Fran's Secret

by BinBagBrain

Fran has been keeping a secret and has been suffering all alone. Can Max get her to open up to him? *Total soap opera drama! Remember, none of this is real or even necessarily accurate! Have fun with the fantasy! This is a work in progress, so let me know if you want me to keep going!

37. Chapter 37

The alarm on Max's watch began beeping before his alarm clock went off, startling Fran awake. She rolled over under his grasp and patted his back- he was on his stomach with his face up against the side of the pillow. The alarm clock went off moments later, just loud enough to wake Max. He was in such a deep sleep that he never heard the beeping of his watch. He gasped a deep breath, trying to regain his senses, then turned to his bedside table and reached an arm over to hit the snooze button on the clock. He fumbled around in the dark to find his watch, then tried to find the right button to press to stop the beeping. Once it was quiet again, he reached for the lamp and turned on the light, making them both groan. Fran pulled him back to her and he wrapped his arm over her again, cuddling her close.

"I'm not ready to get up yet! Tell me I'm just having a dream…" Fran grumbled.

"I'll tell you if you tell me the same thing…" he whispered. They laid there together for a few minutes, not wanting to get up, but knowing they couldn't let themselves fall back to sleep, either. The realization of what lie ahead that day made certain they didn't fall asleep. Max pressed his lips against her shoulder as he closed his eyes, and Fran stared up at the ceiling, just wishing she had more time to prepare for the surgery. Today was the day. She felt a twinge in her stomach and tried to fight it off. She couldn't get nervous now. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Um… besides tired, I dunno. Hungry. Still kinda warm, I think." Max reached his hand up and touched her neck with the backs of his fingers for a moment, then wrapped his arm back around her.

"I don't think you're that warm, darling. I'm sure it's fine." He kissed her shoulder again, trying to comfort her, but things were weighing on his mind, too. She stroked his arm, then gave it a squeeze.

"I wish I could stay here with you, Max. But I better get up and get in the shower. I gotta do this," she said, with as much determination as she could muster. Max sighed, kissed her shoulder, then slowly rolled away from her.

"Alright, darling. You go ahead. I'll get things ready to go in here, then I'll hop in the shower after you. But remember- don't let the shower get too hot, alright?"

"Yeah, I know." Fran pushed herself up to a seated position and looked back over at him. He ran his hand over his face, trying to wake up. She rubbed his chest softly and smiled, then turned and got out of the covers and slid off the bed. She picked up her robe from the end of the bed, then headed for the closet while Max picked up the clock and made sure the alarm was turned completely off. Fran grabbed a pair of underwear and a bra, then made her way through the mostly dark bedroom to the bathroom, went in, then shut the door behind her and turned on the light. She hung up the robe and set the other things on the counter, then began to undress. She removed her pajama bottoms, set them on the counter, then pulled off her top. As she set her top on the counter, too, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked at her belly, and noticed where her underwear came across her lower abdomen. She thought about the surgery again, and ran her fingers across the area where she knew the tumor was- it was just under the waistband of the underwear. Would they be able to keep the incision there, so it wouldn't show? Would she really still be able to wear a bikini when they went on vacation?

She shook herself out of her distraction and got back to the matter at hand. She needed to get her shower over with quickly so they wouldn't be late. Fran hurriedly took off her underwear and got in the shower, then turned on the water.

Max rolled over again and forced himself to sit up. He was so tired, even though he was pretty sure he had gotten enough sleep. He felt like he had the weight of the world crushing down on him. He couldn't let anything get to him, he had to keep it together, for Fran. She really needed him now, and they had a very difficult day ahead of them. He had to be on top of things today and make sure everything was taken care of. He got up off of the bed and went to get the suitcase and backpack, and brought them over to the bed and set them down. He looked inside the backpack, making sure Fran's purse and the hospital papers were still there. He closed it back up, then unzipped the suitcase. He shifted things around a little, making space for his shaving kit and any other toiletries they needed to bring. He heard the water running in the shower, and hoped Fran was being careful. Even though he thought her fever might be completely gone, he had a feeling that it wasn't. She did feel a bit warm when he checked her neck with his fingers.

Max realized he was making himself nervous, and he had to find a way to take his mind off things. He didn't want to turn on the television, he knew it would keep him from settling down and he needed this quiet time before they left to process everything. He didn't want to think about the hospital at all, he just needed to make sure they had everything they needed for when they were there. He decided to get his clothes for the day and make sure he remembered his wallet and his watch, and he dug through a few drawers until he found a small metal carabiner that he could use to hold onto Fran's rings while she was in surgery. He didn't want anything thing to happen to them because Fran would never forgive him if anything did. Well, she might forgive him. But he didn't want to take that risk. He brought everything over to the bed and set them up neatly next to the suitcase. He stacked his folded clothes, lined up his shoes on the floor at the end of the bed, and then lined up his wallet, watch, a pair of socks, and the carabiner on top of the open suitcase. He sat down on the end of the bed next to everything and looked it all over, trying to think of anything else they might possibly need. He liked to see everything in order, lined up neatly like it was. For some reason, it gave him a little comfort and eased his nervous stomach.

Fran finished in the shower and dried herself off, then quickly put on her underwear, bra, and robe. She wasn't sure how long she had been in the shower, but was beginning to feel like she might be using up too much of the little time they had before they needed to leave. She gathered up her toiletries and lined them up on the side of the sink, then brushed and flossed her teeth, used her deodorant, and combed out her wet hair, then wrapped a small towel tightly around it and gathered it on top of her head. She peeked through the medicine cabinet one last time to make sure she didn't need anything else, then got Max's toiletry bag from the linen closet and set it next to her things. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to take a deep breath and calm herself down. She needed to stop rushing things and just go see what time it was, then get her hair dry and ready for Maggie to braid it. She opened the bathroom door and saw Max sitting on the end of the bed, looking lost.

"Sweetie? I'm done in here, but I wanted to ask you something," Fran said, as she peeked out of the bathroom door. Max grabbed his stack of clothes, jumped up from the bed, and hurried to her.

"What is it, darling?" He asked, reaching for her hand. She pulled him into the bathroom with her.

"I think this stuff is the last of what I need to take, but will it fit in your toiletry bag with your stuff? I mean, would you mind if we tried to put it all together?" Max looked at the items she had lined up on the counter, and it reminded him of how he had just lined up his things on the suitcase, and it made him melt a little.

"Certainly, sweetheart! It should all fit just fine. I'll gather everything up once I'm done and I'll bring it out to the suitcase, alright? I think we've got just about everything ready to go except these things. Now, why don't you get dressed and get your hair dry. It shouldn't be long before Maggie comes knocking." Max gave her hand a squeeze, then set his clothes on the counter.

"Okay, I'm going. We aren't running late, are we? I have no idea what time it is."

"No, darling. We're doing just fine. I'll take a quick shower and shave, and I'll run downstairs to grab some breakfast while Maggie helps you. And we'll make sure we have a few minutes with the children before we leave. Does that sound alright with you?" Fran nodded.

"Yeah, I need to hug everybody before we go." She started to feel sad and forced herself to shake it off.

"Hey, just focus on getting dressed right now, alright? Do you want to take the hair dryer out there to your dressing table?" Max pulled her a little closer, then held her by the waist.

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, I'll take it out there. Okay, well, I'll leave you to your shower. I'll see you in a bit."

"Alright. Hey, Fran?" Max said softly, before letting go of her.

"Mmm hmm?" She looked up at him.

"I love you," he smiled. It was just what she needed to hear.

"I love you more!" She grinned. They let go of each other and Fran grabbed the hair dryer, then left Max to his shower and shut the bathroom door behind her. She set the hair dryer on her dressing table and turned on the overhead light, then went to the closet to get her clothes for the trip to the hospital. She didn't want to look frumpy, but she also didn't want to be overdressed. After all, she wasn't even going to put any makeup on. She took off her robe and hung it up, then looked down at herself and remembered how she looked in the mirror. The doctor said they could make the incision where a bikini or underwear would cover it- should she make some kind of mark so they knew where that would be? It couldn't hurt, could it? After all, they could just wipe it off if they needed to, couldn't they?

She hurried back out into the bedroom and looked through some of the drawers where Max kept his notepads and pens, and found a black Sharpie marker. She took it from the drawer and hurried over to the full length mirror, feeling her heart begin to race. Settle down! She told herself, and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. She pulled the cap off of the marker and looked at herself in the mirror, then carefully drew a line at the top edge of her underwear, then another one on the high edge of the leg. She put the cap back on the marker, then moved her waistband down to see what it looked like. That should be okay, she thought. She couldn't help but try to feel for the tumor, to make sure it was below the line she just drew. It was. She looked herself over again and shook her head. She didn't like how her hip bones showed, and the lower edge of her ribs, too. But she reminded herself that she'd be eating like her old self again soon enough, and she'd get back to working out, too. She'd make an effort to look even better than she did before.

Fran set the marker down on Max's bedside table, then grabbed a soft pair of dark slacks from a hanger and put them on. They were stretchy and felt comfortable, and should be easy enough to take off when she had to change into a hospital gown later. She found a long-sleeved blue and green cotton shirt in a drawer and tried it on. It felt soft against her skin, and wasn't too hot or too cold. She grabbed a pair of socks and a pair of sneakers, shut off the light in the closet and went to have a look in the long mirror. The outfit would do. She set her sneakers on the floor at the end of the bed, right next to Max's shoes, then sat down at her dressing table and put on her socks. She took the towel off of her head and combed out her hair again, plugged in the hair dryer, and started to dry her hair as she began to think about what would happen next, and what would happen after that, and so on. Stick to the plan, don't think too much, make sure you tell the kids and Niles that you love them.

"Dryin' my hair, dryin' my hair… dry dry dry!" She sang to herself out loud. She had to keep doing something to try to keep the thought of the surgery out of her mind. She pulled her hair out in sections and held them to the blow dryer, found another song to sing the chorus to, and worked her way around until her hair was dry.

Max came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and shaved, carrying his pajamas in one hand and the toiletry bag in the other. He smiled at Fran and stopped to set the bag in the suitcase, then went to toss his pajamas in the hamper in the closet. He came back out and sat on the end of the bed to put his shoes on, and Fran shut off the hair dryer. She started combing her hair out straight, and turned in her chair to look over at him.

"Max? Should we take the hair dryer too? I mean, I might not need it, but what if you take a shower? Are you gonna want to dry your hair?"

"Well, there isn't much room left in this suitcase. I don't think it's absolutely necessary, unless you were going to take a shower and wash your hair… but I don't know how that would work. Why don't we leave it here- even if I took a shower I don't think I'd be in the cold very long to need to worry about that."

"Okay. But hey, while it's here, come over here and let me dry your hair real quick, then you can go get some breakfast." She waved him over and got up from her chair, then gestured for him to sit in it. Max decided to humor her and let her have her way. He sat down in the chair and looked in her makeup mirror, and Fran turned the hair dryer back on and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to dry it quickly but also trying not to lose his wonderful curls. Max had to admit that he did rather like the feel of her fingers running over his scalp and through his hair. She shut off the hair dryer when she was done, and ran her comb gently through his hair, then sprayed a product on it and worked it through his thick locks.

"Thank you, darling!" Max said. Fran leaned over the back of the chair and kissed him on the cheek, then unplugged the hair dryer and took it back to the bathroom. When she came back out, there was a light knock at the door and Max got up from the chair to answer it. It was Maggie, sleepy-eyed and in her robe. She smiled at her father and he let her in.

"Hi, Mags!" Fran called. "I'm ready, I just finished drying my hair." Max went back to the suitcase to retrieve his wallet, watch, and the carabiner that he would use to keep Fran's rings on, then he zipped up the suitcase and set it on the floor.

"Well, darling, I'll leave you girls to it," Max said. "I'll run down to get something to eat, then I'll be back up here as quick as I can. But we do need to keep an eye on the time, alright?"

"Okay. So you are coming back up here after you eat?" Fran asked.

"Yes, I'll be back up. And make sure you've got everything you need. I think we've got it all in the bags, but this is your last chance before we go if there's anything else you might want."

"Okay. I'll check, but I think we have everything." Max patted Maggie's shoulder and Fran sat down in her chair, then Max left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Maggie reached for Fran's comb and began to part her hair to get ready to braid it.

"So, how are you feeling, Fran?" Maggie asked.

"I guess I'm okay. It just kinda… feels weird, you know?"

"What feels weird? Your stomach? Do you still have a fever?" Maggie asked, concerned.

"No, no- I mean, it feels weird that today's the day. It won't be long before I'm in surgery. It just feels weird, you know?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it does. But what about everything else?"

"I think I'm mostly okay. I might still have a fever, but I don't want to take my temperature."

"Why not?"

"I guess maybe it'll just stress me out. And there isn't anything I can do about it, we have to leave in a little bit. Gosh, I just wish I could snap my fingers and poof! It would all be over with and I'd be back here." Maggie understood. She wished the same thing. She combed Fran's hair into sections, then started to braid it on one side.

Niles was just putting together Max's breakfast on a plate when Max hurried into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sir! Did you…ah… sleep well?" Niles asked.

"Oh, I suppose. As well as could be expected. Maggie's up there working on Fran's hair." He got quiet, and Niles set a plate in front of him and set a napkin down.

"Is tea alright?" Niles asked quietly.

"Oh, sure. That's fine." Niles grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and poured the fresh brewed tea from the teapot into them. He spooned in some sugar, then a poured a splash of milk, stirred them, and set one in front of Max.

"It won't be long now. The surgery, I mean." Max said, and picked up the breakfast sandwich Niles had made him.

"I knew what you meant. It is strange, isn't it? But it'll be good when she's past it. And we'll get the house ready for her when she comes back. I don't want you worrying about anything here at all, sir. Everything will be fine here, and you just focus on taking care of Ms. Fine, alright?"

"I will. And I appreciate that, Niles. I really do. I know you've been doing an awful lot of work… an awful lot. And I do want to make it up to you, somehow. It's just- right now, it's hard to think straight. But I want you to know that your assistance hasn't gone unnoticed. So, thank you. Thank you very much."

"Oh, sir! It hasn't been any trouble, really! Not at all. I'll do whatever I can to help. I know it won't stop you from worrying about her. The least I can do is to keep the house running, and feed everyone. Like now- you better get busy with your breakfast. There isn't much time. Let me go get your coats out so they'll be ready for you." Niles took a big gulp of his hot tea and then hurried past Max out of the kitchen to run and fetch their coats from the front closet. He felt a little awkward talking to Mr. Sheffield about Ms. Fine that morning. He was nervous and concerned like everyone else was, and it felt like it was all he could do to stay strong and finish what had to be done that morning before everyone left. His mind was racing, and he didn't want to forget anything.

Max sat down on the stool behind the counter and took a bite of the sandwich. Even though the scrambled eggs and bacon were cooked just how he liked them, and the toast had that perfect crunch, it was almost like he wasn't actually eating them. He went through the motions, taking a bite, chewing it, swallowing it, but it felt like he was having an out of body experience. He was detached just enough to watch himself eat, but not think about the morning ahead. Part of him was glad Niles left the room. Max wasn't up for too much conversation. But he also felt lonely. Just minutes away from Fran felt like too much right now. He wondered if Maggie had finished her hair yet, or how long that sort of thing might take. He picked up his mug of tea and took a sip, then another one, then checked the time on his watch. He gulped hard.

Niles came back into the kitchen and went back to his tea, and checked Max's progress.

"Well, the car should be here soon. And Val and the Fines should be getting picked up sometime around now, as well. You'll be meeting them at the hospital somewhere?" Niles asked.

"Yes, the same lobby as before. I'm not sure exactly where we will go after that, where the waiting room is for surgery. But we'll figure that out when we get there."

"Yes, they'll show you everything, I'm sure. Well, your coats are on the bannister, and the cell phones are ready and charged. I'll keep the spare one on me when I have to run errands, so if the phone doesn't get picked up here, then give me a call on that one."

"Alright. Thank you." They were quiet again, and Max hurriedly finished his sandwich, then his tea, and checked his watch again. He took a big breath and exhaled. "I better go upstairs and gather things up, get Fran ready to come down. Um, Niles? I'd like to have a few minutes alone with Fran, too, before we come down. Then I know Fran wants to be sure she has a bit of time with the children, and you, to say goodbye."

"Yes, sir! Certainly! You can send the children down here, and we'll watch for the car, if you'd like."

"Alright. Well- I'd better get back up there and check on her, then." He gulped down the last of his tea and Niles took his mug and plate, then Max got up and hurried up the back stairs. Niles set the dishes in the sink, then picked up his mug and chugged down the rest of his own tea, and headed back out to the front of the house to watch for the car.

Max stopped at Brighton and Gracie's bedrooms to make sure they were up before heading back to the master bedroom. The children had just gotten into their robes and slippers and were still rubbing their tired eyes. Max wondered how much sleep they had gotten. He took Gracie's hand and Brighton followed them down the hall. Max tapped on the bedroom door and pushed it open, but Fran wasn't sitting in her chair. He went further into the bedroom and found Fran and Maggie sitting on the end of the bed, Fran's arm over Maggie's shoulders.

"There you guys are! You poor things, you all look so sleepy! Maybe Niles should make you all some tea for your breakfasts. I don't want you guys falling asleep at school, alright?" Fran said, opening her arms to Gracie for a hug.

"Are you ready to go, Fran? Can we help with anything?" Gracie asked.

"Well, as a matter of fact," Max interjected, "You children could help by taking our bags downstairs. And I'd like just a few minutes with Fran before we go, if you all don't mind. Niles said you all can help him watch for the car to get here. He's already got our coats ready to go. So, Fran, do you think we have everything? No last minute additions?"

"I think we have enough. My purse and the hospital papers are in the backpack, and I brought that bottle of pills, too, in case I might need it, or if they will want it. Just in case. And we should have plenty of stuff to read, too. So unless you've got anything else to add, that should all be ready to go." Brighton hurried over to pick up the suitcase.

"I'll get the suitcase!" He said.

