I pull away from Alex's lips, struggling to breathe properly as the sweat glistens my hard abdomen and coats most of my forehead. Alex has a light sheen of sweat along her forehead as well, and she smiles at me while fanning herself.

We both lay on our sides, and Alex lowers her leg so that she's relaxing. Her naked body is glowing in the sunlight, and her breathing causes her stomach to expand and contract. My seminal fluid covers the inside of her thighs, and she gently sucks it off of her index finger.

I kiss her temple before wrapping both arms around her, spooning her and pulling her even closer than we already are. Alex giggles before turning her head to look at me.

"I guess you could say we made up for our lack of intimacy." Alex says through a large breath, and this causes me to laugh.

"We never had a lack of intimacy, babe. Something small can be extremely intimate to me, so I don't really consider it a lack." I say, and she smirks before kissing me.

As our relationship continues, I'm realizing how much simple affection really means to me, and I tend to take every moment for granted. Alex loves me so much, and I love her, too, and every day that I have with her is another day that I'm grateful for.

Yet at the same time, I'm still able to hold pretty important secrets from her. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach as I'm thinking about yesterday, and how I should tell her, but I know she'll be upset.

"Aww, how sweet." Alex says in a high pitched voice.

"You ready to start our day out together, babe?" I ask, and her entire face lights up.

"I'm ready whenever you are." Alex replies with a wide smile.

She slowly stands up from the couch, and she playfully throws the blanket at me, and I catch it. Alex smiles at me before giving me a wink, and I watch her flip her hair over her shoulder as she walks off.

I get up from the couch, chasing her up the stairs. Alex turns around and squeals once she sees me, and she makes a run for the bathroom. Alex runs while laughing, and she shuts the bathroom door, and I can hear her breathing heavily and her laughing is muffled.

"Alex, open this door!" I shout, and her laughing stops.

"Ooh, I'm scared!" Alex exclaims, and I smile.

"You should be scared." I threaten, with a naughty smirk on my face.

As I go to open the door, it won't budge, and I know that Alex is leaning against it. With all of the weight I can lift at the gym, I know I can push this door opened with enough force.

I finally push the door open after a while, and Alex screams before laughing again. I pick her up, wrapping her legs around my waist. Instead of kissing her, my fingers press into her sides and her armpits, and she giggles hysterically.

"Baby, stop! Stop!" She struggles to say through her laughter, but I continue.

"Beg for mercy, and then I'll stop." I whisper into her ear, and I chuckle while watching her struggle to stop laughing.

We're just like little kids, but I'm pretty sure kids wouldn't be tickling each other while naked after some morning sex.

"Mercy! Mercy!" Alex begs, and I remove my hands from her sides, and I place her on the ground.

Alex playfully nudges my arm, and I brace myself for a tickle attack that she might give me. Instead, she stands on her tip toes and presses her mouth to mine. I run my hands over her butt, collecting a handful of her smooth flesh. She pushes me suddenly, and I smirk at how comfortable she is with taking control.

Alex carefully grabs my shaft, massaging it through my boxer briefs, and I move my fingers carefully in between her thighs.

