She giggled up at him before her lips turned into the grin that melted his heart every time he saw it. "Yes, daddy."

He picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth off before picking her up and swinging her around in the air as soft squeals escaped from her mouth. He put her down on the couch before turning on the TV, flipping to the cartoon channel. "Now, Katherine..I want you to sit right here and watch TV while I go and check on your mommy."

"Yes, daddy," she said as her gaze immediately fixated itself on the TV screen that set just a few feet in front of her. Joey ruffled her brown hair before leaving the living room and jogging up the stairs. Once he was at the top, he turned right, stopping at the second door he came to. He pushed the wooden door open slowly, already knowing that the love of his life would be in bed, her back to the door.

"Samara...are you awake?" he called out softly into the bedroom, his gaze settling on her body that was covered by a white comforter.

"Joey..I don't want any company," she said slightly agitated that he was in the room with her. She pulled the comforter up over her head, knowing that he wasn't going to leave her alone so easily.

He walked over and gently sat down on the bed, his fingers reaching up and prying the comforter from her grasp. He pulled it down before reaching up to stroke her pale cheek. "Sam...how are you feeling?"

"Joey..how do you think I'm feeling?" she said as her eyes slammed into his causing him to blink a few times. "I just want to be alone."

"I know you do, sweetie, but I'm not leaving you alone up in this room. I love you and I know that Katherine is wanting to see you," he said as his finger trailed over her lips. "Don't push us away."

"Damn it, Joe..I'm dying...its just easier this way," she said as tears fell from her green eyes.

There it was. The word that he hated to hear. A little over a year ago, Samara had found out she had cancer. After treating it with every possible option, the doctor's had informed them that there was nothing more they could do. Joey still didn't want to accept the fact that he would lose his wife, nor the fact that he would be left to raise his little girl alone. "Don't say that, Sam. There are other things that we can look into."

"Joe..there's nothing else. You have to accept the fact, sweetie, that this is the way things are going to go," she told him softly before reaching up and touching his lips. "I'll always be here with you and Katherine..just not physically."

Tears fell from his brown eyes as he took her hand, his thumb rubbing over the back of it. "Samara..I love you so much."

"You know I love you too, Joe..and I love Katherine with all my heart. I just can't bear seeing her, knowing that I won't be here for her first date, for her prom, or her wedding," she said as she sat up and wrapped her arms around him. "Why Joe? Why did this happen to me?"

He stroked her dark brown hair before closing his eyes and resting his head in the crook of her neck. "I don't know, Sam..I don't know."

"Daddy?" Katherine called out into the room, causing Joey and Samara to break apart and smile at their daughter. "What's wrong? Mommy..are you sick?" she asked as she came over and got into Joey's lap.

Samara looked desperately at Joey before turning her attention back to Katherine. "Yes, sweetie..I'm sick."

"Do you have a stomach ache?" she questioned as she continued to gaze at her mother with innocent eyes.

Samara laughed softly before reaching over and pulling the little girl into her arms. "Not quiet..but don't worry, I'll be OK," she lied, not knowing if Katherine would be able to fully understand the situation since she was so young.

A silence settled over the three of them, the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock. Joey cleared his throat before reaching over and picking up Katherine. "We're going to head over to uncle JC's for a little party."

"Yay!" she said as she threw her arms around his neck. "Is mommy coming too?"

"No sweetie..I'm going to stay here and rest," she said as she reached up to quickly wipe away a tear that was resting on her face. "I'll see you when you get back though."

"I want to stay with mommy."

"Katherine..you're mommy needs to get some sleep. We're going to go see uncle Jace and his family so we won't disturb her," Joey said as he tightened his hold on her so she couldn't get out of his arms. "When we get back, you can come and check on your mom."

Joey sat the girl down in the hall and watched as she skipped into her room to grab her doll that she never left the house with. He turned around and saw Samara looking back at him, her green eyes glistening with tears. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Take your time," she told him as she slid back down in the bed and brought the comforter back to her neck. "Tell everyone that I said hi."

"I'll do that..if you need me, you know the number to JC's."

"Yeah...Joe," she said as she closed her eyes. "Leave the door open."

He looked at her a few more seconds before turning around to see Katherine standing right behind him, smiling up at him as she clung to her doll. "Lets get going, kiddo."

"OK, daddy," she said as she reached up and grasped his hand with her much smaller one. The two of them made their way down the steps, only pausing so Joey could grab his keys. On the way over to JC's, Joey kept glancing over at Katherine only to smile as he watched her bob her head to the music, something she had picked up from Justin.

Throughout this whole ordeal, the guys had been there for him in so many ways, it was hard to even begin to describe. He was the type of person that didn't like asking for people's help, but he was becoming weaker as her cancer progressed. He knew that in just a few short months, he would be leaning on the guys more than ever because he didn't know if he'd be able to face the future, knowing she wasn't going to be by his side.

Once he arrived at JC's, he pulled his car into the driveway, barely getting it stopped before Katherine opened the door and ran into the backyard, immediately getting swept up into Justin's arms. "Its my angel!"

"Uncle Justy..can I go swimmin?" she asked as she began to pout.

He chuckled before shaking his head and walking towards Joey. "Angel..its too cold for you to swim. You'd get sick and be in bed and I'd be lonely without you."

"But I could be with mommy if I was sick."

Justin sucked in his breath as he watched Joey's grin disappear from his face. "Angel..why don't we go and see uncle Chris?"

"I like Chris," she said before reaching up and pulling on one of the curls that Justin had grown back. Joey leaned on the hood of his car as he watched Justin carry Katherine into the house. It was comments like that which made reality sink in even more for him. From the very beginning when he had found out she had cancer, he had refused to accept it, only wanting to believe that they were going to be together as a family. But now, he was coming to see that all his dreams weren't going to come true.

He quickly reached up and wiped away the tears that had began to fall when he heard the front door open. He looked up to see JC walking towards him with sympathy all over his face. "How is she, Joe?"

"She's about the same..her attitude goes down every day."

"Are you positive that there's nothing else the doctors can do? Isn't there some type of new treatment or something out there that hasn't been done?" JC asked as he came to stop beside Joey, also resting his body against the car.

"We've checked into everything..there's nothing left. The doctor said its still spreading and that she only has around six more months at the most."

"Dear God, Joe," JC said as he reached up and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "If you need anything, you know that we're all here for you."

"I know," he said before mentally pulling himself together and moving away from the car. "Where are those hamburgers that you promised me if I brought Katherine by?"

JC laughed before walking towards the house with Joey by his side. "They're in the kitchen..that is if Chris and Lance haven't eaten them all."

After Joey had fixed a hamburger for himself, he sat down on the couch and watched as Chris, Justin, Lance and Katherine played Candyland on the floor. He smiled as he watched Chris secretly trying to cheat, only to be caught by Katherine who reached over and smacked his hand. Seeing his daughter so happy helped his spirits and took away some of the fear that he felt.