Only Yours

Frank kept fighting his fear, not wanting to look or feel weak in front of his girls. "Why not? It's better than being sad, besides, we don't even know how bad it is yet."

Julia went into nursing mode as she left her father's embrace and picked up his chart. She noticed that he was on pain medication and while she checked the IV she asked him, "Are you in any pain, daddy? Should I ask your doctor if I can turn up your IV drip?"

"I'm fine, it's just a headache, and don't turn it up, because either that or the food is making me a little queasy."

Julia had seen that symptom before in brain tumor patients, so when the doctor came by to check on Frank Julia made sure she knew.

When Doctor Harrelson left, the girls all took seats beside him and they started talking, first about how Frank had been feeling, Julia very persistent about knowing everything. Afterwards they caught up on what else had happened, but since Julia had left only the day before, that was a short conversation.

Julia slipped out of the room and called Thomas. She had barely said hello before the tears were starting to form in her eyes. She didn't fully cry, but she allowed herself to show a little weakness to the empty hall.

"The test results should come in the morning, until then we won't know how bad it is," Julia told her best friend. She continued, "It's weird seeing him in a hospital bed like that, I mean, he looks fine, but the surroundings are kinda' scary. I've seen too many people die in those things."

Thomas was almost reluctant to ask for more information, not wanting to make the whole thing any harder on Julia, "What do the doctors think?"

"She didn't say, and they wouldn't let me see the scans tonight, but from what tests they are running, it could be cancer."

Thomas, like many people, did not know how to react to the 'C' word, so he remained silent.

"'You still there?" Julia asked when she could hear him no longer. He had been holding his breath, afraid, as if hiding from the scary monster.

"Yes, I'm here, I eh... I..." Thomas spoke, still not knowing what to say.

"I miss you," Julia said, cutting him off, "but Mr. Snuggles is gonna have to do."

Thomas knew what to say now, while he had no idea how to deal with cancer, he knew he would do anything for Julia. "Do you need me to come back home?"

"No, you can't, you have work tomorrow, but thanks. It's nice to know I can always count on you." Julia was amazed at the lengths Tom was willing to go for her, she didn't expect so much.

"You're the best, what have I done to deserve a friend as good as you?" Julia asked rhetorically.

"You're pretty great too; I wouldn't be anything without you." Thomas answered, which made Julia smile.

"Thanks, look, I should get back in there, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Julia said while wiping her face, the tears had stopped again and her conversation with Thomas had made her feel better.

"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, give my love to your mom, and tell Frank I hope he gets better soon." Thomas said and waited for Julia to hang up, he did not want to risk not being there for her, should she change her mind and start talking again.

Julia hung up and went back to her parents just as Sophia was leaving. "I've got to get home to Ben, but call me when you know anything, or if you need to talk."

The morning sun was shining in the window of the hospital room when Doctor Harrelson came in. Another doctor followed her in, but he remained behind her at first, letting Doctor Harrelson talk.

"Mr. Hawthorn," she started, "your test results are back, now this here is Doctor Stevens" she gestured to the older man in the white coat who stepped forward, "he is our Head of Oncology."

Elizabeth and Frank still hoped for good news, but Julia knew the moment she heard the word Oncology, that good news were not going to come.

Doctor Harrelson continued with the words Julia already knew were coming, "He is going to talk to you about your test results, and answer any questions you might have."

Doctor Stevens sat down on the bed next to Frank's feet, closing the distance between himself and the patient. When he started talking with a calming voice, Julia could see his experience. It felt odd to her being on the receiving end of the conversation.

He said the word that had rendered Thomas speechless the night before and Julia could see the hope falter in both her parent's eyes. It was cancer.

They talked with the doctor for almost an hour, after which Julia went for a walk, she needed to clear her mind. Neither of them had broken down in tears and Julia wondered just how many times Doctor Stevens had had that conversation with a patient, he had been very good at keeping everybody calm while they talked.

Julia found a seat outside the hospital and took out her phone preparing herself to call Tom.

Thomas answered the phone without even a greeting, "Any news?"

