They each kept an arm around each other as they came down the steps into the kitchen. Niles had just finished preparing Max's breakfast and was now gathering the ingredients to prepare the children's breakfast. Max's breakfast sat on the kitchen table with a cover over it.

"Hello again!" Niles said. Fran walked over to him and gave him a big hug. He nervously hugged her back, and then hugged her hard.

"Thank you again, Niles. For everything." She squeezed his hands as she stood back from him. Niles couldn't respond.

"Yes, Niles. Thank you for all of your help. Not just last night." Max reached out to shake his hand.

"You're welcome. You know I worry, I can't help it," he said.

Max went over to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee, and Fran brought her shake over to the table and sat down. Max joined her and sat down to his breakfast, setting the envelope of papers next to him. "We need to make sure we take some water bottles with us, I don't want you getting any more dehydrated." Max said to Fran.

"Okay."

"Oh, sir, before I forget, I put your cell phone out on the table by the front door in case you may need it," Niles said, as he sorted out his breakfast ingredients.

"Oh! Thank you Niles, that's a good idea." Max hurried through his breakfast sandwich -scrambled eggs and crisp bacon on a toasted and buttered English muffin- and reached for Fran's hand under the table. She smiled and squeezed it. "Niles, are you okay with getting the kids off to school this morning?"

"Of course, sir. I'm sure it won't be a problem. And they all want to do their part in helping out."

"Yes, they do." Max smiled to Fran. She squeezed his hand again, then looked down at it and began stroking the back of his hand. She was getting quiet, anticipating the day ahead. Max watched her, and felt the same kind of anxiety creeping back in to his stomach. He felt like he had to toughen himself a little, to help them both get through this. He finished his breakfast and checked his watch. "Fran, we need to go get our coats and get ready to go, okay? And see if the car is here yet." He picked up his plate and put it in the dishwasher, and she finished her shake and got up, and tossed the can into the recycling. Max took her hand to watch out for her unsteadiness, and then Niles opened the fridge and got out two water bottles for them. Max took the bottles from him, then Fran grabbed her purse and the envelope, and they headed out the door to the dining room to go get their coats. Max held on to her tightly.

As the car started heading around the block in the direction of the hospital, Max glanced over at Fran to see how she was doing. She was looking out the window watching the other cars and buildings pass, the sun shining on her face through the window. It reminded him of Friday night when they were riding home in the town car, when she seemed to be so scared and depressed, almost afraid to look at him. It hurt him to see her like this again, but he understood a bit of what she was feeling now. He was scared, too. He wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen today, other than her getting the MRI done. He wasn't with her the last time she was at the hospital, and he really regretted having not been there for her. He would do whatever it took to be there for her now. To be there for her forever. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her. She seemed to not have realized how distant she must have been, and looked up at him to see the concerned look in his eyes. She gave him a little smile and leaned into him, taking hold of his hand again as it now rested over her shoulder. It made him feel a little better, like he was anchoring her there with him. He tilted his head just enough to rest it on hers, and they were quiet the rest of the way to the hospital.

The car pulled up to the outpatient entrance to the hospital and stopped. Fran and Max gathered their things and the driver opened the door for them. Max got out first and took Fran's hand, helping her out. She was still a little wobbly on her feet, so Max wrapped an arm around her protectively. He thanked the driver and told him he would call when it was time to pick them up. Then they slowly walked through the cold wind blowing across that side of the building and into the main doors. Max wasn't sure he liked the idea of her having to walk a lot, not if she was feeling weak or dizzy or anything. He looked around and saw the main desk and headed them both in that direction.

"Hello," the older man at the desk said to them." Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, um, I was wondering if it might be possible to get something like a wheelchair for her- she has an appointment this morning and she's a bit wobbly on her feet today. I don't want her to have to walk around so much, it may be a long morning for us."

"Oh, absolutely, sir, let me get someone here with a chair for you. If you would like, if you can get her over to this area here, they can get you checked in straight away and I'll have them bring a wheelchair to you over there," the man got up from his seat at his computer and came around to them to lead them over to the chairs at one of the check-in desks. He asked the woman there to get them checked in and that he was having someone bring her a wheelchair. Fran wanted to protest, feeling embarrassed, but realized it might be a good idea. She was still feeling feverish and not steady on her feet, so she kept quiet. Max sat her down in the chair nearest to the woman who would be checking them in, then sat down himself after thanking the man from the front desk. He turned to Fran and she took his hand and squeezed it, as if to tell him thank you for requesting a wheelchair, and assuring him it was probably the right thing to do.

