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Volkner looked over at his phone for what could have been the hundredth time in the last hour. He sighed before picking up his book again, but he was too distracted to read. Despite their claim, he'd discovered that there was only so much opioids could do for postsurgical pain. He was tempted to take them more frequently than he knew he should, but his history with drugs was enough to prove that an unwise decision.
The physical pain wasn't the only thing that was bothering him, though. It had been nearly two weeks since the accident, and he'd been home for three days. But Flint hadn't called once. Every time Volkner had tried to initiate, it had gone straight to voicemail.
He didn't think he'd gone this long without speaking to his best friend in years. All of his other friends had come to visit him at least once, either at the hospital or at his home, but Flint wouldn't even answer his calls. He felt… empty, in a way he couldn't quite explain.
Volkner's heart leaped into his throat when his phone vibrated on the wooden dresser beside his bed. He practically lunged for it, dropping his book onto the floor in the process. When he picked it up…
A notification from his doorbell. He sighed dejectedly before opening the app.
"Hello?"
"Heya!" Came Candice's voice, "Are you up?"
Volkner looked at his watch. It was nearly 5 PM. He would have been insulted by the implication if it weren't accurate.
"I'm awake, if that's what you mean."
"...So you're not out of bed."
"Nope."
"Volkner!" She yelled, "Your doctor specifically said that you shouldn't be lying in bed all day!"
"Who told you that?"
Candice paused, "Doesn't matter."
Volkner sighed. Knowing her, it was probably Cynthia. She'd charged herself with being the unofficially leader of his care team. He'd be offended that she thought he needed a care team if, once again, it wasn't accurate. She'd visited him in the hospital nearly every day and had insisted on attending his appointments. He'd be grateful for her support if she didn't pester him nearly all hours of the day.
"So, are you just going to stand outside, or what?"
"I wasn't going to come in if you didn't say I could."
"What are you, a vampire?" He paused, "Maybe you should drink some blood. It might help your complexion."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Volkner let out a huff of laughter, "You can come in." If he couldn't leave his house, he had to get his kicks somewhere.
He heard the door open and slam shut. Footsteps stomped towards the door of his bedroom before Candice swung the door open, her face pinched in an almost comical frown.
"What happened to asking before you enter?" He asked, sounding as innocent as possible.
"You're a little bitch, you know that?"
He shrugged, "So I've been told."
"I swear, you've gotten worse. Did they take the last of your dignity with your leg?"
Volkner winced. His leg ached every time someone mentioned it, refusing to be forgotten.
Like he could ever forget.
Candice stopped, standing upright, "Sorry. Too soon?"
"It's been two weeks, Candice."
"Sorry. I guess I just…" She waved her hands at him, "You never really take things too seriously, so I thought that…"
Volkner pinched the bridge of his nose, "I lost my fucking leg, Candice. This isn't– This isn't something I can fix or ignore until someone else fixes it."
"I-I'm–"
"Gods. All of you seem to think that I'm incapable of giving a shit about anything. Am I really– do you think I'm even human?"
"I'm… I'm sorry, Volkner. I didn't… I was being insensitive. I guess… It's hard, to see you not acting like yourself."
"And how do you think I feel about it?"
Candice opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off.
"Don't answer that. I don't need you to tell me how pathetic you think I am."
"I don't think you're pathetic. I'm not… I guess I'm just not used to you expressing yourself. But, like, it's a good thing. You kept it bottled up for so long."
"This only happened two weeks ago."
Candice shook her head as she tentatively sat on his bed, where his right leg should have been, "I mean before that. I don't know why none of us said anything, but we all knew you were depressed."
Volkner could feel his eyes growing wet.
"We should have said something before it came to this."
Volkner gritted his teeth. He put a hand over his face so she couldn't see the tears gathering in his eyes, "Dammit."
"I think you're the strongest of us for surviving through all this without the support that you deserved."
"If I were as strong as you think I am, I would still have both my legs."
"I don't think that you're weak for what happened either. I can tell you right now that none of us do. We're just thankful that you're still here."
"I think I would have rather died."
"Well, we don't, and majority rules."
"That's not–"
"Nope, majority rules. We love you and we like being around you and we want you to live."
"You love me?" He asked incredulously.
Candice blushed, "Not like that! We– well, Roark, Maylene, and I– we love you like family. You're like an older brother."
"Good."
Volkner's phone buzzed again. He picked it up and sighed when he saw a Discord notification. He practically slammed it back down on his bedside table.
Candice tipped her head, "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"Was it Flint?"
Volkner didn't respond.
"Has he still not texted you back?"
Volkner shook his head.
"I think… He hasn't been to any meetings we've had. I think he's ashamed."
"Why should he be ashamed? Last I checked, he still has all his limbs."
"I mean, this is just what Luci told me, but I think he blames himself. For what happened."
Volkner sneered, "Why should he blame himself? He tried to save me."
"Because you got hurt anyways. A-and that he wasn't able to stop you from getting to this point. You're his best friend, and I know that I feel like I have a duty to protect my best friend."
"Then he should know that hiding and staying away is the last thing he should be doing."
"Yeah. I can tell him you said that. But I think he needs time too."
"I just…" Volkner sighed, "I need him. I can't… I can't go through this without him. You're great, Candice, but…"
"Yeah, I get it. And… I'm sorry. I can't even imagine what it's like to go through this."
Volkner put his head back against his pillow. He didn't want to cry, especially in front of her. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face.
"Dammit."
After a minute of silence save for his sniffling, Candice spoke again, "Just because you're having an emotionally healthy moment doesn't mean I'm not going to do what I came here to do."
"Candice–"
"No. Get up, at least go sit on the couch. I'm going to make you the best freakin' meal you've ever had."
"Can't I feel sorry for myself?"
"Yes, but you also need to take care of yourself. You're not going to get any better if you just wallow in your misery."
"Candice–"
"Don't make me pick you up." Candice stood, walking over to the corner of his room where he kept his crutches. She brought them over, holding them expectantly. Volkner sighed before he sat up and swung his leg over the side of his bed, his residual limb resting awkwardly beside it. Candice held the crutches steady as he stood and took them from her.
"You're persistent if nothing else," he mused.
"It's my best quality."
She walked slowly beside him as he hobbled towards the doorway.
"I brought over some fresh vegetables too. Ooh, and I'll get some ice cream after dinner, my treat. You like toffee, right?"
"Mint chip's better, but I'll take toffee."
"Mint chip it is. Only the best for you."
Volkner reached up to wipe his cheek. It was still wet. But somehow, something felt less empty.
"Thanks for coming over. It… it means a lot to me."
"Of course. I'll do whatever I can to help you feel better. We all will."
He looked over to her. Her smile was as bright and cheerful as ever.
"You mean a lot to us, Volkner. We'll care about you no matter what."