"I can't handle it," sobbed Melody's mum, Faith, down the phone. It was the third time that week. Melody sat shaking at the top of the stairs as anger rampage her body. Why can't she just leave it, Melody thought, angrily. "I need space and I need it sorted" Faith continued.

"I hate you!" screamed Melody down the stairs. Blood pounded in her ears as she stormed bedroom.

"I've got to go" muttered Faith, hanging up on Michael, her boyfriend who was in America with his company. She sat in silence for two minutes then shuffled to the kitchen so that she could make her and Melody some dinner.

"How can she do this?" raged Melody, kicking her pillow across the room. She couldn't believe her mum could betray her like this. A mum's meant to be your best friend, she thought, crying. She couldn't understand her mum. It wasn't like it was the end of the world or Melody was pregnant.

"Dinner!" she heard her mum call from the living room. Sighing she started to walk down the stairs.

Faith began pacing around the living room. She stopped when she was in front of the mirror. She gasped at who was looking back at her. Replacing the once beautiful blonde that used to smile up at Faith, was a tired, messy-haired woman who looked like she hadn't washed in weeks. Faith was so mesmerised by her reflection she didn't hear Melody finally enter the front room.

"Mum what are you doing?" demanded Melody, scowling at her mum.

"Oh, erm, nothing Mel. Sit down honey before you tire yourself out," Faith said as she helped Melody sit down. The sat in an awkward silence that begged to be broken.

"So Mel, what do you want for your birthday?" asked Faith, quietly though she knew there was no point.

"Just give it a rest mum. I'm never going to use it am I? I probably won't live to see my birthday I bet." Melody snapped, startling her mum.

"But Mel you don't know-" Faith began.

"Don't you dare say I don't know that. I'm not blind or stupid mum. I have lung cancer for crying out loud. The doctors said I'll be lucky to see my birthday and you know it so dry up!" Melody shouted, standing up from the table.

"Please eat your dinner" sobbed Faith.

"I'm not hungry" muttered Melody, walking up the stairs.

Sitting on her bed Melody sobbed. Why did everyone have to remind her she wasn't going to grow up? In just three months she was going to turn fourteen and die. What could be done about it?

"I can't do this," groaned Melody, dropping on her bed. She was getting weaker and weaker every day and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She knew her body was giving up but her mind was being stubborn and refusing to let her waste away like her mother was every time she looked into Melody's pale and pained face. "What can I do?" Melody asked herself as her eyes began to get heavy. Two minutes later she was fast asleep and snoring loudly.

Faith buried her head in her hands. Melody was right, there was no point planning a birthday she was likely to never see. Part of Faith wanted to throw in the towel but the other half was still convinced it was all a dream she needed to wake up from. She wished Michael was here to comfort her but he was in America earning the money for Melody's cremation. She knew she was giving up but she couldn't help it. Melody was so brave, an inspiration, thought Faith, practising her speech. She stared at the TV absentmindedly. Heaving a sigh, she switched everything off, checked everything was locked and headed to bed. She didn't sleep at first, just stared at a picture of her and Melody a month before the diagnosis. It was after midnight, four hours of staring at the photo before Faith fell asleep.

Over the next two months Melody's got weaker and weaker. Then a week before her birthday Melody took a turn for the worse. She was rushed to hospital, where Faith was called aside by the doctor who had examined Melody.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to keep her in. I must warn you to prepare for the worst. She probably won't live to see her birthday" he explained, gently. His eyes were full of sympathy as he painfully watched Faith collapse in tears. A nurse came over and comforted Faith enough to go and see Melody. "Oh Mel," sobbed Faith "Daddy and Michael are on their way."

Michael had returned from America a month earlier and was already walking up to Melody's ward.

"What room is she in?" he asked the nurse who then pointed him to Melody's room. When he entered he was overwhelmed at the sight that lay before him. His once lively and optimistic step-daughter now lay fragile and helpless in a hospital bed. Tears started to stream down his face like a river.

"Why? Why now?" he sobbed, as he sat in the chair next to Faith's.

Neither Michael nor Faith left Melody's side for anything but the toilet, fearing they wouldn't be there when she died.

"Eat please, mum, Michael, please" Melody managed to say after a few days.

"No, we can't leave you" whispered Melody's mum, not looking at her daughter's expressionless eyes.

"We'll get a nurse to bring us some toast" Michael added, quietly. It was now two days before Melody's birthday and her condition was rapidly deteriorating. She was constantly poked and prodded by numerous doctors. Not one said anything to Michael or Faith they just scurried away.

"Mum, where's dad?" Melody asked, weakly.

"He's not coming sweetie, he's too busy to visit his sick daughter for even one hour," growled Faith. Michael tensed when this was said but quickly calmed down when he saw Melody's panicked expression. What Faith and Michael did not know was that actually Melody's dad didn't want to visit Melody because he wanted to remember her for the fun loving and courageous girl she had grown up to be not the weak and tired girl the cancer had made her. The also failed to realise that their hatred in the words handed to Melody cut into the young girl sharper than a knife.

The next day Melody looked from Michael's sleeping body to her mum.

