Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine, I just borrowed them. They belong to James E. Reilly and NBC.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"Are you sure, Eve?" Ivy Crane asked as she sat in the hospital room.

"I don't know exactly what's wrong with you, Ivy. The tests were inconclusive. However, they do show that you are dying." Ivy felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"How long do I have?"

"Without knowing exactly what's wrong with you, we can't successfully determine how much time you have left. It could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 years. We'll have to keep doing tests every other day to see how fast your illness progresses. I have some medication for you that I would like you to take every 3-6 hours, depending on your dizzy spells. I do suggest that you let your loved ones know. You could use all the support you can get."

"What loved ones? Julian and Alistair could care less if I died. All I have is Ethan, Pilar, and Sheridan. I can't tell them, though. It would destroy Ethan."

"I can't force you to tell them, but I highly recommend it. Your illness can get worse by added stress. The stress can cause you to get dizzy or pass out and each time you do that, the less time you have to live." Eve is interrupted by her pager going off. "I hate to do this, but I have to go. If you need anything, give me a call. And Ivy, I'm very sorry." Eve left the room and Ivy left soon after.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

*1 Week Later*

Ivy went to the Book Cafe and sat at the same table where's she occupied for the last week every morning. Pilar, Ethan, and Sheridan have noticed her distance and she hasn't seen Sam since the trip to the ski lodge. As she's sitting there, the door opened and Sam and Grace walked in. Sam went to go get coffee and then Grace noticed Ivy sitting at the table. She walked up to her table.

"Hello, Ivy. I haven't seen you in a while." Grace said as Ivy looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Grace. Hi." She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Are you okay? You look like you've been crying."

"I'm fine, Grace." Grace sat down and they talked for awhile. Moments later, Sam approached the table, giving Ivy a forceful look of warning.

"Our coffee's ready, honey." He purposely said. Grace got up from the table and said goodbye to Ivy. Ivy felt the tears in her eyes as she saw Sam give her another cruel look. She left the Book Cafe and went for a walk in the park.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

After Sam and Grace left the Book Cafe, Grace had to go back to her shop. He decided that he needed to find Ivy to warn her to stay away from Grace again. He walked through the park and saw her sitting on a bench.

"Ivy..." Sam said as he went up to her. She saw him and then stood up.

"What can I do for you, Sam?"

"Stay the hell away from my wife! How many times do I have to warn you before you get it through your head!? I don't love you! Maybe I never did!" Ivy fought back the tears. She couldn't believe the things he was saying to her. She didn't actually do anything to his 'precious Grace' this time.

"Fine then, Sam. I don't care anymore." Sam was shocked that Ivy was giving in so easily.

"Good. Because I could destroy you and your relationship with your son if you keep trying to destroy my family." This time, the tears started to flow from Ivy's eyes and she walked away without saying another word. She didn't get far, however. She started to feel lightheaded and her feet felt heavy. All of the sudden, she fainted and fell onto the ground. Sam saw her fall and ran to her side. He turned her onto her back.

"Ivy?! Wake up, damnit!" Now Sam felt horrible about saying those things to her. Perhaps it was the fact that he was scared about his feelings and he was trying to push them away. "Please wake up, Ivy!" He checked her pulse and noticed that she didn't have one and she wasn't breathing.

Chapter 2

Sam started to panic. He plugged Ivy's nose and began performing mouth to mouth rececitation. "1, 2, 3.....Come on Ivy, breathe...1, 2, 3..." After trying it several times, Ivy started to move. Sam stood back for a moment and then her eyes slowly opened.

"Ivy?! It's Sam. Are you okay?" He asked as he grabbed her hand.

"Sam? Yeah, I'm fine. I just felt a bit woozy." Ivy said as Sam helped her sit up.

"A bit woozy? Ivy, you weren't breathing. Maybe I should take you to the hospital..."

"No! I said I was fine and I meant it. Thanks for saving me, Sam, but I have to go." She got up off the ground and walked as fast as she could away from him. She went to the hospital since she had a doctor's appointment anyways.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

*At The Hospital*

"You ready, Ivy?" Eve asked as she came out into the waiting room.

"Yes." Ivy got up and followed Eve into an examining room.

"How are you feeling today? You look pale."

"I passed out earlier."

"Did something stress you out?"

