This chapter is dedicated to anyone and everyone that's ever lost a loved one to cancer or other terminal disease, my heart goes out to you and I hope you find some sweet, sweet comfort.

A woman on a mission could be a force to be reckoned with. Iverson learnt that after the call from Dr. Silver and the ER hesitated in letting Blue go after only a few hours out of the minimum forty-eight she was supposed to spend under suicide watch. She was leaving though, she made herself very clear. Adding that she would love to see someone try to stop her.

Her eyes sparkled with a challenging glint and her body buzzed with the new fire hope ignited in her, her daughter was getting a shot at life and not even the host of hell could keep her away. Iverson might have hastily signed away his life for all he knew, in the guise of an undertaking to watch and keep her safe from herself.

The ride to the hospital in Biggie's Range Rover was statically pensive, not even Biggie had anything to say to lift the uncertainty and somberness that settled on all of them like a wet, suffocating blanket. Biggie was okay with being their chauffeur while the two of them stared out the window on their individual sides at the back seat.

Iverson tried to keep an optimistic mind but he couldn't stop his brain from recounting every single thing that could possibly go wrong, from the heart possible infection, to bleeding, or worst Lyric's body rejecting it.

He had seen how hope had breathed a new life into Blue and he doubt she'd survive if anything went wrong at this point and if anything happened to her or Lyric...

He was at a rather unpleasant place in his thoughts when he felt her reached for one of his cold hands and squeezed.

"She's going to be okay." She told him and the irony of her comforting him when she was the one who had slashed her wrist open because she thought she'd reach a dead end, wasn't lost on him. "Lyric is the strongest kid I know, she's a fighter." Blue said with enough conviction.

Just like her mum, Iverson wanted to say but his throat clogged up on him.

"She was barely twenty-four hours old when she had her first opened heart surgery, they didn't think she'd make it but she did." Blue explained further, Iverson wasn't sure if that was supposed to make him feel better but he wanted to hear everything, anyway.

"I hadn't even named her yet. They kept calling her '027' and it annoyed me to no end but it was my fault, I didn't pick a name for her to the very last day because... I guess I was sort of hoping you'll show up and we could do it together."

Guilt rippled through him, he squeezed her hand back and tried to remember what he was possibly doing the day his child was born. "I had two more surgeries after the one they did here, and it still took close to four months for me to properly speak again. My vocal cord had gotten infected, they told me. I spent a lot of months after attending physiotherapy and all kinds of therapies.

"It's not an excuse but it was a rough time for me, not only had I gotten shot for the first time in my life but I saw the bullets coming and it was from one of my best mates. I also believed it was my fault he died. There were a lot of things I thought I could have done differently, like let the police handle it for one."

And there was that dream he had where he'd just let Daniel walk off into the unknown, that dream felt so real and haunted him for months. It made sense now why he was given a child, that child was Lyric. Maybe there was something he should have done for Dan, too.

"I had nightmares for years, getting shot over and over again by people closest to me. My sister, Biggie. Hell, even you. Especially you." He still had those nightmares on the worse days but he glossed over the details, leaving out the paranoia he developed, the anxiety and nervous breakdowns after every nightmare. The canceled shows and appearances when he couldn't perform after a breakdown and the drug abuse rumor that circulated through the media because of his ordeal that only a few people knew about.

"I expected to hear from you but I wasn't going to contact you first, well because..." Iverson trailed off as a memory flashed through his mind, one of the reasons he lost the nerve to get in touch with her.

"What?" She asked, he only shook his head and looked away. "You can tell me, why do you suddenly look sick?"

"I don't. Just...drop it, okay?" He snapped, snatching his hand out of hers and running it through his hair with clear irritation. "Hey man, you got any cigarette on you?" He asked Biggie, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror.

"You smoke now?" Blue gasped beside him.

"Yeah. And?"

"What do you mean and?"

"It's been seven years, Blue. There are tons of shit you won't know about me through the media and this is just cigarette, what is your problem?"

"My problem?" She echoed incredulously. "How about we start with the fact that I'm sitting beside you, breathing..."

"What dumbass smokes in the car without lowering the windshield."

"Or the fact that you've suffered a collapsed lungs before and smoking just..."

"I'm not even an ardent smoker for God's sake. I have a stick or two once in awhile when I'm stressed and..."

"Oh, look!" Biggie's voice suddenly cut through the both of them talking over each other like frigging toddlers. Jesus Christ, he felt like a soccer dad. "Here at last! Now the both of you can get the ever loving hell out of my car."

Bella sat there a moment longer, just staring at Iverson. He was right, of course. It had been seven long years and just because she saw glimpses of his life in the media didn't mean she knew the man he had become. How presumptuous of her to think they'd just pick up where they left off, hadn't she spent the past year convinced she felt nothing towards him? He hadn't even been back a full day and she was already acting like he never left.

"If I don't know who you are anymore, then I don't want you anywhere around my daughter." She told him before getting out of the car, taking off towards the hospital building the instant her feet touched the ground.

Iverson's lips thinned out as he met Biggie's disapproving look through the rearview mirror, again.

"Was that cool? No, but was it totally necessary? Also, no." Biggie reproached, shaking his head.

Iverson lifted a hand to rub his temple in an attempt to diffuse his growing headache. "There's just so many stuffs I need to come clean about and you know how she is. The things that could potentially come out of that little mouth of hers is already scaring the ugly shìt out of me."

Biggie sniggered. "I noticed, the moment your life flashed before your eyes in 3D, but now really isn't a good time. If you think you're stressed and you've only known about your daughter a day, think about how she must be feeling. She's been dealing with this by herself for seven years? Oh man, this woman earned my respect with her stupidity. I'd have tracked your ass down for child support the instant your first single became number one on iTunes."

