I awoke to the sound of the alarm clock. I gathered the strength to shut it off before I turned around to go back to sleep, not caring that I had school today.

I was going in and out of consciousness when Kat swung the door open, probably wondering why I wasn't up yet. I felt a hand pressing into my forehead and into my cheek. My head pounded as Kat called for her father.

Walter came in moments later, feeling my forehead and taking my temperature.

"100.8," he read calmly. To Kat he instructed, "Go get my some Tylenol and a bottle of Gatorade for him.

I heard her leave and Walter instructed me to sit up, his hands freezing where they touched me.

"Now Patrick are you with me?"

I nodded my head and Walter continued, "I have a scheduled c-section this afternoon and then I can come home. I'm going to give you Tylenol so your temperature goes down, but I need you to drink the entire bottle of Gatorade and eat the saltines, you understand?"

I nodded my head again, my mouth so dry I could barely open it.

Kat came back, moving swiftly throughout the room. Cool liquid was brought to my lips as I drank the lemon-lime flavored Gatorade. I felt the pills in my mouth and I swallowed those too. Walter let me lay back down, fixing the covers for me because I couldn't find the will to get up and do it myself.

"Remember Patrick, drink the Gatorade. I'm leaving the crackers by your lamp in case you get hungry. Can you manage yourself all day?"

I barely nodded my head, sleep all-ready starting to creep in on me again. Walter must of left because I felt a lighter figure sit on the side of the bed. A cold hand smoothed my sweaty hair back off my forehead, kissing the top of my head lightly.

"I'll see you after school Patrick," she assured me before she left for school, the darkness finally pulling me out of the heat.

I slept the whole day. When I woke up I turned over to drink the Gatorade. I was cooler than I was before, the sweaty covers providing some coolness. I was out of focus though, my eyes not able to read the clock after waking up. My head still didn't pound as much as before, but the steady beat was still there.

At one point in the day my heart skipped a beat when the phone's ring shrilled throughout the house. My body was too sore to jump and the snappy loud sound only made me want to cover my ears and scream. I fell back asleep soon after the phone stopped ringing, my ears echoing the sound long after it had stopped.

The next time I woke up, Kat and Bianca were home. I knew this because they were fighting. I moaned turned over, pleading them to shut up. They eventually did, Kat hushing Bianca's loud yells of protest.

Bianca was the one to come up first. I knew it was her because her high-heeled shoes clicked on the floor as she walked.

She came and took a seat in the desk chair, pulling it up to the side of the bed.

"Hey Patrick," she said softly.

I didn't answer, but I opened my glassy eyes to try to focus on her.

"I know you probably don't want me talking to you right now, since your sick and all. But it gives me the chance to really talk to you… and since you're not talking back I can talk without being interrupted or feeling intimidated."

She paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "I know we may not get along, but I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate everything you're doing for my sister. I know you don't see it, but she is so much happier with you around. She's lighter, you know? She doesn't act like such a stickler."

She laughed to herself and paused, lowing her voice, "Don't tell her I told you this, but I think that you were the best thing that could have happened to her. Her last relationship ended in complete heartbreak for her, but you came and put her back together again. I really think that she could love you if she let herself open up. I think you could love her too, judging by the way you look at her."

Once again with the love thing! This is second day in a row that someone has mentioned that I love Kat or that Kat loves me. Is it really that plainly written across our faces? Are we really that easy to read to others, even with our walls built ten feet high?

She paused again, covering up her slip of the tongue, "I mean, she looks at you the same way, which is why I think that you two are the perfect match for each other."

She let out a dreamy sigh and I could feel her excitement in this new development.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about Joey. He's through to the next round! Isn't that exciting! I don't know if he'll win but I think that he'll make his way to the top before getting voted off the show. I would ask for your thoughts but I can see that you really don't want to talk right now."

"No, he really doesn't," Kat's voice filled the room. I could picture her, in her belly, arms crossed and leaning against the doorframe while glaring at her younger sister.

Bianca got up and left, Kat replacing her. A cool towel was pressed on my forehead after she gave me the Gatorade to drink.

"I'm sorry about Bianca."