"Yes, but I really don't want to talk about it. Let's just take these tests and find out how long I have left." Eve nodded and then procceeded to draw blood from Ivy's arm. After a few minutes, Eve came back into the room with a concerned look on her face.

"Ivy, the tests show that your illness progressing at an extremely fast rate. By the looks of it, you may only have a week left." Ivy held back her tears and then excused herself. Maybe it was time that she told her family....

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"Have you been giving her the drugs, Julian?" Alistair asked over the speakerphone.

"Of course I have, Father. You should see her. She's completely pale and she knows she's dying. I'm sure the doctors are oblivious to why." Julian said as he couldn't help but keep the smile away from his face.

"Good. Just remember, you have to keep slipping the drugs into her food if you want to keep her that way. She may only have a week or two before we're rid of her and no one will blame us for her sudden death."

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"Hello, Mother. Are you okay?" Ethan asked as Ivy walked into the room. She noticed that Sheridan and Pilar were there as well and knew that this was her oppurtunity to tell them the truth.

"Actually, no. I'm not okay. There's something I have to tell all of you." Ivy said as she took a seat next to Ethan on the couch.

"What is it, Ivy?" Sheridan asked.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. I'm dying." Ethan, Sheridan, and Pilar's face turned from being worried to horrified.

"You're what?! Oh my, God! What are you dying from?" Ethan asked as he grabbed his Mother's hand.

"The doctors don't know. They just said that I have maybe a week left."

"No! You aren't dying, Mother! You're going to be okay, everything's going to be okay." Everyone was crying now and that only made Ivy feel worse.

"Please, Ethan. Just accept it. There's nothing they can do." Ethan just stared off in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he might lose his Mother. She's always been there for him. After Ivy calmed everyone down, Pilar suggested that they go get something to eat. They decided on the Lobster Shack and they got in the car and headed there.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"You ready to go?" Sam asked Grace and and the Russells as they gathered in the Bennett family room.

"Yup. We're ready." Grace answered. They left their house and drove to the Lobster Shack for dinner. They were seated at a table and then Sam noticed Ivy, Sheridan, Ethan, and Pilar at a table near them. He saw the distraught look on their faces and wondered what was going on.

"Look, Sam, it's poison Ivy." TC whispered to him.

"I heard that, TC Russell." Eve scolded. "Why don't you just leave that poor woman alone. She's been through enough." TC, Sam, and Grace stared at her, confused to what she meant by that comment.

"What do you mean, Eve?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, I, ah, just mean that she must go through a lot being married to Julian, that's all. I've heard about the way he sleeps around." 'Good save.' Eve said to herself.

"Oh." Sam didn't buy her story but he wasn't in the mood to argue about it. Throughout dinner he caught himself staring at Ivy several times. He felt horrible about what he had said to her earlier. She looked really pale to him. 'Maybe she's sick.' He thought to himself. 'No, she's fine.' As he's watching her, he noticed her dig through her purse and pull out a bottle of prescription medication. This confused him further, but he just brushed it off.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

*Two Days Later*

Sam was on his way to the Crane Mansion for a meeting with Julian. He didn't want to go because he knew that he might see Ivy there. He was still scolding himself for what he had said to her a few days earlier. None of it was true, but he knew that he had really hurt her. After he reached the mansion, he got out of the car and knocked on the door.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Pilar asked as she opened the door.

"I have a meeting with Julian."

"Oh. Come on in." Pilar said as Sam followed her into the Crane Mansion.

Chapter 3

"Stay right here." Pilar said as she had Sam wait by the door. She went into Julian's study and told him that Sam was there. Julian told her to send him in. Pilar went back to get Sam. "Mr. Crane will see you now."

"Thank you, Pilar." Sam walked passed Pilar and walked into the living room, which leads to Julian's study. He saw Ethan hugging Ivy as she cried on his shoulder.

"Shhh.....It's going to be okay, Mother." Ethan whispered, trying to hold back his own tears for his mother's sake. Sam didn't know what to do. He wanted to go comfort Ivy, but he felt out of place. He decided to just make his presence unknown and he headed for Julian's study.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kay said as she lay in her bed in a deep sleep. Grace, Charity, and Jessica come rushing into the room and tried to wake her.

"Kay? Wake up." Jessica said.

