Sorry for the dey.

  Enjoy.

  ---

  "Leprosy, really?" incredulous but not immediately dismissing my diagnosis, Dr. Foreman asked.

  "I'm pretty sure," I responded, nodding slowly. "We run a Fite stain, it should be positive," I added once we arrived at the diagnostic lounge.

  "Oh, it'll be. Daddy hung out at the wrong kind of Indian ashram," House decred sarcastically.

  "But it's obviously dormant in the dad," Foreman, still incredulous, stated. "How could the kid catch it?"

  "It's not dormant in the dad," House immediately said. "It's just slow. Like the kid, the dad was misdiagnosed with carpal tunnel, but what was really happening is that his ulnar nerves are damaged," House expio Foreman, diagnosing what I had discovered. "Run a Fite stain," he ordered the other doctor, leaning slightly toward him.

  "No wonder he got anthrax," Dr. Rowan scoffed as Dr. Foremahe room. "The leprosy weakened his immune system."

  "Vicious circle. The leprosy made him vulnerable to the anthrax, and the anthrax treatment put the leprosy in overdrive," House stated calmly as he walked to his chair.

  "But the antibiotics we gave him, they cure leprosy," Chase said, frowning.

  In theory, that was true, but there were things to sider.

  "Yeah, expin that, kid," House said, pointing at me as he took a seat. "I'm pretty tired of talking."

  "Tired of talking? You?" I asked ironically. Everyone in the room, except for one person, knew how much House enjoyed giving his speeches. "The antibiotics hit the rands," I began to expin, ign House's falsely offended expression. "They kill the leprosy bacteria, and the corpses get tossed into the system."

  "And our bodies are so stupid that—" House said with an odd smile, stopping and pointing at me.

  "They produtibodies to fight dead bacteria," I said, shaking my head in amusement at House's intervention. "The antibodies attack the neural and fat cells, causing infmmation and all the rest of the symptoms."

  "So the cure's killing him," Dr. Rowan said, nodding in uanding and shaking his head in disbelief.

  "Basically," I replied, nodding.

  "I want you to call down to Carville, Louisiana," House ordered Cameron. "They had the st leper y in the Lower 48. Get 'em to send up some thalidomide."

  "Thalidomide?" Cameron asked, surprised.

  "Twelve-year-olds don't have sex, right?" House asked sarcastically. "So he 't be pregnant," he added with a careless shrug. "Make the call," he said seriously, prompting Cameron to nod and leave the office shortly after.

  Behind Cameron, Chase was also ready to leave the office.

  "I o speak to your boy," House called out, stopping Chase and speaking to Dr. Rowan, though it was clear he was Chase not to leave.

  Dr. Rowan looked at House for a sed before nodding slightly and standing up, with an oddly poorly hidden effort.

  Gng at House, I found him looking at me with silent uanding in his eyes.

  "Good luck," I mouthed to Chase as I followed Dr. Rowan out of the room, tilting my head slightly to avoid smiling.

  "What you do is really impressive, son," Dr. Rowan said kindly as we walked down the hospital hallway.

  "Thank you, sir," I replied, nodding. "I've been learning from Dr. House for months now. He's a good teacher," I added.

  "No matter how good a teacher someone is, if the student has no talent, it's useless. And you, son, you have talent for diagnosing, and at ye..." he said, stopping and exhaling in an oddly proud manner while shaking his head in amusement.

  It was strao receive so mucement from the man, especially given how painfully obvious his poor retionship with his son was.

  "Thanks," I repeated, smiling slightly. Taking advantage of the fact that the man was now fag me, I did a quick physical examination—at least what I could see.

  And it was bad. I hadn't noticed before because I wasn't really looking, but the man showed clear signs of illness in his body and face—fatigue, sweat, bags under his eyes, his slightly hunched posture, and he even seemed short of breath despite us having walked only a short distance.

  "I'm sorry, I hope I'm not being intrusive, but why did you e to Texas?" I asked, hiding my true iions by tilting my head slightly. "It doesn't seem like an attempt to recile with Chase."

