I missed this, being a paramedic my main mission was just to first aid people, of course, we saved lives, but only so they could reach the hospital, an important job, yes, but discovering how to save someone, finding the causes of an illness, is a completely different feeling.

The rounds of questions with House felt so comforting, using knowledge that I hadn't used in a long time was impressive, I had to study more, what I had once learned was getting a bit rusty, I hadn't answered at the speed I would have been capable of when I was in the last year of medical school, but how? I can't just ask for money to buy medical books, they're expensive, and I need the money for the bet, the Internet is not yet such an easy thing to use, I needed a way to access knowledge.

"Kid, I forgot, I won't report to your mother, but I have one more condition," said House, who had returned and was standing in the patient's room doorway, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Annoyed by his new threat, I couldn't say anything, furious, I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, stopping myself from hitting the incapacitated doctor. "You just have to come here from time to time, to play this... game we did, I think you can be useful to me," House said, noticing my silence as he leaned on his cane with an ironic smile.

"What?" I asked incredulously about his condition.

"Yes, I have a... team of 'expert' specialists, but it's more fun to talk to you, besides, it will be interesting to see how they react to being outsmarted by a kid of, what, 10 years?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm fifteen, almost sixteen," I quickly responded, defending myself, damn teenage hormones, why did I feel attacked when he mocked my age?

"Yes, fifteen years old and answering questions that would make residents cry," he said as he approached slowly, "tell me, how do you know all that, are you a genius? Do you have photographic memory? Are you autistic, by any chance?" House mocked a little with each question, "no, obviously you're not a genius, just a strange kid, am I right?" he said after studying my face.

"Since Mom told me about the case, I focused on it and I've been studying to become a doctor," I quickly replied.

"Oh, it shows, you have that spark of wanting to save lives in your eyes," he said with a snort, "as I said, obviously you're not a genius," he repeated.

"Yes, I want to save lives, isn't that the most important part of being a doctor?" I responded, annoyed by his mockery.

"Sure, that and being the most wanted passenger on a flight when there's an accident on board, basically the most important person on the plane, after the pilot, of course," he sarcastically replied, "you still haven't answered, kid, where did you learn all this?" he asked again, looking steadily into my eyes.

"In books, at my school library," I lied, trying to hide the nerves that were beginning to creep in.

"Mmh, of course, the Texan education system, shining since they closed the border to Mexicans," he said sarcastically, "come on, Duncan, you can do better than that," he said, emphasizing my last name, "maybe I should ask your mother."

"No," I quickly responded with some anxiety.

"No?" he asked, smiling with satisfaction, "so it's a secret, huh?" he said, straightening up a bit.

"No, she knows I want to be a doctor, she just doesn't know I've been studying so much," I quickly lied, finding an excuse.

"Like I said, everyone lies," he said, turning to walk away, "I'll tell your mother to talk to you, I'll offer to give you free medical lessons, knowing your mother's behavior a bit, I'm sure she'll accept," he said as he continued to walk away, "by the way, there are more medical books here than in your school library," he finished talking as he disappeared around a corner of the hospital.

Surprised by what had just happened, I stood frozen in place, just one conversation with House and my secret was in danger. I couldn't come here, I'm sure Mom wouldn't accept it, she hates House. Although, possibly it was true, there are more medical books here than there could be in the school library or even the public library.

Snapping out of my daze, I retraced my steps back to the emergency waiting room.

Missy and Sheldon were hugging Meemaw's arms, sitting in the chairs. Gabe was sleeping on Teddy's lap, and Georgie was getting a drink from a water fountain.

Mrs. Cooper wasn't here, neither was Mom and Bob.

"What's taking so long?" Georgie asked.

"Shh. Keep your voice down, car thief," Meemaw responded annoyed.

"I didn't steal your car, it was PJ, and we just borrowed it," Georgie replied in a much lower voice.

"What? Mr. Aces?" Meemaw asked, looking at me with annoyance.

"Thanks for that, Georgie," I told the teenager insincerely, "I'm sorry, Meemaw. Georgie wanted to drive, so I couldn't let him. I'm the older one, it was my responsibility to drive, and besides, I did well, I know how to drive," I said, embarrassed.

