"...Jackson, Jackson," a voice was saying, and my eyes fluttered open and I looked up at Julianne and Whennerholm's faces. I sat up with their help. My head spun for a second, and then I felt fine. "Time to leave. I just clocked out after signing you off." 

Julianne held up a pile of clothes. "We'll wait outside," she said, and the two left. I stood once i heard the door clock shut and pulled the boxers on, my face reddening as I realized I'd been wearing only a hospital gown in front of all those people... I slapped me cheek a little, hitting my sore jaw and wincing a bit. I pulled on the pants, the clothes that I'd been wearing before coming to the hospital. Julianne must've sent them with a sheets load or something. 

I sat down on the chair next to my bed to pull on my socks, my shoes having been waiting by the bed. I had to stop once or twice when it got a little hard to breath. That happened sometimes when I just woke up and moved around a lot. I pulled on my shoes, a pair of Vans high tops Amber had sent me for my birthday last year. I was short and didn't grow, so the shoes still fit me. I grabbed my bag. 

I walked to the door, my ankle twinging a little but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I opened the door and interrupted Julianne and Whennerholm's conversation. Julianne gave me a smile and Whennerholm gestured for me to come. "We're picking up Lana from piano lessons and then going to your house," he said. 

"Shouldn't he be using a wheelchair because of his ankle at least to your car?" Julianne asked, putting a hand on my chest to stop me for s moment. 

Whennerholm waved his hand in the air at her without looking back. "Walk it off!"

Julianne put a hand to her head. "I can't believe it. A man with multiple medical degrees and at the top of his peers just told a patient to "walk it off". I may as well quit school!" she mumbled under her breath. I cracked a smile and followed Dr. Whennerholm. The hospital was huge, having multiple wings that could account for almost every kind of illness and having several doctors that specialized in each field. It was a piece of medical machinery. 

I had to pause to catch my breath because Whennerholm was tall and had a longer stride that I did, not to mention that I was exhausted as well. We made it to an elevator and he pressed the button for the staff parking garage. There were several other doctors in the lift and they greeted Whennerholm before going back to their phones, papers, or what have you. The lift dinged. 

I followed him out as he walked to his car in its reserved parking spot. It beeped as he clicked the keys and I went around to the passenger side. I slid in and finally took a moment to catch my breath. He started the car and pulled out, the engine soft and the turns smooth. To say the least, Whennerholm had good taste in cars. 

We pulled out onto the streets, a little traffic making the doctor grumble in frustration as he wove his way in and out of cars, turning down a back street at one point. It was six in the evening on a Friday and the streets were packed. "Lana's lesson ends at six ten and if I'm late again that old hag... I mean, her lovely teacher is going to charge me extra," he grumbled. I smiled at it, knowing he was complaining just to complain. He was a top of the line doctor and surgeon, money wasn't an issue for him. I got the sense he just wanted to see his daughter.

After a seven minute drive in silence, he pulled the car over, flicked on the emergency lights, and got out, running up to the house we were in front of and taking the stairs two at a time. He knocked on the door and a moment after an older woman appeared with the little girl I knew as Lana. The four year old threw herself into her dad's arms and he swung her around, looking like he hadn't seen her in years. 

He waved goodbye to the old woman and walked Lana down the steps to the car. As he opened the back seat door and adjusted the carseat, she poked her head over the edge of the window to see me. I waved at her a little, and she pressed her fingers against the glass in greeting. 

Whennerholm lifted her into the seat and buckled her in, poking her stomach once before walking around and getting into the car that was still running. "Hello Jackson." Lana said in her sweet little voice. I turned around so I could see her smiled. She leaned forward, pointing to the bandage on my cheek that covered the bruising there. "You got hurt?" she asked. 

I nodded. "A bad guy," I said. She nodded as if she completely understood and then went to playing with her stuffed animal. Whennerholm turned on the radio and I listened to the music, some oddball band that I'd never heard of. 

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked. 

"Doughnuts!" Lana called from the back. I smiled and Whennerholm shrugged. 

"Anything for my sweetheart," he said, keeping his eyes on the road as he reached back to tickle her. "I'm gonna spoil you rotten and then let you go off to college," he said. "Make you have to come back to your old papa when you can't pay rent." he said. 

I looked at him with a horrified expression. "Julianne is right; don't be so morbid. Someone might think you're a sociopath." 

He grinned. 

The drive to the doughnut shop Whennerholm insisted on was twenty-five minutes with traffic. I got the idea of where we were about based on the GPS he had running. We'd be maybe fifteen minutes from my house all said and done. I leaned my head against the glass, watching the city roll by as Lana hummed along to the music. We reached the doughnut shop and Whennerholm stopped the car. 

"You stay here," he said while pulling Lana from the back seat. I nodded, leaning back into my seat as Whennerholm walked into the shop with Lana. I watched them for a moment as the little girl picked out the treats, an appropriate dinner for a Friday in my opinion. 

My head bumped against the headrest as I let out a sigh. After a few minutes of listening to my heartbeat making an unsteady rhythm in my ears, I fell into a half-asleep state. I faintly registered Whennerholm and Lana coming back to the car, Lana asking "is he sleepy?" and Whennerholm replying that I was a little sick. 

The ride to my house was a little steadier as we moved into the wealthier residential area. My parents made more than descent money, and they appreciated material things that were nice. It was funny that I was the only one who lived in out large house most of the time, my aunt coming and staying with me if my health got too bad. It got lonely every once in a while, but sometimes Amber would come when she didn't have training, and Whennerholm and Lana would come and have dinner, like tonight. They had keys to the house. 

The car paused at the gate and Whennerholm punched in the code, pulling through once it opened. I could barely keep my eyes open as he parked and got out of the car. He unbuckled Lana and handed her the doughnut box, explaining that he was giving her a great responsibility to carry the "gold that lay inside the box."

He returned to car after opening the door for her and leaving it open to get me. "Come on kiddo," he said, opening my door and bending down. I managed to open my eyes. "You need some help getting into the house?" He asked, sounding less like a doctor and more like a dad. I nodded. He took my arm and pulled me out of the car, helping me to the house. He shut the door with his foot and then took me to the dining room where Lana had gotten into the china and pulled out three plates and some spoons. 

I sat down with Whennerholm's help as Lana took her seat at the head of the large table between the two of us. I took the offered doughnut from Lana, a bright pink one with sprinkles, before she decided otherwise and took it for herself and gave me a chocolate one. We ate with Lana's narrative on how everything tasted, her spoon discarded and eating with her hands. I grew tired halfway through mine and just took to resting my head on my hand. 

At some point I excused myself and went to the kitchen to take my pills, all the bottles set out on the counter in a special order that was utterly random. I saw the bag that contained the new ones, and I pulled them out. Two more bottles. Only one of each twice a day until they were gone. I took all the pills, drinking some extra water before walking to the stairs. 

"We'll wash up and head home." Whennerholm called from the dining room where Lana sang about how delicious the food was. 

"Alright," I said back before making my way upstairs with my bag gripped loosely in my hand. I made it to my room and laid down on my bed, the warm grey pullover I wore enough. I tired not to think about everything, letting it all go to the back of my mind. it would all be fine. It would all be fine.