  "Doesn't seem like it, right?" the man asked with a sad smile, l his head slightly. "Robert and I certainly haven't had the best retionship since his mother and I separated," he expined calmly. "But you're right. The reason I'm here isirely to mend things with Robert. I'm here to attend some feren Houston, so I thought I'd pay a small visit," he added, returning to the subject, surely realizing he was talking to me.

  He was definitely lying. I didn't uand why.

  "I see," I murmured, nodding slowly.

  "You must think I'm a bad father," the man said with a slight smile.

  Yeah, I mean, from what little I know, yeah.

  "No, of course not," I quickly lied, smiling at the man. "I don't have a great retionship with my father myself. There's a small barrier that does with my mother, you know?" I quickly added, tinuing with my lie.

  "Well, this may be ironiing from me," Dr. Rowan scoffed, "but I strongly reend trying to work things out with your father. You never know how much time you have," he said with a sad smile, looking toward the end of the hallway where the diagnostic lounge was.

  Wait.

  While Dr. Rowan had his face turned, I caught a glimpse of his neck for a few seds.

  "You have cer," I stated, immediately reizing the little blue dot under his colr.

  "I'm sorry?" the man asked, widening his eyes and immediately turning his attention bae, incredulous.

  "You're definitely lying about the ference. And even though you're trying to hide it, I see signs of weakness in how you move. You're sick," I stated seriously. "Dr. Wilson is a great oncologist but a terrible liar. If I ask him, I bet I'll find out the truth right away," I added before the man could even think of denying it.

  Staring at me, the man remained pletely silent for a while.

  "Really impressive," he finally said, exhaling.

  "How long?" I asked. It was quite easy to deduce it was terminal just from his words.

  If I had to guess based on visible symptoms alone—lung cer.

  "Lungs. Stage four," the man responded after another couple of seds of silence, firming my theory. "Three months."

  I feel really bad about this diagnosis.

  "I'm sorry," I said, both for my 'imprudence' iioning him that way and for the weight of the prognosis.

  "Don't be," Dr. Rowan immediately told me. "You're a prodigy. If you see something wrong, you 't help but feel curious," the man said, oddly amused.

  "Even though it wasn't my pce to instigate," I quickly said, raising my hands slightly.

  "Like I said, son, don't worry," the man said with a kind smile. "Now, I expect you not to tell anyone about this," he added, tilting his head.

  "Of course," I responded immediately.

  It would be quite difficult to hide it from House, but it usible.

  "Not even Chase," the man said. "I'd prefer not to tell him."

  I'd just have to make up some nonsense about the man—maybe some embarrassi or something simir... wait.

  "What?" I asked, incredulous.

  "I don't want him to know," the man said seriously, l his face slightly and looking at me.

  I retty fih not telling anyone about this, but this was definitely different.

  "Why?" I asked, incredulous. The man had only a few months left to live, and he didn't pn on telling his son.

  "I'm sorry, son, but here's where your curiosity must end," the man said with an apologetic smile. "It's not your business," he added.

  "I 't do that," I decred, frowning.

  "Do what?" the man asked, fused.

  "I'm sorry, sir, but if you don't tell Chase, then I will," I decred, narrowing my eyes and looking directly at him.

  "You 't do this," the man murmured, shaking his head, eyes wide.

  "That's the thing about not being a doctor yet, Dr. Rowan," I decred as I slowly walked back to the lounge. "I haven't had a sihics css. I still don't know what I and 't do," I added, spinning on my heels and walking away on my own.

  Without looking back for a sed—since I khe man wasn't following me—I reached the lounge, where, without saying goodbye or answering House's obviously ied questions, I left with my things.

  As I drove away from the hospital, remembering the expression on the older man's face, I felt pretty bad about having to threaten him to get him to talk to Chase about it. I would definitely do it again if necessary, but that didn't take away the disfort in my stomach.

  Fortunately, training with Case helped me ter my mind, and hitting a pung bag certainly helped.

  The day, much more determined about what I had said the day before, I was at school during lunch, listening amusedly to Geie's narration of some strange dream he had, when Kat and Mande approached the table.

