I'm back! And with a new chapter...finally!! I'm so sorry for making you all wait, but you'll see that's there's A LOT packed into this update. I've decided to jump the story forward a couple of days, so we're picking up here a few days after Karly gets sick and Jude has her day without Amy. We're basically leading right into the car ride home, but as you'll see, things don't always work out the way Jude thinks they will. :)

Thanks so much for everyone for sticking with me and especially to those who leave comments! I'd really like to hear what you think, especially about this chapter since so much happens, so please let me know. And of course, ENJOY!

The next two days go by slower than Jamie's driving. Amy returned from her day off and I honestly can say I've never been so excited to see another human being in my life. I think I charged at her like a bull and a matador when she stepped through the doorway. I proceeded to rant for two hours about how terrible my day alone was, and like a good counselor, she sat quietly and listened to me, offering as much sympathy as she could.

So now I find myself in my bunk during my free period, packing up a bag for my day off. I'm feeling a weird mix of emotions – excitement to be going home, nausea at the four hour car ride, anxiety over talking to Jamie about us, and most of all, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

I've thought a lot about the car ride. I've talked to Karma about it, heard her concerns over Jamie's impact on our plan, voiced my own concerns about having to watch Tommy and Nicole make out, and in the end, I've made a decision. I will use the time in the car to do something productive. Something I need to do before any discussions, arguments or awkwardness take place: I will sleep.

My ipod sits on my bed, charging away in anticipation of the time it'll be in use…as in, all four hours. Since we're leaving tonight after dinner, it shouldn't be a problem to fall asleep in the car. I'll be tired, it'll be dark out - it's perfect. And that way, I can simply avoid any uncomfortable moments. Nothing bad can happen as long as I'm asleep…right?

"So where are you going exactly?" Amy asks, sitting on her own bed.

"Home," I reply, stuffing a sweatshirt into my bag.

"You're leaving after dinner?" she asks.

"Yep," I confirm. "I'm counting down."

"And how long will it take you to get home?" she asks.

"Too long," I answer with a smirk.

She grins in response. "Aren't you going to miss us?"

I eye her with raised brows. "Did you miss this place on your day off?"

She thinks to herself for a moment and then shrugs. "Maybe a little…"

"Liar," I reply with a smile, throwing the closest object, which happens to be a towel, in her direction.

"Okay, okay," she admits with a light laugh. "It was nice getting away for a day. You'll have a good time, regardless of where you go or what you do."

"Let's hope so," I mutter feebly with a deep breath, trying not to get myself worked up over the trip.

Silence falls over us for a few moments until she bluntly states, "You like crap, Jude."

I pause from packing and look at her with an affronted expression. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm serious," she says more firmly. I feel her eyes on me as I attempt to zip the bag that I've now successfully over-stuffed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired," I say, managing to finally squeeze it shut. With a sigh, I collapse on my bed, adding, "I haven't slept much, especially with the whole Karly incident."

"Yeah," she replies thoughtfully. "I'm glad she's feeling better. I'd really prefer to spend as little time as possible with Nurse 'Crabson.'"

I immediately snort at the mocking name she's coined for the nurse, Mrs. Jabson.

"Yes, well, Mrs. Crabson and I bonded during your day off," I remind her.

"You can bond with her as much as you want," she joked. "My goal is to stay at least twenty feet away from the infirmary while you're gone."

"That's a good goal," I say with a teasing smile. "My goal is to make it back here in one piece."

"Why are you so worried about your day off?" she asks more seriously, sitting up straighter on her bed.

"Because…" I start hesitantly. I haven't exactly told Amy about my plan to sabotage Tommy and Nicole's relationship. But she does know that I'm having issues with Jamie, so I suppose I can let her in a bit more. "I'm driving home with Jamie, Tommy, and Nicole."

Her eyes widen in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I confirm, covering my eyes with my hands. "I don't know what I was thinking but they're all going to kill each other."

"Not you?" she asks curiously.

"Oh no, I'll be fast asleep in the back seat," I say with a comforting grin. "Which is exactly where I want to be."

She nods skeptically, then swings her legs off her bed and stands up. "Well, in any case, I'll leave you alone to enjoy the rest of your free period. I have a feeling you might not be able to get as much sleep in that car as you'd like."

