Unfaithfully

Cancer

Notes:

So I'm prefacing by saying that I am so sorry about what I have done here. I cried writing it, I cried typing it, hell I cried every time I've read it. Please forgive me for what I have done.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Turn away, if you could get me a drink, of water...

A few months had passed and the adoption had gone through, and Lacie and Patrick had been slowly trying to plan their wedding. Everyone had been so excited when they told them. The girls had fawned over the ring that Patrick had gotten for Lacie, and the guys had given Patrick hearty pats on the back for finally asking her to marry him.

The only thing that had been dragging the wedding planning process down was that Max had been unwell for the last month. They had thought that it was just a little cold and headache, so the doctor had given him some antibiotics, but there had been no change in him. Lacie was beginning to get depressed. She hated seeing little Max so sick. Patrick was trying desperately to keep everyone's spirits up. Declan and Prue barely left their brother's side. It was a hard time for the little family.

Lacie had been up all night with Max, trying to keep him calm through another round of nausea and headaches that had been plaguing him for the last month. She had finally gotten him to sleep around 6 AM and decided to just stay up and make breakfast for everyone. She was in the kitchen, making waffles as quietly as she could when Patrick walked in and wrapped his arms securely around her. She jumped slightly, but soon relaxed into his embrace.

"When did you get up Lace?" He whispered into her ear.

"Never went to sleep Trick. Max has been sick all night long. He's got two new symptoms now too."

"What's going on with the little guy?" He asked as he started a pot of coffee for both of them.

"Well, the headaches and nausea are still a problem, but now, he's having severe weakness in his arms and legs and his speech is starting to become slurred a bit. I'm so worried Patrick. I don't know what to do."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "Shhh, honey. We're going to figure this out. Have the doctors done an MRI on him yet?"

She looked up at him, fear evident in her eyes. "D-do you think that he might have cancer?"

"I don't want to think it sugar, but we can't rule it out as a possibility."

Lacie broke down into sobs on his shoulder, neither of them hearing the two children enter the room. Declan and Prue looked at each other with fearful faces and wrapped their arms around their parents' legs. Lacie pulled away from Patrick and looked at the seven-year-olds solemnly. Prue looked at her mother and tried to speak clearly.

"M-mommy? I-is Max gonna d-die?"

"I don't know baby. Patrick will you call the doctor and see if you can get Max an appointment for a scan set up soon while I feed the kids?"

He softly kissed her forehead. "Of course sugar."

Prue and Declan sat at the table in silence. Lace sat their plates in front of the two along with a glass of grape juice for each of them. They ate silently as Lacie made a small plate for Max. She figured that he wouldn't eat much, but she knew that he would try. Lacie took the plate and small glass of juice into the room that Max and Declan shared. He was already sitting up in his bed.

"Maxy honey, why are you up? You've only had two hours of sleep."

"My head hurts again momma. That waffle smells good."

Lacie smiled and set the plate in his lap. "I made yours with blueberries just like you like them. Daddy's talking to your doctor to see if we can get you an appointment soon okay?"

He nodded as he slowly ate, taking the smallest bites and drinking sips of his juice. Patrick came in and looked at the scene in front of him and smiled sadly. Lacie really was a great mother.

"Lace, Max has an appointment in an hour. Do you want me to get Prue and Declan ready for school?"

"That sounds good. Thank you, Trick. Maxy baby, you eat as much as you can okay?"

"Okay, mommy."

The couple left the room and checked on their other children before going into their bedroom. The children had said they would dress themselves for school, although they weren't enthusiastic about it. Lacie fell onto the bed face-down and let the tears fall from her eyes freely. Patrick was attempting to hold his tears in as he tried to comfort his fiancé. They couldn't both break down at once. He let her cry for a few moments before ushering her around the room to get dressed for Max's appointment.

"Come on Lace, we both have to get dressed so we can get the kids off to school and take Max to his appointment."

"Okay Trick. I don't know what I would do without you."

"We're good for each other sugar. Don't ever forget that."

Lacie nodded and finished getting dressed quickly, going back into Max and Declan's room. Declan was already dressed and helping Max into his clothes. Max was still weak and had a hard time getting around. Lacie hoped that the doctor would be able to figure out what was wrong with her baby boy. Patrick poked his head into the boys' room.

"Come on Declan, we have to get you and your sister to school. Are you ready for your doctor appointment Maxy?"

"Yes, daddy. Can you carry me?" Max asked tiredly.

"Sure buddy."

Patrick lifted Max into his arms effortlessly while Lacie took Declan by the hand. They met Prue in the living room and left their apartment, piling into Lacie's car. They stopped in front of the school and let the kids know that they would see them that afternoon after school was out. Both children hugged Max tightly before exiting the car and running inside the building. Patrick pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the hospital. He was just as tired of being there as Max and Lacie were. Hopefully, the doctors would figure out what was wrong with Max soon.

