Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, or any recognisable characters.

This is my first VM fic. I hope you like it!

Chapter 1

The Diagnosis

"Veronica? Veronica Mars?"

The receptionist's voice breaks into Veronica's thoughts, and she looks up from the patch of worn carpet she has been staring at since she sat down in the office several minutes earlier.

Once Veronica is looking at her, the receptionist tells her. "Dr O'Farrell is ready to see you now."

Veronica gulps nervously, before she silently picks up her bag, and walks over to the door marked with an engraved plate, reading.

Samantha O'Farrell, MD

Oncologist

Veronica has to fight back her urge to run in the opposite direction as she turns the door handle, and lets herself into the consulting room.

As Veronica sits down opposite the relatively young doctor, she is greeted. "Good afternoon, Veronica. How have you been feeling?"

Veronica sighs wearily before she tells her doctor. "Fine." Dr O'Farrell only has to glance at her, and she adds. "The spot where they did the biopsy has been kinda sore, but a couple of Tylenol usually stops it hurting."

"Okay, it's good that you've been able to manage that with simple analgesics, the biopsy site should be starting to heal, and as it does the pain will ease." Dr O'Farrell tells her young patient gently. Now for the part of her job that she loathes. "I have your biopsy results here, Veronica, and I'm afraid the news is not good. You have a stage three carcinoma of the breast, but I believe we have caught it in time, and with treatment, I think that you can make a full recovery."

"I-I have c-cancer, are you sure?" Veronica stammers, shocked. How can this be happening?! I'm not old enough! This isn't right.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I had the tests run twice." Dr O'Farrell tells her, she then offers. "Do you want me to get someone down here for you, your parents, a friend maybe, before I start explaining everything?"

"No!" Veronica says sharply, almost as a reflex. They can't find out like this. I can't deal with them right now. "Dad's out of town, and let me know if you find my mother." She adds with a clearly bitter undertone.

"A friend?" Dr O'Farrell suggests.

In spite of herself, Veronica laughs, and then by way of explanation she says. "I'm not exactly one of popular kids."

Dr O'Farrell reaches across the desk, and comfortingly squeezes Veronica's arm, just letting her know that she isn't alone. She then kindly promises her. "I'm going to get you through this, Veronica."

After several minutes, Veronica manages to regain enough composure to ask. "So what happens next? How is this going to go?"

Dr O'Farrell pauses for a moment before telling her. "With the type of cancer you have, we need to be aggressive with the treatment. You need to know right now that the treatment is going to involve chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, and it won't be easy on you. There are medications that can ease the side effects, but you need to be prepared that it can be very difficult."

Veronica gulps nervously, but says nothing.

Dr O'Farrell stands up, and moves to the seat beside Veronica before she continues. "The first step is surgery, because there are multiple large tumours in both your breasts, the only viable option is a double mastectomy…"

No! No! No!

This can't be happening!

I'm just a kid!

This can't be happening!

"…once you have recovered from the surgery, you will need to start chemotherapy, probably radiation as well." Dr O'Farrell finishes quietly, seeing that her young patient isn't taking the news well; no one ever does, let alone a teenager.

Veronica's breathing get shallower and shallower, she knows she needs to calm down, but she can't.

Why does all this shit keep happening to me?!

Why can't I just get a break for once?

I don't want to die!

But if I did, would anyone even notice?

Dark spots begin to cloud Veronica's vision, as she starts to slip out of consciousness.

"Veronica?" Tap. Tap. "Veronica, can you hear me?"

Veronica rolls over, away from the irritating hand that keeps tapping her cheek. "Urgh. What happened?" Veronica moans as she slowly opens her eyes, the lids feeling like they are weighed down with lead weights, Dr O'Farrell's face comes into view, but nothing else is familiar, she is lying on her back in an uncomfortable bed.

Dr O'Farrell is quick to explain. "You're in the hospital. You had a panic attack, collapsed, and hit your head. But you're going to be alright, and your dad will be here soon."

Damn it. He shouldn't find out like this. Veronica just sighs, and allows sleep to claim her once more.

Keith arrives in a panic, imagine getting a call saying that your daughter collapsed in a doctor's office, which you didn't know she was seeing, or why, and that she has been taken to the hospital by ambulance.

He barges straight past the reception desk, and makes his way back to the nurses' station. As soon as he lays eyes on a nurse, Hailey, her name tag reads, he demands. "My daughter was brought here, Veronica Mars, where is she? Is she alright?"

The nurse waves away two approaching security guards before she tells him. "She collapsed at her doctor's office, and hit her head, we'll need to keep her here overnight, but she's doing fine. If you'll just come take a seat in our family room, I'll go find her doctor for you."

Disgruntledly Keith allows her to lead him into a small quiet room, where she leaves on the promise to return with the doctor who's been treating Veronica.

A moment later, Dr O'Farrell is sitting with Veronica, when Hailey comes into the cubicle, and tells Dr O'Farrell. "Mr Mars is in the family room, can you come speak with him?"

Dr O'Farrell signals for her to wait as she goes over to Veronica, and after waking her up, she asks. "Your dad is here. I'm just going to go have a word to him before he comes back to see you, can I tell him about your diagnosis? If you don't want me to-"

Veronica interrupts her by saying. "It's okay. You can tell him…" There is a pause before she admits. "I don't think I can."

"Okay." Dr O'Farrell says gently, patting Veronica on the arm before following Hailey out of the cubicle and into the warren of hallways.

Several minutes later, Keith is sitting opposite Dr O'Farrell in an equally small conference room. "When can I see, Veronica?" Keith asks, worried out of his mind about his baby girl.

"I'll take you to her soon, but please just listen to me, Keith." Dr O'Farrell pauses for a moment before telling him. "Veronica came to see a couple of weeks ago, she had found a lump in her breast, and she was concerned by it."

Keith's expression betrays his emotions as she continues.

"I ran a number of tests including a biopsy, and they confirmed our fears. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, Keith, but Veronica has breast cancer."

Keith nearly goes the same way as his daughter at those words. His daughter has cancer, breast cancer. His baby girl has breast cancer. Why is this happening to them? Haven't they been through enough?

"Keith? Are you alright?" Dr O'Farrell's voice breaks through his thoughts.

Keith can only bring himself to nod in acknowledgement, and then a moment later say. "I want to see Veronica."

"Of course. Just follow me."

As soon as Veronica's resting form comes into Keith's line of sight, he breaks into a jog, only stopping when he reaches her side. He tenderly brushes a loose strand of hair off her face as he murmurs. "I'm here, kiddo. I'm right here; everything's going to be alright."

Veronica rolls over tiredly to face her father before she enquires. "You know?"

Keith offers her a weak smile as he replies. "Yeah, your doctor told me. Why didn't you come to me?"

"I don't… I didn't… I'm sorry, Daddy. I-I didn't know how." Veronica suddenly burst into tears, overwhelmed by her situation.

Keith pulls Veronica into his warm, loving embrace, and holds her tightly as she cries.

TBC...

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Thanks for reading!