Note:

  I'm willing to write more chapters per week. However, it's possible that week I won't be able to upload as many chapters because I'm going to visit some retives out of town. I'll bring a ptop with me, but it doesn't work very well. If I don't upload more chapters this week, you'll have to wait until Sunday. I'll do my best to have at least one more chapter.

  ---

  The day, in Mr. Givens' sce css, a friend of the man, a NASA stist, came to give a brief talk about his work.

  "Now, what I thought would be fun to talk about today is what NASA's pnning on doing beyond the Space Shuttle," after an awkward introdu, where Mr. Givens had to defend himself for dating teenagers while he was in college, his friend Dr. Ronald Hodges said, "things like the first manned mission to Mars."

  Dr. Hodges was saying when Geie, a few seats in front of me, raised his hand. "Uh, yeah," pointing at my friend Dr. Hodges gave the floor to Geie, surely surprised by a question so early in his lecture.

  "Did you see the movie Aliens?" ily Geie asked the man.

  "I did," once again puzzled by the question, Dr. Hodges replied.

  "Did you think it was cool?" Geie asked cheerfully.

  "Uh," obviously skeptical about my friend's question, Dr. Hodges studied the teenager for a few seds trying to dis if it was some kind of joke, "sure, I e."

  "Me too," Geie affirmed, falling silent again.

  "Football pyer, right?" after a few seds of studying my friend, Dr. Hodges asked.

  "Yes, sir," not uanding the man's atta his person, my friend proudly replied.

  "Yeah," nodding slightly, Dr. Hodges murmured, "well now, of course, before we set out to explore the sor system, we've got a few minor problems to overe," returning to his lecture, the man said, "not the least of which is, every time we unch, it costs the U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dolrs," he tinued speaking seriously.

  A moment ter, and surprisingly much ter than I would have expected, Sheldon raised his hand.

  Behind Dr. Hodges, Mr. Givens, upon seeing Sheldon's hand up, immediately grew nervous, even murmuring to himself as he shook his head.

  "Yes," again seeing a hand up, Dr. Hodges with a cheerful smile gave the floor to another of my friends.

  "If you want to save money, why don't you nd the booster rockets instead of letting them drop in the o?" Sheldon asked immediately, I must admit that to my disappoi, Sheldon's question was not as aggressive as it could have been.

  "It's a cute idea, but, uh, it's not teically possible," Dr. Hodges, still smiling, de; it ossible, at least it would be iure.

  "Why not?" Sheldon asked, puzzled.

  "Well, it's hard to expin," with a somewhat tenser smile than before, the man replied, "the math is pretty plicated," he added.

  "Perhaps I could help you with it," fidently, Sheldon offered.

  "Well, I bet you could," smiling kindly at my little friend, Dr. Hodges said, "I'll bet you could," surely seeing the seriousness on Sheldon's face, the maed, "I'll tell you what, here is a NASA patch," from one of his pockets, the man pulled out a patch, it to Sheldon, who slowly took it, "why don't you have your mom sew that on your book bag?" desdingly, the man offered to Sheldon.

  "Now, who here wants to know how astronauts go to the bathroom?" walking past Sheldon, walkiween the behe man asked, causing almost all hands in the to immediately shoot up.

  After that, during the talk, I could notice how Sheldon set by the iion he had with the man, the kid was very easy to read, following the short stist with a furious look, Sheldon surely po show that the man was wrong.

  As I predicted, in the following days, Sheldon focused pletely on proving the man wrong, even skipping some csses, acc to what Tam said when I asked him, to work on the library puters.

  On Friday night, when I returned from my training with Case, Sheldon along with his parents were at our house.

  "Mr. and Mrs. Cood evening," entering the house, I greeted the couple who responded noticeably tired or exasperated for some reason.

  "Hi PJ," alongside them, Sheldon, obviously in pain in his abdomen, made an effort to greet me, "hey buddy, are you okay?" approag the child, I asked.

  "PJ, you're finally here," ing out of the kit with cups in her hand, mom said with what I could dis as a forced smile.

  "Yeah, what's up?" I asked puzzled.

  "Sheldon wao get your medical opiniohinks he has a..." Mrs. Cooper, obviously stressed, said, pausing trying to remember.

  "An ulcer?" I asked.

  "Yes," pining of pain, Sheldon said, "I told you he would agree with me, it's obvious," he tinued.

