Kevin opened the cubicle curtain and went to perch on the edge of the hospital bed. The small girl who was occupying the bed looked at him over the top of the comic she was reading, and smiled.

'Hey, Katie,' said Kevin.

'I thought you'd gone home,' she croaked in reply.

'Just doing my final rounds,' Kevin grinned at her. 'How's the throat?'

'Still a little sore,' said Katie. 'I've had four bowls of ice-cream since lunch, and I think I can get in at least two more before they make us all go to bed.'

'I bet you can,' said Kevin. 'That's the best thing about having your tonsils out – all the ice-cream you can eat!'

'Did you have your tonsils out when you were my age?' asked Katie.

'Yes, I did... well, I was a little older than you, actually,' said Kevin.

'How old were you?'

'I was ten.'

'How old are you now?'

'I'll be eighteen next month.'

'So you're seventeen,' Katie said firmly.

'Yes,' Kevin laughed, 'I'm seventeen.'

'Kevin, you know all about ghosts and stuff, don't you?' Katie suddenly asked.

'Er... well, I know something about them,' said Kevin, 'but I'm not an expert. Why do you ask?'

'I think the toilets are haunted,' said Katie. 'You know, the ones at the end of the corridor with the mural of the otters on the door?'

'What makes you think that, Katie?'

'I feel really cold whenever I go in there, even when the heating's on full blast. Plus when I was in one of the stalls earlier, I felt like there was someone right outside and I heard one of the faucets being turned on, but when I went to investigate there was no one there.'

'That's interesting,' said Kevin. 'I'll have to look into it.'

'Are you gonna get the Ghostbusters to come?' Katie asked eagerly.

'Well, maybe not just yet,' said Kevin. 'I'll do some investigating of my own and see what I think first.'

'You're not a Ghostbuster,' Katie said sulkily.

'I will be after I leave school,' said Kevin. 'Trust me – I know what I'm doing. You'd better rest your voice now – I'll let you get back to your comic.'

Kevin left the cubicle and drew the curtains back into place, before moving to the far end of the room and opening the curtains around another cubicle. A boy of about ten was in the bed beyond, looking distinctly less robust than Katie and sporting several drips and leads coming from various parts of his body.

'Hi, Josh,' said Kevin.

'Hi, Kevin,' said Josh, smiling weakly as he awoke from his doze. 'Are you going home now?'

'Yes; after I've said goodbye to you,' said Kevin. 'Tomorrow's the big day, right?'

'That's right,' said Josh. 'Could you get me a drink of water? I'm really thirsty.'

'Sorry, dude – you're nil by mouth.'

'Oh, yeah. Damn.'

'It'll be worth it in the long run.'

'That's what everyone says, but... can you promise me that everything's gonna be all right after my surgery, Kevin?'

'No,' said Kevin, 'I can't promise you that, Josh. But I can promise you that you're doing the right thing, right now.'

'Yeah, I guess I am,' said Josh, smiling again. 'Do you know where they've gotten the bone marrow from, Kevin?'

'From your brother, wasn't it?'

'That's right – Jordan. He's four years older than me. Our dad wanted him to pass the eighth grade before he came in for harvesting – I mean, I could have waited a little longer – but Jordan wouldn't wait. He said the most important thing in the world to him is to get me well. Pretty amazing, huh?'

'Definitely,' said Kevin. 'But brothers and sisters usually are pretty amazing to each other when it really comes to the crunch.'

'Do you have a brother, Kevin?' asked Josh. 'Or a sister?'

'I have a brother,' said Kevin.

'How old is he?'

'Nine months.'

'Wow!' said Josh. 'Is he your whole brother? I mean, he's not a half?'

'He's my whole brother – we have both the same parents,' said Kevin. 'His name's James.'

'Would you donate your bone marrow if he needed it?'

'In a heartbeat. I'd donate anything he needed, if I could.'

'Jordan says brothers should always stick together, no matter what,' said Josh.

'Jordan's absolutely right,' said Kevin. 'I know what can happen if they don't and... well, yeah, it's much better if they do.'

'Are you thinking of someone in particular?' asked Josh.

'Yes – my dad and my Uncle Eduardo,' said Kevin. 'They don't get on too badly nowadays, but when I was growing up... well, I heard them say some truly awful things to each other.'

'Like what?' Josh pressed.

'Oh... lots of stuff,' said Kevin. 'Stuff I'd rather not repeat, to be honest.'

'That's cool,' said Josh. 'I understand, Kevin.'

