When my alarm goes off the next morning, I wake up to find Daniel's arm wrapped around my waist. On any other morning, I wouldn't have wanted to wake up. To stay in his arms as long as I can. By today, the big revelation from last night still weighs on my mind. I barely got any sleep but I feel alert, ready to help Daniel in any way that he might need me to.

"Good morning." Daniel whispers as I shift in bed to reach for my phone on my side table and turn off the alarm.

"Morning." I say, turning to Daniel. I must have looked for a second too long because he says, "I'm feeling alright."

I lean across the bed and give him a quick kiss before hoping out of bed and heading for the bathroom. Once I'm dressed, I head for Hazel's room to find her awake lying in bed.

"You're awake, Bunny." I say as I walk up to the bed.

She smiles at me. "When do we leave for school?"

I'm glad that she's excited about it and tell her that we'll leave as soon as she's dressed. To make up for yesterday Daniel insists that we leave twenty minutes early and stop at a Dunkin Donuts to get breakfast.

Outside the house, Daniel starts for the driver's side but I hold out a hand and stop him.

"I'm fine." He looks me in the eye.

"But I'm still driving." I say, putting an end to the discussion and getting in behind the steering wheel.

"How was school yesterday, Bunny?" Daniel turns in his seat to look at her as I start to drive.

"It was fun." She smiles at him and then suddenly asks, "How are you feeling, daddy?"

In that instant I know that we've raised her right. If she can put aside her excitement and thoughts of school to remember that her father is ill, she's a kind person. I smile at the road ahead as Daniel reassures her just like he did to me this morning that he's okay. But of course, the truth is a little more complicated.

I park the car outside Dunkin Donuts and we walk in to get breakfast. We all get donuts, Daniel and I get coffee with it while Hazel gets a Chocolate Shake. I have a donut packed as Hazel's school lunch. Fifteen minutes later, we're all done eating and back in the car, heading to Hazel's school.

I join the line of cars headed into the drop off lane. When we get to the gates, Daniel gets out of the car to help Hazel out of her car seat and put on her bag. We wave at her as she walks into the school.

"Hazel's going to get off at two from now on. She has to stay back an hour for swim practice." I tell Daniel since I didn't get a chance to catch him up until now.

"I can imagine her excitement." He says and we both laugh at the memory of Hazel finding out that she would represent Rushmore Academy at the State Championship. When we had gotten home, she had proceeded to run screaming around the living room with Vanessa on her heels and then they had jumped on the sofa till I'd scolded both of them and sent them to their room.

"I'm glad she'll have something to hold on to in the middle of all this." Daniel says and I don't need to ask to know that he's referring to his illness.

Some part of me is still holding on to the hope that Daniel's deduction is wrong about the illness's link to his childhood illness, praying that when we meet the doctors in in fifteen minutes, they'll draw a different picture for us. Yet, at the same time the rationality in me is inclined towards Daniel's argument.

When we get to the hospital, I park the car and then we walk in together. Jeremy is waiting for us near the reception desk and joins us when he sees us walk in.

"How are you feeling?" He asks Daniel.

"I'm fine." Daniel gives him the same reply that he's given me and Hazel.

We stand there for a few minutes while Jeremy catches Daniel up on office news. A nurse walks up to me and asks, "Daniel Aaron?"

"Yes." I say, nudging Daniel to get his attention.

"The doctors will see you now." She says and leads us to a room where Dr. Steven Miller and three other doctors wait. He greets us and introduces us to his colleagues before we sit down.

"Our diagnosis is not good news." I had been waiting for this but it still hits me with force. I reach out and cover Daniel's hand with mine, unable to even imagine what he's going through.

The discussion goes on for almost forty minutes during which Daniel catches up the others on his childhood episode with the same disease. By the end of it, Daniel as agreed to come in for regular checkups. The doctors inform him of potential symptoms of low sugar level and instruct him to waste no time in getting to the hospital. He's also told to take breaks throughout the day and try to get a decent amount of sleep at night.

I know Daniel well enough to know that the last condition is the only that will bother him. Late nights at the office and strenuous work is what drives Daniel. But he doesn't argue and agrees to the doctors conditions.

Small filler chapter, but things will be on the move from the next update! :)

-T

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