AN:
Hi folks! Apologies for this chapter taking a bit longer but I finally got it finished. Thanks again for all the follows, reviews, etc. Love you guys!
-Moki
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Din Djarin was starting to get tired of the sight, the sound, even the smell of water.
Not that long ago, the Mandalorian had been worried about dying from dehydration. Dreaming of drinking gallons of the cool liquid and of taking a swim in the freshwater lake near his childhood home.
Now he felt as though he'd be happy if he never had to go near water again. Or liquid of any kind, for that matter.
"Come on, Din. Just a little more," Med encouraged.
Din gulped down more water, then stopped, holding his stomach and groaning. It felt like his insides were going to explode.
"Med, you're killing me," Din said, handing the cup back to the medic.
Not at all put off, Med took the cup and promptly refilled it again.
"Actually, I'm doing the exact opposite. Now drink. Last one… for now."
Din took the cup and groaned again but didn't make a move to put it to his lips. Med sighed and looked at Grogu, who was watching them with big eyes.
"Hey kid, can you tell your dad that he needs to drink?"
Grogu immediately tapped on Din's leg, jabbering and gesturing at the cup.
"Great, now you're ganging up on me. This isn't fair," Din said, looking at the child with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope it's not. But no one ever said life was fair. Now drink," Med ordered in his best 'I'm a medical professional and you will listen to me' voice.
"Fine," Din gave a long-suffering sigh. He'd never been able to refuse Med when he used that tone of voice, not for a very long time.
Wincing and making a face, Din put the cup to his lips and slowly drank until it was empty.
"You keep force-feeding me water and then I end up in the fresher all day, sometimes all night," Din complained as he handed the cup back again.
"Good," Med said with a head nod. "That means your kidneys and bladder are working just fine."
Din rolled his eyes and Med laughed.
The medic was coming to realize how many times his friend must have done that without him knowing about it. Now Med knew the tone of voice that went with that eye roll and filed it away for future reference. He would remember it after Din was back in the fighting ranks again. As much as he liked seeing his friend's face, Med would be happy to see Din healthy, strong, and back in his armor again. Just as much as Din was looking forward to the same thing. But for now, they had to concentrate on the simple things.
"Okay, now time for food."
Din groaned again.
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After Med left, taking the dreaded pitcher and cup with him, Din waited for his typical second visitor of the morning to arrive.
Right on schedule, his door chimed, and he told Bo to come in. She still dropped by in the mornings for a quick visit, even if that was the only time he saw her in the day.
"Be with you in a second," Din said over his shoulder as she sauntered into the room with a smile for the spectacle she was witnessing.
"No hurry."
Bo couldn't help but to widen her grin as she watched Din wrangling his foundling into his newly laundered robe. Grogu was trying to help but his little claws kept getting caught in the soft material.
"Hang on, buddy. Just let me… nope, that's the wrong way. Give me your other hand."
Bo waited as Din finished getting the child ready, the soft smile staying on her lips. Over the past few days, as Din's face had continued to heal, showing off more of his features, she'd begun to realize just how expressive he was. His mouth was twisted sideways in concentration, his brows furrowing, causing lines to appear around his eyes and on his forehead.
She admired the man's infinite patience. Din allowed Grogu to help so he could learn, accepting that the help would make the task longer, but never making the little one feel bad about it.
The more she was around Din, the more she could see was a natural father. She and the Armorer had spoken about the subject often while he was imprisoned. Everyone referred to Grogu as Din's child, his son. But the father himself still hadn't. She agreed with the Armorer that he was probably afraid to open his heart that much because of the pain he'd suffered by losing his parents so young. Plus, the pain of already having lost the child once.
Seeing them now, Bo didn't know how Din went on for all that time without Grogu. She wasn't sure he'd survive if he lost the boy again.
But she hoped he'd decide the risk was worth it. From what she could see, Grogu looked at Din with deep love and trust, and clearly had no intention of ever leaving his father again.
Finally, the child was dressed, and he looked up at Bo with an inquisitive coo.
"Good morning, Grogu. You look very handsome today."
He responded with a happy tilt of his head, jumping up and down on his toes and reaching out to be picked up. She pulled him to her hip and straightened the collar on his robe.
"Great job helping your dad."