'I'd better leave now,' said Kevin. 'You'll need your strength tomorrow – you must get as much rest as you can.'

'Will you come back and talk to me tomorrow, after the surgery?' Josh asked.

'Yes,' said Kevin, 'if you're feeling up to it. Oh, actually, before I go, have you ever been to the toilets at the end of the corridor? You know, the ones with the otters on the door?'

'I've been stuck in this ward for the past two weeks, Kevin,' said Josh, giving him a look.

'Oh yes, of course you've been to them,' said Kevin. 'Sorry, that was a stupid question. Have you ever felt a presence in there with you?'

'Only when there's another kid taking a poop in the stall next to me,' Josh shrugged.

'Okay,' Kevin laughed. 'But you've never thought the place might be haunted?'

'No,' said Josh. 'Why, is it?'

'It might be,' said Kevin, rising to his feet. 'I'll get back to you when I've done some sleuthing. Bye for now, Josh. I'd say good luck for tomorrow, but I know you won't need it.'

Josh smiled, and held out his right arm in an upright position. Kevin grasped his hand, and they indulged in a very cool and very manly handshake.

'I'm glad you're here, Kevin,' said Josh. 'Hospital's not so bad when you're around.'


'"Hospital's not so bad when you're around",' Kevin said to Oscar over the phone later that evening. 'Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard?'

'Yeah, I guess so,' Oscar laughed. 'What are you gonna do about this haunted bathroom?'

'Investigate, just like I said I would,' said Kevin. 'With your help, I hope.'

'Yeah, sure,' said Oscar.

'Can you come to the hospital after school with me tomorrow?'

'Won't I get kicked out?'

'What for?'

'For not having a good reason to be there.'

'You'll be fine so long as you stick with me,' said Kevin. 'I need you to sneak the PKE meter in and out in your bag – I don't want it hanging around with my stuff in the staff lounge all afternoon, in case anyone stumbles over it and wonders what it is.'

'We're taking a PKE meter?' said Oscar.

'Of course we are,' said Kevin.

'Do you have a PKE meter?'

'Yeah – Eduardo issued me with one a couple of weeks ago, when I covered that shift, and he said I might as well keep it because I'll be needing it pretty soon.'

'Oh, cool,' said Oscar. 'Meet at the music block after school?'

'You bet,' said Kevin.


Kevin pushed open the toilet door and entered the room, with Oscar following a few steps behind him. Kevin swept his PKE meter in all directions, causing it to whine and beep very faintly.

'Trace readings,' said Kevin. 'I don't think it's in here right now.'

He led the way past the row of stalls, all of which were empty. Suddenly the sound of running water met their ears; they stopped and clutched each other.

'Didn't you say the ghost turned on a faucet yesterday?' Oscar whispered.

'That's what Katie said,' Kevin whispered back. 'Come on – let's take a look.'

They came to the end of the stalls, to an area with four washbasins and a two-person urinal. A figure was standing at the urinal. Oscar squeaked in alarm, and the figure turned its head to look over its shoulder.

'What's the matter?' it said. 'Never seen a kid take a piss before?'

'Oh, Ethan!' said Kevin, exhaling heavily. 'Sorry; we didn't think anyone was in here.'

Ethan shrugged, zipped himself up and wandered over to a washbasin. Kevin glanced at his PKE meter, which was still showing trace readings.

'Ethan, did you notice another presence in here with you just now?' Kevin asked. 'Did you feel like someone was watching you?'

'Yeah, I did,' said Ethan, as he ran his hands under the tap. 'Then I found out it was you and your girlfriend, Kevin!'

'No, I mean like a... a ghost,' said Kevin.

'A ghost?' Ethan laughed, as he dried his hands on a paper towel. 'Don't be silly!'

With that, Ethan threw his paper towel in the vicinity of the bin and sauntered out of the room. As Kevin bent to pick up the badly aimed piece of litter, Oscar took a look at himself in one of the washbasin mirrors.

'Do you think I should get a haircut?' Oscar asked. 'A short one, I mean. You know, something more mature?'

'If you want,' said Kevin, 'but personally I love your hair exactly the way it is, just like I love the rest of you. I don't think we're gonna see anything – let's get out of here and try again later.'

'Nothing but trace readings, huh?'

'Yeah, and they're pretty faint. Our ghost obviously isn't in the mood for visitors right now.'

Kevin and Oscar left the toilets and wandered back down the main corridor. Kevin looked in and saw that Josh was back in his cubicle and seemingly awake, so he went to speak to him. Oscar followed behind, looking and feeling more than a little awkward.

