Sweet Illusions

"What?" Elliot and Kennedy both said in unison, completely dumbfounded by the words that had just left Madison's chapped lips. Elliot felt her heart drop as Madison let out a laugh, what else could she do?

"The cancer has spread to my lymph nodes and bone marrow, the chemo can only do so much, you know? The doctors want to do a marrow transplant, but I can't ask that of someone. I've had just enough time," Madison smiled, tucking a blonde strand behind her hair.

"No, no, no you can't give up just like that! Madison Harlow, your daddy would roll over in his grave if you gave up just like that!" Elliot desperate to reach the blonde who seemed to be completely at peace with the decision she'd made. Madison chuckled and nodded in agreement, but Elliot just stormed out looking for Madion's oncologist, she felt her heart pounding and an odd anger flowing through her veins.

Finally upon wandering around the hospital, asking numerous nurses until she found Dr. Davis, who was in the middle of enjoying her lunch and Elliot sat down at the table without even thinking twice and looked the red-head straight in her eyes.

"Test me to see if I'm a match, please. I know Madison says she doesn't want a marrow transplant, but please. I can convince her to get it, if you tell me that she can live if she gets it," Elliot pleaded, right before Dr. Davis placed her fork down and gave a sweet smile.

"It would give her more time, her kidneys are still holding on, but probably not long," Dr. Davis tried to let her down as sweetly as possible. "Let me finish my lunch and I'll call one of my interns to get your blood and send it to the lab as soon as possible, alright?" Dr. Davis smiled.

Elliot waited for a while until a skinny, tall squeamish young man in scrubs led her to an exam room and was muttering the steps to draw blood under his breath. All Elliot could think of was her best friend, the only friend who had been there through everything and she couldn't lose her now. Not before all the big things happening: college, marriage and children- she couldn't do that without Madison.

Elliot eventually made her way back to Madison's room. She found Madison staring at the television and Kennedy was no where to be found. Elliot double checked and was completely shocked, Kennedy hadn't left Madison's side.

"Where did Kennedy go?" Elliot asked, crawling into bed with Madison, she seemed sadder and harder to keep her head up.

"He got really mad and went to John's to blow off steam, I guess he was just super upset about the decision I made. Elle, I know you don't understand, but I need to leave this in God's hands- you know?" Madison rested her head on Elliot's shoulder and Elliot didn't understand it. Elliot opened her mouth to tell her she was being stupid, to argue the side of a loved one.

"Well Miss Grant it seems you are a match for Maddie here," Dr. Davis walked in with a bright smile on her face and holding a chart open. Madison's jaw dropped as she was being betrayed. "And you haven't talked to her yet. Madison, I understand not wanting to do any big medical procedures, but medical advancements have made marrow transplants a safe and simple procedure. We have to put Elliot on immunosuppressants before we do the surgery, so we'll need to decide quickly," Dr. Davis explained.

"I'll do it," Madison called out as Dr. Davis began walking away.

"Excellent, I'll get the prescription and an OR set up," Dr. Davis smiled and Elliot couldn't contain the smile and hugged Madison as tightly as she could. Madison let out a soft laugh and it seemed to all happen so fast. Madison tried to call Kennedy and tell him the news, but she couldn't get through.

"I'll go to John's and tell him, plus I have to tell John the good news," Elliot smiled and hugged her best friend tightly. This was the glimmer of hope they needed, that Elliot needed more than anything.



"I don't know what the hell to do, I wanna save her, but she won't even save herself. I can't even, I love her... I can't let her die," Kennedy buried his face into his hands, John rubbed Kennedy's back and tried to comfort him. He wasn't even aware how bad it really was, Elliot never wanted to talk about it and he barely even saw Kennedy any more. Kennedy's phone began vibrating loudly across the wooden coffee table, but as soon as he saw Maddie on the screen he declined the call.

"Ken, man you can't leave her when she's down. She's probably in shock and she doesn't know what to do, but all you can do is show her you love her. How much it would hurt to be without her, or some shit like that," John's voice grew hopeful as if in a romantic comedy until he realized the words coming out of his mouth and shifted his tone to bro-like.

"Yeah, shit, you're right. I'm kind of like the biggest prick leaving her there. Elliot just stormed off too, so I should go back soon. Wanna ride together?" Kennedy stood up until he saw John smirking to himself and ruffling his hair. "Something you wanna get off your chest, bro?" Kennedy laughed. John stared at his reflection on the glass, he didn't even recognize himself, he was happy like genuinely happy.

"I think I'm in love with her," He whispered to his reflection after realizing he had all the classic signs. His heart raced whenever she came into sight, the sound of her voice alone could brighten his day and it was impossible to keep the smile off his face. He noticed his best friend's shoulders tighten at the words. "What?"

"She's playing you dude, I'm sorry I didn't think it would get this far," His best friend spoke with a hesitation in his voice, simply because he knew the truth would break his friend- and it did. "I just, I didn't know it would get this far," He tried to give some solace to the shocked boy sitting next to him.

He couldn't believe it was fake, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. How could the moments they shared be a hoax. It was all an illusion, he thought, but it was a sweet illusion. John chocked on his own breath for a moment, he stopped and scrunched his nose confused. "What do you mean she was playing me?" John tried to mask his heart break.

"She was just trying to bring you down, she thought you were a huge player- she wanted to break your heart to let you know what you were doing to other girls," Kennedy let out, it was cathartic- somehow letting his best friend know what had been going on for the past couple of months felt better. The boys were shaken from their conversation with excited knocking on the door.

John stood up and took a sharp breath to answer the door and an excited Elliot stood there, pressed her lips to his cheek and ran to Kennedy in jubilance, "Kenny, she's getting the transplant! She's getting the transplant!" She hugged him tightly as he started laughing happily and relieved.

"That's great, we have to go back! Where is she getting a transplant from? I thought the waiting list was too long?" Kennedy asked, pulling his hoodie from the counter as John stared at them vacantly. The information he'd just received had shaken his very foundation, as if nothing was real. She stared at John who had seemed so cold.

"Um, from me. I'm a match so we're gonna get started on immuno-whatevers, but she's gonna do it! The doctor says this gives her the time she needs," Elliot jumped up and down excitedly.

"We need to talk," John said, his eyes swimming in sadness before Elliot noticed something completely wrong. She nodded before following him to his bedroom where all her things were. "We're you just playing a game dating me? Just to 'teach me a lesson' or some shit?" John asked anger fresh in his voice.

"Honestly?" Elliot asked, her heart quickening pace in her ribcage and her fingertips tingling as if she was about to fall off a cliff. That's when she realized how much John meant to her, just as much as her life. "Yes, that's how it started out-"

"Fucking perfect Elle! Perfect? This has all been a fucking lie?" John interrupted he tried to storm off, but Elliot blocked him off before he could.

"John, John listen to me! It was how it started out, but then I got to know you and hang out with you and I fell for you. I fell in love with you!" Elliot grabbed his hands and forced him to listen. She wouldn't lose him, not like this.

"You fell in love with me?" John scoffed before walking away. Elliot heard the door slam and startled her to the core. She let herself feel the pain, just for a split second before she walked out the door and drove with Kennedy back to the hospital. Elliot was the master of concealing emotions and denial.