"I can get the backpack," Maggie said, reaching over to pick it up and then getting up from the bed. "Come on, Gracie. Let's get out of their way so they can have some privacy. We'll meet you guys downstairs." Gracie let go of Fran and Fran got up from the end of the bed. The children smiled at their father and Fran, then headed out the bedroom door and shut it behind them. Max reached for Fran and wrapped his arms around her, then hugged her tightly. Fran reciprocated, and rested her head against his chest. They stood there together in the quiet of the room, slowly rocking from side to side. Fran clutched Max's shirt tightly in her fists, and Max rubbed a hand back and forth over her back, trying to soothe her- and himself. Fran turned her head to look up at him, and he gave her a soft smile, then a kiss. He rested his forehead against hers.

"You good?" He whispered. Fran took a deep breath.

"Yeah. I think so. It's time." They both hugged each other again, then closed their eyes. They took one last minute to breathe each other in, to feel each other in their arms. Fran slid her hands up and down Max's back, then leaned back to look into his eyes. They still had that magic twinkle that she loved so much, but they also had an element of worry in them, too. She reached her hands up to hold his cheeks, and stroked them with her thumbs. "I love you, Max. And thank you again, for everything. I know today isn't gonna be easy for you. I'm sorry about that. I wish none of this had to happen, especially to you and the kids. But I'm also really glad that I have you guys to get me through it. Especially you, Max. Especially you. I love you so much, and I don't know what I'd do without you! I can't even imagine my life without you. Now, I know it's gonna be hard on you today, but I want you to be strong, alright? Everything's gonna be okay, you'll see! It'll be okay, and then we'll get to see each other again when it's over, and that'll be great, won't it?!"

"That will be wonderful, darling! And I can't wait for that moment. It will be difficult today- difficult for all of us. I'll do my best to be strong, for you, and for the children. I will. But I'll be counting every minute until I get to see you again. That time won't go by fast enough. And I want you to know- I need you to know- how much you mean to me… and how much you mean to all of us. You're a very special woman. I love you with everything I've got, and then some! The children love you just as much. I know things will go just fine today, and we'll be back here together again, planning a wedding, and everything else. But just- ah, on the off chance… well, you know how these things can be sometimes… just, well, if you have to- just fight with everything you've got, alright? Am I making any sense?" Max swallowed hard as he tried to tell her what he needed to say. Fran pursed her lips, trying not to start crying, but a few tears made their way to her eyes.

"Yeah, you are making sense, Max. I get it. And I will, okay? I'll fight until I'm back with you!" She pulled him to her and they kissed each other firmly, not wanting to let go. Max clutched her face and kissed her several times on the lips, then her cheeks, and hugged her tightly to him. Fran buried her face in his chest and fought back any more tears. "Okay, Max, we gotta get ourselves together! We gotta get downstairs, and we shouldn't be bawling our eyes out in front of the kids- or Niles either, or he'll start bawling, too!" She pushed Max back and wiped the corners of her eyes, and he cleared his throat, and dabbed at his eyes, too.

"Yes, yes, you're right. We do need to get downstairs." He checked the time on his watch. "The car should be here any minute now. Okay- how do I look? Am I alright? Do you think it'll be dark downstairs?" Max asked. Fran checked him over and stroked his cheek.

"You're good, sweetie. But I'm sure the lights will be on down there. What about me? Are my eyes all red?" Max looked her over and smiled, then kissed the tip of her nose.

"You're beautiful, darling! And I don't think they'll notice. You look a bit different without your makeup, so that may be all they see," Max said. Fran felt momentarily self conscious and checked herself in the mirror on her dressing table, but then realized that how she looked didn't matter at that moment. She was fine, and it was time to go face the challenge ahead. She stood up and reached for Max's hand.

"Let's go," she said, with determination. Max squeezed her hand and nodded, then they headed for the door. Max grabbed the knob and opened the door, and Fran took one last look at the bedroom she and Max now shared, then shut off the light and led Max out into the hallway, then towards the front stairs to rejoin the children and Niles before they left for the hospital.

Niles stood near the front door, watching for the towncar, as the children sat on the stairs, waiting for Fran and their father to come down. A moment later, they heard them at the top of the stairs, and they all got up to make way for them to come down. Fran smiled at them as she carefully descended the stairs. Though she was feeling better than she had all weekend, she was still weak and not very certain on her feet. Max helped her down the stairs the rest of the way, and Gracie came over to Fran to hold her hand.

"Daddy- I put today's newspaper in the backpack, in case you want it," Maggie said, pointing to the backpack sitting by the closet.

"Oh, thank you," he replied. Maggie noticed that he seemed a bit distant, a bit sad?

"I also got some water for you both, just in case you might need it," Niles said, and gestured to the entry table where two cold bottles of water sat.

"Thank you, Niles. That's a good idea. Is the car here yet?" Fran asked.

"No, not yet, but it'll be here any minute now," Niles replied, turning to look back out of the windows.

"Well, then, here- let me sit down a minute. That was a lot of stairs." Fran grabbed the rail and lowered herself down, making everyone nearly gasp with concern. Gracie squeezed in next to her, and Fran wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Come here a minute, B. I need to see you some before we go." Fran reached out her hand and gestured to him to sit on her other side. He slowly made his way to her and did as she said, and flopped down on the step to sit next to her. Fran wrapped her arm around him and squeezed his shoulder. "Brighton, I want you to take it easy today, okay? Just get back into the swing of things at school. And Gracie? If you want, maybe you can see if you can find a book for us to read together this weekend. Would you like that?"

"Yes! I can do that!" She smiled. "I'll try to find something happy. A happy story."

"That would be nice! And if you want, it doesn't have to be a novel. It can be some short stories instead. That way we'll get some resolution instead of leaving things hanging at the end of a chapter." Gracie grinned.

"Okay. I'll see what I can find!"

"Good. And Mags, thank you for doing my hair this morning. It really helps a lot. And it looks good, too!"

"You're welcome. I hope they don't mess it up at the hospital. Do you think they'll put one of those hair net kind of things on you for the surgery?"

"I don't know. Probably. But that shouldn't be a big deal. I mean, I won't have my makeup on, so why worry about my hair too?"

"True." Maggie stepped closer to her father and put her arm around his back. He turned and smiled at her, then put his arm over her shoulders.

"I want to thank you children for helping out so much," Max said. "It really does mean a lot. And while we're gone, please do your best to keep things clean and help Niles so he doesn't have to pick up after all of you. And Brighton- Gracie- if you need help with any homework, please ask. I'm sure between Niles and Maggie, they should be able to help you both. And Margaret…" Max turned to look at her, "Thank you very much, for stepping up and looking after your brother and sister while we're gone. I hope all of this doesn't interfere with your classes too much."

"Don't worry about that, daddy. You guys will be back here soon enough. Just take care of Fran, and everything will be fine here."

"Thank you," Max said. Fran squeezed Brighton and Gracie's shoulders again.

"B, and you too, Gracie- if you guys need to talk to anybody, you can talk to Maggie and Niles, or if you have a teacher at school you trust, or even the school counselor if you need to. I know all this is kinda hard, and hopefully it'll go quick and everything will get back to normal. But I don't want you guys worrying a lot and keeping it inside, okay? Promise me you won't do that?"

"I promise, Fran!" Gracie smiled. Fran looked over at Brighton.

"Promise. Just promise you guys will call today." Brighton and Fran turned to look at Max.

"Absolutely," Max said. "I can't promise what time, but I would expect it would be this afternoon. But I don't want you all sitting by the phone waiting for me to call. Try to get your homework out of the way if you can. Niles? Can you make sure they do that?"

"Absolutely, sir! Oh! Is that the car?" Niles rushed over to crane his head and look. "Yes! The driver is here! Let me help you two on with your coats! And children, let's gather their things!" Gracie jumped up from her seat on the step by Fran and went for the backpack, and Brighton grabbed Fran's arm to help her stand. As Max helped Fran on with her coat, and Niles helped Max on with his, Maggie grabbed the bottles of water and handed them to Fran. Gracie was the first to hug Fran, then she hugged Brighton and Maggie, and then Niles. Max hugged Maggie, firmly patted Brighton on the back as he hugged him, and then knelt down to give Gracie a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He stood up and shook Niles' hand, then turned to Fran.

"Ready, darling?" He asked, trying to not let his voice crack. Fran nodded and cleared her throat.

"Yeah. We better go. You kids be good, okay? I love you!"

"We love you, too, Fran! Everything's gonna be okay!" Gracie told her. Brighton handed the suitcase to his father and Niles opened the front door.

"Oh, sir, the phone and the charging cord are in the backpack. I'll carry the spare cell phone with me when I run errands this morning, but I'll be right back here as quick as I can. And don't you worry about a thing, either if you. We'll hold down the fort until you get back. And I'm sure there will be a huge pile of well wishes from everyone regarding your engagement by the time you get back! And I'll be sure to spread the word about your flowers and gift basket from Andrew Lloyd Webber to everyone on Park Avenue while you're gone!" Niles smiled.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Niles! But I know I can't stop you, so…" Max tried a grin, but he felt like his stomach dropped. "Well, darling, we better go. We love you all, and I'll call you later today, alright?" Max put his arm around Fran, Gracie handed her the backpack, and they smiled at the children standing there in their robes, watching them leave. The children nodded, and waved their goodbyes, and Fran turned and headed out the door, Max following close behind. Niles shut the door quickly, trying to keep the cold at bay. The children ran up to the door next to him and they all watched as Max helped Fran in the car, then he put the suitcase in, and climbed in himself. He and Fran turned back to look at the door and saw all the faces pressed up against it, backlit by the entryway light. Fran waved to them, and then Max did as well, and finally he pulled the car door shut. The towncar drove away from the house, and the children and Niles stepped back from the door. They all glanced back and forth at each other, not knowing what to say or do next, until Niles spoke up.

"Well, they're off. Now, why don't you children go get ready for school. We can have an early breakfast if you'd like. I can have things ready for you all an hour from now, or earlier if you are all back down here sooner. How does that sound?" Niles asked. The children all nodded in agreement, and Brighton started heading up the stairs.

"Maggie?" Gracie asked, as the two girls followed their brother up the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"Can you braid my hair, too?"

"Sure, I can do that. You want it like Fran's?"

"Well, maybe just one braid. That way it won't be as hard for you."

"Okay. One braid it is."

Niles watched the children disappear at the top of the stairs, then he turned around and looked at the front door, then turned again to look at the flowers and gift basked on the entry table. He took a deep breath and smiled, then turned and headed towards the kitchen.

Fran didn't bother with putting on a seatbelt. She curled up against Max and he held her close in his arms. She closed her eyes and focused on the scent of his cologne. Max stared blankly out the window, not registering any of the lights that moved past the window in the dark. He felt like he was caught in a dream in that moment- a dream that he couldn't shake himself out of. They were finally on their way to the hospital where Fran would have her surgery. It was no longer a week away, days away. Now it was just a matter of hours away, and maybe only a couple of hours. Max's stomach was tight, and he was beginning to wish he hadn't forced down his breakfast. He remembered the water bottles Niles had given them, and that seemed to break his trance. He reached over for one, and Fran let him have his arm back so he could open it. He took a few gulps, then offered it to Fran, but she shook her head lightly in refusal. Maybe her stomach was bothering her, too. He took another gulp, then put the cap back on and set the bottle down, then turned his attention back to Fran. She leaned back against the seat next to him and looked out the window. He saw the flashes of the street lights reflecting in her eyes. He took her hand in his, and interlaced their fingers. She squeezed his hand and looked over at him in the darkness of the car.

"Won't be long now," she whispered, though she didn't know why. The privacy glass was closed, and the noise from other cars and delivery trucks outside would have muffled her voice anyway. Max didn't know what to say in response, so he looked down at her hand in his, then rested his other hand on top. "Max? Do you think they'll get there before us?" She asked, and he looked back into her eyes.

"No, I don't think so. They'll have more traffic to deal with than us, I'm sure. But I think Niles talked to the driver to try to time things as best as he could, so we won't have to wait for them too long at the hospital." Fran nodded, then rested her head against his shoulder and looked back out the window.

"Max?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"Did you happen to pack your cologne?" That made Max chuckle.

"Actually, yes. I did."

"Good." He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm back around her. Though he loved holding her hand, it just wasn't enough. They both needed their arms around each other as much as possible, before they wouldn't be able to hold each other that way anymore. Max hoped it would only last until the next day, when she would be past her surgery and recovering, and hopefully able to be back in his arms.

Fran watched out the window at the few people on the street. There were mostly the delivery men and the stock boys, a few shop owners holding doors open, cops and office workers getting their morning cups of coffee. Everyone was in their own world, doing their own thing, oblivious to Max and Fran and the journey they were taking. She wondered what was on their minds that morning- were any of them worried about someone? Or were their mornings going the same as every other morning?

Max looked through the privacy glass and out the front window of the towncar, trying to get a look at the street signs at each intersection as they counted down the distance toward the hospital, one block at a time. The driver turned off of Lexington Avenue, getting the attention of the both of them. They were almost there. Fran reached for the backpack on the floor and set it next to her on the seat, then fastened her coat up. Max buttoned his own coat and moved the suitcase closer with his feet. Fran leaned over to look out the window on her side, and looked up at the buildings above. Everything looked different in the dark, she couldn't tell where exactly the hospital was, until the driver slowed down and made another turn, and then again and the towncar bumped up over a driveway and pulled up in front of the hospital entrance. She looked out Max's window and saw the familiar glass doors, and could see the main lobby lit up inside. She felt like she was going to start shaking, and couldn't help but grab Max's arm. The car stopped, and she saw the driver jump out and hurry around to their door. Max handed him the suitcase and then got out of the car, and held onto Fran as he helped her out. She threw the backpack over one shoulder and Max took the suitcase from the driver and thanked him, then he took Fran's hand and coaxed her to lead the way. She took a deep breath and clenched his hand tightly, then pulled him through the doors into the lobby. They stopped a short distance in, a little overwhelmed by the number of people there at such an early hour.

They stood there for a moment, looking around for Val, Sylvia, and Morty.

"I don't see them, do you?" Max asked.

"No. I'm sure they would have waited right here for us if they were here already." Max looked around, and noticed that the check-in desks were using ticket numbers to get everyone checked in- the display on the wall ticked forward one number and a waiting patient hurried up to the open chair.

"Sweetheart- let's get you a seat. Then I'll go grab a number so you can get checked in, and I'll see about getting you a wheelchair, too." Fran clutched his arm, and Max escorted her to an empty seat at the end of a bank of chairs in the lobby, where she could keep an eye on the door in case the others showed up. He set the suitcase down in front of her, then removed his coat and set it on the seat next to her. He hurried over to the ticket machine and pulled off a ticket, then went to the information desk and asked the woman there about getting a wheelchair for Fran. Fran watched him nod at the woman, then he hurried back to her, picked up his coat, and sat down next to her. She reached for his hand to check the number on the ticket, then looked over at the board to see how long they would have to wait.

"Do you think all these people are here for surgeries, too?" She asked.

"Possibly. Or some kind of procedure, maybe. There are quite a lot of people here, aren't there? I wasn't expecting there would be."

"I know. I hope it doesn't take long to get checked in, I don't want to be late."

"I think it'll be fine. It seems like they're moving through people pretty steadily." Max wrapped his arm around her, noticing that she seemed a bit nervous. "Do you want to take your coat off? Or are you cold?" Fran looked down at her coat and thought a moment.

"I'm not cold. Yeah, I can take it off. I need to try to cool down, anyway." Fran unfastened the front of her coat and Max helped her take it off. They rested back against each other again and sat there quietly, looking around at all the other people, watching the numbers change on the display, and looked out the glass doors for the others to finally show up. Max rubbed her shoulder softly and watched her as she glanced around at everything.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" He asked. She turned to look up at him, then looked away and shrugged her shoulders. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and kissed the side of her forehead. He completely understood. Fran leaned into him and let him hold her. It would be a while before they would be able to sit like this again.

"Hey!" She sat up straight. "There they are!" She pointed at the door, and Max looked over to see a limousine outside, and Sylvia struggling to get out of it. They continued watching as Val climbed out, and then Morty after her, and then they headed to the lobby doors to come inside. Max stood up and waved them over, just as an orderly headed their way with a wheelchair. The orderly parked the wheelchair next to Fran, and she got up to give everyone a hug.

"Hi, Ma! Daddy! And you, too, Val! Thank you guys for being here for me, it really means a lot!"

"Aw, Fran! We wouldn't be anywhere else! My poor baby's having surgery! I need to be here!" Sylvia cried, as she pulled Fran to her again.

"Ma! Not so loud! There's a whole lotta people here and they don't need to know my business. Here, come sit down. We're just waiting for them to call our number so I can get checked in. It's really busy this morning."

"Oh! It sure is!" Sylvia agreed. Max let Sylvia take his chair, and Val sat in the empty chair next to Sylvia. Max and Morty stood in front of them, making sure the other people in the waiting room who needed it would have places to sit. Max shook Morty's hand.

"Good morning, Morty. Was the traffic alright this morning?"

"It wasn't bad. Not at all. But it's nice to not have to be the one doing the driving, that's for sure!" He smiled, and Max nodded. The number changed on the display, catching Max's attention, and he waved to Fran.

"Fran, darling! Is that the number?" Fran looked at the board, then at the ticket she held in her hand. She jumped from her chair and grabbed the backpack.

"Ma, can you guys watch this stuff? That's our number, I gotta go!"

"Go ahead, we'll watch everything!" Sylvia called, and Max took Fran's hand and they rushed over to the open chairs at one of the check-in desks. Morty took advantage of the opportunity and sat down in Fran's seat, and the three of them watched as Fran spoke with the woman at the desk.

"Alright," the woman said, "Here's your ID back. Now will you have any family and friends here waiting for you during your surgery?"

"Yes- Max here, and my parents and best friend are also here. They're right over there," Fran said, pointing towards the others.

"Alright. Could you fill in their information here, and I'll get their visitor's passes printed up. Now, Mr. Sheffield? I have you listed as the one person staying in the hospital with her overnight?"

"Yes, that's right. I'll stay, but the others will visit."

"Good! Okay, then, you'll get a bracelet like Fran's, so you can be here after visiting hours are over. Let me just get the rest of this entered into the system." The woman took the paper from Fran, and typed up her parents' and Val's information into the computer.

