(WARNING FOR THOSE WITH WEAK STOMACHS: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of vomiting.)

"So…" Odd started, "You're telling me that Franz Hopper, the guy that we think is Aelita's father, contacted you with a bunch of gibberish?"

"Yep," Jeremie smugly responded. Odd and Ulrich sat on Jeremie's bed dumbfounded, staring at him.

"And he said that he wants to help save Aelita…" Ulrich took a turn in speaking.

"Yep."

"And… exactly how is he going to do that?"

"Um, well, that I'm not quite sure of yet…" Jeremie scratched his head. "But, I'm sure I can find out." Odd walked over to Jeremie's desk and picked up the piece of paper that contained Jeremie's various attempts at deciphering the fragmented sentence.

"Jeremie," he said. "How long did it take you to figure out what this says?"

"Sheesh, like three days at least…"

"I could've done this in three minutes tops!" Jeremie sighed, and looked down.

"Yeah… It's just... It's been really hard for me to concentrate lately… the only thing on my mind anymore is Aelita…" Ulrich and Odd walked over to Jeremie, each placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Jer. I think you need to get out," Ulrich suggested. Jeremie simply looked up at him and shrugged.

"I guess."

"Well, anyways," Ulrich removed his hand and walked over to the door. "I'm off; I promised Yumi I would stop by and visit her. She's feeling pretty bad."

"Hey, let's go with you!" Odd exclaimed. Ulrich responded with a glare. "It'd be a chance for Jeremie to get some fresh air, and besides, I wanna check up on Yumi too."

"Um, well… I uh… was hoping to go alone…"

"Nonsense! Come on Einstein, let's go!" Odd yanked on Jeremie's arm, tugging him out the door. Ulrich rolled his eyes and followed behind them.

Knock, knock.

"YUMI!" Hiroki cried out, running up the stairs to Yumi's bedroom. "Your BOYFRIEND is here!" Yumi rolled over in her bed and groaned. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, with frail pieces of her fine black hair lying against her pale complexion. Her nose appeared rough and was tinted red, with several used tissues lying around her bed sheets and her wooden floor.

"Beat it, Hiroki!" she snapped. Hiroki sniggered and ran downstairs. Shortly after, Jeremie, Odd and Ulrich invited themselves upstairs, standing in her open door frame. Yumi rolled back over and smiled. "Hey, Ulrich…" and then her eyes widened; she appeared shocked that Odd and Jeremie had followed. "Oh…Hey Jeremie…and Odd…" she grated. Her usual, sultry voice had become hoarse and nasally. Ulrich walked over to her and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

"Wow," he noted. "You're really hot, Yumi."

"Aw, really? Even when I'm sick?" Yumi winked, knowing that isn't what Ulrich really meant. Ulrich stepped black and blushed heavily.

"Welp, even though she's sick, she still sounds like Yumi to me!" Odd playfully shouted. "So how are you feeling?"

"Horrible," she moaned. "I have the flu."

"Really? It's not quite flu season yet…" Jeremie pointed out.

"Yeah, I know... Lucky me." Suddenly, Yumi's eyes broadened.

"Yumi, are you okay?" the others asked.

"Oh God…" she grumbled, frantically covering her mouth with both hands. Yumi threw off her covers and dashed into her bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The gruesome sounds that followed made the others sick to their stomachs.

"Sheesh," Odd cringed. "It's almost as bad as when Aelita had that stomach virus…" The mere mention of Aelita's name made Jeremie shudder. Each day without her by his side grew more painful and difficult. Jeremie leaned against Yumi's stony, plain wall, letting his hands sink into his pockets. He watched Ulrich try to comfort Yumi from the opposite side of the bathroom door, while Odd played around with the giant Totoro plush in the corner of her room. The way Ulrich consoled Yumi only pained Jeremie more, reminding him of when he was in the same position with Aelita.

"Aelita, I can't believe all of this data I'm retrieving! It's so amazing." Jeremie sat cross-legged in his computer chair, tapping away on his keyboard. Aelita had offered to stay up late with him as he searched around for the key to her anti-virus. She enjoyed computer programming too, and the data that he shared excited her just as much as it did him. It was one of their simple ways of bonding. Others poked fun at it, and would have considered them boring; but for Aelita, quality time like this was enough to please her. For the past hour though, she hadn't been contributing much, and had sat quietly on his bed, keeping to herself. Jeremie seemed too enthralled with his computer screen to notice that she had grown quiet and stopped talking all together. "Aelita," he said. "Come look at this!"

"Jeremie…" Aelita weakly called. She sat on the edge of his bed panting and leaning forward, with her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"Yes, Aelita?" Jeremie spun around in his chair, finally taking note of Aelita. His face flushed with worry after noticing the condition she was in. "Woah, Aelita…" He stepped out of his chair and walked over to his bed, sitting down next to her. Aelita had grown extremely pale. The grip around her abdomen tightened and she moaned. Sweat travelled down her cheeks, forehead, and neck, and she was breathing rapidly. Jeremie placed his hand on Aelita's back, scooting closer to her. "Aelita, are you okay?"