Grogu pointed towards the window, cooing a request and Bo walked over with him. They watched the stars slide by as the ship continued its nearly constant hyperspace journey.
"He loves looking out there," Din said. "He always seems to be looking for something, though I'm not sure what. It's just the same thing, streaks of stars."
"Well, those are certainly beautiful enough to look at."
"True," Din agreed.
Bo noted that the other Mandalorian still looked deeply tired, but she felt hopeful her little surprise would help. Din didn't know it, but on the next drop out of hyperspace they were meeting up with another ship, one that just might have the key to the next step of Din's recovery.
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Later that same morning, Din was alone in his room with nothing to do. Again. Now that his body was healing, he was awake more, even with the scant amount of sleep he'd been getting. He only slept a few hours at a time, which meant he had a lot of time to himself. He was getting bored, and boredom was the enemy of a warrior, especially one who'd been through what he had.
Din heard a new voice in the hallway outside of his open door and looked up. Since no one came to that level except for Bo and Med, and occasionally the Armorer, Din had decided to keep it open during the ship's day schedule. The galley staff delivered his meals to Med now, who brought them to Din and Grogu. Having the door open made Din feel less isolated.
"Hey Mando! I just had to come see how the invalid was doing and let you know when you're ready for another match, I'll happily hand your ass to you again."
Din knew that voice.
Cara.
Grogu's ears twitched at the familiar voice as well and Din smiled at the child.
"You know who that is, don't you buddy? Is that Cara?"
A few seconds later, Din couldn't help the wide smile that came across his face at the very welcome sight of Cara Dune walking through his doorway.
As Din's bed wasn't a straight eyeline to the door, Cara didn't see him at first. When she turned her head and caught sight of his helmetless head, she stopped.
"Kriff, Din..."
Cara averted her eyes, her hand flying up in front of her face as if she'd been hit.
Din tried very hard not to laugh at her consternation, but she wasn't making it easy. Her reaction couldn't have been more shocked if she had walked in to find him standing in the middle of the room completely naked.
To be fair, that is probably how she felt. Worse, even.
Years ago on Sorgan, after a few cups of spotchka the two soldiers had traded war stories. Din wasn't much of a drinker, but they'd been celebrating. He'd let his guard down a little, turning his head and lifting his helmet just enough to drink the alcohol. Cara had also turned her head aside for every sip, giving him even more privacy. It was a moment in their friendship when he'd known for sure he could trust her.
Din hadn't gotten drunk exactly, but the drinks did lead to him opening up a bit more than usual. Especially after everyone else in the village had returned to their homes, leaving just him and Cara in the barn that had become their makeshift bar.
Din had felt comfortable, knowing the enemy had been defeated, he could trust Cara with his life, and that Grogu was safely bunked with the other kids who had felt better staying together after the frightening fight. Once he'd seen the kid zonked out with the others under the watchful eye of Omera and some of the other parents, he had felt okay leaving him.
War stories had led to discussions of their troubled and difficult pasts. That had opened the door to more personal conversations, which had brought up inevitable questions. Cara and Din had only known each other a short while at the time, and she had been curious about the helmet. How did he eat. Shower. Sleep. The questions were boring and mundane to him, but he understood the curiosity. Usually, he'd never answer those questions if someone asked, but Din had already started to consider Cara a good friend, so he'd opened up more than he typically would.
Then the questions and stories had become about more… intimate activities. He told her of his escapades when he'd been a troubled and angry young man after losing his family as a child, and then losing his Trainer when he'd been an Apprentice. Cara told him of her own exploits when she'd been a troubled young woman after losing her family and everyone she knew, as well as her entire planet in one cruel moment.
They realized then that they had a lot in common, more than just being warriors and fellow soldiers-in-arms. They had both done things they weren't proud of after losing people they loved. Anger and violence had been one way to seek solace, but they'd found other ways as well. Relationships (if any could be called that) which had only served the purpose of getting their minds off of the pain for a little while. He told her about Xi'an and some others. She told him of the men she labeled as her own mistakes.
After their long conversation, Cara had come to understand that the rest of Din's body wasn't off limits to being seen. At least no more than any other man.