  "Did you hear about Jake Thompson's party?" Kat asked as she sat down at the table.

  "No," I immediately replied, but my voice was drowned out by the voices of everyone else at the table.

  "Yes."

  "What?" I asked, fused. "How e I didn't know about it?" I added.

  I actually partially khe answer, it was just—

  "If someone had told you, would you have gone?" Mande asked, frowning, obviously knowing the answer.

  Yeah, that.

  "Probably not," I immediately replied, shaking my head. "But I'd like to be involved in things," I added, shrugging.

  "Oh, PJ," Kat said softly, smiling with exaggerated dession as she pced her hand on my shoulder.

  "Yeah, yeah," I murmured dismissively, pushing her hand away while eating my lunch.

  "What about the party?" Geie asked, sn in amusement. "You're not going?" he added, surprised.

  "We are," Kat quickly nodded, pointing at herself and Mande. "I was just asking about this guy," she added, pointing at me without looking.

  "What?" I asked, slightly choking on my food. "Why?" I added, squinting.

  "Oh, I thought you might want to go with Diane. She is yirlfriend, after all," Kat replied sarcastically, looking at me strangely.

  Choking again, this time on my own saliva, I asked, "What?"

  "She's a teenager, and as a teenager myself, I'm takio a party," Kat decred arrogantly, silently supported by Mande's enthusiastiodding.

  I really couldn't refute anything Kat had said. She was definitely right—Diane should have more fun than just being with 'the mothers,' Kat and Mande, and, as much as it pained me to say it, with me.

  "Yeah, you're right," I said, nodding.

  "And even if you don't go, you 't stop Diane from going," Kat quickly said, apparently not hearing my response. "But I think you, being her boyfriend, should apao her first party so she be safer."

  "I said yes," I said, amused.

  "What?" Kat asked incredulously.

  "I said yes," I repeated slowly. "You're right. Diane has the right to have fun at a party, or at least experie once. I won't stop her if she wants to go, and I'll definitely go with her," I added.

  If for some reason Diaually enjoyed being in a pce with dozens of drunk teenagers dang to loud music, it would certainly be a sight to see.

  "Ah, okay," Kat murmured, nodding, apparently not expeg that response from me.

  "And still, I'm not Geie's mom," I said, fused. "No offense," I added, looking at my friend, who was, at that momeing a sandwi a rather unappealing manner.

  "Don't worry," Geie said casually, his mouth full of sandwich.

  "I'm not against going to parties," I said, trying to ighe small bits of food that flew out of Geie's mouth onto the table we shared, slowly moving my food farther away.

  "No, no," Kat denied, responding with evident skepticism.

  "What? I'm not," I immediately decred, offended. "I just don't enjoy the atmosphere, right?" I added, trying to seek support from my 'friends.'

  Geie and David, who were oher side of the table, quickly avoided all eye tact with me.

  "If you say so. Clearly, it has nothing to do with the fact that you don't know how to have fun," Kat murmured, fog her attention ba her lunch.

  "I know how to have fun," I quickly decred, strangely feeling offended. "I'm a fun guy," I added, slightly expanding my shoulders. "You," I said, pointing at audent alking by with a tray, presumably to return it. I made him stop. "I'm fun, right?" I asked, smiling.

  "Yes, sir," the other student, who robably in our year and, to be ho, not very tall, immediately replied.

  "See?" I decred, pointing at the guy, who quickly walked away from the table.

  "That doesn't t," Kat said seriously, shaking her head. "You basically forced him to say what you wanted."

  "I did not," I retorted, offended.

  "Yeah, you did," Geie and David said at the same time, apparently deg to stop avoiding my gaze.

  "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm a fun guy," I decred. "I just don't like parties that much, that's it," I added, making it clear I wouldn't tihe topic.

  "Whatever you say, smart pants," Kat said, smirking arrogantly.

  I'm fun.

  Later that day, when I arrived at the hospital, I found Cameron and Chase w on some dots in the diagnostics lounge.

