Abigail was in much worse shape than Toki. She had internal injuries besides the initial knife wound, which baffled to doctors in that she had survived it in the first place and she was severely dehydrated. From the fresh wounds of the rape, she'd begun to develop an infection, as well. She was in surgery for several hours and then returned to a comfortable hospital room in the medical wing. Pickles waited during the surgery, Nathan and Charles keeping him silent company. Each day, Pickles would visit her room, even though she never regained consciousness. Nathan, Murderface and Charles accompanied him on these visits, Murderface dropping out after a few days, Nathan after a week and a half, Charles came with him every day for two weeks and then only occasionally still came with the redhead. Pickles usually didn't go into her room; he just milled around the open door and looked in on her sleeping form, wishing that she'd open her eyes. Even if she woke up just to tell him to go away and stop being like a creepy stalker.

After three weeks, she finally woke up one day, while Pickles was pulling back the curtains of the room to let some sunlight in.

"Pickles?" she squinted, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the shafts of sunlight.

"Hey," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He must seem pretty weird, hanging around in her room when she was sleeping. "Sahrry, I was just," he feebly gestured behind him.

"How long was I out?"

"Aboot three weeks."

"Wow."

"Yeh. De odders've been down to see ya a couple taimes."

"I see you've been down more than a few," she nodded to the flowers by her bedside.

"Oh, heh. Dose were from alla us."

"And they're stayed fresh for three weeks? Also, know how else I know you're lying?"

"How?"

"You just asked me how I knew," she smiled at her own cleverness. Pickles chuckled nervously.

"We were kinda worried, ya know?"

"I'm glad that you all were worried about me. It actually means a lot."

"Na'ten prahbably wants ta see ya, if ya want me to tell 'm yer awake," Pickles edged nervously towards the door.

"Actually, could you not? Pickles, I know that I was responsible for what happened between you two and I want you to know that I'm not interested in Nathan. I never was. Still, I should have simply told him instead of letting things get so uncomfortable for everyone."

"It's naht yer fault. Both of us were pretty stupid, ya know? Someone like you wouldn't be interested in a coupla spoiled, kinda stupid rock stars, anyhow."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's why I liked ya in da first place, ya know? Ya were one of tha first people to naht be intimidated by us. Ya made us werk hard and do what we needed to. Yer kinda like…"

"Like Charles?"

Pickles twisted a dreadlock around his finger. Abigail chuckled, even though it hurt a little.

"Well, yeah, but… it'll sound ghey."

"Well, it's sounding like you have a crush on your band manager, so either way," her smile indicated she was gently ribbing him.

"I was gahnna say, yer like Charlie, but… beautiful." Pickles cheeks flushed with color.

"So, when we were down in the sub…"

"Ai didn't wanna just get in yer pants. I mean, yeh, I was sexully frustrated, but, I kinda… like ya. Like dat. But I know dat ya don't."

"And yet, you've been down here with some frequency since I've been here."

"I… It's just…"

"Pickles, remember when I said that I didn't get involved with people I worked with?"

"Yeh."

"I thought you were sweet. You even dressed up in that awful suit to try and impress me. Out of everyone in the band, you treated me the most like a person. The others… ugh."

"I'm jest kinda curious… ya don't need ta tell me if ya don't wanna, but Toki 'n Skwisgair… what happened wit them? Cause, since Toki gaht back, dey've…"

"So Skwisgaar finally realized that he's damn lucky to have the love of someone like Toki, huh?"

"Heh. Dey've barely been outta blondie's room." Abigail smiled fondly, glad for Toki.

"Skwisgaar did his usual smarmy lothario act, and Toki was just awkward in a cute teenage boy sort of way. Neither really seemed too interested, though. Once I told them to get lost, nicely, they both shrugged and left. I thought it was odd for Skwisgaar, but I guess not many women have turned him down and he was just too shocked to deal with it." Pickles laughed, for the first time above a throaty chuckle.

"And dat suit was de only one I had wit me. Don't know why I had dat one… I woulda worn onea my blahck suits. I look a laht better in dose."

"I'm sure."

"I guess I'm glad ya at least got a chuckle outta dat. I guess, since yer up, I prahbably better let ya git some rest."

"Pickles…"

"Yeh, Abby?" Pickles was taking a tremendous risk, using a nickname. It wasn't as if they were close and he'd probably sound like a weirdo.

"For what it's worth, if things had been different… I probably could have liked you."

Pickles smiled sadly. "And ya can't now?"

"Pickles, things happened back there. Things that I want to forget, but I know I probably never will. I don't know that I'll be able to trust anyone for a long time. It's not fair to say something like I just did, when I know that about myself. I'm sorry," Abigail looked troubled. Pickles sat on the side of her bed, mostly because there wasn't a chair in her room. Why wasn't there a chair in here?

"Can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Sure."

"What if I wanted ta wait?"

"That's not fair to you, Pickles. What if I can never trust someone again?"

"Meybe I can't be tha kinda man ya want er need, but I wanna do what I can ta help ya. Even if ya don't like me like dat. Nobody should haveta live feelin' like dey can't trust er care aboot anybody."

Pickles thought about some bad Lifetime movies he'd watched about rape victims. The littlest things could trigger memories of their experiences, and it was, indeed, very hard to let anyone close, physically or otherwise.

"That's too much to ask of you. It's not your responsibility."

"It ain't because I wanna date ya, if ya don't want. And I know dat I can't pahssibly understand what ya went trough. It's because… when I was fifteen, I left home. And no one cared. My mahm, my own mother, just grunted. Didn't even look up from her crassword. I left. I spent da next eight years ina band, but we were just bandmates. I had no friends. I had no family. I felt so alone all da time. It's prahbably why I drank and did so many drugs. Becausea my family, I guess, I never told anybody dat I cared aboot 'em. Until Dethklok. I mean, at first, we were just bandmates, like Snakes N Barrels. But, Toki, dat gahddamn Norwegian kid, he… he made me feel like someone cared aboot me," Pickles sniffled, the magnitude of Toki's return resurfacing. "And alla us. Toki made – makes us a family. And I cahnt' tell you, Abby," he thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile when he said it that time, "I cahn't imagin' goin' bahck. And I don't want you ta feel like I felt. At least naht for very lang. I wanna be dere for ya because I don't want ya to spend yer life just remembering … thet."

Abigail smiled. "Thank you for sharing that with me Pickles. The media makes you seem like an idiot who only drinks and does drugs. I don't know why you don't let them see how insightful, smart, you are."

"Heh. It ain't very brootal. Ya know, bein' all insightful and sensitive."

"You're a good man, Pickles. Your family should be sorry that they lost you."

"Doubt dey are. Seth's so damn perfect dat dey barely remember I exist. Unless dey want ta compare Seth ta someone who's worse'n him."

"Like you said. You have Dethklok now."

"Listen, I gaht a band meetin'," Pickles stood and began toward the door. "Would it be okay… if I came down ta see ya later? I mean, if ya don't mind…"

"I'd like that."

"Okee. Try ta rest."

"I've been asleep three weeks, I'm pretty well rested."

"Heh. Well, later."

"Bye, Pickles."

There was no band meeting. But it was nice to know that Abby wanted Pickles to come visit her again. Things had been better since Toki had been home, but it seemed that life was finally beginning to settle into a quiet happiness for Pickles. Maybe, for once, he wouldn't head straight for the liquor cabinet before bed.