Note before the chapter: Sorry for the te upload; the power went out iernoon, and I had to leave the house. I only returned retly.

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  It seemed like Dr. Foreman wao say something, but after a few moments of tightly closing his mouth and biting his lips in annoyance while avoiding direct eye tact with me, he said, "Well, I'll have the thousand dolrs tomorrow," and tinued walking somewhat defeated.

  "Friday, I won't be ing tomorrow," I said seriously, causing Foreman to stop for a moment. Without saying anything, he nodded and tinued walking quickly.

  With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Dr. Chase smiled and nodded, "Well done," he said under his breath as we moved forward. "You won't be ing tomorrow?" Dr. Cameron asked suddenly, intrigued.

  "No, tomorrow is the first game of the season," I replied calmly as we walked.

  "Oh, surprisingly, you're into sports," House said, walking slowly. "I didn't see that ing; I thought you'd be a bookworm," he tinued sarcastically.

  "Not at all, it doesn't seem strao me; you're tall and look fit," Dr. Cameron said kindly.

  "Watch out, Cameron, Dun has a reputation for being attracted to older women," House teased. "Besides, if you want him, you'll have to win him over from the outpatient iurse," he tinued, leaning slightly with a smile.

  Ign the first part of the joke, Dr. Cameron and Chase both smiled strangely at the ent.

  Rolling my eyes, irritated by the stant teasing, I said, "Again, House, it's called being o nurses; you should try it sometime."

  "Yeah, medical workers in a hospital are important too, bh bh," House said, feigning irritation.

  Refusing to tihe discussion, I stayed silent.

  A moment ter, we reached the office, entering behind Dr. Foreman, alking ahead faster than the rest of us.

  "So," House said wheered, going to his desk, "Sub-acute Sclerosing Pan-encephalitis," he tinued slowly, sitting in his chair aing fortable while staring at Dr. Foreman ily.

  "I suppose you could make an argument that the kid's still in stage one," Dr. Foreman said, still defeated. "Once SSPE moves to stage two," he tinued, but Dr. House interrupted him. "Boom!" he shouted, hitting his desk. "Stage two is universally fatal," he cryptically cluded.

  "I assume it's impossible to tell when he might move into stage two," Dr. Cameron asked inquisitively as she took her seat.

  "Kid," House said, urgio respond as I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

  "He's already started showing symptoms," I said disheartened.

  "So it could be a month or tonight," House ented sarcastically.

  " we treat it?" Dr. Cameron surprisingly asked me expetly.

  I didn't really know the answer.

  "Intraventricur interferon*?" I said, uurning to Dr. House fuidance.

  "I don't know; let's ask the neurologist," House said, shaking his head with amusement.

  "Yes," Dr. Foreman finally replied after a moment.

  "We're not gonna shove a spike into his brain and drip interferon without firming this diagnosis," Dr. Cameron objected.

  "After all we've been through, you still don't trust the kid's diagnosis?" House said ironically.

  "It′s ok we o firm it," I quickly said, avoiding embarrassment for Dr. Cameron.

  "We won't get a reliable result for measles antibodies in his CSF, not after everything we've given him," Dr. Foreman surprisingly directed to me.

  "So the wrong treatment kills any hope of the right diagnosis," House leaned on his desk. "Why do people lie to me?" he sighed, leaning ba his chair. "It could also kill him," he added, nodding to Dr. Cameron. "Your call, Foreman; tell me I don't have to biopsy his brain," he tinued after a moment of ption, making everyone in the office focus on him.

  Dr. Cameron's question made me seriously pohe issue. Doing a brain biopsy after everything Dan had gohrough and endured could certainly affect him, eveo his death.

  "Well, there is oher way," Foreman finally said.

  "A retinal biopsy," I blurted out, ing up with a solution as soon as Dr. Foreman spoke.

  "Yes," Dr. Foreman replied, pursing his lips.

  "Alright, do that," Dr. House said, nodding seriously.

  Chase offered me a fist bump with a big smile before leaving with Foreman.

  "See you on Friday, PJ," Dr. Cameron said with a friendly smile as she followed the other two doctors out.

  Remaining sileo House, I grabbed my backpack a few steps from the chair I was sitting in. With the backpay p and staring at House, who returned my gaze calmly, he straightened up in his chair, reached into his coat, and said, "Your presence here doesn't displease me," sarcastically leaning slightly over the desk with the folded letter in his hands. "But it's entirely up to you," he tinued seriously, handihe letter. "Read it when you leave; I don't want your tears to mess it up," he said sarcastically, walking out of the office after handing over the letter.