  "Hey," Chase greeted me with a carefree smile before I could even try to figure out if he had talked to his father yet.

  I guess they haven't talked yet.

  "Hey, PJ," Cameroed me kindly, lifting her face from the dots she was w on.

  "Hey, how's everything?" I asked as I hung my things on the hooks in the lounge.

  "Fihe thalidomide arrived st night, and Gabe is improving quickly," Cameron immediately responded.

  "That's great," I said, nodding in relief.

  "Kid!" House shouted from his office.

  L my head slightly, I sighed, ign Chase, who was grinning vindictively. A moment ter, I walked straight to House's office.

  I khis was going to happen. It was obvious House would be ied in Dr. Rowan and whatever he was hiding.

  "Yeah?" I asked, smiling awkwardly at House as I entered.

  "Close the door," he ordered, narrowing his eyes slightly.

  "What do you need?" I asked after closing the door to his private office, walking to one of the empty chairs by his desk.

  "What? I 't just say hi to my protégé?" he asked, dramatically pressing his hand to his heart.

  "I didn't find anything iing," knowing where the versation was going I told House, keeping my expression as serious as possible. "Maybe he's cheating on his wife, but I couldn't get a direswer," I added, shrugging.

  "Mmh," House hummed, nodding slowly with his eyes still narrowed in suspi.

  "Do you know what a macrobiotic diet is?" House asked, leaning ba his chair.

  "Yeah," I replied, l my head i.

  There was no point in trying to hide what I had found—House had figured it out on his own.

  "So you found out," House said, slightly impressed. "Yetting good at lying. Good," he added, oddly proud.

  "How?" I asked, g my jaw, curious if I had missed something.

  "After you left like someone had just told you he had terminal lung cer, Dr. Rowan didn't take long to leave as well," House narrated casually. "So I deduced you two talked about something bad."

  "Of course," I murmured, rolling my eyes in exasperation at both myself and Dr. Rowan.

  House smirked, proud. "So, why are you going to tell him?" he asked seriously, tilting his head toward the wall where Cameron and Chase were w.

  "He deserves to know," I responded immediately. "Why weren't you going to tell him?" I asked, matg House's seriousness.

  "I don't care," he replied instantly, shrugging as he lifted a magazio pletely cover his face.

  Sighing, I opehe door to leave the office.

  "All good?" Chase asked me with an amused smile.

  "Just House," I replied sarcastically, tilting my head. Both Chase and Cameron sighed and nodded in uanding without me needing to expin further.

  "Hey, I'm a fun guy, right?" I asked, recalling my versation with Kat at school.

  My question made the two doctors in front of me stop smiling pletely.

  "Yeah," they both answered at the same time after exging a brief gnce.

  "Tell me the truth," I said, frowning quickly. "Please," I added.

  "You're funny," Cameron said with a slightly awkward smile, l her head slightly.

  Even though it wasn't an insult, it certainly felt like one.

  "What?" I asked incredulously. "No, not you guys too," I added, shaking my head in frustration.

  "I'm sorry, mate, it's just that you're a sixteen-year-old who spends half his day w in a hospital without pay," Chase decred with an awkward smile, making Cameron nod in agreement. "And you're probably the only teenager in the world who drives uhe speed limit with that car," he added, narrowing his eyes slightly.

  "Every Monday when I ask about your weekend, it's almost always the same answer," Cameron added, pressing her lips together unfortably. "Never a party or something stupid like the rest of your peers."

  Mouth slightly open, unsure of what to say, I nodded and forced myself to slowly y mouth as I walked out of the room.

  I was definitely fun.

  For some reason, that day I felt o practiything in the skills b. Instead, I walked to the hospital auditorium, calling Neil, the person in charge of miseous equipment, beforehand to set up a projector for me.

  I had some surgery videos I wao watch, and rather than viewing them on a small television, I was going to do something out of the ordinary. I was fun.

  Much ter that day, after training aurning home, I decided to go to Meemaw's house to meet up with Diane.

  "Hey," Diane greeted me with a soft smile a few seds after I knocked on the door.

  "Hello," Diane responded, pressing her lips together slightly.

