It was a good thing we didn't try to call Delhoun, because he was fast asleep when Hudson and I came back. Even Aran was already in bed. I guess they decided I'd be searching all night and would be back by morning. Damn, I wish I was that level-headed.

Without bothering to grab something quick to eat, I changed into some dry clothes before getting on the couch in Delhoun's room. Laying on some of the bruises (especially the one on my back) was painful, and I struggled to find a comfortable position to lay in. Unfortunately, the end result was me looking like a demented bird in flight, with my knees drawn up. The positon my head was in made me start snoring, which ended up bothering Delhoun and Winnie at some time during the night. Now, I didn't get to tell them the whole story, but I was able to argue that I hurt and it was hard for me to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Delhoun ended up spending the rest of the night buried under the blanket, along with Winnie.

They no longer had to suffer around seven AM. I woke up from a dreamless sleep, feeling as though my body had been beaten with a hammer. Getting up and walking around for a bit didn't help. When I went into the locker room to shower, I managed to get a look at my back in the mirror. The scrapes had started to heal, and all of them were covered in hard, rough scabs. I then wanted to remove the bandages from my arm, but found they were so tightly wrapped that it was almost impossible to get them off without help, so I went out into the hall to get Hudson.

It wasn't all that hard to get him up, but I felt bad because he was just as tired and sore as I was. Despite that, he followed me into the locker room, mumbling, "Why d'you wanna get the bandages off anyways, man?"

"I want to see if they're healing," I replied.

Shrugging, Hudson gripped my shoulder before ripping half the bandage off. "I don't see what's so hard about it," he muttered after I howled in pain. "Hold still, lemme get the rest." He then commented that, without the cuts, my right arm was now as smooth as "a newborn baby's naked butt."

"I don't find that flattering," I grunted.

"Well, that's a lot coming from the guy who said I should get my chest waxed."

"Your chest is different from your arms." I looked down at the cuts, all of which were healing nicely.

"Yeah, man, ladies are gonna just love all the bruises, too."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't see how your bruises are any more attractive."

"I didn't say they are." Hudson began removing his bandages as well. He glanced at me as I laid a T-shirt and shorts on a rack before getting under a showerhead. "Are you OK, Drake?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno. You seem . . . annoyed, again. What's bugging you now?"

I thought for a moment, feeling a small sense of relief come over me as hot water struck my skin. "Just some thoughts I was having last night."

"Like what?"

"When Hornby was driving us back here, I kept telling myself that . . . I can't use the word 'home' when I'm saying that I want to leave somewhere and go back to Delhoun's or back to base. It's not home. I don't feel like any place I've stayed at is home."

Hudson took a minute to think. "Didn't you bring something like this up when you were feeling pissy?"

"Yeah. That's . . . in the past. I know, I have a hard time letting go of the past, but, I'm trying to just . . . think of now."

"OK, OK. So . . . home. The word kinda bugs you because you don't have an actual place to call home."

"Yes."

"You don't even consider Pittsburgh to be home?"

"I don't want to. Not if that's the place where I completely fucked up my life."

"OK. I can understand that. Can I ask one thing, though?"

"Sure."

"Is your goal in life to finally confront your past, or keep running from it?"

"I wish I could confront it. When I try, it pushes back, and it pushes back hard."

"Well, you gotta push back even harder, man. Can't let it control you like that."

"Everyone tells me that," I replied. "I don't know how to not let it control me. Sometimes, I feel like running is the best choice. I'll get away from it eventually."

"Drake, the only way you're gonna escape your past is if you quit the Marines and go live in the woods. Even then, I don't think you'll be able to escape your past. Maybe you won't see physical reminders, but you still have memories, and those aren't going away unless you give yourself amnesia." Hudson turned off the water, and reached behind him to grab a towel. "Don't give yourself amnesia, man, I'm pretty sure you got some good memories in there. Besides, I don't wanna see you leave, and I don't think anyone else wants to see you leave."