  Taking the letter tightly in my hands, I couldn't muster the ce to open and read its tents. If this was what I thought it was from Dr. Donnall, it was undoubtedly annifit step in my medical career.

  Uo decide quickly, I carefully pced the letter ihe book House had leo prevent it from creasing, and quickly left the office to rejoin Mom.

  As we reached the reception area, where I had parted ways with Mom a few ho, I greeted the nurses again.

  "PJ," Mom suddenly said, ing out of a door a few steps from the reception area, "Is it time to go?" she asked, looking at the rge clo the desk. "Look at the time, Florence; I'm leaving. See you on Friday," Mom said as she bid farewell to the senior nurse, who was also behind her with some dots in her hands.

  "Yes, see you on Friday, Amy," the nurse replied, nodding after gng at the same rge clock that Mom had sulted moments ago.

  "Good luck at yame, Dr. Dun," the nurse tinued, cheered on by the other nurses behind the desk, giving me geaps on the arm with the palm of her hand, wearing a big smile.

  "Go Wolfs!" Mom suddenly excimed, excitedly raising her hands and smiling at her co-workers because they also joined in the celebration, except for the senior nurse, causing the people in the waiting room to be surprised and turn their heads, intrigued by all the otion.

  Thanking the kind nurses, I quickly left, feeling a bit embarrassed, urging Mom to walk with me.

  "So, are you taking the day off tomorrow?" I asked Mom as we left the hospital and headed to the parking lot.

  "Yes, I told you; I wouldn't miss your first game for anything," Mom said with a big smile, taking small hops as she walked.

  Amused by her childlike attitude, I couldn't say anything as we made our way to the car.

  Ihe car, Mom began to tell me about her day as we drove home. Time passed quickly, and before I k, we were entering the front yard to park Mom's car.

  "So, I told him, 'Sir, your father was discharged several days ago; you should have a better retionship with him so this doesn't happen again,'" Mom said, finishing a story about her day as we got out of the car.

  "Well, dinner will be ready in a few hours, PJ; you do your homework in the meantime," Mom said after we ehe house.

  Separating in one of the hallways of the house, I tio my room. A few steps from my bedroom door, I almost stumbled into Bob, who came out of the bathro his wet hands, hopefully from washing them, without paying attention to where he was going. "Oh," Bob said, surprised, "son!" he tinued excitedly, lightly tapping my shoulder and pyfully assuming a fighting position. "Hello, Dad," I greeted him with a smile, joining in his game.

  "Remember that after dionight, we're going to the Iron Sanctuary," he said, exaggerating the flexing of his arms.

  "Iron Sanctuary?" I asked, amused by the name.

  "Yeah, I mean, if it's not that, then what is it?" Bob asked again, flexing his arms exaggeratedly.

  "Okay, Heracles, don't hurt yourself," I said, lightly tapping his shoulder, causing him to release the built-up air from flexing. "We call the garage the Iron Sanctuary if you want, but don't give yourself tendinitis* before liftis," I tinued pyfully with the older man who pretended not to feel embarrassed while puffing out his chest.

  "I don't know what that is, but it's not going to happen; like I said, these muscles are made of steel," he ented, exaggerating while winking proudly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a magazih my name on it in the living room," he said, puffing out his chest and walking away with exaggerated pride.

  Chug amusedly at Bob's strangely simir childlike behavior to Mom's, I tinued on my assing by Teddy's door. As usual, she had music pying, not loud enough to be annoying but enough to seep through uhe door. Knog loudly on her door so she could hear over the speakers, I waited a moment until Teddy yelled her permission for me to enter.

  I opehe door and said, "Hello, little sis-," immediately stopping in surprise when I not only found Teddy inside her room but also three irls, along with a pile of magazines and makeup on her bed. One of them, whom I already knew, was Missy. With a big smile, she asked, "Hi PJ, do you like my hair?" excitedly showing her hair styled and decorated with small figures and stickers.

  "Hello, Missy. Yes, I really like your hair," I replied, smiling at the little girl who was smiling with happiness on the bed.

  "Hi, PJ," Teddy said, smiling as she reached to lower the volume of her music. "These are my friends, Baja and Bianca," she said, introdug the other two girls present.

  "Hello," I greeted the slightly embarrassed teenagers.

  "I know you," the sed girl introduced suddenly excimed, "Well, not really, obviously not," she quickly corrected herself, blushing at her suddeement. "I just know of you," she tried to expin, avoiding everyone's gaze, especially Missy and Teddy, who were teasing her. "My sister says you're the best student in her year and that you're also the quarterback," she quickly finished, looking even redder now.