But though his body wasn't necessarily off-limits and there were no rules about who he could allow to see it if he chose to, his face was a different story. Cara had seen Din's strict adherence to his Creed and though she teased him a little when they'd first become friends - and fought him on it when she thought he was going to die - she had grown to respect him for it. Cara would never do anything that would cause Din to break his sworn oath.
So, when Cara walked into his room and saw Din bare-faced, she truly did feel like she'd walked in on him naked and exposed. It shocked her, leaving her confused, not being at all what she had expected.
Seeing how serious her reaction was, Din stopped smiling, realizing that she was worried about him.
"Cara," he said softly.
She still held her hand in front of her face, keeping it turned away to ensure she didn't have a sightline on him at all.
"It's okay, Cara," Din reassured her. "My helmet was off when I arrived. It was taken off…when I was in that place, and I had a lot of injuries on my face, on my… eyes." He couldn't help the hard swallow when he remembered what that had felt (and pictured what it must've looked) like.
"The Armorer gave me permission while I'm healing," he continued, trying to make her understand.
"Actually," he grunted as he tried to sit up, wrapping a steadying arm around his ribs as the movement caused a stab of pain. "She ordered me to leave all my armor off, including the helmet. It's not even here. I haven't seen it since I was rescued."
Cara turned slightly at the sound of his discomfort, fighting her instinct to check on her friend and make sure he was okay. But she kept her hand over her eyes.
"Yeah," she replied tentatively, still unsure. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help. I came as soon as I heard."
She still didn't look up and Din tried again.
"It's okay, Cara. I promise."
He said it softer this time and she finally lowered her hand slowly, looking at him with a crooked smile.
"Hi," Din said with a shy smile of his own.
"Hi."
The very first thought Cara had when she looked upon her old friend was that she immediately liked Din's face. She already liked and respected the man in the helmet, but now that she knew it was okay to look, she liked this view even better. Dark brown eyes, a pretty smart mustache, a bit of a scraggly beard with a little gray in it, and brown curly hair. The mustache wasn't exactly what she pictured, but she liked it. Of course he was handsome, she'd never had any doubt that he would be.
And he hides that face under a helmet? Cara almost shook her head but stopped herself, not wanting him to know what she was thinking.
Grogu cooed and she smiled down at him. "Hey there, womp rat. Are you taking care of your dad?"
Grogu gestured and began chattering excitedly at Cara, pointing at Din.
"Not sure I got all that," Cara said.
"I'm pretty sure he's trying to get you to convince me to let him heal me some more. He's given up on everyone else, so I guess he's hoping you'll take his side now."
Din looked at Grogu. "Buddy, we talked about this, I'm fine healing on my own now. I don't want you to keep exhausting yourself when it's not life or death, remember?"
Grogu gave Din his best grumpy face and continued chattering.
"Wow, like father like son," Cara said with a laugh. "Both of you are so stubborn."
It would be much easier for Din if he took the help, but Cara understood the father wouldn't want to do anything to hurt his kid, even temporarily.
"He already did a lot. When I came in…." Din paused at the violent memories that surfaced when he thought of his escape and the rough arrival on the cruiser. "It was bad. Grogu saved my life a couple times. Didn't you, buddy?"
Grogu cooed an affirmation, nodding his head.
"Yeah, Bo mentioned it was… bad." Cara said, choosing to use the simple description he had, knowing that he wouldn't want to go into detail about how awful it was, especially with his kid there.
"Come to think of it," Cara said with a nod to herself. "I guess I should have realized you'd be without the helmet. Bo told me about what happened, about your… eyes," she swallowed herself, remembering the terror when she'd heard about Din's capture and his awful injuries.
It had taken everything in Cara's power not to abandon her post and come sooner. But she'd known there would've been nothing she could've done. Also, Din would never want her to dishonor herself by abandoning her team just to come and wait for his return and then sit at his bedside.
Plus, Bo had needed to keep the fleet on the run. She hadn't dared to drop out of hyperspace unless absolutely necessary when they'd first gotten Din back, certain that Moff Gideon would be looking for them. Only now, after a little time had passed, was it safer.
Din looked at her with his head tipped sideways. "It's okay, Cara. There was nothing you could have done. You're here now." Din told her, as if reading her thoughts.
The Mandalorian cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.
