Nick rolled out of bed in his hotel room and sauntered out to the balcony. He'd tossed and turned all night long worrying about how Gracie was doing, and because of this, he'd gotten barely a wink of sleep.

He peered out at the gorgeous view of Perth, Australia that his balcony afforded him and thought about all the fun the two of them would be having together if she had only been there with him. How much more fun the entire tour would have been if she could have come along.

He sat down then, his back against the wall and stared out into the darkness waiting for the sun to rise. He and Grace had done this every day on their trip to Hawaii -- woken up early in the morning and snuck down to the beach together where they'd laid beneath the stars until the sun came up. God how he wished she was curled in his arms right then, waiting with him.

He flipped open the cover of his cellphone and glanced at the time, it read 6:57 am, which meant that it was 6:57 pm in Kentucky. Not too late to call... and yet, he knew in his heart she would not be up for conversation. She never was after chemo. He started to slip the phone back into his pocket before shaking his head and doing the only thing he felt was right. He flipped it open again and clicked 2 on his speed dial and took the chance. This way their home phone would ring and not her cellphone and he figured at least someone would be there to answer.

It rang several times before anyone did.

"Yello," a voice finally came through the line. He recognized it instantly as Kevin's.

"Hey Kev, it's Nick... how's my girl?" He asked, skipping the small talk and getting straight to the point.

"Hey Nick." Kevin's voice came through strong and clear, but he sounded tired. Nick could hear it in his voice.

"Man, I'll be honest, today was rough. She's definitely been as sick as I've ever seen her. Her doctors are giving her Zofran and Phenegran round the clock though, and she's sleeping now."

Nick sighed. She'd been afraid this treatment would make her sicker than she'd ever been in the past. He wished more than anything that he could be there with her at that moment, taking care of her.

"Are you guys making sure she gets enough fluids?" He asked, and then before waiting for the answer, "Oh, And she likes to have her feet rubbed when she feels really sick... it helps to ease the nausea." He felt like he needed to be there to make sure she was being properly taken care of.

"Well I'm here at the house," Kevin responded, "I just got back, but they're keeping her in the hospital at least until tomorrow. They want to make sure she's getting enough fluids in. Kelly and Angel are there with her, and last I heard she was resting as comfortably as could be expected."

"Oh. Okay."

Nick was worried now. This was the first time in the six months since she'd been diagnosed that they'd kept her in the hospital after treatments. At least unexpectedly. They'd talked about doing so before on a couple different occasions, and even suggested it a time or two, but she and Nick had always managed to get through the worst on their own.

"You guys having a good time?" Kevin asked, trying his best to change the subject in an attempt to take Nick's mind off of the negative if only for a moment.

"I guess..." he sighed deeper still. "I mean, it's beautiful and all... but I wish Gracie was here to enjoy it with me."

As much as Nick had tried to have fun in the countries they'd traveled to in the past few weeks, his thoughts had always be with his beautiful Grace. And they'd always been focused on just how much MORE fun the times could have been if she could have been there too.

"I know Nick." Kevin whispered understandingly, "Oh and by the way, before I forget, she said if I talked to you to tell you that she loves you and misses you and that she'll talk to you soon."

Nick sighed, taking in a deep breath and trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes.

"Thanks Kev." he whispered, fighting still, "Tell her that I love her too, more than anything in the world."

"I will Nick."

"Oh and Kevin?"

"Yeah Nick."

There was a long pause on the line before he spoke, "She's okay? I mean... she's gonna be okay right?"

Kevin could hear Nick's voice falter and it broke his heart. He wished he knew the right words to say, but he didn't. He couldn't even try. When his father was dying of cancer so many people had said things that only made him feel worse. Things like, "he'll be okay", or when he was close to dying, "at least he will no longer be in pain". And it didn't matter how much he'd known it was true, or that people were trying to be comforting, that those things weren't meant to be taken the way they were... he couldn't help it. None of them were helpful.

He sighed, he didn't know what to say to Nick because there were no words adequate enough. The girl they were talking about here - sweet Gracie - was the love of Nick's life, true... but she was Kevin's cousin too and he'd held a special place in his heart for her since the day she was born. He couldn't imagine the world without her smile, he couldn't imagine never hearing her sing as she danced through the kitchen, or laugh at a funny joke again. He couldn't imagine a world without her compassion and her courage. A world without Grace was simply unimaginable. And so he said the only words that he could think to say. The only words that he really felt at the moment;

"God I hope so Nick. I really truly hope so."

There was a pause on the line for a few moments as both of the men sat silently, Kevin wiping his tears on the sleeve of his jacket... Nick letting his splash onto the tiled floor of the balcony where he was seated.

Nick was the first to break the silence, "I want you guys... you, Bri, Aj, and Howie to know that I love you. You guys have been there for me through all of this and... and I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kevin could tell his friend was crying now and he held the phone to his heart for a moment, trying not to break down even more himself, before lifting it back to his ear.

"We love you too Nick," he whispered. "You have been so strong through all of this. We all think the world of you... you should know that. Gracie thinks the world of you."

"Thanks man."

Nick wiped his eyes, yawning as he looked out across the city just in time to see the sun rising above the skyline. "Well, I guess I'm gonna get off here and try to get some sleep Kev. I'll talk to you tomorrow though. You'll call if anything changes?"

"You know I will Nick. Try to get some rest okay kid."

"I will." He sounded tired... hurt. "Night Kev."

"Night kid."

And with that Nick hung up the phone and watched as the sun continued to make itself known. A new day in Australia... a day just ending in Kentucky. He yawned again and rubbed his eyes. They had the day off today, thankfully. He felt tired now, truly tired and for the first time since he'd gone to bed the night before he lay down and quickly fell into a deep sleep. Gracie not far from his thoughts and his dreams.

Never far from them.