Wow I'm stuck now. I thought i had a plot all worked out, but around chapter twelve, I've no clue what to write about. Oh well. I'm still set on the finish, just not the late part buildup.
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I didn't even realize I had turned fourteen until one day Jay came into my room with a birthday cake. Fourteen and ready to face the world? Not quite.

It was a day like any other. There was no hospital crew singing 'happy birthday' or some cheesy thing like that. I remember some of the younger children getting a fuss like that handed to them, but I needed nothing of the sort right now.

An uneventful birthday was nothing new to me, and it wasn't quite the drag that spending Christmas alone brought with it. This time, I had done something referred to as 'embracing your fate', which in short meant I wasn't going to be all depressed. This time, I got two cards. One coming from Jay, which came along with a subscription of 'Road & Track', and the other one from Stewart Harris. In scrawny writing he had written 'many happy returns' on a 'get well soon' card he clearly picked up from the hospital gift shop by chance.

The best gift, however, was unknowingly given to me by a drunk driver.

I only found this out the next day, but when I heard it, I must have shamelessly jumped for joy . Yes, that's a horrible thing to do, but I don't feel sorry for it. It was without a doubt the second best thing that had happened since I got dragged in here.

Cat-killer had died.

He got hit by a car the evening of my birthday. Ironically, the hospital cutoffs he himself installed were to blame for the fact that he died before the ambulances got to him. A perfect instance of the truism that what goes around, comes around.

I wasn't the only one delighted by his long-overdue passing. Dr. Harris was in a better mood than I had ever seen him in. I spotted him practically skipping down the hospital halls for the next few weeks, whistling the 'House' opening theme song and snapping his chubby fingers. I'm not sure why, but it's probably due to a combination of the fact that he'd get promoted, the fact that he could now claim upcoming medical awards and recognition all by himself, and the fact that his superior was simply a terrifying, most horrible person. May he rest in peace.

I was sure this would bring about welcome changes in the near future. Dr Harris called the shots now, and while he still suffered from a severe lack of social skills and a lust for anything bloody, he was a softy. I was sure he would go easy on me. Life wouldn't be so bad after all, I thought.

My own mood had changed for the better. Sure, things could be grander, but I now had two things to dote on. The first one being the hope for a day off at last, and the other one a certain red-haired girl.

I thought about Red a lot since she had left the hospital. She was great, and not just because she had been the only normal kid I could talk to. No, I really liked her. I wished I had spend more time with her while I had the chance.

Now she was gone, and I didn't think she would live up to her promise to come and visit her. I wasn't supposed to exist, let alone get visitors.

Imagine my surprise when I saw her standing in my room one day.

I was reading September's Road & Track for the nth time, and there she was.I blinked twice, thinking my mind was playing tricks on me again.

'Oh hi there!' she chirped.

'Rebecca' I said, my delight obvious, 'When, how did you...'

'I said I'd visit you, didn't I?' she interrupted me.

'Well, yes. I just didn't think you could.'

'Boy, I say.' she agreed. 'They kept you hidden good and proper, too. The receptionist, she said there was no Kenny McCormick in here, and never has been. She was all shifty about it. In the end I went down the hall you said you were in and checked every room. And sure enough, here you are.'

She said all this very fast. I blinked at her stupidly for a second.

'I brought you something as well.' Red said.

'No way.' I said, still baffled at her sudden entrance. I thought she'd be out of my live for good, and all the sudden she had boomed her way back in, all hyper.

'Way. Remember how you told me they didn't allow you anything sweet in here.'

From beneath her sweater she took a flat box and handed it to me. I opened it. Inside was an assortment of chocolate cookies.

'Baked them myself,' she assured me, blowing lightly the nails of her right hand. 'Go ahead, try one.'

She looked at me in anticipation. As I took one of the cookies, I ordered myself that no matter how they tasted, I would enjoy them immensely.

There was no need to fake anything. They tasted great.

'They're really good' I told her. she smiled.

'Glad you say so. Now take that thing off. I didn't come here to talk to a burn victim. ' Without hesitation, she walked up to me and took the liberty of removing my orange headdress.

Her hands were cold. She probably walked up here.

She made a quick walk around my tiny room, looking through my modest possessions. See gave me a berating look when she spotted the poster of the woman in bikini, and made a point of mimicking her pose while trying to put on a seductive face. Cute as a button.

She didn't bother to ask for permission before looking through my stuff. Coyly, she eventually discovered my drawing collection. It did not, however, escape my notice that while she was still doing an adorable act of cheekiness, referring to every drawing as 'cute' with a drawling 'u', the look in her eyes slowly changed as she went through them. Her eyes once again took up that unreadable expression I remembered from the night I did my drawing of her.

It made me nervous.

I let her get on with her little act, smiling blankly. I tried to take in every detail of her appearance, burning it firmly into my memory. For all I know this time would be my last chance to do so.

'Oh and by the by: We had the entire class sign a 'get well' card and send it here. I don't suppose they delivered it to you?'

She looked up. She had finished with the pile of drawings and was fixing her gaze on me again.

I shook my head.

She walked up to the edge of the bed and sat down next to me. With her left hand she took one of the cookies while she placed her right on my upper leg.

'So, how are you?'

Puzzled, I told her I was fine.

'Yes, but how are you?' Her voice was somewhere between concern and curiosity.

'I'm not sure what you're getting at.'

'A few rumors have sparked up at school about you, Ken. They're wondering what's going on with you.'

'So? You didn't tell them anything right? Just told them I was doing okay.'

She did a little smile: 'What would I tell them? You haven't been telling me anything.'

There was no more concern, just curiosity now. I was on my guard.

'Doesn't it seem a little strange to you?' She continued. 'You're in here, perfectly healthy, for who knows how long now, but for no apparent reason?'

With giant eyes she stared deep into mine, trying to pick the answer straight out of my brain.

'There's more to it, Kenny. You don't have to keep it from me. Maybe I can help.'

A thousand of different ideas crossed my mind at the same time. Her gaze made my skin crawl. What should I tell her?

'I really can't help you. I don't know myself.' The desperation was evident.

'Oh, but you do. You're trying to hide it behind your cloak, but I can see that it's weighing your down.'

She was good. She must have been the school's gossip. She clearly had a talent for breaking down the secrets of people.

'It's complicated, all right. I didn't ask for it, and I wish it wasn't, but I...'

Right that moment, we were interrupted.

It was Jay, putting on his usual friendly smile mixed with a subtle hint of surprise at the sight of my visitor. But I could tell that in that smile, something was off.

In the corner of my eye, I could see a chubby man in a white doctor's coat glide away through the hallway beyond.