A/N: ugh, its been forever since i even worked on this thing

Chapter Three

"But she's seven years old, and she's never left the hospital! She doesn't even know what the town looks like!"

"I'm sorry; Mr. Frost, but I already told you. You're sister's conditions is-"

"Yeah, I know. But will you at least let her have something to remember? Emma has been stuck in the hospital ever since she was a baby. The only sunshine she feels is through her window and her happiest memory was when I gave her her favorite book! If you would just let me take her out for only twenty minutes-"

"My decision is final, Mr. Frost. We both know that it is for the best, even if it is unfair. I'm sorry, but your sister cannot leave her room."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." He was sorry that Emma's doctor was a heartless moron. Jack turned his back and left the room. Asking if Emma could be taken out wasn't going to work anyway. He shouldn't have even bothered wasting his breath.

Emma's condition grew worst every day. She didn't know how sick she was, and Jack had no intentions to tell her. Every day he would see her smile even though she's never experience true happiness. All those days when she would smile at him was out of gratitude and humor, never happiness. But, Jack swore that he'll let her have one fun memory even if it kills him.

Emma Overland Frost has never had the chance to actually live a true life, and her big brother refused to let her pass away without doing so.

/

Jack had gotten a third job at the grocery store as a bag-boy. It wasn't as busy as being a waiter and it was far from being fun, but packing food into a paper or plastic bag was simple enough. His schedule was different from most people his age. Day in and day out he would wake up, walk Jamie and Sophie to school, submit to his job as a waiter, walk Jamie and Sophie home from school, and then he would spend the rest of the day waiting for their mom to come home. Once she did, Jack went straight to the hospital and stayed with Emma until visiting hours were over. Even when Jamie and Sophie didn't have school Jack would be busy. Having such short shifts as a waiter during the week, his amount of sleep was reduced by two hours in order to work early on weekends. Afterwards, he would leave at his usual time and then work a full shift at the grocery store. By the time he was done, visiting hours at the hospital would be half over, reducing his visits with Emma.

At most Jack would have five hours of sleep to fuel him. Working so many jobs and having so many responsibilities was exhausting, but he was too stubborn to give any of it up. He was too busy to go to college or find someone to be in a relationship with, and Jack's sole purpose was to provide for Emma and all of her medical needs.

Today he was walking down the crystal-white hallways of the hospital. He had just left Emma's room after giving her a winter coat he had bought her and was now waiting outside the entrance. Both he and his sister that he would go back to see her shortly, but it was still too early at the moment.

After working three jobs, Jack had finally made enough preparations tonight. It was Christmas Eve, the night he would sneak Emma out of the hospital.

He stayed out of the hospital until all of the lights in the windows went out. Midnight was rolling around by the time the workers left the building. When Jack saw the last car leave the parking lot, he snuck over Emma's room on the first floor where the window was left unlocked. It was time for Emma to see the world.

/

"Shhhh. Don't make any noises, okay?"

"Okay, Jack!"

Jack was sneaking Emma out through her open window. She was wrapped tightly in a blanket along with her new winter coat Jack gave her a few hours ago. Since the only footwear she had were a pair of wool socks and slippers, she wasn't suitable to walk on the snow covered ground.

"How are you feeling, Emma?"

"Excited! This is going to be so cool!" She was riding on Jack's back as he walked away from the hospital. While being carried by her brother, she muffled any cough that would find its way up her throat. Despite having two layers of warmth around her, Emma was still cold. But like her brother, she was too stubborn to pay any attention to it. She was weak and frail but she was happy.

"If you get cold, just let me know, alright?"

"I will, Jack…"

Snowflakes fell on Emma's face as they reached the outskirts of town. This was Emma's first time being outside, and it was beautiful. "Thanks, Jack…"

"Hold on there, Emma. The night had just begun! You're acting like it's already over." Jack was unnerved by how soft Emma's voice was. She was as light as a feather and even with her arms around his neck she still felt cold.

"How much longer until we reach the lights, Jack?"

"Only a few minutes, Emma. How are you feeling?"

"Cool..."

Jack and Emma continued down the road. Every few seconds Jack would say something to his sister, just to make sure that she was still awake. When they reached the downtown area of Burgess, Emma kept her sleepy eyes open and had a full view of it.

The scenery was amazing. All of the colorful Christmas lights twinkled though the night while merry music filled the air. Emma was grateful.

"Can you see it Emma? Can you see the lights?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"What do you think?"

"It's really pretty, Jack…"

"Glad you like it, Emma! And if you think that the lights are cool, wait until we reach the big Christmas tree in the middle of everything. You're gonna love it, Emma."

"Y-Yeah…it's all so pretty Jack. I'm…glad that I could see all this…thank you, Jack…" Emma was becoming lighter and Jack stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. His smile had turned into a frown and he sensed sadness in Emma's voice, but she was also happy. "You're welcome, lil lady."

He kept walking through town with Emma on his back. "But listen, if you think that seeing the lights are fun, then wait until you see what I planned for tonight! I saved up some money from my three jobs and I can even take you shopping! Isn't that great, Emma? I'll buy you whatever you want, my treat. I'll even take you to a jewelry store if you want to."