Julia began telling Tom what the doctor had said. Thomas didn't interrupt Julia as she spoke; all that was heard from him were small confirmations that let Julia know he was there and that he'd heard what she had said.

Thomas was usually not one to show sadness in public, he would feel like everyone around was watching him, but this time he did not care that he was at work. Some of Tom's coworkers noticed, one even came over to John, figuring he would know what was wrong, but John just told her to go back to work.

After Julia was through retelling what the doctor had said, Tom became more active in the conversation, John had to tell off that same coworker once more, when she got closer in an attempt to hear what Thomas was talking about.

Tom and Julia talked for a long time, taking turns comforting each other. When they finally were through, Thomas realized he had talked through the entire lunch break, but John had come to his aid again and gotten him a sandwich.

Julia called Sophia next, again, telling what the doctor had said. Their conversation was quite a bit shorter than her conversation with Thomas had been.

The doctor had said that Frank would be put on chemotherapy the following day and, with a prescription for pain relievers, Frank would be able to go home for the night.

Elizabeth and Julia pampered Frank that night; they also got help from William and Joan. William and Frank talked for a long time, as did Joan and Elizabeth, Julia was pleased to see that both her parents had someone to lean on, just like she had Tom. She really missed Tom.

When Julia got to bed she could not fall asleep, she tried for over an hour. Mr. Snuggles was planted firmly by her side and when she read the note she knew what would help, so she called Thomas.

"Hi, I can't sleep. I saw the note on Mr. Snuggles and I could really use a little comfort. Would you mind talking to me?" Julia whispered.

"Of course, what would you like to talk about?" Thomas asked on the other end.

"Anything, I think I just need to hear your voice. Why don't you tell me about work or tell me a story or something."

Thomas thought briefly, "Well nothing really happened at work, so I'll tell you a story."

Thomas told a story about a courageous teddy bear named Mr. Snuggles, that fought against monsters to save the princess, a princess named Julia.

Julia blushed slightly when Thomas described the princess, they did have the same name. Even though Julia thought he was only describing a magical fantasy princess, since no one could be that perfect, the princess Thomas was describing was the one lying with her teddy bear, listening to him speak.

By the time the monsters had been slayed, and the princess saved, Julia was asleep. Thomas finished with three special words before hanging up the phone and going to sleep.

"I love you."

The following weeks were not easy; Frank was getting sick from the chemo, he needed a lot of pain medication to get through the day and he lost a lot of weight, as well as his hair. It was tough for both Elizabeth and Julia to witness. Elizabeth relied a lot on Joan for support, while Julia got by with the help of Sophia and Thomas.

Every night in bed Julia would call Thomas and he would talk her to sleep. Sometimes he would tell her about his day, sometimes about what he'd seen on TV, be it a movie or a documentary, and sometimes he would tell her a story.

Hearing Tom's voice was the best part of Julia's day, she doubted that she would be able to sleep without it.

Every night, after Julia had fallen asleep, Thomas would declare his love for her. Even though she never heard him, it felt good to finally say it.

It was the beginning of February when Julia called him in tears, her father had become worse. Frank could no longer walk properly; his balance was being affected by the tumor. That was when the long distance became too much for Thomas.

Thomas walked into his boss' office and explained to him what was going on, explained about Frank, his almost dad who was ill so far away.

Thomas had always liked his boss, Gary; he was a genuinely nice guy. Gary told him that he had noticed a change in both Thomas' mood and productivity. He also told Tom that he had spoken to John about it and that he had said that it was personal problems, which had been good enough for Gary, at least for the time being.

Gary was sympathetic about Thomas' situation and told him to go be with his family. He also told Thomas that he could return to work when he was ready, and also promised to call some people and help Thomas get a job closer to his home if it was needed.

Thomas was touched at how helpful Gary was, his "Thank you" trembling a little as they shook hands.

John, who had been waiting outside Gary's office, gave Thomas a big goodbye hug and helped him carry his few belongings out.

Thomas decided not to tell Julia he was coming home, hoping it would be a nice surprise.

"Can I get you anything, daddy? Maybe something to drink," asked Julia.