  "Yeah, PJ, Sheldon wao know your opinion, not mine," handing the steaming cups to the other present parents, mom said with a hint of annoyan her voice.

  "You know I'm still not a doctor, Sheldht?" secretly his behavior, I knew Sheldon, and it was very difficult for him to suddenly start pretending pain.

  "But you're the closest thing to one in the viity," the child replied, causing mom to snort uandably upset, causing both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper to apologize silently.

  "Well, thanks for your trust in me, Sheldon," leaning in front of the child on the couch, I said, "what do you say if I do a quick physical exam," indig to the child to lift his shirt, I palpate his abdomen feeling it slightly swollen, also finding small patches of different tones on his skin, "have you been under a lot of stress tely?" l the child's shirt, I asked.

  "Yes, she won't take me to Radio Shack," pointing to his mom, the child said.

  "Young man," annoyed, Mrs. Cooper reprimanded her son.

  "Radio Shack, do you need a puter for NASA rocket math?" standing up, I asked.

  "Yes, how do you know?" surprised, Sheldon asked.

  "I have microphones in your house," smiling and widening my eyes, I whispered lying to the child.

  "He might have an ulcer," ign the terrified look the child was giving me, I told his parents, "the hospital wait until tomorrow, but he's going to need bs," I cluded.

  "I told you," Sheldon said from his p the couch.

  "How sure are you, PJ?" now with , Mrs. Cooper asked.

  "I'm pretty sure. He has a slightly swollen abdomen, pain in the right pces, and a slight discoloration in some parts of his skin. I'm sure it's nothing serious, a course of Zantac treatment and Sheldon will be as good as new," I assured.

  "I read an iing research about treating ulcers with antimicrobials," Sheldon, still in pain, said.

  "Yes, treatment with antimicrobials also be an option. The main focus is to eradicate the bacterial iion that causes ulcers, thus preventing them from spreading, but that depends on your doctor, buddy," I assured the child.

  "At the hospital, you ask for Dr. Allison Cameron. She's an immunologist friend of mine. If you tell her you're there on my behalf, I'm sure she'll treat Sheldon gdly," I said to the Coopers.

  "Perfect, thank you, PJ," getting up, Sheldon said, walking towards the door, "also, thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Dun," the child stopped for a moment, turning to mom, "let's go, Mom, Dad, I have to look for microphones," Sheldon tinued seriously.

  "Well, thank you very much, PJ," Mrs. Cooper said, getting up someuzzled, "thanks for everything, Amy," she tinued, handing her cup to mom.

  "Thank you, son," his hand to me, Mr. Cooper said tiredly before also saying goodbye to mom.

  "It seems like you're the closest thing to a doctor in this house now," mom said with a pyful smile.

  "He's just a kid, aeracts much more with me, Mom. Don't pay attention to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about," taking the cups from the woman's hands, I reassured her.

  "No, Sheldon is right," stopping slightly with a smile on her face, mom said, "that was an impressive diagnosis, my son the doctor," with pride, the woman affeately tapped my hand.

  The following Monday, Cameron firmed my diagnosis and told me about the treatment my little friend would follow.

  The week passed like all the previous days, following my routihe only thing that ged was Case's csses. Having lear least the basics of fighting, the man found it appropriate to start teag me guard positions from the ground.

  Using Tim as an oppo, who was several dozen pounds heavier thaher of us, Case showed us ways t down our oppos. "Learn the first ten. By the way, you o get me a new position notebook, bck," handing me 'homework' in the form of a botebook filled with drawings with expnations, Case said as a farewell on Friday of that week.

  At home, surprisingly, the first person I entered was Gabe nervously waiting on the living room couch with the television off.

  "We have a problem," seeihe boy immediately stood up, taking me by the arm and draggio the kit.

  "What's wrong, Gabe? Are you okay?" seeing the child so nervous, I asked ed.

  "Okay," always vigint at the kit door, the child began to speak in a whisper, "it's already here," my brother decred theatrically.

  "What's already here?" I asked, puzzled by the child's behavior.

  "I overheard Dad talking about it," shaking his head slightly, Gabe said, ign my question, "we have to find a way to refuse, maybe you say I have an illness, and we have to stay because of that," hopefully the child said.

  "Gabe, I'm not uanding, what's w you so much?" quickly putting my hands on his shoulders, quickly getting the attention of the worried child again.

  "The annual fishing trip of the Duns," Gabe replied grimly after swallowing loudly.

