could kill her, and it perhaps would. Scully did not know what to say, or what to do. The fact is that, Melinda and Zach were happy. They were the perfect little family. Playing in the park. And stuff. They made time for the children, and worked very hard. They were the people that did not complain about anything. Melinda was obviously lucky. And it seemed like that it that luck was torn away form them.

Brennan had heard the same horrible news. She was mad, that she was right. She had seen the symptoms, and she knew it was about to happen. She was sad. She was sitting in the lab. Her father Max came to her.

"I heard about your coworker, she was brought to the hospital right?" He looked at her with a hurt in his eyes. On the other hand, compassion towards the girl she was working with.

"Yeah." Brennan replied, "She has leukemia. They are looking for a donor. She has no family left; her grandmother is the only one. She had a twin sister, and if she would be here today, she would be the perfect little donor. But she isn't."

"I thought they had people who have similar marrow, but are not family." Max said "They do this things were they get the marrow from a stranger, and then they see if it matches. Like friends, family and co-workers."

"Yeah," Brennan nodded "I putted myself down. We are supposed to find as many people, to find a match for her. The whole team is doing it. And stuff."

"Yeah, that's great idea." Max answered "So they are 100 % sure?"

"No, they have to do a puncture." Brennan said "But I saw the symptoms, she has it. I just know it in my bones.""I'm sorry sweetie." Max looked at her "I love Melinda, she's a sweet kid. Weird story, she reminds me of your mother when she was that age."

"She's very talented forensic anthropologist." Brennan replied turning to her father, "She was a great person. She was more intelligent like me. And she never did anything wrong."

Max was watching her. Brennan was crying a bit. "She was a sweet person, a great friend. And she didn't deserve this." Max stepped back. "I mean is it rational that a sweet person gets a cruel disease while people who kill each other just move on living. She didn't have this coming."

"Off course." Max wanted to hug her, but she moved away from him.

"She's a sweet girl!" Brennan yelled "And she's one of my only friends, why would she go and leave?" Brennan was divested. Max tried to move closer to his daughter.

"Brennan, she's going to be very sick. She's going to need you." Max looked at her "And you can stand here and feel sorry for her and you. Or you can spend all your time by her side."

"I should." She took her jacket and walked out of the door.