She smirks quietly before walking towards the door.

"I have earplugs!" I call out after her, though not budging from my position on the bed.

"They won't do any good!" she calls out in response, stepping outside. I hear her laughter fade as I shake my head at her theory.

Everything is going to be fine. Like I told my campers, we're all adults, so this ride should be smooth. And even if there are a few bumps, I'll be asleep. I'm going to avoid talking to anyone or arguing with anyone or listening to anyone make out. Hmmm…I wonder how far we'll be able to make it without needing to pull over for an emergency exit…

- - -

"Jude! Jude!"

I hear my name vaguely being called, as though the voice was miles away…

"Jude! Get up! Don't you know what time it is??"

Hmmmm…that sounds kind of like Amy's voice. And now it doesn't sound miles away, it sounds more like—

"JUDE! Did you hear me?? Wake UP!"

I feel myself being pushed, the pressure on my arm becoming firmer.

"Owww…." I moan, turning over and groaning.

"Jude—it's 5:30. You've been sleeping for almost three hours!"

Oh my god. 5:30?!

"WHAT?!" I yell, my eyes flying open. I quickly sit up in my bed, feeling the room spin from the speed of my actions.

As I refocus, my eyes land on Amy who looks equally as panicked as I feel.

"Oh my god – it's 5:30?!" I shout. Amy quickly nods her head as both my heart and mind being to race.

"That means…I….I missed my last two songwriting programs!! No, no, no, no, no! Tommy's going to kill me!! Oh my god…I am a dead woman!!" I shout, flailing my arms in the air.

I pull the covers off of me and jump up onto the floor. But my alarmed state is instantly brought to a halt as I feel the room spin even faster than it had been seconds ago.

"Whoa—" I mutter, leaning against the window ledge to steady myself.

I close my eyes in an attempt to regain my balance and feel Amy grab my arm to keep me steady. The room seems to have increased in temperature by at least 20 degrees and I'm starting to feel the sweat beads form on my face.

"Jude…are you okay?" she asks, her voice going from frantic to concerned.

I take a deep breath to calm myself, feeling the weight of my body become heavier as I sit down on the edge of my bed and finally open my eyes. I pause and look up at her, on the verge of responding, but my gaze instead drifts towards the doorway.

It is at this moment that I realize that Amy and I are not the only ones in the bunk: looking back at me are ten sets of eyes, with their jaws agape and their expressions stunned into silence.

Oh great. Now I'll have to find a way to turn my meltdown into some sort of educational experience for a group of thirteen year-olds.

While my cheeks flush in the humiliation of my actions, Jessica takes a hesitant step towards me and says, "Jude? Where were you? We were waiting in the rec hall for like an hour."

"Sorry," I say, sighing deeply. "I apparently slept through the last three periods."

"Seriously?" Jessica asks in disbelief. "We just thought you and Tommy were in a meeting or something."

Confusion dawns on me at her words. "Tommy? You mean…he wasn't there either?"

Jessica shakes her head. "There wasn't any staff there."

I groan aloud, starting to wish that I had slept even longer.

"What about Nicole?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

Jessica shrugs. "She was there but then she left early. She mentioned something about needing to try on outfits for her day off."

Oh great. Just great. A songwriting program with no songwriting instructors or supervising counselor. Now Josh is going to kill me too.

I groan again, feeling like this day can't possibly get any worse.

But as I attempt to stand up again, I suddenly feel a sense of queasiness develop in my stomach. I glance downwards, as though I'm waiting to see some physical abnormality appear on my abdomen, but I only start to hear it churn more rapidly.

"Jude…are you okay?" Amy asks again, furrowing her brow at me in more serious concern.

"I'm fine…" I start, wrapping my arms around myself as the gurgling continues, except it's now accompanied by a twinge of pain.

Something's not right. I don't feel right.

"Are you sure?" she asks, stepping towards me.

Her voice fades into the distance as I internally review everything I've eaten today…cereal for breakfast, some mystery soup and hot dogs at lunch, and then a granola bar for dessert. Nothing abnormal. Nothing that would cause my stomach to hurt. Nothing that could possibly make me—

"Oh god," I mumble, the aching in my stomach suddenly becoming unbearable.

