I woke up the next morning later than anticipated .

Oof. Oww. My neck is… not as sore actually. Strange. How long was I out for? Turning on the tv I saw the readout said 11 in the morning. Something like 14 hours then. Well, at least this gives me some time to prepare before discharge.

The nurses had brought in a bag of effects from whatever they've found at the accident sometime while I've been asleep. It was lying on one of the chairs on the far side of the room.

Well I can see cords from here. Maybe there's a cellphone.

With a groan I hoisted myself up and sat to adjust for dizziness. Which didn't come. Weird. It's almost like I possessed some sort of low grade healing factor. Could have had Wolverine healing but at best this is somewhere between Captain America and Spider-Man without the super strength. Better than average but not superhuman. Guess that's what the weird psychedelic trip did.

Ah well. At least I'm alive. And healed slow enough not to freak out the hospital staff. Imagine if they saw someone super healing. I'd be abducted and sent to some scientific lab so fast. The recovery should be shorter at least.

Rooting around I found a pair of cut off skinny jeans, a dickie shirt, some keys, a duct tape wallet and a cell phone with charger.

A Motorola Droid.

I haven't seen one of these In a decade at least.

It looked like it's had better days. Scratches covered the once smooth metal surface and the outer screen was cracked. Well, here goes nothing. Plugging the charger into the wall I put the cord in the phone and waited.

~Droiiiid~

Huh, what do you know.

It works. Of course, now I'd need to relearn how to text using T9, but that wouldn't have to be for too long. Doesn't the blackberry come out sometime in the next year or two? Definitely on the list of things to have. I've spent years with a iPhone before, and now I'm in the past with the days of dial up internet and terrible cell phone service.

Shit.

Still….

This is as close as you'd ever get to time traveling.

Realistically if you could ever time travel any microbes would come with you and start plagues. Back in time and you bring a plague. Forward and you'd die from hyper evolved bacteria and viruses.

Huh, I wonder if bringing up this line of inquiry would ruin Doctor Who for Sheldon?

I pulled the phone closer and sat back on the bed. Opening up the messages I saw…. that no one had texted. Of course. Howard was a pretty offputting and solidary guy. My free arm rubbed a hand through my stubble and hair.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

Looking through the contacts I started texting Leonard. Hey, how r u?

Holding the phone I waited for a reply… and kept waiting. Hmm.. guess he's busy. Turning the volume on loud and setting the phone on the adjustable stand by the bed it vibrated and dinged in my hand.

Bzzzztt

Good. Sheldon's been driving me crazy but I'm sure that will pass 's hold up in his office completely in work recently. I'm sorry to hear about your mom. We will be by later toda()

Y to pick you up after work. Sometime around 5ish? (2/2)

Thnx. Dat works

Raj told me you fractured some fingers. Does typing hurt? Think you'll be able to come back to work fine? I talked to the head of the physics department and they've cut you a bi()

T of a break while you're hospitalized. They almost brought Anderson back.(2/2)

Yup. Call later lunch. Taking nap

Wow. I haven't T9'd since middle school. It was exhausting. This was going to take some getting used to. Old school phones, slow internet, a lack of good video games…

And Anderson? Another engineer, from the pharmaceutical department my memory's supplied. I don't remember any other engineers on the show. Maybe what I saw on TV was just a reflection of another reality. This one was real, complex, with very deep webs of interest and interpersonal relationships saturating it. The people around me weren't one dimensional characters, but rich multifaceted individuals. I'd have to remember to not operate on previous assumptions.

If only I could remember which company's did good in the stock market. Tough luck. I was pants at paying attention to the geopolitical climate back in my home reality. In the late two thousand teens stuff had deteriorated so badly I'm surprised nuclear war didn't break out.

Or maybe it did and that's why I'm here….

Nonetheless I texted Leonard can u bring cloths 2? Mine burnt before drifted off to nap, phone by the bed.

When I woke up saw that it was 2:37 pm. The phone was beeping next to my ear. Guess I slept pass their call. Might as well see if there's any voicemails.

De-deep

"Hey Howard, guessing you fell asleep. We told Sheldon that you're awake and it's the happiest I've seen him in a- yes Raj, I'm going to tell him we're stopping by the apartment to get clothes.

Okay. Okay—- here why don't you just talk to him."

Rustling sounds for a moment as the phone was being passed.

"Hey Howard. I feel bad for forgetting to grab your keys to get some clothes for you but I feel creepy going there by myself. Yes Sheldon?

Oh good lord, give me that.

Howard it's me. We're going to stop by the apartment and grab you a Togo bag. Raj keeps insisting to want to get you some of his clothes but as he's taller than you it would be frankly embarrassing. And since the hospital is too far away from your house it's simply more efficient to grab Leonard's clothes and be over before rush hour. Be prepared for us and we can be in the road before traffic gets bad."

