This story was written for my friend Jen's Birthday. I hope you like it.

Something To Live For

Matthew and Destiny were supposed to take Drew Trick or Treating when the call came in. Matthew dropped the phone.

"What is it daddy," Drew asked him innocently. Matthew could not even form the words to tell him it would be all right. He did not know if it would be.

"Drew, why don't you go upstairs for a little bit. Mommy needs to talk to daddy alone," Destiny said.

He looked at his parents sadly and asked if they were still going to go Trick or Treating. Destiny assured him they would. Just not right now.

"What is it Matthew? Who was on the line?"

"It was my Dad. Destiny, my mom has cancer. She is in the hospital right now getting more tests. What am I supposed to do Des? What if this is the one thing she cannot come back from?"

Destiny wraps her arms around her husband and kisses the side of his head. "Your mom is a fighter Matthew. I have seen her overcome things that would break most people. Who says she won't beat this just the same?"

"But what if she doesn't? Des, what am I supposed to do without my mommy? I treated her like shit for so many years. Why did I do that? She is the best mom ever. That is time that I cannot get back."

Destiny pulled back from the embrace and looked into Matthew's eyes. She knew he only called Nora mommy when he was scared. He was scared that his mom was going to die.

"She loves you Matthew. She does not hold any of that against you. I will tell you what we are going to do. We are going to go sit with your dad in the hospital. Then we are going to bring Halloween into your mom. That is where we need to be this year."

"But what about Trick or Treating? Drew is going to be so disappointed."

Destiny caressed the side of his cheek as she looked at him. "We will explain it to him Matthew. He might not understand everything but he will understand that his grandma is sick. He will want to be there with her. You know he will. He loves her so much."

"I just don't want to let my son down any more than I already have. I do not want to let my mom down either."

"You could never let them down Matthew. They adore you. Just like I do. Come on, let's go tell our son about the change in plans."

"Des?"

"Yeah?

"Thank you."

"Whatever for," she asked with a smile.

"Loving me. Forgiving me. Being you."

"You don't ever have to thank me for loving you. It's like breathing."

She takes his hand and together they walk towards their son's room. This was going to be a long night.

#

"Is Gamma in pain," Drew asked his grandfather as they all sat in the waiting room.

"I hope not sweetheart. I do not ever want her to be hurting. If I could, I would trade places with her."

Matthew puts his hand on his dad's shoulder. "You know she would not want that. She loves you dad. You know as well as anyone that she would fight death itself to get back to you."

A single tear falls from his cheek and Drew reaches to wipe it away. "Don't cry Gampa."

Even through his tears, he could see the love and concern in his grandson's face. "With you three here, how could I?"

When the doors open and Larry walks in, they all look up at him with hope.

"How is she Larry? Is my wife going to survive this?"

There was pain in his eyes…pain that he understood was probably due to his inability to cope with the possibility of losing the woman who had been his world for so many years.

"She's a very lucky woman Bo. We caught it early. I am optimistic that she will survive this. It is not going to be easy but she has what it takes to do the work. She also has a great support system here. You are all going to need to push her to fight this."

"Am I late," Rachel asked, as she waddled into the waiting room with Kevin by her side? Larry just smiled.

"You are right on time Rachel," Matthew said, as he gave his big sister a hug. "I'm so glad you are here."

"Like I would let you guys go through this all alone. That is not what family does."

"Is everything ready," Matthew asked Larry.

"I set everything up in the sun room. Why don't you guys go wait in there and Bo and I will bring her in?"

"Sounds like a plan, "Destiny said.

As they walked away, Destiny and Rachel chatted about how Rachel's pregnancy may be just what Nora needed to fight this. The guys just smiled at them knowingly.

#

Bo wheeled Nora's wheelchair into the sunroom where her family awaited. Viki had even shown up to offer her best friend some support, as she too had lived through cancer. There was even a banner hanging from the room that said "You Got This." There were balloons and Halloween candy on the table. That was for Drew.

"I can't believe you did all this for me," she cried, clearly overwhelmed by the gesture of love.

"Oh come on Mom," Matthew started. "After everything you have done for us over the years, you can't really be surprised can you? We love you. We know you can do this."

"He's right Momma," Rachel states as she walks closer to her mom. "Everything I know about love, I learned from you. "

"Hey," a familiar voice said as he walked in the door. "What about your old man?"