I shook my head slightly, telling her Bianca wasn't a problem. It was a little embarrassing to admit but Bianca was fun to talk to, even though most of our conversations consisted of her talking to me and me giving one or two sentences of advice. Our conversations weren't very exciting, but they made me like Bianca more and more.

Kat on the other hand, was doing exactly what Bianca did. Starting with what happened at school today as opposed to telling me about her boyfriend.

"So school was fine today, nothing exciting happened that's worth noting. I got most of your homework for you to do if you feel up to it on Sunday. It's just a couple worksheets and an essay, not too heavy of a load."

She paused and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over me while stroking the sweaty curls off of my forehead. I unconsciously leaned into her touch even though her hand was cold, her touch alone bringing me some comfort. With her other hand she pressed the cool towel onto my face, the cool feeling of her hands and the towel making the spinning in my head slow down a bit.

I could feel her eyes on me, studying me. I knew how this must have looked to her. Here I am, the tough guy, the bad boy of the school- and I can't even speak my throat is so sore. It's pathetic really. The pale, lifeless boy lying in bed, open and vulnerable is not anything like the young man that was parading around all day yesterday. I tired to sigh but it came out a strangled cough, my body spazzing out of bed.

Kat was quick to shush me, gently pulling me up so that I could sip on the Gatorade. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to get rid of the glaze that covered them. My vision faltered for a minute before it cleared, and Kat filled my mind. She was there, sitting in front of me. Her face was clam and patient but her eyes clearly portrayed worry.

"Hey," she whispered, smiling a smile I'd noticed her only use around me.

I smiled weakly back, lifting my hand to put it on her leg where it rested on the bed. She understood and took hold of it with her two smaller ones, grasping my fingers gently as she brought them up to kiss the back of my knuckles.

"How are you? You feeling better?"

Well, now that you're here…

I nodded slightly and she sighed.

"Why don't you try and eat something? You must be hungry by now."

She ignored my small protest and helped me sit up, giving me saltines one by one so that I could eat them. It hurt to swallow, my throat scratchy and raw. I did find that once I had eaten about half the sleeve and drank more Gatorade that I felt slightly improved, the spinning of my head slowing down enough to process simple thoughts.

It was nice in a way. Kat sat by me and played with my fingers. She would have to disinfect herself the minute she walked out of here, but to her it would be worth it. I'm sure it would be right? Why else would she have spent the last hour trying to get me to eat half of a sleeve of saltines? Between my coughing and restlessness, she eventually had to leave to get more Gatorade.

I guess didn't hear him come home, but Walter was the one to bring up another bottle for me. Like Bianca, he sat in the desk chair. This was not as daring as Kat who sat on the edge of the bed.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to have to put up with this right now. I could barely handle Kat and Bianca, and now I have to listen to Walter too? Is this some kind of punishment or joke? Does God want me to suffer for breaking some rule? Walter started talking, and I knew that if I didn't listen, this man would have me sleeping on the couch in no more than five seconds flat.

I let his voice seem into my thoughts, and his speech became clear very quickly. At least I was missing too much, he was talking about the c-section he gave today.

"… and then there was the baby, red and screaming, ready for the new world," Walter smiled proudly, like babies were his invention.

I gave him a confused glance, because I honestly had no idea what this man was trying to tell me.

He sighed, probably seeing my strained face, "I just wanted you to know that I'm thankful for everything you've done around here, and that I do think you're a good person. I mean, those parents of yours on the other hand…"

Walter trailed off, sighing again before rubbing his eyes with one of his hands. The motion made his look twenty years older than he really was, and I felt bad for the guy. I mean, you try to protect your daughters your entire life from getting hurt. Then, some guy walks into your life and you find yourself giving him a home, letting him eat off your table and sit on your couch. This whole situation must be hard for him, but I'm sure in some ways it was hard for everyone.

"I know that living here is a luxury for you Patrick, and I want to try and help you," He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, "I want to try and help you in school, especially. I talked to Principal Holland today and explained that you were living with us. She has changed your school information so that I'm your guardian for now. Over winter break we can start talking with your parents. Principal Holland told me your birthday's in January, so at least you won't be under their legal care much longer."

He stopped when the itch in my throat grew to much to bear and I started hacking out coughs.

