Happiness is a Myth

Chapter 48

.

It took a while for things to settle down in the Neal household.

Link convinced Rhett to start Locke with therapy sessions and they both agreed that it was for the best.

Link was getting better but he still felt pain from time to time.

He woke up a few weeks later, finally off the pain meds and ready to go back to the office. They did the interview Rhett asked for a few days after he settled home and even though they were not in a hurry to go back, Link didn't want to stall production for his sake.

The beasts were waiting and he didn't like that.

Everyone in the office cheered and some patted his back when they returned. He felt so embarrassed, especially that they all thought he lost a kidney because he was clumsy and fell down the stairs and did not tell anyone about it. They agreed that it was best that he took the blame so no one else would taste the wrath of the Guardians Movement or the Mythical Beasts.

It wasn't hard to believe given his tendency to drop, break and ruin things constantly on GMM. The dirty look David Hill gave Rhett was too obvious, though.. Link needs to set things straight with the big guy soon before Rhett notices his hostility.

Stevie ushered them to their office after everyone welcomed Link back and gave them an update of what they're about to film. It was a simple "will it" episode. All they had to do was sit and eat stuff and maybe banter a little.

Link was already exhausted and felt like someone was stabbing his side from the pain. He turned to say something to Rhett but remembered his rant from a while back about using his illness as an excuse. He closed his mouth, not wanting to give fuel to Rhett's future arguments.

If he stopped taking deep breaths, it would hurt less.

They started filming and Link found it hard to concentrate on breathing and talking at the same time. Stevie stopped them a few times to ask if he's alright, and he said he was fine. He just wanted to move things along so he can go back to the office and lay down for a while.

Link hit the first speed bump when Rhett said something funny at the end of the main episode and he barked a laugh. That was a big mistake! His laugh instantly turned into a groan as he held the table for dear life.

Everything hurts and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

He heard Rhett ask if he was ok and he nodded shakily. He knew he was not even close to being alright at the moment. When they started recording, he was able to ignore the pain as long as he didn't take a full breath but now, any movement, even breathing hurts like hell.

The world around him faded for a second as he tried to concentrate on breathing. Someone touched his shoulder and he shrugged it off, stuttering: "Do.. don't to.. touch me!"

He can power through. He just needs to hold it together for a few more minutes while they finish the GMMore episode.

He didn't know how long it took but as time passed by, the pain did not subside. If anything, he felt more like fainting. He could hear people talking to him but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Link just wanted to take one decent breath. Just one.

The lights around them suddenly started to flicker and Micheal's voice rang throughout the studio: "Charles, let them help you!"

For some reason, that pissed off Link more than calmed him. He wanted to shout at Micheal to stay out of it, but he didn't have enough air in his lungs to do more than groan.