"Mum I want you to promise something-" she began.

"Sweetie, please don't give up" Faith sobbed.

"Mum, please promise you'll move on. After I die I'll send you another child. If it's a girl I want you to call her Joy and if it's a boy I want you to call him Indigo. I'll look after all of you and make sure you're all safe." She croaked

"I can't replace you sweetie" Faith gasped.

"I'm not asking you to" Melody grinned

"I promise Mel" whispered Faith, staring with empty at the floor.

"I love you mum" sobbed Melody, clutching her mum and trying to never let go.

"I love you to my beautiful angel," Faith sobbed, harder than she had cried before as she realised Melody was giving up "and I always will"

At 8:00 the next morning Melody died in her mum's arms.

"Nooooo!" cried Faith, clutching her child's soulless body.

"Why her birthday?" howled Michael, too numb to cry.

"Please Miss Swan, we need to take her now" said a nurse sympathetically.

"No you can't take my baby. She can't be gone," she choked.

"You can have the corpse when you're ready for the cremation" replied the nurse, prying Faith's fingers from the child's lifeless body.

"Come on darling, you need some rest" insisted Michael, pulling Faith to the car. All the way home Faith murmured her daughter's name. She just couldn't come to terms with the facet she would never see her daughter smile again.

Two months had passed since Melody's death and already her mum was heavily drinking, self-harming and starving herself as a way to deal with the pain. No matter how much Michael tried, he couldn't get any sense through to her. It was like Melody's death had fully eclipsed Faith's life.

"Please Faith; you've got to eat" begged Michael, passing a small plate of sausages to her; he knew they were Faith's favourite.

"Mel would've loved these" she sobbed, hysterically.

"Please ,sweetie, you've got to eat" he cried, pushing the plate nearer to her. She took one bite and then took the plate into the kitchen. Michael sighed giving up. It was no use; Faith was giving up on herself.

The next day Faith took Michael into the kitchen.

"Michael, I know it's too soon, but I'm pregnant" she said, looking at the floor.

"What? Oh honey that's great news" he beamed picking her up "How far gone are you?"

"Just over two moths" she sobbed.

"Oh Faith don't cry it's going to be alright" he promised, pulling her into a hug. Faith looked at the barely there bump and felt a mixture of emotions. Part of her was excited at the thought of a new member of the family, part of her was guilty that she was giving up on Melody and part of her was pained that she couldn't let go of her daughter so Melody was making her by giving her someone else to worry about. She realised the baby was sent to her as a way of getting her act together and she knew she must for both her unborn child and herself.

She gradually pulled herself together and by the time she was four months she was excited to be expecting. She chose not to know what gender her baby was.

"I want there to be some surprises that are good" she explained to Michael, but she was secretly worried she'd lose a second child so didn't want to know until it was all over and the baby was safe in her loving arms.

Over the next few months Faith went through numerous peanut butter and marmite sandwiches.

"This was the craving I had with Melody" she muttered, then laughed at Michael's disgusted face as marmite and peanut butter dripped onto Faith's plate. She stopped abruptly, "Mel would've loved this"

"Oh baby, come here" comforted Michael, cradling her in his protective arms.

"I can't help it I miss her so much" Faith sobbed. They sat in silence as Faith sobbed in Michael's arms.

"Two months to go" sighed Faith as she packed her maternity bag. As she put a vest in the bag, she felt ice cold water gush down her leg.

"Uh oh. Michael I'm going into labour!" Faith shouted, panicking. It's too early, she thought. Michael raced up the stairs, grabbed the bag and carried Faith to the car. In ten minutes they were at the hospital.

"AAAR! It hurts" sobbed Faith as the contractions got worse.

"She's six centimetres dilated. Get her to the maternity ward" ordered a doctor, as Faith was taken away in a wheel chair with Michael desperately trying to keep his grip on her sweaty hand. She took a deep breath as the pain took over her body. It seemed to go on forever when all of a sudden a wave of relief washed over her body. She knew her baby was born without being told. Yet something wasn't right. It was too quite. Why was it too quiet? She looked around the room panicked.

"Where's my baby?" she asked barely audible from the exhaustion. Doctors and nurses rushed to and from the bed to a little table like object near a clock. Not getting an answer Faith turned to the clock for comfort. Michael stroked her hair but said nothing. She knew he was keeping something important from her and longed to know what. After five minutes a piercing cry filled the room. Faith cried in relief. Her baby was fine. She sobbed as a beautiful little was girl was put into her arms. Kissing the tiny miracles forehead she felt as though she was holding the most fragile thing in the world.

"I Love you Joy" she beamed.

That night Faith lay in the hospital bed, unable to sleep. She looked at the tiny figure in the cot and smiled. Looking up at the ceiling, a single tear began to meander down her face.

"Thank-you baby girl. You kept your promise. You kept me and your sister safe. Now you can rest. I can carry on now baby. Rest in peace my beautiful guardian angel" Faith whispered to Melody. Looking back at her new born child she once again smiled. Melody had given her the most precious gift, twice! She had saved her life then given her another child to relieve some of the pain. A little girl who looked just like Melody.