  "Your sister?" I asked to the embarrassed teenager.

  Grateful to find an escape from the teasing, she quickly cleared her throat and adjusted herself on the bed. "Yes, she's your cssmate at Medford High. You might not know her, at least she says so," she said quickly.

  Nodding in uanding, I asked, "What's your sister's name? Maybe I do know her," to the now calmer teenager.

  "Katherina Stratford. She's in the same year as you, but she's in different csses," the girl said with straement.

  "Yeah, I definitely don't know her, but I'll look for her tomorrow to thank her. I study a lot, and I'm gd people think highly of me," I said with a friendly smile to the now very happy teenager.

  "Well, it was o meet you, Baja, Bianca," I said, nodding to the two girls, receiving cheerful aowledgment from both. "See you ter, Missy," I tinued, bidding farewell to the younger girl.

  "See you tomorrow, PJ. I'll be iands cheering for you," Missy said excitedly with a big smile.

  "Thanks, Missy. Knowing that, we'll definitely win," I said, winking at the little girl with a friendly smile.

  "I won't bother you anymore," I said as I left my sister's room and closed the door. A moment after closing the door, I heard a muffled scream followed by ughter from ihe room, and the music returned immediately.

  It was good to see Teddy making friends here; I hope this helps her get over the sadness of leaving her friend from Colorado.

  When I opehe door to my room, I found it pletely empty. Gabe was o be seen. It seemed strange for a moment, but thinking it was better than finding him pletely exhausted and asleep, I decided to start my homework.

  Several mier, after finishing my assigs, I carefully put my notebooks away, making sure not to bend the ers of the covers. I then noticed the book House had left in my possession and remembered the letter I had pced there earlier that day.

  Feeling my heart rate rise, I slowly took the book out of my backpad ope, where the folded white sheet protruded. Taking the letter with both hands, I found it difficult once again to summon the ce to open it, so I just stared at it ily for a while.

  After a few minutes of pting the bnk page, marred only by small grooves probably made from writing oher side, I decided to open it. Slowly, I grasped one er of the paper, taking a deep breath to calm my rag heart. "PJ!" Gabe suddenly yelled, causio drop the letter bato my desk in surprise.

  "What's going on?" I asked nervously, quickly turning to see my younger brother, eared happy but sweaty.

  "I knew you'd arrived," he said excitedly, approag me with a flushed face. "Let's py. I met some kids a few streets down," he tinued, pulling my arm.

  "Alright, alright, don't pull me. I'm ing," I said as I was dragged along by my younger brother.

  In the living room of the house, easily more than ten kids were gathered around Bob in what seemed like a staring test. None of the several children moved, while Bob, who looked nervous, simply stood there, shifting his gaze like a child every few seds.

  "Let's go!" Gabe excimed excitedly, quickly exiting the house followed by the small army of kids, all of whom were no older than him.

  With a sigh of relief, Bob shook his head and reopehe magazine he had in his hands.

  Laughing at the se, I left the house to find a bunch of kids talking loudly among themselves, bicycles scattered all over the front yard. In the ter of all the kids was Gabe, chatting happily with the others. "That's my brother, PJ," Gabe said, notig that I had e out of the house with them. "He's cool, and he run really fast," he tinued, showing off, especially to a little boy o him.

  After Gabe's decrations, all the present kids stared at me, trying to judge his cims for themselves.

  "Alright, what were you guys pying?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous with all the expet eyes on me.

  "We were riding bikes, but I saw Mom's car, so I thought you'd arrived," Gabe expined quickly. "y football or baseball or whatever," he said, getting more excited.

  Approag the gathered kids, I nodded, "Sure, let's py whatever you want," I said, patting the head of one of the younger kids there, whose ears, surprisingly, were quite rge.

  "Your brother is way cooler than mihe quiet boy with big ears calmly affirmed, making Gabe puff up with pride.

  Seeing so many kids gathered made me remember my past life before Dad's death, pying with other kids outside the house, how fun it was just to run around chasing other kids, riding bikes, or pying ball.

  Seeing my younger brother's joyful face, I decided to py one of those many games. Toug the shoulder of one of the kids present, I said slowly, "Tag, you're it." The noisy kids around suddenly fell silent, and no one moved until a moment ter when they all started running, screaming, and ughing.

  The tag passed from one kid to another; all of them ran, with the older kids who didn't seem much older than Gabe occasionally slowing down so the younger ones could catch up. Not once did any of the kids mao touch me.