Alex just quirks her eyebrow at me, and I smile at how she's mimicking some of the things that I do. Alex beckons to me, and I follow her into the shower and we begin round two.

~~~

Once we step out of the shower, I watch Alex dress herself in front of the mirror, and she gently hums the beat of one of my favorite songs by The Weeknd.

"Remember when you were in the hospital, and you were singing this song?" I ask her, and a smile splits across her face.

I can still see her swaying her body in harmony with the song while she combed her long brown hair in the mirror. I can still see flashes of her hobbling around on her crutches, and how she would tear away from my intimate gazes.

Alex used to be so timid around me, and I know that it was because I was her doctor and that I was willingly doing all of the courteous acts for someone I had just met. I had already knew that we had something that I hadn't necessarily felt before, and it was definitely wrong considering the fact that she was a patient.

But I was actually willing to risk my career for her. I didn't know if people would find out that I took a patient back to my flat, but I didn't even care. Alex needed to get away from her mother, and there was no way that I'd just let her suffer.

Telling her to go back to her mother was bad enough because she got hurt, but knowing that she could possibly still be under constant attack would be too much for me to bear.

"I can remember that day perfectly. I can't believe that was almost a year ago, baby." Alex replies, and her cheeks turn pink at the memory.

The sound of her voice calling me baby is something that I never thought would happen.

Alex was my patient, and I had to perform a reduction on her knee, but I didn't know that a dislocated knee and a heartbreaking past could tie two people together.

Alex puts her hair into a ponytail, but it's so long that it's basically still down. Her tank top looks more like a crop top due to her long torso, and she wears a pair of daisy Dukes so that she won't be sweating in the heat of August.

Before I turn to the dresser and pull something out to wear, I notice her staring in the mirror, crossing her arms so that they cover her stomach. I furrow my eyebrows at her, and continue to watch Alex scrutinize her body.

"Alex, what's wrong?" I ask, and she jumps at the sound of my voice.

"Nothing, it's just that my stomach has been bothering me lately." Alex says.

I walk over to where she stands, and I carefully place a hand over hers. Alex shivers temporarily, and her breath hitches as my fingers glide over her navel.

Why's she so jumpy?

"Baby, what's wrong?" I ask again, and she looks down at her feet.

"Nothing! It's—, nothing." She sighs, and I bite my lip.

Something's up, and she won't tell me.

What could she possibly not want me to know?

I push the thought aside, not wanting to get into an argument with my girl before we start our special day together. I just grab her hand and kiss it before leading her out to my car. As usual, I open the door for her, and she kisses me briefly before sitting down.

As we drive, from my peripheral vision, I can tell how nervous Alex is by her involuntary leg shaking and chewing at her fingernails.

"Love, please tell me. I hate seeing you be so tense." I say, and she smiles as I place my hand on her thigh.

"When did you start calling me love?" Alex asks, and I shrug.

"I don't know, I just felt like calling you that. Unless you don't like that then I—"

"No, I love that nickname." Alex says, and I smile.

We pull into the parking lot of the restaurant, and we both struggle to choose something from the menu. I hardly even look at the menu, I'm just studying Alex's face. Her cheeks are pigmented with red, and tends to bite her lip frequently.

"Alex, please tell me. I just want you to get this off of your chest so that his doesn't affect our whole day."

"If I tell you, it'll ruin our day." Alex finally admits, and I furrow my eyebrows.

"Why would it ruin our day?" I ask, and she sighs before running her fingers through her hair, and she anxiously twirls it around her finger.

"I decided to call Vanessa once I got back from the airport. I asked how everyone was, and she told me that your father—" Alex stops, and takes a deep breath, but she just can't seem to utter the words. "That he is—"

"That he's what?" I ask nervously, and my heart hammers in my throat.

"He's in the hospital again. I don't know exactly what happened, but she told me that he'd be out by today. Vanessa didn't want me to tell you because—"

As soon as those words pass her lips, everything inside of my body stops. My heart pounds, my muscles tighten, my breathing is quick and shallow. These are the effects of stress.