The doorbell rang which made her father answer, "Well it seems you could get the door, otherwise I'm fine, honey."

Julia made her way to the front door hoping it would not be another neighbor with a get-well gift basket. Their kitchen was filled with fruit, jam, and chocolate from the many baskets they had already received. Not to mention all the flowers that filled their living room.

While she appreciated the gesture, none of it really helped, but when she opened the door she found something she could use, something she actually needed. She found her best friend.

"Tom?" Julia half-yelled, bringing her arms around him for a tight hug, "What are you doing here?"

Tom had looked forward to hugging Julia again, he had missed her greatly; missed her smell, her touch, her beautiful voice. He breathed her in deeply before answering, "What do you mean? This is where I belong."

"But what about your work?" asked Julia.

"I resigned; I need to be here for you, and Frank."

That made Julia release Thomas from her embrace and she held him at arm's length to get a look at his face, though, to her, he didn't look like he was joking.

"What do you mean you resigned? You can't just quit your job" she asked him.

"If you can, then why can't I? Frank is like a father to me, and you are my best friend in the world." Thomas left out the part about being in love with her.

Julia was touched and drew him back into another hug, "I really missed you, Tom."

Julia also breathed in Thomas' smell and enjoyed their closeness. She felt safe in his arms and part of her never wanted to let go, but after a short while the cool wind hitting her neck made her want to get back inside. She also knew that her father would want to see who had come.

"Come on in, dad is on the couch, he will be so happy you came." Julia spoke as she made room for Thomas to enter.

"Well, I'll be damned." said Frank as he saw Thomas enter the living room.

"How 'you doing?" asked Thomas putting out his hand for Frank to shake.

Thomas noticed Frank having a little trouble coordinating his movement, but once his hand found the spot, his other was not far behind and Frank held onto Tom's hand while they talked.

"Doctors haven't been kind to me, that chemo does not feel good, and my legs aren't what they used to be," Frank answered while Thomas maneuvered to sit down on the couch beside Frank.

Tom could see that Frank had lost quite a bit of weight and he looked grayer than he used to.

"Though it has been nice getting to spend so much time with my girl." Frank continued.

"I bet." answered Thomas, knowing just how much joy Julia could provide simply by being around. Thomas looked through the door to the kitchen and saw Julia standing there, preparing a tray of snacks.

Frank could feel Thomas' pulse quicken through their clasped hands; this made Frank also notice the look in Thomas' eyes.

Frank looked back to see what Thomas was gazing at, though he already knew who it was. When Frank turned, Tom snapped back to reality and averted his eyes, he feared Frank would find out what he felt and pulled his hand away.

While they ate the snacks Julia had brought and talked, Thomas had trouble looking up at either Frank or Julia, hoping to disguise his love, but this had the opposite effect since it only confirmed Frank's suspicion, though Frank didn't mention anything about it.

They had talked for almost an hour when Elizabeth came home. "Who's bags are in the hallway?" she asked while taking off her coat and hanging it on a hook by the door.

"Come and see for yourself!" yelled Frank.

Elizabeth came into the living room, but saw only her husband and daughter, both grinning like idiots.

It had been Julia's idea for Thomas to sneak out the back door and surprise Elizabeth from behind, as both him and Julia had done many times when they were children. Thomas thought it a little silly, but he wouldn't deny Julia her fun.

Elizabeth was mere seconds away from figuring out what was going on when Thomas covered her eyes from behind, "Guess who."

Slightly startled, Elizabeth jumped, but she instantly knew it was sweet little Thomas, so she turned around quickly for a hug.

"Good to have you back Thomas. Why didn't your parents tell us you were coming?"

"Eh, they don't know, I haven't told them yet." Thomas replied sheepishly, realizing that, even though a surprise is nice, giving his parents a heads up might have been the right thing to do.

Elizabeth went into mother-mode instantly, "Thomas Greene, you march over to your mother and father right now!" She had seen Joan's and William's car when she got home, so she knew they were there, home early since it was Friday.

Thomas obeyed immediately and started making his way to the front door, grabbing his bags on the way. Julia jumped up from her chair, "Wait up, I'll go with you."