  I agilely dodged them, evading their hands. Several mier, some of the older kids gathered and began discussing something i.

  Gabe, who had stopped to let the little boy with big ears catch up, grinned wickedly and began following me. We passed by the smaller, stationary kids, but Gabe ighem a following me, making the other kids ugh as they followed suit. We ran bato our front yard, where I preteo be ered, waiting fabe to approach so I could swiftly evade him again.

  "Now!" Gabe suddenly shouted, and as one, all the kids began running towards me, screaming and ughing hysterically.

  I mao avoid a few of them, but when their number far exceeded my ability to dodge, they started ging to me with force. At some point, they ma me down, and a pile of kids climbed over my fallen body.

  I could move; my strength was certainly enough to push them off, but I had no iion of doing so.

  "We defeated you," the boy with big ears said seriously.

  Slowly, Gabe approached the human mound of kids, raising his hand and his face. When he was close enough, he k down and slowly touched my chest, saying intensely, "Tag, you're it," then gave a big smile, causing all the kids on top of me to shout in triumph.

  When the kids started celebrating with shouts still on top of me, the door of the house opened, revealing Mom, Teddy, ahree friends, including Missy, who, upon seeing the human pile, quickly joined in and made the kids ugh.

  "What's going on here?" Mom asked, amused.

  "We defeated PJ, that's what happened," Gabe said, making the kids, strangely including Missy, celebrate.

  Uo deny my brother's cim, I could only smile i. Mom smiled sweetly at the moment, and Teddy and her friends ughed at the situation.

  Teddy quietly indicated that we should move.

  Seeing that the kids and I were blog the way, I got up and removed a few kids from my arms first, making the others roll onto the grass, allowing Teddy awo friends to pass. Definitely, they teased the situation as they left. "Goodbye, PJ," said Bianca, Teddy's friend.

  With a nod, I bid farewell to the two teenagers, and ireet, two cars I hadn't noticed parked in front of the house were boarded by Teddy's two friends after saying goodbye.

  "Well, kids, it's time for you to go home. Your parents might be worried," Mom said, looking at all the kids still lying on the grass, probably exhausted from all the py.

  Mom took Missy's hand and helped her up. "I'll apany Missy home. You two go inside a ready for dinner," she ordered with a smile.

  Gabe said goodbye to all his new friends, fist-bumping each of them. The smallest kid, the oh big ears, approached me with his fist raised, to which I quickly responded with a light bump.

  ically, after witnessing my iion with the you child, the other children formed an attempt at a lio also fist bump. One by one, I bid farewell to the children, prompting them to take their own bikes and leave. After saying goodbye to the penultimate one, who also grabbed a bike, the child with the big ears was there again with his fist raised.

  Amused again, I fist-bumped him and ruffled his hair before turning to ehe house. Only Mom was at the door waiting with a big smile. As I approached a few steps, she nodded her head behind me.

  The boy was still standing there with his back to the house. I didn't see a bike anywhere. Shrugging in uainty at Mom, I approached the boy again to ask how he had gotten here. "Hello, little buddy, don't you have a bike?" I asked the boy, croug slightly to be at his eye level.

  "No," the boy simply replied.

  "Okay... so how did you get here?" I asked again.

  "I don't know," the boy replied, shrugging his shoulders.

  "Do you know where your home is?" I asked.

  "Yes," the boy said, nodding.

  Waiting a moment to see if the child would move on his own, but he did nothing, I asked, "Where?"

  The child simply raised his hand and pointed down one of the streets, "that way," he said simply, l his hand again.

  "Well, you better go, it's starting to get dark," I told the child as I ruffled his hair again.

  "Okay," the child said as he walked away at a leisurely pace.

  Watg him go made me feel uneasy; I remembered stories my colleague used to listen to in the ambunce during break time - 'true crime,' if I recall correctly. They were horribly traumatic stories, and seeing the little boy walking alone dowreet just made a part of my brain feel especially upset.

  "I'm going to apany him," I quickly told mom, waiting for her rea. With a sweet smile, mom simply nodded, so I took it as permission.

  Quickly catg up to the child, I lifted him onto my shoulders, seating him behind my head. "Okay, which way is it?" I asked the strangely calm child.

  "That way," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, pointing.

  At a slightly brisk pace, I began to follow his dires. Several mier, which trao many small steps, we arrived at a house behind a big tree. "It's here," said the child.

