Dr. Andersen entered the isolation room alone. Upon hearing the door open, Nick stirred from his light sleep. Once he laid his eyes on his doctor, he immediately feared that the woman was there to bring bad news.

"Hi Nick, Crystal told me that you were awake," Dr. Andersen said in a soft voice.

Nick managed a slight smile. "Yeah....I guess with my parents arguing over me, it was kinda hard to stay sleeping."

"I'm sorry you had to wake up to something like that."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing out of the ordinary with my family.....don't apologize."

The older woman sat on the edge of her young patient's bed, resting a hand on his arm. She sighed quietly before she spoke.

"I heard you found out about your system trying to reject the marrow."

Nick studied the woman's face for a moment before he answered.

"Yeah......it's not good, is it?"

"I won't lie to you....anytime the word rejection comes up after a marrow transplant it is never good," the doctor said sadly.

Tears started to well up in Nick's eyes.

"So I guess it's over then," he mumbled.

"I'm not letting you go without a fight, Nickolas..."

He looked around the room as the tears slipped down his cheeks. "I think I've been fighting this for like what? A year? That's pretty good for a person with my diagnosis."

Dr. Andersen rubbed Nick's arm. "Yes and that is why I'm still fighting for you."

Nick looked up at the older woman, defeat reflecting in his blue eyes. "We've pretty much done everything we could."

"Would you stop giving up? I plan on doing one more thing to stop this rejection from happening. You just seem to have a stubborn system and there is a few experimental drugs I can give you that may stop this from happening. I know you're weak and tired but I truely believe that this may be the answer."

"And?"

"I need to have Mr. Littrell give permisson to have this medication administered," Dr. Andersen continued.

"So why are you telling me about this? Don't you usually just ask Brian?" Nick asked quietly.

The woman stared down at the young man. He had changed so much over the past year that she has known him. Cancer had changed him physically as well as emotionally. He had matured so much

"I planned to ask him but I wanted to tell you what this was all about. I guess since this is experimental, I don't know how your system will react to the medication."

Nick frowned. "Isn't that the way with anything you get when you're sick?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, that is true."

He closed his eyes. "Do what you have to do. I didn't get this far to just give up."

Dr. Andersen stood up and smoothed the blankets on Nick's chest. Althought she could hear the defeat and the fatigue in his voice, she felt that he would give it the best he could.....whatever she needed to do, he was willing to do it. Her one task completed, she now had to talk to his patient advocate.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" AJ sputtered as he paced the floor of the private waiting room. "I mean we have every right to know what the fuck is going on with Nick as much as Brian does!"

"Keep your voice down!" Kevin muttered while throwing a disapproving glare toward the rebel.

"I agree with part of what he said," Jane spat.

"What part did you disagree with?" AJ challeneged.

"That you have the right to know what is going on with Nick as much as Brian does."

"Jane....is that really necessary?" Bob Carter questioned. "They have been there for Nick more than we really have been, if you really want to get technical about all of this."

"I would have been there for him but he pushed me away."

"I don't think you can really blame Nick for that," Aaron said with a scowl. "You wanted to take him away from everything just because you found some freak doctor catered to celebrities and knowing you, you probably thought it would be good publicity!"

"Aaron! That's enough!"

This time it was Kevin that reprimanded the young man.

"It's true Kevin..."

"Aaron, now's the time to be together not tear everyone apart," Angel said softly as she put an arm around her twin.

"She's right Aaron," Howie agreed with a shake of his head. "I know first hand how families help each other through things. Flesh and blood families," he paused as he gestured toward AJ and Kevin, "and people like us...Nick's extended family."

"Well it's not fair that Nick's doctor won't tell us what's going on...why all the privacy?" the young blonde whined.

"Because Nick put Brian in charge of making decisions that affect his care," Kevin reminded.

"I have always had a problem with that," Jane Carter sneered.

Kevin glanced over warily at the older woman, fighting back the urge to retort. "I'm sure Brian will let us know what Dr. Andersen said to him when he comes back."

Aaron folded his arms across his chest in a defensive gesture. "I hope so."

Dr. Andersen sat facing Brian Littrell, the large oak desk separating them. The older woman folded her hands ontop of the desk as she studied the younger man.

"I'm sorry if this seems to be so unusual to pull you out of the waiting room and I hope this hasn't upset you," she said with an apologetic smile.

"To be honest, you have me a bit scared," Brian admitted.

"I felt it was necessary to talk to you about Nickolas without everyone listening in on this."

Brian nodded. He knew exactly what Dr. Andersen was referring to although it was bunched into the word everyone.

"I understand....Mrs. Carter can be difficult to deal with at times."

Dr. Andersen cleared her throat as she opened the thick file in front of her. "I talked to Nickolas this morning about his condition and that his system is trying to reject the donated bone marrow....."

Brian gripped the edge of his seat.....this was part he dreaded that was going to be coming......

"....and I told him that there are a few more things we can try but that there wouldn't be any guarantees, like with anything that we've done up to this point."

Brian let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"You mean there is still some hope?"

"There's always hope, but I won't lie to you....this is going to be his last chance for suvival."

"Does he know this?"

The doctor sighed before she answered. "Yes he knows and he said that he doesn't want to give up without a fight. He said he's come this far not to just quit. Nick said he wants us to do all we can for him."

"I'll sign anything you want me to," Brian offered.

"Hold on! I need to discuss the risks with you before you sign anything...."

"Nick trusts you and I trust you."

"I, as a physician have to tell you what the drugs are and the side effects," Dr. Andersen started as she pulled out a small packet from another file on her desk. "One will be started intraveiniously and once he has stablized and is able to go home, he will be given the medication orally. Basically there will be three medications that he will be taking. The three drugs used in conjuntion is experimental with fighting BMT rejection. The side effects aren't very pretty either."

"I'm sure we can deal with the side effects when they come," Brian insisted.

"Diarrhea, nausea, headaches, lowered resistance to infection, itchy rash, visual disturbances, brusing, leg cramps, fluid retention and weight gain which usually goes along with the fluid retention. One of the medications has cause kidney failure in 5% of the candidates given the medication."

"Nick knows about the side effects, right?"

"He left all of this up to you."

Now it was Brian's turn to sigh. Nick placed his care and trust in him to make the right decisions and choices for him.

"Where do I sign?"

Once the orders were signed, Dr. Andersen picked up the phone to call the floor to get the treatments set in motion.

"I'll talk to his family before I go back to see Nickolas....."

"No, let me do that. You take care of Nick, let me take care of the others."