"It's true, Meemaw, PJ drives well, he didn't hit a single thing on the way here," Georgie supported.

"Well, I don't know what to think, Mr. Aces. I'd expect this from him," she pointed at Georgie, "but you seemed like a good kid. What's on a person's face isn't always what's in their heart," she continued while shaking her head in disappointment.

"What I know is, you two maybe are gonna need to make bail someday," she said, pointing at both of us, "do not come to me," she continued seriously.

After Meemaw's statement, the waiting room fell silent until a very excited Mrs. Cooper emerged from one of the corridors, saying, "Good news! Your daddy's gonna be fine," she told Georgie, "should be home in a day or two," she continued, giving the news to Meemaw.

"Oh, and was it a heart attack?" Meemaw asked worriedly.

"Just a minor one, no permanent damage," Mrs. Cooper replied happily.

"That's wonderful!" Meemaw celebrated.

"Our prayers have been answered," the happy Mrs. Cooper said.

"I'm so happy for you all, please give Coach Cooper my regards, congratulations," I said as I approached to sit next to Teddy.

"Oh, PJ," Mrs. Cooper said, hugging me and preventing me from sitting down, "the doctors said your quick thinking with the aspirin helped a lot, thank God you were there and thought so fast, your aspirin probably prevented it from becoming something more serious," she said with great happiness, letting go of her hug.

"Ok, come on, everybody, let's say hello to your old dad. Oh, and PJ, your parents are talking to a doctor right now, don't worry, they'll come soon," Mrs. Cooper said, taking her daughter's hand and hugging Georgie.

While Mrs. Cooper left with her daughter and older son, Meemaw stayed behind with Sheldon. "Mr. Aces, you did a good job. Not only did you help George, but you also calmed the kids. Thank you," she said with a small grateful smile, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You're welcome,-" I was saying, but she interrupted me, "but never steal my car again," she said with disdain, losing her smile. "Well, see you later," she continued with a big grin as she took her frightened grandson away.

"See you, PJ," Sheldon said fearfully as he was dragged away by his grandmother.

Sitting next to Teddy, she leaned her head on my shoulder. "What did Mom tell Dad before the Coopers knocked on the door?" she asked after yawning.

"Let them tell you," I replied softly so as not to disturb Gabe.

Several minutes passed as we waited for Mom and Bob. Teddy fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. I kept thinking about House and his 'invitation' to study with him. It could be a great opportunity for my studies; after all, House is a medical genius, according to Mom.

"PJ," Mom's gentle voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "We're leaving. George is okay. I've said goodbye to Mary and Mrs. Tucker."

Gently shifting Teddy's head to the other side, I got up, feeling my muscles a bit numb from staying in the same position for several minutes. I stretched a bit.

"Can you carry Gabe? I'll take your sister," Bob asked softly.

"Sure," I responded, lifting Gabe. I wasn't in the best physical condition yet, but Gabe wasn't very big or heavy, so I could carry him without much effort.

Bob lifted Teddy, and we all headed outside.

On the way back home in the awful yellow van, we were all silent, mainly because the kids were still sleeping. "So, PJ, you already knew?" Bob suddenly asked quietly, breaking the silence in the car.

"Yes, Dad, I found out a few days ago. Sorry for not saying anything," I responded just as quietly.

"It's okay, PJ. Don't worry, it wasn't your secret to tell," Bob said calmly. Mom nodded in agreement.

Back home, Bob and I carried the still sleeping kids. Bob placed Teddy in her room, and with Mom's help, I placed Gabe in his bed in our room.

The next day, as usual, I woke up before the alarm, even though I hadn't really slept much during the night.

The neighborhood seemed like any other day, undisturbed by the events of the previous day at the Cooper's house. People, like me, who had decided to wake up early to improve their physical condition, elderly couples who, like every day, decided to take a walk together, pets and their owners taking a stroll around the neighborhood – in short, a good day.

Returning from my morning exercises, as always, there was a glass of water waiting for me. But this time, it wasn't Mom who had prepared it. Usually, when I returned, Bob would be sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, while Mom would be preparing lunches. Now, Mom was at the kitchen table, and Bob was preparing lunches.

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"Hello, you two, good morning, and what's with the change in routine?" I asked as I greeted my parents.

