I'd Do Anything
(24 Hour Story)
9:30pm (Previous Day)
Tyler was curled up on the couch, holding tightly to Penny as the red-head remained asleep. It was peaceful watching her sleep, which was something he desperately needed with how much his lungs were bothering him tonight. Stroking a stray strand of red hair out of Penny’s face, he again got the mental image of an angel. Which begged the question of how could an angel have fallen this far to find him?
A slight glint of pink caught his attention, drawing his dark eyes down the pale finger that held a ring. The stone was a pale rose quartz, the stone that symbolizes unconditional love; and its soft pink shine matched the person’s love who wore it. If someone was to ask Tyler’s opinion, rose quartz was the perfect stone for Penny. The stone itself rested on a rather simple golden band, something that he figured Penny would have approved of. He was right about that assumption, or for the most part he was.
She wanted to get it engraved with a message, but she refused to tell him what it was. Apparently she wanted to surprise him with the addition to his gift of the engagement ring. He was sure that whatever it was, he’d love it. He generally did enjoy whatever Penny picked out, even the one time she forced him to wear nail polish.
He cringed just a fraction from pain; and felt Penny stir at the movement. He met emerald green eyes, forcing a weak smile he almost said something only to wince again. This earned a look full of panic from the redhead; he wanted to die a little when he saw that look in Penny’s eyes. He didn’t like seeing it in her face; it never sat well with him.
Watching as she got up, Tyler again tried to say something but she shushed him before the young woman pulled out her phone. He knew who she was calling before the phone was picked up, but his heart still tightened as Jack answered with, “What’s wrong Pen?â€
“Can you meet me at the hospital? Ty’s having a rough night.â€
He heard the rather foul curse that escaped Jack, which left him wondering how it was Penny hadn’t flinched with the phone being closest to her. It also left him curious how the rest of the Fair household hadn’t been woken up by the commotion. Watching as Penny ended the call, Tyler didn’t bother struggling as Penny gently wrapped an arm around him and headed for the door.
Well, it is about time for a chemo treatment. Tyler laughed mentally, trying to find something amusing so he didn’t scream.
Sliding into the front seat of the convertible, he kept his eyes glued to the floorboard so he didn’t have to meet Penny’s eyes. He couldn’t do that and keep what little control he had over his emotions. There something about this pain that was different than the usual pre-chemo treatment pain. It terrified him to be honest, because it meant something was wrong. Gratitude flooded through him when the radio was turned on, and music started to drift through the passenger compartment. Resting his head against the headrest, Tyler closed his eyes and listened to the song that wove through the passenger compartment.
“
Amy’s got the letters I wrote,
My picture in a frame,
She’s had a year to let go
She’s still wearing my ring.
It hasn’t left her finger
Since the night that I proposed
When I promised her forever
Before I took her home
But I never made it home that night
And a part of her died too.â€
He couldn’t help but laugh at how fitting the song was, given the fact he’d just proposed a few hours ago. He heard the strangled noise from Penny, and it made him open his eyes so he could look at her; trying to judge what was wrong. “Don’t you dare die on me tonight, understand Ty?†Penny whispered, tears gathering in her eyes as she drove toward the hospital.
Apparently he wasn’t the only one finding the song painfully fitting. Reaching a hand over, he lightly touched her arm and answered, “I won’t die tonight.â€
He saw the stiff nod she gave, and even though he didn’t want to, Tyler drifted off to sleep until they reached the hospital.
[12:30am]
Tyler hurt all over. Pushing himself up a little, he looked around the hospital room to try and figure out what time it was. He knew that Penny had gone home about half an hour ago, granted it was grudgingly and it was only because Rika had forced her to go home. It didn’t take him long to find the person in the chair, the familiar head of blond hair was still a bit of a surprise to see.
A blue eye cracked open to watch him, before its twin opened and focused on him. “How are you feeling?†Jack asked, his voice muffled due to sleep.
Tyler bowed his head, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t sound pathetic. Not that it would be much use against Jack, the blonde knew him way too well. It would be impossible for him to come up with a convincing lie, so Tyler went with the only thing he could think of, “I’ve been better needless to say. You?â€
“I’ll be better once you’re home.â€
He inwardly flinched at the sound of the contractions. Jack only ever used them when something had him extremely upset or angry. It was easy to tell that this time around it was from being upset. He glanced at the time, a little surprised that it was only three hours since he’d been home. “You should get some rest, you need your strength.†Jack’s voice was clipped, another indication that he was upset.