"Please no! She doesn't deserve it! No!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Wake up, Kay." Grace said as she tried to shake her daughter out of it. After a few moments, Kay opened her eyes.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" She asked frantically.

"Who, Kay?"

"The woman that was dying. Someone was hurting her. Where is she?"

"We don't know what you're talking about. Are you feeling alright?"

"I need to see Dad."

"Honey, he's at a meeting--"

"Please! I need to see him. Now."

"Okay. I'll call him." Grace said as she walked towards the door. "We're going to leave you alone now. Why don't you try to get some rest while you wait for your father." Kay nodded and everyone left her room.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

As soon as Sam got to Julian's office, his cell phone rang.

"Chief Bennett." He answered.

"Sam, it's Grace. There's something wrong with Kay and she asked to see you."

"Alright. I'm on my way home." Sam hung up his phone and then told Julian that they would have to reschedule their meeting. He quickly drove home. He went inside and went straight to his daughter's room. He opened the door and saw her sitting on her bed crying.

"Kay, sweetheart. What's the matter?" He asked as he went up to her bed and pulled her into a hug.

"I don't know, Dad. I had a horrible dream and I don't know what it means."

"What happened in your dream?"

"There was a blonde woman, but I couldn't see her face. She was in so much pain. I could feel it. The woman is dying, but she's not."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused.

"There was a man. He was doing something to make her sick, but I don't know what."

"Honey, it was just a bad dream."

"No, Dad, it wasn't. There's more. The woman is connected to you."

"Me? But how?" Now he was really starting to get worried.

"I don't know, but she is." Kay wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't feel very good. Maybe I should lie down."

"That's a good idea." Sam helped her lay back down and he kissed her on the forehead and left the room. He went back downstairs and found Grace, Charity, and Jessica sitting at the table.

"Has she calmed down?" Grace asked.

"Yes. I hope she's okay."

"What was wrong with her?"

"Just a bad dream." Sam had a feeling that it wasn't just a bad dream. He wondered what it meant and who the woman was in Kay's dreams.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

"Are you ready to go, Mother?" Ethan asked as he helped Ivy with her bag.

"Yes. I'm as ready as I'm going to be." Eve had suggested that Ivy stay at the hospital for the remainder of her time. She didn't want to go, but she knew that her life would be prolonged if she were in the hospital with the correct medical care.

"Okay, let's go." Ivy took one last look at the Mansion before walking out the door. Ethan drove her to the hospital and Eve checked her into a room. Sheridan and Pilar showed up a little later to offer their support to Ethan and Ivy.

"Where's Ivy?" Sheridan asked.

"Dr. Russell's checking her out right now." Ethan informed them. They waited and waited for about 20 minutes. Finally, Eve came out of Ivy's room. They could tell by the look on her face that the news was not good. "What is it, Doctor?"

"She's getting worse. There's not much more that we can do." Ethan started to cry and Sheridan offered him a shoulder to cry on. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Sam knew there was something wrong with his daughter. He told Grace that he had an errand to run and he decided to go see Eve at the hospital to get her opinion. He went inside the hospital and spotted Eve, who was talking with Pilar, and Ethan, who was crying on Sheridan's shoulder. He decided to go see what was wrong.

"Pilar? What's going on?" He asked as he approached them. He could see the tears in her eyes, as well.

"It's Mrs. Crane....she's dying."

Chapter 4

"You let him take her to the hospital?!" Alistair yelled from the phone.

"I had no choice, Father. I would have looked suspicious if I wouldn't have. Besides, there's nothing to worry about." Julian replied as he calmly sipped his brandy.

"What do you mean, Julian?"

"Ivy has already ingested plenty of drugs to kill her. There's no way anyone could know what's going on, so there's no way that she can be saved. My prediction is that she will be dead VERY shortly."
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"She's what?!" Sam asked as he stood there staring at Pilar.

"She's dying, Sam. She only has maybe a day or two left." Pilar told him.

"No. Ivy is NOT dying!" This caught Sheridan, Ethan, and Eve's attention. "She can't die, Pilar!" Sam was trying to compose himself but still felt the tears in his eyes.

"Please calm down, Sam."

"Eve, can I go see her?" He asked, ignoring Pilar.

"Ok, but don't upset her." Sam walked past everyone and went straight for Ivy's room. He went inside and saw that she was hooked up to a lot of machines. Her face had no color left to it and she looked so fragile. He went to her bedside and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Her eyes were closed. He gently took her hand and whispered her name.