"I'll go get the cough syrup," Walter muttered. He came back moments later. The thermometer was stuck in my mouth and my temperature was being taken again.

"This is good, your temperature has gone down to 98.9."

Even though that was supposed to be a positive thing, more pills where being given to me and I even down a cup of cherry couch syrup. Yum.

Walter left me alone after that, claiming that he had to go make dinner. He would bring up some toast for me, so that I would have some food in my system.

So I waited, listening to the sounds of the Stratford home. I could hear he typing of a keyboard or the rustling of paper form across the hall. Bianca would breakout into song occasionally and Kat would always shush her quickly. It was bad enough when Bianca was singing, but then when Walter's voice carried up the stairs and it sounded like he was talking to Ms. Tharp.

Hopefully he would go on a date when I got better, so Kat and I could stay by ourselves for a while. We could spend some time together, doing whatever- unless it's watching some stupid documentary. That I was defiantly not up for.

I kept myself occupied by staring up at the ceiling, counting seconds and minutes until my head was spinning, the pounding to unbearable to handle. I quickly shut my eyes, breathing in and out.

I telepathically called out Kat's name, but she didn't come. I opened my mouth to speak her name, but the sound that came out of my throat was strangled and got stuck. I coughed some more so that I wouldn't have that tingling feeling in my throat, and eventually Kat walked over, handing me the Gatorade bottle. I took it gratefully, drinking it to sooth the ache in my throat. I laid back down on my bed, my hand searching for hers, squeezing it lightly to thank her.

She shivered and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Geez, you're freezing Patrick."

Great, just what I needed. I was hot one moment and cold the next. I fucking hate being sick.

Even though lying in bed was oh-so-joyful- Bianca's loud, barreling screams totally didn't make me joyful... at all.

"Joey made it into the next round! Did you hear, did you..."

She paused abruptly when she saw my face twisted in pain, the sound of her screams making the hammer in my head pound harder and harder.

Kat looked from me to her sister, the glare on Kat's face equal to someone who would kill.

In the coldest voice I've ever heard her use she reprimanded her sister, "Bianca go back to your room and shut the door. You should know better than to be this loud when someone is sick. If this were you, you wouldn't want people to be screaming and hollering. At least Patrick has the decency to stay calm even if his head's going to explode."

The sister's glared at each other, but I didn't concentrate on them. I concentrated the pounding, the noise, and the bright light coming from the hall way. I just want to be left alone.

So I moaned in pain.

Kat's attention automatically went to me and I rolled over and tried to pull the tangled sheets around me, protecting my eyes from the harsh light.

"I'm sorry Patrick, it won't happen again," I head Bianca call before her footsteps retreated down the hall.

Kat smoothed my hair and mentioned toast, but I was already too far-gone to even care.

When I woke up, it was only a couple hours later. Or at least, that what's Kat told me from where she was sitting at my desk.

She looked the same as she did hours ago, except for the fact that some of her hair was falling out of her bun.

"I brought you some toast if you want it," she explained quietly.

My stomach growled at the mention of food, so Kat didn't even need an answer from me. She was already ahead of the game, fixing my pillows so that I could lean against them as I ate.

I was never this pampered before, even as a child. If I was sick I was sick. I was given medication and I would go to school. The only time I would stay home is if I had a temperature and was throwing up, which wasn't very often. I didn't get sick as often as most kids my age. When you're a kid you can afford to get sick, you want to get sick to miss a day or two of school. You don't realize until you're older that being sick isn't all it's cut out to be. There isn't always a mom or dad around to pamper you and take care of you.

I just got lucky this time because I had Kat and Walter. Kat cared for me a lot more than Walter did, so it didn't surprise me that Kat was the one to be by my side when I woke up. It didn't surprise me that she was the one to make me sit up and eat toast, forcing me to swallow each bite so that my body would have some nutrition in order to get better.

I had only rolled my eyes at her as she talked about the importance of having good nutrients. I put my hand on her leg, and I think she got the message after the fourth squeeze.

After I ate all three pieces of toast, she made me drink the rest of my Gatorade.

