Rebirth – Chapter 13: Visitor

-Notes-

Merry-2004: Hehehe, oh we're getting close. :D Thanks!

Kaliska Vanka: Adam'll go through some tough stuff through the rest of the story. Dun worry, Larry'll be there for him. Eventually.

Agent182: Naw, don't worry about it! Yeah, Adam fell in with a sucky crowd, it looks. They'll be some depressing Adam angst coming up. But he'll feel better soon! Maybe…

AngelGardian666: --hopes that she doesn't find secret stash of hawt men I keep in my closet-- …Ehehe…:P

Yeah, well. Thanks for the patience thus far! Um, just as a forewarning, the next chapter is pretty short. So there will be a shorter time between it and it's follower.

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"You have a visitor today, Dr. Gordon." Jennifer announced as she came into the room. He'd been seeing a lot of her lately, much to his chagrin. He might have had a disliking for any doting nurse, but Jennifer in particular was just…always there…He never got a moment's peace.

"Who?" he muttered, rubbing his head as he tried to pull himself out of his stupor. Allison and Diana had been by here this morning…

"An Adam is here to see you. I can always tell him that you're not feeling up to it." She informed.

Lawrence gave her one of those 'don't doctor me' looks, a look that he had been giving out more than often lately. "Why would you tell him that? I want to see him."

"Alright." She agreed, exiting the room once more.

Lawrence slowly sat up in his bed, readjusting the pillows and trying again to rub the sleep from his face. He was overjoyed to see Adam. He had promised that he would visit yesterday, but for whatever reason, hadn't shown up. Truth be told, he was a bit worried. It relieved him to hear of his coming.

Within a few short moments, Adam was in the room. "Hey there." He greeted with a smile.

"Hey there yourself." Lawrence returned.

Adam stood for a few seconds, gazing at his friend intently before closing the door and coming to sit. "Sorry…I-I meant to come by yesterday, but I was taking a lot of painkillers and I was kind of out of it…"

"It's alright." Lawrence waved a hand. "You didn't miss anything."

Adam smirked. "Okay."

He watched Adam for a while then, taking in his appearance with concern. Adam didn't exactly have a strong ability to grow facial hair, but it was clear that he hadn't shaved in some time. He was looking rather pale and fatigued, no better, if not a bit worse off, than the last time he'd seen him just before he'd been released from the hospital. Haven't you been taking care of yourself, Adam? He wondered worriedly.

"How are things?" Lawrence asked lamely, trying to spark up a conversation.

"Same old same old." Adam shrugged convincingly. "Nothing exciting, if that's what you mean."

"You haven't…I don't know, talked to your family?" he queried. Adam was looking away again.

He shook his head a little. "No, uh…I don't know. I'm kind of…freaked out about this whole news thing. My name in the headlines. That's a conversation I really want to avoid, thanks."

"They'll worry about you." Lawrence said surely. He caught the cynical expression on Adam's face and felt a pang of sympathy. It was a look that said, 'you wouldn't know'. You were gone for a day and I worried about you…

"Maybe I'll just change my number, you know? Hah…" Adam swallowed.

Lawrence grimaced and studied his visitor again. "…Have you been sleeping?"

Adam looked up, freezing for a moment in surprise. "What?"

"You look…really tired." Lawrence explained.

"Come on, man," Adam started with a weak laugh. "Don't go all doctor on me again."

"I'm serious, Adam, you're fatigued." He insisted.

"If you're gonna harp on someone, take a look at yourself." Adam turned the subject, pointing at him. "You look like you've lost weight. I mean a lot for just a few days. Don't they feed you?"

Lawrence thought back. He hadn't eaten much at all since he'd gotten here. Jennifer had even warned him about needing to eat more and that it was not healthy to be losing the weight he was, but once again he would give her his 'fuck off' sentiment. "The food here's terrible." He defended. "Not like I couldn't afford to drop a couple of pounds anyway."

"You want me to bring you something?" Adam offered.

"No, it's fine." Lawrence dismissed. "It's been hard to find an appetite."

"I know what you mean." Adam concured dismally.

Lawrence nodded. Adam was really the only one who could say that, these days.

"Your family been seeing you?" Adam asked next.

"They came by today, just a few hours ago actually." Lawrence said, then he paused. "Oh, in fact…Diana brought me something. For you."

