As I'm sitting by my bed, thinking about all that is happening right now, I hear a knock on my door. I don't know if I'm ready to have a visitor at the moment, but before I can answer, the door opens and there's Jason, bright-eyed and excited.

"Hey, Whizzer! How's it going?"

"It's all right, kid." I don't tell him what I've been thinking about, because I know despite his high spirits he knows what's going to happen, and like the rest of us he's known for a while. Before I can ask him what's got him in such a good mood, I notice he's not alone. Accompanying him are Marvin, Trina, Mendel... and Cordelia and Charlotte. "What's going on...?"

"After a lot of thought and a lot of back-and-forth, I said we should have my bar mitzvah here," Jason says. I catch Marvin's eye and he gives me a warm smile. "Surprise!"

I let out a short laugh. "Well. I am surprised!"

"Yep. It was Jason's brilliant idea," Marvin responds as the rest of the guests reveal decorations and, on Cordelia's part, food. "He wanted us all to be together for this." I don't know what to think about all this; above all else, I'm touched. That Jason even thought of this. Of me. Charlotte walks around the other side of the room to help me up from my chair.

"Are you all right?" she asks in a hushed voice. I nod, smiling and reaching out to shake Mendel's hand as he declares they will be decorating the room.

"Soon you won't even be able to tell this was once a dreary hospital room," he says humorously. "And truth be told, it will be much better than my own bar mitzvah either way. Ugh. Have I told you guys about my bar mitzvah?"

"Yes, you have," Marvin, Trina, and Jason reply in unison with a shared tone of distaste. I can guess they've heard about it a few times too many.

Cordelia waltzes over to where we're standing with her trusty containers of food, although this time around there's a lot more than usual. "Don't forget about the hors d'oeuvres, everyone," she chimes in. "There are more than enough to go around!"

"Hey," Marvin whispers when he finally gets to me from across the room. "Sorry for not checking with you first. Jason wanted everything to be a surprise, but if you're not feeling up to it..."

"No, I am. I'm up to it," I promise.

Trina comes by then, waving a camera in our faces. "Let's take a photo!" So we take the photo, and I hardly give a thought to how I look in it, which given the circumstances can be anything but well. Afterward, they go back to their decorating, and I hear something about flowers and champagne.

I stay near where Marvin is, fiddling with his tie through the commotion. I think about the square tie and I'm half-heartedly glad this one is normal-shaped. He turns his attention back to me and smiles. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

He reaches out to hold my face in his hands. "Relax, baby. Enjoy yourself. This is a party," he tells me, just as Mendel cuts in with two paper cups of champagne.

"Anyone?" he asks, handing them to both of us. I take it; I need something in my system today, and I'd sooner have champagne over Cordelia's bar mitzvah cuisine, although I'm sure she did her best. "You two look like you could use it."

Marvin laughs. "Yes, we could definitely use it."

I smile and clink my cup against his. "Cheers," I propose.

He leans over and kisses my forehead. "Cheers."

"There we go," Trina sighs, stepping back from the table she and Cordelia have so nicely decorated. "Isn't that lovely?"

"Very," Charlotte agrees.

"Well, I think since I'm technically the host of this bar mitzvah," I speak up once everybody is at attention, "I should be the one to raise a toast. To Jason's bar mitzvah."

"To Jason's bar mitzvah," everybody repeats, and then we all drink. I pull Jason closer to me for a hug. I can hardly believe we've come this far, and I'm so proud of him. The kid. My kid.

"Come on, Jason, you still have to get changed," Marvin says, gesturing behind the curtain that's up by my bed. Jason complies as Trina continues to set up the room. Mendel was right, well, partly. It still looks like a hospital room, but not quite a dreary one.

Charlotte joins the other women by the table that holds the food. "I told everyone what was going on, so we've got the room to ourselves for the night," she explains to us.

"And I passed out some of our extra food," Cordelia adds. "Since we already have more than enough." She holds a plate out to Trina, who smiles at it and turns to go on with her decorating.

I join the others by the curtain where they're getting Jason ready so that I myself can change. This was certainly an unexpected bar mitzvah, but I'm committed to getting into the spirit of it. So we get ready, Trina decorates, and Cordelia finds different ways to bring up the food and to, maybe, get somebody to try it. I figure I'll have some later, if it's absolutely not all gone, because she deserves at least a little credit.

"All right, look at you." Mendel steps back to look at Jason, who is dressed for his bar mitzvah in something a little more favorable than his red hoodie, and is trying to get his tie to cooperate. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jason sighs, giving up on the tie, and for some reason that moment is one of the first times I see his father in him. It takes me a little by surprise, and when I look over at Marvin he has a look of awe on his face and it warms my heart.

Mendel helps me make my way around the room to where the others are while Marvin leads his son. I can hear Mendel telling Trina— or Marvin, I can't tell who— to fix Jason's tie. Trina comes over and affectionately takes his face in her hands, to Jason's mild annoyance.

Cordelia leans over to me and says, "Is it just me or does he look like Marvin?"

I smile. "Yeah. He does."

Marvin's reaching out so that, per Mendel's request, he can adjust the kid's tie. "How did you turn out so great?" he asks Jason, almost like an accusation. "It's like I turn away for a second and then you've become your own person, hell, your own man. Do you know how proud I am?"

It's a sweet moment, and I'm so glad that I get to share this with them, with everyone. Trina puts her hand on Jason's shoulder and pulls both him and Marvin into a hug. Mendel goes over next and Marvin takes his place beside me. I lean into him, exhausted but happy.

While Mendel is calling Jason to the Torah, going on about son of Marvin, son of Trina, son of Whizzer, son of Mendel, it's a pleasant reflection on my time with them, with this family, this family that I am a part of. Two years ago, they were Marvin's family and that only. And now I'm more grateful than ever to call them my own.

I'm starting to feel a little bit light-headed, which is no surprise due to the bright lights, the constant movement, and the fact that I've hardly eaten today. I step forward and Marvin quickly catches me, providing more support with his other arm. No. Not right now. It can't be right now.

Jason's clearly noticed my state, and he looks slightly worried as he glances in our direction. I feel myself lose my balance and I lean forward to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

For all of it. For letting me into your family after everything that I did. For letting me be a part of this. For making me feel like I actually had a place in this world. I love you.

And then everything goes fuzzy and I can feel Charlotte come up behind me to help Marvin hold me up, to lead me wherever we're going.

And then the scene turns to black.