I sighed. "Trust me, Hudson, I want to believe you, but I want to feel like other people care before I make any life-changing decisions."

I definitely should've worded that differently. Hudson fell silent as he began dressing himself, and then glared at me. "Really? Everything I've done over the last few days isn't enough for you to feel like I care?"

"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about the rest of the squad."

"Oh, I get it." Hudson broke eye contact with me to adjust his belt. "This is about Hicks. You want Hicks to care."

"I really don't care if he cares. I appreciate it, but I don't care."

"Don't lie to me, man. You want Hicks to care. This is what I was talking about a couple days ago; try not to bottle things up so easily. It's not gonna upset anyone. Frankly, I don't think it'll upset Hicks at all, especially since you gave his idea to help you the middle finger."

I took another glance at my wounds in the mirror. "Yeah. That's the whole reason why." I had already covered up a lot of what Hicks told me yesterday. Telling Hudson now would give him the impression that I didn't trust him. Is it possible for friends to keep secrets from other friends, or is it just to going to erupt into a giant mess if I don't spill the secrets of one friend to another?

I'm aware it's mean to take advantage of Delhoun's condition, but what Hudson and I did was completely harmless; instead of giving him cereal, like he asked me to, I filled the bowl with oyster crackers. I wasn't entirely sure if oyster crackers and milk actually tastes bad, but I guess it does to Delhoun. As soon as he took a bite, he started gagging, and felt around the table for a napkin. After coughing and gagging, he said, "Drake, what the hell is this?! This isn't cereal!"

"I know," I said. "It's oyster crackers in milk."

"Don't do that!"

"Here's your toast, man." Hudson dropped a sponge in front of Delhoun.

Now we know that Delhoun's become too trusting of us, because he actually bit into the sponge. "Oh, bloody hell!" he shouted, trying to spit the taste of sponge out of his mouth.

I smirked. "You coulda done better than that, Hudson."

"Yeah, but I didn't wanna be too cruel." Hudson took the sponge from Delhoun before filling a glass with water. "Drake, can I have my pills?"

I handed him the bottle, then took my breakfast out of the microwave. Once everyone was seated at the table, the room fell silent, aside from the sound of forks and spoons hitting plates and bowls.

"That's right. We have to pick up Toby today," Delhoun muttered to himself. "Drake, would you mind driving to the vet?"

I felt like a swallowed a lead ball, remembering that I had left the car in Brisbane. "Um . . . I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because . . . I left the car in the city."

"It wasn't his fault, man," Hudson said. "We got in a fight with some guys outside a bar, and almost got arrested and then got sent to the hospital. We were let go, though. Hornby kinda saved our asses."

"So, let me get this straight. Because you two got in a fight, my car is in police custody?" Delhoun banged his fist on the table. "You morons didn't get my car back?!"

"We kinda forgot," Hudson mumbled.

"Of course you did." Delhoun's pale face began turning a faint shade of pink. "Can I trust you to do anything around here?"

"Yes," I said. "Look, it's not that hard to get your car back. I'll call a taxi."

"You better. I can't believe this."

"Don't get mad at me. It's not my fault, or anyone's fault, that Hudson wandered out of the building. I should've stopped him from attacking Garrett, but-"

"Wait, he attacked Doctor Garrett?"

"Yeah."

Delhoun let out a long sigh. "This is going to throw a monkey wrench into rescuing the Annexers. I don't even have the lawsuit in order, and here I have someone under my care deciding to go out and attack Garrett."

"It wasn't his decision."

"Big fucking deal! He needs to be controlled while he's on that pill!"

You could practically smell the tension in the air. Hudson set his fork down, and took his half-eaten breakfast to throw it out. Without a word, he left the room, giving me the freedom to explode on Delhoun.

"He went to you yesterday for a problem, and this is how you treat him in return?" I said. "I thought I was bad when it came to dealing with people! What the hell was that for?"