"I… don't… my… stomach…" She briefly looked over at Jeremie, completely petrified. Aelita cried out again, holding her stomach and looking down.

"Uh oh," Jeremie took one look at her and knew what was coming.

"Jeremie…" she whimpered, but before she could finish her sentence, she hurled forward and vomited all over his bedroom floor, with some of it trailing along his bed frame as well.

"Oh, Aelita!" he cried out, immediately grabbing the trash can that was located underneath his computer desk. He helped Aelita down to her knees and placed the trash can below her. Between spouts of vomiting, she managed to mutter a few words.

"Jeremie…" Aelita panted, spitting into the trash can. "What's happening to me!" Jeremie crawled to her side, sweetly shushing her and cooing in her ear. He rubbed her back as she continued to spew into the trash can, letting his fingertips trail up and down her spine. Cold sweat soaked Aelita's delicate pink locks, and Jeremie attempted to brush the lose pieces out of her face to avoid getting them soaked with bile. Aelita coughed and gagged, with tears streaming down her face. Having never experienced such a thing in her entire life, nor knowing a single thing about it, she was completely terrified.

"It's okay, Aelita," Jeremie whispered in her ear, continuing to rub her back. "Shhh, it's okay…" After a few minutes of non-stop ejecting, Aelita finally relaxed, spitting up the last bits left in her mouth. "Are you done?" Aelita looked over at him, unable to speak, but nodded at Jeremie with her tear-filled eyes. Jeremie kissed her on the forehead and stood up. "Stay right here, okay? I'll be right back." Jeremie walked out the door, heading to the communal bathrooms to grab a cool, wet rag for Aelita.

As soon as he was out of her sight, she curled against Jeremie's bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Forgetting that she had just vomited all over his bed, she ended up getting her remnantsof indigestion all over her back. As a result, Aelita became freaked out, and began to wail. Jeremie didn't take long, within a couple of minutes he was back in his room, closing the door behind him. Spotting his precious angel curled up on his floor crying, he immediately rushed to her side.

"Aelita!" he yelled, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm so sorry! It's everywhere, Jeremie! It's disgusting! I'm disgusting! What's wrong with me?" Jeremie struggled to make out her words that had been masked by her weeping.

"Oh, Aelita, it's okay… Shhh," he tenderly whispered, taking the wet rag and wiping away the miniscule chunks of vomit that sat in the corners of her mouth. "Aelita, what you just did is called throwing up. It happens to everyone, don't worry. You're okay, Aelita. There's nothing be sorry for. It happens when your body doesn't like what you put inside of it, so this is its way of expelling the potentially harmful things. Vomiting is a good thing, Aelita." Jeremie looked into her eyes, wiping away the tears that flowed onto her cheeks. Aelita took a deep breath, beginning to calm down.

"It doesn't feel like a good thing…" Aelita sniffled. Jeremie smiled at her, and helped her up.

"Come on; let's get you cleaned up…" Aelita looked at the sleeves of her cardigan, which had become soaked. Jeremie turned her around and observed the vomit that had rubbed onto her back due to her leaning against his bed. "Aww, Aelita… You got it all over you…" She blushed, feeling helpless and embarrassed. Jeremie grabbed the collar of Aelita's maroon cardigan, and slowly began to pull it down around her elbows.

"Jeremie… what are you…"

"Well… you can't exactly wear this anymore…" Jeremie blushed, worrying he had offended her. "I mean, do you mind? I was just trying to help, but I understand if…"

"No, I don't mind," Aelita shyly reassured, cutting Jeremie off. Jeremie smiled at her. Aelita slipped her arms out of her cardigan, and handed it to Jeremie. He laid the cardigan down on the floor. Aelita turned around and looked Jeremie in the eyes, her face flushed with heat and bright red. They smiled at each other as Jeremie slipped off the thin straps of Aelita's golden tank top, gently pulling it up and over her head. Jeremie's face was redder than a beet.

Wow… Jeremie thought. He was at a loss for words, considering the girl of his dreams was standing topless in front of him. Okay, be cool Jeremie, and whatever you do, don't look down. Don't look down… Don't look… Oh God, I'm looking down! Jeremie, have you no self-control!

"Um, Jeremie…" Jeremie snapped out of it.

"Huh? What?" Uh oh, she caught me looking down.

"I'm kind of cold… what am I supposed to wear?"

"Oh, right. He he." Jeremie walked over to his closet and pulled out one of his older t-shirts that he didn't wear anymore. It was a simple, white t-shirt, and it would be way too big on her, but it's better than her wearing her now tainted clothing. He handed it to her. "Here, you can wear this." Aelita smiled, and held it up to her nose, allowing her to take in the scent of Jeremie's cotton shirt.

"It smells just like you," she said. Jeremie smiled in return, and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed.

"How do you feel, Aelita?"

"I feel better… thank you, Jeremie."

"If you feel like you're going to get sick again, you let me know, okay?" Jeremie said, brushing the tip of his thumb against her cheeks. Aelita nodded.

"Einstein is daydreaming again!" Odd yelled, waving his hand in front of Jeremie's unresponsive face. Jeremie opened his eyes.

