AN: Sorry it took me so long to update! I've had some writer's block with this story, so I didn't want to continue until I was sure what I wanted to do with this story. But now I have a basic plot formed, so here is the next chapter :) And also the lyrics that inspired me when I was writing this

'Cause I don't wanna lose you now

I'm looking right at the other half of me

The vacancy that sat in my heart

Is a space that now you hold

Sherlock's PoV:

"This isn't fair," Greg said. "You should be allowed to go home at least, and live the remainder of your life. It's your birthday - why are they keeping you here? Why are they giving you tests?"

"It's fine," I said to one of my two best friends, Greg Lestrade. I kept the emotions off my face. I didn't want him knowing how disappointed I really was. My seventeenth birthday, and I was going to be spending it in the hospital. I would only have one or two birthdays left. The thought made me want to cry, but I didn't.

"Is John coming over?" Molly asked. I had known John for two weeks, and I had gotten to know him really well. We did stuff a lot, we watched mystery movies in my room, and I discovered that John liked murder mysteries as much as I did. I had been teaching him to play violin, though he was quite slow at it.

"Yes," I informed her. "You'll get to meet him."

"Is he, you know..." Molly grinned at me. "Is he cute?"

"What?" I hadn't thought of John like that. To avoid the question, I said, "He's nice."

"Well, that's good," she said, then turned to Greg. "Greg, do you want to give him his birthday presents now?"

"Of course." My other best friend took out a small gift from his backpack and handed it to me. I smiled, opened it and found three new mystery books that I've been wanting for a while, but never got for myself.

"Thanks!" I was genuinely excited. Greg knew me so well.

"No problem at all." Greg smiled back and looked at Molly, who had a smaller present with her. I opened it and found a beautiful key chain with a small violin dangling from it.

"It actually works if you play it," she told me, sounding pleased with herself. She showed me and I gasped, impressed.

"That is really cool." I tried it myself, and I already loved it. "Thanks."

"Happy birthday." She hugged me and then Greg gave me a quick hug before they left. During the time I spent alone waiting for John to get here, I read some of my book. A while later, I looked up as I saw him come behind the curtain of my room.

"Hi," I said, putting my book down on the table beside my bed.

"Hello." John smiled and sat down beside me on the bed. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." I smiled back.

"So what do you want to do today?" John asked me.

"Not sure," I replied. "This place is quite dull - we've already done everything there is to do around here."

John's smile widened. "We could always watch this movie I found," he said matter-of-factly, holding up a rare movie that I have always wanted to watch again, but never found it anywhere, and then I got cancer and had to stay in the hospital so it was even harder to find. I'd told John about it, not ever expecting this.

My eyes lit up and I gasped. "You found it! How in the bloody-"

"It was at a store for older movies."

That made sense, as it was an older movie. I hugged John tight, feeling him jump slightly.

"It's the best birthday present ever. Thanks, John." I pulled back to find our faces inches apart.

John gasped and I leaned back against my pillows, fighting a blush. We watched the movie mostly in silence, with John making occasional comments or asking questions about the movie.

My birthday dinner included my parents, Mycroft, Molly, Greg, and John. Thankfully, Molly and Greg immediately liked John, asking him questions about him and me and what we usually did together. John kept glancing at me the whole time, and I swore he was blushing, but it was probably just a trick of the light, John had nothing to blush about.

He hugged me again when he left, the second time we'd ever hugged. "Happy birthday," he whispered, and when he left I instantly felt the loss of his arms around me, almost like it had physically punched me in the gut. I felt a sharp pang that I ignored and picked up the book that Greg had given me for my birthday. It had been a pretty good birthday, I had to admit, even in the hospital.

AN: Hope you liked it! Updates soon - and the song was "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake 3