  "What?" I asked, despite hearing clearly, I didn't uand the problem behind going fishing; I had never do before, but it sounded like a peaceful thing, a few days out of my routine could be quite peaceful.

  "It's true, you fot about it," frowning, the child said as he nodded slightly, "take a seat, PJ," pointing to one of the chairs i, the child said calmly.

  Somewhat amused by all the child's ag, I decided to take a seat to listen to whatever he had to say.

  "Imagihis, the only two days you have to rest in the whole week, used only to sit for hours watg a bunch of water around you and is everywhere," walking from side to side theatrically, Gabe said, "the worst part is that there's a slight ight catething. Do you know what that means?" stopping and horrified at the idea of what he had just said, Gabe asked.

  "I don't know, maybe cook ahe fish?" I asked with a bit of irony.

  "Well, yeah," surely cutting his monologue short, I interrupted the child, "but you're fog on the wrong thing. The problem is that it's two days away from civilization, no television, no music because loud noises scare the fish, nothing. Two days of pure torture," exaggeratedly, Gabe said, stopping his monologue.

  "It doesn't sound so bad," I said.

  "Yeah, that's why we have to think of a way to avoid..." the child was saying, apparently not uanding what he had said until he stopped himself, "wait, what?" taken by surprise, the child stopped.

  "It doesn't sound so bad, Gabe. It's just two days where you have to be separated from what you normally do on weekends," I said, "which is basically nothing," I tinued, causing the child to nod proudly for some reason, "Dad works every day so you do nothing, so I don't think it's so bad to give him two days of the year in something he enjoys."

  "But you don't uand, it's fishing, is, let me expin it to you again," incredulous, the child said.

  "No matter what it is, it's something Dad wants to do with us, so why not give it to him?" standing up, interrupting the restart of his monologue, I said, shaking my brother's hair, "I'll tell you what, kiddo, we'll go to this for Dad, you'll enjoy as much as you anything you fiertaining, a weekend I'll tell Dad to go to a Morucks event. I heard a doctor from the hospital really likes it, and I thought about going to see one," I offered and I could see how the child's eyes lit up with excitement.

  "Okay, you've got a deal," quickly taking my hand with fear that I would ge my mind, the child said, nodding vigorously.

  "Then it seems like we're going fishing."

  Leaving the kit, I entered Bob walking from his room to the living room with a big smile. "Hey champ, great news, it's time for the annual Dun fishing trip," the man said excitedly.

  "I just heard it from Gabe. Sounds good," I said, making Bob even more excited.

  "Then tomorrht and early, we'll head out to the campsite," Bob said with a big smile. "By the way, I wao give you this." He pulled a pocket knife from his back pocket. "Yrandpa gave it to me when I turned sixteen." After pg the knife in my hand and looking at it fondly for a few seds, Bob lightly tapped my shoulder. "You'll have to pass it on to your own son at some point," he tinued seriously. "It's a sort of tradition."

  "Thanks, Dad," feeling a lump in my throat, I thahe man.

  "No problem. Just don't tell your brother; he might get a little jealous. Wheurns sixteen, I'll figure out what to get him," Bob said jokingly in a whisper before walking into the kit.

  Looking at the knife in my hand, I ched it a little before tug it into my pocket.

  The m, very early, I woke up Gabe, who, already aced to our m runs, got up without much trouble until he remembered ere waking up early.

  After reminding Gabe of our deal, we left our room to find a strangely eic Bob prepared with a funny fishing hat and a dark gree, as well as three fishing rods in his hands and a rge backpack hanging from his other shoulder.

  "Are you guys ready?" eically whispering, Bob asked. Without speaking, I responded by raising my thumbs, smiling broadly. "Then, the annual Dun fishing trip officially begins!" Ign Gabe's ck of response and cheerfully accepting my response, Bob said, walking happily out of the house.

  "e on, what's the worst that could happen?" taking a dejected Gabe under my arm, I asked as I followed Bob out of the house.

  Outside the house, trary to what I thought before leaving, we wereirely alone oreet. In front of their own house, with a ically rge suitcase by his side, Sheldon, with a hat c his ears, stood beside his family's car, apparently eagerly waiting.

  "Oh PJ, are you going to the ung of the space shuttle too?" Sheldon asked cheerfully, surprised.

  "Oh no, we're going fishing," I said, pointing to Bob, who was struggling to fit the fishing rods into the car.

  "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that for you," the child said somberly with pity.

  What's with kids and not wanting to go fishing?

