a/n: in case there was any confusion, Harry was a virgin when he had sex with Meg. He may have hooked up/messed around with Shea and a few other girls, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he did the deed (the rumours were not true). I thought that I'd say that in case people got confused. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

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"And finally, last but certainly not least, Margaret Faber!" Greta, the head nurse says as she reads my name aloud. Everyone gathered in the large conference room begin to clap loudly. The children cheer loudly and I see my parents crying as they watch me walk across the makeshift stage. Philip is being held by Greta and he's smiling wide as he holds my diploma. The school had sent it over when it had become clear that I would be unable to walk at graduation.

I was fine with watching movies and eating ice cream in lieu of having a celebration, but Harry wasn't. He talked with hospital officials and nurses and got them to agree to having a small ceremony in one of the conference rooms. He, along with Francis, decided to skip going to graduation to spend their evening with me. They're clapping loudly for me as I take my diploma from Philip who smiles shyly at me. He holds his small hand up and I immediately give him a light high-five.

"Thanks, buddy," I say, smiling at him. He smiles again before hiding his face in the crook of Greta's neck.

"Congrats," Harry says as he kisses my forehead. "Te amo, Princesa." My cheeks grow warm at his words and I lean my head against his chest for a few moments. Francis lets out a quiet huff before wrapping his arms around the two of us.

"I'm here too," he says grumpily. Harry and I laugh quietly before pinching his sides as our parents take pictures of us. The three of us walk around, talking and spending time with the kids who came to celebrate our graduation with us. Drinks and food are passed around and I'm honestly relieved that I felt good enough tonight to do this. Sure, I'm exhausted and I feel like throwing up, but I'm happy. I've graduated high school and the next thing I have to do is start college. I know that things may be hard since I'll probably still be recovering, but I'll be with Harry.

We're sharing an apartment together; he had to sign under his name but we already know how we're splitting the rent. Mom and Dad were hesitant at first but they allowed us to be roommates when they heard that the place would have three bedrooms. Though, I'm sure both of them are aware that we'll be sharing a bed most nights. We still need to find a third person, but I doubt that'll be too hard. It'll probably end up being one of Harry's teammates. Francis is staying in the dorms and is going to use the random 'lottery'. I can only hope that it'll work out for him.

"Meg, it's starting to get late," Dad says as he walks up to me. I've been sitting with Arlene, a ten year old girl battling leukemia like me. Most of the younger kids were sent to bed, so the party is starting to die down. I know that this is my father's way of saying that he wants me to lie down and I decide not to fight him on this.

"I'll see you later Arlene," I say with a small smile. "Thank you for coming tonight. I had a lot of fun," I add as I lean down to give her a hug. Her frail arms wrap around me and we wave before I walk off with my father.

"I think that your mother and I will leave in a few minutes," Dad says as I loop my arm around his. "We agreed that giving you some time to spend with Francis and Harry before visiting hours are over would be a good idea," he adds as he leads me over to where my mom is, talking to a nurse. Her head turns towards me and she gives me a wide smile.

"I'm so proud of you, Margaret," she says quietly as she wraps her arms around me. The two of us stand there for a few moments, embracing each other. Harry, his mother and Gemma come walking up to us and all three hug me.

"You are incredible, Meg," Anne says as she pulls away from me. Harry immediately goes to my side and wraps an arm around my waist.

"Oi, Harry, now's not the time to be territorial with your girlfriend," Gemma says, rolling her eyes. "You do have to share her."

"Believe me, I've tried to get him to understand that, but nope," Francis says as he joins us. His parents had to leave early but he decided to stay longer. "This prick is trying to steal her away from all of us and I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"Don't worry, Francis," I say as I move away from Harry. "You're still top bitch around here," I coo softly as I pinch his cheek. He grumbles under his breath but I see him smile. I know that he's been getting a little jealous about having to share me so much with Harry, so I know I need to reassure him that I am still his friend and that I want to spend time with him.

A few minutes pass and I'm walking back to my room with Harry and Francis on either side of me. My arms are wrapped around their torsos and I know that we're all feeling incredibly excited at having graduated high school. I'm honestly just glad that my grades were good enough for me to pass, and good enough for me to maintain the scholarship to Stanford. Francis helps me get into my hospital bed while Harry grabs his computer and clicks on his iTunes. He puts on Animal House, a movie that he says all college bound students should watch.

There isn't enough room for both of them to sit on my bed with me but they both insist they can. The two spend ten minutes debating how they're going to make it work and eventually settle on me sitting between Harry's legs while Francis sits beside him. It's a little cramped with the three of us on the bed but neither of us mind and turn our attention to the movie.