"Did I know he was going to get his medicine back?" Delhoun hissed. "No. Did I know he was going to wander off? No-"

"Yes, you did. You're the one we called when Bishop found Annexer hormones in the pills. You told us what we should do in order to keep Hudson from having such bad reactions. Don't tell me that because you're temporarily blind, you have no excuses. That's a stupid excuse. You know full well that Hudson needs to be looked after while he's taking that medication. We have both worked our asses off, trying to help you, and this is the 'thanks' we get? I don't care about the money, or the food, or the shelter. I just want to hear one fucking heartfelt 'thank you' from you."

"Get my damn car back, and I'll thank you."

Appalled, I backhanded Delhoun sharply across the face, almost knocking his goggles off. "You know what? I'll give you a few hours to think about it."

Throughout the day, I've been thinking that sometimes it's better to just visit your friends. We've spent almost five days together, and we're starting to turn on each other. Are we just tired of seeing each other and sick of each other's habits and personalities? Or is Delhoun just one of those people that you can only tolerate for a few hours at a time? I'm beginning to think the latter.

Anyway, I didn't want to feel that way about him, or anyone, for that matter. But, I can't ignore the fact that we're all starting to hate each other for random reasons.

After slapping Delhoun, I went into the yard to find Hudson sitting on the bench. It was obvious he had been crying, and Hudson's not the type of person who bursts into tears easily. Panicking? Yes. Crying? Not so much. I guess what Delhoun said really got to him. The rest of the Marines have given Hudson shit, but at least we know each other. Hudson and Delhoun really don't know each other that well, and it was pretty ballsy of Hudson to talk to Delhoun alone yesterday considering that. Having that fragile, newborn trust broken really hurts.

I also think Hudson is restless. He's never really been taken out of a mission before, and just wants to do something to feel useful. I know that feeling all too well.

Sitting next to Hudson, I gave him a brotherly embrace. He sniffed, and I noticed silver fluid was dripping onto the grass. "You doing OK, bud?" I asked.

He swallowed past a lump in his throat. "How long's it gonna take before I stop being a metal faucet?"

"Probably whenever you finish the pills. I don't know."

"Jesus Christ, man. If . . . If only I hadn't run into that building without protection."

"Hey, that wasn't your fault. You didn't know, and nobody else knew."

He nodded. "It still feels like something coulda been done to keep all this from happening."

"Well, it happened, and there's nothing you can do about that." I sighed. "I should definitely know that. Do you have any idea how many times I've wished I could change my past?"

"A lot?"

"Yeah. A lot. I'm still trying to stop myself from thinking things like that, because it's not going to happen. Hell, I don't even think redemption's gonna happen for me. Not with my streak of luck."

Hudson was quiet before giving me a curious glance. "What exactly did you do to get in prison, man?"

I realized I probably should've kept the topic on Hudson's issues rather than switch it to my own. This question was coming sooner or later, but I didn't think it'd be now. Giving another sigh, I said, "Promise you won't say anything to anyone?"

"Promise."

"OK." I bit my lip, trying to think of the simplest way I could explain what happened without hurting myself. "I stole someone's car, killed one person, and hurt three others."

I could tell Hudson wanted to ask why, but the look on his face told me that he knew asking more questions was going to dig up a lot of pain that I've been trying to bury for the last several years.

"Trust me, I didn't want to do that. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I had to do something to protect myself." I rubbed my face, guilt beginning to seep from the cracks in my memory.

Hudson patted my shoulder. "Shit happens, man. I dunno, I feel like if you said something before . . . we'd be able to help you."

"It ruined my life. Do you think this is easy for me to talk about?"

"No, of course not. I mean, like, if you said something to me, earlier . . . you know what I mean."

I shook my head. "I really don't like telling people what happened."

"Well, would you rather tell them the truth, or let them assume that you did something worse?"