He's in the hospital, and my own sister wouldn't even tell me. I thought that I only had to worry about Brendan, but I guess Vanessa is changing as well as the stress eats her alive.

That still isn't an excuse.

"Because what? That's our father who is very ill, and she couldn't just simply tell me that?" I whisper-yell, not wanting to cause a disturbance in this restaurant.

"Babe, just let me finish and you'll know." Alex interjects, grabbing my hand from across the table.

I calm down, and I listen to Alex explain that Vanessa didn't want us to worry and our mother didn't want to burden us, but I don't get that.

If he's in the hospital of course I'm going to want to see him, and it doesn't even matter if he'll only be there for a few hours.

"I think that it's really sweet that you worry about him. You really love him, and I get that. But as time goes on, I know that your worrying will progressively become more and more aggressive."

"As time goes on, I know that the days are dwindling down for him. You heard that voicemail that my mother left for me in the hospital a few months ago after Valentine's Day."

"Yes, I remember it word for word, babe." Alex softly reminds me, and I feel some of my tense removed from my body when she refers to me as babe.

Alex has no idea how much I love it when she calls me that. She slips in the nickname so innocently, and her voice is so soft and gentle when she does it.

It's adorable.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't tell you. Maybe it was Vanessa's voice in my head or just me not wanting to worry you." Alex apologizes, and I shake my head.

"It's okay, Alex. There's actually something that I need to tell you." I admit.

I look down at our interlocked fingers, and I take a deep breath.

"What happened?" Alex asks.

"I was at the hospital, just casually conversing with Jordan and Elijah. A woman asks me to help her sick son, but she isn't just some woman."

"God, I feel like I'm listening to those dramatic ass movie trailers or something. Just spill the deets." Alex exclaims, but I shake my head.

"No, Alex. I know that you're going to be more than dissatisfied when I tell you who it is."

"Babe, you're scaring me. Who was it?" She asks firmly, and I feel my body tremble.

I never hear her voice sound so firm. Alex sounds like she's scolding or threatening me, and it scares me but gives me a sexual thrill.

When we got into that huge argument at the hospital, I could tell she was craving me. I was craving her, too.

Rian, focus on your conversation!

"Your mother."

Alex gasps, and she removes her hand from mine, instantly making me feel cold. I don't bother even looking up into her eyes, because I can feel her tracing my face. I already know that look by now. Her eyebrows are furrowed, and her jaw is either opened or pinched together. Alex's cheeks would be reddened, and her arms would be crossed.

I know that look so well that I don't even have to look at her.

"My mom went to the hospital and saw you?" Alex furiously asks through her gritted teeth.

"Yes, but I wanted nothing to do with her! Alex, I told her that she will never step near you again. I made a promise to myself that I'd protect you from anything that has or that will cause you harm." I explain.

"What did she say to you?" Alex asks, and her voice cracks.

"She told me that she was genuinely sorry and that she wants to apologize and—"

"Apologize? I can't even look at her anymore without thinking about all of the pain she's caused me! I can't believe her!" Alex exclaims in disbelief, and I nod my head.

"I told her that no matter the apology be genuine or not, that she wouldn't get the chance because neither of us can trust her."

I finally look up at her, and her ponytail drapes over her shoulder, and her eyes look like the most exquisite shade of dark brown you could imagine. In that moment, the thoughts just disappear as we stare at each other, and I stare at her lips.

Alex's lips quiver, and she bites on her lip to stop it. I grab her hand again, running my thumb over hers.

"I'm sorry that all of this happened and I didn't tell you."

"I can tell why you didn't want to tell me." Alex mumbles, and I sigh.

"Do you want to go home?" I ask her, and she shakes her head.

"No! We haven't spent a lot of time together lately, and I'm not going to waste it." Alex exclaims, and I smile.

I stand up, leaning over the table to kiss her, and she smiles against my lips before kissing me back. Afterwards, we both take the same relieved deep breath at the same time.

Glad that what we had to say is off our chests.

