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Chapter Thirty Four- Nine In The Afternoon

Roy sat in the waiting room of the neurology unit alone, despite MacKenzie's protest of wanting to accompany him. She wasn't overly fond of him disappearing the day before early in the morning and not returning till after midnight, when in reality the only thing he was doing was chain smoking and giving his last check to his landlord.

He hated the smell of hospitals; too clean. No one was in the waiting room with him, only a shriveled dying plant and the obese woman behind the front desk.

Roy sighed heavily as a familiar face peered through the door with a clipboard and a muffin.

"Roy Walker?" Beckie smiled. She came out quickly and, in an uncalled for manor, kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so happy you're my patient today! Oh my god. It's been a year. A year!"

Roy nodded.

"You're still in that chair, huh? We gotta get you back to rehab now don't we."

Dear god. No.

Don't touch me don't touch me. I'm gonna fall on my dick.

"I've sure missed you, sweetheart! You didn't visit!"

"Why visit when you're well?" Roy responded.

"You're far too clever for me!!!"

Roy followed Beckie into an exam room at the end of the hall. She was too excited to see him, and he felt extremely uncomfortable with her clammy hands.

"Just sit up here on the exam table and we can get started."

"Mm," Roy said apathetically. He lifted his legs onto the floor and internally groaned when he realized it was far too high for him to transfer without looking like an idiot.

There's no way he was getting up there unless he threw his arms on the other side and dragged himself up. He wanted to die.

"Uh...I'm sorry, I can't..." Roy said quietly, avoiding eye contact and gesturing to the exam table.

"Oh yes!" Beckie exclaimed. "Gee I'm so sorry about that. We'll get somebody right away."

Somebody? Like my pride maybe?

Beckie grabbed the arm of the first person to walk by, and to Roy's surprise, it was the finger orderly from when he was still in the hospital. The guy named Fred.

"Can you help get my friend up here. Yes it's so tricky! Just one moment Roy. Are you ready?"

Oh my god.

They simultaneously manhandled Roy, and at this point he was glad MacKenzie didn't join him.

"You remember Mr. Walker, right?"

"Certainly," Fred commented.

Yes, the awkward son of a bitch who kept apologizing. Bad memories. Bad flashbacks.

Roy felt himself turning red. He felt like a 6'5 12 year old.

After Fred left Beckie smiled joyfully. "God I'm so happy to see you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"That's it?" She frowned in disappointment. "Well, I'm just going to take your vitals quickly and the doctor will be in shortly. To check on your progress."