Mr Jones pulled up in front of the bus stop. 'Here we are.'

Jane started to climb out of the car when she remembered her new friend, and scrambled back in to retrieve him. 'Thank you so, so much, Mr Jones. I can't tell you how thankful I am for this. I owe you one,' she said gratefully. 'Have a nice evening!'

Finally, he smiled. 'You, too. Hope your friend feels better.'

'Thanks. I do, too.' Though she said that last part to herself.

With that, the algebra teacher drove off into the mist.

Jane then got the man under the plastic cover at the bus stop. Sitting on the bench, he leaned back against the plastic, still sleeping. Sitting next to him, Jane pulled her rucksack off her back and onto her lap, retrieving her wallet from a side-pocket.

Though she knew the adult fare was an extra fifty cents to the dollar she paid as a student, she didn't know at what age the change began to apply. After all, she had only started riding the bus this week. Though at 18, you were technically an adult, her friend Rosie was a senior (and therefore 18, or so Jane assumed), and she still only paid a dollar. Even then, there was still that base fee to pay. But sometimes she had spare change in the coin pouch, and if Fortune was with them…

With a somewhat smug smile, she looked up at the sleeping figure next to her and murmured, 'You are one lucky bastard.' In her palm lay four quarters.

From behind her, Jane heard snickering. She turned to see two middle school-aged boys sitting on the low wall behind the cover.

'You want something?' she shouted. They backed off, wide-eyed.

After several long minutes, the bus drove up, and in between a few people getting off and the two boys, among one or two others, getting on, Jane got the man awake enough to walk, though he was yet paler, with dark circles forming under his eyes.

Today was another city bus first for Jae: riding with another person. As she carefully stepped on, half-supporting the man, she said to the driver, 'I'm paying for the two of us- is that okay?'

'Sure,' the driver said cordially, until he saw Jane put only two dollars into the pay box.

'Uh, miss?' he stopped her as she was angling towards two empty seats in the back.

'Yes?'

'That was only two dollars. Adults pay a dollar-fifty?' He pointed at her shoulder accessory. 'So you still owe me fifty cents.'

'Oh, he's not an adult,' Jane said quickly.

The driver raised his eyebrows.

'What, him? No, never! No, he's only-' She glanced up at her partner in crime, trying to guess the lowest possible age that he could pass for. '-seventeen. Almost 18. Isn't that right…?' She trailed off, realizing that she didn't know his name or how to address him. But, however out-of-it the guy was, he still nodded sleepily.

The driver still looked doubtful, so Jane, now desperate, nudged the man slightly and prompted him with the first words that entered her head.. 'C'mon, dude. Show him your ASB card.'

It was then that she realized exactly what she had said. There was no way this guy was really 17 or 18, and so no way he was still in high school. Therefore, there was no way he could have an ASB card, let alone one for Saltwater High Sch-

'Ta-da,' the man said with a grin, suddenly seeming much more awake. He held up a little leather wallet-y type thing. 'Proud to be a-' He leaned down to Jane. 'What's your school's mascot?' he whispered urgently.

'Wha-? Oh! The Astronauts.'

'-Astronaut.' He finished, his voice cracking.

The driver now just looked confused, but nodded, saying, 'Uh… okay. Sorry about the mix-up.'

'I can see how you would. That's what you get for failing kindergarten- twice!' Jane said in a laughing tone, heading for the back of the bus.

'Right thickhead, me,' the man agreed in the same tone, though frankly, he looked quite disturbed at the crack in his voice, and was rubbing his throat gently.

Once they had sat down, Jane turned to him. 'How on Earth did you suddenly manage to produce a Saltwater High School ASB card?'

The man produced the same wallet from inside his jacket. 'Psychic paper,' he explained, flipping it open.

Jane studied it with furrowed brows. She snatched it from him and looked at it even more closely: holding it right up to her face; stretching it at arm's length; turning it upside down. Finally she handed it back. 'It doesn't say anything,' she concluded.

' What?' the man looked markedly startled and confused. 'But, it…'

He himself repeated the examination process that Jane had, and looked no more enlightened after he had finished. He looked from her, to the psychic paper, to her, and back again. 'You are…'

She raised her eyebrows, looking at him pointedly. 'I am…' She crossed her arms. 'What?'