"Okay, I've got you going to Oncology first- I believe they will do the blood draw for labs, and then to Imaging, and back to Oncology for consultation. They will explain more to you there for each step of the process. I'm letting them know now that you are checking in, and I also just need to get some information from you as well, sir, since you are accompanying her today. I have to put bracelets on both of you with your info, they will be scanned each step of the way just for safety, so we can keep track of who is in the hospital at all times, and in case any department may need you to come back or anything, they know where to find you. Do you have your driver's license on you, or any type of government issued ID?" The woman asked Max.

"Yes, yes I do," he took out his wallet and fished out his license. "Here you go."

"Thank you, and ma'am, while I'm getting all this information in the system to print out your bracelets, can you please go over these forms and fill out any missing information, and then be sure to sign the highlighted areas. And also, will you be wanting Mr. Sheffield here to be your emergency contact?"

"Yes, absolutely," Fran said, taking the forms from the woman.

"Alright, I'll just have one other form for you both to sign for that, if you'll just give me one moment." The woman went back to typing away at the computer.

Fran went through the standard forms and began signing each one. The usual privacy agreement, consent for treatment and images, and so on. When she finished, she handed the woman the stack of papers back and the woman handed her another form.

"Now, this one needs the additional information filled out, and be sure the both of you initial these two places here," she tapped the form to show them," and then both of you sign and date down here at the bottom, to show you are the emergency contact and that you will accompany her today." As Fran began to fill in additional information, the woman got up to retrieve the newly printed bracelets for them. Fran signed and initialed the form and then handed it to Max. He read through it, including some uncomfortable statements, and then signed and initialed it as well. He looked over at her, the both of them feeling the seriousness of the remarks on the paper. This time he took her hand after he placed the form on the woman's desk. The woman came back and asked to see both of their left wrists so she could place the bracelets on them and scan them in. Just then, an orderly with the wheelchair showed up. The woman scanned their bracelets and gave them a piece of paper, and told the orderly to take them to oncology. Max thanked the woman and got up, took Fran's hand to help her get up, and carefully sat her down in the wheelchair.

"If you'll come this way, sir, we'll head for the elevators. It's just a couple of floors up from here."

"Okay, thank you," Max said. The orderly pushed Fran in the chair as Max walked alongside her. They stopped in front of the elevators just as one headed up opened. Once the other people came out, everyone let them go in first, and the orderly pushed the button for the third floor. Fran reached over and took hold of Max's hand. He looked down at her and smiled softly. Then the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the third floor. Max held the door open as the orderly pushed the wheelchair out into the corridor.

"So this is the oncology department, that desk there is where they will check you in. If you will be in and out of here today, just remember that Oncology is right outside the elevator doors on the third floor. We also have a cafeteria down on the main floor where we just were- you can take the exit from the main check-in area down the corridor. Just follow the signs to the cafeteria and coffee shop. And there is also a gift shop there too, if you just want to kill a little time. Will you be needing someone to assist you with the chair today, or will you be alright on your own?" The orderly asked Max.

"Oh, I can handle it, I'm sure. But thank you, thank you very much for your help." Max said, shaking his hand.

"Yes, thank you," Fran said.

"You're very welcome. And don't hesitate to ask for help anytime you may need it. Either grab an orderly like me, or anyone at a check-in desk or the main front desk downstairs can help you. Have a good day," he said, backing away.

"You too, thank you," Max said. He got behind the wheelchair and pushed Fran toward the desk where they were supposed to get checked in.

"Everyone's so nice here," Fran said.

"Yes, they are," Max agreed.

Another woman welcomed them at the oncology desk and scanned in their bracelets. Immediately, a nurse came out from another set of doors to escort them back. She had a chart in her hands and took them to a room where she could get Fran's vitals and ask them some questions. Fran's weight was steady, but still low. Fran told the nurse about the previous night and how difficult it had been since she wasn't able to take her prescription. Max recounted what her temperatures and been and that he hadn't been able to wake her up for hours until after he got her in the bathtub with cold water. The nurse was genuinely concerned and took Fran's blood pressure, which was low.

"I need to get this information to your doctor really quick. He's about to head out to do rounds for the oncology patients in the hospital, so I'll see if he wants to make any changes or do anything extra before he is able to talk to you after the MRI. Can you both wait right here for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Fran said. The nurse hurried from the room, and Max held Fran's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Here, honey, do you want me to take your coat so you're more comfortable? I need to take mine off, too." He stood up and took off his coat as Fran stood up just enough to get her coat out from under her and hand it to Max. There was a large pouch on the back of the wheelchair, so Max folded her coat over and slid it into the pouch, then folded his own coat and stuffed it in on top, half of it hanging out behind the wheelchair. He sat back down in the chair next to Fran.

