Happy holidays for whatever you may be celebrating! Really happy about the feedback for this story so far.

NoseBridgePinch: Hope all is well with your hospital visit! Despite the hardships I'm reflecting on with Kenny in his fic, I hope it still gives fluffy vibes that readers can enjoy. Definitely is hard being a little kid and dealing with a near-death experience, let alone being diagnosed with something like this that I think is interesting to read into for his character. Kyle definitely shows how his friends were affected by it too, also Kyle is just a cute little compassionate boi. Happy you like Carol and Stuart, too!

TriceTokushu: How Kenny's illness and the aftermath affect his family definitely has a presence here. Exploring mostly how Kenny might feel he's in the wrong for it and has post-survival guilt. "The Poor Kid" episode is one of the best Kenny fan episodes, definitely because of his protection of Karen which is so fucking cute.

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Karen talked delightfully to herself on her bedroom floor as she placed a taken coffee mug in front of Penelope propped up against a book pike. Promptly 'pouring' her a drink using a tin coffee pot she managed to get her little hands on. One welded by a great-grandfather she wasn't old enough to have met before his passing. She then did one for her own coffee cup and placed the tin in the middle politely, taking her seat across from her material friend as she clinked glasses with the lifeless toy. Happily chatting away over another tea party discussion.

Refreshed from a better night of sleep, Carol made way to her daughter's bedroom with Karen's coat in hand. Coming around to the open doorway to see her daughter mid-play sequence and chatting contently all the way home. She enjoyed her daughter's easy find in distraction for herself but still noticed her choice of a tea set. The coffee cups from the kitchen were a minor concern, but the pot was Carol's grandmother's who'd raised her as a girl more than her actual mother did.

"Karen, that ain't for playin' with.." Carol walked over, bending down to retrieve the supply.

"But, why?"

"'Cuz they could break easily."

Disappointed with her play session being over with, Karen took hold of her doll by the arm and pulled her to her chest. "Sorry, mommy.."

Her mother set the cups and pot on a dresser higher than her daughter's height, drawing a piece of hair back before heading back to the doorway. "No issue, baby. Let's go to the park."

Karen climbed to her feet, eagerly taking her mother's waiting hand as she led her down the hall. Happily waiting for Kenny who'd promise to join as Carol stopped at his closed door to make entry. Karen looked curiously from behind and couldn't help but feel as if a broken promise had been made when Kenny was bed ridden.

Carol made way to her son, stroking his face gently as he rocked his head from the window to look at her.

"We'll be at the park, baby. Dad and Kevin should be in an' out."

Tired eyes responded to his mother with a nod. Carol made her way back to her daughter, untucking the coat from under her arm to open the flaps for Karen. "C'mon, Kare. It's chilly."

Her mother kneeled to help her with her coat and Karen slipped her arms through. "Whatta 'bout Kenny?"

"Kenny needs to rest today. But he'll come next time, 'aight?"

Disappointed, but understanding her brother's needed time to regenerate, Karen nodded. She took her mother's hand once again as she looked to her brother over her shoulder last in leaving the view of the doorway.

Kenny turned back to the window, grabbing the blanket in a fist resting under his chin as he curled into a fetus position. Not exactly how he wanted to spend his day but how his body wanted to in its protest of weakened muscles. On the bright side, maybe he could use it as an act of guilting his father into buying him McDonald's or something as a treat.

He figured out the routine of his 'bodily breakdowns' by now. When situated with a cough on one day, it only predicted some muscle failure the next. Just yesterday he had a cough start up in the middle of class. Easily the worst place it could serve as a distraction. While he thought he could choke it down, it didn't seem to go and he had to be excused to the washroom while grabbing his lung monitor from his locker. Like that wasn't embarrassing. Having measured that his lungs weren't in distress, he took an antibiotic with some water and called it that. Now his upper body was just deciding that it'd ache and serve no purpose today.

Other than that, minor other symptoms took him by surprise whenever. Sweating, trouble swallowing, whatever the kind. He just kinda hoped to sleep this one off as soon as possible. He turned over in his bed to face his open door. Leaned against hinges stood Stuart, hands firmly in his jeans' pockets from just having worked on the beaten-down car outside he'd spent ages on. Kenny could always tell by the cuts and bruises up and down his hands. His dad wasn't much for his own safety procedure when working on that old thing.