'Hey, Josh,' Kevin said to the prostrate figure. 'Did everything go okay?'

'I... I think so,' Josh replied weakly. 'But Kevin, I'm so glad you're here – I saw the ghost!'

'You did?' Kevin asked eagerly.

'Yeah, I did,' said Josh. 'I was waiting to go up to the operating room and they left me on a gurney outside the bathroom for about ten minutes. I remember I was getting pretty drowsy... and then I suddenly saw this figure appearing through the bathroom door – right through the otter mural, I mean – and it seemed to stop when it saw me.'

'Can you describe it?'

'It was definitely a woman... a young woman. I don't remember seeing any legs, but it definitely had arms because it reached out to me.'

'Did it say anything?' Kevin asked.

'It said "Susan",' said Josh.

'Susan?' said Kevin.

'Yes; Susan,' said Josh. 'I know I don't really look like a Susan, but the ghost obviously thought I did.'

'Weird,' said Kevin. 'Well, at least that gives us something to go on. You should try to get some rest now, buddy – I'll talk to you some more later on.'

Josh smiled and nodded, and was about to close his eyes when he saw two familiar figures through the window to the corridor.

'My mom and my brother are here,' said Josh. 'Stick around, Kevin, and I'll introduce you to them.'

Kevin nodded, and he and Oscar drew back to a discreet distance. Josh's family entered the ward.

'I don't understand why we can't stay the night on those fold-out chairs, like the other concerned family members,' Jordan was saying.

'I just... I don't like being here too long,' his mother replied uncomfortably. 'And you can't stay by yourself because you're only fourteen... plus I want you sleeping in a real bed while you're still recovering from the harvesting procedure. Oh honey, there you are!'

She went up to Josh and kissed him, then turned away with tears in her eyes. Josh held out his arms to Jordan, who immediately bent down and hugged him as much as was physically possible.

'I wonder if Jessica would give me some of her bone marrow if I needed it,' Oscar said to Kevin.

'Of course she would,' said Kevin. 'I know the two of you don't always see eye to eye, but she absolutely adores you.'

'Adores me, huh?'

'Yeah.'

'It's not much to go on, is it?' said Oscar. 'What Josh told us about the ghost, I mean.'

'I guess not,' said Kevin. 'In the movies they always go to the library and find the answer in an old newspaper, at this stage in the mystery.'

'This is the Twenty-First Century,' said Oscar. 'Let's try the internet first.'

'I hope Josh didn't imagine the whole thing,' said Kevin. 'He said he was drowsy, and I did put the idea about the haunted bathroom into his head last night.'

'I bet he did pick up on something, even if his imagination filled in the gaps,' said Oscar. 'Let's assume we can rely on his testimony, for now.'

Jordan stood up and wiped his damp eyes, allowing his mother to take hold of Josh's hand and fix him with an enormous smile.

'Mom, I want you to meet Kevin,' said Josh. 'He's really great to talk to and he brings me all kinds of neat comic books.'

'Looks like you're up, dude,' Oscar remarked.


As soon as Kevin entered his home and dumped his schoolbag on the floor, his father came storming out of the living room and placed himself firmly in the middle of the hallway.

'Where the hell have you been?' Carl demanded.

'At the hospital, Dad,' said Kevin.

'You're late!'

'I stayed to finish the book I was reading to a ten-year-old boy who's just had a bone marrow transplant.'

'Don't give me that Florence Nightingale crap!' Carl snarled. 'I've tolerated a lot from you, Kevin – your sissy views about war and violence, your relationship with Oscar, your insistence that I turn a blind eye to our tenant smoking pot to ease his arthritis – but I absolutely will not tolerate this!'

'I'm ten minutes late, Dad,' said Kevin. 'It's hardly the crime of the century.'

'I'm not talking about that!' Carl yelled. 'I will not tolerate illegal substances in my house, Kevin!'

'Except for the pot,' Kevin pointed out.

'Don't get smart with me! What you've got up there is obviously the hard stuff! Do you think I'm stupid? Did you think I wouldn't find out?'

'Dad, I don't know what the hell you're talking about.'

'It's no good playing the innocent with me,' said Carl. 'You tell me what it is, right now! Heroin? Ecstasy? LSD?'

'You're crazy,' Kevin told him.

'Crazy, am I?' Carl yelled. 'You'd just better pray I don't show you how crazy I can be!'