Emma wasn't responding to Jack anymore. He didn't know whether or not she was sleeping, but Jack could still feel the faint beat of her heart. As long as she was alive, Jack continued to walk through town. It's what Emma would have wanted.

Jack kept a one-sided conversation with Emma. The weather became colder, so he hoped she would be warm enough with her coat and blanket.

"And I also made a dinner reservation too. I don't remember what the place is called, but it's really nice since I saw it in a magazine the last time I went to the bookstore. The food there is supposed to be really good and I just know that you're gonna love it. You must tired of that plain, tasteless hospital food by now, right?"

"..."

"We can even go see Santa Clause and get a picture with him if you want. I know you don't really believe in that stuff, but I think it'll be good to have a photo from tonight. This is something we'll look back on a laugh. What do you say, Emma?"

"…"

"Emma?" Jack set his sister down on a bench and noticed that her eyes were closed. He prayed that she was only sleeping and that she hadn't passed away yet. It was too early. "You awake, Emma?" he asked as he nudged her shoulder. She was still being unresponsive, and Jack put his ear to her chest.

Ba-dump…Ba-dump…Ba-dump…

…

Ba…dump…

…

"E-Emma? Please tell me you're just sleeping. Emma?"

There still wasn't any sign of life in his sister, and Jack began to gently shake her. "C'mon, Emma, jokes over. Haha, you got me, alright? It's time to wake up now, Emma."

Jack denied that his sister was dead. She wasn't dead; she was just playing a joke on him! That's what this was, just a joke. This was just payback for all the tricks that he's played on her.

"Emma, wake up! You can't do this now! Emma, please!" His cries began to attract a small audience of people around them. Jack was desperately shouting for his sister to wake up and the crowd just watched him. Someone must have called an ambulance, because not a second later Emma was being carried away.

/

Jack was in no means of being ready to let go of his sister. He knew that she was hopelessly sick, but she was what kept him going through life. Emma was what fueled him to wake up and work just so that he could see her smile. It was too early for her to die. She was only able to see the lights downtown for a few seconds and there was so much that Emma still had to accomplish in life; even if it was impossible.

Jack was sitting in the hallway outside the room that Emma was in. His voice was sore from screaming so much and he was constantly fidgeting from anxiety. Emma's doctor had found out that he had snuck her out, but all of the yelling and threats Jack received went unheard. He was too scared to feel guilty. He just didn't want his little sister to die the day before Christmas.

Jack looked up at the clock again and sighed. Emma has been in her room and under emergency care for over an hour now. It was agonizing to wait. He was about to fall asleep when Emma's doctor came out of her room –looking grim. "Mr. Frost?"

"Y-Yes?" Jack's heart was racing faster than it ever has before. He was now standing up and staring at the doctor, about to ask the million dollar question. "How's Emma? How's my sister doing?"

The doctor took off his latex gloves and stuffed them in his pocket. He sighed and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Son, you were a damn fool to take her out on a night like this. It was even snowing! What were you two thinking when-"

"I don't care! Yeah, I know that I screwed up, but at least I made her happy! I couldn't just stand there and watch her look like a miserable animal in a cage and watch her waste away! So tell me what the condition of my little sister is!"

"Well…"

"What?"

"Due to being exposed outside for too long without taking any of her medication, I'm afraid some of your sister's vital organs are beginning to fail. We've been able to keep her live for this long while in the hospital, but I don't think she'll be alive for much longer. I wouldn't get any hopes up."

Jack sat down, feeling light-headed. The news had hit him like a train, and he could already feel tears brewing in his eyes. "C-Can't you just do an operation or something?"

"We can, but there aren't any biological donors on hand right now and the time-"

"I'll do it."

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? I said that I'll do it. I'll become Emma's donor. I'm her brother after all, and she is my responsibility."

"But-"

"I'll donate anything that she needs; even if my own body needs them to function properly. Anything to let her live. Just let me fill out whatever paperwork there is."

Jack was dead serious. Now that there was a way for Emma to not only wake up tomorrow but to also live a normal life, he had to become her donor. He didn't know how well the organs of someone his age would serve a seven year old little girl, but it was better than nothing.

Never before has he ridden such a roller coaster of emotions. To think that he could have lost what's most precious to him –the presence of Emma- only to find a way to help her was indescribable. He was determined to save her, regardless of whatever cost there may be.

"I promised Emma that I would always look after her," he said to the doctor. "I am all she has! And I don't give a damn about what you say, just let me save her!"

He could tell that the doctor was stunned at his attitude towards surgery. Jack's heart was thrashing again as he waited for a response. "Please."

The doctor paused for a moment to think before looking down at his clipboard. "Right, then, Mr. Frost. There isn't anything that will change your mind, is there?"

"Not unless there's a sudden miracle and Emma magically gets better. Other than that, nope."

"Well, follow me then." The doctor led Jack to his office where he pulled out a large stack of papers. Jack filled out any bit of information he knew and signed all the wavers. As long as Emma would be okay, he didn't care what happened to himself.