While we watch, Harry sneaks his hand under the hem of my shirt and lightly traces patterns onto my skin. He'll occasionally kiss the spot right behind my ear and each time he does this, Francis calls him out. We're enjoying our time together but I my exhaustion starts to catch up to me, and I have to stop my head from dropping.

"I think that's our cue to go," Francis says when I suddenly jerk awake.

"What, no," I whine, my words slurring ever so slightly. "I want you guys to stay."

"You're exhausted, Meg," he says, rolling his eyes at me. "Oh don't give me that look," he says, poking my cheek when I give him a pleasing look. I let out a huff and watch as he climbs off the hospital bed.

"Don't pout, princesa," Harry murmurs as he begins to move away from me. "You need to need to let go of me," he adds when I grab his leg as he swings the other one off the bed.

"Don't leave me," I frown. "I don't like sleeping in the hospital alone," I add sadly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Francis quietly leave the room.

"Oh Meg," Harry says as he wraps his arms around me. "I can't imagine how lonely it is, but I promise that I will call you once I get home. I'll FaceTime with you until you fall asleep. Hold Bamboo and Honey close to you and I promise you won't feel as lonely," he continues, referring to the Panda and Teddy Bear plushies that he got me.

"But I want it to be with you," I mumble into his chest.

"I know princesa," he sighs. "If I was allowed to, I'd stay with you in a heartbeat." I sniff quietly before moving away and nodding.

"You don't have to stay up with me," I say quietly.

"I know, but I will," he replies as he leans down to kiss me. "I've got to take care of my girl," he whispers, smiling down at me. A few moments pass before he leaves. Francis pokes his head in to say goodbye and once they're gone, a nurse comes in. She checks my vitals and makes sure my catheter is still in before wishing me a goodnight. I sigh and lie on my bed, staring at the ugly hospital ceiling.

I know that I sleep alone in my bedroom at home but it's different when I stay at the hospital. It doesn't feel like home when I'm here, no matter how hard the staff tries to make it seem like it is. Everything smells so clean here, which really makes me feel isolated, and I don't have the comfort of knowing that my parents are just a few rooms away.

I miss having the freedoms that I had when I was at home. There, I didn't have to press a button to say that I needed to go to the bathroom. I didn't need to have an IV bag attached to me because I get so dehydrated all the time. I can't even leave the hospital because my immune system is compromised again. Apparently, it took a lot for Harry to convince the nurses to let me be around so many people.

I feel my eyes beginning to water as it dawns on me that I might not actually be able to go to college this year. It took months the first time around for me to fully recover, and that was after getting sick four times. I had to regain at least fifteen pounds which was a difficult task because I have such a fast metabolism.

The sudden beeping of my phone pulls me from my sad thoughts and I see that Harry's actually trying to FaceTime me. I take a deep breath before answering, forgetting about how I had been crying moments earlier.

"Good evening Meg!" Harry says enthusiastically. His wide smile falters slightly when he sees my tearstained cheeks but he doesn't point them out to me. "So Gem and my Mum have been bugging me to bring them over when I visit you one day," he begins.

"They can come whenever they want; they don't need to come with you," I say after clearing my throat. I use the edge of my blanket to wipe my face off.

"That's what I keep telling them, but they won't listen," he says, rolling his eyes as he lays back on his bed. We continue talking and while I try listening to what he's saying, my mind keeps wandering and I've long since gotten a migraine. I think Harry can sense my discomfort because he's doing his best to distract me, and that includes telling me more jokes.

"Harry, it's three am, I think that you should go to bed," I say as he starts reciting from memory scenes from The Notebook.

"Are you tired yet?" he asks as he gives me one his sassy looks.

"Well no, but I know you are," I huff as I lean over to get the slices of apples and peanut butter that a nurse gave me around midnight. "It'll be okay, Harry. I'll just sleep in the morning; it's easier when I can hear people in the hallways."

"No," Harry says stubbornly as he rubs his eyes. "I said that I'd talk to you until you fell asleep."

"You stubborn frog," I say, grinning as I take a an apple slice and dip it in the peanut butter. "I love you Harry, but you need to get some rest," I add.

"I could be saying the same thing to you," he replies with a slight smirk. "But I guess you're right. I'll come by tomorrow since I've got absolutely nothing to do now that school and practice is over," he adds.

"I'll probably be asleep for most of day."

"That's fine," he says with a shrug. "I am your favourite pillow."

"You hold yourself to a high regard," I say dryly.

"Well you do stroke my ego," he replies with a smirk. "And that's not the only thing you--"

"Weren't we just about to end this call?" I ask, quickly interrupting him. Harry laughs loudly and continues to tease me before saying goodbye. I'm glad that he ends the call when he does because I could taste the bile rising in my mouth. I barely have time to hit the button for help before I throw up onto my lap.