Adam tilted his head curiously. "Me?"

Lawrence smiled and reached over to the bedside table, shuffling through some papers until he found one. "Yeah. She drew you a picture."

"Seriously? Aw, man-" he reached over and took it, finding a picture laced with crayon lines. It was a man, he supposed, standing in the middle of the paper with a cape and the word 'Adam' scratched across the shirt. He smiled broadly and touched it. "Am I Superman?"

"I think so." Lawrence grinned.

"What exactly did you tell her about me, anyway?" he didn't look up from the drawing.

"As much of the truth as she needed." Lawrence said, thinking back.

There was a ghost in Adam's eyes that made Lawerence's smile fade, but it was quickly pushed away as he rolled up the drawing in his hands. "She's good. Finally I can put something on my fridge."

"You should see mine." Lawrence replied, smirking as he thought of his drawing-covered refridgerator. It was colorful, at least. "How's your head? Still hurt?"

"A little. It's getting better, though." He touched said wound. "You holdin' up?"

"Yeah." That was a lie. His stomach would never settle, he was developing some kind of immunity to these painkillers, and he was still stuck in this hospital with an obnoxious nurse. Not to mention that if and when he lost his foot, he was potentially out of a job.

"Really? How's your…your leg?" Adam cleared his throat quietly in an uncomfortable way.

Lawrence noted it and sighed. "Hurts. It'll be fine." He didn't want to tell him that it was hurting more every day. "So what about a job, Adam? Got anything?"

He wished he hadn't asked when he saw the look on Adam's face. "Um…nah, not really. The guy sort of bailed on me while I was gone. But um…well…I-I kind of…"

Lawrence waited. "…Yeah?"

"I don't know…I'm not…I mean I don't know if I …can." He admitted, eyes pained.

"If you can-?" Lawrence almost asked him to explain, but he caught on before the question fully formed. "Oh…"

"A-at least not right now…you know?" Adam rubbed his crushed hand, carefully touching over the cast on his broken finger. "It's just…"

"I know." Lawrence said. "I know how you feel."

He looked up a little. "Is it…hard for you, too? The whole job thing, I mean? Going…going back to it?"

Lawrence's heart broke a little as he saw Adam's confused and hopeful eyes darken. He didn't know what to say to him. Wouldn't anyone feel the same way? Maybe he himself did feel a bit of discomfort about working here again after this ordeal, but he had to admit that never being a doctor again scared him more. It was all he knew. "I'm not sure. I'm sort of worried that…it won't be an option." He stated truthfully.

Adam's shoulders dropped. "Oh, oh Jesus, man, I'm sorry, I-I didn't even think-"

"No, don't apologize." Lawrence demanded. "It's okay."

"God, here I am again, just being a selfish prick…" Adam muttered, a hand again rubbing over his face.

"You're not…" Lawrence shook his head. "It's alright, really. I was just saying that um…Let's just…forget it."

"I…yeah." Adam agreed, giving a forced sort of smile. They both sat muted for a little while after that, each trying to forget the moment and move on to something lighter. "Well uh, hey…once you get outta here, you wanna get a drink sometime?"

"I'd kill for a drink right now…" Lawrence said tiredly. "But yeah. I'd like to, sounds good."

"…So…hurry up and get out of here." Adam nudged Lawrence's closest hand with his knuckles.

"I'll try." Lawrence chuckled, pushing back up against the hand in a reassuring gesture. "I mean, If I have to deal with this nurse any longer, I-"

"Dr. Gordon?" came a voice from the door. Naturally, none other than Jennifer was standing at the door, ready to interupt.

Lawrence shot Adam a disbelieving look and then focused back to her. "…Yes?"

"Just came by to check on you. Would you like me to bring you dinner now?" she smiled and glanced at Adam.

"I'm not hungry. Thanks." Lawrence ground out. "Maybe you can come back later?"

"Sorry doctor, but you've got to eat something. How about a turkey sandwich?"

"No." he answered simply.

"Well I'll just see what else they have down at the cafeteria for you, then." She decided.

"Jennifer, I don't want anything." He said again, but his plea was ignored as she left and shut the door. He scowled in annoyance.

Adam laughed. "Wow."

"Once I make it outta this…" Lawrence groaned as he leaned his head back. "I'm personally giving her her two weeks."