  When we reached the door, I lowered him from my shoulders and rang the bell. A moment ter, a very hairy, shirtless man with gsses opehe door with a puzzled expression. "Yes?" he asked, still intrigued.

  "Hello, good evening, your son ying with my little brother, and it's getting dark, so I apanied him here," I said, pointing to the small child beside me.

  The man lowered his gaze, and his expression quickly ged from intrigue to surprise. "Dewey!" he excimed in amazement. "I thought you were in your room with your brothers."

  "No," the child said calmly as he ehe house.

  Amused by the situation, I could only ugh a bit. "Well, have a good night," I said, bidding farewell to the man.

  "Oh, yes, thank you very much," the awkward man said, patting my shoulder strangely and nodding slowly.

  With a smile, I nodded bad turo leave. Behind me, I heard the door close as I tinued my way bae.

  Upon arriving home, I found my family waiting in the dining room. "Hurry up, PJ, we've been waiting for you," Bob said.

  I quickly went to the bathroom to wash my hands and face.

  Dinner proceeded retively normally. Gabe talked about how he had met his many friends, while Teddy shared some things he had discussed with his friends.

  Finally, Gabe, who had been yawniedly, was forced by mom to get ready for bed, annoyed because he wao train with Bob and me. He grumbled as he left the dining room for the bathroom.

  After helping to take the dirty dishes to the kit, Bob and I went out to the garage, where Bob turned on the light and opehe rge door, saying, "For ventition," as he stretched his arms.

  Bob insisted on being the first one uhe weights.

  At first, we were w out in silence, but after a few repetitions, Bob began to ask about my daily life, my friends at schoina, the hospital, doctors, books, and basically anything that came to his mind iween his aes about iions.

  After a few hours of exercise, Bob, with a towel he used to wipe away his sweat around his neck, cpped once. "Ah, I feel it," he excimed with a big smile. "The muscle burn, I missed this feeling," he said with a grin, squeezing one of my shoulders.

  "Well, today roductive day," Bob affirmed as he closed the garage det ready for bed, tomorrow is the first game of the season," Bob tinued with excitement, turning off the garage light and guidio exit with him.

  Saying goodbye to Bob, who went to up in his own bathroom, I quietly entered my room.

  Gabe was already asleep, so I carefully took some clothes to wear after taking a shower.

  After pleting my nighttime routine, I returo my room and prepared my backpack for the day. When I picked up the book that House had lehe letter fell to my feet. Carefully pig it up, I felt my pulse rise again. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I put the book in my backpack, grabbed my fshlight from my desk, ao my bed.

  Slowly, in my bed, I opehe letter, looking at the finely handwritteers. Once again, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before starting to read the letter.

  "Dear Mr. Dun,

  I write this after reading your incredibly well-structured letter full of questions and theories that holy surprised me. You must uand, not every day does a letter filled with accurate predis about one's own researd in your hands. When I read your letter on behalf ory, I thought it would be theories of his own making, but no, remarkably they were annotations from a young person no older than sixteen. Gregory told me that you are studying with him; gratutions. Personally, I taught Gregory for a few years, and I assure you that he is one of the most gifted doctors out there. With him, you will learn many things (I hope it's his medical ability and not his... etric personality).

  But, I would like to offer you somethier. How about you e with me to tihe research? I uand that as a teenager, you have other things on yenda besides studying or researg a b topic with a b old man. So, I offer you the opportunity to be a part of the research from your home. If you wish, I send you my current notes and the path I wish to take.

  Please think about it. You always reply with a letter through the previous means if you wish. I always have a residence ready for you here on the campus. It's your decision, and I hope to hear good news.

  Dr. Donnall Thomas, Professor of Oncology at Harvard Medical School"

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  Glossary

  Intraventricur interferon*: Treatment for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

  Tendinitis*: Infmmation of the thick fibrous ective tissues that attach muscles to bones.

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  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri, aainly not a doctor.

  This cludes today's chapter. I decided not to cut it further (the previous chapter art of this one) and to tinue writing. The chapter will likely be uploaded this Tuesday, and it will be shorter, around 1.5k-2k words.

  We introduced a few characters; let's see if you decipher who they are :D

  Things I'd like to crify:

  1. The iion with the kids seudo-attempt to see how to write a ses. The uping chapters will focus on the game, so I'd like to know what you thought (It's quite obvious who the kid with big ears is, but let's see who guess it first). 2. I'll try to develop Teddy's character more because I had left it a bit unexplored. 3. The retionship with Foreman will start improving in a feters. Again, I like the character, but there had to be an "antagonist" at the hospital.

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading :D.