The last 10 days of Robbie Shapiro

A white BMW parked next to an old, one story building. The engine got turned off as the door opened and a man dressed in a suit got out of the car. He shut the door and locked it with a single button on his keys. He looked around, remembering the neighborhood.

"Seems like nothing changed in the last fifteen years." He said to himself as he opened the small gate and walked through. He looked over at the house, sad at how bad it looked since he had been here the last time. Some of the windows were broken, the fence needed fixing, the balcony rail was everything but safe and it could use a paintjob too. He could only guess that the roof must be leaking too.

He stepped forward and knocked on the door before he took another step back. He heard someone walk what he assumed down the steps as the door opened and revealed the owner of the house.

"Yes?" The slim, blond man asked as he looked at who was visiting him.

"I see you haven't changed much Sinjin. Still rocking the blond fro, the glasses and the shirt over t-shirt." The man said with a small smile.

"Robbie? Robbie Shapiro?" Sinjin stuttered, not believing who he was seeing.

"Nice to see you man." Rob said as he stepped forward and gave his old high school friend a hug.

"I didn't recognize you. You changed." Sinjin said as they separated.

"I hear that a lot. Lost the glasses and straightened my hair." Robbie told him.

"Please, come in." Sinjin said as he stepped aside and motioned into the hallway. Robbie walked inside, looking at the house and how desperate it was for a make over. The paint was slowly falling from the walls and the furniture seemed old. He realized it was the same that had been there since he had left. "What brings you to LA?" Sinjin asked as he sat down on a chair next to the dinner table.

"Felt homesick after all those years and decided to come and visit my old town. I heard you were still living here and decided to come and say hello." Robbie said.

"Can I offer you something?" Sinjin asked, ready to get up, but Robbie only shook his head no, making Sinjin sit back down.

"No, thanks. It's nice that you still live in your old family house. I can't believe I'm here again. It's been a while."

"Fifteen years since we graduated. But I don't really live here because I want to. I don't really have a choice." Sinjin said, the tone in his voice saddening and his eyes looking down at his hands.

"You live here by yourself?"

"No. Courtney lives with me."

"Really? Where is she? I haven't seen her in forever." Rob asked, at which Sinjin let out a defeated, sad chuckle.

"She's in the hospital right now." He said.

"In the hospital?" Robbie repeated in disbelief, at which Sinjin only nodded silently. "What happened?"

"Well, we both live here and have some okay jobs. The money isn't that great, but we make it from the beginning of the month to the end. I work in the local theater and help them set up the stage and with the technical stuff." Sinjin explained.

"Just like in school."

"Yeah. Just like back then." Sinjin nodded with a small laugh and smile at the memory. "But Courtney started feeling bad and it got worse from day to day. She still tried to work through the pain, at least that's what she said. She knew that we needed the money and just clenched her teeth together and ignored it as long as she could. But she broke down a while ago at work. They got her to the hospital and there we found out that both her kidneys had stopped working."

"Oh god. That's horrible. How is she?" Rob asked.

"Not so good. She needs a donor, and there are none for now." Sinjin explained.

"Can't you give your kidney?" Rob asked.

"I tried, but her body rejected it. Now we can only hope and pray that another one will come in time. But even if it happens, if they find one, we don't have enough money for the surgery. Neither she nor I have insurances and all our savings to fix the house have gone into her hospital bills. I don't know what to do now." Sinjin said as his hands began trembling. Robbie looked at his broken friend and the situation he was in. He knew how close he and Courtney always were, and to see her go through this and him not being able to do anything must be breaking his heart.

"Let's go to the hospital. I want to see her." Robbie said as he got up.

"Uhm, okay. Sure." Sinjin said as he got up himself and grabbed his jacket. They walked outside towards Robbie's car.

"That's your car?" Sinjin asked wide eyed.

"Mhm. Got it last year. Looks good, doesn't it?" Robbie asked with a small smirk. Sinjin only nodded.

Both got into the car as Robbie started the engine and they drove of towards the hospital. They arrived there a few minutes later, since it wasn't to far away from where Sinjin lived.

They got out of the car and walked towards the hospital entrance. They got into the elevator where Sinjin pushed the button for the eight floor. They were the only ones in the elevator, and Robbie noticed how Sinjin only grew more nervous. When they arrived at the eight floor, Sinjin led him to one of the rooms in which were three beds. When they walked towards the last one, Robbie's heart nearly broke when he saw the formerly weird girl from high school. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, reaching now barely to her shoulder. The already thin girl was now even thinner. Her face was pale and looked tired. And the view of all those IV's and needles in her body were only worsening it for him.

"Hey, sis. Look who came to visit you." Sinjin said as he sat down next to her and gently stroked her hair. She looked at him and then at Robbie. After a few moments, her eyes grew a bit wider as she seemed to realize who was standing in front of her.

"Robbie?" She said in a weak voice.

