Rebirth – Chapter 22: Small White Lie
-Notes-
Merry-2004: Heh, thank you :D Adam's surely sensibly sweet under his loner exterior. It's kind of weird though, I'm taking a whole lot of liberty with someone else's characters here.
Kaliska Vanka: Eee, I'm sort of worrying about the mush level of the story. I don't want to turn it into utter crap as a filler. But there are some pretty lovey scenes afoot, so I'll try and shape up. Thanks!
AngelGardian666: Ah, don't worry about it! No sweat—it's good to know that people are reading. Thank yoo!
Bell Pie: XD No no, I don't write mpreg stuff! I mean, homosexuality is natural, but…I think we can all agree that men having babies is not:P Oh yes, Lawrence loves to play doctor. I sort of figured his personality aimed that angle from the way he was boasting out his profession at Adam the first time they met. He's proud to be a crackpot surgeon alright. Thanks. :)
Sorry if the next handful of chapters seem pointless…must leave contemplation time for characters…must finish stupid RL works…I'm so tired. Xx…
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"Larry,"
"Keys…" Lawrence distractedly, fumbled through his pockets, suddenly looking for the keys that he'd never lost before. "I just had 'em, where…"
"Larry," Allison continued to press, coming up behind him.
"Didn't I just have them in my hand?" he looked at her with an exasperated shrug.
"Larry—hey listen for a second, huh?" she stopped him, standing in his path for a moment. "Paging Dr. Gordon?"
"Right, sorry, what?" he brought his focus back to her with and apologetic nod, still half-consciously feeling through his pockets.
"It's just, you know, I mean…I'm not so sure you should be up right now." She stated, eying him up and down.
"…Huh?" he stared at her unblinking, trying to comprehend.
"Larry, you've practically been up and moving since the day you got back, and you know you should be resting. Come on, you're always coming and going and…well you're doing as much as you did before. And you're not even back at work yet." She explained.
Lawrence felt himself shudder as he thought about his hospital, but disregarded it. "…I haven't been out that much."
"Most people take it easy when they've had a major injury—you seem to be taking it harder." She threw up an arm. "Can't you cool it for a couple of days?"
"Allison, relax." He pleaded, holding up a hand slightly to try and get a word in. "I'm not doing anything I can't handle."
"Like where were you last night for one?" she asked, and he looked down at the floor for a second. "You were gone all night, you scared the hell out of me."
"…I was with Adam." He said truthfully. "Well uh…we both got pretty drunk. I didn't want to drive back like that, so I stayed the night on his couch." That was where the lying began.
"You didn't call?"
"I know, I should've. I was out of it. It was a stupid thing to do, I'm really sorry." Lawrence met her eyes guiltily. He did feel bad about leaving the two of them here without so much as a word. "Weak moments…you know? They've been sneaking up on me lately…"
"Well…" Allison nodded in what was an attempt to be understanding. "All the same, I really don't think you should be driving in the first place. Look, if you've really gotta go somewhere, can I at least drive you there?" she offered as she watched him fidget.
"I'm just going to Adam's. That's the only place I've been going." He said, trying to build back a foundation of truth while leaning pensively on his crutch.
Allison looked down the hall breifly towards Diana's room as though she thought she'd heard something, then returned to him. "That's another thing I'm not really getting, Lar." She sighed. "I know he's your new friend and everything…I mean, I know you two were…well you went through that." She cleared her throat uncomfortably before continuing. "…But it's practically every day now. Is there something wrong with him or what?"
"No, everything's fine." Lawrence shook his head, trying to think of a way he could appropriately convey his feelings. "Allison…it's just that…he doesn't have …anyone else. At all, I mean. He doesn't talk to his family, he's secluded, doesn't see any friends. He's alone, and after something like this…he shouldn't have to be. I'm afraid he'll crack."
Allison was silent for what seemed to be a long while, Lawrence anxiously awaiting her response before she nodded again solemnly. "…I didn't know."
Lawrence breathed a mental sigh of relief. "…If you really want me to stay—" he began, but she cut him off.
"The kitchen." Allison said.
"…Eh?"
"You left your keys in the kitchen." She chuckled and shook her head. "Just be careful, Larry. I mean it…don't burn yourself out."
"Thank you." He said. "I'll be back before ten. I promise."
"Okay." She watched as he made his way into the kitchen to find his keys, biting her lip in thought. "You know Larry, maybe you should invite him over for dinner some time. If he's so lonely."
Lawrence took his keys in hand and paused, slowly feeling a thumb over the ridge of one. "Uh…yeah. Yeah, that might be nice. I'll ask him what he thinks." He agreed, turning back to face her.
"Alright. Well I'll see you when you get back." Allison crossed her arms for a moment, contemplating something before she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Lawrence felt a strange sense of alarm as she did so, despite the fact that he had done the same to her nearly every day. If she sensed his discomfort, she made no note of it. "Goodnight, Lar."
"…Goodnight." He replied with a nod, watching her walk back to their room. He heaved a deep sigh as he went to the door, pushing aside the clouded pieces of his mind for the time being.