"Dad?"

Stuart stared a little more. "Nothin', bud. Get back to sleep."

Though he wondered how long he'd been standing there, Kenny closed his eyes anyway. Stuart lifted and left down the hall towards the living area. The shop told him to come in whenever to pick up some suggested hours, and while he wanted to today, maybe he'd better lay back while Kenny was having an off day. Stuart wasn't exactly as much as a home nurse as his wife was, but he had two hands and was the father of this house. Right? He most of all hoped that the stiffness in Kenny's chest didn't overrise and they'd have to call the doctor.

Stuart turned the corner into the living room to Kevin adjusting the wheels on his beaten skateboard in the middle of the floor. Finishing up as he picked it up under his armpit and grabbed his backpack to swing over one shoulder.

"An' where are you goin'?"

"Dylan's." Kevin pointed out, opening the door to leave.

Stuart glowered at the busted piece of crap his son was carrying. "You break that thing again, I ain't payin' for it."

"Yeah, yeah." He spoke with the shutting of the door.

Stuart came to the couch's front, sitting down with a sigh of relief over some quiet time for now. Lord knew, they could still have normal days even after everything.

"Ha! Eat my shit, Keenie!"

Blares of gunfire and explosions resonated amongst the Cartman home from the main TV. Four boys situated themselves on the brown sofa indulged in an Xbox round of Halo, firing at will to opposing enemies as Kenny regenerated from Cartman's last kill of him.

"I got two one me," Kyle struggled.

"Hold on, hold on," Cartman urged, running to enemy fire. Instead of running to Kyle's aid though, he went for the loot.

His fellow soldier frowned when he died on screen. "Dammit, Cartman. The point of being teammates is to cover one another!"

"And another point of being teammates is taking the sacrifice so I can loot. It's called sportsmanship, Kyle."

Kenny snorted and Stan ran to the opposing members. "They're on me, Kenny!"

"Yeah-!" Kenny acknowledged, virtually open firing at the enemies before the round concluded. Once declared winner, Stan and Kenny both jumped up in excitement. "Yeah, yeah!"

"Goddamit!" Cartman threw his remote down as Stan high-fived Kenny.

"Can we play Lego Marvel's Avengers now?" Kyle asked.

"No, way. Ultra Street Fighter Four!" Kenny disagreed proudly.

Cartman got up from the couch to switch games from the console. "Screw that. I'm putting in Plants vs. Zombies." He took out the game disk and put it back into its case, then popping open another as to switch it.

"Y'know, I bet if we all pitched in, we could save for that new Minecraft Dungeons game." Stan suggested, scooting back on the couch to rest his feet atop. Kyle and Kenny perked at the idea as Cartman still busied himself setting up the Xbox.

"Hey, yeah." Kyle agreed. "At like twelve each or something."

"I heard it's lame," Cartman uttered. "We should go in for that new Diablo four."

"I vote Diablo," Kenny raised his hand. For one it sounded cool, two the demon lady with cleavage on the game's pack may have been another motive...

"Alright, alright. We'll go Diablo." Stan dismissed. "When's the pizza getting here? I'm starving."

As luck would have it, the doorbell rang and Cartman hopped up. "Yes!" He ran to the door just as Liane Cartman entered, opening it with her son and his friends eagerly by her side in waiting. Pulling out her card as to pay, Kenny caught a whiff of the pizza's smell. Satisfied nerves made him realize how badly he could eat right now. It bubbled through him until a sensation in his stomach brewed that he held his palm to. He didn't realize how hungry he was.

"Alright, boys. Go wash up." Liane's sweet as sugar voice encouraged, closing the door and heading to the house's back to the kitchen. Kyle and Cartman followed her close behind as Stan and Kenny came last.

"You think you'll be able to make it to Super Fun Land in a few weeks?" Stan asked Kenny.

"I dunno, really." His friend followed up. "If I'm allowed."

"Dude, your parents really won't let you?" Stan asked. The McCormicks were usually pretty chill about plans.

"Not them," Kenny said with the frequent excuse. "The doctors."

For that reason, Stan changed tones. "Oh, well yeah. Not like you can control that or whatever. Totally cool."