They made it to the hospital, checked in, and sat in the waiting room. Max was cuddled up to Lacie, his head on her shoulder. She rubbed small circles on his back as they waited. It seemed like the wait lasted forever when finally, the doctor called them back.

"So Lacie, Patrick called and said that you wanted to have an MRI done on Max?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Max, this is a painless procedure, but it's kind of scary. Can you be a big boy for us?"

"I'm seven, not five, doc."

Everyone chuckled at his attempt at humor and the doctor left the room, allowing the family privacy so that Max could change. They got the hospital gown on him and he was ready to be taken to the MRI procedure room when Lacie's phone started ringing. She answered it without looking.

"Hello?"

"Lacie, it's Mitch."

"Hey, Mitch. What can I do for you?"

"You could start by telling me why you're not at work right now."

"Max is still sick. I thought I told you."

"You're acting like Patrick can't take care of him."

"And you're acting like my child's health comes second to my job."

"Lacie, look, I've been lenient, but two full weeks of call-ins is unacceptable."

"Are you firing me, Mitch?"

"I'm afraid so. Look, once Max gets better, you can come back, but I really need employees that are going to show up."

"You know what? That's fine Mitch. Just know that I won't be back. You're trying to make me choose between my son and a job that only pays me minimum wage. There will be other jobs out there for me, but my son comes first!"

"Lacie, don't be like that. I've got a business to run."

"And I have a sick child getting an MRI done right now. Goodbye Mitch!"

She slammed her finger into the end call button so hard that she thought she would break the screen of her phone. She stomped down the hall and followed the signs leading to the MRI waiting room where Patrick was. The older man looked up at his fiancé with a worried expression. He knew better than to mess with her while she was angry. She kept mumbling under her breath and Patrick was only hearing small tidbits of what she was saying.

"Fucking asshole. Make me choose. Fuck him! My son is more important. God damn him! Prick of unimaginable magnitude. Who the fuck does he think he is? Worthless son of a bitch. Piece of shit thinks I'll choose a minimum wage job over my fucking child!"

Patrick finally took a chance and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sugar, what happened? Who called you?"

She sat stiffly in the chair with her arms crossed, fury radiating off of her small frame. "Fucking Mitch."

"What did he say Lace?"

"He fired me. He said he needed employees that are going to show up."

"Everything will be okay sugar. Max needs our full attention right now."

"I hate being useless Trick. It's not fair for you to handle all of the financial burdens."

"It's fine. We're not poor by any means Lacie. Let's just focus on our family for now. Who knows? Maybe this is the opening you needed to pursue your dreams sugar."

"Yeah. It just pisses me off that he wants me to ignore Max's illness for his fucking store."

"I know love, but maybe this is a blessing in disguise."

"Maybe you're right Trick."

They fell silent until the doctor entered the waiting room an hour later. "Miss Reynolds? Mr. Stump?"

"Yes, sir?" They answered in unison.

"Max's scan is complete. We've sent the images to our oncology department, so someone should be calling you within the week. Max has changed into his clothes and is ready to be taken home."

"Thank you, doctor."

Once the trio was back home, Lacie made Max some chicken broth and a grilled cheese while Patrick helped him back into his bed. None of them knew what was in store for them in the coming weeks...


Lacie sat in the living room in shock. The oncologist had called and informed her that Max had something called Brain Stem Glioma, and it was extremely aggressive. They had given him a month, two tops, left to live. She hadn't been prepared for this at all. She was supposed to die before her baby. This wasn't fucking fair! She didn't realize that she was crying until Patrick wrapped his arms around her and her body began to shake with the force of her sobs. Max had heard her and slowly made his way to the couch that his parents sat on together. He curled up next to Lacie and she immediately left Patrick's embrace and pulled Max into her arms.

"I'm dying. Right momma?" He asked seriously.

Lacie could only nod her head in agreement. She couldn't bring herself to say the words to him. He was just a child. He didn't deserve to go through this. Max surprised her with his insight, though.

"I'm really not that scared momma. I'm gonna miss a bunch of stuff, but you and daddy will still have Prue and Declan."

She hugged him tighter. "I love you so much, Maxy. Don't you ever forget that baby."

He squeezed her as tightly as he could and let her cry into his hair. There was nothing they could do now. Chemo wouldn't help anything, but Max was willing to try for his mother's sake.

A week had passed since Max's diagnosis, and everyone had helped Lacie and Patrick with everything that they could. Max had been through a few rounds of chemo, but it hadn't helped. They had known it wouldn't. All it did was make him nauseous. Lacie had been in a daze. She hadn't been able to do much, aside from taking care of the kids. She and Patrick had taken it upon themselves to take Prue and Declan out of school and homeschool them for the time being, so they could spend as much time with their brother as possible. What the couple didn't know was that the three children, along with their friends and family had planned something big for them. They found out on a lovely Saturday morning when Joe and Pete showed up, and drug them all out of the apartment and into a couple of taxies.