He turned to Grogu. "Hey kid, do you want to show Cara your new toy?"
Grogu immediately hopped off the bed and ran over to where the IG-12 was parked near the fresher. When he got to it, he began jumping up and down with his arms up.
"Do you mind?" Din asked. "It's still hard for me to.. ah… move around so much," Din said with another wince as his body gave him a fresh reminder to take it easy. It still surprised (and annoyed) Din how some inadvertent movements could pull at injuries he'd almost managed to forget about.
"Sure." Cara lifted Grogu and put him into the little compartment that was obviously built for him. She'd never seen anything quite like the suit and smiled as the little one started walking around the room.
"Can you give me that cup?" Din asked, knowing that the kid would love to show off for Cara.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Cara laughed when Grogu pushed the communication button. This machine of his was full of surprises.
She turned to Din with eyebrows raised. "Oh boy, are you in trouble."
Din shook his head. "You have no idea."
Grogu kept them entertained for a little bit and Cara moved to sit on the bed opposite Din's.
"Cara, I'm glad Bo asked you to come. I… need your help." That was something never easy for him to ask, though luckily it wasn't as bad with a friend like her.
"Anything," she said without hesitation.
"I've been out of commission for a while. Not just here on the ship, also….before."
"I know," she said, a touch of sadness making its way into her voice. "I was getting updates. You were there a long time."
Grogu cooed sadly.
Din only nodded. "I'm still healing, but I want to help them retake Mandalore."
"Din," Cara started warningly.
He held up his hands. "I'm not talking about going out there right now. Even I know I'd be nothing but a hindrance in my current condition."
Din hated admitting that, but he wasn't an idiot. If they attempted to retake Mandalore now and he joined them, all he would accomplish was getting himself and possibly others killed. He would never do that to his people, no matter how much it hurt his pride to be kept back.
"So, what do you need?"
"Everyone else is busy. I need someone to get me back into shape. I need to build up my strength so I can train again."
"You wanna go another round? You got it, buddy."
They continued to talk for a while. Cara told Din about her adventures working with Special Forces. Din updated her on what had happened to him since the last time they'd seen each other and how he'd ended up on Mandalore.
"How did you get away?" Din asked Cara once he'd finished his update, wondering about her new job. Special Forces didn't exactly hand out vacation time.
"I requested some R&R. Told them it was a family emergency, which this definitely is."
A voice called from the passageway outside the room. Cara looked up to see a Mandalorian who appeared to be a member of Din's tribe. He was carrying a tray, which held his attention as he made sure not to spill anything from the containers on it.
"Alright, old man! You better be ready for more water, and I don't want to hear any of your bantha shi…"
Cara laughed as the man stopped in his tracks, obviously not knowing, or remembering that Din might have company.
"Oh right, Bo did say you were going to have a visitor. Sorry about my, uh, language."
"Don't apologize on my account," Cara said, holding up her hands. "If you think I haven't said worse to him when we're sparring, you'd be dead wrong."
The other Mandalorian barked a laugh as he put the tray down on the table near Din's bed.
"Well then, now that I know I haven't offended any delicate sensibilities…"
Cara snorted.
"…except maybe his," Med chucked a thumb at Din. "Let me introduce myself."
Cara felt more amusement as she noticed Din's slight eye roll. She didn't know who this new Mandalorian was, but the friendship he had with Din was palpable.
"My name is Balmed Rosca, but everyone calls me Med."
"Med, nice to meet you. I'm Cara Dune."
"Nice to meet you, Cara."
"Go ahead, say it." Din said and Cara turned to look at him.
"Say what?" Cara was confused.
"Do it. You know you want to." Din was looking at Med and crossed his arms.
"But she didn't ask, brother."
Brother? Cara was even more intrigued.
"Fine, I'll help. Cara, Med is also our medic."
She looked back and forth between the two Mandalorians, unsure what part she was supposed to play in this. Something about Din's emphasis made her ponder and somehow, she realized what was needed.
"So, your name is Med and you're a medic?" Her question was tentative, unsure if she'd gotten it right until Din gave one of his famous long-suffering sighs and Med stood up straighter.
If she'd been able to see his face, Cara would have bet the medic had the goofiest look on it right then.