Iverson groaned into his hands, and here he had succeeded in taking three steps forward with her only to ruin it and then gone to take ten backwards. "Fúck, I'm an idiot."

"It's the year of realizing things, ladies and àssholes." Biggie tsked, merrily ushering him out of the car. "I, for one, I'm starting to realize my judgement of Bella's character was impaired. You both are so messed up, it's like siding with lightning against thunder. Who in their right mind does that?"

Dr. Silver had just hastily stepped out of his office with a nurse half running behind him to keep up with his long strides towards the operation suite when Bella came from no where and literally threw herself face first into his solid chest. Never had she been so glad to see someone.

"Whoa, there." The doctor huffed at the impact of her body but almost instantly wrapped his hands around her and further enveloped her petite body into his tall frame, burying his face in her messy hair for a moment.

"Thank goodness, Ms. Campbell, I need you here ten minutes ago. There's a lot we need to..." He tried to pull back but Bella wasn't having it, she held on tight. He was the man going to save her daughter's life and words couldn't describe how much she appreciated him.

"Bella. Please call me Bella." She mumbled into his chest, she would give her soul up for this man.

"Okay, Bella." Dr. Silver laughed airily. "You're going to look behind you now and you're going to tell me there's Clouds standing right there. Or you're going to tell me that I'm not fit to go into that operation room."

Her hold on him slackened as she briefly glanced behind her and sure enough there stood Iverson, glaring sulking at the both of them like they were the obstacle between him and his morning caffeine, with Biggie supportedly beside him like the big brother hulk about to forcefully move the obstacle out of the way.

"Yes, there is Clouds behind me."

"Clouds, in the flesh!" Dr. Silver gasped, his expression taking on a boyish star struck. It was all it took for Bella to roll her eyes to the back of her head, she didn't understand why everyone around her were such Clouds' fanatic. Seriously, his music wasn't even that great. She thought sourly.

"Mr. Clouds! What a privilege to meet you." The doctor dashed forward with a bright smile and outstretched hand to exchange handshake with Iverson. Iverson might have gripped his hand a little too hard to be considered casual but the doctor was too hyped to notice. "Dare I ask what brought you to our humble hospital? Do you have someone here?"

Iverson looked over to Blue with a quizzically raised brow at the doctor's question and she quickly jumped in to make a halfhearted introduction.

"Dr. Silver, this is Iverson and this is Biggie. Guys, Dr. Silver, the head of Lyric's cardiologists team." She said quickly, with a wild hand gesture between the three men.

Dr. Silver's wide beam was still in place as he looked curiously between her and Iverson for further explanation that wasn't forthcoming. "I'm still missing something, aren't I?"

"Yeah, the part where we cut the fangirling and you just explain to us what Lyric's situation is or by all means lead us to wherever she is. And oh, where the hell is that infamous Kenny person, we'll like to have a word." Biggie not the biggest diplomat out there just wanted them to get it over with but still, the doctor regarded them with growing curiosity.

"I'm sorry, you know Clouds?!" Dr. Silver faced Bella with a disbelieving look, she on the other hand looked everywhere else but at him or any of them. "Like on a personal level? And you never said anything all these years?"

"Yes, Blue, I'll also like to hear this one." Iverson stepped forward and folded his hands across his chest. "Didn't the good doctor deserve to know who the father of his patient is?"

"Seriously? Your priorities are so fucked." Biggie scoffed, he could practically see the gear shift in Bella's mind as she finally caught whiff of Iverson's jealousy to her previously cozying up to the doctor.

Her eyes took on that trouble starting glint even he had come to recognize, he realized that was the part she'd say something stupid and his friend would say something stupider and then everything would go to hell.

Gripping Iverson's shoulder in a vice, Biggie forced his attention to him with a teeth gritting smile plastered on his face. "Lyric. Your daughter. Some shìt about heart transplant, ringing any bells?"

Iverson winced and lost a shade at the reminder, he casted a suffering look at Bella before facing the doctor again. "We'd greatly appreciate an update on Lyric's condition, please. Is my daughter okay?"

"Yes, of course." Dr. Silver schooled his expression into a neutral, professional one. "If I could just have a word with Bella in my office, there are some papers I need to get her signature for." He turned and walked back into his office with the nurse dutifully on his heels again.

"I'm so sorry." Bella pleaded remorsefully as soon as the office door close behind herself.

"It's fine, Bella."

"No it's not, I should have said something. Especially since we often talk about your awful taste in music and..."

"It's fine, really. I'll get over it." Dr. Silver cut her off blithely, dropping into his squeaky leather chair he had his poker professional face in place.

"Now about your daughter, I can assure you she's stable and in good hands but you may not be able to see her until after the operation. She's been lured into a medically induced coma and all preparations are set for her to go into surgery as soon as possible. With your permission, of course." He took a folder from the nurse beside him and briefly flipped through the pages before sliding it across his table to Bella. "I'm sure you're familiar with that, you've been given a copy to go through before this moment, haven't you?"

"Yes, two years ago. I know every line by heart now."

"Excellent. I do recommend you go through it again before you sign, just for good measure." Dr. Silver said, reaching for another file on his desk and flipped to the photograph on the first page. "And here is everything we have on our donor." He said, sliding the document over to Bella again.

"A victim of several gunshots, some drug deal gone wrong I was told. But don't fret, the heart is in absolutely good condition and fortunately, or not, depending on how you look at it, she was a volunteer and had no relative left so..." Dr. Silver trailed off when he realized he'd lost Bella somewhere along the line. She sat rigidly and was almost as white as his scrubs, staring down at the picture of their donor with a stricken, utterly terrified look on her face.

"Uhm, Ms. Campbell? Are you..." He didn't get to finish that sentence either before she slumped to the ground from her seat and was out cold in a matter of seconds.