Entering the pink wallpaper kitchen, Kenny and Stan went to the first-floor washroom extended from it as Kyle and Cartman sat with their plates where Liane set them up for their early pizza dinner. Putting down other placings and drinks as Cartman opened the box to reveal the cheesy delight before them and the provided sauce. Stan and Kenny reentered, shaking their clean hands free of water as they went to sit and Liane left the boys to have at it for now.

"You guys think our parents will even let us have Diablo? It's for sixteen and over only." Kyle suggested.

"I doubt mine will." Stan said. "Kenny?"

"Maybe, dude." He spoke unsurely. His parents could go either way with anything really. Sometimes they were real hypocrites.

"Fine, we'll keep it at my place." Cartman said, pretending it was a burden. "I have to carry everything around here don't I?"

Kyle scoffed, moving a pizza slice onto his plate. "Yeah, good luck convincing your mom to let you."

"Don't. Underestimate. My dedication." Cartman warned more dramatically than necessary. Kyle arched a brow behind his pizza bite. "I will get my hands on it even if it becomes the end of us."

"Dude, I'm so down to risk it." Kenny remarked, adjusting his hood just slightly so he could bite at the point of his pizza. Instant warm goodness eased his craving and he chewed with delight as did the others. He swallowed the saucy bite and felt it drop in his stomach, warming the insides as he couldn't help himself in continuing to eat. Cartman took one of the ranch dip packs and peeled its top open, dipping his point into it and taking a bite.

"Is that any good?" Stan questioned from next to him.

"Dude, you have to try." Cartman held out the dipping sauce.

Kyle continued to eat his pizza plain in disbelief. "No way is that actually good."

"Suit yourself. Soon it'll be gone." Cartman poured more from the pack onto his pizza as to take a bite. Kyle looked away in fighting temptation before taking the sauce he was teased with and dipping his own slice into it, taking a bite.

"Dammit, that's good.."

"Right?"

Kenny nearly finished off his slice, filling his insides with pizza. Oddly, his stomach craved more though as if it were still empty and Kenny yearned to please it by getting to his slice's end. As his stomach continued to churn for food however, he nearly looked down. His chews became slower and he swallowed with every bite more cautiously. He was no gastro expert but he was pretty sure that wasn't how digestion worked.

He was almost done his pizza and soon that churning became queasiness. He swallowed his last bite as he let the heavy food settle thinking maybe he just needed to burp. Every pre-burp could feel like nausea sometimes. You never had fast food if you didn't know that. He waited on the gas to leave as his friends already shared a few belches though he didn't. The queasiness remained and he pressed a palm to his stomach. Reaching forward for a sip of orange soda to help him release the gas. It hit his stomach along with the pizza and he waited. The bubbling sensation added, and he suddenly felt way worse.

Not only, but his head also hurt from the pressure. His palms felt clammy and what felt like a pre-burp felt much more like that feeling when you were sick with the flu. Except for added chest pain with it. He brought his other hand to his stomach to calm its troubles, taking in quiet breaths of air just to feel it out. But it felt like poison brewed in his stomach.

"Ew, don't double-dip," Kyle said, taking the sauce from Cartman.

Fatty acids infiltrated his stomach and an uncomfortable sensation continued.

"Dude, you want any?" Kyle handed out the dipping sauce to Kenny. He didn't respond except with a bulging stare at his partially eaten pizza. "Yo, Ken. Sauce?"

He barely heard Kyle when he only felt the sensation of his stomach. When his response wasn't given to Kyle at all, the others looked up upon no mumbled speaking from their hooded friend. Kenny stared forward with aiding breaths. His stomach gurgled, and he slapped a palm to his mouth in a gag.

He shot up from his chair and ran for it. Leaving behind some confused friends as he busted into the kitchen's side bathroom and dropped to his knees before the toilet. Loosening his hood flaps in feeling overheated and icky suddenly. He gagged some noises in an attempt to release the jumps in his stomach. But it disappeared...

Then it didn't again. He choked a breath and what was once pizza came up and into the toilet in a violent hurl. His body racketed in heaving up the waste and painfully burned his already stiff chest muscles as he convulsed.

"Ew, gross!" A whiny voice of Cartman complained behind. Kenny figured the boys followed to see what's up but he could barely focus on it with what was leaving his body and making his chest and ribs hurt as a result.