"Um- do you need all the other papers I had to fill out, too? I have them right here," Fran said, pulling the envelope from the backpack to show her.

"Oh, no, you'll take those with you to the surgical floor. They'll do the final check-in there and will make sure they have all the paperwork they need. Speaking of which- here is a map you can hold onto. To get to the surgical wing, you need to take this walkway here to the other building, and then to this bank of elevators. From there you'll go up to the fourth floor. They'll get you checked in, and there's a large waiting area there where your guests can wait while you're in surgery." Fran looked at the map she was handed, then showed it to Max. He leaned back in his chair and looked over at the long connecting walkway between the doctor's building and the main hospital.

"Oh, I didn't even realize it would be in a different building. But it makes sense, I guess. I'm glad I got you that wheelchair."

"Yeah, no kidding."

The woman printed out the guest name tags for Val and Sylvia and Morty, and grabbed two bracelets that had just finished printing on their special printer. She came back and sat down across from them again.

"Alright, Fran, this one is yours. May I ask which side your surgery is on?" Fran was confused for a moment.

"What side? Oh, uh, the right side."

"Alright. Let's put this on your right wrist, in case they may want your IV on the left side." Fran held out her wrist for the woman to fasten the bracelet on, and glanced over at Max. When the woman had finished, she did the same thing for Max. "Okay, you two, you're all set! Take this paper with you and give it to the receptionist on the fourth floor, and they'll take care of you. Here are the name tags for the others, tell them to make sure they stay visible when they're in the hospital. And if they come back tomorrow, they need to get new ones. But they will be able to do that at the visitor entrance of the hospital next door."

"Oh- so they don't come back here in the morning? They'll have to come in over there?" Fran gestured down the long corridor.

"Yes, and it's a much quicker process. Once you're out of surgery and in recovery, they'll be getting your hospital room set up for you, and then you can give that room number to your visitors, so they can sign in with it each time they come to see you."

"Oh! Okay. So that's it? I'm ready to go over there now?"

"You sure are! And good luck with everything!"

"Thank you!" Fran said, and got up from her chair.

"Yes, thank you very much," Max said. He got up from his chair and took Fran's hand, and they went back to join the others.

"Okay, you guys. I'm ready to go over to surgery now. You guys need to put these name tags on and keep them on when you're in the hospital," Fran handed them their peel-off name tags and they each put them on their chests under their coats. "And they said if you come visit me in the morning, you go in the hospital visitor entrance next door- in the other building. Now, let me get myself situated in this wheelchair. We have to go that way and then up to the fourth floor. Max? Will you push me? And daddy, can you carry the suitcase?"

"Of course, darling," Max said, and he grabbed their coats and tucked them into the pouch on the back of the wheelchair. Fran sat down in the chair, then set the backpack on her lap. Morty picked up the suitcase, and they all headed for the long walkway. Max pushed the wheelchair, Sylvia held Fran's hand and walked beside her, and Morty and Val trailed behind them. They all remained quiet as they walked, letting everything start to sink in. Max stared at the painted line on the floor and followed it through the window-lined walkway. It was still dark outside, so the only things that could be seen through the windows were the lights from some of the windows of the buildings nearby. Morty switched the suitcase from one hand to the other, and Val unbuttoned her coat as they walked. Sylvia clutched Fran's hand nervously, and her forehead creased with worry. There were a number of other people walking the same direction they were, some scurried past them like they were running late, others kept a slow pace, like they were afraid, too.

They rounded a turn and found the elevators, and Max pushed Fran to the middle of the floor between them. Val hurried over and pressed the Up button. Max nodded his thanks to her. Two other groups of people joined them to wait for an elevator, and everyone glanced around, acknowledging each other as they wondered who must be the reason they were there and what might they be having done that morning. With the ding of the elevator, they all looked around to see which door they needed to head to. A set of doors opened and two hospital staff got out, then held the doors for everyone to squeeze in. Max held the wheelchair back to let everyone else in first, then backed in with Fran, trying not to bump into anyone.

"What floor is everybody going to?" Morty called out, and everyone responded Four! Morty pushed they button as they all chuckled nervously. They watched the numbers tick past, then the elevator stopped and the doors opened to a large reception area. Max pushed Fran out first, then everyone else followed. They went straight to the first receptionist they saw, and Fran handed the woman the paper she was given. The woman scanned Fran and Max's bracelets, took Fran's envelope of papers, and let them return to Sylvia, Morty and Val. The group walked over to the waiting area and found a space with two couches, armchairs, and a coffee table. There were tall windows, and planters filled with lush greens, and a rack filled with old magazines.

They tossed all of their coats on an armchair and each one found a seat close to Fran, who remained in the wheelchair. Max sat next to her in an armchair, and Sylvia got as close as she could to Fran on the end of one of the couches, with Morty next to her and Val at the end. They were all quiet for a few minutes as they looked around the long waiting area, and occasionally glanced back at Fran. Max stroked her hand in his, trying to settle her nerves, and his, too. He ran his thumb over her beautiful rings.

"So what did you all think of the announcement in the paper? It came out pretty nice, don't you think?" Max said, breaking the silence.

"Oh!" Sylvia clutched her chest. "It was the most beautiful engagement announcement I've ever seen! You two take such a good photo! Oh, Fran, I forgot to tell you, they put up a copy of it at temple, and it's going in this week's newsletter, too! And I stopped in all the shops that have a bulletin board and stuck a Xerox of it on all of them! Everybody's gonna be talking about the two of you! And all those girls from your high school can just eat their hearts out!" They all laughed.

"Thank you, ma! I'm glad you got to do that, I know how much you must have enjoyed it," Fran smiled.

"Oh, I did!" Sylvia almost swooned.

"Yeah, Fran, and Mr. Sheffield, that was such a wonderful thing Niles did, too! He's a good writer. And that photo Brighton took, you guys look like movie stars!"

"Well, Fran sure does, anyway," Max said, looking lovingly at Fran.

"Oh, stop it, sweetie! You're gorgeous in all of those pictures he took. I can't wait until I'm better, and he can take more pictures of us. Of all of us." Fran looked up at Max, looking suddenly sad. She looked away quickly, trying not to let him see.

"Hey, it's alright, darling. It will be great when you're better! And there will be plenty of times for him to take more pictures. We'll make sure he's always got plenty of film. This will all go quickly, you'll see! And then you'll be on the road to recovery," Max tried to reassure her. Suddenly Morty spoke up, surprising everyone.

"He's right, you know, Frannie. This is all gonna go so quick for you. Then we'll get you back home and get you better, real quick. You'll see!" Fran smiled at him, and tried to hold the tears in.

"Daddy! Come here!" Fran shifted in the wheelchair and got herself up and went towards her father. Morty got up and hugged her tightly, and she wrapped her arms over his shoulders. He leaned back from her and held her by her shoulders.

"You'll see, sweetheart! It will be over with quick, and you'll get some rest, and then we'll take you home, okay? No big deal. Then we can fatten you up some. You got way too skinny, young woman!" Fran laughed at him and pushed him away, and then Sylvia wanted some of the affection, so she got up and pulled Fran to her.

"Daddy's right, you know?" She said.

"About fattening me up?" Fran smiled, and they laughed again.

"See? You're gonna do just fine! You're a strong woman! You come from a long line of strong women."

"I do, don't I? Ma, will you promise to call Yetta and keep her posted? I don't want her worrying all this time."

"I will, don't worry." Fran looked over at Val, who was looking a little forlorn after being left out of the hugs.

"Aw, Val! Come here! I wanna hug you, too!" Sylvia let go of Fran and she stepped closer to Val and gave her a hug. "We'll get to hang out a lot, and go through all the bridal stuff soon. And promise me you'll come over on your days off, too, okay? We got a lot of work to do! Just not on Valentines Day, that day's reserved for my future hubby!" They grinned at each other, then Fran turned around and looked at Max. He smiled at her, and then she remembered he'd been left out of the hugs. She let go of Val and went back to him, reaching out her hands to him and pulling him up from the chair. She gave him a kiss and hugged him around the middle, making him feel a little better. The others sat back down on the couch, but Fran and Max didn't want to stop hugging each other. Fran still couldn't get enough of his cologne, and the feel of his chest against her cheek, and Max couldn't get enough of the feel of her arms around him, and the feel of her body in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and they rocked slightly together, side to side, settling each other down. Just as they both took a deep breath and settled in to their clutch, a nurse came over to them and interrupted.

"Fran Fine?" She asked, and Fran whipped her head around to see who it was calling her name.

"Yes, that's me."

"Are you ready to go back?" Fran clutched Max's shirt and looked up at him, then over at the others.

"Well, I guess so. I guess it's time to go, you guys," Fran said, her voice cracking slightly. Max let go of her so she could hug everyone again. "And he can come with me, right? Before they take me in for the surgery?" Max held out his wrist to show his bracelet.

"Of course. I'll take both of you back to a room so you can change, and they want to get vitals on you as well. That's where they'll get the IV started, too." Max helped her sit back down on the wheelchair, then turned to Morty.

"Ah, Morty? Can you watch our coats? And the suitcase? I don't think I need to bring those things back there."

"Oh, sure, yeah. No worries! We'll watch whatever you need us to."

"Thank you. Fran, was there anything you needed from the suitcase? Your purse is in the backpack. Was there anything else?" Max looked at her as she thought about it.

"No, I don't need anything else I guess. Not until after…" her voice trailed off. Max nodded, then picked up the backpack and put it over his shoulder.

"Alright, then. Well, you all, I guess I'll be back when they kick me out. Whenever that is. Do you all remember where the cafeteria is? In case you want some breakfast, or coffee or something…"

"Oh, sure, we do. Don't worry about us. Just take care of my baby!" Sylvia said.

"Okay, Max, we better go," Fran said. "I love you, ma, and daddy! And I love you, too, Val! Watch out for my parents, okay? I'll be done as soon as I can!"

"We love you, too, Fran! We'll be here when you get out!" Val called, waving at her as Max began to push the wheelchair after the nurse.

"We love you, Fran! You'll be done before you know it!" Sylvia called.

"That's my baby girl! My tough baby girl!" Morty yelled. They watched Max push the wheelchair down to another corridor, and then they turned around and Fran waved at everyone before they went through a set of double doors, and then were gone.

Sylvia felt like her heart was breaking, and Val's stomach dropped. Morty reached for Sylvia's arm and guided her back to the couch to sit down. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"It's gonna be fine, Syl! You'll see! That's one tough girl in there, remember?" He patted her shoulder and she nodded, then pulled a tissue out of the cuff on her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes. Val stood for a moment, looking around at the other people in the waiting area, off in their own corners, or standing by the windows staring outside. She turned back to Morty and Sylvia.

"I can't sit here doing nothing, I'll go crazy. You guys want anything from the cafeteria? I'll bring us all back some coffee, okay? Maybe snacks? I'll see what they have. Okay? I'll be back. I'll get you something to eat Sylvia. And Morty, too, I'll see what I can find. Just stay here, watch their stuff, okay? I'll be back!" Val talked so fast, they barely understood what she said, and then she took off towards the elevators.

"Uh, okay…?" Morty replied, but Val was already gone. Morty looked back at Sylvia, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, her face turning into a grimace of hurt. They leaned back on the couch and Morty kept his arm around her, then quietly began to sing her a Steve and Eydie tune.

Max followed the nurse to a small room with a bed in it, an attached restroom, and a few medical monitoring machines on the side of the room. He parked the wheelchair in front of the bed.

"Alright, Ms. Fine, you can use the restroom if you need to, and here are two gowns for you to change into. You'll need to remove everything, including any jewelry. One gown goes on your back first, then the other for the front. You can tie them loosely. And you can use this bag to put your clothes and shoes in. Mr. Sheffield- you can take the bag with you back to the waiting area after she's gone to surgery," the nurse said, as Max helped Fran get up from the wheelchair.

"Oh, alright," Max replied, softly. Fran clutched his hand tightly as they watched the nurse set the things on the bed.

"Now, before you get started, I just wanted to ask you- have you checked your temperature this morning? I read through the notes about what was going on with you this weekend."

"Oh, no, I didn't want to. I'm pretty sure the fever is still there, but not too bad," Fran said.

"Well, here, before you get changed, why don't I check it really quick, and I can let the doctors know. You can sit right here on the bed, if you'd like." Fran sat down on the bed and the nurse placed a thermometer under her tongue, and they waited a few moments for it to beep. She glanced up at Max, and didn't let go of his hand. She could see the worry in his eyes. The thermometer beeped and the nurse took it from Fran's mouth, then held it up to read it. "You're right, you do still have a bit of a fever. It's just under a hundred and one. Why don't you go ahead and get changed, and I'll run and let the doctors know and see if there's anything they want to do."

"Oh, okay," Fran said, her voice showing her concern. She looked up and Max and he helped her up from the bed.

"It's alright, darling. Maybe they'll be able to give you something for it. That would be good, wouldn't it?" Max tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Well I guess I better get changed, then. Hey, sweetie? Can you take my rings for me now? Will you look after them for me?"

"Of course I will, darling! Look, I even have something to put them on, to help keep them safe," Max said, and reached into his pocket and pulled out the carabiner. Fran held out her hand and he carefully slid her rings off of her finger and put them onto the carabiner. They both looked at them for a moment, then Max put them in his pocket. "I'll take good care of them, sweetheart. And I'll put them right back where they belong the second they let me." Fran smiled and tugged at his cuff.

"Okay. Well, here, let me pull off my shoes first and stick them in the bag, then I'll run into the little girls' room and get changed. Oh- I don't think I'll need the wheelchair anymore, right? I mean, they won't take me to the operating room in a wheelchair, will they?"

"Um, probably not. We can ask when she comes back."

"Okay. Well, I'll be right back." Fran picked up the gowns and went into the restroom, then shut the door behind her. She hurriedly undressed and neatly folded her clothes, placing them in a stack on the counter by the sink. The restroom only had a small mirror over the sink, so she couldn't look at her reflection the same way she had earlier that morning. She looked down at the marks she had made on her body with the marker. This would be the last time she would see her body this way- without a scar. She gulped hard and tried to shake the thought off, and hurriedly went to the restroom and finished getting herself ready. She washed her hands, then turned the cold water on and splashed her face. She felt like she was slipping into a trance, and that was the only way she could think of to snap herself out of it. She dried her face with a paper towel, then picked up her stack of clothes and came out of the restroom.

Max tried to give her a smile, and she tried to smile back, but the stress was weighing on them both. Fran stacked her clothes in the bag on the bed, then reached for Max to hold her some more. They looked into each other's eyes, and Max gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He rested his forehead against hers and they looked over each other's faces. Max desperately wanted to slow time down. He wasn't ready to let go of her.

"How are you doing?" He whispered. She gulped, then took a deep breath.

"I'm trying to be tough. But this is weird. It's all just- weird." Max nodded in understanding.

The nurse appeared at the door with a chart in one hand and was pushing a blood pressure cart with the other. She smiled at them both.

"Well, Fran, we've got a little work to do before you'll be ready for surgery. I need to get your blood pressure, too, and then the doctors want to get you on an IV. The hope is that with some cool fluids running through you, we might be able to bring that pesky fever down a bit. They'd like for it to drop under a hundred at least before they'd want to start the surgery. Would you mind sitting right here back in the wheelchair for just a minute? Just so we can get a good reading on your blood pressure. Then you can hop on the bed and get comfortable, and the other nurse will come in and get your IV set up."

Fran's eyes were wide, and so were Max's. Fran did as she was told and sat down on the wheelchair, and the nurse put the cuff around her arm, then turned the machine on, and the cuff filled itself with air. Max watched the numbers changing on the display, and watched her racing pulse. He stared at the numbers as hard as he could, trying to calm her pulse with the power of thought, but it didn't work. The cuff deflated the rest of the way and the final numbers were set on the display.

"That fast pulse is to be expected, with the prep you had to do, and with your fever. But your blood pressure is a bit low. I'll let the doctors know that as well, and we'll see if that improves when we get some fluids in you. I'll get this wheelchair out of the way, and you can make yourself comfortable on the bed. You can put the sheet over you, too, if you feel cold." Fran nodded at the nurse and Max helped her out of the chair, then onto the bed. The nurse pushed the wheelchair through the doorway, and everything got quiet again. Max pulled a chair over to the bedside to sit close to Fran.

"So, they can't do the surgery if this fever doesn't come down?" Fran said.

"That's what it sounds like. But it also sounds like they think giving you some fluids will help that. Some cooler fluids. I guess that makes some sense, doesn't it? Cooling you from the inside out. I'm sure that will work, darling. It'll be okay." He clasped her hands in his and gave them a squeeze. Fran leaned back against the pillows and stared at her bare legs. She didn't want to put the other sheet over her, in case it affected her fever. And she wasn't feeling cold at all. Mind over matter, she told herself. Make this fever go away. She looked over at Max. He was a bit pale and fidgety. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself.

"How are you, baby? You seem like you're nervous," she said.

"I suppose I am, a bit. Is there anything I can do for you? I feel like I should do something, but I don't know what there is to do."

"You're already doing it, sweetie. Staying with me like this- that's all I need. I couldn't do this alone. This is so weird!" Max grinned and tried a laugh.

"Yes," he took a deep breath and sat up straighter. "It is weird."

"Not even a TV in here to distract us. I guess most people don't spend much time in here."

"Mmm… probably not."

Another nurse came into the room pushing an IV cart and a rolling tray with sealed packages on it. There were two IV bags hanging from the arm of the cart, with long tubes attached. Fran became more alert and pushed herself back against the pillows as she sat up. The nurse brought everything over to the bedside opposite Max and grabbed some fresh latex gloves.

"Hello! I'll try to get this done for you real quick, so we can see if this will do the trick. Now, let me just check your bracelet to make sure everything matches…" Fran held out her wrist with the bracelet, and the nurse compared the information to everything on her papers and on the IV bags. She tied a tube around Fran's upper arm so she could see her veins better, then cleaned off the back of Fran's hand with alcohol and gauze.

"The IV goes there?" Fran squeaked.