"Well, I thought, since your mom is pregnant, why not change things up a bit?" Bob said as he packed the lunch bags.

"Yeah, and I thought, if your father wants to do my job at home, why not let him?" Mom added, propping her feet up on another chair.

Taking a banana from the kitchen counter, I headed to take a shower, chuckling a bit at my parents' carefree attitudes.

I quickly attended to my hygiene, brushing my teeth and applying lotion after the shower. When I returned to the kitchen, the kids had already finished breakfast and were ready to go to school with Mom.

Leaving me at the school entrance, Bob asked me to wait a moment before getting out of the car. "Remember, son, an apology and an invitation, it doesn't have to be dinner necessarily, but if you want this girl, Regina, to forgive you, it has to be a good gesture," he said seriously. "Now, good luck," he continued, giving me a push out of the car.

Arriving at the lockers, Georgie and my three other friends were chatting.

"So, we narrowly escaped the police," I heard the enthusiastically excited Georgie saying as I approached.

"I recall it being an ambulance, and we were following it. But well, you probably remember it better," I joked a bit as I greeted my friends.

"Potato, potahto," Georgie said before receiving light smacks on the back of the head from my other friends for his lie.

"Why are you here today and not accompanying your dad?" I asked Georgie after teasing him a bit along with my other friends as I opened my locker.

"Mom thinks we don't have to be there, and Sheldon agreed, saying we should come to school. Can you believe that? I could be in the hospital room watching TV, but no, I'm here taking classes," Georgie grumbled.

"Anyway, do you think your dad will be well for the first game of the season? It's this Thursday," Alan asked concerned.

"Yes, Coach Cooper will definitely be fine by Thursday. With a heart attack, he would have been hospitalized for weeks to months. But luckily, it was a minor one. As long as he's in complete rest for these two or three days and there are no incidents that agitate or strain his heart, I'm sure he'll be here for Thursday," I quickly responded, causing a sudden silence among my friends.

As I took my books and notebooks from my locker for the upcoming periods, I noticed my friends staring at me in disbelief. They were all looking at me with incredulity. "Sometimes I forget how smart you are, buddy," Alan was the first to snap out of it, "yeah, you're like the smart Cooper, just taller," David added, "and nicer," Georgie chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, let's forget SuperStar's genius and focus on what really matters, after your dad didn't die, obviously," Brock clarified with Georgie before continuing, "how did we not know that you can drive, SuperStar?" he asked, giving me a shoulder bump, and receiving excited agreements from my friends.

"It just never came up in conversation," I responded, a bit embarrassed by their group excitement.

"Well, that's impressive, buddy. How did you learn? You're still fifteen, right? You'll be the first one to get a driver's license. We'll have a way to get around without having to ask our parents for rides," David said inspired.

"Yeah, Dad gave me some lessons, and I pay attention to how he drives when I'm in the passenger seat. If I can pass the exam and test in a few months, I'll have my license," I quickly replied, closing my locker. Obviously, that was a lie. I knew how to drive from my past life, but I couldn't tell them that.

"That's cool. So, we'll have transportation," Brock cheered, raising his arms, a gesture that my other friends imitated.

Pushing Brock aside and heading to the first period, I said, "Sorry to burst your bubble, guys, but I don't think so. I still need to save up money to buy a car, and I seriously doubt you guys have enough to buy one either."

"Well, if you're interested, my uncle is selling his old car, a chevelle ss," Brock said casually. "It's pretty beaten up and definitely needs some work, but it still runs. He's selling it for really cheap. Dad offered to buy it for me for when I can drive, but I'd prefer a big truck," he said, flexing his chubby arms.

"Thanks, Brock. I have to save up money to buy it anyway, so if I have the money and he still has it, I might buy it," I replied, returning the shoulder bump.

"No pressure, buddy," Brock responded as we headed to our first-period class.

The day passed as naturally as life tends to go for me. Classes, as always, were extremely interesting due to Sheldon's determination to answer all the questions and outsmart me in our 'knowledge duels.' My classmates always had the confidence that I could help them with any problems they encountered, which led them to ask the teachers fewer questions and thus reduced their workload. Needless to say, the teachers were pleased with my presence.