"What do you think the doctor will say? I didn't think they would run and tell him right away. That makes me kind of nervous," Fran said, holding on to Max's hand.

"I know, darling. But she'll be right back in to let us know, okay?" Max tried to comfort her, but he was worried, too. Her temperature was still at 100, and he knew that she must not be feeling so great. She was a little pale, too. They both looked around the room at the same things over and over again, waiting.

"Hey, sweetie, come here," Fran said. She reached for his cheeks and pulled him close to kiss him. "Max, are you okay? I mean really, you look pretty pale and tired. How do you feel?"

Max thought a moment. "I guess I am tired. But that's okay, I can sleep later."

"What about everything else? I forgot to bring Tums. But maybe they have some in the gift shop." Max chuckled.

"I'll be alright, darling. We'll see what the doctor says. Maybe we'll be able to get some lunch together in the cafeteria later. That would make me happy, to see you eating like you used to," he smiled.

"Yeah, I bet once I can do that, I'll gain back the weight I lost and then some." They both managed a light chuckle and kissed again, then once more the room was quiet as they looked around.

A moment later there was a light knock on the door and then the doctor came in with the nurse.

"Hello, hello. I'm Dr. Carter," he held his hand out to Max to shake, "I don't believe we've met, but I have met this one. Sounds like she's been a troublemaker!" He tsk tsk'ed at Fran.

"I'm Maxwell Sheffield," he shook the doctor's hand.

"Nice to meet you, and I'm kidding about you being a troublemaker. I figured there might be some tension in the room that I felt the need to break. So, Ms. Fine, and I expect you too, Mr. Sheffield, it sounds like you've had a really rough night?" They both nodded and glanced at each other. "You still have a fever now, when did it start?"

"Well," Fran said, "Last night. We had everyone over yesterday so I could let them all know what was going on, and then we had dinner together, but I just had one of those nutrition shakes. So anyway, after everyone left, Max and I sat down on the couch and he said I felt warm, and I was feeling tired by then. Maybe around seven? Then I guess it just kept progressing, and since I couldn't take anything for it. Max was bringing me ice packs and cold compresses and all of that, so I was able to fall asleep, but he should probably tell you the rest because I don't remember much, and what I do remember, I'm not sure if it was real or not."

Max picked up where she left off. "Yeah, so she seemed like she was more comfortable, so I was hoping the fever would pass, like it did Friday night after she took the medication."

"She had a fever Friday night, too?" The doctor asked, and then jotted in his notes. "Have you had other fevers since you came to the emergency room?" He asked Fran.

"Yes, not every day, though. Some nights would go okay as far as I could tell. But I always took something for the fevers before. This time I couldn't."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. But it sounds like Mr. Sheffield was able to keep an eye on you?"

"Yes," Max continued. "I was worried because she was pretty tired, and I'd seen how the fever Friday night had sort of knocked the stuffing out of her, and it hadn't gotten this high then. So, well, we both ended up falling asleep, and then maybe not even a couple of hours later, she was restless and I guess it woke me up. I had to wake her up, and she was a little delirious with the fever. She wasn't making much sense or she didn't seem to know what was going on at first. So I got more ice water and a big cold pack, and she had sweat through her shirt so I had her change into another one. And made sure she was drinking water. That's one thing I worried about- I didn't want her getting dehydrated. And we didn't have anything like Gatorade in the house to give her. But her fever was much higher. So I stayed up and just kept trying to cool her down as much as I could. Then she seemed like she was getting more comfortable again, and fell back to sleep. So I guess I stupidly fell asleep again too, but I don't think it was for all that long. I kind of jolted awake, like I remembered I needed to check on her. She was really hot. I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't. I tried sitting her up, and she was just out. Like she was unconscious, not just sleeping or something. I was pretty scared, I guess. I managed to get her temperature and saw what it was, 103.2. That scared me. I ran down to get more ice and try to figure out what to do, and well, it was actually our butler's idea to put her in the tub and get cold water all over her. I mean, not extremely cold, but colder than her temperature, then I would add cold water as she kept warming it up. I kept putting ice water on her face and neck. Oh, I forgot to mention there was a fan on her too, to try to cool her down. But she still wouldn't wake up. I was worried I might have to call an ambulance or try to get her to the hospital myself. I think it took maybe two hours or so of keeping her in the cool water and putting the ice water on her, and talking to her. It still took a while, and when she started talking, she was really delirious. But I kept checking her temperature and it was finally coming down. I'm still not sure if the fever just ran it's course or if what I was doing helped. But eventually I got her back to the bed so she could lay down. She just wanted to be dry and go to sleep. I'm not sure if she remembers that."