Bee-beep

End of messages.

Aaaaaallllllriggghhtyy then. Typical Sheldon.

I'm going to convince him to get psychological testing someday. His signs scream autistic. Maybe if he gets a diagnosis it can help somehow.

Well. Time to nap again before everyone comes.

After a quick nap I woke up a hour later.

Mmm… 4:45

Plenty of time to ready myself mentally.

How should I act around Sheldon and Leonard?

With Raj I could fall back onto casual banter. Sheldon would be harder to trick. At least Debbie is dead, imagine living with Howard's mom. I'd make me want to kill myself after a while.

In the meantime I occupied my time by packing personal effects. Hospital socks, wallet, phone, keys. Yup. Basically all that's left to do is wait.

Before I knew it knocking startled me. I'd zoned out and not realized it.

Knock knock knock Howard.

Knock knock knock Howard.

Knock knock knock Howard.

"Come In Sheldon!"

Sheldon almost bolted into the room, a haggard Leonard trudged into the room behind him. "Heeeey Howard. How are you doing?"

"Can we not talk about that right now Leonard? I'm going to cope with it later, but If I think about it now I'll have a breakdown."

"Capital idea Howard." Sheldon exclaimed pacing around the room. "The Vulcans focused on logic especially in the face of hazardous conditions. I for one think what you're doing is the perfect decision."

"Mmkay" Leonard mumbled. "I'll be right back. Going to get this ticket validated. Parking is expensive."

I exhaled slowly."Thanks. I don't think I can walk that far yet without help."

"Very well" Sheldon nodded. "How can we be of assistance?"

"Help me carry some stuff and get to the car."

Sheldon's eyebrows rose. "That's ridiculous, I'm a physicist, not a lackey. Leonard is coming with a wheelchair. We can just hang it on the handles."

"Look at you." I chuckled. "Breaking safety procedures."

"I'm uncomfortable with it, but the other option would be putting a bag of things on your lap. And frankly that is ridiculous." Sheldon stubbornly announced. "You're going to be wearing the seatbelt and we're going to head slowly through the hallways. If we leave this ward soon you can pretend to be a model train and we'll be at the car in a jiffy."

I scrunched my face giving Sheldon a 'bitch really' look.

"A model train?"

"Of course. Model trains are the best. They are both informative and miniature for travel sized convenience."

Leonard rolled into the room with a wheelchair. It was black, and its front stabilizer wheel wobbled.

"Oh come on Leonard." Sheldon walked closer inspecting the chair. " Surely you could have picked a better chair. This wheel appears to oscillate at a drastic angle laterally indifferent from forward propulsion . You might as well have got a Mario Kart gokart after it's hit a banana peel."

Leonard turned annoyed at Sheldon and adjusted him glass.

"It was either this or the one which brake kept getting stuck. The good wheelchair was taken by the family in room 304. What did you want me to do?"

"I wanted you to be faster and get that wheelchair, but I guess this will have to suffice."

Oof. Sheldon's more obnoxious in person that I imagined.

"Here Howard." Leonard dropped a bag on the bed. " I'm a quarter of a inch taller but these clothes should fit. There's no skinny jeans though. Just regular pants and a T-shirt."

"That's fine. Honestly I've been thinking about fazing them out. The paramedics had to use safety scissors to get the pair I was wearing off of me due to impact swell."

"Really?" Sheldon leaned back. "Interesting."

"What's interesting Sheldon?" Leonard asked turning, one hand pushing the wheelchair into the corner of the room and the other helping me stand up.

"Thanks" I murmured. "My bags on the nightstand. That and the separate folder of paperwork are all I'm taking by the way."

"No problem. The pants might be kinda loose but since we had no idea of how bad your swelling and difficulty walking would be they'll have to do."

"It's interesting that this was the catalyst for Howard has decided to alter his wardrobe, and not say the extremely tight crotch killing any sperm motility."

"Sheldon!" Leonard turned back into the room after passing me a bag of clothes."We don't say that sort of thing."

I stepped into the small side bathroom and started poking through the bag Leonard handed me. A pair of khaki slacks, a bit too long. Two pairs of socks, a blue button up shirt, and a comb in its packaging. I looked at it. When was the last time I'd showered?

Wetting the comb I ran it through the mop that could be considered my hair. With some difficulty using the brace bars and leaning against the sink I got un-dressed and the first good look at what this body looked like.

My first thought were short, and not as hairy as anticipated . Large bruises covered my ribs and shoulder joints, skinny limbs, no real visible muscle mass. Average. Nothing to write home about.

With all Howard's bragged about the Jewish people what else did I expect.

Grabbing onto the sink again I dressed. Not bad. Looking in the mirror. Now I actually look like a beetle instead of a highlighter from the 70's.

Time to get out of the hospital.