Okay, friends. Allow me to first say to any previous readers that I am as shocked as you are. Two updates within two weeks? Completely uncharacteristic of myself, but who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Anyway, as promised, the penname of EVERY SINGLE Chapter 6 reviewer has been incorporated into Chapter 7. It was difficult, but I somehow managed to fit them all in one place or another. Any reference to a reviewer's penname is boldfaced.

Many pennames were split up, or I could only figure out how to use part of it. But I did the best I could, and I hope ya'll appreciate it.

Elliot sprang clumsily to her feet as Christopher Turk burst through the door. Blinking the tears back, she sniffed and smoothed her scrubs. "Hey, Turk."

With one eyebrow raised suggestively, Turk glanced at JD, then at Elliot, and then at JD again. "Am I… interrupting anything?" he queried, approaching the bed apprehensively.

JD emitted an empty chuckle and propped himself on his pillows. "I've always got time for my Bear," he insisted. Within mere seconds, he had tilted his head to the left and lapsed into a daydream.

Dressed in a paint-spattered lab coat, JD sat cross-legged in an extensive field of lilies. A crimson toy spaceship was perched beside him, and a Capuchin monkey peeked through the circular porthole.

"I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Darryl," JD told the monkey. "But I have to make time for Eli now." He gestured to the miniature polar bear cradled in his lap.

Eli squeaked playfully and licked JD's fingers, the oversized bell on his collar tinkling loudly. "Goodbye, Darryl," he growled in a surprisingly deep tone.

And with that, JD fed an oily sardine to Eli and watched Darryl disappear into the sky, laughing maniacally.

"I wonder if he'll make it to the moon," JD mumbled. He shook his head vigorously and re-directed his attention. "Where were we again?"

Elliot seized the opportunity without hesitation. "I was about to leave." With a small wave and a close-mouthed smile, she turned on her heel and wordlessly stumbled out of the room.

JD's sunken eyes followed her form out the door, but his exhausted body remained stationary. "So, how's it going, buddy?" he asked Turk. JD's voice sounded hollow and raspy, like the wind rumbling inside a metal trash can.

As the smile faded from Turk's face, he lowered himself onto the left side of JD's bed and cleared his throat. "Don't worry about me. What's going on with you?" he asked.

JD batted at Turk's shoulder and scoffed. "I'm fine, Turk. Just mild hematemesis. And I've had blood drawn already." He shuddered briefly before continuing. "Dr. Cox is at the lab right now, getting the results back."

Turk blew out a breath in astonishment. "That jackass is actually going out of his way to help you?"

For a moment, JD's eyes drifted far away. He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah."

"No wise-cracks? No girls' names?" Turk was beginning to question his view of the human race.

Chortling softly, JD bowed his head in defeat. "Okay, he may have called me Becki. Or maybe it was Amanda," he admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. "Anyway, it doesn't matter."

Turk nodded silently, scraping his sneakers together. "Hematemesis isn't a great sign." He hadn't meant for it to come out as a whisper. A few moments passed before Turk allowed himself to closely examine the man laying beside him.

JD's lips were chapped and split. His cheeks were sallow and porous, no longer holding on to their gleeful blush. And the childish sparkle had vacated JD's eyes, leaving two ominous gray pools behind.

Turk took a deep breath. "This is really starting to freak me out," he admitted softly, forcefully guiding his focus to the linoleum floor.

JD extended a hand, quivering from fatigue, and placed it on Turk's shoulder. They sat there for a long moment, listening to one another's breathing. "Dude, have I ever told you that you're my best friend?" JD inquired, removing his hand to gesticulate. The characteristic hint of enthusiasm had returned to his voice, and in turn, it re-energized Turk like a rousing Sousa march.

"Only one-thousand, nine-hundred and sixty-six times," Turk reported exaggeratedly. "But it's still good to hear." He gave JD's arm a good-natured pat.

Without warning, JD winced and shied away from the physical contact. "Do me a favor, and don't touch that arm," he requested.

Turk was relieved to detect no trace of venom or sarcasm in his friend's tone. He waited patiently as JD tugged up his sleeve to reveal a frayed patch of gauze, surrounded by several purple puncture wounds. "Ouch," Turk exclaimed sympathetically, hissing through his teeth. "Which dumbass intern did that to you?"

JD gingerly pulled the sleeve back over his forearm and shrugged. "I don't even remember his name. That day sort of remains a blur." Apart from those agonizing minutes in Dr. Kim's exam room, he recalled only one event clearly: his hug. But JD had a feeling that Turk would never fully understand the importance of Dr. Cox's role as his mentor, so he didn't elaborate.

With a heavy sigh, Turk got to his feet. Thousands of conflicting thoughts ricocheted around his skull, and he only managed to squeeze out one coherent question: "JD, are you okay?" It was essentially identical to an earlier inquiry, but he was no longer talking about physical well-being.

JD clasped his hands together in his lap. With a re-assuring smile plastered across his face, he cleared his throat softly and gazed up at Turk. "I will be."

Seemingly satisfied, Turk began the short journey through the doorway. But something inside him, whether it was his conscience or his kidney, was nagging him to turn around. Chris Turk would undoubtedly return to Room 314 sometime soon, but he felt a desperate need for temporary closure. "Hey, buddy. Remind me again," Turk requested, gripping the plastic rail at the foot of JD's bed. "Where do we meet up in heaven?"

Sensing the morbid undertone in his best friend's voice, JD's chest seized up for a moment. Mortality, specifically his own, was at the bottom of his list of desirable conversation topics at this moment in particular. But he had to face it sometime, and he realized then that he may as well have processed this insight with Turk at his side. "The milkshake pool on the lesbian cloud, player," he responded quietly.

Turk smiled and patted JD's shin. He pondered aloud, "I wonder if there are any black angels at the pool." Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he twisted the door handle behind his back and walked through the threshold backwards. "I'll see you there," Turk promised, then disappeared into the sea of hospital staff.

Those four words wrapped around JD protectively like a safety net. All he had to do for now was shut his eyes, pull his knees to his chest, and savor the feeling of being caught in freefall.

Because hitting the ground was inevitable. But JD wanted to delay the impact for as long as possible.

So it was almost twice as long as Chapter Six. I hope you're all happy. Really.

Now, I'm totally wiped out from all that penname-incorporation, so no such reward shall be offered up pertaining to Chapter 7.

HOWEVER...

The first eight reviewers will have one of the remaining chapters dedicated to them, on one condition:

A review will only be considered if it offers constructive criticism in some way, shape, or form.

After the first eight, any and all reviews will still receive complementary cyberbrownies, as well as a shout-out in my Chapter 8 Author's Note. And, of course, my undying gratitude for your feedback.

Okay, I'm done whoring now. So, by all means, click that little speech bubble like there's no tomorrow!

~JD