I then realized that I had to go to the bathroom. This was going to be extremely awkward, even if I could do this myself. I turned away form her, using all of the strength I had to make it to the bathroom. She had gotten up to follow me, probably noticing the slight wobbling in my legs.

I made it to the bathroom and back without falling over or injuring myself in any way. I got back onto bed and Kat fixed the covers for me, reminding me of when I was a small child and my mother would do the same for me.

Kat told me that it wasn't too late, only nine, but I was exhausted. It was funny how I laid in bed all day and I was tired. Kat went to leave and I grabbed her hand before it went out of reach. I wanted her to stay at least for a little while.

She asked me what I wanted her to do, and I croaked out the word, "Story."

She took a seat and sighed, trying to think of a story to tell me.

"Something real or not real?"

I swallowed again and tried to talk, my voice strained, "Real."

She sighed and thought for a minute, a frown darkening her lovely features.

"Well, my mom passed away when I was ten."

A lump formed in my throat, and I already knew that this could only go so wrong.

"She had breast cancer. Even at that young age you just know that Mommy is sick. You may not understand why your mom isn't like the others moms you see at school, and you definitely don't understand why your mother is losing her hair... and her life."

She paused, my hand taking hold of hers without question. Just the comfort of her hand in mine made this story more bearable to hear, and it wasn't even mine to tell.

"A week before she died she took Bianca and I to the carnival, you know, those stupid fairs that they put up every year. Do you know how contaminated everything in those places are? It's like walking into a…"

She stopped her tangent in mid sentence, muttering to herself to get a grip.

"Well, she took us to the carnival. Now mind you that this was only my second carnival, and being the little ten-year-old I was, I though I could do anything. By the time I was done we were all carrying different sized stuffed animals back to the car."

I smiled softly at the thought of a miniature Kat, taking on the world one carnival game at a time.

"The lights were bright, the place was hot. I was rocking-out to my own beat. I played game after game with Bianca, breaking plates and popping balloons. It was my mother though, that won Bianca and I the biggest prize, the giant tiger."

Kat's voice awed in wonder, her eyes lighting up as she got more in-depth with the story.

"It was that one game. You had to shoot the water through the moving target," her eyes got bigger as she spoke, and you could tell that she was going back Going back to that night that this all occurred, trying to picture very last detail. She was back when she was ten, Bianca was eight, and their mother was still alive. She was dreaming about a time where I didn't even exist to her.

"My mother took the stand, shooting down the space-ship in record time. The bells went off and we were all cheering, excited as ever that she had done it. She had won the biggest prize and we could be deemed as winners."

Kat shook her head, like she was trying to erase all of these thoughts from her mind.

"It took both Bianca and myself to carry that tiger out of the carnival. We were so proud too, the only kids that had won the biggest prize there."

I was captivated by the simple story, trying to picture all of this in my mind. Kat's smile and ten-year-old swagger as she walked out of the carnival, helping her sister carry out the biggest prize.

"It was one of the most memorable days," Kat's smile turned sad as she squeezed my hand lightly.

I opened my mouth to ask why, but she answered so that I wouldn't have to speak, "My mother died two weeks later. Her heart just couldn't take the strain anymore."

The happy moments in my mind flashed to cold, dark ones. Instead of the ten-year-old girl laughing with her sister she's the one standing silently next to a grave. The girl wasn't crying, suggesting that she knew all too well that this day would come. Suggesting that she knew all along but never wanted to say it out-loud, the things that were to come. The ten-year-old girl dressed in black, a color too old for a girl so youthful, not shedding a single tear for the world to see. Just like as she held my hand she didn't shed a single tear, her eyes didn't even water. They stayed hard and cold, the flickering light going out.

That's when I knew that Kat was like me. She had lost someone close to her at an even younger age, someone she knew quite well.

I didn't know my father as well as I would've liked, but as I started into her eyes I knew that she didn't want pity, just like I didn't.

She stepped up and filled the empty shoes, just like I did. The only difference is that her shoes brought her to California... and my shoes got me kicked-out of my house.

But I guess everyone's different, no matter how alike they may seem. I knew more about Kat from this seemingly pointless story than I'd ever expect to know about anyone.

So even though her stare was cold, I smiled.