"Yes, it makes it a lot easier to move around after the surgery than if we put it in the middle of your arm. And don't worry, it will heal pretty quick after it comes out." Fran and Max watched as the nurse went about her duty, until she had to put the big needle in. Fran scrunched her eyes closed and turned her head away, and Max had to avert his eyes, too. Just like that, the needle was in and the nurse began taping everything to the back of her hand and started connecting everything together. The first nurse came back into the room and smiled again at them. Even though Fran was sure this was a common practice for the woman, it did somehow make her feel a little less nervous.

"Good! She's got you almost all set up. Now just so you know, one of these IV bags is just some fluids, to try to cool you a bit and replenish you some. I'm sure you're a little dehydrated after everything, and since you still have a fever. The other bag is an antibiotic. We want to get you started on that before the surgery just to get it in your system, and you'll continue on antibiotics after you go home, as well. We also want to see if it might do anything to the fever, in case that might be coming from an infection, which we can't know for sure until you're in surgery and the doctors can see everything. Either way, this should be helpful. Now that she's got the IV going, we need to get you ready to be hooked up to all the monitors. We'll be monitoring things like pulse and blood pressure, so we need to get these pads attached to your chest and a couple of spots on your ribs. So if you wouldn't mind, you can loosen the tie on the back of your neck, and just lower the front of the gown, and we'll get these on, and get the leads attached." Max moved out of the way as Fran sorted out her gown, and Fran tried to help the nurse get to the spots she needed. Soon, she had all sorts of wires coming out of the top of her gown, and the nurse helped her tie it again.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what happens now? Do we just wait and see if anything happens with her fever?" Max asked, reaching for Fran's hand again.

"That's the plan. It shouldn't take forever. Hopefully within the hour we'll be getting the results that the doctors want, and then she'll be ready to go to surgery. So hang tight, we'll be back to check her temperature every fifteen minutes or so, and the doctors might come by, too. I do know that they want to get an ultrasound to mark the tumor and the incisions, but they may wait until you are in the OR for that. They'll probably talk to you about it."

"Oh- I'm glad you brought that up. I kinda wanted to ask- the doctors had said something about being able to put the incisions where they wouldn't show, like if I wore a bikini? So, um, I kind of made some marks around there with a marker. Some marks to show basically where the edges of a bikini would be. I hope that's okay. I mean, I guess they can wash it off or something if they don't want it there, but I just thought-"

"That's perfectly fine, don't worry. People do that all the time. I'm sure they might find that helpful, especially when they make their own marks on you. You can mention it if they come talk to you. Now, I know you can't have anything, Ms. Fine, but Mr. Sheffield? Can I get you anything? Some water or something to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. I think I'm alright for now."

"Well, don't hesitate to ask if you need something. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes, so just try to relax. I'm sorry we don't have any entertainment in here, we don't usually need it."

"That's alright," Fran said. "Thank you." The nurse headed out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"Oh! I almost completely forgot! The backpack is full of entertainment!" Max smiled. He reached to the end of the bed and grabbed the backpack, and brought it up to Fran. "Do you want some music, or something to read?" He asked, and opened up the backpack to show Fran everything inside. Fran smiled and reached for the Walkman.

"What's taking so long?" Val wondered out loud, as she paced back and forth in front of the coffee table.

"Well, that has to mean she's not in surgery yet, right? He'd be back out here if she was. Do you think it's from her fever? Oh! What if they won't do her surgery? Do you think they'd cancel it? Oh! My poor baby!" Sylvia was getting herself worked up. She sat on the edge of the couch, her hand pressed to her cheek in distress.

"Syl! Come on, now! Don't do this! She'll be fine! We don't know how long all this will take. Mr. Sheffield will be back out as soon as they take her to the operating room. You don't want them rushing through things, now, do you?" Morty asked her, and put his arm around her.

"No, I guess not," she whimpered.

"Now, here, why don't you work on one of these muffins Val got? You didn't eat breakfast this morning." Sylvia gave him a sad look, then looked over at the pile of muffins and snacks Val brought back from the cafeteria, thought about it, and then reached for a chocolate chip muffin. "Thattagirl!" Morty said, patting her back.

Val looked over at the food on the table, then grabbed herself a danish to ease her anxiety. She sat down in the armchair and began to peel the plastic wrap off of it. She'd eaten breakfast that morning, so she wasn't eating out of hunger. She just didn't know what to do with herself.

"I just feel so bad for you guys!" Val said. "And for Fran, especially. And poor Mr. Sheffield! He must be really scared. I just wish this was over already. All of this waiting, it's really hard. And she's not even in surgery yet. I'm gonna go stir crazy, I just know it!"

"Aw, Val! It is hard! This is gonna be the hardest day, for all of us. A lot of waiting. Too much waiting. If you need to go for a walk again, that's fine. We can all do that- you too, Morty. We'll get through it, somehow. Maybe- can we change the TV channels? Will they let us do that? I really don't want to watch any game shows right now," Sylvia said, pointing her thumb towards the television set in the corner, which was showing The Price is Right.

"Let me go ask somebody, Syl. You wait right here," Morty said, and got up and walked over to the reception desk. He came back a minute later with a remote control in his hand and smiled at Sylvia, waving it in front of him. "Here you are, sweetheart! See if you can find something to take your mind off of things. Just remember we gotta give that back to them when we leave, okay?"

"You're such a doll, Morty! Thank you!" Sylvia took the remote from him and immediately began changing channels as she took a big bite of the muffin. Morty picked up his half-empty cup of coffee and sat back on the couch, waiting for Sylvia to find something she wanted to watch.

Max tried to read through the morning newspaper as he held Fran's hand. He rested the paper on part of her lap as she rested back against the pillows, her eyes closed, as she listened to a Barbra Streisand album on the Walkman. Max could just hear the faint sound of Barbra's voice coming from the headphones on her ears. A nurse had already come in once to check Fran's temperature and blood pressure again, and she was due back any minute to do it once more.

Fran opened her eyes to look at Max. He was rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand as he clutched it, and seemed to be struggling to read the paper. She watched his eyes move back and forth and up and down, scanning and re-scanning the words on the page. He seemed to notice he was being watched, and looked up to meet Fran's eyes. He gave her a smile and lifted her hand and kissed it.

"You alright?" He asked, softly. She nodded.

"Barbra helps. And so do you," she squeezed his hand.

There was a tap at the door, and the nurse entered. She brought another IV bag with her and walked around the bed and hung it from the IV stand.

"Let's check you again! How are you feeling, by the way? Are you still feeling like you have a fever?" The nurse asked, as she gathered the blood pressure cuff and began to put it on Fran.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Fran pulled the headphones off and thought for a moment, trying to see if she could feel that familiar warm feeling. "I don't think I feel as warm as I was. Do you think it could have gone down already?"

"Well, let's find out." The nurse tucked the thermometer under Fran's tongue as she went about checking her blood pressure. Fran watched her pump up the cuff, put on the stethoscope, and press it to her arm, just under the cuff. She let the air begin to release and looked at the watch on her wrist. Max watched Fran, the thermometer sticking out of her mouth, and once again tried to wish her temperature down. The nurse pulled off the stethoscope and released the rest of the air and smiled. "Your blood pressure has come up nicely, so that's one piece of good news!" Fran looked over at Max and they both grinned. The thermometer beeped and the nurse took it from Fran's mouth and read the numbers. "Oh! Nice! It's just at ninety-nine point nine! It looks like the IV is working!"

"It is? Oh my gosh! It really came down like a whole degree?" Fran asked.

"It sure looks that way!" The nurse grinned. "Here, let me get this other IV bag hooked up, and I'll go run and let the doctors know. We'll see if this means they can start getting ready for your surgery." Fran's excitement turned back to anxiety, and she grabbed Max's hand tightly. He knew exactly how she felt. The nurse finished with the new IV bag and hurried out of the room, scribbling on Fran's chart as she rushed away.

"It's alright, Fran. It's good that your fever is going down, and your blood pressure's coming up. Right?" Max tried to reassure her.

"Yeah. I know. But- if it means they'll go ahead with the surgery now, then they might be taking me back soon." They both swallowed hard.

"It's inevitable, though. You need to get this surgery done. And the sooner they start, the sooner we'll be back together, too. And I can get your rings back on your finger where they belong. Right?" He tried to smile for her, but his stomach was churning.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to put the headphones back on? Would that help?"

"I guess I can. Yeah. You doing okay with the newspaper?"

"Well, I see the words, but I don't know if any of it's registering. Kind of hard to focus." Fran nodded.

"Why don't you try reading the funnies? Something not so serious." Max looked down at the paper, then agreed. Maybe she was right.

"Alright. I'll give it a try." Fran put the headphones back on, and Max flipped through the sections of newspaper to find the section with the funnies. He folded up the rest of the newspaper and stuck it back in the backpack, then opened the section to the funny pages and began to go through them. As Fran made it through another song, Max finished reading all the comics, and was just about to start reading the advice columns when the doctors appeared at the door and came in. Max tapped Fran, who had her eyes closed again, and she looked up to see them come into the room. She shut off the Walkman and pulled the headphones off, and Max folded up the newspaper and stood up to shake their hands.

"Good morning!" Dr. Carter said, shaking Max's hand, and then Fran's. Dr. Gallahan followed suit, and let Dr. Carter do the talking. "So it looks like things are moving in the right direction. We were a bit worried your fever might not respond to the IVs, which may have forced us to postpone the surgery. But thankfully, it's working, so they're finishing the prep of the OR right now, and we'll be going in to scrub soon. We just wanted to touch base with you, and see how you're feeling, too."

"Well, you can probably imagine, after the weekend I had. If it weren't for my nerves, I'd love a big meal right now. I think if I had that, I'd feel a whole lot better," Fran said, and Max sat back down next to her to take her hand again.

"I believe it. What about the pain you were having? Is it still there?"

"Um, not as bad as it was. It can happen if I move suddenly, so I've been trying not to do that. I guess, yeah, it's still there. It kind of felt like- like once I was all empty inside, that something was pulling somewhere. Like things shrunk and made my insides pull on whatever part was hurting, if that makes sense."

"Well, it might. We'll see once we get a better look at things, and that might start to make more sense. Speaking of getting a look at things, we'll be doing a quick ultrasound to mark where the tumor is, and mark where our incisions will be. Do you want to be awake for that- so you can see exactly where things will be before the anesthesia?"

"Um, maybe. Yeah, could I? I mean, I kind of already made some marks where a bikini would cover, or underwear, that sort of thing. I hope that's okay," Fran said. The doctors gave a little chuckle.

"That's fine, and that might actually help us a little. So you can feel where the tumor is a little more now?" Dr. Carter asked.

"Yeah, especially standing, or sitting up straight. It's below where the waistband would be. So you can still make the incision where it won't show so much?"

"Absolutely. We'll get a better look with the ultrasound again, and it should be a fairly quick process to mark it, and see how long the incision will be. We can show you that beforehand. And then the anesthesiologist will give you a sedative in your IV, and then he'll put the mask on you. You probably won't remember any of that. And from there, the breathing tube will be inserted and we'll get you draped and cleaned extensively before the incision. The first incision will be in your navel, so we can get the camera in place and get our first look at things, that way if we need to make any changes we can do it before the larger incision."

"So how long do you think it will take?"

"The surgery- once we start, if it turns out to be easy, then in the neighborhood of two hours. But we can't promise that. On the long side, it could be as much as four. So as a ball park figure, we'll go with three. So, Mr. Sheffield, you can let the other family members know. I know everyone is wondering when they'll get to see you again."

"So then, when it's over, I get taken to recovery? And Max can come back and see me?"

"Absolutely. One of the nurses will go get him, and will bring him back to the recovery room. He can stay with you there until you're ready to be taken to your hospital room, where the others can come up to see you- and a nurse will come to them to let them know, and let them know what room you're in. When they go to that part of the building, they need to be signed in with that room number, and if anyone else comes to visit you, they can come in the hospital visitors' entrance."

"Alright. Thank you," Max said. "So what happens now? Do we still have to wait until her fever comes down the rest of the way?"

"Oh, no- by the time we're ready for her, her temperature should be near normal. It's low enough now that we're comfortable proceeding. So it's just been a little bit of a delay this morning, but not too bad. So we'll get going and start getting scrubbed up, and they'll be here shortly to come and get you. Later this afternoon, after you're settled in your room and the lab has had a chance to work on things, we'll stop by to talk to you both, and your family, too if you want them there. We'll let you know the results of everything and what the plan will be from there." Fran and Max looked at each other, then back at the doctors.

"Oh! Brighton- Max's son- he had some questions about the lab stuff. For his project…" She looked over at Max to continue for her.

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot about that. He was wondering if the pathologist might make slides or something like that, and if he would be able to see them? Or maybe if they did anything like photographs or photo slides of the cells for diagnosis. He wanted to be able to see how things like that are diagnosed, because that would be pretty important to know for his project."

"Oh, absolutely. They do that all the time. We can put that in the lab order, for them to get a slide he can have copies of. Plus the original slides will be kept here, as well. And we also send out samples to an outside lab for verification. The report the pathologist writes up will detail their procedures, how they get the sample, the staining and slide prep, and then what types of cells they find. We can make sure you have copies of everything before you leave the hospital."

"Fantastic! Thank you so much! That will help him a lot. He's been stressing out as much as we have, with all this not knowing. We all really need some answers." Fran nodded in agreement. She was trying not to hyperventilate, and had to force herself to keep taking deep breaths.

"Alright then, we'll get out of your way, and we'll see you in the OR in just a little while!"

"Thank you," Fran and Max said, and they waved as the doctors left the room. Max looked back at Fran, then swallowed hard. She pushed the Walkman over to him, and he took it and put it back in the backpack with the newspaper. He closed the backpack and set it at the end of the bed next to her bag of clothing. He took her hand in his, then rested his other hand against her thigh. He stroked it a few times, then cleared his throat.

"I want to hug you some more, but I'm afraid of messing up your IV." He said softly, then looked into her eyes.

"Now don't go making me cry! I wanna hug you, too. Maybe we can before they take me away. I'll have to get off this bed somehow, so I'll grab you if I can. But you can still kiss me. So come here!" She let go of his hand and pulled at the front of his shirt. Max got up part way from the chair and leaned over her, then they kissed firmly on the lips. She held his face in her hands, trying not to pull out the IV line. They kissed softly several more times, then parted, and Max kissed the corner of her mouth, then on her cheek, and back to her lips, then to the other cheek, and finally for one more firm kiss on the lips.

"I love you so much, Fran! Don't you ever forget that!" He said, his voice filled with purpose, but also with a hint of fear. Fran wrapped her free arm over his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, too, Max! More than anything in the world! And you better not forget that, either! I mean it! I won't be gone too long, you'll see. And please look after my parents, okay? I don't know how they'll be doing with all this. So you guys take care of each other, okay? We're all family now. That counts for Val, too, okay? She's like a sister to me." Max nodded, and sat back down. It was all he could do to hold the tears in, and he wasn't doing a very good job. Fran started to cry, too.

"Darling! I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, come on, Max, you knew it was gonna happen as much as I did! It's too hard not to! I think we both need a good cry, I just don't think there's enough time. Well, at least not for me, before I gotta go back there. So I might have to finish afterwards, okay? When I see you in recovery."

"Sweetheart! After all of this, I don't want us crying like this anymore at all! It's too hard! Okay? We're only allowed to cry from pure joy after today!"

"Okay! That sounds good to me!" Max got up again and held her head next to his. It was the only way he could try to hug her. He kissed her cheek again, softly, and then looked into her eyes. He didn't need to say another word, she knew everything he felt, and he knew everything she felt. They kissed each other's lips softly, then Max sat down in the chair. He held onto her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips. They didn't care that the tears ran slowly down their cheeks. Max looked at her again, then brushed away her tears with his hand, and she let go of his hand to wipe the tears from his face, too.

They heard a noise in the hallway and turned to look- it was the nurse and an orderly with a wheelchair. It was time.

"Alright, you! It's time to get you back to the OR. First things first, I've got a pair of booties here for you to wear. Now that your fever is coming down, your feet might get a little cold. Do you want to put them on her for me? And I'll get your IV cart ready to go." She handed Max the little socks and he stood up to put them on her, a little embarrassed. He knew how he must look. His eyes were red, and he wiped them quickly with his shirt sleeves. Fran watched as he gently lifted each foot and slipped the sock on, then set them back down on the bed.

"So you're taking her back in a wheelchair? Not on a gurney, or bed?" Max asked the nurse.

"Since she can walk on her own, and sit, it's much easier to deal with a wheelchair than getting a gurney here. We'll transfer her to the bed in the operating room."

"Oh." He stood next to the bed and held Fran's hand again, and they waited for the nurse to tell them what to do.

"Okay, now, Ms. Fine… if you can slide your legs over to this side, and get off of the bed over here so we don't pull out the IV. Mr. Sheffield, you can hold her back in case she needs help." Fran sat up and slid her legs to the side of the bed where the IV cart was, and the nurse took hold of her arm to help her off the bed as Max kept a hand on her back. She stood up from the bed and the nurse pushed the IV cart beside her as she walked around the bed towards Max.

"Can I give her a hug first, before she gets in the wheelchair?" Max asks, and Fran turned to look at the nurse to see if she would say it was okay.

"Absolutely! Go right ahead!" The nurse watched out for Fran's IV line as Fran almost dove straight into Max. They hugged each other tightly, and Max rubbed his hands over her back, then clutched her cheeks and rested his forehead against hers. He wasn't sure what else he could say to her that he hadn't already said. Fran grabbed the back of his shirt in her fists, not wanting to let go.

"I love you, sweetheart. And I'll see you in recovery before you know it, alright?" He whispered. She nodded her head, and felt herself getting choked up again. "Think about the wedding, alright? If you need something to focus on, think about that. Think about how beautiful you'll look in the wedding gown, and what you want it to look like. It's going to be a wonderful wedding, won't it?" He tried to smile.

"It will! And I'll be thinking about how gorgeous you'll look in your tux. And all the flowers… I want lots of flowers!"

"And you'll have them! But now, let's not keep them waiting any more. Let's get you better, okay? That starts now. Let's get you better, and get you back home. I love you."

