The Original Taylor Daughter

Reactions: Part 2

Alice pulls up outside the Deacon home, she's always liked their home, it's nothing over the top or an extortionate price. It's big enough for the children to have a room each plus two spare rooms and it's in a child-friendly neighbourhood and it suits John and Veronica in every way.

Locking the car she can hear the kids playing in the back garden and wonders if she should come back another time but that plan goes bust when Laura knocks on the living room window waving at her.

The little girl disappears from the window and barrels to the front door shouting, "Dad! Alice is here!" She flings it open and runs out to hug her, "Alice!"

Chuckling Alice bends to the 10-year-olds height lifting her off the ground as the girl wraps her arms around her neck, "Hello Laura," Laura wraps her legs around Alice's waist, "Blimey, you've grown. How was your first week back at school?"

"Serious," Her grin turns into a serious face as Alice carries her into the house kicking the door closed, "We have a SATS paper to sit this year and we have to concentrate."

"You should concentrate every year," Veronica warns her light-heartedly. Alice lets Laura down and she runs off, "It's lovely to see you, Alice."

John joins them at that point, "Alice, to what do we owe this visit?"

"Am I not allowed to come and visit my favourite uncle without a reason?" She cheekily hugs him.

"No," He raises an eyebrow grinning, "You're like your dad, you do most things for a reason."

"Yes, well there is a reason I'm here," Alice check to make sure the kids aren't in earshot but Laura is still lurking near the door, "I have some news but it's not something I want the kids to hear."

John leads her to the study and Veronica joins them once she's told the kids not to disturb them, "So is this good or bad news?" Veronica prompts her to speak once the door is closed.

"Bad, I'm afraid. You might want to sit down," Alice sits in the armchair across from the pair, "So I went to the doctors yesterday. They had to run a load of tests, blood tests, ultrasound and an MRI scan."

"Isn't that the tests you have at your annual check-up," John remembers taking her once when Roger couldn't. Before she can even clarify his question panic settles in his chest, "Are you ill?"

Sighing Alice nods, "My cancer has come back but it must have been too small for them to see at my checkup back in March and it's grown rapidly. It's coming from the original area and has spread into my womb and is starting to grow in my lungs. They're going to remove my womb to give me more time..."

"What do you mean more time?" John cuts her off, "Your having other treatment right? Beside the hysterectomy."

"No, it's advanced stage 3 and classed as untreatable. I have 22 to 24 months."

"No," Veronica whimpers, grabbing a tissue from the box in front of her, "There's nothing they can do? Surely they can do something?"

"Apart from the hysterectomy, no. And if I don't take the surgery, it reduces my time down to 16 to 18 months." Veronica is straight out of her seat, sitting on the arm of Alice's chair to hug her, "I know it's not the news we need right now, especially on top of uncle Freddie but you guys are my family and I thought you'd want to know."

"Of course we'd want to know," John sniffs wiping his eyes, "You'll forgive if we keep it from the kids for now?"

"That's why I didn't want them to hear, apart from Robert and maybe Michael, the others are too young."

"Well, don't you worry about that. You just look after yourself," Veronica warns, "Do you want to say for some dinner?"

"I'd love to but I'm going to Uncle Freddie's to tell him then I need to pick dad up. He didn't take it very well and he's currently drowning himself in whiskey in Uncle Brian's house."