The silence that hung in the air was thick. Nick wasn’t sure what to say to his parents or even his sisters that accompanied them. ‘How does a dying son say hello to his parents?’ Nick thought to himself. He was sure his parents were more than likely having a hard time coming to grips with looking at him; just as much as he was having a hard time looking at them and seeing the pain in their eyes.

Nick was far from stupid, he knew that the cancer had done it’s best to literally eat him up from the inside, leaving a gaunt, ghost-like shell of the person he had once been.

‘But what could he say to them to ease this lost feeling?’

“Mom....Dad, I missed you so much...”

Nick sighed quietly. Leave it to Aaron to bridge the gap of silence. As he laid his head back down ontop of the pillow, he heard the familar footsteps from his mother’s dress shoes and the scuffle of his sister’s feet. It was growing harder for him to keep his eyes open; the Phenegren was taking it’s hold as well as his taxed body craving the sleep he was so desperate in fighting.

”Oh...honey...”

He felt Jane’s cool hand touch his cheek and he could smell the familiar scent of her favorite perfume that she loved to wear. The scent that brought so many happy and loving memories to his thoughts was now starting to make his stomach churn and twist into knots.

“Hi mom.....dad.....guys,” Nick breathed.

“Shhhh....don’t talk, it’s okay son,” his father reassured, his voice choked with emotion.

“He just got a medication,” Kevin explained. “Don’t fight it Nick, you can visit with them later you know.”

Nick didn’t have the strength left to open his eyes let alone muster a reply. After a few moments, he had wished he had said something when he heard the whispers of the collective group around his bedside.

“Kevin, he looks so thin.....”

“He lost his hair.....”

“Does he still know what’s going on.....”

“Nick is fully aware of everything that is happening to him, and yes he has lost his hair, but it will grow back.”

He was relieved as he listened to Kevin explain everything that was happening. This would be less time spent on talking about the cancer and more time with spending the rare, precious moments with his mother and father and siblings, Nick thought.

The voices were starting to grow farther and farther away, and Nick finally allowed himself to be once again overtaken by the sleep his body desperately needed.

The reunion at the hospital was short and although Nick’s parent’s disagreed with Kevin and Brian’s insistence that they go back to Nick’s house for the night, they finally agreed.

Small talk was exchanged as everyone had gathered in the huge dining room to eat carry out Chinese food that Kevin had ordered. The food that had been dished out onto the paper plates ended up being picked at and shoved around more than it was eaten.

“Chinese is one of Nick’s favorites,” Leslie commented as she picked at the rice.

“What food wasn’t?” AJ chuckled, hoping to lighten the dark mood that was in the room. His face reddened when he saw the sharp glare that was cast toward him by Brian.

Sighing as he noticed that no one was eating the Chinese, Kevin tried his hand at cheering the room up. “C’mon guys, we gotta eat this stuff, it’s not doing anyone any good starving, besides, I pulled out Nick’s best table service.”

The room was quiet for only a moment until Jane Carter grinned and shook her head as she looked down at the paper plates and plastic forks. “Nick is such a confirmed bachelor. Does he own silverware and china anymore?”

Howie smiled. “Yes, and he even seemed surprised when I started using it.”

Jane Carter’s face grew serious once again. “So how bad is Nick?”

Kevin sighed heavily. This was a question he had been dreading since the Carter’s showed up at the hospital. He hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Brian yet and tell him about the tube feeding device. He exchanged a wary glance at his cousin. Bob Carter immediately sensed something was being kept from them.

“Tell us what is happening with our son.....please.”

Kevin looked at the expantant-filled faces that were staring at him. He shifted in his chair nervously, running a hand quickly through his thick, dark hair. He glanced over at Nick’s sibilings, pasting a thin smile on his face. “Why don’t we talk about this after dinner?”

“It’s okay to tell my parents and sisters,” Aaron offered quietly.

“Um, AC, I think it would be best to wait until after dinner,” Kevin repeated.

“We’re all finished Kev,” Brian replied.

Howie jumped up from the table. “I’ll clear the table and get some coffee started.”

Kevin quietly watched as Howie started to clear the paper plates, joined by Brian and Nick’s sisters. Silently, he prayed that this would take forever so he could avoid the subject that everyone was waiting to be discussed. His heart sank when Howie announced that the coffee would be ready in a few minutes.

“Why don’t we wait until we have our coffee before we talk about Nick,” Kevin asked hopefully.

Brian, Howie and AJ looked at their older brother with suspecion in their eyes. They knew him all-too-well and they realized he was stalling.

“Is there something more about Nick that we don’t know yet?” Brian questioned, panic starting to surface in his voice.

Wishing he could stall longer, Kevin stopped himself when he saw the worried look in the Carter’s faces as well as in his brothers. Running a hand over his face, he sighed before he started the explanation about the surgery; his brothers and Aaron already knew about that. He avoided looking at Nick’s parents when he talked about the new tumor, concentraiting on the checkered table cloth instead.

Clearing his throat, Kevin plunged into the next topic of discussion. “You remember when you were saying how thin Nicky looked to you....” he paused, thinking he would get some type of response, wishing something would be uttered to break the silent tension that filled the kitchen. “They had to put a feeding tube into his intestine.....”

“Nick didn’t want that!” Brian gasped.

“Nick didn’t have a choice!” Kevin spat.

“Oh my god, he’s dying then isn’t he?” Jane asked, her voice trembling.

Kevin reached over to the woman’s hand’s and clasped his ontop. “No.... no, they did this to keep him alive, don’t you see?” He locked eyes with the older woman, his tearfilled eyes matching hers.

Bob Carter’s voice broke, “Aren’t they just stalling?”

“They told me that this is up to Nick now, he has to fight this, they’re doing all they can for him.”

“And he will Mom, he promised me,” Aaron stated in a somber voice.

“Let's hope he can keep that promise,” Jane whispered.