"I love you!" They kissed each other one last time, then hugged, and Max helped her sit down in the wheelchair, then the orderly lifted the foot rests for her and she set her feet on them. Max patted her hand in his and the orderly pushed her towards the door.

"Can I walk with her?" Max asked the nurse.

"I'm afraid not, this is as far as they'll let you go. But you can take a few minutes here if you need to, then the assistant will come get you to take you back to the waiting area. Feel free to use the restroom if you need to, and get your belongings gathered together," the nurse said. Max felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, and in the heart. The orderly stopped the wheelchair outside the door one last time and Fran looked up at Max. She was already trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes. Max bent over and kissed her hand.

"I'll see you in a little while, darling! In just a little while!" He kissed her quickly on the lips, then kissed the back of her hand, and they squeezed each other's hands as the orderly began to push the chair again, and the nurse pushed the IV cart alongside it.

"I love you, Max! Tell ma and daddy I love them, too! And Val!"

"I will! I love you, Fran! You behave, now!" Max tried to joke. Fran tried to turn in the chair to see him one last time, but it hurt her insides too much. She couldn't stop crying now.

Max held onto the door frame as he watched Fran go down the hallway and disappear through a set of double doors. The doors swung shut, and everything was quiet. Max looked back and forth down the hall in both directions, and then turned to look at the backpack and bag of Fran's clothes sitting on the bed where she had just been. He suddenly felt so incredibly alone, he almost couldn't bear it. He rushed into the room, pushing the door closed behind him, then he ran for the restroom and shut the door. He burst into tears and didn't want anyone to see him. He turned on the cold water in the sink and splashed his face, but it didn't stop him from crying. So he let himself cry, and let the water keep running in case anyone came to get him, then they would know he wasn't ready yet. There was a wooden bench in the restroom, there for people to sit on when they changed out of their clothes. He wondered if Fran had sat there, or if she stood while undressing. He let the faucet run, and flopped down on the bench, then covered his face with his wet hands and cried a little longer. As much as it hurt to cry, it also felt good. He had to get it out of his system. He needed to be strong for Fran now, and strong for the others, too. When he could stop sobbing, he took several deep breaths and got up from the bench, grabbed some toilet paper to blow his nose, then had a look at himself in the mirror. He was a wreck. He turned the hot water on and washed his face, then dried off with the paper towels, and tried to put himself back together.

Niles sat on the couch, reading the new novel Maggie had given him. She sure had been right- he was really enjoying it! He had kicked off his shoes and had his feet up on the coffee table, a bowl of pretzels sat in his lap, and the cordless phone sat next to him. He wasn't expecting to hear from Mr. Sheffield for a while, but he didn't want to take any chances. Suddenly, the phone rang loudly beside him, making him nearly spill the contents of the bowl and making him drop his book.

"Oh, dammit!" He yelled, and grabbed for the phone. "Sheffield residence!" He yelled into the receiver. He realized immediately that it wasn't Mr. Sheffield's voice on the other end of the line, and it took him a few seconds to realize what the call was about. It was the nurse from Brighton's school calling, wanting to talk to a parent or guardian. "Oh, my goodness! Well, I'm sorry, but they aren't here right now, and won't be for some time. But I'm on the list to be able to sign him out, if that's necessary. May I ask how he is? Oh… my goodness, the poor boy. Yes, yes, I can come right over to get him. Yes, I'll leave right now. Please let him know Niles is on the way. Thank you. Goodbye!" Niles hung up the phone, jumped up from the couch, picked up his book, and set it and the bowl on the coffee table. He slipped his shoes back on and ran for his coat in the closet, grabbed the spare cell phone from the entry table, and then ran through the house and kitchen to go out the back door to fetch a car to go pick up Brighton at school. Brighton had gotten sick in the middle of his first class, and they wouldn't allow him to stay at school. Niles knew for certain that he didn't have to worry about Brighton having some kind of stomach bug or flu. There was a completely different reason making Brighton vomit that morning. Niles was actually a little surprised Brighton hadn't done it sooner.

Val flipped through an old Cosmo magazine as Sylvia changed the channel to a morning talk show and tried to pay attention to it. Morty had gotten up from the couch and paced back and forth in front of the tall windows, stopping occasionally to look outside in the dim light. The sky was full of clouds that morning, unlike the nice, sunny skies they had been having for quite a while.

Max was escorted out of the doors by a medical assistant back into the waiting area. He had the backpack over a shoulder and carried the bag of Fran's clothes in one hand. He swallowed hard when he saw Sylvia at the end of the couch, then took a deep breath and began walking towards them. He hoped he didn't look too upset. As he got closer, Sylvia saw him approach out of the corner of her eye and turned her head.

"Oh! Mr. Sheffield!" She exclaimed, and jumped up from her seat. Val turned to look at him and tossed the magazine to the table, and Morty turned around from the windows and hurried back to the group.

"Max, please, Sylvia. You can call me 'Max' now," Max said quietly. He set the backpack down on the table and the bag on the floor next to the suitcase. Val got up from the armchair and gestured for him to take a seat.

"Here, Mr. Sheffield, come sit down! I got you some coffee, if you want it. It should still be hot, I put an extra styrofoam cup on it. Here, let me get it for you."

"Thank you, Val. Please, everyone, go ahead and sit." Val set the tall cup of coffee on the end of the table as Max sat down, and they all followed suit and sat down on the couch. They noticed how rough Max looked, and could tell he must have been crying, which just got the rest of them upset.

"We've been worried, it was taking longer than we thought it would for you to come back out," Sylvia said, carefully.

"Ah, well, first let me just tell you that Fran says she loves you all. You too, Val. It took a while because of her fever. They wanted to try to bring her temperature down before they would do surgery. And her blood pressure was down, so they needed to bring that up. So, ah, they got her on an IV. They started her on some antibiotics, since she would need to be on that anyway, and then they wanted to try the cool IV fluid and see if that would help bring her temperature down. It took a little while, but it worked. Once she got under a hundred, the doctors went back to prep for surgery."

"Oh, my gosh! Her fever! I knew it! I was worried they might postpone the surgery, that she'd have to come back. But she's okay now? Everything was okay?" Sylvia asked again. Morty and Val stayed quiet, waiting to hear what Max had to say.

"She's okay. Her blood pressure came up, too. She was just, ah, a bit nervous. I'm sure you could imagine. But thankfully the children packed this backpack for us. A lot of music, and a Walkman, so she listened to some Barbra Streisand for a while and she said it helped. I think it really did."

"Barbra! Of course!" Sylvia clutched her hands to her chest. "Oh, that was a wonderful thing for the kids to do." Max nodded, and was quiet for a moment, trying to think of what else he needed to say.

"The doctors said if the surgery is fairly easy, it should take about two hours. But if it isn't so easy, it may be four hours. And otherwise to expect it to take three hours, so if anyone is watching the time. Hopefully we'll hear something before then." Everyone nodded their heads and glanced back and forth at each other.

"Three hours, huh?" Val asked, and Max nodded. "Well, I'm gonna run to the ladies' room then. That coffee went right through me!" Val excused herself and hurried down through the waiting area, past the elevators to the restrooms.

Max got up and opened the backpack, took out the morning paper, and handed it to Morty. Morty nodded and took it from him. Max then took out the copy of the London Times and sat back down. He looked over at the cup of coffee Val had set on the table for him, then reached over and picked it up. He removed the extra styrofoam cup, then opened the lid. It was still hot. Sylvia was still watching him, wondering what was going through his mind. She was really moved at how devoted he was to Fran, and she could see in his eyes how hard it was for him to endure her going through surgery. She wanted to say something to him but wasn't sure how to. When Morty opened the newspaper and spread it out next to him on the couch, Sylvia leaned over closer to Max and touched his arm.

"How are you doing? Really? I know this is hard on everyone, but it's got to be really hard on you," she said softly, even though Morty could still hear her. Max looked at her, then looked away.

"It's difficult. Very difficult. She was pretty nervous back there. Scared, too. You know, you just feel… helpless. I just hope things go well, and go quickly. And then we can get past all this. She's had such a horrible time of things. Really horrible." Max got quiet and looked down at his cup of coffee.

"You know- Max- I'm so glad she has you now. And the kids, too. She's been so much happier since she started working for you. At first I was a little worried when I could see she was falling for you, but I know how much you care for her, too, and that really means everything to us. I'm just so happy you two found each other!" Sylvia pulled a tissue back out of the cuff of her sleeve and dabbed at her nose.

"Thank you, Sylvia. I'm happy, too. She's made all of us so happy. We just need her to be okay…" Sylvia nodded, and they got quiet again.

"Now get up to your room and get changed. I'll bring you some ginger ale and Saltines to settle your stomach. And I don't want you on that computer or reading any of your articles, do you hear me?" Niles gently scolded Brighton. Brighton nodded and hung up his coat in the closet. "If you're up for some lunch later, you can come down here and we'll figure something out for you. Maybe some soup or something."

"Niles? Will you let me know if they call? If there's any news on Fran?" Brighton asked.

"Of course I will. But I don't think it will be for a while. Now take your things and get on up there. I'll be up in a few minutes."

Brighton picked up his backpack and trudged up the stairs, and Niles put his own coat away. He took the spare cell phone out of his pocket and set it back down on the entry table by the flowers, then hurried over to the living room to retrieve the cordless phone, in case anyone called. He was about to head for the kitchen to get the things for Brighton, when the doorbell rang.

"Who on earth-?" Niles mumbled. He hurried to the front door and opened it- and there stood a delivery man with two bouquets of flowers in his arms.

"Fine and Sheffield residence?" The man asked.

"Oh, yes! Yes it is! Let me help you with those!" Nikes tucked the phone under his arm and took the flowers from the man. "Don't tell me- these aren't the only ones…?" He asked.

"There are a few more, and some gift baskets, too. Do you have room for them?"

"I'll make room! Please, bring the rest in!" Niles set the flowers down on the entry table and hurried to the living room to move things around. The delivery man hurried back from the van with his arms full again and came partway in the door to hand everything off to Niles. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" The man shut the door behind him and left, and Niles carried the baskets and flowers to the living room and set them down on the coffee table. He checked a few of the cards and giggled, then hurried off to the kitchen.

Max leaned against the window frame in the waiting room, looking down at the street below. It was raining now, and they were still waiting for word about Fran. Morty had gone for a walk downstairs, and Sylvia and Val were working on the crossword puzzle in the newspaper to try to pass the time. They looked over at Max, then at each other.

"I feel so bad for him, Syl! Is there anything we can do for him?" Val asked quietly.

"I don't think so, Val. I don't think he'll feel any better until she's out of surgery. I know I won't."

"Yeah. I just feel so bad. It's obvious he's hurting a lot. Man, I wish I had somebody that was that devoted to me! I'm so glad they're together, you know?"

"So am I! If Fran was going through this alone, boy I would feel so bad for her! It probably would have been me back there with her- when they took her back for surgery. I don't think I could have handled that. I don't know how he handled that. I mean, I don't know if you saw, but it was obvious he'd been pretty upset when he came back."

"Yeah, I saw. That hurts my feelings so much! He's always so strong, you know? Formal. You just don't expect a guy like that to get so upset with things. But with what he's already been through before- oh I just can't imagine! I don't want to imagine! And Fran can't comfort him, either. The poor man! Gosh, I hope we hear something soon! All this is just so scary! I've never been through anything like this, Syl! That's my best friend in there. I don't know what to do for anybody!"

"Oh, Val, now stop it!" Sylvia hugged Val and tried to settle her down. Max glanced over when he heard Val getting upset, and it made him get upset all over again. He didn't want to seem uncaring, but he just couldn't deal with the others right then. He was glad Sylvia could help her, and wondered when Morty was coming back. Max turned back around and tried to focus on what was going on outside of the hospital, instead of what was going on inside of it. He couldn't see in very many of the windows of the buildings nearby, so he looked down at the people on the street. Many of them had umbrellas, or were running from one building entrance to another, trying not to get wet. The cars drove slowly past, some of them honking at the cabs that pulled over to pick people up or let them out. Maxed spaced out for a while, his eyes- out of focus- staring at a curb near a big puddle. He started biting the side of his thumbnail unconsciously, as thoughts of Fran went in and out of his mind. He saw a flash of her the time the family went on a walk through Central Park the year before. She was wearing a cute sundress made from a flowery material, and she looked so young! He had wondered if the dress was Maggie's and maybe Fran just borrowed it. He didn't mean to stare at her, and especially didn't mean for her to catch him staring at her. But she didn't make a big deal out of it and embarrass him. She turned around and caught his eyes- and then gave him such a smile! It was a soft, understanding smile- an approving smile. It gave him such butterflies in his stomach, he was sure he was blushing. But after the smile, she just grabbed his arm and carried on walking, and chatting with the children. That was one of the times he really felt like they were a family, but he just didn't know what to do about it.

Max started to pace in front of the windows, as Morty had done earlier, except that he walked the full length of the waiting area and back again. He was deep in thought, biting his nail, staring at the floor, occasionally stopping to look out the window at nothing, then started walking again. Morty came back from the elevator, carrying a bouquet of flowers and a card. He sat back down with Sylvia and Val, put the flowers on the table and handed the card to Sylvia. They would write her a message or two in it later when they could figure out what to say. Morty looked for Max and had to crane his neck around to find him, then turned back to Sylvia and Val to ask them about what was going on with him. They kept their voices in soft whispers so Max wouldn't hear.

"He's having a really hard time, Morty. We figure we should just let him have some peace and quiet," Sylvia said softly, and Morty nodded. They watched Max staring out of a window, the rain coming down outside and running down the outside of the window.

"Syl, is anybody even gonna be up for lunch? Do you think we should wait in case somebody comes to tell us she's out of surgery?" Val asked. Sylvia looked over at Morty and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, maybe we should wait, Val. Unless somebody wants to run down there now and grab some food for everyone. But I have a feeling Mr. Sheffield won't be having any lunch," Sylvia said, shaking her head and Max, who had started pacing again.

"Let's wait a bit. We can always have a late lunch, after Frannie gets taken to her hospital room. I'm not really hungry right now, anyway," Morty added. Val nodded. Sylvia and Val slumped back in their seats to watch the television, then Morty got up from his seat and walked over to the nearby window and looked down at the street. He wasn't sure what to do about Max, either, but he felt like he should at least try something. He walked closer to where Max was pacing, and stopping, and pacing again, and caught him when Max turned in his direction. "I wish somebody would come out and give us an update at least. It's been quite a while. Shouldn't they be nearly done by now?" He asked Max. Max checked his watch.

"I hope they're pretty close, at least. But yes, it would be nice to get some kind of an update." Max crossed his arms in front of him. "It sure feels like time drags on and on when you have to wait this much, doesn't it?" Max tried to make conversation.

"Sure does." Morty looked out the window, then turned back to Max. "So, you said Fran was listening to some Streisand back there? It really made her feel better?"

"Oh, yes. It seemed to help her relax a bit while we waited. She was… nervous. I'm glad the children put all of that together. They didn't have a television or anything back there, either."

"That was great you brought it back there with you, then. Frannie might have driven you crazy!" They both laughed a little, knowing Morty was right. They looked back out at the steady, driving rain that was now hitting the windows so they couldn't make much of anything out down at street level.

"Some rain we're getting," Max said, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Mm," Morty mumbled. "You know, maybe that's something you could do, to help pass the time."

"Do what?" Max was confused.

"Maybe see what music's in that backpack. Maybe there's something that could help you, too. I know it's kinda hard to read when you're worried about somebody. The pacing can't be doing a whole lot to make the time go by, either. Just a thought. Something different to try, anyway. Hey, I'm gonna run down to the other end over there, they have a mini fridge with free water bottles. I'll bring some back for everybody." Morty gestured towards the other end of the waiting area, then turned and began walking in that direction.

Max thought about what he said. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea. He was really having a hard time doing much of anything, and that was one thing he hadn't tried. He looked back out of the window for a moment- there was no point in doing that anymore, because the rain made it impossible to see anything. He looked over at the couch where Sylvia and Val were sitting, and at the backpack sitting on the table. He slowly walked back over to them, picked up the backpack, and sat back down in the armchair. Morty showed up a moment later and set water bottles down in front of everyone, then sat back down on the couch.

Max opened the backpack and began going through all the cassette tapes the children had filled it with. There were several of Fran's Streisand albums, some Bee Gees, the soundtrack to Grease. Then Max noticed that the children hadn't forgotten him, either. There were Beatles albums, the soundtracks for The Sound of Music and The King and I, and apparently they dubbed a Donovan record of his onto tape. That must have been Maggie, he thought. She was the only one with a record player in her room. He pulled out two more tapes and saw Maggie's handwriting on them. One read Fran's Mixtape, and the other said Daddy's Mixtape. It made him smile. He took out the tape meant for him and looked it over, trying to see what songs they put on it, but Maggie hadn't written anything down. Well, he thought, he would just have to find out by listening to it. He took out the Walkman and placed the tape inside, then put on the headphones and hit Play.

The motor began to turn, and soon he heard the beginning of Billy Joel's song She's Got a Way. He smiled as he listened to the lyrics. He imagined that the song was about Fran, because it so easily could be. He wondered what other songs were coming, and how the children came up with all of them. As the song faded out and the next one started, Max got up from the chair and set the backpack down, then hooked the Walkman onto his pocket and grabbed the bottle of water Morty had gotten. He just couldn't seem to sit still. He walked the length of the waiting area again as he listened to Dusty Springfield sing I Only Want to Be With You, and this time he imagined that it was Fran's message to him. It was so upbeat and fun like Fran was.

What is taking them so long? He wondered. They were pushing the four hour mark at this point, and still no word from anyone. He stopped and looked towards the double doors he and Fran had gone through early that morning. She was back there somewhere. He felt like he was going to go crazy if he couldn't see her soon. He swallowed hard and watched the doors for another minute, waiting to see if anyone would open them. They didn't.

