Zander, Emily and Monica are still standing in the Quartermaine foyer. Emily is getting all upset and frantic. She is crying.
Emily: Well, then -- then I'll finish the chemo. A bad reaction is better than letting the cancer spread!
Monica: No, Em. What I said was the kind of chemo you're taking now is breaking down your immune system.
Alan comes in from outside.
Emily: Did you know about this, Dad?
Alan: You told her?
Monica: Yeah.
Alan: We just found out. I know this is a terrible setback, but there are plenty --
Emily: No, uh-uh! Please, don't start talking about the alternatives, okay? Don't tell me that there is still hope and that everything's going to be okay!
Emily is yelling and getting really upset.
Zander: Okay --
Emily: All right?
Zander: Of course there's hope, okay? This kind of treatment doesn't work for you, so we'll find another one, right?
Alan: Absolutely.
Zander: Find another one.
Monica: There are all kinds of options, Emily.
Emily: Okay, I can't think about this right now.
Monica: Emily, please.
Zander: Okay, then, let's go out. Let's go have our date, all right? Come on.
Emily won't let Zander touch her...she wants to leave. She grabs her purse and rushes out the door.
Emily: No, no, no. I need to be alone. I'm sorry, Zander.
Monica: Em, wait! Come on!
Emily: Okay- no. I need to breathe while I still can!
Zander turns to Monica and Alan and asks them what he can do. He's upset.
Zander: Okay. What -- what do I do? Do I-- do I go after her and force her to let me hold her, or do I let her be alone? How am I going to get her through this?
Emily is on the docks, overlooking the water. Nikolas rtushes down the stairs and Emily runs to him...she has tears running down her face and she's so upset. Nikolas grabs her arm and steadies her as she frekas out. AW
Nikolas: Emily.
Emily: Oh. Thanks for coming.
Nikolas: What's wrong? What's wrong?
Emily: Look, I know this isn't fair and you're supposed to be off the hook, but I didn't know what else to do. I just -- I can't think straight!
Nikolas: Okay, tell me what happened, honey. Tell me what happened.
Emily: Okay. The chemotherapy is killing me. It's breaking down my immune system, so they're taking me off, which means the cancer's going to kill me instead.
The camera focuses on Nikolas has he gasps and breathes out a puff of air.
Nikolas and Emily are still on the docks. Nikolas' hand is cupping her arm, giving her support through his touch. He's slowly rubbing it up her arm. He also rubs her hair and the tears off of her cheeks.
Nikolas: Does Zander know yet?
Emily: Yeah. My mom told us together. We were on our way out the door to go on a date. I was so happy to be back with Zander, I finally let myself forget about being sick for five minutes. But that's how -- that's how cancer works. Just when you think you might actually survive, they -- they hit you with yet another unforeseen complication, just another way to tell you that they're very sorry and they're going to do all they can, but you're not going to make it. I can't believe that I'm actually this upset about stopping chemo. I must be demented.
Nikolas: There has to be another plan, Em.
Emily: If there is, I didn't stick around long enough to hear it. I don't want to hope.
Nikolas: I know. I know.
Emily: Please don't ask me to.
Nikolas puts his hands around her face and pulls her into his embrace. He kisses her foreheard and puts in face close to her ear. He murmurs as she talks and rubs his hands across her hair and her back. Comforting her.
Nikolas: No, I won't, baby. I won't. I won't.
Emily: Oh, Nikolas. I don't want to let myself believe. I did that, and look at what happened.
Nikolas: Okay. It's okay, Em.
Emily pulls back and Nikolas plays with her hair, giving her the comfort she needs. Nikolas is so sad, his face shows his sadness and disbelief.
Emily: I told Zander the truth, and now he's done exactly what I didn't want. Nikolas, he's promised to stay by me. He's promised to fight the cancer with me. He's going to --
Nikolas: It's okay.
Emily: He's going to have to watch me die.
Nikolas: No.
Emily: Nikolas, I can't -- I can't stand that. I should have stayed here with you. I should have just -- I should have left things where they were.
Nikolas: You are -- you are here with me. You are here with me, and I'm with you, always. Okay?
Emily: Okay.