Fran shook her head.

"But this morning, she still had a bit of a fever, and she hasn't been steady on her feet, so that's why I asked for the wheelchair, I didn't want her trying to walk." Max added.

"I agree, that was a pretty good idea. So- before I have to run out of here, I just want to let you know what the plan is for this morning. I've written up the order for the necessary bloodwork, so Tracy here will be taking you over to our lab in just a minute. Then, I need you to head over to Imaging, but first- before you have the MRI done, I requested another ultrasound. This won't be as extensive as the last one. I just want them to check on things and get some measurements and make sure nothing looks suspicious, especially since you continue to have fevers. Then if there isn't anything concerning, you'll continue over to get two MRIs- the first one will be standard, of the full abdomen. It can take at least thirty minutes. Then the technician will move you out on the table, and he will give you a contrast dye and then will get another set of images, which will take about the same amount of time. What the lab will do here is after they draw the blood, they will have an IV set up in you, which will make it easy to add the contrast dye. I am pretty sure you are dehydrated, so the radiology tech will give you a saline bag once the MRIs are completed. Okay so far?" The doctor asked them. Fran nodded, thinking about everything.

"Um, can I ask- can I be with her all that time? Am I allowed?" Max asked.

"You can be with her for the ultrasound, absolutely, but they can't have anyone in the room with the MRI. You'll have to wait in the waiting room for that, but they will show you where that is. Then they'll bring her back out to you. So, after the MRI, the bulk of everything is done. I want you both to go get something to eat at the cafeteria, coffee is okay too, but Fran, I still want you to do things in moderation, at least as far as things that will dehydrate you like caffeine. And no alcohol at all, alright?" Fran nodded.

"I hardly ever have alcohol, so that's easy. But what about if I get those pains, or weird pulling feelings?"

"Do you have your prescription with you?"

"Yes."

"You can take that with lunch, after your tests and images, alright? And I am adding some things to your regimen so hopefully that will no longer be an issue. When we talk after lunch, we'll get it all to you then. Oh, and before you leave here, Tracy will get you an electrolyte drink to have. I'd like you to get as much of it down before the MRI as you can, okay?" He asked Fran.

"Okay, that would be good. Will it make me feel better?"

"It should help, along with a good meal. We'll check your vitals again after lunch, and I want your blood pressure to come up a good bit. That alone should make you feel a lot better. So I'm aiming for our meeting to be at about 12:30, alright? They'll give you a paper with that information. You'll come back here and go through this process again, and they'll take out the IV too. And I'll meet with you, and the gastroenterologist is going to try to stop by too if he is out of surgery then. Do either of you have any questions for me about what's going on this morning?"

Fran and Max looked at each other and couldn't think of anything.

"Okay, then, I'll let you get to it. After the imaging is done, I'll be consulting with the radiologist and will have more info on that when we talk again."

"Oh!" Max exclaimed. "I almost forgot! Can we get copies of all the imaging on a cd? Including that first ultrasound she had? And also copies of the lab work and the reports for the imaging? My son is very interested in all of this and his friend's father is a surgeon. He's wanting to see if he can do a special project at school to learn about all of this. He's very adamant that we get copies of everything."

"Absolutely, when you get to the desk at Imaging, let them know that you want copies on disk, and make sure to tell them about the previous ultrasound. I can have them send the disk up here once the radiologist has a report completed, and I'll get you the disk when we meet after lunch."

"Oh, fantastic. If we forgot about that, he would rip us apart. I think he's very nervous about all of this, he might be needing to feel like he can do something about it, at least to learn about it and even maybe explain some things to us. You see, I have three children, and- well, I lost my wife to cancer when they were very young. Fran has been like a surrogate mother to them, they are very close to her."

The doctor smiled. "Well, I'm very glad to hear you've got such a big team helping you through this. I must have told you in the hospital how we like to see patients come in with someone close to them, and that I was concerned that you had come in by yourself, that you hadn't told anyone."

Fran looked ashamed. "Yeah, we had a big talk about that, I apologized to Max and to everyone for keeping it all to myself. That really got too hard to keep up with. Everyone has been really understanding though. It felt good getting it all out." Max squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

"Okay, well, kids, I've got to get out of here for a bit and get my rounds done, then I'll be talking to the radiologist. So be back here at 12:30, alright? We'll have our talk then, Write down any questions you might have. I'll let Tracy get you over to the lab now." Max and the doctor stood up and shook hands again, and the doctor shook Fran's hand too. "Nice to meet you, and I'll see you both after lunch." The doctor waved and headed out of the room, and the nurse picked up the clipboard and led them out of the room and down the hall to the lab.