We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 74: Progress

"Irv says hello." Margot broke the silence. Joe only let out a small groan in response. "He wiped the board with me again. I'm really bad at chess."

This time Joe snickered a little, but still no words. Sighing, Margot entered the room and knelt beside the bed, her elbows resting on the mattress and her face inches away from Joe's. "I'm serious, this is a real problem," she whispered. "It's almost impressive how bad I am. I don't think anyone could suck this bad even if they tried."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Joe finally spoke but kept his eyes shut.

"Do you know how to play chess?" Margot asked.

Cracking open one eye ever-so-slightly, Joe looked back at Margot and exhaled. "Yes."

"You should come play me then," she suggested, hoping maybe it would get Joe out of bed, even if just for an hour or so. "I guarantee you will win." 

"Well, where's the fun in playing if I know I'm going to win?"

"Okay, I lied." Margot looked around jokingly to make sure no one was listening. "I'm actually fantastic at chess and I just pretend to be bad to make Irv feel good. Now you have to play me to see if I'm telling the truth or not."

Joe closed his eyes again and let out a grumble, the sound muffled as he buried his face into the pillow. "I don't want to play chess, Margot."

"Well, then what do you want to do?" Margot was willing to do almost anything at that point. "You have to get out of bed eventually. It's ten in the morning."

Reaching one arm out from under the covers and grabbing onto Margot's hand with his own, Joe kept his face planted firmly in the pillow as he spoke, his words only just audible. "Why can't we just do what we did yesterday? I liked having you read to me from that book you're reading."

"Because we can't do the same thing every day and I think it's time you left the house," Margot stated. "I know you don't want to, and I know it's hard, but we have to start somewhere. Why don't we just go sit outside for a little while? The sun won't kill you, I promise."

"I know the sun won't kill me."

"Well, you act like it sometimes." Margot squeezed Joe's hand and stood up. "Nothing is going to happen if we go sit in the backyard. It'll just be me and you. No one will be there to see you stumble." 

Joe slowly lifted his head from the pillow and looked up at Margot, his expression still hazy from being in bed for so long. "Just you and me?"

"Unless you want me to invite Irv over."

"God, no."

"Then, yes, just me and you."

"Okay, fine." Joe rolled onto his back and pushed himself up so he was sitting up. "I'll meet you out there."

Margot looked at the prosthetic leg and crutches that were propped up against Joe's bedside table. "Do you want any help?" she offered even though she knew the answer already.

"No."

"Okay." Margot knew better than to push the subject, especially since she had just pushed harder than she normally would to get him out of bed. So, in the meantime, she decided to be productive and grab a blanket to set up outside under the large tree that sat in the corner of Joe's small backyard. 

With her book in her hands and her back against the trunk of the tree, Margot read a few pages of the book she had picked up from this little, used bookshop in town that Irv had told her about. It was a fantastic read so far, and even though Margot wasn't sure she would enjoy a story about a man at sea, she surprisingly found the tale rather thrilling.