I hear the door to the prison-like room open, but I refuse to greet whoever has come to see me. Instead, I burrow deeper into my nest of pillows, letting out a groan as footsteps approach my bed. "Come on, buddy. I know you don't want to be here, but I've gotta check your vitals real quick."

"Nope," I mutter groggily. Opening one eye, I watch as a green-haired nurse looks me up and down before he looks back into my eyes.

"Come on, Mark." He gives me a beseeching look while reaching for my forearm. "I just need to make sure your IV's not going to put you in a coma." His gentle finger probes the tender flesh around the needle, and air hisses through my clenched teeth when he presses a bit too hard.

"Sorry!" he says guiltily. "Could you maybe come out from under the pillows? It would make my job easier."

"Fight me," I mutter, voice muffled by the fabric covering my face.

The nurse chuckles, and his cold fingers leave my skin. He walks around the end of the bed, heading towards the door. "Next time, okay?"

~

The click of the doorknob wakes me, and I roll over weakly. I rub my eyes until my vision is clear enough to notice that unlike last time, he has a name tag on.

"Morning, Mark," Jack says cheerily. I grumble a hello in response, sniffling a bit. He hands me a tissue, which I gratefully accept, before fiddling with the heart monitor beeping gently in the corner. "Dude, you know pneumonia's not exactly a common cause of hospitalization anymore, right?"

I snort, leaning back into my nest. "Yeah, yeah. I just got busy and never went to the doctor."

Jack laughs quietly, coming over to sit cross-legged on the edge of the bed. "I hear ya." His slender fingers touch the edge of my sheet before pulling it back. His fleeting touch then moves to the front of my shirt.

"Um, Jack? What are you doing?"

His eyebrows shoot up, but he doesn't move. "I need to check your connection point and make sure nothing's infected. It's the same thing I did with your IV. Is that okay?"

I nod, closing my eyes again, and he gently pulls open the front of my shirt, revealing my chest and upper stomach. His cold hands lightly brush my skin, and my breathing nearly stops when the heart monitor speeds up.

Jack's hands instantly leave my body, and though he shifts his weight, he doesn't leave the bed. Cautiously, I open my eyes, only to find Jack's smug, smirking face inches from my own. His hands are propped on either side of my waist, and his warm, minty breath washes over me.

We stare at each other for a minute. He's grinning contentedly, evidently pleased, whereas I am shocked and tense. Suddenly, he twists away from me and hops off the bed, bending down to adjust a knob on one of my machines. Still holding my breath, I lean over to watch him work.

Jack straightens, moving towards the door. "Wait -" I begin. He looks back expectantly, and immediately my mind goes blank.

I blurt out, "Fight me -" and begin coughing. My throat is dry and my chest hurts as the spasms rack my body.

Jack is next to me, patting my back comfortingly and holding out a cup of water. I take it appreciatively, and he responds with a soft smile.

"I'm not going to fight you," he says. "I know you'd win."

~

I'm sitting, propped up by several pillows, when Jack returns. Pale morning light seeps into the room under the dark curtains, gleaming off his vibrantly coloured hair.

He holds a paper cup of coffee out to me. "I was told you're leaving this afternoon," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I figured you must be well enough to drink coffee."

I reach out to take it from him, uttering a quiet thank you. He steps back towards the door. "I've got another guy coming in just a minute, but I wanted to pop in real quick."

He ducks out before I can reply. I look down at my cup in confusion, but a wide smile tugs at my lips when I find a note scribbled on the side.

Jack had written his number under the words "fight me?"

Hello again, my friends :)

Finals are done. School is over. The Game Grumps are going on tour. Jack is in LA. You are loved. Life is good, my darlings. 

Until next time.

~ Owl