The moment from which Dean left the room, promising to be back in minutes, I had made up my mind. Nobody was around, doctors whizzed by holding clipboards and looking important, but none of them had stopped to even glace at me.

I was alone, and finally glad to be.

I pulled every tube and needle out of my body - with great effort and pain, of course - and pulled the gown tight around my body. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and took a steady breath.

I then eased my bare feet onto the cold tile, my brain reacted almost instantly, I gripped onto the bed for support, but my knees felt the tiles cool temperature.

I groaned as I shoved myself off of the floor, and back into a standing position. I still kept a keen eye on the windows around me, making sure Dean nor Emma would come back. Charlie and Anna had went out, I didn't know why, but they said they'd be back tonight.

I don't know how, but slowly, and surely, I made it out into the hallway. Gripping onto the walls for dear life, I strolled. Nurses and Doctors stared, but I didn't make eye contact, and they left me alone. I silently thanked god for it.

Where was I going? Honestly, I didn't have a clue, some kinda store, maybe. I had sneaked a couple bucks out of my jeans pocket in a clear bag on the window sill.

I probably should have gotten dressed before leaving, but I just wanted to get out of there - fast.

I thought maybe there'd be a store in here, they had to have one. For all the grieving families here spending days and weeks at the hospital. They had to have necessities. Had to.

I pulled the gown protectively around my body as I walked, trying to ignore the many looks I got as I went. I cautiously looked behind me every few minutes, hoping against hope that Emma didn't find me, and especially - Dean.

He couldn't know what I was up to, nobody could, if someone found out what I was planning, they'd surely -

"Jake!"

I cussed silently under my breath, Emma came bounding towards me, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" She whisper-yelled.

I sighed, "You wouldn't understand." I whispered back, trying to step around her, but she blocked my path, "You need to get back to that room before Dean comes back and see the state you've left it in, he's going to think you died, Jake."

Confusion crossed my face, she rolled her eyes, "You really didn't see it?" I shook my head, "I see you pulled the needles out of your arm, and you left them strewn across the bed, hanging from the machines to the floor. The blankets are twisted, and your bag full of clothes is on the floor."

"How does that make it seem like I died?" I whispered, she looked down, "Because it looks like you left in a hurry, or someone took you.. in a hurry.."

I sighed, and put my hands on her shoulders, waiting until she looked up at me, when she did I smiled, she tried to return it, "Em, I think it's you who was worried."

"Why did you leave?" She asked, I pulled away, and stepped around her, she didn't stop me this time. I couldn't tell her why, I couldn't let her know the real reason I left to buy him something.

"Jake.." She pleaded, and I didn't have to turn around, that might have made it worse, I knew the face she had on.

"I need to get him something for his birthday, anything. Something special." I whispered, but I didn't turn to meet her gaze. I heard her sigh, "That's what this is about?"

I nodded, her tiny body appeared in front of me, "Jake, he's crazy worried about you, and crazy in love with you. The only thing he cares about right now is your health, he won't care about his birthday."

"I need to... I need to do this for him."

"You still have a couple days.."

"Exactly that, a couple. Two. What can I do in two days?"

"Get better." She whispered.

****

Dean helped me back into the hospital bed. Emma and I didn't make it back in time before he did, he was frantic, just like Emma figured.

When we walked back in, myself leaning on Emma, Dean was running his hands through his hair and speed-pacing the room. I would have sworn I saw his heard stop when he turned around at our entrance.

Emma left the room the minute I was in Dean's arms, "You're so stupid, Jake." He whispered into my chest, his voice breaking.

I chuckled, "I know. But I couldn't let your birthday go empty.. not after all these years of it being so." He rolled his eyes.

He crawled up on the bed to sit crossed-legged at my feet. I held back a groan, he was too far, "Jake, you really think I care about that right now?"

I shook my head, "No, but I do." Almost like he read the pleas in my eyes, he scooted closer, and I held him close to me, glad to have his warmth against me.

"You shouldn't." He sighed, "Why shouldn't I? Of course I do."

"The only thing that matters at the moment is you, love." He whispered. I smiled, and placed my cheek on the top of his head, "Has it been twenty-four hours yet?" He laughed and shrugged, "Who cares?"

Then he twisted around quickly, and his lips were back on mine in seconds. My stomach erupted back in butterflies, they were vacant for so long, too long.

He seemed to feel the same way, as his hands curled around my face, my neck, and his lips turned into a smile against my own.