'…Nothing.' He shook his head, smiling slightly. Then, after a beat, he returned his gaze to the girl. 'While I'm thinking about it,' and here he stuck his hand out for her to shake, 'I'm the Doc-'

Suddenly he doubled up in pain, sucking in a shuddery breath and clutching at his chest.

'Oh, my-' Jane hurriedly looked around to see if anyone else was watching. To her surprise, there were only two other people on the bus besides the driver. She hadn't even noticed that they'd already passed two stops. But luckily, the young man had his headphones on and the older lady had nodded off. No one paid them any mind.

She focused back on the real dilemma, leaning down so she could see up into his face and putting her hand on his shoulder to steady herself and him. 'Doc… d… Doctor? Is that what you're called? You're called the Doctor?'

He nodded, grimacing in pain.

'Okay. Okay… that's, a, uh… kinda weird name…' She shook her head. 'That's beside the point. What is it? Are you okay? …Can I help?'

The Doctor suddenly shot back in his seat, panting. He let his arms fall to his sides, shaking his head. 'It's not good for me to be running around like this. I need to rest. I've got to…' He trailed off into a pained groan.

Jane's irritation flared for a moment. 'Well, I'm sorry! I'm doing the best I can, okay? You had to pick the girl who lives all the way on the other side of town to be your nurse…'

They were silent several minutes. The Doctor let out a long, slow breath, golden energy escaping with the carbon dioxide. Jane glanced up at him, noticing that his breathing had slowed. Her face- and attitude- again grew sympathetic. 'Look, I'm sorry. I can see that you're really ill. What are you sick with? Should I be taking you to a hospital?' She paused, then began to think out loud. 'The nearest is St John's- that's where my brother went when he had his appendix out- but this bus doesn't go anywhere near there, and I don't know anything about transfers and other bus routes-'

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane saw the Doctor shaking his head. 'No. No hospital, then,' she translated.

'No,' he moaned, his voice heavy. 'I just need-'

'To rest. You already said that,' she interrupted, kindly laying a hand on his arm. 'Quiet, now, kid, and don't worry. You can sleep easy- I'll take care of ya.'

With effort, he flopped his head over and looked at her. Smiling mischievously, his hand managed to find hers, and he gave it a squeeze before once more closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

When they reached their stop, Jane managed to rouse him by poking him in the ribs several times. Stepping off the bus, they came to the last legs of their journey. Again supporting the Doctor by his arm drooped over her shoulders, she stood at the stop as the bus pulled away with a puff of nasty-smelling exhaust, looking down the road and envisioning the walk before them.

'This is gonna be an effing nightmare,' Jane sighed.

0-0

I can't think of much to say, story-wise… Um… Someone left an anonymous review asking how old Jane is. Well, reader, I'd first like to thank you for reading and reviewing, and secondly, Jane's a sophomore in high school, so about 15.

Thanks to everyone else who reads, too, and to all those who left reviews. It seriously makes my day when I read them. You guys are too kind. X3

Other notes about culture that people might not understand. ASB stands for "Associated Student Body" and is basically a high school ID card. It has our pictures and names, and the name of our school. Having an ASB can get you into school events a bit cheaper than they'd be if you didn't have one. We have them in my country, but I'd heard they had them in America, too, so I thought it'd fit well.

High school, at least where I come from, is the last four years of school. Freshman= 9th grade, ages 14-15. Sophomore year (Jane's year)= 10th grade, ages 15-16. Juniors (my year)= 11th graders, ages 16-17, and seniors are 12th graders, ages 17-18, sometimes 19.

American money has almost exactly the same value as Appelian money, and since my parents are American I know how it works. A quarter is 25 cents, so four of those equal a dollar. Bus fee for students (20 and under) is a dollar, or was when I wrote this.

I actually didn't know too much about bus fees then. I hadn't ridden the bus much yet. Now I'm an experienced rider. Too bad Jane didn't know about the fees. Everyone's lives would have gone a bit easier at that bit. XD But the fee in general's gone up now, so not even that's accurate. XDDD

"How to Train Your Dragon", my favourite movie in the whole wide Multiverse, came out on DVD yesterday. I have been waiting quite patiently (most of the time) since June for that day. And now, at 7.3o the next evening, I've watched the movie all the way through four times, and all the special features on both disks.

Obsessive? Yes. Mad? Quite. Inspired? That, too. "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury." 8D