The next three days are a blur, I'm barely conscious but I manage to gather that I've gotten much worse at a very quick rate. It's not until Friday, five days later that I'm able to stay awake long enough to have the doctors explain to me that the cancer has progressed from stage three to stage four.

I don't think that my parents have stopped crying since they found out. Harry and Francis have barely left my side and I don't even bother to protest this. Though none of my friends or family have said it, I'm most likely living on borrowed time. I can feel it in my bones that I'm slowly losing this fight, no matter how hard I'm trying to live. Louis stopped by at one point and I could see the worry in his eyes as we signed to each other. That conversation definitely felt like a goodbye and it breaks my heart.

I had to contact Stanford to tell them about what's happening and after some negotiations, my acceptance would be put on hold. I'd have to retake the SAT and ACT tests and if they're consistent with my previous results, I may be accepted again. Harry assures me repeatedly that the room that was going to be mine in the apartment will stay open and no one else will stay in it.

He found a third person to stay in the apartment--his friend Niall. It turns out that he had applied because he wanted to come back to the States and got into Stanford on a soccer scholarship. I'm glad that Harry will have someone to keep him company in the apartment; I had been worried that he may get lonely.

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"'After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure'," I read to the small group of kids. Harry, who's holding the book for me sniffs quietly and I lean my head on his shoulder. After learning that I could die really soon, I decided to continue reading the Harry Potter series to the kids.

I found that not only was it a good way to be around other people, it was also a very good form of therapy. It was nice to be in a different world, even if it was for twenty minutes. I had to shorten how long I read because of how weak I am, but I've been able to get through three books.

I finish up the chapter before telling the kids that I need to go and rest. They all hug me and I notice how each one of them hold me a little more tightly in their small arms. They seem scared that they'll lose me too and the fact that they're worrying about me makes me more determined to try and win this battle.

"I thought you said that you were going to rest?" Harry asks suspiciously when I get my computer out.

"I will, but there's something that I need to talk to you about," I say quietly as I pull up my music playlist. I click on the slow songs and turn up the sound before turning to look at Harry. "Will you dance with me?" I ask as I hold my hands out. He stares at me for a few moments before closing the distance between us. His hands go to my waist and he holds me close to him and I wrap my arms around the back of his neck.

"So, what do want to talk about?" he asks as we slowly dance in the hospital room.

"I want to talk about school," I say, taking a deep breath as I prepare myself for this conversation. It's nearing the end of the summer and he's going to have to leave early because of soccer practices. Despite the fact that he is obligated to go, he's been talking about dropping out so he can stay by my side.

"What about it?" he asks, even though it's clear that he knows where this is going.

"I need you to go," I say, watching his reaction carefully. "I do not want you to stay by my side when you have such an amazing opportunity waiting for you."

"I don't want to go," he says. "Not without you."

"You've committed, Harry. You can't just drop it all because of a girl--"

"A girl that I am hopelessly in love with. A girl that I plan to marry when this mess is over. A girl who's changed my life forever," he interrupts fiercely. "You are not just a girl. Tú eres mi alma gemela y mi mejor amiga. Te amo, Margaret Faber," he continues as his eyes begin to water.

"Harry, please," I say as I begin to cry. "I need you to go. I need you to have the college experience. You have to learn to live without me, to know that there are other people out there for--"

"You are the one for me, princesa," he says as the tears finally begin to fall. "I know that I'm young, I know that maybe there are other people, but I don't want them. I want you."

"You're making this so hard for me, Harry," I say as I rest my forehead against his chest. "I...I'm trying to let you go. I've had to do it with Francis, and I thought that was hard, but somehow this is worse. Harry, please..."

"I can't leave you," he says, his voice breaking at the end. "Please don't make me." We've long since stopped dancing; we're standing on the spot.

"I...can't make you, but I'm asking you to," I say as I move my arms so they're around his waist. "This is my wish for you. I want you to go to school, have an amazing time. I want you to tell me about your adventures when you come home during the breaks."

"It won't be the same without you, Margaret," Harry says with a sad sigh. He pulls away and looks down at me with a bitter smile. "I wish you could come with me."

"I know it won't be the same, but you'll be with Niall. You'll have a really good friend and I know that he's going to help you a lot on this new journey," I say as I place one hand on the back of his neck. He seems to get my silent hint because he leans down, his forehead pressing against mine.

"I love you, Margaret," Harry whispers. "I love you so, so much and I'm sorry that things had to turn out this way." More tears fall and I close the distance between our faces; my lips slowly moving against his. I try desperately to burn this moment into my brain. I want to remember this for however long I have left.