Nodding absently, Tyler tried to get comfortable again so he could get a bit of rest. After all, he was going to have a long day ahead of him tomorrow, what with treatment and then any other tests that they may want done before they sent him home. Drifting off to sleep, Tyler tried to force the majority of his discomfort to the side for the time being.
[12:00pm]
Tyler woke up, disoriented from sleep so it took him a few minutes to realize where he was. Panic surging through him, Ty felt his chest constrict a bit and heard a shrill beeping coming from the right which added to his distress. Feeling a familiar hand on his arm, Tyler’s eyes darted to the source. Seeing the open fear and confusion in Jack’s eyes, Tyler calmed down a little to try and ease his friend’s fears.
“The nurse was just waiting for you to wake up. Afterwards she was going to take you for treatment and some x-rays.â€
Resting his head against the pillow, Tyler bit back the desire to groan since apparently they were planning on mixing the treatments today. Which meant he was bound to be even more sore and exhausted then he usually was after treatment. Cracking open an eye, he saw the nurse that set foot into the room and he felt his emotions go numb. There wasn’t any point to fighting this now; it was just time for the same old song and dance.
He just had to comply with everything they asked.
[4:00pm]
He was anxious to know what was taking so long with the x-rays, let alone the test results for the other tests they wanted to do. Apparently something was off just enough that they wanted to double check before they told him the results. If there was one thing Tyler knew, that was one thing he never wanted to hear from the doctor. Nor did he want the doctor to come into the room, looking all professional, and shut the door behind them. He’d had that happen to him when he learned he had lung cancer. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and it's been about five and a half years since then.
He didn’t want to be another failed statistic in the cancer’s goal of claiming life.
A soft knock at the door drew his attention, causing Tyler to perk up a bit in the hopes it was Penny. After all she’d promised that she’d stop by after she was done with school today. He was also pretty sure that today was one of her short days, so he’d been expecting her soonish. It wasn’t Penny though, it was the doctor and he felt his heart drop a little bit. Then his blood ran cold when she looked to Jack and asked him to leave, which the blonde grudgingly did, before she closed the room door behind her and came to sit next to him.
Tensing, Tyler glanced at her wearily and asked, “How bad is it?â€
The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, before they took on a sad, compassionate look. “I’m sorry, but the cancer’s not responding to your treatment this time. To make it worse, the tuberculous you used to have has resurfaced and it seems to be assisting the cancer in attacking your body. I…I don’t know how we can treat this anymore, especially with your health sweetie. We could try surgery if you like, but short of that I don’t know what to do.â€
Feeling his soul die a little, Tyler hung his head in defeat. He thought about everything she said and asked softly, “Can I go home so I can think this all through? Please?â€
He saw through his hair that the doctor didn’t agree, but since there was nothing that could really be done without his consent, the doctor complied with his desires. If only under the agreement that he try to give an answer within forty-eight hours. She left the room and Jack came back in, a look of concern on his face. Shaking his head, Tyler looked away from his friend, not wanting to face his friend’s look.
“I need you to take me home; there are a couple of things I need to think over.†Tyler ordered, his voice barely above a whisper, if only because he couldn’t trust his voice not to break if he talked any louder.
Jack didn’t say a word; instead he went around the room gathering the different things that had been left for them. He only dared a look in Jack’s direction when everything was collected and it was time for them to leave. The nurse having dropped off his home care instructions, not that they were anything new, while Jack was packing up. Getting out of bed, Tyler stumbled a little only for Jack to catch him. Thanking him for the help, Tyler pushed himself away and headed toward the door.
It wasn’t a surprise when Jack caught up to him easily. Nor was it a surprise when Jack wound up supporting him on the way down to the lobby. Sitting down in the lobby as Jack got his car, Tyler tried to think about a way to tell his friends and family the news. Hearing the corvette’s engine purring, he looked up at the blue vehicle and stared for a few minutes. Getting up to his feet shakily, Tyler wasn’t surprised when Jack helped him over to the car and stayed at the passenger side until he slid into the seat.