Kyle left quickly and ran back to scoot in between Stan and Cartman as Kenny finished up. The redhead placed a roll of paper towels handy from the kitchen beside the toilet for usage. "Ken, here."

Kenny's face stayed buried in the toilet bowl, nodding in thanks as he ripped off a piece and brought it to his mouth to wipe the rim of his lips free of puke. His mouth tasted disgusting and Kyle just remained near the wall closest. He looked from the sick-ridden kid to the others.

"..you okay?" Stan tried.

His mouth cleaned of bile and puke, Kenny kept his head down. "Yeah...whatever.."

Kyle looked back and forth at the others before coming to Kenny's aid with a hand held to his shoulder. "Dude, seriously. We can call your parents or bring you to-"

"I said I'm FINE!" He exploded with a shove of Kyle's arm off him. The others were caught off guard as Kenny scowled and Kyle backed up in defense. Kenny stayed like that for a few angered seconds before refraining and realizing his dramatics. He lowered his aggression as his scowl turned to a blank frown, and sat back again from the intensity.

Kyle remained a little distant as Kenny stuttered. "I'm...sorry.."

His friend eased. "No, it's okay."

He didn't truly believe Kyle could forgive that easily. Upon the commotion, Liane came to see what was the cause of the fuss. From the little boy dangling over the toilet and the contents within, she was shocked. "Oh, dear. Hold on, hon."

She left to retrieve a glass of water. The boys remained in the flip of events as Kenny fell back to sit on his ankles and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked to Cartman who remained standing with his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "Sorry.."

He blinked. "It's kewl."

Kenny walked that early evening to pick Karen up from her playdate at the Tucker's. Insisting to his parents that he walk alone at least once again to have that freedom he missed. After earlier, he especially felt like he needed it. He was barely able to eat any more pizza and so Liane was nice enough to cook him some pasta with some salt and a bit of olive oil. Sauce would've been too heavy on his sensitive stomach afterward.

Vomiting hadn't been a symptom yet, and Kenny wanted to kill whatever made it happen just now. It was like his body was pitching against him. Making him look like a mess in the absolute worst of times and dragging the mood down. He clutched the material of his jacket pockets at the thought of the look of attention he remembered his friends giving him. He hated having them look at him in shock at the expense of what he couldn't control. Why couldn't it be in his control? Was medication a lie or was he just a special little exception for everything?

Coming to the house's front, Kenny rang the doorbell in waiting. Quickly enough he was answered by his familiar classmate in a blue chullo hat.

"Oh, hey Kenny. I'll get Karen."

Craig disappeared as Kenny made entry amongst the living room. Figuring it might take a second to get Karen away from playing with Tricia. The two were a pair and Kenny didn't really blame Karen. He knew the feeling of endless distraction with friends.

Karen followed Craig behind from the basement entryway, her bag over her shoulder as she approached her big brother waiting.

"Do you have everything?"

"Uh-huh!"

Kenny waited on her to notice. Yet she didn't. "Penelope?"

She gave a quiet little gasp, running back the other way to retrieve her doll. Craig watched her make dust in her run and looked back at Kenny. "She always brings that thing over."

Kenny shrugged. "It's her favorite."

She was quickly back in a flash, racing to grab her brother's hand as all Kenny wanted to do was get both of them home. "Thanks, Craig."

"See ya tomorrow."

Leading him and his sister out into the late evening, he swallowed down the fresh air. Still a little unsettled in his stomach but better than he had been before throwing up. He didn't realize all those hunger cramps were actually nausea. Never had he thought he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"Kenny?"

He looked at his baby sister. "Yeah?"

"Can we go to Stark's? Please?"

That was pretty far from here. And while he didn't want to deny her, he really could use rest after puking his guts out. He especially hoped to reach his parents first in case Mrs. Cartman decided to tell them what happened.

"Can we go another time, Karen? I don't think mom and dad will be happy."

She nodded by his seriousness, keeping close by his side as they walked their way home hand-in-hand. Even if today was a good day turned sour by one symptom, Karen's company sure did put a spin on it for Kenny. He kind of wished they could stop at Stark's Pond, too. Yet again though, his body's stupid needs kept him from a basic offer. This time for his sweet little sister.

Yeesh.

To be continued...

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I thought I owed some more brother-sisterly love at the end there. It wouldn't be a Kenny fic without his care for Karen.