"Well you're okay too," she quipped.

Hank leaned down and kissed his ex-wife on the cheek. "You are still the most beautiful cancer patient I have ever seen."

"You lie Gannon."

"Not in my book," Bo agrees. "You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

He kisses her softly and helps her stand up so she can hug everyone. She caresses Rachel's cheek with her hands. "My baby is having a baby," she gushes.

"See, now you have to stick around so you can meet your namesake."

"What?"

"Oh come on Mom. Like Kevin and I could name our daughter after anyone but our mom's. We are going to call her Nora Victoria."

"Oh Rachel, I am honored. I can't wait to meet my granddaughter."

It was then when Drew came up to her tugging on her hospital gown. Bo lifted him up so Nora could hold him.

"Thank you for coming to my Halloween Party little man. Grandma loves you so much."

He looks a little confused. Like he wants to ask her something but is afraid. Nora thinks she knows what that is.

"Are you afraid that I won't have enough love for you when Rachel's baby gets here?"

He nervously shakes his head so Nora pulls him closer. "Nothing will ever change my love for you little man. You are special. Grandma has plenty of room in her heart for both of you. Do you understand?"

He thinks about that for a little while and then shakes his head. "You're not going to die are you," he asks next.

She strokes his hair and kisses his cheek. "Grandma is going to do everything she can to stick around okay. There might be days when I am in pain but that just means the treatment is working. If you have any questions, I want you to ask your mom or dad, or your aunt or your grandpa or me. We will do our best to answer any questions. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes Gamma," he says.

"Anything else you want to ask me?"

"Are you in pain now?"

She smiles at him. This was something she could answer.

"Today I feel great. How could I not? I have my family and a few of my close friends all around me giving me their strength. I am a very happy woman right now."

"I couldn't have explained that any better," Destiny says.

Drew cuddles up on her lap and falls asleep. Matthew just smiles at his son. "He just needed to know his grandma was going to be okay. Kind of like his dad. I needed to know my mommy was going to be okay."

"Come here Matthew. Come here my little man."

He kneels down at her wheelchair and she takes his hands. "You and Rachel are my greatest accomplishments. I am always going to be here for you. I am always going to love you. I am not ready to let you go okay. I am not ready to let your dad go. I still have a lot of living left in me."

"Good…because I was so scared. "

"He really was Mrs. B. Tell her Matthew. Tell her what you told me."

"I'm sorry mom. I am sorry for all those years that I was so horrible to you. You did not deserve it. I never could have asked for a better mom. I love you."

"Oh Matthew, I never blamed you for any of that. Even during the worst of all those years, I still would not have changed it. You were my son and you were alive. That was all that mattered. I forgave you son. You should forgive yourself. We can't change any of it anyways."

"Have you forgiven yourself for…for Sam?"

"He's got you Red," Bo agreed.

"Come on Mom," Rachel put in. "It's time we all forgive ourselves for our bad decisions. They do not matter anymore. You and Bo are together again and stronger than ever. Matthew and I are thriving. What more could you want?"

"All right. I will make you a deal. I will forgive myself if everyone here will do the same. We've all made mistakes. We have all learned from them. I do not want my cancer diagnosis to be for nothing. Let us use this as a chance to better ourselves."

"Deal," everyone said in unison. They all said something they wanted to forgive themselves for. Then they all joined hands and said a prayer for Nora's recovery.

#

When everyone had gone home for the night, Bo lie with Nora in her hospital bed. They wanted to keep her overnight for observation just in case. They knew it was pointless to tell Bo to go home. He would never leave her side.

"I'm so grateful that you are going to survive this Red. When I think of life without you…I can't even"

"Shhhh," she says, as she presses her lips to his. "No negative thoughts in this room. I am not leaving you cowboy. I love you too much for that."

"Your love is the greatest gift I could ever have asked for. I love you Red. I love you so much."

She kissed him again in the darkness of the hospital. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and show him how much he meant to her. She was too exhausted for that right now.

"Just because I am too tired to make love to you right now, does not mean that I do not crave you. I do Cowboy. More than you know."

"There will be time for that when you are feeling more rested. You have had a long day. Go to sleep now Red. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank God. I need you more than I ever have."

"And you have me. From now until forever."

She curls up beside him and closes her eyes. He knows how hard that was for her to admit. He never felt more in love with her.

The End