Dr. Kinley Jones sat down, with a damper look on her face. She met looks with the Malik parents as they pulled their children closer to their bodies, hoping that their mere touch and hug could protect them from the world.
"I have bad news," she started. "Isabella's leukemic count is high and..."
"Leukemic? She has cancer?" Jessica interrupted.
"Yes, Mrs. Malik. She has a rare form, causing the cancerous cells to develop rapidly and her white blood count to really falter and not work properly. I'm so sorry. She needs to be put into treatment immediately."
It didn't take a second for the tears to start. Zayn knew that he had to be a man. He knew that he had to comfort his family, but he needed to feel his emotions, too.
Hold me
Like the river Jordan
And I will then say to thee
You are my friend
"It's okay, babe. We'll get through this." He placed his head on the top of Jessica's as she rest herself in the crevice of his neck. He could feel her tears soaking his collar bone and a few of his filtered into her hair. He kissed her head.
"No matter what, she'll be okay. We can do this, babe. We're strong, yeah?" His voice fluctuated as he spoke. He asked the question more to himself, because in that moment, he didn't feel strong.
"Why does this have to happen right now? I just want our little girl to be okay." He hadn't seen her cry like that besides the day the children were born and they didn't think Landon would make it.
"God doesn't put these situations on people that he doesn't think could handle it. We're the Malik's, babe, we're fighters."
She pulled her son close to her and Zayn rubbed his daughter's back.
"We have to be fighters, now."
Carry me
Like you are my brother
Love me like a mother
Will you be there?
***
"Welcome, this is another segment on the Today Show. Here in New York is the power couple of the decade, Jessica and Zayn Malik."
"Thank you for having us," they both spoke softly. It felt like the world was dull and the set was no different.
“We all expected you two to come on and share news about a possible new baby. It seems that news isn’t in store for us. What is it that you came to say?”
Jessica rose to speak, “Recently we took our daughter into the doctor, because she had been getting bruises and was really lethargic all the time. We got sent to an oncologist from her pediatrician and we found out that she has acute leukemia.”
“We weren’t very familiar with things like this until this happened,” Zayn began. “She has one of the rarest forms of leukemia and it causes the cancerous cells to develop faster, because her white blood cells aren’t there to fight it off.”
“Wow,” the host Kate started. “I know this must be incredibly difficult for your five year old daughter, but how is it for you two?”
They displayed pictures of their little girl and the family, leaving the audience with no dry eye.
“Zayn has been amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in times like this. He lets me feel every emotion that I want to feel. When I need to cry, he lets me. Right before we came on, I told him that I might lose it and I might start bawling," she looked to her left to look her husband in the eye. "And he told me that I have every right to. I really need that. It's so good to know that we are going through this battle with her together."