"Yep, but no one ever…"
"..accused him of being original." Din groaned. "He does that every time. Every single time. And somehow, he still thinks it's funny."
Cara laughed, not necessarily at the joke (because yeah, that was pretty lame), but at everything that was playing out before her. She'd never seen Din act this way with anyone, except maybe herself, and it cracked her up. She was fascinated by this man she'd never met, that Din had never mentioned, who yet had a deep bond with her friend and even called him brother.
"Okay, well yeah I'll admit that was pretty lame," she spoke her thoughts out loud. "But I appreciate the effort."
"Ah, well thank you." Med said with a mock bow. "That's all I can ask for, isn't it?"
"So, who's going to tell me how come I've never heard of you before? Because I've been a friend of this buckethead for years and he's never once mentioned you."
Med filled Cara in while Din and Grogu ate their food. Med was still bringing them small meals throughout the day, which meant that it wasn't a typical mealtime for the rest of the ship.
Med was just finishing his story when Din suddenly put his hand over his mouth. Ignoring the various pains of his body that complained about the movement, he quick-timed it to the fresher.
Cara couldn't see Med's face, but she felt his worry as his eyes followed his brother. She was feeling that same worry herself.
"Is he eating too much too fast?" Cara asked, keeping her voice low. Though she doubted Din would hear them. He was a little preoccupied at that moment and she winced in sympathy at the sounds that came from the fresher as he threw up what little food he'd eaten.
"No, I don't think this is refeeding syndrome," Med said with a sigh.
"What's that?"
"When someone has been without food for a while you've got to be careful when you introduce it back into their system. It can mess up the levels in their body and cause worse issues than the original starvation."
"Oh wow, I knew that you had to take it slow, but I never knew it was that bad."
"It's not something you'd hear about very often. It takes a lot for someone to get to the point where it would be a problem. A simple illness like the stomach flu won't do it. And even then, we're all careful to eat slow and light after that happens."
Cara nodded. She'd had a bad stomach flu herself a while back and had been happy for Din's help during that time. Of course, she'd also helped him by taking a bullet out of his arm at the same time. So, really, they'd helped each other.
"But I don't think this is that," Med continued. "I've been careful, and I've got the galley giving him very specific meals we've planned for him. We're even breaking it up into smaller servings throughout the day. We should be okay. I think this is something else. It's almost like it's mental. Like he can't eat for some reason. He's been dealing with it for a little while now."
Cara didn't like the sound of that.
When it seemed like Din would be in there for a while, Med gathered up the plates. He'd been through this with the other Mandalorian a few times and knew there was no need to panic.
"He should be fine," Med told Cara. "I'm going to talk to the kitchen staff. We might want to make some more adjustments to either what we're feeding him or how much. If he needs me, he knows how to call for me, but he should just rest when he gets out."
Cara nodded. "Thanks, Med. I'll keep an eye on him. We both will," she turned to Grogu. "Won't we, buddy?"
Din stepped out of the fresher a few minutes later, looking pale and sweaty. He wiped a towel over his mouth, then dropped onto the bed.
"You alright?" Cara asked, her face twisted in sympathy for his discomfort.
"Yeah, just ate too much or too fast and it decided to come back for a return visit."
She stayed with him the rest of the day, leaving once in the afternoon to get her own meal in the galley while Din and Grogu took a nap. She had noticed Din getting more exhausted even as he tried to keep talking. Finally, she suggested leaving for a meal so that he'd go ahead sleep like he obviously needed.
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After Din and Grogu had woken up from their nap, the two soldiers talked some more, making plans for how they would slowly start getting Din back into fighting shape. Once it became evening, she'd said her goodnights and left them to rest.
They had put Cara in a room next to Din's and she unpacked her bag and got ready to hit the rack. It was odd, bedding down in a medbay while not injured, but it made sense. She was there for Din, and it was better she was close by.
She learned how much better only a couple hours after going to sleep.
"Mueh?"
The soft coo jolted the shock trooper awake.
"Wha..?"
The door to her room had been opened somehow and a tiny figure was illuminated by the soft light from the passageway.
"Grogu? What are you doing?"
The child toddled to her bed. Cara put her feet on the floor and picked him up.
"What's going on? Is Din alright?"