~~~

Alex sets down the copious amount of shopping bags down in the closet, and I help her hang up the clothes and accessories that I bought for myself and for her.

As we were shopping, Alex's face was exuberant and vibrant. Not a single ounce of disappointment or trouble was on her face.

I was so worried about telling Alex what happened, but she's dealing with the information better than I did. I was so upset after that brief and unpleasant surprise by Alex's mom, and my anger for her only continued to grow.

Finally getting it off of my chest was good, because if I didn't, I would've exploded.

"I'm so tired!" Alex sighs, and I smile at her.

"Me too."

We walk out of the closet, and I feel Alex pinching one of my butt cheeks which causes me playfully push her hand off.

"Alex, stop!" I laugh, and she smacks my butt instead of pinching it.

"What? I can't help it that you have some pretty big buns." Alex giggles, and before she smacks my butt again, I grab her hand and place it on my waist.

"Alex, remember when you were in the hospital, struggling with your crutches and you held onto me like this?" I ask, and she semi-sheepishly smiles.

"I remember that. Do you remember when you examined me after rescuing me from the mall?" Alex asks, and my fingers tingle.

"Yeah, and I remember how nervous you were."

Alex's breathing was shaky, and her hands were placed on her thighs to stop them from trembling. I clearly remember how red her cheeks were, and how I clenched my jaw as I stared at her half bare body.

"I could so tell that you were trying not to check out my boobs, Rian." Alex jokingly says, and I chuckle.

"No! I won't deny that I thought they were gorgeous, but I was actually trying to check them for any bruising." I admit.

"Ha! I knew it! I could just tell by the look in your eyes that you were admiring me."

"Conceited now, huh?" I playfully ask, and she nudges my shoulder.

"Well, this morning you got to admire them," Alex says seductively, and takes off her tank top and reveals her breasts. "Now you get to admire them again."

My eyebrows shoot up, and my face heats up and she takes my hands and places them on her breasts. My fingers caress each of her nipples softly, and I lean down and place a kiss on her neck.

Alex's hand grasps my shaft through my pants, and I quickly take them off and she smiles at me. Alex slips off her shorts and underwear, and I smile as I hover over her. We lay on our sides, and I gently kiss on her shoulder while she moves her hands down my body.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, causing Alex and I to jump, and my jaw drops when I see the person standing in the doorway.

"Rian!" Vanessa exclaims, and Alex quickly covers herself with the blanket.

Before she speaks again, she just smirks at Alex and I, wiggling her eyebrows at us. My cheeks heat up out of embarrassment, and her perverted stare doesn't make this any less awkward.

My sister just walked in on me.

"V, what are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be in Sacramento?" I ask.

Get out!

"I told you guys that Dad would be out of the hospital by today, but I was wrong. Just hurry up and finish hittin' it and get in the car, we'll all explain." Vanessa breathlessly adds.

Alex and I look at each other, and Vanessa just winks at us before rushing out of the door, and I hear her footsteps rapidly go down the stairs.

"What do you think is going on?" Alex asks, and her eyes are wide.

"I don't know." I add.

We both climb out of bed, putting our clothes back on, and we rush down the stairs and into the car. My mother sits in front of the wheel, and Vanessa is next to her in the passenger seat, but Brendan isn't in the car.

"Where's Brendan?" I ask.

"The hospital! Just hurry up and get in, please!" Vanessa exclaims.

I open the side door for Alex, and she hops inside of the car. I sit down next to her, and my mother abruptly drives off. I've never seen my mother speeding before, so this must be serious.

"What's going on?" Alex asks.

"Well, I guess his cancer decides to disagree on having him leave the hospital today. It's worsened, and it's dramatically declined his health. They say that he's so weak that he's basically bed bound at the moment." Mom says, and my heart stops.

No.

This cannot be happening.

"Do you know if he'll be okay?" I ask.

"I don't know." Mom says quietly.

"That isn't a good enough answer for me! It's either yes or no." I exclaim, and Vanessa sighs and tries to stifle a sob.

"If yes is the answer, then that is a miracle. But it's looking like no might be the final conclusion." Vanessa says, and the weight drops in my stomach.

This might be it.

As a doctor, hearing that doesn't give me any hope whatsoever. Once a patient with any type of disease is receiving that much negative information, it can't possibly be good. But as a doctor, we always try to inform the families that everything will be okay so that we don't get their hopes down.

This is actually happening.

The nightmare that we've all been having for a few months might be turning into reality.