"Oh, uh, sorry Odd."

"We're being kicked out. Ulrich and Yumi want their special alone time," Odd sung, batting his eyes.

"Shut up, Odd." Ulrich snapped, leading them out the door. "She just doesn't want you guys to see her like this, that's all." The door closed behind them.

"I think I saw worse when Aelita got sick," Jeremie responded.

"Oh man, that was a mess. Sometimes it really sucks having a best friend who doesn't grasp being human, she couldn't figure out when she was and wasn't going to throw up!" Odd mocked.

"It's not funny, Odd. Don't make fun of her." Jeremie's fists clenched at his sides.

"Aw, lighten up, Einstein. You're so tense! Are you going to keep up with this if Aelita doesn't wake up?"

"Don't say that."

"Jeremie, you're the smartest one out of all of us, you're the one that needs to stay open minded. You've got to admit it's possible…"

"It's not possible." Jeremie stared harshly at Odd, his nostrils flaring.

"Jeremie… what's gotten into you…?"

"Nothing. I need to be alone." Jeremie threw his book bag over his back, gave Odd the cold shoulder, and quickly walked away. Odd stared at him, concerned, but only shrugged. Grabbing ahold of the railing, Jeremie ran down the stairs with each step thudding and creaking below him. He made a sharp turn around the railing attached to the final step, and dashed out of the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama. The sun had set, the streets were empty, and the air had grown cold. Jeremie ran as fast as he possibly could down the sidewalk, tears coursing down his face, flying behind him. A car sped by, crashing into the puddles that lined the border between the sidewalk and the street. Jeremie was instantly and thoroughly soaked by the cold, murky water; but he kept on going. He ran, ran, and ran some more, until he finally reached where he had planned to go: the hospital.

Jeremie knew it was past visiting hours, but that wasn't stopping him. He pushed his way through the slow-moving revolving door and walked into the lobby, not even bothering to stop at the front desk. He travelled down the hallway until he reached the dual elevators. Jeremie pressed the 'up' button, where he impatiently waited for the doors to open, rapidly tapping his foot and crossing his arms. When the doors did open, Jeremie shoved pass the couple who was taking their time in exiting the elevator, and banged his palm against the button for the 9th floor. Taking no time, Jeremie squeezed out of the elevator before the doors had even fully opened. He sprinted to the right and ran down the hall until he finally reached Aelita's room. Jeremie had just run for quite some time, so he stopped to catch his breath for a few minutes before finally sneaking inside. He threw his back pack onto the chair, and walked over to Aelita. Jeremie only glanced at her for a few moments before throwing his face down onto the bed, weeping hysterically.

"Aelita," he sobbed through broken sentences. After a few moments, he raised his head from the bed, wiping his tears off on his sleeve and sniffling. He looked over at Aelita while taking her little hand into his grasp, softly kissing it. "Oh, Aelita," he sniffed. "It's been a little over a week now. Not a moment goes by where you don't cross my mind. Earlier, I thought about the time you were very sick and I took care of you. Yesterday, I thought about when I took you out for your first ice cream cone. There's still so much of this world to explore, so much that you haven't seen… and now, I'm not so sure you'll ever get to see it." Aelita's breathing was slow, yet steady. She looked so content and peaceful. The heart monitor was annoying; each shrill beat pierced Jeremie's ear drums. He wished he had brought ear plugs.

A single tear escaped from the corner of Jeremie's eye, dripping down onto Aelita's hand. The drop sparkled amongst her brilliant snow-white skin. Jeremie laid his head on Aelita's chest, pressing his ear against her upper left breast. He closed his eyes and listened to the tender sound of her heart beat, syncing his own breathing with hers. The quiet, gentle 'lub-dub' of her heart muscle pumping away relaxed Jeremie. It gave him hope, reminding him that she was still well and alive; she was merely just taking a long nap. Jeremie removed his head from her chest, exhaling deeply. He nuzzled her neck, and gave a little kiss on her ear lobe.

"Aelita," he cooed into her ear. "I brought something for you. I hope it will help you have sweet dreams while you're sleeping." Jeremie walked over to his bag, unzipping it and digging through it. He shoved his arms elbow deep into the bag, searching around until he found what he was looking for. Jeremie pulled out Mr. Puck, and walked back over to Aelita's bed. He placed it between her arm and her torso, tucking him in underneath the hospital's heated blankets. Jeremie leaned over and gave Aelita a kiss on the forehead before turning around to walk out the door. Behind him, he heard the small 'dink' of something falling onto the floor. He turned around. "What in the world…" he muttered. Jeremie walked over to the bedside and looked down at the bare, linoleum flooring. There was a small, black speck on the floor that didn't seem to have been there previously. Raising an eyebrow, Jeremie bent over and picked it up. It was a Micro SD card that appeared to have fallen from behind Mr. Puck's ear, the same way that the train station key to Franz Hopper's diary had fallen out.

Jeremie gazed upon the Micro SD card in awe. Turning it over to examine it, he noticed the initial's "F.H." engraved in it.

"What are you trying to do, Franz?" he whispered under his breath, rotating the tiny card between his fingers.