I smiled because she trusted me enough to tell me her story, no matter how painful for her. I smiled because it made me understand why her walls were put up to begin with. She knew all too well that things could be taken away as quickly as they're given out, her mother just one example of that.

So I smiled, happy that she finally let me inside her walls. She smiled back eventually. Then she was laughing, the sound so beautiful that it hurt my ears. Soon, she was crying, her eyes streaming and all I could hear were her quiet sobs.

I had never seen Kat cry before I wasn't sure what to do. Crying girls were not exactly my forte, but I think I managed the situation quite well. Forgetting that I was sick at all, I pulled Kat into me. I let her stuff her face into my chest to quiet the tears, the sniffing she made told me she was done with her display. I waited for her to get off my hot and sweaty body, but she never did. I waited and waited, and she just laid there. I turned my head towards her, rousing her gently when I found her closed eyes.

She smiled up and kissed my cheek gently.

"You're a great listener, you know that?"

I smiled and kissed her forehead, her cold skin making me shiver slightly.

She looked gorgeous even after all of this. Her hair was rumpled and everywhere, baby belly on the floor somewhere, her clothes still wrinkled and shriveled, and her face tear stained.

But none of that mattered, because here she was, her smile the only thing that I could see. It was the only thing that I could wrap my mind around. That she was here, she was smiling at me, she trusted me, and that she would do anything for me.

So I kissed her. Right there, my sweaty body tangling with hers automatically.

We collided and we were both long gone. I was pushing her hair back, trying to press her face closer to me. I didn't care about the pounding in my head- I just cared about getting her body closer to mine. She shirt was strewn off of her and I could swear she shivered as our stomachs were pressed flat against each other.

She moaned when my hands unhooked her bra, covering her and caressing her with sweet and gently touches. Her hands were in my hair, pulling and tugging, sliding down my back to slip into the back of my boxers as I pressed my hardness into her thigh.

And that's when we risked it all. Her father was asleep down the hall, Bianca oblivious to everything outside of her own little world. We connected. She found a condom and slid down on top of me, our moans as quiet and strangled as they could be. As she rode me I threw my head back onto the pillow and dug my fingers into her skin, my head spinning from the physical activity.

When it was our time we both shuddered and cried out, her lips over mine in a second to shush the sound. She collapsed on my chest, which was heaving as I tried to breathe- in and out, in and out, in and out.

Her smile was contagious, and I didn't even realize the strangled, breathless, chocked words that were coming out of my mouth,

"I love you."

She faltered in all actions, her body tensing and freezing, looking at me like she didn't know whether or not I was joking.

But the smile on my face was and stayed true, even though hers was fading. I knew she could feel every fiber of my being, pouring the love into her.

"I love you," I croaked to her again, using all of my strength left to push her hair out of her face and kiss her unresponsive lips.

I waited for her, the gears turning. The grin finally formed on her face and I knew that I could grin back,

"I love you too."

The kiss we shared was passionate and left us both breathless again. She was all I needed and she was all I wanted. She was everything that I would possibly dream of and more. She was everything to me now. Who would have known that this attitude could be contagious, and she would feel the same way about me?

The night flew on and her eyes closed slowly as she folded her body into mine, our smiles matching and our blood filled with happiness from head to toe.

When she fell asleep, I watched the love of my life breathe. Just breathe.

It was the first thing you do when you get out of your mother's womb. You take a breath… and then you start crying. Her chest rose and fell into my side, my mind concentrating on everything but her naked form tangled and pressed into mine.

She sighed dreamily as I fell asleep, and I knew that when I awoke the next morning she would still be there. And even if she wasn't, I knew that it would be a brighter day. It would always be brighter now, knowing that we'll always be around for each other and that we'll always love each other… for as long as we possible can.

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update. I had some writer's block, and then when I started writing there was school and family issues that I had to deal with.

I hope you guys liked this. It's probably going to be the final chapter, since everything is all wrapped up with a bow on top.

Please review and tell me if you liked the ending. Sorry if Patrick and some weird symptoms, I haven't been sick in a while really remember what it felt like, and I was too stubborn to look something up online.

Until we meet again,

artist1157

P.S. If you guys want more from me let me know. I would love to write something for anyone!