The Beatles song And I Love Her began to play in the headphones and it caught Max off guard. He hadn't heard that song in ages, and though he always liked the song, he never attached any great meaning to it. But now- every word of it got to him. Every word expressed how he felt about Fran. He wondered if she really knew what she meant to him. Sure, he had told her how he felt in the best words he could come up with at the time, but were they enough? He wished he could talk to her, and tell her more. So much more. Then he thought of something. He looked back over at the chair he had been sitting in, then hurried back over to it and picked up the backpack and looked inside. In the back pocket was a notebook the children had also put in there, along with several pens and pencils. Max sat down on the chair again and took out the notebook, along with a pen. If he couldn't talk to her directly, right then, he could at least write some things down. He would write her a letter, and would make sure she read it later, after the surgery when she was able. He took a long drink from the water bottle, then set it on the table. He opened the notebook and folded the cover back, then began to write:

My Darling Fran,

It's been nearly four hours since we said goodbye and they whisked you away from me. It seems like nothing I do makes the time go by fast enough, yet here we are finally- they said it shouldn't take more than four hours, but we still aren't back together yet. I'm afraid I haven't been very sociable, but your parents and Val have been very understanding. It was even your father's suggestion that I listen to some of the music the children gave to us to see if it would help me relax the way it seemed to help you. Did you know the children made tapes specifically for each of us? I don't know what's on yours, but the one they made for me is turning out to be pretty special. I don't know if it was mostly Maggie's doing or what, but the songs they chose are wonderful. I can't wait for you to be able to listen to them.

It's been raining all morning. You can't really see through the windows, so all we have to look at is the television or the waiting area. I think we've all figured out that it's just too hard to try to bother reading anything. We miss you. I miss you. I'm trying not to be scared, but I can't help it. It's been so long, and not knowing what is happening, and why it's taking so long for your surgery is taking it's toll. I feel like I should have said so much more to you before they took you back there. I should have said so much more before we left the house. But like you said- all this is really weird. I knew the waiting would be difficult, but I couldn't quite comprehend how it was going to feel. I don't know that I have the words to describe how I'm feeling right now. Awful doesn't cover it. Scared. Sick. Anxious. Guilty. I really was going to try to focus on your parents and make sure they were doing alright, and Val, too, but I guess with that delay of the surgery for your fever, it threw me off a little. I forgot everything I had planned to try to do, and then I just didn't know what to do. Val got some snacks and coffee for us. But now, it's lunchtime, and I don't think anyone feels hungry. Plus we're all worried that if anyone left to get anything, that would be when someone would come out to tell us you were out of surgery. No one wants to miss that.

I suppose I'm writing this because there is so much I feel like I need to tell you, and I'm not sure if you truly know. It's not just that I love you, it's how deeply I love you. It's how much I need you in my life, by my side, and how much I still want to do with you. There is so much I love about you. There are so many things you've brought to my life, and to the children's lives. You've taught us how to live and enjoy life again, and love again. I honestly don't think there's another person on earth who could have done that for us. You're a special woman and I don't want you to ever forget that.

It hurts being apart from you like this. I'll try very hard not to smother you when I see you in recovery, but I can't promise anything. I know I'll need to be careful with you- I don't want to hurt you at all. I can't wait for the day when I can really whisk you off your feet and take you away to someplace romantic, maybe dinner and dancing, maybe a moonlight walk somewhere warm. I can't wait for the wedding! I like imagining what you might look like- what your wedding gown might look like on you. I find myself really wanting us to set a date as soon as possible so I can tell everyone when we're getting married. Can we do that when you are feeling up to it?

I suppose I better wrap this up. I'm still crossing my fingers that someone is getting ready to come out to get me- to take me to you in recovery. I need to see you again. And just know this- I love you more than you can imagine, and then some. I would do anything for you. I know that everything will be okay, because it has to be. We just got started and I can't wait for us to spend the rest of our lives together. I know I'm going to love every minute of it, and I'll do whatever I can to make sure you do, too.

So it is with all of my heart and soul that I tell you I will always be…

Forever Yours,

Max

Max had almost been in a trance as he wrote the words to Fran, and listened to the music playing on the Walkman. He was amazed at the selection of songs on the tape made for him, and was really moved that the children took the time to do it. He closed the notebook and put it and the pen back into the backpack. He looked at his watch again and felt his stomach ache. He looked around at the waiting area to find that Val and Sylvia were at the windows, trying to look out of them while they had a hushed conversation. Morty had moved to the other armchair and sat with his legs outstretched, his eyes closed, and his arms crossed over his chest. Max didn't blame him. If he wasn't so anxious, he might have to shut down too.

He finished off his bottle of water as he let the tape play out, then took off the headphones and put the tape back into its case and the Walkman back in the backpack with it. He closed the backpack and set it on the coffee table, then got out of the chair and stretched. He checked his watch again, and decided that he better make a restroom trip quickly in case someone did come to get him. He wanted to be completely ready to go back to see her and not have to leave her side.

Val noticed Max rushing down the length of the waiting area and past the elevators and realized what he was doing. Sylvia turned to see what she was looking at, and understood, too.

"Hey, maybe him going to the bathroom might trigger them to send somebody out here to talk to us. Isn't that always the way things always work?" Val elbowed Sylvia, and they smiled.

"Yeah, maybe. I hope so, anyway. This is taking forever. That poor man! I can't even imagine what he's going through. It's hard enough as a mother. And then getting her home to recover- I bet he'll be waiting on her hand and foot!" Val nodded, and they turned back to the window and the gray, rainy day outside.

"You know, Mr. Sheffield's still supposed to work later this week. At least out of the house. I was thinking of seeing if Niles can get him out of that. Maybe Ms. Babcock can handle everything this week. I mean, we'll be taking turns over there anyway. Maybe we can help Niles some and let Mr. Sheffield stay with Fran a little more, or at least be able to keep checking in on her. I know it's gonna be hard for me trying to go to work, and worrying about her. I can't imagine that he'd be able to concentrate on anything."

"You know, you're right, Val. Maybe we can do something. We should see if we can talk to Niles and see what he says. I'm sure he can talk to Ms. Babcock and figure something out. Yeah, let's do that!" Sylvia agreed.

"Okay!"

After a long, and much more complicated, surgery than the doctors had anticipated, they were finally wrapping things up at the four and a half hour mark. The doctors sent the lead nurse out to let the family know they had finished the surgery.

She pulled off her gloves, mask, surgical cap and outer scrubs, then washed her hands outside of the operating room before sorting out her hair a bit before heading out to the waiting area to look for Fran's family. She hurried down the long hallway and pushed through the door to the waiting area, startling everyone there. Everyone stood up, wondering which family she had news for. Max whipped around and froze in place, and was almost shocked when the woman came towards him and the others.

"Fran Fine's family?" She asked, quietly.

"Yes! Yes, that's us!" Max called out, and they all rushed towards the woman. "Is she alright? Is the surgery over?" Max couldn't say the words fast enough.

"Yes, she's doing alright. The surgery went well, but was a lot more involved than anyone could have anticipated. The tumor is out and is at the lab as we speak. There should be more news from them later today. As for Fran- the tumor had an extensive network of attachments all throughout that area of her abdomen. It was attached to her small intestine in quite a few places, which made things a lot more complicated. It took the doctors a lot longer to get to each of those spots and safely make the incisions they needed to be able to get the tumor out. Once they had the tumor out, they needed to remove a lot of that excess tissue to hopefully prevent any of it from growing back. Then they had to check the intestine and surrounding tissue to be certain that nothing was injured or missed. So it was quite a surgery. The doctors are just wrapping everything up, and in just a little while Fran will be transferred over to her spot in recovery, and they'll send someone out to let you know."

"And I'll be able to go back there, to recovery, to see her?" Max asked, anxiously.

"Oh, yes. You are the designated person?"

"Yes, yes I am," Max responded, showing the bracelet on his wrist.

"Alright. Yes, they'll be sending someone to get you in just a little while, so hold tight for just a little longer. And the doctors will be coming to talk to you all when she's in her hospital room and they're out doing their rounds. Expect that to happen later this afternoon, once they've talked to the pathologist. I've got to get back there, but it won't be long now. Hang tight!" She said, and turned to go back to the door to the surgical area. Max gulped, then turned around to face everyone. No one knew if they should cheer or remain quiet.

"It's over! It's over, you all! She's done with the surgery!" Max exclaimed, and smiled. He did his best to try to stop the tears in his eyes.

"Oh!" Sylvia cried. "Finally! My baby's gonna be okay! And, Max, you get to see her soon! Real soon! Oh, my goodness! This is so wonderful! It's finally over!" They all hugged each other and wiped their tears away, then didn't know what to do with themselves.

"Niles! My gosh, I've got to call Niles quickly to tell him! Before they come get me!" Max said, and then fumbled around in his coat for the cell phone.

Brighton sat on the couch in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, slowly consuming a bowl of soup Niles made for him. So far, he hadn't gotten sick again, but Niles didn't want to chance it. They were watching MTV on the television, and Niles was losing his patience with it. Most of the videos they were showing were not very good, and he thought the music was even worse. He grabbed the cordless phone and picked up his empty glass of iced tea, and headed back to the kitchen. Right as he dumped the ice out of the glass and into the sink, the phone suddenly rang and made him jump with fright. He grabbed it and answered it as quickly as he could.

"Sheffield residence!" He almost yelled into the phone.

"Niles! It's me! I can't talk long. She's out of surgery and they'll be coming to get me any minute now to go back and see her. The surgery took longer than they expected, it was more complicated than they thought it would be. But she's out of surgery and okay, and I just wanted you to know. I don't know how long it will be before I can call you again and tell you more," Max gasped.

"Oh, wonderful, sir! I'll tell the children. Oh- speaking of the children, sir- there's one thing you should know before I let you go."

"What is that, Niles?"

"Well, I had to get Brighton from school this morning. Apparently he had gotten sick during his first class, and they wouldn't let him stay at school. But don't worry, I'm certain it's not a virus or anything like that."

"What? What do you mean? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's doing better now. I believe it's from his nerves, sir. From worry. He just got himself worked up too much about today and made himself sick. But I'll tell him the news, I'm sure he needs it. And Miss Margaret should be back here shortly to help out. So don't worry, we'll be waiting for your next call. Oh! I almost forgot! There are more flowers and gifts for you both! They'll be waiting for your return!"

"More? Oh, my gosh! Well, I'll tell Fran. She'll love that! Oh, I have to go, Niles! There's a nurse coming! I'll call later, and tell Brighton to take it easy, okay? I'll talk to you all later!"

"Yes, sir! Tell Ms. Fine we love her! Goodbye, sir!" Niles yelled out, and then Max was gone- it was just a dial tone. Niles' face flushed with emotion. He set the phone down on the counter, then put his glass in the dishwasher and shut it. He was smiling from ear to ear. Brighton pushed through the door from the dining room and saw the look on Niles' face.

"You okay?" He asked, as he brought his empty soup bowl to the sink.

"Yes! Your father just called! She's out of surgery! He hasn't seen her yet, but just wanted to let us know they just finished her surgery. I think the nurse was just coming to get him and he had to hang up, but he said he would call here later. Oh, what a relief! That was a long surgery! Oh, and Brighton- I told him about you coming home, and he said for you to take it easy. I don't think that will be a problem, will it?"

"No, not at all! So the surgery's really over?" He asked, handing Niles the bowl.

"It really is!" They both grinned, and laughed from nervousness, then looked around the kitchen, not knowing what to do.

"Niles?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have a soda? I mean, you know, to celebrate?"

"Absolutely! And grab one for me, too, while you're at it!"

"Do I bring our things?" Max asked the nurse, anxious to get back to recovery to see Fran.

"You sure can, unless someone can bring them up for you when she's moved to her hospital room," the nurse responded. Max looked over at Sylvia and Morty and Val.

"We can take whatever you need us to, just go! Go see her!" Morty coaxed, waving his hands to shoo Max away.

"Okay, alright, ah, let me grab our coats and the backpack. Oh! Sylvia, here, take the cell phone, call Yetta if you can and tell her. We'll call everyone else later. Thank you! We'll see you at her room in a little while!" Max said, as he rushed to grab the coats and backpack and turned to follow the nurse.

"Tell her we love her, and we'll see her soon!" Sylvia yelled, and the others yelled similar requests.

"Alright, I will! See you in a bit!" Max waved, and with that, they were off. He wanted to run, but the nurse kept a steady pace and escorted him through the door to the surgical unit, and he followed her down the long hallway and around a corner, then down another hallway to a large recovery room where there were two other patients with their own family members in partially curtained sections. Max looked around and then saw her on the far side of the room. "Fran!" He whispered, startling himself. He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"There she is- they just got her set up here, so it might take a little bit before she's fully conscious," the nurse said. Max was beside himself, and fumbled with the coats and backpack in his arms. "Oh, you can put your things right under the bed, they'll take her to her room on this gurney, so it will all go with you."

"Oh, alright. Is she alright? Has she woken up yet?" He asked quietly. There was another nurse still attending to her and taking notes, and the first nurse pulled a rolling table to her bed.

"She's still working on waking up. It was a long surgery, so give her five or ten minutes. She'll be pretty groggy for a while. And one other thing- when she's coherent enough, let her take sips of water from this if she's able, and remind her not to talk." The nurse set a big mug with the name of the hospital on it on the table. It was full of water and had a lid with a long bendy straw coming out of it.

"Okay." Max carefully set the things on the rack under the bed, pulled a chair over to the bed and took Fran's hand. The nurse lowered the bed to make it easier for him to talk to her. "Darling? Fran? It's me, Max." He waited for some sign that Fran heard him, but she didn't move.

The nurses left him to look after her while they tended to the other patients, so he looked over her still body under the blanket, then back to her pale face under the dim lighting they had in the recovery room. Her braided hair was only slightly disheveled, and she had a few marks around her mouth, which he thought must have been from the breathing tube. She also had an oxygen tube at her nose, which was hooked over her ears. They had placed a pillow over her abdomen, probably to prevent any accidental bumps. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it several times, then held the back of it to his lips as he stroked her cheek and her hair. The monitors nearby made their quiet beeps as they monitored her heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.

"Sweetheart? Everyone's waiting to see you. Once you wake up, they can take you to a hospital room, and then your parents and Val will be able to come see you, too. And then we can call the children to let them know how you're doing. That'll be nice, won't it? So let's start waking up, alright?" He patted her shoulder several times. "Fran, darling? Come on, open your eyes! I know you're tired, but you can rest more once we get you to a room." He waited for a moment, and thought he saw a small movement of her head. "That's it, darling! Come on, open your eyes for me!" He watched her again for another minute, and nothing. He looked up at the monitors and looked at the lights and the numbers. Hmm, the thought. Isn't that a bit low for her pulse? And her blood pressure was low, too. Her IV was still attached, with two bags hanging from the pole. Her breathing was shallow. Maybe that was to be expected after the anesthesia, he tried to convince himself.

He turned to look at the two other patients in the room- one was a young man, with an older woman who Max assumed was his mother, who was stroking his hair back over his head as she was talking to him. He could tell the young man was awake, because he could see his feet move under his blanket. The other patient was an older woman, with an older man at her bedside. The woman was sitting up, sipping her own jug of water, and the man gleefully spoke to her and rubbed her arm. Maybe it would just take a while longer for Fran to open her eyes.

"That's four more, Niles! Are you keeping track of everything?" Brighton asked.

"I sure am! I can't wait to tell them when they call, too! Isn't it wonderful that people are sending all these gifts and flowers? It's the perfect thing to cheer Ms. Fine up, don't you think?" Niles said, as he made room on the piano to set down a basket and several gift boxes.

"She's gonna get a kick out of it, that's for sure!" Brighton smiled. He was feeling much better than he had that morning.

"Niles? The car is here, I'm gonna run and get Gracie and we'll be back as fast as we can. If daddy calls, try to get him to keep talking and not hang up, so we can talk to him, too, when we get back, okay?" Maggie said, as she hopped down the stairs and opened the closet to get her coat.

"Alright, I will. But I don't think he'll call until a little later. I think they all may want to talk to the doctors first, so they'll have something to tell us."

"And Brighton- go call your friends and find out what work you missed. See if you can get started on some of it so you don't get behind. You don't want to have a bunch of extra work when Fran comes home, okay?"

"Aw, okay. Fine. I'll see what I can find out."

"And I don't mean later tonight, I mean before me and Gracie get back. Use the office phone in case dad calls on the other phone, okay?"

"Alright, alright!" Brighton knew she was right, but he didn't want to give in too easily. Maggie threw on her coat and rushed out the door. "Do you have the cordless?" He asked Niles.

"It's right there, on the coffee table. Are you going to call from the office?"

"I guess I better. It shouldn't take too long. But I don't have all my books with me, so I don't know how much work I'll be able to do."

"That's alright, you'll do what you can, and maybe you can get started on the rest of the work when you get to school tomorrow. But you better not get sick again, because I've got an awful lot of work to do around here before Ms. Fine and your father come home. And I know the girls want to get things ready for Ms. Fine, too. So please do as much as you can to help out, but after you finish everything for school, alright?"

"Okay. I can do that. I don't think there's a whole lot of stuff for school anyway, except for my project. That's gonna kick in big time once we get more information. I just really hope it's good news." Brighton and Niles looked at each other, and Niles completely understood his concern. They both wanted good news. They needed it.

"Alright, then, make your calls quick, and if there's anything you want to ask your father, or need to, maybe you should write it down so you don't forget. If he has any details, you might be able to look some things up tonight and at least move your project forward if you can't do some other schoolwork."

"Okay, I'll do that. I'll be in the office for a little bit, on the phone, if you need me."

"Alright. I'll take the cordless into the kitchen so I can start trying to figure out dinner, and I'll listen for the doorbell in case we get any more deliveries."

"Okay." Niles and Brighton parted ways, anxious to get the tedious things out of the way while they waited for Maggie and Gracie to get back, and for their father to call with news about Fran.

Max leaned over toward Fran's ear.

"Fran? Can you hear me? You're supposed to be waking up now, darling! The surgery is over! Come now, I need to see you open your eyes!" He looked at her again, and still no response. He thought he heard a little flutter in the beeps on the monitor and turned to look, then watched everything for a moment. Nothing else happened, but he did notice that her blood pressure had dropped a bit more. He wasn't sure what to do, he didn't want to do anything that might hurt her. He got up from his seat, went to the end of the bed and grasped her toes, and started squeezing them lightly, then held onto the top half of each foot and jiggled them from side to side. Still no response. He held one foot and ran his fingernail up and down the sole through the blanket, then did the same to the other foot. One of the nurses happened to turn and see him, and took an interest. He hurried back to her side and grabbed her hand again. "Fran? come on, Fran! You've got to wake up!" He was having a hard time keeping his voice down. He turned around and saw the nurse coming towards him.