Nikolas: You can be as scared and as angry and as hopeless as you want, okay? I'm not going anywhere.
Nikolas cups her face again as Emily nods her head in agreement. Nikolas pulls her close once again, kissing her cheek. She lays her head on his shoulder and sobs as he rubs her hair and back, murmuring.
Emily: Okay.
Nikolas: Okay?
Emily: Okay.
Nikolas: Okay.
Emily: Okay.
Nikolas: It's okay.
Emily: Okay.
The camera pans back to Zander who is spying from the top of the stairs. He is desolate with the knowledge that he can't help Emily through her cancer.
Nikolas and Emily are sitting on the bench at the docks. Emily is wrapped in Nikolas' embrace and her head is resting on his shoulder. His head is resting on the top of her head. Emily's hands are resting on her knees, his thumb is caressing her arm.
Emily: I'm tired of being scared all the time. I want to be braver to handle things better. I'm making things harder on everyone, especially Zander.
Nikolas: Emily, you -- you have to stop trying to hold everyone's hand and keep them -- to help them through your cancer. All any of us want is to help you take care of yourself.
Emily: I don't know how. I've tried following the doctors' orders. I've tried believing in the support group. I've tried trusting in true love. When is it enough? You know, and what is that magic, right thing that I can do not to make the cancer go away, you know, but just to make it more bearable? To make me brave enough to fight it.
Nikolas sighs and pulls back to look at her. Emily pulls back and their eyes meet. Nikolas gets forceful and starts to emphasize his points. He loves her...a..
Nikolas: How can you not know how brave you are when I see it all the time? Huh? The way you get yourself to the treatments, even though you know how sick they'll make you, the way you joke when you feel like throwing up, the way you made Zander -- the way you told him the truth, no matter how scared you were about it?
Emily: It took me long enough.
Nikolas: That doesn't matter. The point is, is you did it. You've been fighting this cancer all along, Em, to the best degree you could on that day. You're human. No one's asking you to be perfect. They're just asking you not to give up.
Emily: That's asking a lot.
Nikolas: I'm asking you, today, not to give up. We'll worry about tomorrow when it gets here. I want you to promise me. I want you to promise me today, right now, that you'll keep going.
Emily nod her head, tears in her eyes. Nikolas shakes his heads and his voice is so soft.
Emily: I can promise you that much, as long as I have you to help me.
Nikolas: You have me. You have me.
Nikolas cups her head and kisses her forehead. SIGH The camera cuts to Zander hiding, shaking his head.
Emily: I should probably get back home. They're going to be worried about me.
Nikolas: Okay. I'll drive you?
Emily: Yeah.
Nikolas helps Emily off the bench and grabs her purse. Slowly, carrying the purse, he leads her down to the stairs towards the Quartermaines. As they walk, Zander comes out of hiding spot and leans on the stair railing, watching them leave.
Nikolas is coming back through the docks. He stops when he sees Zander.
Zander: Did you get Emily home okay?
Nikolas: Yeah -- yeah. Yeah, I just dropped her off, if you want to go to her.
Zander: I was down here before. I figured Emily would head straight for you, and she did. I watched you two together. I listened to how you helped her, and I wish with -- with all my heart that I could help her, too. And then I realized that I can -- by -- by getting out of the way.
Nikolas: She loves you.
Zander: But she needs you. For some reason, Nikolas, you're the only person that can help her through this cancer, and -- and that's all that matters. So, I'm going to step aside. I want you to be with Emily.
Nikolas looks stunned.
Emily, Monica and Alan are in the Quartermaine foyer. Emily is sitting on the stairs and Monica joins her as Alan leans on the railing.
Monica: Discontinuing this form of chemo doesn't mean that the cancer's going to keep growing, you know?
Alan: There are alternative treatments that'll probably be better for your immune system.
Emily: Any chance the alternative won't make my hair fall out? Or even better, won't make me want to throw up all the time?
Alan: Look, we'll talk it all over with Dr. Nugent, all right?
Monica: Yeah. But the important thing is you don't give up hope.
Emily: Yeah, I'm not giving up, not today.
As Emily says this, the camera focuses on her face and we see her fade into her memories.