When lunchtime arrived, my friends and I made our regular way to our table, and as usual, we started discussing unimportant teenage topics. In a heated moment during a discussion about models in a magazine, David, who was listening to Brock's immature argument, nudged Georgie with his elbow. Georgie, who was also interested in the conversation of the wider friends, was hit by David.

"It's Regina, SuperStar. About Coach Cooper's incident, I forgot to ask how your date went. Were you able to, you know, touch her—" He was saying until a light tap on the back of his head from Alan stopped him. "That's inappropriate, idiot," Alan said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, it's very inappropriate, and no, nothing happened. In fact, I messed it up. I think she hates me now," I said embarrassedly.

"You messed it up?" Brock asked surprised. "You? The perfect student, famous among the Freshman, loved by teachers, and desired by many, messed up a date with Regina George herself, a date she organized?" he continued with a mocking tone, causing three out of my four friends to burst into laughter.

"Come on, it's not funny," I said, trying to get them to stop their raucous teasing.

"You have to admit, it's a bit funny," Alan said, the only one of my friends not openly mocking.

"Okay, fine, enough already. I didn't mess it up that badly, according to my dad. I was just distracted during the movie and didn't give Regina the attention she deserved," I explained as their laughter subsided.

"You were alone in a movie theater with Regina George, literally the hottest girl in our year, watching a sappy movie by her invitation, and you were distracted?" David asked incredulously at my confession.

"Yes, I was thinking about other things, and by the time I realized, the movie had ended. She seemed annoyed, but she told me it was okay. Only after she left did she change her mind and confessed that she was upset because I ignored her," I said, leaving out the part about Regina confessing to me. I didn't want the teasing to get worse.

"What was so important that distracted you from a girl in the darkness of a movie theater?" Georgie asked somewhat offended.

"It's not important," I lied as I stood up. "What is important is apologizing to Regina. I'll be right back," I continued as I left my seat at the table.

My friends, probably thinking my embarrassment wasn't enough, started howling and making annoying whistling sounds.

Trying to ignore my friends' obvious attempts to embarrass me, I approached the table of the three girls nervously. I didn't know why I was so tense. I was just going to apologize to Regina for how I treated her and try to make things right.

Before I could reach the table, a small shout stopped me.

"Hey PJ Duncan, my friend," Tam called out from his table, which he shared only with Sheldon.

"Hey Tam, I told you, you can drop the last name. Be less formal, friend," I replied with a small smile as I continued on my way.

The interaction with Tam had eased my nervousness. "Hi, girls. Could I speak with Regina for a moment alone?" I asked when I was in front of their table. Regina was eating a salad from a container, Karen was reading a magazine, and Gretchen was looking at herself in a small handheld mirror.

"Hi PJ, good to see you," Karen replied cheerfully, setting aside her magazine.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Regina leaned in to whisper something to her friend before continuing her lunch.

"I'm sorry, PJ, I'm not supposed to talk to you," Karen said quickly, picking up her magazine again and reading with interest.

"Okay... Regina, I just want to apologize to you," I said after being amazed by the cheerful blonde's response.

Once again, Regina leaned in to whisper to her friend. "Regina says you can say anything you want in front of us. I think she means Gretchen and me," Karen said with a clear expression of effort on her face.

Again, amazed by the situation I was in, I took a few seconds to regain my composure.

"Regina, the other day I may have been quite disrespectful, I'm sorry, I would like to fix my past behavior" I said after thinking about my words.

After a few moments of processing what I said, Regina leaned in to her friend for the third time.

"Regina asks how you plan to fix your mistake," Karen said with great interest.

"How about a coffee? Unlike movies, I'll be fully focused on talking to you," I suggested.

Smiling, Regina nodded and softly said, "Okay."

"Regina says it's okay," Karen broke the moment.

"Yeah, I know, thanks, Karen," I replied, laughing a bit at her innocence.

"All right, this means we can talk to PJ again. It's been really hard not talking to him, right, Gretchen?" Karen said after letting out a sigh of relief.

"Right," her friend said without taking her eyes off her handheld mirror.

"Well, see you at the café in front of the cinema on Saturday. Does that work for you?" I asked Regina.

"Yes, see you there," she replied with a big smile as she played with her hair.