"Is everything-" The nurse barely got her words out before Max cut her off.

"Please- check her! Something's not right! She won't wake up! She won't even move! And look at the monitor- is her blood pressure supposed to be low like that? And her pulse? What's going on? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Max was getting scared now. The nurse hurried over and checked the monitors, then checked Fran's pulse by hand. She grabbed Fran's chart and double checked the time, to see how long it had been since anesthesia was stopped.

"Stay right here a moment, sir." The nurse rushed over to the doorway and grabbed another nurse, said something to her, then hurried back to Max. She reached up and pulled the curtain part of the way around Fran's bed to block the view from the other people in the room.

"What's going on with her? What's happening?" Max's voice cracked.

"I've sent for the anesthesiologist, he'll have a look at things. There's a possibility she might be having a reaction of some kind to the anesthesia. Hang on just a moment- and keep talking to her, let her know you're here." The nurse patted Fran's foot, trying to encourage him, but it didn't help. She hurried across the room and back out through the door, leaving Max with Fran, and the others in the room wondering what the commotion was about.

"Fran! Come on now, Fran! You're getting me worried! Remember when you told me you would fight, if something bad happened? Well, now you need to fight! I need you back with me, Fran! I need you! The children need you! Come on, now! Open your eyes! Wake up, Fran! For god's sake, wake up! You're scaring me!" Max couldn't stop the tears from coming. Even though he was trying to be as strong as he could be for her, he was genuinely scared it wasn't going to be enough. He flopped down in the chair and scooted it up as close to the bed as he could get. He took her hand in his, and reached up to stroke her forehead. "Sweetheart, please! Do it for me! For the children! I love you so much! You have to wake up! You just have to! Now, please! Open those eyes! Please!" He whimpered, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. He squeezed her hand and patted her shoulders, then touched her face.

The nurse came rushing back in with a tray full of all sorts of things, and a moment later the anesthesiologist came rushing in. He checked the monitors, then pulled out a stethoscope and listened to Fran's heart, then took out a small flashlight and opened Fran's eyes, and shined the light into them, one at a time.

"I'm Dr. Brenner. Has she opened her eyes at all, like she was trying to wake up?" He asked Max.

"No, not at all. She hasn't moved, either. It's like she's still out cold. And her blood pressure and pulse have gone down since I've been here. What's happening? Is it something with the anesthesia? Is she going to be okay?" Max cried.

"That's what we're here for. It looks like she's having some kind of issue likely related to the anesthesia. This can happen sometimes. She doesn't seem to be showing signs of an allergic reaction, but we'll give her medication for that just in case. I suspect it's her body not metabolizing the drugs. If she can't get them through her system, then we're going to have to do that for her. I know this is hard to watch, but we're going to do everything we can for her. Nurse, get that dosage ready for the injection, I need to grab some gloves."

"Wait! What do you mean you're going to do everything you can? Is it that bad? Could she- could she-" Max couldn't say the words. The doctor stepped over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"This kind of thing is very serious. If she can't metabolize the drugs we use for anesthesia, then yes- it can be fatal. But we do have things that might work to counteract it, and that's what we're going to do for her now. I think we caught it soon enough- I'm glad you said something when you did, and that the nurse came to get me. Now, I know this is a horrible situation, but we've got to scramble here for a while to get her everything she needs to fight through this, alright? Hang in there, and you can talk to her as much as you need to. Touch her, let her know you're still here. Whatever you need to tell her, understand?" Max nodded and clutched his forehead, and burst into tears. The doctor ran to a box of latex gloves and grabbed a pair out of it and put them on. The nurses tended to the IV while he checked the syringe. He lifted the sheets where her thigh was, moved her gown out of the way, and injected some kind of drug into her thigh. He quickly scribbled notes in her chart, then grabbed a notepad out of the chest pocket of his white coat. He scribbled down some instructions, tore off the sheet of paper, and handed it to one of the nurses. "Get that from the pharmacy and get it back here as fast as you can, and have someone call her doctors immediately- they need to know what's going on. Time is everything! Now run!" The nurse took off without a word, and the doctor stood in front of the monitors, like he was waiting for a sign that something was happening.

"Doctor, please, her parents are in the waiting area. They need to know what's happening! Can they come in to see her? I can't bear the thought of something bad happening and them not being able to be here with her!"

"They're here? Both of them?" Max nodded, and continued squeezing Fran's hand and rubbing her arm. "Yes, maybe one at a time, we can't have a crowd back here." The doctor turned to the remaining nurse. "Call the nurse's station from the phone out there, tell them what's going on, and that they need to notify Fran Fine's parents in the waiting area. Get one of them to come back here to take turns to see her."

"Yes, sir! I'll be right back!" She ran away quickly, and the doctor came back to Fran's side to check her pupils with the flashlight again.

"Now, sir- before her mother or father gets back here, I'm gonna have to try something to see if we can stimulate a response, and I'm afraid you might not like seeing someone do this to her."

"What? What do you have to do?" Max got more worried.

"If you can let go of her hand just a moment, I'm going to rub my knuckles hard across the top of her chest briefly, and see if that does anything."

"Do whatever you have to do, if you think it will help." Max rested Fran's arm down on the bed and got up from the chair. He stepped back a moment and watched the horrible sight as the doctor moved her oxygen tube out of the way, then he put his knuckled fist against the top of her chest, mashed it into her and rubbed his knuckles across her from side to side, as hard as he could. It wasn't immediate, but right after he started doing it, Fran's shoulders and arms came up, like she was responding to the discomfort.

"Okay! Now talk to her! Talk to her!" The doctor ordered. Max leaned down and held Fran's face in his hands.

"Fran! You've got to wake up! We're doing everything we can to help you wake up, but you've got to help us, too! If you don't want the doctor rubbing your chest like that, then open your eyes! Show us that you're trying to wake up, okay?" Max looked at her, but there was still no response, no other movement. He looked helplessly at the doctor.

"Don't give up, now. We aren't done. It can take a while for these things to work. We've got more drugs coming, so don't get discouraged. Keep talking to her, and touching her. You might be doing more than you realize, and she just can't tell you. She might be able to hear you, so please keep talking to her, and hang in there while we get everything else ready, alright?" The doctor tried to encourage him. It was just what Max needed. He nodded his head and took a deep breath, then sat back down on the chair and leaned as close to Fran's ear as he could. He wiped his tears on his sleeve, then tried to think of something to say to Fran.

"The wedding! Fran, think about the wedding! We've got plans to make, remember? The girls are probably getting all your magazines and brochures together for when you get home, so you can make your scrapbook and cut out all the pictures of the things you like. Remember? They want to help you with all of that, and so does Val and your mother, and I bet Niles does, too. And remember you have tickets to the bridal expo, darling! You need to wake up and start getting better so you can go to that! Think about the wedding, Fran! The wedding!"

Sylvia's voice could be heard down the hall as a nurse rushed her back to see Fran. It sounded like she was trying to stop herself from wailing. Max couldn't see her because of the curtain, but suddenly she was there, swatting the curtain to the side so she could see Fran.

"My baby!" She clutched a hand over her mouth, and Max got up to hug her. She saw that he had been crying again, and it just made her hurt more. "What's happening with my baby? What's going on, Max?" She cried, and he stepped to the side to let her get closer to Fran.

"Sylvia, she won't wake up! Something is happening with her, the doctor says she might not be getting the anesthesia out of her system. She can't wake up if she doesn't get it out of her system! They've given her a shot already, and there's more coming. We need to talk to her, in case she can hear us. Come talk to her, Syl! Tell her to remember the wedding, and whatever else you can think of! Just talk to her!" Sylvia was crying now and looked like she might hyperventilate. She sat in the chair Max had been in, and grabbed Fran's hand. It was tearing her apart to see her daughter like this.

"Fran! Can you hear me? It's your mother! Frannie! They want you to wake up now! Come on, sweetheart! I know you can do it! You're strong! You're my tough little girl! Don't do this, Fran! You have your wedding coming up! We have so much to do, remember? You're marrying Mr. Sheffield! You know how much you love him! Remember? You've been crazy about him for a long time, and now you're engaged, you must remember that, right? He has your rings! You need to wake up so you can put your rings back on! Come on, Fran! Wake up! Open your eyes!" Sylvia got choked up, and Max put his hand on her shoulder.

"She's going to be okay, Syl! She will! We'll pull her though this! We have to!" Max pleaded.

The nurse came back from the pharmacy with a small basket containing a number of vials and an IV bag. She rushed up to the doctor and he took it from her and set it on the table where Fran's jug of water was waiting for her. He handed the IV bag to the nurse and she hooked it up on the pole and added it to the other two bags that were already there. Max and Sylvia watched everything they did as they stayed by Fran's side. The doctor set up another syringe from one of the vials, but this time he went to the IV in the back of her hand and inserted it straight into the port, then slowly injected the drug into her IV line. He set the syringe down and jotted notes in the chart and checked the time on his watch, then went back to looking at the monitors. Max and Sylvia looked at each other with concern.

"Go ahead, Sylvia, keep talking to her if you can. If that's all the two of us can do, then we need to keep doing it." Sylvia looked back at Fran. She was so peaceful, probably completely unaware of the chaos around her. She held Fran's hand and started patting it.

"Fran? It's your mother. I'm right here next to you. Can you hear me? Please move your hand or something if you hear me! Can you feel what I'm doing? To your hand? Show me you can feel it, sweetheart! You need to start waking up! You just have to! Everybody's waiting to see you, and talk to you! Max is here, too, Fran. He's been talking to you, too. Do you remember? Dammit, Fran, please! You have to wake up! Don't get me upset! You listen to me, and you listen right now- you're out of surgery, you're in the recovery room, and it's time for you to open your eyes and wake up! Do you hear me? Do it right now! We need you to open your eyes! I know it's hard, but do it, please, Fran! You're scaring me!" Sylvia got choked up again, and had to reach into her purse for tissues. It was getting Max upset, too.

"Sir? You can come over on this side. It's alright. Just mind the IV lines. I can move these monitors back just a little and get you a chair, so you can both talk to her," the nurse said. She sorted out the IV lines and moved them out of Max's way, then shifted the monitors a little before getting out of Max's way so he could get on the other side of Fran. The nurse hurried back with another chair and slid it over to Max, who moved it up close next to the bed by Fran, and sat down. He and Sylvia looked at each other. She was still dabbing a tissue at her eyes and nose, so Max took over the talking while the doctor continued to check his watch and look at all the information on the monitors.

"Fran? It's me, Max. I'm right here with you, and so is your mother. It's time for you to wake up, darling. We need to see you move, or open your eyes. Just do something- anything. Try to move your fingers, or your toes, even. Fran? We miss you, sweetheart! Your surgery took a while, but now it's done. It's over, sweetheart! Now you can recover and get back to doing the things you love. You'll get to eat like normal soon, Fran! Doesn't that sound wonderful? We can talk about what you want to eat first, if you'll just wake up and join us here, darling! I know it's hard, it must be very hard. But remember how you promised me that if anything happened, you'd fight with everything you have? You need to do that right now, Fran! Right now! Fight with everything you have to make your eyes open, or to move your fingers. Whatever you can focus on to move, you need to do it right now!" He had to stop talking because his voice was getting shaky, and he didn't want Fran to hear him getting scared. He looked back at the doctor, who was filling another syringe from a vial. He and Sylvia watched as he injected it into her IV port slowly, and then he checked his watch and jotted more notes in the chart. "Doctor? What is that you're injecting? Will that make her wake up?" Max asked.

"It's a drug we use to try to get the anesthesia out of her system. There's a bit of a chemistry lesson there, but basically what it does is bind to the anesthesia and makes it possible for her body to flush it out. But it doesn't work immediately, it can take some time. And we can't know exactly how much anesthesia is still in her system. She may have been metabolizing it at first, and then her body stopped, or she may not have metabolized anything at all, so through her entire surgery she was just building it up in her system. We've got to introduce this drug a little at a time and give it a chance to do it's work, and make sure she doesn't have a reaction to it, too. It requires a lot of patience, and I've got to keep track of the timing of the doses. And the extra IV bag is to help add more fluid to her system to get it out of her. In about thirty minutes or so, we can run a test on a urine sample and see if any of it is being flushed out, and how much."

"Thirty minutes?!" Sylvia squeaked. "Is she gonna be able to handle this, for that long? If she wakes up, is it gonna cause any problems for her?" Max went white as he waited for the doctor to answer.

"If the drug works, and she starts to wake up soon, she has a good prognosis. That's what we need to have happen. But this is very serious, and I can't emphasize that enough. If she doesn't start to flush the anesthesia and this drug from her system, she may never wake up. Her body could go into shock and not recover. But we won't give up on her! I won't give up on her! And you both are doing a great job talking to her. Any kind of stimulation you can give her, keep doing it. There's a chance she's there right now, and hears and feels everything, and just can't let you know it yet. It's happened before, I've seen it. So please keep at it, touch her, squeeze her hand, talk to her. Let's get her through this treatment and hope that it works." Max nodded, then looked back at Sylvia. They were both completely broken, but they would never give up on Fran. Then Max remembered something.

"Oh! Sylvia! The music! I can put headphones on her, can't I?" He asked the doctor. "We have a whole bag of tapes we can play for her, of her favorite music. Will that help?"

"It might, it's worth trying."

Max moved his chair back and grabbed the backpack from under the bed, then scooted back to Fran and opened the backpack. He pulled out the Walkman and headphones, then dug through the tapes in the bag to try to find something she might respond to. Since he wasn't sure what the children had put on Fran's mixtape, he decided on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. He showed the tape to Sylvia and she nodded her approval. Max put the tape in the Walkman and hit Play, then checked the volume, and reached over Fran with the headphones and carefully placed them just slightly over her ears. He wanted Fran to still be able to hear their voices, too.

"Darling- listen to this music. Can you hear it? Remember, the children filled that backpack with cassette tapes and the Walkman. I put the headphones on you, please try to focus on the songs, Fran. Let this music help you wake up, alright? I know you can do it. Focus on this music, okay?" Max brushed his fingers across her forehead, and Sylvia put her tissue away and took Fran's hand.

"Do you think it'll work?" She asked Max.

"I hope so. You know how much she loves her music. We have to try everything we can." Sylvia nodded, and they both turned back to Fran and watched her, and touched her hands and patted her shoulders.

Dr. Gallahan came into the recovery room and approached the curtained-off area, then saw Max and Sylvia with Fran.

"Hello," he said softly, as he looked over at Fran, then at the monitors. Max stood up to shake hands with him, but he didn't know what to say. Dr. Brenner showed Dr. Gallahan the chart and the progress they had made with the drug they were giving Fran.

"Still no response, but her reflex test was positive. So we're just staying steady at every five minutes, and we'll do the urine test soon," Dr. Brenner said.

"Alright. Dr. Carter will be here any minute. Mr. Sheffield, Mrs. Fine- how are you two holding up? I'm really sorry you're having to deal with this on top of everything else."

"Thank you. I don't think anyone could have known this would happen. We just want her to wake up. It's hard seeing her like this. So there's nothing else that can be done? Just this drug? How long can it take?" Max asked.

"This is the best way we have to try to flush the anesthesia out of her system, and yes, it can take a while. Once we have the results from the urinalysis, we should be able to see if it's working or not. But even after that, it just depends on how much is still in her system. When she starts waking, it can take a while for her to be coherent, too. We have to keep her on the drug until we're certain she's cleared everything from her system." Max nodded and looked back at Fran, then massaged her upper arm.

"Doctor," Sylvia spoke up. "Have you been able to find anything else out? About her tumor?"

"They're still working on it. Dr. Carter is staying in contact with the pathologist. They have to do a lot of preliminary work, and then they'll get the slides done so they can work on diagnosis. Hopefully, we'll be able to get Fran out of recovery this afternoon and to her own room, and by then we should have some more answers for you all."

"So you're hopeful that Fran will get through this?" Sylvia raised her eyebrows.

"I'm always hopeful. Her numbers look alright at the moment, and everything's being done that can be done for her. This waiting is really hard, I know. We'll know more soon, so we just have to keep at it and stay positive." Sylvia and Max looked at each other, and Max reached his hand across Fran to grasp her hand and give her encouragement.

"She'll get through this, Sylvia. She has to. Whatever she needs, she'll get, okay? I mean it. I'll do anything for her. She'll get the best care. But she'll be okay! She will! We just need to make sure she knows we're here with her, that she's not alone. Alright?"

"You're such a good man, Max! Yeah, we'll stay right here with her. But doctor? My husband, and her best friend- they're out there waiting still. They don't really know what's going on. Can somebody tell them, so they don't worry? I mean, they'll worry, but they need to know what's going on, too," Sylvia looked at Dr. Gallahan.

"Would you like me to go out there and explain to them what's happening? I can do that."

"Would you? Thank you so much! They must be going crazy wondering what's going on!"

"Alright, I'll go find them and talk to them."

"It's Morty and Val, they shouldn't be far from the doors."

"Alright."

"Thank you, doctor," Max said, happy there was someone who could let Morty and Val know what was happening to Fran. He felt bad that they couldn't come see her, too.

Dr. Brenner gave Fran another syringe of the drug, and Max and Sylvia watched, then they all looked at the monitors to see if anything changed. They turned back to attend to Fran, and the room got quiet. The other two patients in recovery had already been taken away to their own hospital rooms, and Max assumed if anyone else was coming out of surgery, then maybe they were being taken to a different recovery room- maybe because of what was happening to Fran, they didn't want to scare anyone else. Max stroked Fran's forehead, and Sylvia squeezed Fran's fingers, one at a time, trying to coax a response. They could just hear the beat of the music coming from the headphones. Max really hoped Fran could hear it, and that it was giving her something to focus on- something to anchor to and to head towards. He wondered if she might be having any dreams, or if she could hear everything going on around her and just couldn't react to it or get anyone's attention. That thought scared him, and he felt the tears welling back up in his eyes. Please don't let that happen to her! He begged. He tried to force his thoughts to wondering what kind of dreams she might be having, instead. Maybe the music was reminding her of the movie, and she was reliving the different scenes, or maybe she was remembering a time with Val when they listened to their records together when they were young. Or maybe all the drugs were making her have strange, incoherent, psychedelic dreams and they were taking her away from all of this fear and stress and worry. And Max was okay with that, as long as she came back from it and came back to him.