"Hey Courtney." He said as he leaned down and gave her a hug. She wrapped her skinny arms around his neck before both let go a few moments later. "I like what you've done with your hair." Robbie told her with a small smile. She smiled back shyly.

"Thank you. I didn't expect to see you." Courtney said with a little effort.

"I came to visit some old friends. Of course I would visit you too." Robbie said, the small, sympathetic smile never leaving his lips.

"Thank you for coming. I only wish you didn't have to see me this way." Courtney said sadly.

"Don't apologize. You will get better. Don't worry." Robbie said. Courtney smiled a sad smile at his words while Sinjin had trouble keeping it together.

"I hope you are right." She said, her voice ready to break.

"I'll leave you two alone for a moment. I'll be back in a few minutes." Robbie said as he walked out of the room and towards the nurse.

"Hello, where is Courtney's doctor?" He asked. The nurse looked at him in confusion before she pointed towards a room at the end of the hall.

"Thanks." He said before walking towards it and knocking twice.

"Come in." He heard a voice yell from inside. "How can I help you sir." The doctor in his late forties asked as he was looking through some files.

"Hello. My name is Robert Shapiro. I'm a friend of Courtney's." He said as he sat down on one of the chairs.

"Ah, yes. Courtney. Precious lady." The doctor said as he put away his files and gave Robbie his full attention.

"What can you tell me about her situation?" Robbie asked.

"Well, both her kidneys gave out a year ago and she has been struggling ever since. She worked through it instead of coming here immediately and it only worsened everything. Her body is weak and if we don't find a donor soon it will be too late for her." The doctor explained.

"Is it so hard to find a donor?"

"It is. But she also has a rare blood type, which makes things only harder for us. Her brother donated his own kidney, but her body rejected it because of wrong medication." The doctor explained.

"You gave her wrong medication?"

"We didn't know. Nobody could have predicted her body reacting that way. Now we know where we made our mistake and if we find a donor, I am absolutely positive that she would make a full recovery."

Robbie smiled a small smile at the news. He took an envelope out of the pocket in his jacked and handed it to the doctor who opened it and took out some papers. He read them through as Robbie took out a card out of his wallet and placed it on the table.

"Those are my medical files and here is my donor card. My blood type matches hers. You have my full medical history. I don't have any diseases, health problems or anything. I never did drugs and my family does not have any history with health issues." Robbie explained. "Also, I will pay the full cost of the surgery and her hospital bills."

The doctor looked at the files and then at Robbie in pure disbelief.

"Sir, I've been working here for the last twenty years, and I've never seen something like this happen. A-are you sure?" The doctor asked.

"I don't know what we are waiting for. Can you do the surgery now? I'm a bit stressed with time." Rob said.

The doctor got up and motioned towards the door. "Please. Let's not waste time." He said as both men walked out. After a few more checks and preparations, Courtney and Sinjin were more then surprised to find out about the news. Sinjin broke down in tears of joy while Courtney only went numb in shock and surprise.

The surgery lasted four hours and was a success. They successfully transplanted one of Robbie's kidneys into Courtney. Courtney was brought back into her room, where Sinjin was waiting. Nothing could have removed that smile from his face when the doctor told him that the surgery was a success. Nothing would have removed the disbelief in his face when the doctor told him that the surgery and the hospital bills were also taken care off.

The evening came quick as Robbie signed his release papers and took care of all the bills. The doctor thanked him again as Robbie departed despite the doctor telling him to stay overnight just to be sure. He walked towards his car and got inside before driving off towards the familiar direction.

He got out of his car a few minutes later and took out a briefcase out of the trunk of his car before he walked towards Sinjin's house and knocked again. A few moments later the door opened and before he knew, two arms were wrapped around his body.

"T-thank you. Thank you so much." Sinjin cried out. Robbie felt his scar burn, but didn't bother. It was nothing compared to the last year. This little pain was something he didn't even feel.

"Don't thank me. Come on, I have something to tell you." He said as both walked inside and sitting down on the same table as the day before.

"I'll get straight to the point. I'm the owner of Puppet-masters studios." Robbie said.

"W-what? That is your studio?" Sinjin asked in shock, remembering all the successful movies they brought out in the last decade.

"It is. And I got a job offer for you and Courtney. The vice-president of my company needs a new secretary, and we need a new head for the props and stage department. So if you and your sisters are interested, call this number." Robbie said as he handed Sinjin a card and two small books. "Here are the contracts. The man you can call will let you know everything else. I would be really happy if you accept." He explained as Sinjin looked at his contract, his hands beginning to shake in disbelief while his expression was a mixture of joy and shock.

"R-Robbie. W-w-why are you doing this?" Sinjin asked in a shaky voice. Robbie only smiled again.

"I'm just helping an old friend out. I have to go now. I'll check on you and your sister soon." Rob said as he got up and offered his hand. Sinjin gladly shook it as Robbie walked back towards his car.

He got inside and smiled up, glad that his plan worked. He drove towards his hotel, wanting to catch at least a little sleep before visiting some friends again.