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"Brian, I’m going to ask you this one last time. Why won’t you have the surgery?”
“Manage-”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Bri. I know you better than to believe that.” She sighed. “Now tell me what’s behind all of the rescheduling and avoidance.”
“Really, it’s management. I don’t want to disappoint them, the guys or upset the fans.” He replied with a wavering voice. She was getting to him and he hated her for it.
“I think they’ll be even more upset when you die.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She shook her head, in disbelief over such stupidity. She looked at him, sitting there on the couch, his hands clasped tightly together, his elbows resting on his knees. He was avoiding her stare, looking out of the window behind her.

They remained silent for a while, each of them caught up in their own thoughts. Brian knew he wasn’t being rational, but refused to show her his deepest feelings or share his darkest thoughts. Wendy tried to see through him, he knew it, but he was sure she was met by a thick wall that protected him from her gift to take a look into his soul.

“Bri-bri..” she eventually pleaded, hoping to get through to him this time.
“Wendy, please drop it.”
“How am I supposed to drop this?! I can’t watch you throw your relationship, your life away and do nothing to stop you from doing so.”
“My relationship with Leigh is none of your business.” He spat, his fists balled.
“I talked to Leighanne and she’s serious about leaving you. I talked her out of it for now, but I’m starting to regret that.”
He looked up at hearing the name of the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.“You talked her out of that?” he smiled, his voice coloured with surprise, but followed by a look filled with sadness. She was slipping away from him, because he was being too stubborn, no, too scared to go through with the surgery.
She nodded. “I did, but I wish I hadn’t.”
“It doesn’t even matter.” He replied, trying to sound harsh, when in reality he again realized what he was about to throw away . “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t support my decisions and trust my judgement.”
“Maybe, just MAYBE, that’s because your judgement totally sucks in this case. I can’t blame her for her point of view and decision to leave you if you keep jeopardizing your health.”Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, her blue eyes showed worry, with a hint of anger.

“Owh, is that so?!” Brian yelled. “Then WHY are YOU still here?!” He stood up and walked up to her,his arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes blazing with fury, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, but his main concern was to not let her see how devastated he was about Leighanne’s decision.
“Because I want you to make the right decision!”
“I think I can do that by myself, thank you!!”
“No, you obviously can’t.”
“I’ve had enough of this bullshit.” Brian threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. “In case you forgot, it’s MY life!!”
“Take a look around, Brian! You’re decision to have the surgery or not, affects our lives, MY life too! I can’t lose you too, dammit. And NO, I don’t care how selfish that may sound. Chances are that you DIE if you continue to live like this. I don’t want to the last memory I have of you to be made in a year or two or even less. I don’t want t bury my best friend, because you were too stubborn to choose life. I’d rather walk out of your life now and make it my decision instead of watching you make the biggest mistake of your life.” He watched her turn around, run up the stairs, then he heard the slamming of the door to her room.

Brian sat down on the couch, rubbed his face with both hands and let loose a long sigh. She was the third person to yell at him like this. First Kevin, then Leighanne and now Wendy turned against him. Deep down he knew they were right, but fear held him back. He knew he should call the hospital and make an appointment, but the possibility that he might not make it because of his decision was too hard to handle. It was like he then signed his own death sentence..

Fifteen minutes later she walked down the stairs, carrying a big backpack stuffed with what he suspected to be clothes and such. She was wearing her jacket and the tinted sunglasses A.J. gave her. Brian looked up as she walked past him. “Wendy?”
She stopped for a second at hearing him speak her name, but then continued her way to the hall closet.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice unsteady. He had an idea what she was about to say, that was, if she was going to say anything.
“Over to Suzie’s.” she replied, her back turned to him as she got her blue leather cowboyboots with the high heels out of the closet. “Gonna stay there for a few days, so you know where to find me in case you need me.” She said, then whispered. “Which I doubt..”
“Don’t say that.” Came the response from right behind her, which made her jump, almost causing her to fall over since she had only put on one boot. She dropped the other one and turned around to see Brian standing right behind her. “Why? What’s changed since I ran up like an idiot?” she asked carefully as she removed the sunglasses.

“I.. It’s just- I don’t wanna die, but I-“
“What is it, Bri-bri?” she asked, as she gently took his trembling hands in hers.
“I’m scared. I didn’t want anyone to know, but I’m freaking scared..”
“Like we didn’t know that, silly.. We never mentioned it, because we know how you’d react if we did..”
“Like an idiot.” Brian sighed. “Just like I did now.”
“You said it, I was thinking the same thing.” She smiled. “So..”
“I think I need to make some calls..” he replied, a frown displayed on his features. This wasn’t going to be easy. Deep down he already knew he had no choice, he just needed one more person to tell him that, one more warning before he could do what he had to do.

“Not yet.”
“Not yet? First you tell me I need to make an appointment like yesterday, and now I have to wait?” He had a puzzled look on his face as he stared at her. “You lost me..”
“First I need you to help me take off this boot.” she laughed. “My foot is sorta stuck.. I knew I should’ve bought a bigger size..”
“So why didn’t you?” Brian chuckled.
“Because they didn’t have it..” she blushed.
“You women and your shoes, I’ll never understand it..” He shook his head as he kneeled down and gently grabbed her ankle. He lifted her foot and she put her hand on his shoulder so she could keep her balance.
“Ready?”he asked. She nodded after which he pulled, with too much force, causing her to fall over, and him to fall backward. When he sat up, they looked at each other and bursted into laughter, Wendy sprawled on the floor and Brian holding one blue leather boot.

For some reason, he was furious at her. WHY was she so strong back then and was she not able to be as strong today? Why couldn’t she fight this mysterious enemy like she had fought against his stubbornness, fought against A.J.’s demons with him, and fought against depression after her parents died? Why didn’t she fight like she had fought so many times before? Why was she giving up now? He couldn’t lose her, he wanted her to choose life too. He didn’t want to say goodbye, he wanted her to see Baylee grow up, wanted her to find true love and get married, have children of her own. He could NOT lose her. He’d do whatever was necessary to save her, but it seemed like there was nothing he could do. Money was not an issue, but until now, the money spent on tests and experts visiting her, had not changed a thing about the situation. He hated not being able to change the situation. There was nothing he could do, but watch her getting weaker and weaker every day. He wanted to yell and scream at her, tell her that she needed to fight harder. He wanted things to be normal again. A little voice told him that they weren’t, because of her. All of this was her fault. Her fault. Her fault.

“Dammit!!! Damn you!!” He yelled, out of frustration about the whole ordeal. He grabbed the first thing in his reach and threw it across the room with all his might. It turned out to be an empty glass, that shattered into a thousand pieces as it hit the wall. Brian buried his face in his hands as he tried to calm down. This wasn’t her fault, none of it was. He was just so scared of losing her, that it was easier to get angry than to accept the truth. She was dying. The one who always chose life, was now slowly slipping away..