Dr. Gallahan had just left Morty and Val, after explaining everything to them. Val was wiping the tears from her eyes and Morty was sitting in shocked silence. How could this be happening? They both wondered. They were just supposed to be waiting for her to get out of surgery, and then things would be getting better, but now this? They felt so helpless.

"Why can't they let you go back there? She's your daughter, too! I mean, I know Sylvia and Mr. Sheffield wouldn't want to leave her to trade places, but still. One more person can't be that much. This is serious! You should be able to see her, too!" Val huffed. Morty waved his hand and shook his head.

"It's okay, Val. She's gonna be okay. She will! And I don't know if I could handle that- seeing Frannie like that. I can't imagine what those two are going through. And if the doctors are working on her, I don't want to get in the way. I just want them to save her! I want them to do everything they have to do to save her! I can't see my baby girl like that! That's too much!" Morty got up from the couch and walked away from Val. He paced in short steps, back and forth in front of one of the windows. He clenched his teeth and crossed his arms. She has to come out of this! She just has to! He thought. Val got up from the armchair and slowly approached him.

"Morty- should we call Niles? He should know, too, shouldn't he? I mean, I don't know if he should tell the kids, but he's her best friend, too. And we have the cell phone. Should I call him?" She asked. Morty turned to look at her, then turned away.

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't know how long this will go on for, so maybe. I suppose it would be the right thing to do. Would you be able to do that? Call him?" Morty looked back at her, and Val knew what needed to be done.

"I'll do it. Don't worry, Morty. I'll take the phone and find a spot away from people, and I'll call him and let him know. Stay here, though, okay? Somebody's gotta be right here in case they come out to tell us anything else. I'll be as fast as I can." Morty nodded to her, and she hurried over to Sylvia's coat and grabbed the cell phone from the pocket. As Val walked down to the end of the waiting area, away from the other people, to call Niles, Morty turned and headed back to the couch. He looked at the bouquet of flowers he had gotten for Fran and it crushed him. She better wake up so he could give them to her, he thought. She just better! He flopped down on the couch and reached for the card he bought with the flowers, and read over it again. He pulled out a pen from his inside pocket, and tried to think of something to write to Fran. Something that she better read, and soon.

Max had changed the tape over on the Walkman to play the other side of the album for Fran, and now stood at the end of the bed where her feet were. He was moving them back and forth, squeezing a toe now and then, to try to see if she could feel it and react. Dr. Brenner had just had a nurse get a sample from Fran's bag under the bed, to do the urinalysis. Max couldn't sit still- he was so anxious to find out the results. In the meantime, the doctor had injected another round of the drug into Fran's IV, then scribbled his notes into her chart. He read back through everything in the chart, then looked at the monitors.

"You know, her blood pressure has come up a little, and her pulse is better. I like that. Let me have a listen to her heart again, and then we'll try a few more tests of her reflexes to see if we can kick in some kind of response from her. Mrs. Fine, I'll just warn you ahead of time that you might not like what I do, but it won't hurt her. At least not beyond a small bruise or two."

"It's alright, Sylvia, he did it once before. If it gets her to do something, it's worth it," Max said. Sylvia was confused, but nodded. She didn't really care what they did as long as it helped Fran.

The doctor pulled out his stethoscope and checked Fran's pulse and breathing in several places, and looked over at the monitor to compare. He put the stethoscope away, then made a fist again and put it on Fran's upper chest, then rubbed her hard with his knuckles, back and forth. Sylvia gasped, almost in horror, until she saw Fran's shoulders lift up, like she felt it and was agitated, but couldn't quite wave her arms to make the doctor stop.

"Fran? Can you wake up?" He asked, and rubbed his knuckles on her again, with the same response.

"Oh my god! What does that mean? Is she waking up?" Sylvia stood up from her chair, her hand over her mouth.

"Not necessarily. But the fact she still has that reflex is a good sign. Mr. Sheffield? If I could trade places with you, there's one other thing I want to try." Max got out of his way and rushed back to Fran's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. The doctor went to the cabinets at the side of the room near them and found a large tongue depressor, then came back to the end of the bed. He pulled the sheets off of Fran's lower legs, pulled her socks off, then lifted one foot up. He took the end of the tongue depressor and pressed it rather hard into the bottom of her foot, then ran it up and down the length of her foot. Fran's foot curled in response. The doctor smiled, and Max and Sylvia looked at each other, wide-eyed. He set her foot down gently, then picked up the other one and did the same thing. That foot curled in response, too.

"What- what is that? What does that mean?" Max asked.

"It means I like it. It's a good thing. I think she's got a fighting chance now. I want to see that lab result. But go ahead and start talking to her again. Do whatever you think might get a response from her, even if you have to be irritating. Sometimes annoying them is more likely to get a response than saying nice things."

"Really?" Sylvia said.

"Really!" The doctor nodded. Max and Sylvia looked at each other, trying to think of something they knew Fran would find annoying. Max thought for a moment, then leaned close to Fran's face.

"Ms. Fine! What happened to my antique vase in the hallway? It didn't have that crack yesterday, and I know Niles didn't do it!" Max felt bad for a second, then looked at Sylvia, and they both cracked up.

"Oh, that's horrible! Did she really do that?" Sylvia whispered.

"No, no, I made it up, but I'm sure she'd get defensive if she thought I was blaming her for something she didn't do." They both looked back at Fran, looking for a response. Now it was Sylvia's turn.

"Francine Fine! You better get over here right this second! I found your diary, and I read the whole thing!" Max's eyes went wide, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle the sound that almost burst out. If that didn't get Fran going, he didn't think anything could. Just then, Max heard the murmurs of Dr. Carter and Dr. Gallahan as they came into the recovery room. Max looked over as they approached, and Dr. Carter pulled the curtain out of the way when they got to Fran's bed.

"I'm glad you're both here," Dr. Brenner said to them. "Her pulse and blood pressure improved slightly, and her reflexes are good. We should hopefully get the urinalysis results from the lab any minute now. I'll need the nurse to make another pharmacy run in just a bit, I've worked out the math and I want to give her two more vials. She's nearly finished two already. If she's clearing everything from her system, then I'll keep going until we're certain she doesn't need more."

"Wonderful," Dr. Carter said. He nodded to Max and Sylvia and looked over at the monitors. "Are you two trying to talk to her to get a response? Is that music she's listening to?"

"Yes, one of her favorite albums. And Dr. Brenner said if we started saying things to her that might irritate her, maybe that would do more than saying nice things. I just hope she can forgive us." Max looked at Sylvia and she nodded, and patted Fran's hand in hers.

"Good. That's good. You know- Dr. Brenner? Can we get a mask on her instead of the oxygen line? Let's just be on the safe side and make sure she's getting what she needs," Dr. Carter requested.

"Absolutely, we can do that." Dr. Brenner waved a nurse over and gave her the order, and she hurried from the room. She was back moments later with a mask, and Max moved out of the way so she could replace Fran's oxygen tube at her nose with a full nose and mouth mask. Fran wasn't breathing very deeply- the mask barely fogged up at all when she exhaled. Max really wished he could see her take a big, deep breath.

Niles was devastated. He was just getting used to feeling relieved that Ms. Fine was out of surgery, and the worst was past her- and now this. Val had sounded so scared on the phone as she tried to tell him what the doctor had told her and Morty. How could this have happened? Ms. Fine had already been through so much suffering in such a short period of time, and then to have to endure a scary surgery- it was too much. He knew how serious the situation was, and couldn't imagine how distraught Mr. Sheffield must be, as well as Sylvia. What was Niles going to do- he couldn't tell the children! He would have to find a way to stall until they got another phone call with an update. He couldn't scare the children the way he was now scared. He'd have to get a hold of himself and not let it show, or find a way to stay busy and away from them, and avoid any questions about the situation. His stomach started to turn, and his mind began to race.

Niles had planned to make a celebratory dinner, but now he didn't want to at all. Maybe the children wouldn't want much, and he could just throw together something light. He sat on the stool behind the counter and stared at the phone for a while. Maggie and Gracie would be back any minute. Brighton would be off the office phone. Was there a way to keep them busy until they got another update? There was always homework… that was a start. And maybe a snack? Should he get a snack ready? Yes! That's what he could do! He jumped from the stool and ran to the fridge, pulled the door open and grabbed some of the first things he could find. He piled a block of cheese, a bag of carrots and a bag of celery on the counter, grabbed several bottles of soda and a bottle of ranch dressing, then shut the fridge, set it all on the counter, and hurried to the pantry to grab the tub of peanut butter. He grabbed a plate on the way back and a knife from the drawer, then began preparing everything for the children to snack on. He filled the plate with carrot slices and celery sticks with peanut butter, then sliced the block of cheddar into a stack for them to have with everything else. He hurried to the cabinet and grabbed a small bowl for the salad dressing, grabbed three glasses for the drinks, then set them next to the plate. Lastly, he set down a stack of napkins on the counter, looked everything over, then grabbed the cordless phone and ran away, up the back stairs. He didn't know how much time it would buy him, but if they all ended up in the kitchen having their snack, he would be able to sneak back down the front stairs and find some other chore or task he could do to kill some more time.

But what if no one called? What if there was no good news to report? What would he do then? The thought was making him feel sick again, so he hurried to the master bedroom to do some more cleaning. He had to make everything just perfect. Ms. Fine just had to be okay, and she just had to come back to them, so he had to make sure everything was ready for her, and be exactly how she needed it. She just had to be okay!

Dr. Brenner injected the syringe into Fran's IV port yet again, and everyone watched the monitors, and then looked at Fran. Max removed the headphones from her carefully and checked them- the album had finished playing. He stopped the tape and put the walkman back in the backpack, then stood up next to the bed. He stroked her forehead with his fingers.

"Dr. Brenner?" A nurse called from the doorway. Dr. Carter and Dr. Gallahan were in the hallway with her. She waved for him to come over. "Can you bring her chart, too?" The nurse asked. Dr. Brenner grabbed Fran's chart and hurried over to them, then stepped out in the hallway out of sight of Max and Sylvia. Max and Sylvia both looked across Fran at each other, concerned.

"What are they doing? Are they talking about Fran?!" Sylvia's voice raised in pitch. "Did they get the results back or something? Oh my god, what are they talking about?!"

"Sylvia, it's alright!" Max tried to whisper, to keep Sylvia from freaking out and causing a scene. "I'm sure they'll be right back to tell us if they have any news. Please try to stay calm, for Fran," he encouraged. Sylvia looked back at Fran, then clutched her hand again. Max looked towards the doorway where he could tell the doctors were in the hallway, having a deep conversation about something. He looked down at Fran, then leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on, now, Fran! No more of this! We need you to start waking up! Right now! Please open your eyes! Move your fingers or something! Please try, darling!" Max pleaded.

Dr. Brenner ran back into the room, a basket in his hand and Fran's chart tucked under his arm. He was followed by the nurse and the other two doctors. Max got scared at first, but then noticed that none of them seemed to have such concerned looks on their faces anymore. Dr. Brenner smiled at Max and Sylvia, set down Fran's chart, then handed the IV bag to the nurse. The nurse went to change out the empty bag on the IV pole, and Max felt such a huge lump in his throat that he couldn't even swallow.

"Good news…" Dr. Brenner started. "It looks like it's working! She's starting to flush the drugs from her system!" Max and Sylvia's jaws dropped, and Sylvia jumped up from her chair, threw her arms in the air, and rushed to the doctor, grabbing his lapels and surprising him.

"Do you mean it?! Is my baby going to be okay?! Oh, my god!" She cried out. The other doctors approached her and got her to let go of Dr. Brenner.

"Easy does it, Mrs. Fine! She's still not out of the woods yet," Dr. Gallahan said, trying to calm her down.

"Sylvia, come-" Max said, reaching his hand out to her. "Fran still needs us, and we don't want to disturb everyone who might still be working. Let's focus on her again, and talk to her." Sylvia was a little embarrassed at her outburst, and moved back to Fran's side and sat down.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away. I'm just so happy! How long will it take, doctor? When will she start waking up?" Sylvia asked. Max wanted the answer, too.

"We still can't know for certain, but those test results are from where she was about fifteen minutes ago, so at this rate, if she wakes up, it could be soon."

"If?" Max asked.

"We have to stay hopeful," Dr. Brenner said. "But until she's awake, she's still in a serious condition. Very serious. The test results were a good sign, they are a good sign. But I want to see her awake, and out of this state. We need her to wake up, and get all these drugs out of her system for any of us to feel better about things." Their brief elation suddenly dropped again, and they turned their attention back to Fran.

"Talk to her, Sylvia. That's all we can do right now. She'll wake up soon. She has to!" Max said, trying to convince himself, too.

"Okay," Sylvia nodded. "Fran? Fran, sweetheart? If you can hear me, please squeeze my hand. Go on, sweetie! You can do it! I know you can! Can you feel me holding your hand? Your right hand? Please try to squeeze my hand, or move your fingers!" Sylvia lifted Fran's hand and patted it and squeezed it, and held it to her cheek, waiting for some kind of response from Fran. But there was nothing. Max leaned over close to Fran and spoke to her softly.

"Darling, it's me. Max. I'm right here with your mother. We're here with you, waiting for you to wake up. Don't you remember that you were having surgery today? Remember when you were listening to Barbra Streisand on the Walkman, and you said it was helping you feel better? You were nervous about the surgery, remember? Well, guess what? The surgery is over! You did it, darling! You made it through the surgery! You're in the recovery room right now. We're just waiting on you to wake up, alright? You need to start waking up so you can go to your own hospital room. Won't that be good? Then you can listen to some more music, or watch television, or even read all those magazines we brought. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Max stroked her forehead and her hair tenderly, again and again, and spoke softly into her ear. "Your father and Val want to come see you, too. They're still out there waiting for you to wake up, too. They miss you, Fran. We all need to see you wake up and come back to us. And then we'll go up to your hospital room, and then we can call the children and Niles. They're waiting, too. So focus, Fran. Think about opening your eyes. Can you feel me touching your face? Now I'm touching your eyebrows. Show me that you're here with us, sweetheart. Show me by opening your eyes, or moving whatever you can move. Focus on it, Fran. Focus…" Max gently stroked his fingers back and forth across her eyebrows, trying to see if she might be able to feel it.

Sylvia was struggling again to not cry. She was so moved at how tender Max was with her daughter. It was so obvious how much he really loved her, and she was so grateful that he was such a big part of Fran's life. Sylvia lowered Fran's hand back to the bed, and began to squeeze Fran's arm in different places, up and down, and then over again. She reached her hand up and clutched Fran's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Fran?" Max said, a little louder this time. "Fran? We need you here. I need you. The children are waiting to hear news about you. Don't keep them waiting any longer, alright? It's time for us to start our lives together, remember? As a family. You're part of our family. So let's start planning our wedding. Let's start living our lives together. I need you here with me right now, Fran. I love you!" He looked down at her as he leaned over her. He stroked her temple with the backs of his fingers, then kissed her forehead again. He slowly sat back down in the chair, and Sylvia took Fran's hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek, then closed her eyes. Max stared at Fran's face and carefully held onto her other hand, being mindful of the IV. Dr. Brenner tapped on his shoulder, startling him. He reached over and quickly injected another round of drugs into Fran's IV, then Max took her hand again.

Everyone stood back quietly, watching these two people take care of their loved one with such intensity and devotion. They were all moved deeply, but they were all scared, too. No one could say with any certainty what the outcome would be for this patient- what the outcome would be for Fran Fine. But no one was giving up on her. Especially Max.

Max stared at Fran, watching the mask over her nose and mouth fog up slightly with each shallow breath. He listened to the sound of her heart rate on the monitor. He pictured in his mind the drugs that were injected into her IV making their way through her bloodstream. They rushed through her, in search of the anesthesia that refused to leave her body. They rushed back and forth through every part of her body, locked onto "the bad guys" and then rushed back through her organs, sending them out of her. Helping her. Giving Fran a chance at overcoming this dangerous setback. Max was exhausted, and felt like he was out of steam. He had to keep fighting for her, but he didn't know what else to do. He almost felt like he was hallucinating- now he saw himself rushing through Fran's bloodstream, gathering up the offending molecules, and locking them away in her organs, to be filtered and flushed out. Again and again, Max found them and yanked them from her system, and tossed them out. He stared without blinking at Fran's mask- watching the fog come and go, ever so slightly.

Then it happened.

The fog spread just a little further inside the mask. And then it did it again. Max thought he was imagining it, and it startled him from his trance. But he had to be sure. He kept watching, in silence. The fog from her breath spread further inside the mask. He looked at her chest and watched as it rose and fell, rose and fell, then rose a little bit higher, paused, and fell again. Her mask filled with fog, then it evaporated, then filled again.

"Fran?" Max stood up and leaned in close, watching. Sylvia opened her eyes and turned to watch the exchange, and the doctors and nurses turned to have a look, too. Fran took another deep breath and exhaled, fogging her mask up. Then her head slowly tilted towards Max. The doctors stepped closer, and Sylvia squeezed Fran's hand. "Fran, my love!" Max whispered. "I'm here, darling! Open your eyes, and you'll see me!" He stroked her forehead with his fingers. Fran took a breath, then swallowed. Max was beside himself, and so was Sylvia. Then suddenly, Fran's eyelids moved. Max could see her eyes moving inside them. "Fran, sweetheart?" He said, a little louder. "Look at me. Open your eyes, I'm right here." Fran took a breath again, like she was struggling against something, then swallowed. Her body seemed to relax for a moment, almost scaring Sylvia, and then- Fran struggled again, then opened her eyes, just barely, and looked straight into Max's eyes. "There you are, Fran! There you are, my darling!"