  "So, Kat told you about the party," I asked seriously after prreeting Diane, as we sat on Meemaw's porch.

  "Oh yeah, we eveo buy new clothes for the party," Diane quickly responded. "Kat said 'cool clothes,' whatever that is," she added, narrowing her eyes slightly in amusement.

  "Really?" I asked, surprised. " I see this 'cool clothes'?" I asked, smiling.

  "You'll have to wait," Diane decred pyfully with a small smile.

  "Are you sure about that? You're just building expectation," I asked, f myself to keep a ral expression.

  "That's a fair point," Diane said, narrowing her eyes and nodding slightly. "But I think it's fine. Kat, Mande, and the store clerk all agreed that you'd be 'mesmerized' by me," she added calmly and proudly.

  I wasn't sure she was supposed to tell me that.

  "Now I really want to see it," I said amused. "So I suppose correctly that you want to go to the party," I asked, resting my head on my hand as I got lost in Diane's eyes.

  "Oh yeah, Kat made it sound like an iing experience. I want to go," Diane decred, nodding calmly.

  "All right," I murmured, smiling as I he seriousness in Diane's response and her ck of hesitation.

  The day passed without anything really iing happening, like any other day—until the evening. Kat and Mande had arrived, 'kidnapping' Diane from my house, where we had been watg movies, agreeing on a time to meet outside Meemaw's house sihey ime to 'get ready.'

  Cheg my wat disbelief, I noticed that there were still almost two hours left before the agreed time.

  "Yoing to a party?" Mom asked as she stepped out of her room at the same time Dia with Kat and Mande.

  "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, I fot to tell you," I responded, deg to pletely ighe fact that Mom had obviously been eavesdropping.

  I hoped she wouldn't be mad at me for my irresponsibility in telling her. Definitely a fun guy.

  "Oh, that's good," Mom decred cheerfully.

  What?

  "It's really good that yoing out," she added, relieved. "Have fun, and don't let Diane drink too much at her first party," she reminded me seriously.

  "Wait," I said, stopping Mom as she headed back to her room. "Aren't you going to warn me, I don't know, not to drink or to be responsible?" I asked, frowning.

  "Oh," Mom said, strangely caught off guard, tilting her head back slightly. "Well, you're you. I didn't see the o remind you of something I was sure you were already going to do."

  Even my mother...

  Before I could say anything else, Charlie's g from Mom's room quickly caught her attention, and she walked swiftly toward it. "Mommy's ing, Charlie!" she excimed in a baby voice halfway down the hallway.

  "Hey, Gabe," I said to my brother, who had been sitting with Diane and me.

  "Yeah?" he asked without taking his eyes off the television.

  "I'm a cool guy, right? Fun and stuff?" I asked.

  "Yeah," he answered easily, nodding. Unlike everyone else who had givehe same respohis time, Gabe actually meant it.

  "Thanks, bud," I murmured, patting his shoulder.

  With half an hour left before the agreed time, I got ready, putting on basically what I wore every day—a heteroatic polo shirt, my pants, and sneakers.

  After finishing five mier, I looked at myself in the mirror and remembered what everyone I had asked had told me. Nodding resolutely, knowing I couldn't choose a better 'look,' I went to the only person in my house who could help me.

  "What?" Teddy asked, opening her door aing loud music spill out. Inside, Biand Baja, her friends, were lying on her bed reading magazines.

  "Would you help me choose something different to wear?" I asked, pointing at my clothes.

  "Yes," Teddy immediately responded as if she had been waiting for this moment her entire life, not even needing to think about it. "e on," she said excitedly, pushioward my room. Her two friends followed shortly after, just as excited.

  Almost immediately, I regretted my decision, but I khere was n back.

  "It's a party, so you 't go formal," Teddy said while she and the other two rummaged through my closet.

  Biand Baja occasionally pulled out a piece of clothing, showing it to the rest, and within seds, they reached a sensus. From what I gathered, there were three piles—definitely no, maybe, and yes.

