A Sequel to 'Strong Enough' based on the alternate ending of that story

Chapter 18

"You alright?" Jay asked her, "let's sit for a minute"

Erin nodded, "yea ok" she took in the pink balloons that had been attached to the pews, it seemed so surreal. She didn't know little Mia, they came to support Kim and Adam, she knew that they had been struggling with the little girl's death.

"My god Jay, she was beautiful" Erin announced as she stared at the large pictures of Mia that had been placed throughout the church. Almost everyone in attendance decked out in bright pink, Mia's favorite color.

Jay clutched Erin's hand in is, "She certainly was," he could hear Adam's voice behind him, he glanced over his shoulder, "Hey Adam and Kim are here, they brought little Adam too" the look on the little guy's face was hard to read.

"I'm kind of surprised they'd bring him, you'd think it would scare him" Jay said softly.

Erin wiped her eyes, "They were close, Kim said. Poor kid, I can't imagine what's going through his mind right now.

They waited as Adam and Kim spoke to Mia's parents.

Adam kissed Kim's temple as Mia's parents moved on to the next couple who were waiting to speak with them, "You okay Adam?" His hand on his son's shoulder.

Little Adam looked up, "It's sad" was all he said, "I see Uncle Jay!" A hint of excitement in his voice.

Kim's eye scanned the crowd, she approached their best friends, "Erin, you guys didn't have to come"

Erin grabbed her hand, "Yes we did. I know how much Mia meant to you and" she looked around the packed church, "and..well it doesn't really matter, you're our friends and we wanted to support you"

Jay and Adam moved into the lobby of the church, "How's it going with little Adam?" Jay asked him.

Adam picked up a memorial card and held it in his hands, Mia's face filled with laughter and a head full of curls, "This is a good picture of Mia" he said to no one in particular" it hit him that Jay asked a question, "What did you want to know?"

"Adam. How's Adam?" He asked again, the kid looked like he was feeling alright a huge difference from a few weeks ago.

Adam looked back into the church, Adam sat beside Kim her arms holding him close to her. He knew this morning was extremely difficult for her. They had said Mia didn't have much time a while ago, but Mia had other plans.

It had Kim thinking she would pull through that she would defy the odds, only for her hope to be crushed when she got the phone call a few days ago letting her know Mia had passed away.

"He's alright, all things considered." Adam admitted.

"The transplant? When's that going down?" He asked him, "and talk about small world, the doctor being his great uncle and a match. That seems almost surreal and something from a movie"

Adam smirked, "My dad swears my mother had a hand in it. Divine intervention of some sort" he shrugged, "I don't know what it is, I'm just happy it's happening. We start prepping for the transplant next week, it's going to be hard. They need to knock out his immune system, what's left of it anyway"

"It'll all be worth it, as hard as it is you need to remember that, for Adam and Kim" Jay headed back into the church, "you coming?"

Adam nodded, "Just give me a minute"

The lobby of the church was filled with pictures of Mia, Adam carefully inspected them all, surprised to see his son's smiling face in one.

He silently prayed, asking his mother to protect his little boy and to heal him.

He wasn't one for religion but cancer does that to you, makes you seek it out.

The saying 'there aren't any atheists in foxholes' rang true for him, and he was in the foxhole of his life.

Kim leaned into him as soon as he sat down, "Where did you go?"

"I just needed a minute or two, I'm okay" Adam held her close, "I love you"

Kim smiled, "I love you too"

ONE WEEK LATER

"Alright, Adam today's the day" Kim smiled as she woke him up, "today is the day we are going to kick cancer  out of your body, are you ready?"

Adam rolled over and tried pulling the covers over his face, "I'm too tired, let me sleep" he grumbled.

They had taken a brief respite from his chemo, Dr.Miller wanted him to have a few weeks off before he started the high dose chemo necessary to obliterate his body and prepare him for the transplant.

"What time did you go to bed?"

Adam peeked out from under the blanket, "uh, a little while ago. Dad said I could stay up and play video games"

Kim chuckled, "Did he now?"

"Uh-huh" Adam grinned sitting up in the bed, "I'm kind of scared, Mom" he admitted, he had been told about the before transplant treatment plan and how intense it would be.

They felt they owed it to him to be honest with him and explain everything.

Adam joined them, hearing his son's admission he wanted to set the boy straight, "It's okay to be scared"

"But everyone says I'm brave, but I can't be brave and scared at the same time" he explained his logic.

"Like hell you can't" Adam told him, earning a smack from Kim, "Sorry"

Little Adam laughed, "Mom doesn't like when you use bad words, you know"

"I know" Adam moved so he was sitting beside his son and put his arm around him, "Can I tell you something?"

The lite boy nodded, silently telling his father to continue, "I'm scared sometimes, do you think I'm brave?"

Adam giggled, exchanging a look with Kim, "Not when it's a spider, you scream like a girl"

Kim laughed along with him, "Not cool you two, not cool at all. Spiders are creepy, alright?   Nothing wrong with being uncomfortable around them"

"Uncomfortable?" Kim eyed him suspiciously, "I think scared shitless is better way to phrase that" she had been elected the 'spider killer' of the house. The man could face off against the worst criminals the city of Chicago had to offer but not spiders.

"Alright, alright" he laughed, "what I was trying to get at is, you can be brave and scared at the same time"

"You can?"

"Of course, being brave means doing something even though it scares you" Adam explained, "that's what you've been doing since the day we found out you have ALL"

Kim felt tears invade her eyes, "Alright handsome you need to get ready" she needed to get the day started she knew it was the only thing that would settle her nerves some what.

"Babe, I'm ready" Adam told her.

"Wasn't talking to you" she winked, "I was talking to the handsomest boy in the world"

"Alright, here we go" Adam said as they approached the hospital, it would be their 'home' for the foreseeable future.

"Next time we walk out of here you'll be a healthy boy" Kim held her son's hand, "you ready?"

Adam shook his head, "yep, I got this"

---NOTE---

Hopefully you aren't still mad at me!

Next chapter will be the final one.

Unedited.