Tis a flesh wound, nothing more

Due to Mr. Zawatsky's exuberance, or the lack of control on his part, the wound on your arms that were mending suddenly showed a stress fracture and your stay was extended another week. You were obviously not amused and the sweet words from the nursing staff were also uttered with the same contempt for those that didn't follow hospital regulations. You weren't surprised, really, that when Randall came to visit you that you had to convince her that he would, in no circumstance, want to give you a hug or jack your body up to prolong your stay in their care. Even then, she made sure that the door stayed open and a nurse walked past every few minutes.

"Dude...you okay?"

You just laughed and nodded at that before the ribbing (figuratively, of course) commenced. It was playful, happy, good fun, and the type of joking you needed as you fought to dwell on the otherwise somber tone that he had delivered to you. There was an outpouring of sympathy for you, especially among your class, as the word came down that you protected Deborah "the shy jew" from a car but had lost your dad in the process. If only you could tell Randall about it, perhaps a hint or two, but you remembered that you were an adult who signed the non-disclosure agreement. The prospect of being called insane by your friend or, worse, hauled into court was not a nice way to think of things.

"Anywho, Alison's started going out with Roger Steinbeck, as we figured."

You nodded at that too, though the idea of your crush going out with another guy made you feel a bit more down in the dumps. Especially now that you couldn't bemoan your lack of female companionship with your dad made it all worse. You'd have to soldier on without her.

After a few more minutes of talking, Randall waved goodbye and he stepped out, bowing in mock salute to the nursing station and left you to your own devices. First your dad dying and now the girl you harbored a thing for was dating someone else. You just sighed and leaned your head back against the pillow. "What else can be going wrong?"

There was a knock on the door and you looked at the person standing there before you rolled your eyes. "Sure...why not..."