Nick and Brian burst into the waiting room at Tampa General Hospital and spotted Jane, Carolyn, Angel, and Elizabeth sitting in the corner.

"How is she?" Nick asked, breathlessly, running over to them.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth cried, reaching out for him. Nick picked her up out of Angel's lap and held her close to him.

"Hi babygirl," he greeted, quietly. "Daddy's here now."

"I was scared," Elizabeth whimpered. "Mommy fell and I couldn't wake her up."

"I know, sweetheart," Nick soothed. "Mommy's not feeling very good right now so she has to see the doctor, okay?"

"Then can she come home?" Elizabeth questioned. "Aunt Angel said she might need to stay here for a little bit."

Nick threw a glare in his sister's direction. "Don't worry baby," he said. "Mommy will be home soon."

"Excuse me," Dr. Burke interrupted. "Can I speak with Mr. Carter for a moment?" Nick handed Elizabeth back to Angel and he and Carolyn followed Dr. Burke to another corner off the waiting room.

"How is she?" Carolyn asked.

"Not too good, I'm afraid," Dr. Burke admitted sadly. "We did a CAT scan and another MRI and it appears that the cancer has spread. It's in its final stages by now." Nick nodded, numbly, as Carolyn tried to keep her tears at bay.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Burke stated.

"Can I go see her?" Nick questioned.

"Sure," Dr. Burke nodded. "She's still asleep but she should be waking up soon."

"How much time does she have?" Carolyn questioned, tearfully. Dr. Burke sighed deeply. He hated this part of his job.

"About two weeks," he answered, regrettably. "Three at the most." Before Nick could break down, he walked away, briskly, and went into Kayleigh's room. When he opened the door, he saw Kayleigh sleeping peacefully, her blond hair fanned across the pillow and her hands folded across her stomach. Nick pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down, grabbing one of her hands in his.

"Hey baby," he said, quietly, to her. "It's Nicky. Can you hear me?" He waited for any sort of response from her but received none. "You're going to be okay. Don't worry. I'm not going to lose you just yet, okay? I need you. Elizabeth needs you. We're not ready to let you go." Outside the room, Brian's heart was breaking. He had been standing in the doorway listening to Nick practically beg Kayleigh to hold on. Tears pricked his eyes as he realized what they were all about to go through. When Carolyn wanted to go and sit with her daughter, Nick walked back out and joined Brian and the rest of the guys, who had just arrived, in the waiting room.

"How are you holding up, Nicky?" AJ asked. Nick went to answer when a sob got caught in his throat. He buried his head in his hands and began to cry. AJ looked helplessly at the other guys but no one knew how to comfort him. What do you say to a man who's wife is on her death bed?

"I can't do this," he began to say over and over again. "I don't want to lose her. I can't."

"Just let it out, Nick," Kevin advised. "We're here for you."

"It's not fair," Nick cried. "I just got her back and now God is taking her away from me. For good. Why?" He looked around at his friends, hopelessly praying that they would hold the answers. "How am I supposed to raise Elizabeth alone? Without her?" AJ stood up so Jane could sit down and comfort her son. She pulled him into her arms and began rubbing his back.

"It's going to be okay, baby," Jane soothed. "We're all here for you."

"How am I supposed to get through life without her?" Nick questioned. "It's the only life I've known since I was eleven years old. Even when she was gone, there was still the knowledge that she was out there somewhere. There was still hope I'd see her again. Now, I'll never see her again. She won't be there."

"That's not true, Nicky," Jane stated. "She'll always be with you." Nick just buried his face in her shoulder and cried. Around him, everyone's heart was breaking.

"What's wrong, daddy?" Elizabeth asked, walking over to him. Nick looked up, his eyes bright with tears and smiled at his daughter. He reached for her and she climbed into his lap. "Why are you crying?" she asked, again.

"I'll be okay, Lizzie," he told her. "I'm just sad that mommy doesn't feel well."

"She's going to be okay, right?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes big. Nick glanced around at his mother and his friends. How was he supposed to explain this to her? How do you tell a three year old that her mother is dying? That she'll never see her again? Before he got a chance to answer, though, Carolyn walked back into the waiting room.

"She's awake," she told him. "And she's asking for you." He nodded and stood up, walking down the hall towards her room.

"Hi," Nick said, quietly, entering Kayleigh's room.

She turned her head towards the doorway and smiled, weakly, at him. "Hi."

"How are you feeling?" Nick asked, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. He grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it.

"Honestly?" She asked. He nodded. "Like I just got run over by a truck."

"I'm sorry," he told her, his eyes tearing up. "I wish I could make it better."

"I know you do," Kayleigh stated. "How's Elizabeth?"

"She's okay," Nick answered. "She's out in the waiting room with everyone."

"She must have been scared to death," Kayleigh pointed out.

"She's fine," Nick reassured her. "Mom and Angel arrived soon after it happened." Kayleigh nodded, comforted by that news as much as she could be. They were both quiet for a few minutes, content with staring into each other's eyes before Kayleigh broke the silence.

"How much longer?" she finally whispered.

"Don't worry about that right now," Nick tried to tell her.

Kayleigh shook her hand. "Just tell me, Nick," she pleaded. "I need to know. How much longer?"

"Two weeks," he answered, tearfully. Kayleigh squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't think it would be that short. In two weeks she would be gone, leaving her daughter and the love of her life behind by themselves.

"I want to go home," Kayleigh whispered.

"Kayles, you need to stay in the hospital," he told her. "They can help you here. Maybe prolong it."

"Nicky," Kayleigh said. "If I stay here, I'll have maybe another week. At the most."

"But baby," Nick began.

"I don't want to die alone in a hospital, Nick," she interrupted. "I want to be at home with my family. With you and Elizabeth. Not here. I can't."

"Okay, Kayles," Nick whispered. "Let's go home."

<< >>