Thanks to Rachel. r. steiner for reviewing.

Well, as of now everyone has seen the newest season of virgin river. Anyway, I've decided to make this story AU after the end of season 4. And a bit of AU there since Hope and Doc doesn't know about Denny's condition. I'm also getting some inspiration from the happenings in the newest season. So that's everything… We got our first snow yesterday. How's the weather in the rest of the world?

This is my least favorite time of the year.

But I'll just get on with the story now.

This chapter is told from Denny's POV.

That much I could tell- that Doc knew something, enough about Huntington's disease to know what would happen next.

He had only stayed by my side for long enough to show that he did before he turned again, went down the hallway and disappeared out of my sight.

So that was it! My secret was out! And in Virgin River I had learnt to know that there were no secrets now. If Doc would tell his wife…

Maybe he wouldn't.

I would have liked to stay awake until Doc came back. I knew I would have to explain some things to him much rather sooner than later.

But I was zoning out of consciousness and my head fell back towards my mattress before I had anything to say about it. And I barely knew what would happen until I suddenly felt the bed moving on its wheels and I flinched awake.

"It's okay." An old, kind- looking nurse said while she took the metal banister of the bed. "You can fall back asleep. We're only moving you, into your own room instead of lying out here in the hallway."

"Okay."

I would once again have liked to stay awake. At least until I could know what room I was taken into or until Doc came back. But I didn't even know when or if he would ever want to see me again. And before I had the time to worry much I couldn't stay awake.

The next time I opened my eyes, I realized I hadn't even heard Doc coming into my room. But he must have, because he was here now. Sitting in a chair by the window leading out to the parking lot and riffling in a magazine.

"Good morning." He told me before I had the time to think of anything to say, or do anything except to rub my eyes and stretch out every limb. "Now..." Doc put away his magazine, got up and over to me. Then felt my forehead. "I think your temperature's gone down. How are you feeling?"

I suddenly noticed my head, and the whole world seemed clearer and I felt more awake than any time I had woken up before.

"What time is it?"

"Half past four."

"In the afternoon?"

No denny. I thought ironically to myself. Doc is here, and the world outside is awake at that ungodly hour to be awake. Doc laughed slightly.

"Good morning Denny."

"I've been sleeping all day?"

"Yes."

Still tiredly I leaned my head back again. My whole body was hurting as if I had been running a marathon, but at least my head wasn't pounding quite as much as before. It just felt heavy in some way.

"Is there anything I can get you?" I carefully shook my head. "You can just fall back asleep if you want… I… Things like Huntington's Disease definitely isn't my subject. But I'm guessing you can teach me something about it…" I shrugged. "…Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I don't know." I said after several seconds of hesitation. "I didn't at the start, I wanted you to get to know me without a disease… then I just… there was just never the right time. I thought I had time- years before I was ill- for real. Many years… Then… today happened!"

"Then today happened!" Doc agreed. "Oh well, we don't have to talk about this now… anyway. There's something I have to go and get. I'll be back in a second."

Doc left the room and left me alone with my thoughts, that were still spinning in my mind… But he soon came back, holding two cups of chocolate pudding and two spoons.

"Chocolate pudding?"

"Not very hungry."

"You need to eat something. You haven't eaten all day."

And upon everything else, my mum would always tell me how much of a terrible mood I was in if I hadn't eaten properly.

Slowly I dipped the spoon in the pudding, I looked down but felt it as my grandfather was watching me as he slowly ate himself. And, as I felt it I just wished I had told him earlier….

Before…. Well, today happened.

Maybe then he would have known that I didn't even need to go to the hospital. Here I was, there was nothing that a hospitals, Doctors or nurses could do that would take my disease away…

"You can go home if you want." I mumbled tiredly, on my way to fall back asleep. "I actually… Well, I don't need a baby sitter and I guess there's only one thing to do really."

I didn't even know what Doc was answering, but I could sense him coming over to me and stroking my shoulder. He then took the half-filled pudding cup and spoon from my hands.

A part of me was relieved when I was left alone and didn't have to talk to anyone or prove anything. But the other part of me was still, like a little baby wanting to curl up in somebody's arms and cry as if my heart was breaking.

Maybe my heart actually was…

Breaking like every other little piece of my body that had become like a time glass running out…

Random fact

I had this chapter about halfway done when my laptop broke. We gave it to mum's friend who fixed it as good as possible… anyway, I have it now obviously. And I can finally get on with writing again. But I had had this chapter up about a week ago if it hadn't broken from the start.