There are times where I have to tell myself that Hudson is capable of thinking without much prompt. He brought up a good point. "Yes, I'd rather tell them the truth, but only if it comes up. I'm not going to go around telling people that I was in jail and what I did to go there." I glanced at him. "Look, this conversation started because Delhoun said that you need to be controlled with you're taking your medicine."

"It's not like he's wrong. You've seen me lose it in the past. Remember when I punched Hicks, and tackled the guy replacing you as smartgunner?"

"How can I not forget?"

"Anyway, the point is that he's not wrong, but I don't want to be locked in a room until that bottle's empty."

"Then, you're coming with us when we get Toby later today."

It was silent in the taxi as we rode to the Brisbane police department to get Delhoun's car back. Even the driver had taken the hint that none of us were all that interested in conversation after trying and failing to get us to talk, although Hudson announced that he needed to take a piss as soon as we got to our destination.

I was, unfortunately, wedged between Delhoun and Hudson. I know we had to set aside our differences for Toby, but Delhoun's pretty stubborn, and I don't think he was happy that I slapped him earlier that morning. Hudson's eyes were beginning to glaze over as the medicine's effects set in. His face began turning a pale green color after we hit a couple speedbumps.

"Try not to think about it," I said, even though I knew that wasn't going to help.

Hudson definitely had the look of someone who went on a roller coaster right after a heavy lunch. If the morning hadn't gone so bad, I would've thought this was funny. I also knew that we couldn't have him throwing up this soon after he took his pill.

When we got to the police station, I could see Delhoun's modified jeep in the vehicle pound. I figured I could do all the talking, since Delhoun would probably go into a flurry of curse words and Hudson still looked like he took a ride on the spinning teacups you find at a fair.

The officer at the desk looked almost like Apone, without the mustache and cigar. He looked up at us, and I couldn't blame him for getting the wrong idea about why we were here. "State your name and business."

"I'm Private Drake, and I'm here to pick up a vehicle," I said.

"My vehicle," Delhoun growled. He then rattled off the license plate number to the officer, who then led Delhoun out to the lot.

I was about to drag Hudson along with us, but found he was nowhere in sight. Oh, no, he didn't wander off to attack someone, did he? Just as I was fearing the worst, I heard someone retching in the bathroom near the hallway. Never mind.

Our next stop was the veterinarian to pick up Toby. He was a little more lively than we last saw him, but he was still skinny and tired-looking. His paws were completely wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing a cone around his head. The vet showed us what they did, and, sure enough, a few of the Annexer's teeth were gone. We were given the medications and supplements, and strict orders not to remove the bandages from his paws for the next five days.

I sat with Hudson in the waiting room while Delhoun talked more with the vet. Frankly, I wish something more interesting happened, but instead, we just had a very mundane morning. Aside from Delhoun pissing everyone off, of course.

"You feeling better?" I asked.

Hudson nodded, despite still looking a little queasy. At least he wasn't sneaking up behind people to jump on them.

Sighing, I stood up, going over to the door to listen to the conversation between Delhoun and the vet. I didn't hear much of anything useful; it was just legal language about what they were going to do regarding Garrett. All I knew was that the vet had incriminating evidence in documents and the mark under Toby's thigh from when he was neutered.

I started pacing the room, bored out of my skull. "They're gonna talk forever, aren't they?" I mumbled.

I didn't think Hudson could hear, or was even paying attention, but he nodded.

It was tempting to knock on the door, but something was telling me that Delhoun was just going to curse at me, so I sat back down. Almost as soon as I was back in the chair, the front door flung open, and Garrett looked around before his gaze settled on us. "You two!" he snarled, pointing at us. "Oh, you two are going to pay for what you did last night!"

Question of the Chapter: How might events play out differently if Hudson had never been poisoned? In a cruel twist of fate, what would've happened to Hudson if Drake had never been poisoned and he was stuck on Earth by himself?