  "Well, enjoy the unch, Sheldon," I said as a farewell to the strange kid, walking back to Bob and Gabe, who were still struggling to fit the long rods into the car.

  After managing to pack everything into the car, we headed to the camping site that Bob had researched. Beiively o the area, Bob didn't know the best camping and fishing spots in Colorado, but taking information from a sports equipment store owner, where he also bought bait, we headed there.

  Several hours of driving ter, even through a forest trail, we arrived at the camping site, o a river that bifurcated in the ter by a block of nd and then rejoined. It seemed like the site was quite popur as there were already other families present.

  In the spacious nd area in the ter of the river, the other families seemed to be having a piic day. Among them, there wasn't a single child, ruling out any hope of Gabe having fun with people his age.

  "More people!, David Walce, pleasure to meet you," a cheerful man said as we got out of the car, approag to introduce himself.

  "Howdy, pleasure to meet you," shaking the man's hand, Bob said, "I'm Bob Dun, and these are my sons, PJ and Gabe," he tinued.

  "Are you guys here to camp?" the man, David Walce, asked. "Well, we're just here for a piic day; in a few hours, you'll have us out of here," after Bob o his first question, the man tinued.

  "Who are they, honey?" walking carefully through the river from the nd to the ter, a heavily pregnant woman asked. "Callie, hohese are Bob Dun and his sons, PJ and Gabe; they're here to camp," the man introduced us befoing to help his wife walk out of the river.

  "Oh, isn't that sweet?" looking at my younger brother, the woman asked sweetly, "you're here for some quality time with your Dad," she affirmed, stroking her bulging abdomen, obviously envisioning their future.

  "Yes, it's an annual Dun tradition," proudly, Bob affirmed, "I hate to ask this but are you..." Bob was saying, but the woman interrupted him, "pregnant? Yes, quite," pointing to her swollen abdomen, the woman said amusingly.

  "Well, gratutions. My wife is alsnant; it would be our fourth, your first?" Bob asked cheerfully, causing the couple to edly.

  "I hope I'm not being forward, how many months along are you?" I asked a little worried, being so far from society; we were hours away from the hospital.

  "I'm ihird trimester, eighth month," hugging her belly, Mrs. Walce said with a big smile.

  As long as nothing serious happehe woman and the baby would be safe, but for some reason, I felt strangely nervous.

  After Bob and Mr. Walce talked about a couple of other things, we got down to business setting up the tents and preparing what was necessary to make a fire in the nd in the middle of the river; there was enough space to be used as a campsite.

  Several hours after eating barbecue that the Walces happily shared, with the camp already established, Bob was boiling water to make coffee for everyone, while Gabe and I were sitting reading some ics that the boy had brought. "It's not as bad as in Colorado; there we sat in a small boat for hours. At least here, I decide where to be during all that time," finishing another ic, the boy said.

  "You see, just be careful not to finish your ics all at once," I warned him, flipping a page of the ic I was reading about the Teeant Ninja Turtles, quite iing.

  As I read the ic, a drop of water suddenly fell on the page I had open, and moments ter, many other drops began to fall.

  Closing the id handing it to Gabe, I stood up. "Go put the ics ba the car and wait there; it looks like it's going to rain," I said worriedly. The only ways we had to leave the clearing of hrough the river, and if it started raining heavily, those paths could bee impassable.

  "Dad, I think we o put the stuff ba the car before we 't cross the river," pointing out what I had noticed, I said, causing Bob to immediately start anizing things after warning the Walces and those with them.

  While I stayed behind anizing the remainis, Bob went to leave things he had with him in the car where Gabe was waiting.

  In a matter of seds, the rain became denser, causing the river currents to increase in speed, removing the safety of passage. "I'm going to tie a rope to the other side to make it safe to cross," a big man from Mr. Walce's group bravely said as he carried a thick rope and crossed the river, which covered almost the ey of his upper body.

  As people crossed the river, I decided to leave the st tent without dismantling it. The few mi had taken for the vast majority of people to cross the river had allowed strong winds, along with a heavy storm, to hit where we were.

  The river currents were now practically impossible to cross. "Honey, what's happening?" o me, Mr. Walce yelled over the noise of the rain.

  Mrs. Walce, with pain on her face, was bent over her abdomen, holding onto her husband's shoulder. Approag the couple, "there's still a tent up there," leaving the things I had in my hands, I asked, helping Mrs. Walce walk with her husband's assistance. "Let's go," the man said, walking alongside us.