He pulled back and I opened my eyes, his face was flushed and he was looking down at his hands, he crawled off of me, and his feet slipped back to the floor.

I was about to complain, when I saw her just standing there. I gulped, expecting maybe a yell, maybe a reaction of some sort. Instead she was blank faced, then she came closer.

"Mum..?" I whispered, Dean stood, shocked, his eyes widened. He knew about Anna coming back, didn't he?

"Uh.. Hi." He mumbled, looking down.

I guess he didn't.

"Hi, you must be Dean Gates." She suddenly smiled, and walked to the edge of the bed, reaching over with her hand, Dean nodded, then slowly took it, and shook it.

Woah.

She continued to smile, not even seeming fazed about walking in on us, she pulled back from his grip, and smiled at me instead, "Emma told me about.. your little breakout." She seemed deeply concerned as her face twisted into a frown.

"I'll uh, be just outside.." Dean smiled, and backed up, I scowled and gripped onto his hand, pulling him back, then whispering, "You don't need to run free, love."

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't really thinking about it before actually taking action." I shrugged, and Anna came to stand closer to me, her hand rested on my arm, "I'm just glad you're okay."

"You really care, don't you?" I whispered. She smiled, and nodded, her eyes crinkling at the corners, just like I remembered as a kid.

"I've been an idiot these past months, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am." I rolled my eyes at her words, and my hand slipped from Dean.

She gasped as I pulled her in towards me, my arms wound around her, and I could hear her voice crack as she started crying. Her arms went around me, and she tucked her head into the crook of my neck.

Dean backed up, and silently left the room, I almost yelled out for him, but maybe it was the right thing to do. I sighed, and she pulled back.

"You really forgive me?" She croaked, her hands reaching up to wipe the tears escaping her eyes. I sighed again, "I don't know, it might take longer than I want it to, but for now..." I nodded, she smiled again, and gripped my hand.

I saw Dean standing with Charlie and Emma through the glass window, and when Charlie turned, I waved them all back in.

As they all entered again, Emma, Anna and Charlie talking in mindless chatter, and Dean smiling, and coming to sit with me again, I couldn't help but scream inside my head, a thousand times, over and over, what am I going to do?!

"Wait, mum. You don't care if I'm.. if I'm dating a boy..?" I asked, she threw her head back in laughter, "Now why would I care?"

I broke into a wide smile, and everyone in the room mirrored it.

*****

"Don't go pushing yourself now, dear. You know what the doctor said." Anna said, waving me goodbye as I headed out of the door on my way to work. The first time going back to the coffee shop since I got sick.

I smiled and rolled my eyes, "Now, mum, Michael won't push me, he was the one who came to see me yesterday, remember? He knows." She sighed and nodded, "Mothers worry."

I laughed and waved goodbye to Charlie and Dean before heading out.

Here's something, on returning to the mansion again, Dean had not only moved in with us, my mother didn't mind! In fact, she nearly encouraged it.

Dean slept with me in my king bed, and now our little secret cabin was just that, a secret. A secret getaway.

Life was really turning into something great. But it was too good, something had to happen soon. There's no way it can stay this way. Emma had stayed with Charlie to give her some company, but Anna kept telling her to sell that big house, she wouldn't be alone, and move in with the lot of us.

It was like someone had taken over her body, she was Anna again, she was really back. Like when we were kids.

Charlie had kept declining, the house was in her family for years, she couldn't seem to just pass it up. Hardly a family, after her dad left her, I know she was heartbroken, unstable, even. Dean went over many times, asking her to just move in with us.

Nothing seemed to work. But we weren't going to push her too much.

As I jumped in my car, heading the complete opposite direction of work, I smiled. Tomorrow was Dean's birthday, Emma and I had literally stayed up all night upon getting out of the hospital the day before, planning this party.

But it was a surprise, we even got Michael in it, calling to call me into work for a couple hour shift, making it even more believable.

We had called many places, ordered many, many things, and eventually, it all worked out, and everything was set for tonight. We had things started to be set at the Ballroom where it would be held, and that's where I was going now, after a quick stop at the Cake Shop called 'Sweet Delights', to pick up his favourite type of cake, chocolate!

Charlie and Emma had told him we were just going out to dinner tonight, and I would meet them at the restaurant after getting off my shift. The dinner was simply for celebration, for my healing process, for Anna sobering up - she was also going to a group support, and she mentioned it was really helping her - and of course, Dean's birthday.

He was iffy about it, but eventually accepted. I hardly think he suspected a thing. It was going to be perfect.