Chapter 10

Back at his house, Kadin couldn't help but worry about his friend. He knew that he was sick, but never thought that it would be so serious. He sat at the kitchen table and picked at his food.

"I know that you're worried, but you need to eat," his mother said. He sighed softly and ate a small forkful of spaghetti.

"Can I go see him tomorrow?" Kadin asked.

"We'll go after breakfast," his father said.

"Mom, dad, can we still do fireworks tonight?" Kadin asked. "I'd like to videotape it for him," he said.

"Sure, that might make him happy," his parents said.

After dinner, Kadin brought out a small pile of low-noise fireworks. He grabbed their phone so he could record everything.

"You light 'em up while I record," his father said.

"Okay," Kadin said, nodding his head. With the phone recorder on, Kadin said, "Ben, since you can't be here, tonight is for you." "I hope that you like it," he said.

Kadin placed and lit several multicolor fountains. The front lawn was lit up with colors of red, white, blue, and gold. Kadin's parents noticed a sudden change in their son's attitude. Kadin went from being worried to wanting to do something fun. Next, the night sky was filled with red, white, and blue round circles. Kadin had a genuine smile on his face. "Ben, this will be our last, so I hope that you like it," Kadin said. Colored flying fish filled the night sky. That ended the recording.

Kadin got ready for bed, laid down, and viewed the video of the fireworks. He smiled at the quality of the video.

"It turned out rather well," he said to himself. Kadin noticed that it was 10 p.m., so he shut down the phone and plugged it in. Before Kadin closed his eyes, he glanced up at the ceiling and prayed.

Goddess,

I have a friend in the hospital because he has a bad cold. Please watch over him until I get there tomorrow. He's been through a lot and needs people who care about him. I don't want to lose him.

Thank you,

Kadin

The next morning, Kadin woke up, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed to the bathroom. He undressed and stepped into the shower. He turned the knob and adjusted the temperature to his liking. Kadin washed up and relaxed under the warm water. Ten minutes later, he got dressed and headed to the kitchen.

"Good morning, son," his mother said.

"Morning, mom," Kadin said. "I looked over the video last night," he said.

"Are you going to show it to your friend?" she asked.

"Yes," Kadin said, nodding his head. "He didn't get the chance to celebrate with us, so I thought I'd let him see it," he said.

Once breakfast was over, Kadin and his parents headed over to the hospital.

"We're here to see Ben Johnson," Kadin's father, Keith, said.

"He's in room 214," the blonde woman at the reception desk said.

"Okay, let's go up and see your friend," Kadin's father said. They left the waiting room and headed to the elevators.

Ben had his eyes closed and was doing a breathing treatment when the door opened. Alec was sitting in a chair, reading. Ben opened his eyes and saw who had entered his room.

"Kadin," he said, smiling through the mask.

"Hiya, buddy," Kadin said with a smile. "I brought something for you," he said.

"Oh, what is it?" Ben asked. With the breathing machine still running, Kadin helped Ben sit up against his pillow.

"Since you couldn't celebrate with us, we recorded everything," Kadin said. He pulled out the phone, started the video, and handed it to Ben.

Even through the mask, Kadin could tell that Ben was smiling. Ben glanced up and asked, "You popped them all by yourself?"

"Yes," Kadin said, nodding his head. "My dad recorded everything," he said.

"You even chose low-noise fireworks," Ben said.

"I remembered that you said that you didn't like the loud ones," Kadin said. Ben put the phone down when the video ended. "Hey, why are you crying?" Kadin asked, noticing tears in Ben's eyes.

Ben reached up and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry," Ben apologized.

"Aren't you happy?" Kadin asked.

"Yes, I am," Ben said. "It's just that I ruined everything by getting sick," he said.

"You didn't ruin anything," Kadin said. "You didn't know that your cold would get worse," he said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Kadin's mother said.

"Yeah, be thankful that you have a friend who cares enough to see you happy," Alec said.

"I am," Ben said. "I just wanted to celebrate with you," he said.

"There's always Christmas," Kadin said.

The door opened, and Dr. Quinn walked in, carrying his clipboard. "Let's see how your lungs sound," he said, stepping up and revving the mask. Kadin sat down and watched quietly while the doctor ran his tests.

"Your lungs are clearing up," the doctor said. "You can go home tomorrow, but I want to see you next month," he said.

"Will this be an ongoing thing?" Alec asked.

"Yes, as a precaution," the doctor said, nodding his head.

Kadin and his parents stayed about an hour later. "I'll check in to see how you're doing," Kadin said. "Remember to think positive," he said.

"I will try," Ben admitted. "I just hate hospitals," he said.

"Think about us meeting at school in August," Kadin said. Ben let out a soft giggle. Kadin smiled and waved as he left with his parents.

"I need to go also," Alec said. "I'll see you in the morning," he said.

"Goodbye, Mr. McBride," Ben said. Ben watched as his foster father smiled and waved goodbye. He was alone once more, but he wasn't worried this time.

Ben couldn't wait until school started in a month. He'd start high school and see his friend on a regular basis.

"I'm hoping we have the same classes," Ben reasoned. Ben was less worried about starting a new school because he had something to look forward to. He also desired to draw a portrait for Kadin. Ben wanted to repay Kadin for something he had done for him.

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