Hand in Hand || Stanford x Reader

Chapter 21 • Ford

Y/N gripped the table so hard her knuckles went white. "Dipper, go upstairs."

The kid looked devastated. "But what about-"

"Your Great Uncle and I have a lot to talk about, and some of it's going to be nasty. I don't want you here to hear it."

Dipper hung his head in defeat and went up the elevator. With him gone, Y/N wouldn't meet my eyes. We regarded each other in frosty silence, until I couldn't bear it anymore. I slammed my fist on the table, making the paperweights rattle and Y/N flinch. "Will you just tell me what's wrong with you? You're obviously not fine, don't play that card again."

Y/N adjusted her loose glasses and met my sight with a hostile glare. "Fine. You guessed it, I'm not fine.  I've got cancer, alright?!"

With those words, I felt my world crash down around me.  I've got cancer... I've got cancer...

My head spun as I tried to make sense of it. Y/N, dying? The two words didn't mix. It felt as if I had been dunked into icy water, making it hard to see or hear anything. "Wha-? How long have you known?!"

Y/N's shoulders sagged. "I'd had my suspicions. It's been official since I saw the results of the blood test."

"B-But the results said you were healthy!"

"Did they, Stanford? You never actually saw them, you had to go off of what I said."

I opened my mouth to argue, but came up with nothing. She was right, horribly, painfully right. My mind went into overdrive, desperately trying to figure out a solution.  "What type is it? Maybe, if it's small enough, I can-"

"No, you can't," Y/N flatly stated. "I'm in stage IV of terminal cancer, Stanford, I'm not going to make it. You may be a doctor, but not that kind of doctor. Face it: you can't cure lung cancer in less than a month."

I shut my eyes, still in deep denial. This couldn't be happening. Even after we had done the impossible and came back from the portal, it still wasn't enough to please the sadistic creatures of fate. Y/N's lifeline was running out, faster than I could bear. "How long do you have," I whispered, not truly wanting to know.

Y/N let out a long sigh. "Three weeks, at best."

I wanted to curl up into a ball, sob hysterically, and scream at the same time. Right when I thought we could finally be together, destiny threw Y/N a curveball.

And she had struck out.

"So you're telling me," I whispered, growing angry, "that you knew you were dying for a solid month, but didn't think it was something you should tell me?! We're engaged, Y/N! Couples don't keep secrets like that!"

Y/N slammed her fist on the table. "You hypocrite, telling me about secrets! When did you think to tell me about your pal, the dream demon?!"

That stung, but I didn't show it. "Don't change the subject here! Bill's different.  If you would've told me, I could've-"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you! The whole 'I could've' thing! Face it, Stanford. Even if I had told you the moment I was diagnosed, You couldn't have done a bloody thing about it!" Y/N pushed past me and up the stairs, all the way up to the ground floor. I quickly followed, but she was faster. I wouldn't have caught up, if not for the near hysterical fit of coughs she fell into.

Y/N stopped running and hacked into her hand, leaving a small drop of red on it.  She pulled out her rag and held it in front of her mouth, and I suddenly realized it was covered in similar stains, the rust color of dried blood. Had I really been that blind?  After much too long, she caught her breath.  Y/N shakily stood up and stuffed the rag in her pocket, like this happened all the time.  And it had.  I just had been too distracted to see the signs. 

Slowly, I realized we were being watched by two small figures behind the kitchen door.  I sighed wearily.  "Mabel, Dipper, come out."

The twins hesitantly came out from behind the door.  Mabel looked absolutely terrified, trembling hard.  "I-I heard you shouting at each other, a-and you started coughing again, b-but you sound really sick.  Are you okay, Grauntie Y/N?"

Y/N stared at the ground.  "I'm okay, kids.  Everything's okay."

I shook my head.  "Don't lie to the kids!  They deserve the truth."

"They're scared!  It's okay to lie to children when they're scared!  Let them believe everything's okay while they still can, Stanford!" Y/N snapped. 

Dipper's eyebrows knit together.  "What so you mean, lie to us?  All Grauntie Y/N said was she was okay." 

Y/N buried her head in her hands, flesh and metal clashing together in the harsh lighting.  "But I'm not," she whispered.  She took a shuddering breath.  "Dipper, Mabel, I'm dying."

The kids stood there in shock as I saw Y/N do something I'd never seen her do in her entire life: she broke down crying.