How to Save a Rock Star

Chapter 7- Three Months Later

I loved him.

That was the only thing I could think as I lay, tangled, with Kam that morning. Our bodies were one. I tried so hard to suppress the giddy smile on my lips.

"I love you...." He had whispered to me several times that night. We had been like this on more than one occasion. However, I still couldn't get used to it.

Anna's coughing woke us both from our peaceful rest. It wasn't her usual cough that she had had for quite a while. That bit of cold she couldn't fight off. This cough was followed by wheezing, and gargling.

I jumped out of bed and threw on one of Kam's huge tshirts. He followed soon after as I flew out the door and ran to Anna's room. I tripped over a few of the moving boxes and scrambled to catch myself. Anna was crying on her bed with a blood stained cloth in her hands.

"Katie, why is it bleeding?!" She asked before coughing again. My stomach rolled and I suddenly felt really light headed.

"What's bleeding, baby girl?" Kam asked.

"My mouth..." Annie said, "I coughed and blood came out."

I couldn't breathe. I knew I needed to stay calm so Annie wouldn't get upset, but that seemed impossible right now. Kam looked horrified, but quickly composed himself and went over to Anna. His muscular torso wrapped around Anna's little body and lifted her.

"Kate, grab me shirt and yourself some pants. Meet me in the car." I ran back to the room and scrambled to find a pair of jeans, for me, and a shirt for Kam. I also grabbed our wallets before running downstairs and through the front door, not bothering to lock it.

Kam had loaded Anna into the car and was starting the engine. I hoped in the front seat, tossing the wallets onto the dashboard. "Smart thinking." Kam commented as he sped out of the long driveway. I shimmied into the jeans I grabbed. Annie was still coughing up a storm. I opened up a bottle of water that was sitting in a cup holder and handed it to her.

"Here baby," I told her, "It's warm but drink that."

She obeyed silently, swigging the water with greed. Her throat must be burning. She coughed again, spewing the water she had chugged all over her shirt, leaving a pinkish stain. That meant one thing: more blood. I climbed into the backseat as Kam sped up through the yellow light. I grabbed her blanket and started drying her face. She continued to cough, tears rolling down her face. I was too scared to cry. Kam glanced, worriedly, in the rear view mirror. Seeing us, he stepped on the gas so we were driving even further past the speed limit than we already were.

We pulled into the ER entrance within the next few minutes. "Take her in, I'll be right there!" Kam said with strain. He was trying to remain calm, though he was far from it.

I jumped out and picked Anna up. She held onto my neck tightly as I ran inside. "I need help!" I shouted, sounding more hysteric than I meant to. They told me to put her on a rolling bed. I obeyed. Then, they rolled her away and wouldn't allow me to follow. "Let me go! I'm her sister! She needs me!"

"Ma'am, everything will be alright. We just need you to fill out some paper work and we will let you in once your sister is in a stable condition." A nurse held me back.

"I care about about damn papers!" I screamed, " I need ton be with my sister! I'm the only family she has!"

"What's going on?!" A male nurse came out.

"What's going on, is I'm not allowed to stay with my freaking sister!!"

"Ma'am I'm going to have to escort you to the waiting room. You're upsetting the other patients." He said. I tried to fight, but since he held a tight grip on my arm, he was able to take me to the waiting room. "I'll be right back with that paper work." He said, a little annoyed.

Kam was standing there, looking at me, confused. I ran to him and held him tight. His arms held me and absorbed my racking sobs. Once I had calmed a bit, we sat down in the empty room. The silence was horrifying. After a while, a nurse came in to hand me paperwork. I tried to fill it out but couldn't because my hands were shaking uncontrollably. Kam took the clipboard and filled it out for me. Answering most of the questions, he knew, and asking about the few he didn't know. When he finished, he brought it to the woman sitting at the desk behind a little window.

Like any good hospital, we waited for what seemed like forever. Kam started pacing the room and I played with my ring.

"Do you think we should've waited?" I asked Kam.

"Waited for what?" He looked at my hands, "Youre not regretting it, are you?" He asked worriedly.

"No!" I replied quickly, "Don't get me wrong, marrying you is the best decision I've ever made. But, do you think we rushed through it? I mean, I didn't even give Anna a heads up..."

Kam knelt at my feet and looked into my eyes," Do you want a proper wedding?"

"The justice of the peace thing was perfect. I never was one for big weddings. I'm just worried people will think I married you because I got knocked up or something..."

"Well, come a few months....." Kam smiled, proudly.

"We'll yes, but that was AFTER."

"Yeah, but it's only been three months, people will definitely talk...." He winked. "How have been feeling the past few mornings?"

"Not sick, thank god! I say that's what I was most afraid of when we found out."

"We're going to have to decide when to tell Annie......." His voice trailed off and I felt scared again. What was taking so long? "I'm going to call the guys and tell them what's going on."

Kam went over to the pay phone since I forgot to grab our cell phones. Just then, a nurse came in through the double doors.

"Mr. And Mrs. Kaggs?" She asked, even though we were the only ones in the room. Maybe if she'd look up from the clipboard.....

"Yes, that's us." Kam said.

"If you'd follow me.." She lead us to a small room where Annie laid on a bed, eyes closed, connected to a series of tubes, a breathing mask covered her mouth.

"Is she alright?!" I asked.

"Right now, she's stable. The doctor will be right in to explain everything." The nurse left us to hover over my sister's unconscious body. Kam held her little hand, tears lining his eyes.

"I'm going to be frank with you," the doctor told us, "it's quite bad. Because of her constantly inhaling cigarette smoke as a child, I'm afraid she has suffered. Mrs. Kaggs, your sister has developed a minor case of lung cancer. It's nearly unheard of in children of her age, but she does. Did your mother smoke when she was pregnant?"

"Yes." My voice was nearly inaudible.

"That would have a large effect on the matter. I am very sorry ma'am."

The band had showed up with teddy bears, balloons, flowers, and chocolates. All were piled around her bed. They wanted to hear the news and were very upset when we told them. Gavin left in a fit of tears, Justin leaned against the wall, staring at her, tearing up, Ty sat on the chair, his face in his hands.

I was too shocked to cry. Kam sobbed and I held onto him, tightly, long after he had cried his last tear.

Everyone was completely in pain. Because the unspoken truth was lung cancer was deadly, and we all played a part in how she got it. We all could have done something to prevent it.

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Please don't kill me!

I'm sorry for the long wait! But I hope you somewhat enjoyed this chapter...

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VOTE! COMMENT! Thanks!!!

--Grace