Take on the world

2 - Their date

Eventually it was time for the date, Cassie was nervous, she didn't want to fall in love, just for him to ultimately lose her, but Max didn't care, he wanted to spend his time with her.

They went to a lookout spot which overlooked the city as they sat on the hood of his car together, Cassie smiled as Max wrapped his arm around her shoulders, they were happy, and she forgot that she had a condition which could kill her if she was exposed to direct sunlight, but she wanted to enjoy the fact that this was her first date, regardless of whether or not this was in the middle of the night when everyone should be sleeping.

"How are you so okay with being out this late at night?" He asked her as she smiled softly, "I got used to it, I used to come here all the time, when I first started going out at night, and I would sit here, and I would play guitar, and I would sing." Cassie spoke as Max nodded his head. "When can I hear you sing?" He asked as she shook her head, "Never, it's never going to happen." She joked before laid down on ground and looked out at the stars.

They eventually fell asleep, before waking up when Cassie felt warmth on her skin, before she sat up gasping, Max soon woke up, watching as Cassie was panicking, "We have to go now! I have to get home." She spoke, as Max nodded his head as he got her in the car, and quickly took her home, Geri and Christian were there already, outside waiting. As they saw her, Christian quickly picked her up as she collapsed as soon as she got out the car, "Geri, stay here, I'll take her to the hospital, call Dr. Wells and tell him that she's been in sunlight." He spoke as he placed Cassie in the back of the car, covering her with her jacket before he turned to Max, "You were supposed to bring her back before the sun came up." He seethed before he drove to the hospital.

Max turned to Geri, "I'm so sorry, we were talking, and then we fell asleep, I didn't do this intentionally, I am so sorry." He spoke as Geri nodded, she believed him, but Christian had also been there, when she had been sick last time. "Max it's okay, but this is serious, she has Xeroderma Pigmentosum, and it can cause different kinds of problems, and one of them is brain cancer, and she has that, and so Christian is very protective and he takes it all seriously." She explained seeing him nod.

At the hospital, Christian was in the waiting room as Cassie had been taken for scans, to see how the sun had affected her, he was hoping it wasn't too bad, but with how long she had been in the sun, it was unknown until the results came back.

Dr Wells came and sat with Christian, "Cassidy is resting now, but her scans have come back, her brain is contracting, and the cancer is spreading, however, we don't think her exposure to the sun was the cause, we think it was only a matter of time, until her condition deteriorated to this point." She explained as Christian nodded his head, "We think she will have until November at the latest." The doctor added as Christian processed the information, he didn't want to consider her death yet, "What about treatments?" He asked the doctor, who had been treating his daughter since she was a baby. "We can continue with the chemotherapy we are doing, but it will get more aggressive, and I want you to be prepared for that." Dr Wells explained as she looked at the distraught father, who held his daughters hand, "You should also know, we did harvest some of her eggs, she requested it and Geri gave her permission, in case she ever wanted children in the future." He explained.

Cassie looked up when Christian walked in, "Hey dad, when can Max and I go out again? I had fun." She spoke before he looked at her, "Cass, your brain is contracting, the cancer is spreading in your brain, you have until November at the latest, so now we focus on getting you better." He spoke as Cassie nodded, she knew it was pointless to argue with Christian, she knew he wouldn't want to acknowledge the elephant in the room that she wasn't going to survive, but she also knew that she wanted to go with him, to the race weekends, she wouldn't stay at home and wallow in her self pity, but she didn't know if he was going to let her do that.

"If we're getting me better, then we should go home, and pack, I want to go to the race weekends with you, I want to experience what you do, it's all I want." She spoke as Christian nodded, he knew that Geri would be the only one to acknowledge what Cassie wanted, he just wanted her to stay at home safe, but he also knew that she was strong willed and she would find a way to go."

Once they got back home, it was dark outside, Max's car was still there, Cassie had her jacket wrapped around her as she walked to the door, she smiled as Max opened the door before she looked at Christian, "Dad, you go on ahead, I want to talk Max." she spoke as he hesitated, before he nodded his head letting them be alone.

Max smiled softly at the girl he had come to care for, "Hey, I was thinking we could go out again, when you feel better." He spoke as Cassie sighed as she took a seat on the porch steps Max sitting next to her, "We can't, just leave me alone Max, it's better if we end this, here, before it gets serious." She spoke before she walked inside and headed straight for her room, Christian sighed before he walked outside and sat next to Max, who was sat there still.

"At the hospital they did a scan of her brain, it's contracting, and the cancer has spread, she has until November, at the latest they said, she doesn't want to drag you down, she has a condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum and the exposure to the sun, probably wasn't the cause of this, but it does mean, she's going to get sicker, she knew it was going to happen, she just didn't expect to fall for you, she doesn't want to hurt you when she goes. I think it's for the best that you stay away from her" He spoke as Max nodded his head.

Max didn't know what to do, the girl he liked, was trying to push him away, but he wanted to be there for her, how could she expect him to walk away? How could her dad, his boss expect him to walk away?

Cassie was in her room when her mum walked up and she smiled softly at her, "Hey, is Max still outside?" she asked, Geri nodding to confirm he was still out there, "He really likes you, let him be here for you, he wants you to let him be there." Geri spoke as Cassie nodded her head, she wanted to let him be there, but she also didn't want to bring him down at all.

"I want to go to Mexico with dad, I'm going to live my life, the sun can't do anything more to me mum, so please let me go." She spoke seeing Geri nod, "Alright, you can go, but only if your dad agrees, I'll talk to him about it." She spoke before she headed downstairs as Cassie looked out her window.

She saw Max was still outside, she knew he wouldn't leave, so she went outside to him, she sat next to him, "There's something I've always wanted to do in Monaco, when we get there after Mexico, I want to see the sunrise and the sunset, I've heard it's beautiful at those times." She spoke as Max looked concerned at her, she wasn't meant to be in the sun, but she wants to feel the sun on her skin. "I want to feel it before I go, but I doubt my dad will let that happen, I've never been on a racetrack before, I want to experiance that too." She spoke as she looked at him carefully.

Cassie hadn't been able to go to Mexico, Christian had put his foot down and said no, and with good reason, three days after he left, she had gotten worse and was now hospitalised and she was in her own room in the hospital, with blackout blinds to stop the sunlight. She was watching the replay of the Mexican Grand Prix, cheering on Max, whilst also having her treatment, she couldn't help but feel like she was being treated like she was porcelain and would shatter at any moment.

She looked up as her door opened, in walked Max and Christian, they had arrived back at the factory, being told that she was in hospital, he brought her a boquet of her favourite flowers, sunflowers, she smiled as he kissed her head. "Hey." She whispered, as she looked at him, she moved slightly so he could lie next to her, she was deteriorating, and she wanted to just spend however long she had left, with the people she loved.

Carefully, Max climbed into the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms when he got himself situated, he pressed a kiss to her head, "Cass, I need to ask you something, will you be my girlfriend?" Max paused, he watched as she considered it, before she looked at him, her doe, brown eyes meeting his electric blue ones, a smile playing on her lips, "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend." She spoke as she kissed him before she pulled away, smiling softly as she looked at him.