AN:Yay! Abother chapter. And just in time to. I'm going to a picnic. I think it's a 4th of July picnic. Why we are having a fourth of july picnic at the end of Auguast I don't know, but my family is weird like that. And we're going to the beach on labor day. Which means I won't get to wtach the CSI maraton on Spike. I find that very depressing. I hate that. Maybe I'll pretend to be sick and stay home. Okay enough with my ramblings and my pity. Enjoy the chapter!

It was two weeks and several surgeries later before Fredy was stable enough to talk to anyone at all. And it was three more days before the hospital allowed any visitors except Ty.

Catherine and Cassy set up the system of visitors since the hospital only allowed Fredy two visitors at a time besides Ty. Catherine and Cassy were the first to visit.

"Hey," Cassy said she rushed to the bed and hugged Fredy to the best of her abilities given the present circumstances.

"Hey Cassy," Fredy said smiling. He looked sort of like the old Fredy. Except for the cast around his arms, the bandage around his head and flat empty space under the blanket where his lower legs and feet should be. Except for all those things. He certainly sounded like his old self..

"How are you doing," Cassy asked because Catherine didn't say anything. She remained silent, just looking at Fredy.

"Pretty good considering. I get these...oh what are they called...phantom pains? Yeah phantom pains. Like all of a sudden my foot gets really itchy. Except I can't scratch it and so it goes on and it really hurts." Fredy spoke in a good natured voice and if they weren't sitting here witnessing it, they'd swear he was home, completely healthy. Not sitting in a hospital bed missing the lower half of his legs.

"And I'm probably behind on my homework," Fredy mused.

"I'm sure they'll forgive you," Cassy said happily. She was intensely relieved that Fredy continued to act, speak, like normal. Like nothing had changed.

"The cops talked to me yesterday," Fredy told them. "They're investigating my case. Asked if I saw anything."

"What'd you say," Cassy asked with enough interest to make up for Catherine's silence.

"Peter, Henry, John, 3-5-2," Fredy said proudly.

"What," Cassy asked confused.

"Licence plate," Fredy explained. "PHJ 352"

"You got a licence plate number," Cassy asked, pride and amazement in his voice. Fredy nodded.

"You're brilliant," Cassy said forcefully.

"I know. Hey, they're gonna get me hooked up with a prosthetics. Fake legs. They'll train me to use them and all. So cool," Fredy said, sounding genuinely thrilled at the prospect. "But until then, I get to ride around in the wheelchair. I have to go to therapy too."

Then Catherine started to cry. her body shook with soft tears and she cried.

"Catherine," Fredy exclaimed. He tried to move to her, found her couldn't and settled for looking worriedly at her.

"You are amazing," Catherine choked out between her tears. "You are so fucking incredible." Catherine moved next to Fredy and rested her head on his chest. She felt more bandages beneath his hospital-given shirt, but he didn't ask her to move.

"God you are so amazing," Catherine said softly. Her tears had stopped but her cheeks were still moist and her eyes were red. "So freaking optimistic."

"Why look at the bad, when the good is so close," Fredy said.

"Hey Fredy," Greg said as he walked into the room. Warrick walked in with him.

"What's up," Warrick said.

"The food here sucks," Fredy exclaimed pushing the little white tray away from him.

Greg looked curiously at the tray off food. He examined each bit closely. Picking up a small pudding cup he waved it in Fredy's face.

"Pudding," Greg exclaimed like it was a crime against humanity to discard a perfectly good pudding cup.

"You can have it," Fredy told him, an amused look on his face. Greg smiled happily and opened the pudding cup. With his good hand, Fredy picked the spoon up off the tray. He tried to hand it to Greg.

"What's that for," Greg said looking at him like Fredy was off his nut.

"To eat the pudding with," Fredy said slowly.

"Yeah...that'll happen," Greg said and promptly tipped the pudding cup to his mouth and stuck out his tongue, searching for the vanilla pudding inside.

Both Warrick and Fredy laughed.

"He's unbelievable," Fredy said and Warrick nodded.

"Yeah and he's been getting worse. Always bouncing around like a freaking rubber ball," Warrick told him.

"He was like that before," Fredy pointed out. Greg meanwhile was still sticking his tongue in the plastic pudding cup.

"Yeah well someone put too much extra air in his ball," Warrick said. "Not to mention his head."

Greg started choking on the remnants of his pudding. After coughing for a few moments and trying hard to pat himself hard on the back, Greg choked out, "Hey!"

"What," Warrick said innocently.

"I don't have air in my head," Greg declared.

"Sure Greg," Warrick said sarcastically.

"Hey Fredy, You're alive," Nick exclaimed walking into the room. Fredy smiled and nodded.

"Yep," Fredy said back.

"No more basketball for you then," Nick said half-jokingly. Fredy shrugged. Well he shrugged one arm. The other arm was rendered immobile.

"Maybe I'll join one of those wheelchair leagues. That's got to be cool," Fredy said and Nick nodded in agreement.

"So you're doing great," Nick said and Fredy nodded again.

"Yeah. Except the food situation. Greg ate my pudding."

Nick, Fredy and Archie all laughed.

"I'll bet that was worth the cost of the pudding to see," Archie said.

"Oh yeah," Fredy said and whistled.

Sara and Kiley were the last to visit him. They walked in silently. They both smiled but neither said "Hey Fredy" or joked about anything.

"Hi Sara, Kiley," Fredy said. Kiley sat down on the chair at one side of his bed, and Sara sat in the chair on the other side.

"Hi," both girls said sadly.

"How many broken bones," Sara asked softly. Fredy knew that the whole time would be like this. In the face of death or injury, Sara and Kiley were both sad quite people. Sara especially. Among other, Kiley could be a little happier, but with just her and Sara, she was the same as her foster sister.

"Four broken ribs and a couple more that are just cracked. I fractured my wrist in several place. Cracked my skull," Fredy said seriously. Sara nodded.

"Stitches in your head too," Sara asked and Fredy nodded.

"Hospitals suck," Kiley said sadly. Fredy knew that both of them were remembering their own times in the hospital. The times they had to visit with their parents. The time they had their own cracked skulls or broken ribs. Fredy knew they were remembering their own horrors they saw in places like this.

"Yeah," Sara muttered sadly. Fredy gazed at his friends sadly. It was a true mark of his character. He himself was sitting in a hospital bed, would be for the next month at least. He would have to go for therapy and trying to use his prosthetics for the next year or so. He was in no way at a peak of health and yet he was feeling sadness and sympathy for the girls beside him. He was thinking nothing of his own predicament right now, but thinking how he couple ease the pain of his friends. And he was devastated when he realized he couldn't, when he realized they would forever have this pain.

This visit from Sara and Kiley was so different from the others. The others wanted to ignore the fact that Fredy was indeed different, on the outside of course. Or make it seem less then it was. They wanted to joke and laugh and have fun. And Fredy loved that. He enjoyed that. he actually preferred that.

But Sara and Kiley didn't try to hide or shrink from what had happened. Fredy knew their heads were clear from thoughts of revenge and inflicting pain on the own who caused this. They only felt sadness and recognition. They didn't try to rationalize anything. They knew it was pointless. That what had happened had no real reason. That it didn't make any real sense.

And strangely neither Sara Kiley nor Fredy himself felt any worse during or after this meeting. If anything they felt better. Better that there was somebody there who had some sort of understanding.