He pointed to the door, and she got the message.
"Okay, give me a second."
She put him down on the bed and quickly put on a robe over her sleeping clothes. She picked up the child again and walked toward Din's room.
When she got Din's door, she saw it was also open. Grogu must have used his powers. Whether it was to manipulate the touch pad or simply push it open, it didn't matter. He had gotten the job done.
The light from the passageway spread into the room, allowing her to see the dim form of Din laying in his bed. But she heard him first. Moans and mumbling came from the pillow. He was on his stomach, his face sideways and smashed into the crisp white covering. As she approached, she saw he was covered in sweat, his curly hair soaking wet on the pillow.
Kriff.
Cara realized she'd foolishly thought that after their reunion, with the talking and even a few laughs, that Din would magically get better. That he would be right back to his old self.
You're a fool, Dune. One afternoon isn't going to heal what had been done to him for weeks on end.
Grogu whined from her arms, asking for help again.
"Okay, kid. Let me think for a minute."
Waking someone from a nightmare, especially the kind Din was no doubt having, could be just as traumatic as the nightmare itself.
She turned to the kid. "Grogu?" He looked at her. "I think you should try to wake your dad. I think it will be better that way. He might not remember I'm here, but he'd never forget you. Can you try?"
Cara set Grogu down on the bed near Din's side and the little one walked towards his father's head. But before he could get there, Din turned violently, mumbling louder. His arm shot out, nearly hitting the boy, and only Cara's highly trained reflexes snatched him out of the way in time.
"Okay, so maybe that wasn't my best idea."
Grogu looked up at her with his head tipped sideways and forehead crinkled. She swore his expression said: "You think?"
"Alright buddy, I'll see what I can do."
Not wanting Din to wake up to a figure standing above him (Maker only knew what kind of terror that might create), Cara knelt on her knees beside the bed. She reached forward and put the barest touch on his forearm.
"Din? Hey, Din. You need to wake up now."
She hated that he flinched from her touch, his fear and pain obvious in that one movement.
"It's alright," she reassured the sleeping man quietly. "It's me, Cara. Grogu is here. You're not there anymore. Come on, Din."
When he stayed asleep, she put a little more pressure on his arm.
Din sucked in a breath, his eyes snapping open as he partially sat up.
"Hey, it's okay. It's just me."
Din's eyes looked frantically around the room for a few moments, trying to remember where he was. Then his gaze landed on Cara next to his bed.
"Cara?"
"Yep, I'm here. It's okay. Just a dream. I've had those kind myself after… after something like this."
"Grogu?"
"He's here." She held Grogu up for the worried father to see. "He came to get me. Very smart of him."
Din sat up on his elbows, then pushed himself farther until he was sitting up with his back against the wall behind his bed.
Cara got up with Grogu still in her arms, walking over to the other cot next to Din's. She went to sit down but Grogu whined, his tiny hands reaching for his father.
"Okay, here you go kid."
She handed him over to Din, who took him and put him close to his chest. The immediate relief for both of them made Cara breathe easier.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She expected a refusal. Most people wouldn't want to talk about it, even if it was good for them. Din being a less-than talkative person, she figured he'd go for that option, so she was surprised when he started speaking softly.
"I never remember much when I wake up," he shrugged. "Just that I know I was back… there again."
She nodded.
Din sighed. "I really hate this, Cara."
"I know. We'll figure it out. I promise."
Din leaned his head back against the wall. Grogu looked up at him and cooed sadly.
Cara had never seen the Mandalorian look so defeated. The first gut reaction the shock trooper had was anger. She wanted to find Moff Gideon and tear that man apart with her bare hands. But she couldn't because that monster wasn't there.
The only thing she could do was concentrate on her friend who was there. After what she'd seen in just the few hours since arriving on the ship, she was beginning to realize this was going to be a much harder job than she thought. But Cara was up for the challenge.
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A/N:
For anyone curious about the reference to Cara having the stomach flu and taking a bullet out of Din's arm, I shall direct you to a story called "The Hurt, the Sick, and the Teething" by the amazing She-Elf23. I kid you not when I say I've read it at least five times and I can't recommend it highly enough. When I wrote Med's line about a stomach flu, it reminded me of the story and I couldn't resist adding that bit in.