It didn't escape Tyler's notice that it was overcast, like it wanted to rain at any second. Something that Tyler was positive to happen on the way home. Waiting until Jack got in the driver’s seat again; he listened as Jack started the car and drove away from the hospital, talking away about different things to try to distract him from whatever was bothering him. Glancing at his friend out of the corner of his eye, Tyler ordered, “We need to call Snow.â€
“Huh?â€
Jack’s tone was surprised, something that Tyler expected. Rolling his eyes, Tyler decided to just do it himself. After a few minutes of the phone ringing, Snow answered it, “Hey, what can I do for ya?â€
“Promise me you’ll still marry Shauna.†Tyler blurted, not even bothering with any of the usual banter.
He heard the startled sound that came from Snow, but before he could let his nerve fail him, Tyler continued hastily, “You have to promise you’ll marry Shauna, Snow. Promise me! And you, Jack, you have to promise you’ll propose to Hazel.†Here he sent a sidelong look at his friend.
His frantic tone was enough, since he got a promise from the both of them. Snow then asked the incredibly hard question. Tyler didn’t know how to answer it, or at least how to answer it gently, so he told them everything that the doctor had. Both boys had the reactions that he thought they would. Neither one was happy about it. Not that Tyler could blame them, and he fully expected Snow to demand a meeting at Tyler’s house so they could try to figure something out.
That’s what they always did when they came across a difficult challenge.
He knew though that there was no hope this time. There was no solution where he’d be able to come out of it alive.
[5:00pm]
Just like Tyler thought, it was pouring down rain. He was staring out the window; trying to ignore the fact Jack kept sneaking looks in his direction. He didn’t want to see the worry that he knew would be in the blue eyes, not when he was sore and tired because of the recent treatment.
Catching a glimpse of Jack reaching for the radio, Tyler commented tiredly, “Do you want me to do that? It’s my job remember?â€
Jack dropped his hand after a moment’s hesitation, allowing Tyler to reach his hand forward to turn on the radio. The music was soft and hauntingly familiar, but unlike earlier where he found amusement, this time he wanted to cry because of how well it fit. Especially since Penny knew he was on his way home.
“
I watched her losing her mind
And there's nothing I can do
Yea sometimes she goes crazy, screaming out my name
Saying, "baby please come and save me"
I wish she knew I'd do anything.
And kiss the tears right off her face
Tell her everything's' ok
Feel her heartbeat next to mine
And make up for lost time
Oh but god I know I can't
But you can't let her live this way
It's too late for saving me
But there's still hope for saving Amy.â€
He felt his heart tighten at the lyrics, why did he feel like these lyrics fit perfectly with his life right now? Leaning against the back of his seat, Tyler closed his eyes to try and will the pain away, both physical and emotional pain. Hearing a curse from Jack, Tyler’s eyes snapped open and he saw the tree that caused the uncharacteristic vocalization from his friend. Bracing his hands on either side of him, Tyler closed his eyes tight as the car spun out on the wet pavement.
Throwing up a silent pray, Tyler felt the impact as the car collided with the tree and Jack was thrown across the seat; slamming into his side. He felt the glass raining down all around him, slicing into his skin and registered this right before his back slammed into the hard, cold and damp earth, knocking the air from his lungs. His head was pounding from the impact, and he distantly registered that his body was growing colder by the second as Jack called out to him.
He knew it was growing harder to breathe by the second, more so than the last few years. It also seemed as if opening his eyes was almost impossible to do now, but he managed it. Seeing Jack above him, he saw the blood trickling down the blonde’s face as he seemed busy with something else. He heard a little bit of what Jack said, but he couldn’t quite focus on the exact words. The pain was too much, he felt lightheaded and drop dead exhausted.
Shaking his head, Tyler gave a weak laugh as he whispered (or at least it sounded that way to him), “You’re right, but I’m exhausted. I’m done fighting.â€
He didn’t hear what Jack said as his eyelids slid shut again and he slipped into unconsciousness.
This time though he wouldn’t wake up. The last thing he was aware of was a final thought sliding across his exhausted mind, an apology to two people he’d never see again.
I’m sorry Penny; I didn’t mean to do this to you. Mia I’m sorry, I won’t be able to help you anymore.
I’m sorry everyone, I couldn’t protect any of you from this.