And that's when everything goes from bad to worse.

I stumble away from my bed and yank at the door to the main cabin, stepping quickly through the doorway. The nausea starts to intensify as I break into a full sprint to the back of the bunk, skidding past the mirrors and turning into the first open stall. I throw open the door and lurch myself at the toilet, making it there just in time.

- - -

An hour later, I'm sprawled out on the floor of the bathroom, my breathing heavy and the sweat dripping from my forehead. I've lost all of my energy and ability to think rationally.

"Jude?" I hear from above me.

I can barely move or make any visible acknowledgment of the voice. This scene reminds me of when my mom used to wake me up for school…except this is a much harder bed and there's definitely a more putrid smell.

"Jude?" I hear again. I feel a cooling hand against my forehead, resting for a few moments.

"She's burning up," the voice continues. "Jude? Can you hear me?"

"Amy?" I ask, my voice sounding hoarse.

I can vaguely feel the warmth of her breath as her body gets closer to mine, leaning down towards me.

"Jude, we need to get you out of here. Do you think you can sit up?"

I take a deep breath and rest my palms on the cool floor, the sensation sending chills down my spine. I keep my eyes closed but attempt to shift slightly, my limbs feeling achy and weak. I whimper as I feel hands on my back, lifting my upper half up into a sitting position.

"Ugghh…" I whine, my hands going straight to my stomach which is now incredibly sore from the last hour of festivities.

"Jude," Amy starts again, her voice quiet, "we need to get you to the infirmary."

"No," I say immediately, my eyes fluttering open. "No infirmary."

She shakes her head at me. "Jude, you've got a fever. And your stomach clearly is not right. You are not staying here."

"Okay," I start, trying to reason more coherently, "then I'll just go home and deal with this on my day off."

I can see her considering my words but instead of agreeing to my wishes, she glares at me sternly. "Jude, there are a few things I've learned about you over the last few weeks. You don't like waking up early, you're moody without caffeine, you never make your bed, you own more pairs of underwear than the Hanes store, and above all, you are one of the most stubborn people I've ever met."

I look up at her, my brows raised. "Is this supposed to be some kind of bizarre pep talk?"

"What I'm saying," she continues, disregarding my comment, "is that you don't always do what's best for you. And now, as you're lying on the floor of our bunk surrounded by ants and dust particles, and insisting on going home instead of to the infirmary where you belong, I can only say that you're making a huge mistake."

I furrow my brows at her, taken aback by her honesty. "It's not a mistake. If I want to go home, I'll go home."

She sighs, then waves her hands at me, releasing her hold on my back and says, "Fine. Then go."

At her words, I nod in satisfaction and glance over towards the bathroom entryway where all of our campers are watching in anticipation of my actions.

Good – I'm glad they're here. I'm going to set a good example. I'm not a kid who can be bossed around. I'm an adult and I can make decisions for myself. I know when I'm sick and when I'm not. And this was just a fleeting condition that has already passed.

With a fierce sense of determination, I place my hands back down to the ground and begin pushing my weight upwards. Amy backs away, with her hands on her hips, watching me intently. I grab hold of the edge of the bathroom stall and climb my way up until I'm finally on my feet.

"See? I'm fine. I'm healthy. I'm…I'm…" I start, my confidence dissipating as the spinning of the room becomes faster and my nausea creeps up on me again. I put both hands on the stall and lean my head against it, my legs starting to feel unstable beneath me.

"Jude," Amy says, rushing forward and scooping me up before I fall back to the ground. She wraps an arm around my waist and I instinctively grab onto her, letting her take hold of me.

"Okay, that's it," she declares, dragging me away from the bathroom stall. "We're going to the infirmary and I don't want to hear another word out of you."

I release an irritated grumble but reluctantly walk alongside her, hating the fact that she was right.

- - -

As we enter the infirmary, Amy steers me into the main room and helps me sit on an open chair.

My whole body feels limp in fatigue as she releases me, and as she starts to step away, I quietly whine, "But I don't want to see Mrs. Crabson..."

She stands above me and says, "Tough. You need her, Jude."

I scoff in response and cross my arms, becoming frustrated by her interpretation of tough love.