  "So this, right?" Teddy asked her friends, pointing at a small set of clothes. After studyihey nodded slowly. "All right, get dressed," Teddy ordered as she walked out of my room.

  It took my sister a couple of seds to realize her friends hadn't followed her. Instead, they stood there, seemingly expeg me to undress in front of them. Obviously, I didn't. Instead, I looked at them unfortably.

  "Really?" Teddy asked incredulously, returning a moment ter and dragging her friends out of the room. "He's my brother," I heard her say in annoyance as she closed the door behind her.

  Sighing in disbelief, I ged into the outfit they had chosen— a shirt, pants, and a pair of shoes London had bought for me but that I had never worn, not finding the right occasion.

  A mier, I opened my door to find Teddy awo friends waiting outside.

  "Oh yeah," Teddy nodded proudly. "Just—" she stepped closer and unbuttohe top button of my shirt, partially revealing my chest. "That's it," she decred, smiling at her friends, who nodded in agreement.

  Bianca, standio Teddy, slowly raised her hand as if trying to touch me. Before I could react, Teddy, pletely unfazed, swatted her hand away.

  "Okay," I murmured, fused. "Well, tha—" I was about to thank her, but Teddy interrupted me.

  "Now, accessories and fragrance," she decred, g her hands before pushing me bato my room.

  Once again, the three girls started searg through my things.

  "This is the only watch you have?" Teddy asked, looking displeased as she poi the watch I had bought for work. It was quite funal.

  "Yeah," I answered, slightly offended by her disgusted expression.

  "I'm going to check Dad's watches," she said, shaking her head incredulously as she walked out of my room, leaving me aloh her two friends, who were now standing in front of me.

  "So, how are you?" I asked with a smile, feeling slightly unfortable after a few seds.

  Instead of answering, Biance again raised her hand, attempting to touch my exposed chest, and once again, before I could stop her, Baja intervened.

  "You have to be strong," Baja reminded Bianca with an oddly ed tone, pletely ign my incredulous expression.

  "All right, this is the best I could find," Teddy said as she returned, holding a wat her hand. "You o buy more accessories," she added, forcibly grabbing my hand and putting Bob's waty wrist.

  "Well, I think that's it," Teddy said, stepping back after another couple of minutes, nodding in satisfa. "gratutions, girls," she added, smiling formally at her friends.

  "gratutions," Biand Baja echoed at the same time, mimig Teddy's formal tone as they shook hands.

  Cheg Bob's waty wrist, I realized it ractically the time we had agreed to leave for the party. I really didn't uand how we had taken so long.

  "Well, thanks, girls," I said pyfully, pressing a rough kiss on my sister's forehead.

  "Ew," Teddy replied, trying to escape my grasp.

  "See you ter," I added awkwardly as I let go of my sister and noticed both Biand Baja taking a small step forward. Unfortable, I quickly left my room.

  After saying goodbye to Gabe, who was still watg TV, I left the house, worried that I was already a few minutes past the agreed time with the girls.

  When I arrived at Meemaw's house, I was fused to see that Maruck was still parked oreet. I knocked on the door and waited for a few seds.

  "ho are you?" Meemaw asked as she opehe door, holding a cup in her hand.

  "I don't look different," I stated seriously, not amused by the implication in Meemaw's words.

  "Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Meemaw murmured sarcastically, nodding. "They're not ready yet, wait there," she said, pointing to the ben her porch before stepping baside and closing the door behind her.

  "What?" I asked the closed door. They had been in there for over two hours—what could possibly be taking them so long?

  Ten mier, my questions faded entirely as I saw Diaep out, now wearing makeup, a short red dress, and a bck leather jacket.

  "Hey," Diane said, smiling slightly, looking a little embarrassed, breaking the silence.

  sider me mesmerized.

  ---

  When transting the chapter, 300 words disappeared, usually it's 50-60 words when transting from Spanish to English, but this time there were many more, there may be some mistakes in this chapter, when I I'll fix them, sorry for that.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri, not a doctor, not a fighter, not Magnus Carlsen, not Michael Phelps and not Arsene Lupin.

  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

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.