The next time Jamie woke up, he was in an unfamiliar room.

The walls were a cold white color. To his right was window covered with green curtains and to his left was a small bed covered in white sheets.

A gurgling sound could be heard but when he tried to look for the source of the noise, he felt the pain stab his neck. His neck seemed locked due to inactivity.

He looked at his right hand and saw an IV line. He proceeded to touch his nose and felt a nasal cannula. So that was what's irritating his nose he thought.

His eyes turned to back to the window. The thin curtains failed to block the sunlight coming in.

It must have been the middle of the day.

He closed his eyes. They felt dry and he wanted to rub them.

He saw an unfamiliar person at his bedside. A long blond hair and a slim figure hinted that it was a woman. She was sleeping. A thin blanket covered her shoulders.

He tried turning his head to loosen the knots. When he felt quite a bit better, he looked around for the toilet. Across his bed was a white door. That must be it. He needed to pee badly.

He pushed his body up but it wouldn't budge. Instead he felt pain in his ribs. He tried to at least turn to his side but only to fail again.

He hated the pain, the weakness.

He felt so hopeless.

He whimpered. His bladder was going to burst!

Frustrated, he hit the bed with his hand that was not hooked with the IV a couple of times. The movement seemed to have woken the blond woman up.

"Good morning honey," she said. She sat on straight for a few seconds to get her bearings.

"Toilet," he spoke but no sound came out. He tried to speak again but still couldn't make a sound. So he tried to do sign language by raising his hand to form a C and then crossed his index and middle finger. But all that did was confuse her. Why couldn't she understand?

Shit he needed to go. Tears began to form in his eyes in frustration. Dammit.

A few seconds later she spoke.

"Does Jaemie want to pee?" she asked.

He was surprised that the woman knew his name but as of the moment he did not care. Frantically he nodded.

"It's alright honey you can go. You are wearing diapers."

Horrified at the suggestion he shook his head and started to cry. There was no way a grown person like him would pee in a diaper. The thought was disgusting.

"Alright honey alright," she cooed.

She went to the comfort room and came back later. She helped lift the hospital gown up. She put the bedpan under him and urged him to go on.

He sighed at the relief he felt. After wiping him she fixed his gown back and went to the toilet to dispose his waste. When she came back, she fixed the blanket on him. She moved to fix his pillow but she gasped when she held his head.

"My goodness you are burning again!" The blond woman cried.

She opened the nearby drawer and pulled out a thermometer. She turned it on and placed it near his ear. When the alarm sounded, she looked at the LCD. She did not say anything but rushed out of the room. When she came back a nurse was with her. The nurse checked him and said she will be back for the medicine.

"Do you feel thirsty?" The blond woman asked Jamie after the nurse left.

He nodded.

Moments later she placed a straw to his lips and he sipped the water to his content. This was much better than before.

"We need to keep you hydrated to lower your body temperature," she said. She placed a wet towel over his forehead head. A few minutes later she was feeling the his back. He wasn't sweating.

Jamie was vaguely aware when a well-toned tall man wearing a black leather jacket over a brown shirt and black jeans entered the room. He had black hair and green eyes.

The man and the woman exchanged words.

"How are you?" The man asked.

Jamie did not reply. But if the chattering of his teeth was an indication, yes, he felt cold, so cold that he started to shiver and cling to the thin blanket. His body was tense and he curled up tight in fetal position. He looked so small against the bed.

The man took off his leather jacket and placed it on top of the boy. But it did not do anything to stop his shivering. The next thing he did surprised the teen on the bed. He threw his body over him and tightened his arms around him in an embrace. The boy struggled but he hugged him tighter. Gradually his intense shivering ceased an hour later. He stayed beside the boy until he slept.

In the following days, Jamie saw the same man. Other people he did not know came into the room. They talked to him and brought him food. He was wary of them. They were strangers therefore he refused to speak to them.