KLAYLEY SHORT STORIES.

FINDING HOPE.

Adopted Story from fanfiction StelenalsMySunshine.

For @klaylovers

AH.

CHAPTER ONE.

Hayley didn't do fear. As a rule. It was not an emotion that she cultivated, nor allowed herself to feel on a normal basis. But then again, this wasn't a normal situation. Far from it, actually.

She moved to the small bed and lightly ran her fingers over the soft golden-brown hair of her daughter. Her pride and joy, her everything. Literally, her Hope.

She had never wanted to be a Mother – she'd never really had one herself after all. She believed that she was a mess on a good day. She hadn't wanted to damage an innocent kid in any way and she had felt sure that she would. With the baby's DNA, it seemed inevitable.

When she first found out she was pregnant, she had seriously considered not having the baby at all. She had even gone so far as to book an appointment with the local Mystic Falls women's clinic. She vividly remembered sitting on a cold exam table in a cheap paper gown, legs trembling, waiting for the doctor. She'd had every intention of going through with the procedure to terminate her pregnancy but in the end, she left before she ever saw the doctor. She didn't know why but she didn't want to have to say goodbye to the little life growing inside of her. She might suck at being a Mother, she had reasoned then, but at least she wouldn't be alone anymore.

That was five years ago and she didn't regret having Hope for a second. She was in fact nursing a silent fear that her journey through motherhood would end all too soon.

She traced the line of Hope's cheek. The little girl's eyes were closed. She looked so pale as she slept. So unnaturally pale. And worse, her skin was cold. When this nightmare had first started, Hope had always been feverish and she'd cried a lot. Hayley would prefer that to this – the silence, the permeating chill. She wasn't stupid. She knew Hope didn't have a lot of time left. If Chris wasn't a match ... God, help them.

Okay, yes, Hayley had other avenues to explore but she wasn't going to exercise those options unless absolutely necessary. She knew there would be consequences, though no consequence could be greater than the loss of her Daughter, the only person who she had ever truly given her heart to. She would ultimately do what it took to save her Daughter but she hoped – no, she prayed, to a God she didn't believe in – that Chris would come through for her and Hope for once in his life.

She leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to Hope's cool cheek. She then reached for her tiny hand and held it for a long time until the door opened. Dr. Meredith Fell beckoned to Hayley.

Hayley brushed her messy brunette locks off her face. Then she took one last look at her Daughter – wanting to memorize her, somehow – and followed Meredith into the hallway. Meredith had Hope's chart clutched in her hand and she wore a somber expression on her face. Hayley knew the truth in that moment.

"He's not a match – Chris is not a match, is he?" She already knew the answer but needed Dr. Fell to offer her some well, hope. No matter how shallow it was.

"I'm afraid not. I'm very sorry, Hayley."

"Me too," Hayley said hoarsely. "Me too." She pressed a hand to her mouth for a moment. Then she looked at Meredith again. "What's next? What do we do next?"

"We're running out of options here, Hayley," Meredith said in a soft, lilting voice. "We have Hope listed on the registry but it could take months, years, even, to find a match and I am sorry to say, truly I am, that we don't have the luxury of time. Hayley," Meredith addressed her, resting her hand on Hayley's in an attempt at a comforting gesture, "We've talked about this. The best option –"