/

Emma was as pale as a ghost when Jack saw her. "Ten minutes, Mr. Frost." the nurse told him. Jack responded with a nod and crouched besides his sister. An IV was pumping some fluid into her arm while her heart monitor beeped as if it were a countdown. Emma was also hooked up to various other machines, all keeping her alive.

"Hey Emma," he whispered, stroking her brown hair. "Sorry that we didn't get to do that much outside, but you had fun, right? You seemed to like being out of the hospital, even if it was only for a little while."

"J-Jack…?" Emma's eyes cracked open and she turned her head to her brother. Even though she was barely audible, Jack had no problems hearing her speak. "Yeah, it's me."

"W-What's…h-happening?"

"Don't worry, Emma. I talked to your doctor and everything will turn out fine. The surgeons here are going to fix you up."

"…Sur…geons?"

"That's right; tonight you're going to be fixed. After that, you'll actually be able to leave the hospital! Can you believe that, Emma? I'm even going to help you get better!"

"H-How?"

"They're just gonna take some healthy stuff from me and use it to help you. It may sound risky, but we both have a really high chance of getting out of here. And after all this medical stuff is over, you can come live with me and go to school! You can even meet Jamie!"

"J-Jack…ple…ase…"

"What?"

"I don't…th-think that y-you…"

"No, Emma, I want to do this. There's nothing for you to be worried about at all. Remember my promise? No matter what happens, I will always be with you. Don't fret, Emma, it's going to be all okay. I promise."

"Jack…" Jack could see tears forming in Emma's eyes. He wiped them away, not wanting to see her cry. "Emma, just believe in me. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"…" Emma's eyes had given into her fatigue and they closed. Her heart monitor slowly beeped, but it was a sign she was still hanging on. Despite being unconscious, Jack stayed by her side until it was time for the operation.

"Are you ready Mr. Frost?" One of the surgeons asked as they popped their head in. "We're ready to start. We just need you and your sister."

Jack looked at sister and smiled. "I'm ready."

Emma's bed was wheeled to the operating room with Jack following her. He changed out of his clothes as he and Emma were prepared for surgery. Within a few minutes, he was unconscious. All he could do now was to hope for the best.

/

Emma opened her eyes to a white ceiling. Her head was comfortably rested on a pillow while a blanket covered her body. She was wearing a hospital gown with bandages wrapped from her chest to her stomach, masking whatever was underneath. Her whole body felt sore –as if she fell out of a tree- but that didn't stop her from sitting up.

But what was different most of all was that Jack wasn't with her.

"Jack?" Emma's pounding head twisted and turned in search of her brother. "Jack? Where are you? What happened?"

She could barely recall what had happened last night. Yesterday was Christmas Eve -making today Christmas- and Jack had taken her out to see the lights downtown. The lights…Emma had seen the lights! All of her memory was flooding back to her now. Jack had stolen her from the hospital, he carried her while it was snowing, and he walked around town just so that she could see the lights!

Then she began to feel tired…

Emma's memory was static when trying to remember what happened next. She had become tired and she probably fell asleep but she didn't remember what happened to Jack...

"Ah, Emma, I see that you're awake." A familiar voice made Emma jump. It was one of her many doctors entering the room with a clipboard.

"Oh, hi, doctor." Emma kept looking around for Jack but still saw no trace of him. She was growing scared. "What's going on? Where's my brother?"

Her doctor didn't answer; he only sighed and stared down at his clipboard.

For the next ten minutes he asked Emma about her health and how she was feeling. Emma answered him honestly, but was still wondering where Jack was. She was happy to learn that she could finally leave the hospital in a few weeks once she fully recovered from surgery, and she couldn't wait to tell Jack once she found him. He was going to be so happy when he'd find out she was getting better. Whatever happened to her during the operation must have been a success.

"Doctor," Emma stated. "We've been talking for like, a long time now. You still haven't told me where Jack is. Is he in another room? I wanna go see him."

The grim look on her doctor's face worried Emma. "What is it? What's wrong?" He didn't respond to her, he felt too sorry for her to answer.

Emma Overland Frost was born into the world without parents and with a serious medical condition. She was raised in a hospital by her brother and nurses, never meeting anyone else. Now that she's had a proper operation, she will finally leave the hospital behind and go live an actual life. Her doctor would be happy for her, if she hadn't faced such a loss. "Emma, I regret to inform you, but there is something that you should know about your older brother and the operation."

"Please don't tell me that all this is only temporary. Jack's been working really hard to make me happy and I don't want all that to go to waste."

"What I'm trying to say is, there was…"

"There was a what?"

"An accident."

"Accident?"

"Last night, while you and your brother were being operated on, there was a complication. The snow outside was causing some minor malfunctions in some of our power supplies. While it didn't affect you, it did affect your brother."

"What happened to Jack? Is he hurt?"

Her doctor gripped Emma's shoulders and refused to look her in the eye. That was when she realized the truth. Jack had lied to her again. "I'm sorry, your brother was harshly affected by the setbacks. The operation was a success for you, but we could barely do anything with your brother to help him recover. I'm sorry Emma, he's gone. Jack passed shortly after the operation was over."

A/N: its official, I have writer's block on this.