What Fate Brings

Chapter 1

It was every mothers worst nightmare; sitting in a hospital with your husband waiting. 3 hours ago, Taylah had woken up as healthy as any other 10 year old girl; but that all changed, and she will go to sleep as an unhealthy 10 year old girl. Taylah was sick, she just didn't know how sick until the kernel of an unpopped popcorn set her off. Coughing up blood? She couldn't ignore that.

She broke the news to her parents when they were in the living room watching "Taken". Taylah started coughing, to the point she couldn't breathe. When her parents looked towards her to see if she was okay, they realised very quickly she wasn't. Blood splurging from her mouth, and a puddle of the crimson gore in her hands, her parents knew that something was wrong. And now here they were, at the hospital while their daughter was getting treated. Aria was crying silently, the odd tear or two falling down her cheek. "Ezra..." she whispered brokenly, and it wasn't until she looked at him that she realised he was crying too; he never cries. "Mhm?" he replied, she could hear his voice crack. "What's happening? I'm scared. Something's wrong with our baby girl and we couldn't see it" she says. Ezra looked at Aria sadly, "I think I know what's wrong, I just didn't want to say anything" he replied. Aria grew worried, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've think I've known for a while that something was wrong, but I didn't want to get you worried." he finishes.

What did he think was wrong?

She gave him a look, pressing him on further.

"She's been showing signs of it, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, coughing fits. Aria..." he trails off. "What?" she says demandingly.

"I think she has lung cancer."

Aria stared at him in disbelief. She didn't want to believe him. She couldn't believe him. But there was a small part of him that knew he was right, you couldn't ignore the symptoms.

"I'm gonna call Spencer" Aria said before standing up and pulling out her phone. She needed her best friend here, not just Ezra. Hanna and Emily had drifted away and made their own lives, while she was never that close with Alison.

"Aria?" Spencer said sleepily into the receiver as expected, Spencer worked night shift. "Spenc you have to come to the hospital now" Aria said, her voice cracking at the end. This woke up Spencer completely. "Woah, Aria what's wrong?". Aria hesitated before continuing, "there's something wrong with Taylah..." then all she heard was a dial tone.

20 minutes had passed before Spencer showed up with Toby and their 10 year old daughter Aubree, who was teary eyed; she and Taylah were also best friends.

Spencer rushed over to Aria embracing her in a hug. "Ar, what's wrong?" she asked sadly. Aria sobbed before replying, "Taylah has been coughing up blood and forgetting to breathe..." she trailed off, unable to continue. Spencer's eyes widened, realising what it meant. She sobbed violently, her cries racking through her body. Toby placed a protective arm around her, tears silently flowing down his cheeks.

"Lung cancer..."