"Great, see you, girls," I said as I returned to my table.

"Goodbye, PJ," Karen and Gretchen said simultaneously.

Back at my table with my friends, I was greeted with teasing and bad jokes once again.

"Sorry, Regina, I'm a fool, wha-wha," Brock mocked, pretending to cry like a baby.

Ignoring their taunts, I continued with the lunch I had left.

The day continued like any other. There was no practice today, so I went home with Mom.

"Hi PJ, how was your day?" Bob asked as I got into his old truck.

"It was a good day, thanks. You were right. I apologized to Regina and invited her for coffee," I said appreciatively.

"I told you, PJ, that trick always works with your mom," he commented proudly as he revved up the truck. "Did I ever tell you about the time I brought termites into the house and your mom—" he began telling me his stories on the drive.

When we arrived home, as we did every day after school, I helped Teddy with her homework while I did mine.

After finishing, as we were putting our things away, "PJ, Teddy, could you come to the living room for a moment, please?" Mom called out from the kitchen.

Stepping into the living room, Mom and Bob were already in front of the main couch, and Gabe was sitting there. Sitting down next to Gabe, I smiled at my parents because I already knew what we were doing.

"We have some really good news to share, and we want you to know that we love all of you equally no matter what," Mom said seriously.

"That's true, and I want you all to know that your mom and I love you all the same," Bob added.

"We're finally going

to tell you that Gabe is adopted," Teddy joked.

"No, what's happening is, well," Bob struggled to speak.

"What your dad means is that I'm pregnant," Mom quickly blurted out, waiting for the reactions of her two younger kids.

"Congratulations!" I exclaimed, giving a little cheer as I stood up to hug them. After letting go of Mom, I turned to my siblings, who were still sitting on the couch, completely surprised by the news.

Clearing my throat, I tried to get their attention. The only one who reacted was Teddy, who quickly stood up to hug Mom. "Oh, Mom, that's wonderful! I hope it's another girl. There are already enough guys around here," Teddy said, making Mom laugh. "Yeah, there are already enough guys in this house," Mom agreed, lightly tapping Bob on the shoulder.

While Teddy was talking to Mom and Bob stood awkwardly to the side, not sure what to do, Gabe remained seated on the couch, his head down and saying nothing.

A moment later, he stood up, didn't say anything, and went to our room, slamming the door shut.

"What's wrong with him?" Teddy asked, surprised.

"Oh, we knew Gabe would react that way. You both reacted similarly when you found out about Gabe's pregnancy," Mom said, a little sad.

"Don't worry, I'll go talk to him," I said, turning to go to our room.

"We haven't told you all the good news yet, PJ, wait a moment," Bob quickly said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"What's going on?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, today, Dr. House approached me. He mentioned that you talked for a bit on the day George was admitted to the hospital, and you told him about your aspirations to become a doctor. So he kindly offered for you to accompany him after school to learn about his work. It'll be like free medicine classes. Your dad and I have discussed it, and as long as it doesn't interfere with school, you're allowed to go," Mom said with a big smile, waiting for my reaction.

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Author's thoughts:

I'm not American, and I'm definitely not a doctor.

Now, I'd like to clarify a few things:

1. I think there was some confusion in one of the previous chapters. Regina is by no means the only relationship the MC will have throughout the story. As I mentioned before, I want my protagonist to evolve over the course of the plot.

2. I am writing every day, but updates will be spaced out more to allow me more time for writing between chapters. For example, I sped up this chapter a bit more than I would have liked to update the story, but I want you to know that updates won't be as frequent now. It might take 3-5 days at most between updates. Thank you for understanding.

3. I would like to apologize if there was any confusion with the FBI agents in the previous chapter. This novel will focus on medical situations, and there won't be any police elements, at least not more than necessary.

I'm watching some writing lectures by Brandon Sanderson. They are very interesting and available for free on YouTube.

I also finished watching the three seasons of "Superman and Lois." It's a good show, quite entertaining, although sometimes the script can be challenging. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet, you can find it on Prime or Max.

As always, if you find an error, please let me know so I can correct it right away. Please give me your power stones and leave a review if you haven't already, or your favorite character from any novel will become edgy.

Thank you for reading.