  "How oftehe tras?" ying the woman down ihe tent, I asked.

  "I don't know, every few seds," the woman responded with pain, suddenly screaming again.

  "Mrs. Walce, you're in bor; we o get this baby out now," preparing the woman seriously, I said.

  "What?" Mr. Walce, who had been frozen seds ago, asked incredulously.

  "The tras are almost immediate, oer another, Mr. Walce, David, we don't have time to hesitate. Do you have any medical training?" I asked seriously.

  "No, I'm a journalist," nervously, the man responded, apparently not knowing what to do.

  "Okay, I need you to listen to me; it might seem odd because of my age, but I know what I'm doing," deg to take trol of the situation, I said. "I'll go for the water my dad was boiling; I'll be ba a few minutes. David, go with your wife and hold her hand; it's going to hurt, so be prepared. Callie, I need you to breathe like this," I ordered, showing the woman how to breathe.

  Outside the tent, the rain had worsened. "PJ!" from the other side of the current, Bob was yelling forcefully, "I'm here!" I shouted back, running to where the bonfire had been. Fortunately, where Bob had heated the water was a closed metal tainer. Due to its weight, it hadn't overturned in the wind and still held a high temperature.

  Dipping the pocket knife Bob had giveo the dangerously hot water, I hurried back to the to the pear where the tent was.

  "She's giving birth; try to call for help!" shouting as close to the shore as I could, I informed Bob, who seemed to hear, running towards where the vans were parked.

  Ihe tent, I could hear the screams of the pregnant woman. "I'm back; this isn't going to be pretty, but don't worry, I know what I'm doing," kneeling down, I left the hot water by my side, arranging the legs of the pained woman.

  "Callie, I need you to keep breathing as I taught you and push as hard as you when I tell you," positioning the woman's hips, I said. "David, hold her hand; this is going to be very painful, and you o support her," I said seriously to the frightened man, who quickly nodded.

  "Ready, Callie?" I asked, causing the woman, who was breathing heavily, to nod. Pg my hands i water, I ehe pain it caused before returning to the ositioning myself. "Push!" I shouted.

  The woman's screams sounded much louder than the rain, at least ihe tent. Apanying the woman's screams, David also shouted in pain, t his arm where his wife was gripping tightly.

  "I need you to do it again, Callie, push!" I shouted, watg as a sed ter, the baby's head ed between the woman's legs.

  "I see his head, Callie, one more time," I shouted.

  "I 't!" tears esg her eyes, the woman screamed, shaking her head, "Callie, you have to do this; your baby o be born," I said, trying to feel the baby's head that hadn't fully emerged.

  "I 't!" the woman screamed again.

  Seeing David, I approached the maly, "I know how to perform an emergency cesarean, but the baby is about to e out, and right now, it could be dangerous," apparently hearing enough, the man leaned down to his wife's ear, speaking to her for a few seds before sitting back down, preparing his hand, nodding to me vigorously.

  "Alright, Callie, one more time, push!" I shouted, prepared to receive the baby.

  With o horrible, prolonged scream, the womaed herself to the maximum, allowing the baby's head to emerge, and allowio help pull the baby out pletely.

  "I've got him," I said, quickly taking the knife from the water and cutting the umbilical cord. "Why isn't it g?" seemingly fetting her own pain, Callie asked, worried, catg my attention.

  "Darn it," moving quickly, I said, "the umbilical cord is strangling it," removing the umbilical cord from around the baby's neck, I initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation. "e on, e on," pressing the small chest of the baby with two fingers, I said before slowly giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, "please breathe, e on," I tinued, mentally ting. "Your parents are here, e on, you have to breathe," for the sed time I gave air to the child, feeling the heartbeat in my chest and my ears blocked while tinuing to do the maneuver in a trance.

  "My baby, please," suddenly o me, Callie screamed, g desperately, being held back by her husband.

  "e on," leaning in once more to give air to the baby's lungs in my arms, I said for the st time.

  "Waaah!" as I removed my mouth from the baby's face, the infant immediately cried, moving in my arms.

  "Thank you," feeling a bit weak and tears running down my face, I said geo no one, "gratutions, it's a boy," ughing a bit as I tried not to cry, I hahe exposed baby to his parents.

  Quite the eventful weekend for a peaceful fishing trip.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri and Not a doctor.

  What did you think of the chapter? Let's not tempt fate, eh?

  With that said,

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading! :D

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.