"Where are we going, Pete?" Lacie asked curiously.

"If I were to tell you, your children would kill me. They have planned a little something for you two. With our help of course." He replied with a sly smile.

Lacie just shook her head and remained silent for the rest of the ride. When they made it to their destination, she was relieved that it was just Pete's house. She didn't have much time to rest, though, because she was pulled upstairs by Prue and Patrick was pulled downstairs by Declan and Max. Lacie was led into a small side room where she came face to face with Meagan, Billie, Marie, Ruby, and Elisa. All of the women and girls had big smiles on their faces.

"What's going on?" Lacie queried suspiciously.

"Just shut up and get over here," Billie ordered smirking.

Lacie didn't have time to ask any more questions as the women pulled her into a chair in the center of the room and began working on her hair and light makeup. The two little girls left for a few moments and returned with a calf-length, ivory colored, lace dress and a pair of matching ivory flats. All the puzzle pieces finally fit together in Lacie's mind. Her and Patrick's kids, friends, and family had planned a surprise wedding for them.

Once they had finished her hair and makeup, they helped her into the dress and shoes, and put some silver and opal jewelry on her. She had tears in her eyes as they led her downstairs to where Max was standing in a suit, waiting for her. His strength was up today and he was standing as tall and proud as he could. He smiled at his mom and held his arm out for her. She took it smiling as Prue handed her a small bouquet of peonies, white carnations, and sweet marjoram. Max led her out the back door and into the yard that had been decorated with ivy and white twinkle lights. There was an archway at the end of the makeshift aisle that was covered in ivy and twinkle lights as well, and standing there, with the biggest smile on his face was Patrick. Max led Lacie down the aisle and took her hand, placing it into Patrick's.

"You'd better take care of my mommy. She needs you."

Patrick smiled at the boy. "I will Maxy. You know I will."

Max nodded and took a seat. The minister began and the yard was silent as happy tears were shed, all the while smiles graced everyone's faces. Patrick and Lacie pledged their devotion to each other in front of their closest friends and family. The only bad part to the day was the end of it. Max tired out pretty quickly, so any pictures after had to be taken quickly. The family smiled under the archway and tried to remember that this was a happy occasion. It turned out to be a wonderful day, despite the underlying reason for the rushed wedding. They had been surrounded by their family and friends, all who believed in the true devotion and love that the couple shared.

Later that night, as Lacie out Max to bed, he said something to her that made her stop and truly think hard.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Maxy?"

"I'm not afraid of dying. Grandma Mabel is waiting for me. She said that she's proud of you and that she's going to take good care of me."

Lacie was stunned. She had never told the kids about her grandmother. She kissed Max on the forehead and left the room. She was on the balcony when Patrick found her. No words were spoken between the couple, just loving embraces and gentle kisses.


Max died on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, comfortably at home, a month later. He had confessed before he passed away that he had been the one who had come up with the idea of his parents' surprise wedding. He had wanted to see them married before he died. Of course, everyone was devastated the day Max passed, but they had all promised to remember him. Prue and Declan had made a promise to take care of their parents.

The funeral was a somber affair of course, but no one took it as hard as Lacie and Prue did. Everyone remembered to smile here and there as they remembered the joy that Max had brought to their lives. Lacie surveyed the apartment after the funeral and just took in the sight of her family. Everyone had come together as one to celebrate the life of her baby boy. Patrick was talking quietly to Andy, as the tattooed man held Prue in his arms. It had been a hard day for everyone, but it had been especially hard for her. Max had been her other half for their entire lives. Lacie knew that she was lost without her twin. She went and took her daughter from Andy's arms and kissed her husband on the cheek before disappearing into their bedroom. Prue looked up at Lacie with tears still streaming down her face.

"I miss him, mommy."

"I know you do baby. I miss him too, but we will get through this. He'll always be in our hearts, so he's never really gone. Max wouldn't want us to stay sad forever. You still have me and daddy and Declan and all of our friends and family."

"It's not the same."

"I know sweetie, and you're right, but we have to keep our heads up and keep looking on the bright side of life. Max loved us with all of his heart when he was still here. It's okay to be sad, though. I'm sad all the time, but we have to go on. It's what Max would want baby girl. He would want both of us to be strong, and to be there for each other."

The little girl sniffled and clung to her mother. "Okay, mommy. I'll try to be strong for Max."

"Me too baby. Me too."

Notes:

Again, I'm so sorry about this. I didn't want to kill little Max, but it was something that had to be done. Please let me know how this chapter was. I was devastated as I wrote this chapter. Thank you to all of my loyal readers and fans for continuing to keep me on track with my updates and such. I love you all so much!