Leave.

Dani smiles again, feeling so content. "Yeah, you can shower here - I don't mind as long as you don't." They both were careful not to cross any lines, but Dani trusted him completely and really didn't mind a bit if he wanted to clean up here instead of home.

Sighing deeply, she lets her head rest on him again, feeling so warm and safe. "Ten more minutes... then I'll call Carson and you can call Reese."


As Reese hears what Amanda has to say, his heart skips a beat before it feels like it drops to his stomach. "I..." He shakes his head, trying to get his thoughts together for the doctor's sake. "Th...thank you. Yes, thank you for calling. I'll... I'll pass this information along."

Ending the short call, Reese lets out a long sigh and hides his face in his hands for several moments before picking up the phone again. He has to look up the number, and when he reaches a voice mail, he hesitates, not sure if he wants to leave a message or not. It might be his only chance though, and he needed to say what should be. It was only right.

Once he's finished with the call, he hangs up again. Biting his lip, he tries to hold his composure before pressing the intercom to Angelica's office. "Angelica, would you... would you come to my office for a moment?"


Justin ambles from the building, tired, but feeling alright. His short conversation with Beth had been pleasant... his session with Scott had gone well... now it would be off to home to do some yard work and then on to his mother's for supper.

Heading down the sidewalk, he remembers he hasn't checked his phone in a while, so he retrieves it from his backpack. Finding a new voice mail, he listens while he walks. But the message he hears is one that makes him stop in his tracks, his stomach sinking. He knew what he had to do... Reese had asked him to... but it wasn't going to be easy.

Turning around, Justin walks back inside, but his steps are slower this time. Depositing his bag and everything else he was carrying on the floor, he nods to Jenny. "Watch these a minute, will you?" He doesn't bother to explain, but heads straight up the stairs, aiming for Scott's room.


Scott is standing at his window, weary from his session with Justin, but wanting to stay alert for a little while before giving in to a nap. A knock at the door surprises him and he turns. "Come in." Seeing Justin surprises him even more. "What is it?"

"Scott, I'm sorry, but..." Justin comes in and closes the door. "I just got a message on my phone and... I need to talk to you for a moment."

Scott feels an odd twist in his gut. "Um... ok."

"Why don't you sit down?"

Scott swallows hard, bracing himself. Something was wrong. Easing down to sit on the bed, his good eye looks up at Justin with question and anxiety. "What's wrong?"

Justin takes a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't treat Scott like a child, but he couldn't just blurt it out either. "The message was from Reese, um... it's Hope."

Scott's eyes widen. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"She's... she's been sick, Scott. And... now she's... in the hospital." Justin does his best, but he knows it will be a shock no matter what.

Scott's face pales. Dalton had said she'd been sick, but not like that. "Well what's wrong? She's going to be okay, right? I mean, they're taking care of her?" He gropes for some reassurance.

Justin hesitates again before sitting down next to him. "She's had cancer. Lung cancer. They ended up giving her a transfusion but... it didn't go as well as hoped and..." His voice is quiet, wishing beyond wishing that there was some other way for him to say all this. "...And Reese is letting people know."

Scott blinks, not even sure how to feel in this moment. It felt like everything had just been turned upside down and he'd been dropped on his head... again. "Cancer?" That wasn't the flu or cold he'd thought it was. "She's... she's dying?"

Silence.

Scott turns to Justin, his voice wavering, but his tone was stern. "Justin, is Hope dying?"

Justin closes his eyes for a moment, but finally looks up to meet Scott's stare. "Yes."

Scott feels as thought he's going to throw up, but he somehow maintains his composure. There was a new emotion now... an emotion that made his hands ball into fists. "Cancer," he repeats quietly. "You knew, didn't you? You knew before today."

Justin purses his lips, wanting to say no, but unwilling to cross that line and lie. "Yes."

"And Dalton. He knew, too."

"Probably."

"And my sister?"

"I'm not sure, Scott. Probably, but it's been kept quiet." Justin tries to keep the atmosphere calm. "Hope didn't want a lot of people knowing. It was out of respect for her that nothing was said."

"Did she ask specifically that I not be told?"

Justin pauses. "Yes."

Quiet for several moments, Scott's jaw begins to tense. Rising from the bed, he wanders to the window and places his palm on the cool glass. "Leave."

Justin sighs and stands up. "I'm sorry, Scott. If I would have thought that-"

"I don't want you coming back." Scott turns around with a glare that could freeze the sun. "I will request to be dealt with by another counselor."

Justin's shoulders drop. "Aw, no. I'm sorry, but please don't-"

"I asked you to leave," Scott interrupts. Anger blazed in his stare. "And since you're obviously so close to everyone in my former world, tell my sister not to come back and... and tell Dalton the same thing."

Having Scott turn his back on him, Justin can only sigh. He should have approached this differently. He'd missed something. He should have said something differently or done a better job at breaking the news. Now everything was a mess, and he felt to blame. He opens his mouth to say more, but then stops. There was no point now. Leaving the room, he shuts the door quietly behind himself before walking slowly down the hall. Maybe he wouldn't go to his mother's for supper after all. He didn't want to have to explain the stress in his eyes.

Hearing Justin leave, Scott's shoulders finally sink and he leans his hand on the window again. Now alone, his lower lip trembles and his eyes fill with tears. They stung, but he lets them linger in his eyes, torturing him until he has to blink and allow them to cascade down his face.