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Little Voices in the Rain

Lie to Me

"I don't see why it's so special," Stella shook her head at her niece.

"Of course it's special," Hilary insisted. "I mean, you're taking me into your home for God-knows how long and giving me my own space. That's really special."

"You're my niece," she said. "What was I supposed to do? Make you sleep on the floor? And it's a tiny room, barely enough room for you."

"You're trying to undermine the importance of it," Hilary argued.

"Okay," CiCi put her hands up. "It's too early for this. I'm only on my second cup of coffee. When's Max getting here?"

Before Stella could respond, her buzzer sounded. He was on time today.

"Right now," she grinned as she let Max up. "He's not late, for a change."

"I heard that," Max's voice sounded through the door. "You're only a flight of stairs away from the ground and I'm a fit hockey player."

Stella opened the door and into his embrace. "I don't know," she poked his flat, six-pack stomach. "A little flabby if you ask me." Total lie.

"Well it's a good thing no one asked you," he huffed and walked into her apartment. "Hilary! CiCi!"

There was no denying the fact that although Max Talbot may be a bit of a womanizer-or as Hilary had once called him, a man-whore- everyone with estrogen loved him. He knew how to treat a woman right.

"Hey, Superstar," Hilary hugged him. It seemed everyone in the Nash family referred to him as that.

"Bonjour, Hilary," he smiled to the teenager. "You're getting so old! And prettier, I might add."

Hilary blushed and nodded to the flowers. "I knew you loved me more than Aunt Stella."

"I felt bad for coming empty handed last time," Max handed the bouquet to Stella. "Desolee."

"De rien, de rien," she waved him off and accepted the beautiful arrangment. As he greeted her sister, Stella took the flowers to the kitchen and placed them in a vase.

He had remembed her favorite blossoms. How he had found such perfect gerber daises and greens, she didn't know. But Max Talbot was...Max Talbot.

"So you're coming with us today?" CiCi asked as Stella handed him a mug of coffee.

"Mhmm," he nodded over the rim of the blue ceramic. "It's been a while since I've seen your dad. I miss his sense of humor."

"He doesn't know you're coming," Stella smiled. "It'll be a nice surprise."

*****

And a nice surprise it was. After checking in at the front desk of the hospital, the group of four made their way up to the second floor and into Mr. Nash's room. Thanks to his oldest child's lucrative occupation, he was able to afford the best treatments in a private room.

"Gramps!" Hilary smiled at the sight of her cancer stricken grandfather. "How have you been?"

"My Lord, look at you," he chuckled as his granddaughter carefully hugged him. "Growing up so fast and the spitting image of your mother at your age."

Hilary smiled and stepped back, letting her mother and aunt greet their father.

"Hi, Daddy," CiCi hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, sweetheart," Mr. Nash sighed. "It hasn't been the same just being Stel and me. Right?"

Stella agreed. "Of course. Sorry I haven't been out in a few days."

"Don't worry," he waved her off and his eyes drifted to his last visitor. "Well look who it is."

"Mr. Nash," Max extended his hand and shook the older man's. "Good to see you."

"I'll say," Mr. Nash laughed. "It's been quite a while. I was surprised to hear about your move."

"It was time," Max shrugged. "We all have to move on at some point."

Stella could tell Max didn't want to be talking about hockey, much less his move to Philly, so she did her best to keep the conversation clear of any mention of frozen water. For a while, talk flowed easily from topics of summer activities, hospital food, and the coming school year.

"Are you excited to start real school?" Mr. Nash questioned Hilary. "I mean, sure, it's a private school, but still."

"It's gonna be so different," Hilary said. "But I think I'm more nervous than excited, you know? Like, I'm ready for a change but there's these little worries in the back of my mind."

"You'll be fine," Max offered. "I think your grandfather might need the shot gun."

Mr. Nash barked out a laugh. "You might have to take that job, Superstar. I don't know if I'll be much help."

The sound of the door opening stopped the conversation and everyone turned to see who was interrupting.

"Dr. Holloway," Stella stood up. "Nice seeing you."

The male doctor extended his hand, greeting each person in the group and double taking at Max. He had met CiCi once before, but the hockey player was a new face.

"Same to you," he nodded. "If it's alright, I'd like to steal you and your sister for a few moments in my office."

"Of course," CiCi stood up with her purse. "We'll be back."

As the two red heads departed, Mr. Nash turned to Hilary. He had some serious questions for her.

"You talk to your dad lately?"

Hilary groaned. So it was going to be like this. "No, Gramps. I haven't."

Max didn't want to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to, even while he busied himself on his phone. He knew that Hilary's father and CiCi had divorced soon after her birth, but he had never been quite sure why Mr. Nash disliked the man that had helped bring his granddaughter into the world.

Instead of dwelling on what he didn't know, he thought about what he did. Like Stella. The smile on her face when she was surrounded by her family was one that he had rarely seen on her during their last few meetings. Even with the hardships of trying to support her cancer stricken father and completing her own obligations to work, she had always had a smile to share. But it seemed that the usual bright, toothy grin had dimmed.

*****

And rightly so, it seemed. In Dr. Holloway's office, Stella and CiCi sat, waiting for the doctor to begin.

"So your father," he started slowly, looking through some papers.

"Cut to it, doc," CiCi urged. "We don't need it sugar coated."

'Yes we do,' Stella thought. 'You haven't been here for everything. It's not easy!'

"He's dying," Dr. Holloway continued. "And not in the way he was a year ago when we started treatment. No, it's much more rapid and it seems like his illness is on a crash course to destroy his body."

Stella closed her eyes and felt her breathing hitch. Why to them? Why was it their family that was losing it all? First their mother a few year's ago to another man and now their father to a horrible illness. Why?

Comments

Please fini

T_beaney T_beaney
1/14/20

I Finally Uploaded my Own Story!
Here is the link!
http://www.hockeyfanfiction.com/Story/36019/How-To-Perform/

Psquared91 Psquared91
2/18/14

So good!!!!!! Are there any updates?


Psquared91 Psquared91
1/16/14
Can't wait to see where this goes! =)
puckster4319 puckster4319
11/5/12
I love this! Can't wait for the next update!