"What do we have here?" Mrs. Jabson asks, approaching me.

"She's got a fever and threw up the entire contents of her lunch about an hour ago," Amy quickly explains.

"I'm fine," I say decisively as Mrs. Jabson feels my forehead.

"No, you're not," she states knowingly, grabbing a thermometer from the jar on the counter. "Open up."

I whimper slightly but open my mouth to let her put the thermometer under my tongue. I sit quietly, watching a few other patients enter to take their medication. I make eye contact with one guy on his way out and I start to imagine the headlines that could come out of this situation: 'Sickness Strikes Instant Star'; 'Harrison's Heaving Horror'; 'Insider Tales from the Infirmary'

The nurse removes the thermometer and looks at it with raised eyebrows. "Not good, not good," she mumbles, shaking her head at me. "Did I not tell you about the importance of disinfection, Miss Harrison?"

"You did," I say with a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry."

"We need to check you in," she replies, glancing over at Amy, who nods and goes off to find the blue binder. "It's a full house, Miss Harrison, so it's good you arrived when you did. We only have one room left."

"Oh, well, I can just leave then," I start, my tone hopeful. "I'm supposed to go on my day off tonight, so I can just—"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Harrison," Mrs. Jabson interjects. "As I said, we have one room left and that room will be yours."

As she retreats to grab her clipboard, the reality of the situation begins to hit me. I'm going to stay here on my day off? I can't do that…what will Jamie say? Oh my god—Jamie's going to kill me! He's going to be all alone in the car with Tommy and Nicole!

"Wait!" I call out, causing the nurse to look up at me. "I have to tell my boyfriend—I need to talk to him!"

"I'll tell him," Amy offers, returning to my side.

I glance at her anxiously and mutter, "He's going to be mad."

"You're sick, Jude. There's nothing you can do," Amy states with a shrug. "He'll have to understand."

Somehow, the words 'understanding' and 'Jamie' just don't seem to go together in this situation.

"Miss Harrison, I'll need you to follow me," the nurse commands, setting her clipboard down.

I glance hesitantly towards Amy who offers a small encouraging nod. "I'll bring your bag later tonight."

I mutter a quiet thanks as she helps me stand up and passes me off to the nurse. I hold onto the nurse's side as we slowly walk through the doorway for the private sleeping quarters, following the long gray hallway to the end. It's virtually silent in this area and all I can think about is how the sterile smell is making me feel more nauseous.

"This is our common room," she explains, stopping outside a set of double doors. "All meals are served in here."

Why is she telling me this now? All I want to do is curl up and go to sleep and forget that I'm wasting my entire day off in an infirmary with a crabby nurse.

The nurse opens one of the doors and ushers me inside, saying, "You'll have to wait here for a moment while I make up your room."

She helps me sit on one of the benches, where I immediately lay my head on the table in front of me and listen to her footsteps leave the room.

What am I doing here? I want to go home…I want to get into my pajamas and let my dad make me soup and bring me ginger ale.

Moments later, I hear coughing in the hallway and the sound of the door opening behind me. The last thing I want right now is for some camper to see me like this, so I quickly decide to keep my head down and act like I'm invisible.

The coughing dies down but then I hear soft moaning sounds, as though the kid is in pain. Oh great – now I'm going to feel guilty for acting like I'm passed out while some poor kid is dying next to me. Why are they even walking around here if they're so sick? Doesn't everyone get the Nurse Crabson disinfection lecture? What kind of supervision is this??

As the person starts to cough again, I hear the door open and Mrs. Jabson's voice echoes in the common room.

"Miss Harrison? Miss Harrison? Your room is all ready. Why don't we get you settled in there?"

I lazily sit up, pushing my hair out of my face, and slowly spin around on the bench to face her. As she comes over to help me up, her eyes drift past me to the other person in the room and she says harshly,

"Mr. Quincy, I suggest you return to your room immediately before your vomiting starts up again."

Wait.

Did she just—

Was that cough—

No. It couldn't be…could it?

But as I turn around to confirm my suspicions, the nurse steps behind me, blocking my view, and pushes me out of the room. She swiftly ushers me into the hallway, but as the door to the common room closes behind us, I'm able to sneak a quick glance behind her to gaze into familiar blue eyes.