“I help people to feel good, it’s as simple as that.”

- Jun. H

Felix woke up sweating. Staring at the clock on the wall he sees that it’s just around 7 in the morning. Usually he sleeps until 11 after a full day of work.

Seeing no reason to continue to lay in bed he gets up. He couldn’t feel the effects of the previous day on his body, but the memory was fresh. Telling himself that the person he stabbed was just a doll. One that he’d likely to pay the price for breaking.

Nothing he could do now. As much as he was afraid of Dollmaker he’d had no regrets saving Jess. The girl had been a real mess.

The police had assured him plenty that Dollmaker had no way of telling if their doll was broken. However, he wasn’t so sure. Everyone’s powers often worked in unexplainable ways. Countless research was done on how the powers functioned. As far as he knew, no one had fully or correctly explained the mechanics.

There are theories, of course. Sometimes he’d scroll through them when he felt wistful. Wondering if he’d get his own power. Wanting to be a hero without any powers didn’t work in a world of heroes with actual powers.

After staring at the wall for 20 minutes, he got up and completed his morning exercise. Doing delivery on foot in the landscape of Montag was no easy task. His body was his livelihood. He had to take care of it. He couldn’t even afford to be sick.

He had come to the city seeking riches. Now three years later, he still did delivery as he did for the past three years. No one had wanted to hire him as he was just eighteen then. He had no powers, and no one wanted to hire him.

He could at least save some money in the process. At least he could work on his own time as his own boss. This was the thought that kept him from seeking any more jobs under someone else.

He called the number detective Jackson had given her.

“Hello, Detective Jackson.” answered a weary voice.

“Hello, detective. This is Felix. I wanted to ask you something.”

She cleared her voice. “Of course, Mr. Gray. What do you need?” switching to her professional tone.

“Are you okay? I wanted to ask about Jess. Which hospital was she sent to?”

“Nothing I can’t handle, sir. Ms. Fowl was sent to the Montag Public Hospital. I’m sure you’re familiar.” she replied.

“Okay, that’s all. And Ms. Jackson, maybe you should get some rest. You sound like you are running on caffeine.” he told her.

She let out a small chuckle. “No rest for the wicked, I’m afraid. I’ll be sure to drink more coffee. Have a good day. Call me if there’s anything you need.” She hung up.

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It was twelve by the time he tidied his place up and went out. Montag’s public hospital was an enormous structure. It was one of the biggest hospitals in the world and one of the most advanced ones.

He had been there quite a few times after he moved here.

After a bit of walking he was at the entrance of the hospital. He was always amazed by the scale of the structure. Located in the heart of the city, it was one of Montag’s pride. Funny thing, being proud of a hospital capacity.

After walking through the glass door he went up to one of the receptionists’ desks’, approaching a familiar face. Marc had been a nurse before. He had stopped a few months back and had become a receptionist.

“Hey you.” he greeted with a smile.

Mark looks up. “Hey Felix, hope you’re not here with another injury.” he said with a wink.

“Afraid not. Sorry to disappoint all the doctors and nurses in this hospital. Just here to check up on a friend.” Felix chuckled.

Marc let out a laugh. “Sure, sure. So who’s the lucky person you’re visiting?”

“Jessica Fowl, she was admitted here yesterday evening.”

Marc blinked. “Actually, she’s in A241. She came in with the police. I got a tad curious and looked her up. She was pretty banged up.”

Felix sighed. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I promised her I’d visit her.”‘

Marc looked like he wanted to ask more. “Don’t let me keep you then, visit your friend. Let’s go out for a few beers later, if you’re free.”

Felix gave Marc a shocked look. “A few? You have changed mister.”

“Not as much as you think. And maybe you should grab something for your friend from the gift shop. I’ll see you later.” he waved Felix away.

With that he went up the elevator. He always felt like he was visiting a science center whenever he visited the hospital. It reminded him of all the sci-fi novels he read. Montag invested a lot into healthcare.

After finding a ‘Get Well Soon’ balloon as per Mark’s advice. He was finally at Jess’s room. He took a deep breath and knocked. A voice called out saying come in.

Her room was sparse with a single flower bouquet on her table. The room looked more like a break room rather than a hospital room.

Half of Jess’s face was bandaged, she had various medical devices attached to her. She gave Felix half a smile.

“Hey. Didn’t think you would show up.”

He responded with a smile. “I said I would. Besides, I’m your favorite neighbor.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “You mean my only neighbor.”

Felix waved her off. “Same deal. How you feeling, Jess?”

“I could be a lot worse to be honest.” She let out a long sigh.

“I never did thank you for saving me. Not a lot of people would have done what you did. I am thankful and always will be.” her eyes conveyed her gratitude. His heart felt lighter, maybe he would have less trouble sleeping tonight.

He grinned. “I know, I’m awesome like that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Cool it. Before your head grows too big for this room.” Jess bit her lip. “He’ll be back. Won’t he?”

“I don’t know, Jess. None of us do. They said they’ll send officers to check on us for a few months. Hopefully, he’ll have grown bored by then.”

“I hope so too.” she whispered.

Then the earlier light feeling dissipated. A nurse came in soon after, shooing Felix away. Telling him about how Jess needed her rest more.

After talking to Marc about how they’ll meet after his shift ended. He started heading back home.