"Ivy, wake up." A few seconds later, her eyes opened and she looked up at him.

"Sam? What are you doing here?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I guess. Just a bit dizzy."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were dying?"

"I thought you didn't care, Sam. That's what you said that day in the park." Now he felt horrible. She was lying in this bed dying and she thought that he didn't care about her. The truth was, he loved her.

"No, Ivy. I need to tell you the truth. I--" Sam was cut off by the beeping of the machine. He looked at the machine and then down at Ivy. Her eyes were closed and she was flatlining. "No! Ivy, wake up!" He ran out the door and got Eve. They forced him to wait outside while they worked on her. Pilar was comforting Sam and Sheridan was comforting Ethan. After a few minutes, Eve came out of Ivy's room.

"Is she okay?" Ethan asked.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. She's gone."
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Kay sat in her room. She was so confused about the dream that she had earlier. All of the sudden, she saw a bright light. She wan't scared though. Something inside of her told her not to be. The light changed into a figure of a small girl with curly hair and a long white dress.

"Kay." The little girl whispered. "You have the power to save her."

"What are you talking about? What power?" She asked, confused.

"She needs you, Kay. She wasn't meant to die. Her death will cause a lot of pain for many people, especially for your father and brother. Only you can save her."

"My father and brother? What do Dad and Noah have to do with anything? I don't understand!" Kay was beginning to get frustrated. She didn't know what the little girl meant.

"Open up your heart. You'll find the answers there." The little girl placed a hand over Kay's head and then she disappeared. Kay felt refreshed. She knew what she had to do.

Chapter 5

"No! She's not dead!" Ethan cried. Sheridan just held him tighter as she cried as well.

"I'm so sorry. There was nothing else that we could do." Eve said as she placed a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder.

"Can we see her?"

"Of course." Ethan, followed by Sam, Sheridan, and Pilar, went into Ivy's room. Ethan and Sam went right up to her and they both began to cry. Sam held her hand and then collapsed on her bed. He wasn't ready to let her go. He didn't get to tell her that he loved her or even get to say goodbye. Pilar and Sheridan tried to pry Sam and Ethan from Ivy's bed, but they wouldn't budge. After a few minutes, Eve came back into the room and said that she needed to take the body now. They stood back as she went up to the bed and covered Ivy's lifeless body with a sheet. All of the sudden, the door opened and Kay came in.

"It's not her time!" She yelled.

"Kay, what are you doing here?" Sam asked as he tried to hide his tears.

"I know you love her, Dad. You were meant to be together. She's not ready to go, either." She walked away for him and then walked up to the bed. Eve looked at her funny, but let her procceed. Kay lifted the sheet and stared down at Ivy. She closed her eyes and then placed her hand over her forehead. She silently prayed to herself and concentrated. Kay opened her eyes and removed her hand from Ivy's forehead. Sam came up to Kay and tried to pull her from the body.

"Come on, Kay. Let's go home." Just as they were walking away from the bed, Ivy opened her eyes and sat up.

"Mother?!" Ethan yelled as he ran to his Mother's side and wrapped his arms around her. Ivy wasn't exactly sure what was going on. She held her son and then looked up at Sam and Kay.

"It was you. You saved me." She said to Kay.

"I did what was meant to be." Eve, Sheridan, and Pilar stood back with their mouths open. Finally, Eve walked up to Ivy to examine her.

"I don't understand this. Everything looks to be fine. This doesn't make any sense. But we still don't know what made you sick in the first place." Eve observed.

"I know." Kay began as everyone looked at her. "It was your husband. He's been giving you drugs to make you sick. He keeps them in a safe in his study. The cobination is 10-32-6." Sam knew in his heart that she was telling the truth. She just brought a woman back to life. She brought his love back to him. Sam called the station and had them issue a search warrant for the Crane Mansion. Ethan, Sheridan, and Pilar decided to go back to the Mansion and see what was going on. Kay went home after Ivy and Sam thanked her over and over again. At last, they were alone.

"Before anything else happens, I have to tell you that I love you. Those things I said to you at the park were out of anger and I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." Sam sais as he pulled her into an embrace. She broke the embrace and looked into his eyes.

"I love you, too, Sam."