When Thomas and Julia were out the door Elizabeth sat down next to her husband, giving him a kiss-hello, "How've you been feeling today, dear?"

"Fine, seeing Tom really lifted my mood" Frank answered, he considered telling his wife about the look Thomas had given their daughter, but he knew Elizabeth would not be able to keep from at least telling Joan and sooner or later Julia might find out, also, he didn't want to betray Tom.

William and Joan were shocked to hear that their son had resigned, but Thomas calmed them down by explaining how his boss had promised to help him find a job closer to home or give him his old job back. That left the Greenes with feeling happy to have their boy home.

That night Julia had no need to call her best friend before sleeping; he was there with her. Thomas and Julia spent that evening and half the night watching movies and talking.

A sharp light flashed briefly on the faces of Julia and Tom, the brightness piercing their eyelids. Not too fond of the awakening, they drew closer together, hiding from the disturbance.

"Aawww" Joan uttered at their reaction, raising her camera and taking another picture.

"Please stop," asked Thomas, still reluctant to open his eyes.

"Well, breakfast is almost ready, so if you want any it's time to wake up," his mother replied.

"But what's with the camera?" asked Julia while rubbing her eyes.

"You just looked so cute all huddled up together. If I hadn't known better, I'd say you looked like a couple."

That woke up Thomas, the fear of discovery pulsing in his veins instantly. He moved away from Julia, trying to put some distance between them, if only symbolically. Julia just stretched, not really reacting to Joan's statement.

When they got into the kitchen, Joan was loading some scrambled eggs onto their plates and William was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He looked up and smiled as he greeted them, "Good morning, love bugs."

"Ha ha, very funny," Tom replied, his fear much more under control. Julia just smiled at William and sat down to eat.

After they were all done with breakfast, they sat and talked in the kitchen. They all heard the back door slam open and looked in shock as Elizabeth came running in. There were tears running from her eyes and fear was written in her face.

"He's shaking... it's like he can't hear me," she cried.

All four leapt from their chairs and started making their way next door.

Neither Joan nor Julia had cried while Frank had his seizure, nor had they while the paramedics had put Frank into the ambulance or while driving to the hospital, but once Frank was lying sedated in the hospital bed, the dam burst. Elizabeth on the other hand had not stopped crying at any point.

William and Thomas did not let themselves cry, they tried to remain strong, providing a shoulder to cry on as needed.

For some hours they remained by Franks bed, silent. Joan held William's hand in hers, Julia held onto Thomas' arm and Elizabeth sat holding Frank's hand, brushing it gently.

When Frank woke up he was slightly confused, so after Elizabeth had explained what had happened, Julia explained it to him once more.

The doctors would not perform any more tests before the morning, but he could not go home; had to stay for observation.

Shortly after he woke, a doctor came by and checked on him. The doctor told them that Frank should rest, and that having so many people around was not good, so he suggested they left him alone. Frank however said he didn't need the rest, but he would be lonely if everyone left, so the doctor told them they could stay, but only one person with Frank at the time.

William insisted on taking the first turn, that way Elizabeth could stretch her legs and get some coffee with the others.

William and Frank talked for a little over half an hour before Elizabeth could not stay away from her husband any longer and they switched.

Elizabeth and Frank didn't talk so much, there was not that much new to talk about, so they mostly just sat and enjoyed each other's company.

Joan and Frank spent some time reminiscing, having shared so much throughout the years, both of them laughing frequently.

When Joan came out, Julia wanted to go in, but Joan stopped her and said that Frank had asked to speak to Thomas.

"Hey Frank, Mom said you wanted to speak to me," Thomas opened.

"Sit down, son," Frank said, gesturing to the chair beside his bed.

"I need a favor from you," Frank continued.

"Anything," Thomas quickly replied.

"Well, it's two things really, first and foremost, I want you to promise me that you'll look after Elizabeth and Julia should I not make it. They are the best girls a man could ask for and I want you and Will to keep your eyes on them. I consider you sort of my son, and your father is like my brother, so please take care of them."