Carl took a step towards his son; Kevin could tell that he was trying to intimidate him physically. He thought back to what Eduardo had once told him: 'There's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. Yes, even physically if you have to.' Kevin squared up to his father, and looked him in the eye.

'Dad, I've never touched drugs in my life,' Kevin said. 'Whatever you think you know, you've made a mistake.'

'Oh, have I?' Carl sneered. 'You can explain it to me, then, if I'm so stupid! You can come upstairs with me right now and try to talk your way out of it!'

Carl grabbed Kevin by the wrist and attempted to pull him towards the staircase. Kevin planted his feet firmly, and wrenched his arm free.

'You don't have to touch me,' he said.

'Just come upstairs!'

'No!'

'Kevin, you will come upstairs right now!' said Carl.

'You think you can make me?' said Kevin.

'You think I can't?' said Carl.

'Why don't you try it and find out?' said Kevin.

Carl took a step forward. Kevin was itching to take a swing at his father with all the power in his right arm, but he forced himself to hold back. Carl did not attempt to touch Kevin again.

'Are we just gonna stand here like this all night?' said Kevin.

'Okay,' said Carl. 'Okay, we'll play it your way. I'll go upstairs and get them, then we'll see what you have to say for yourself. Stay right where you are!'

Kevin watched his father disappearing up the stairs, a dark expression on his face. He visualised himself rejecting the entire situation simply by walking away, then he visualised himself pursuing Carl and attacking him physically with all his strength. But he stayed at the bottom of the stairs.

'Here!' Carl declared, as he bulldozed back down a few moments later. 'Evil, foul, disgusting pills! I really thought you knew better than this, Kevin – I thought you were a smart and sensible boy, whatever else you might be! What if James had gotten hold of them, huh? You're not fit to be a brother!'

Forcing himself not to yell a tirade of abuse at his father in return, Kevin peered at the four capsules in Carl's upheld palm. They certainly looked like pills; one was yellow, one was blue, one was red and one was green. A spark of recognition ignited in Kevin's brain, and he smiled in amusement.

'I found these on the floor by your desk!' Carl barked. 'And let's not overlook the fact that I was being kind and thoughtful enough to drop off your clean laundry at the time!'

'Yes, I've got a whole bag of them in the desk drawer,' said Kevin. 'These ones must have fallen on the floor when I was rooting around in there for my PKE meter. I'd forgotten I even had them.'

'You tell me what they are,' Carl snarled, 'right now!'

'Put them in water, Dad.'

'What?'

'Put them in water,' Kevin repeated, 'and see what happens.'

Frowning suspiciously, Carl led the way to the kitchen and ran a little water into the sink. He threw the four pellets in, then watched in wide-eyed astonishment as the outer shells dissolved and the coloured masses within began to change shape.

'They're... they're dinosaur sponges,' said Carl. 'Little miniature dinosaur sponges that expand in water!'

'Yes, they are,' said Kevin. 'I bought them ages ago, completely on impulse – I thought James might like them.'

'I... I... I'm really sorry, son,' said Carl. 'I should have known you wouldn't take drugs... and I shouldn't have called you a sissy.'

'That's not all you called me, at least implicitly,' said Kevin. 'You have a real problem with me and Oscar, don't you?'

'No, I don't,' Carl said pleadingly. 'I didn't mean what I said, Kevin – I didn't mean any of it! Please, you can't imagine how sorry I am!'

'It's okay, Dad,' said Kevin. 'And you're right about one thing – it was careless of me to leave those things on the floor, just in case James did manage to get hold of them. They're one hundred percent non-toxic so I guess they wouldn't have done him any harm if he'd swallowed them, but they could've been a choke hazard, although I know for a fact that my bedroom door was closed anyway, but... well, why take the chance?'

At that moment the back door opened, admitting Beth and James to the kitchen. Beth immediately sensed the lingering atmosphere, and started to talk in an unnaturally perky manner.

'Well, it's nice to see that we're all back home,' she said. 'Is everything okay?'

'Everything's just fine, Mom,' said Kevin.

'What have you got in the sink?' said Beth, peering over to look. 'Oh, those expanding dinosaur sponge things! Kevin, can I take some with me tomorrow? They might amuse the kids for a while.'

'Sure, Mom,' said Kevin. 'I'll give you the whole bag.'

'Now Carl, you will get yourself out of bed early enough to drop me and James off before eight o'clock, won't you?' said Beth. 'Kylie has to be at work by nine, and she wants to show me where Conchita keeps all her stuff before she leaves.'

'No problem, honey,' said Carl. 'You can rely on me.'