"Okay, Nick. You seem to be doing very well, how are you feeling?" Dr. Strasser wanted to get Nick out of the hospital as soon as possible, he could tell he hated being there.
"Much better."
"That's good. I'm giving you a prescription for some sleep aids if you have any trouble falling or staying asleep." Warrick looked down at Nick. They both knew Nick wasn't going to use them. "Take it easy for a couple weeks. You've been sleeping for pretty much 3 days, so don't try to do anything too physically strenuous right away. Call me if you need anything."
"Thanks doc." Warrick replied when he realized Nick wasn't gonna respond. He was staring blankly at the far wall. "You ready to get out of here bro?" Nick nodded and stood from his seat on the bed. He was a little wobbly and Warrick thought he was about to fall over, but he steadied himself and went to change. When he came back he looked exhausted. Warrick put his arm around his shoulders and they went to the front desk where Nick had to sign some release papers. After all the paperwork was taken care of, they slowly made their way outside to the parking lot where Catherine was waiting for them. They rode in an awkward silence, no one knowing what to say. Nick just stared out the backseat window. Catherine dropped the guys at Nick's house and went to pick up Lindsey. As soon as he was inside, Nick collapsed on the couch. He let his head fall back against the couch and closed his eyes. Warrick sighed and sat down next to him. "You hungry?" Nick just nodded. Warrick went into the kitchen and made some sandwiches. When he came back in, Nick was fast asleep on the couch. He smiled and grabbed a blanket from the closet and threw it over Nick. He clicked the TV on and turned the volume all the way down and tried to concentrate on the football game, but all he could think of was how he almost lost Nick. Suddenly his jeans pocket felt very heavy. He reached inside and pulled out the coin Nick had flipped that landed him the trash run.
'No, ya know what? You keep this, it's bad luck.'
Warrick had replayed that moment over and over in his head a hundred times. What if we had gone 2 out of 3? What if it had been me down there instead of him? Warrick couldn't control his thoughts. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. It wasn't me, it was Nick, so stop with all the what-ifs and help Nick. As if on cue, Nick started screaming.
"Help me...please...I can't do this anymore...I can't breathe...I'm sorry..." Nick's hands started shaking. Seconds later, he went flying off the couch onto the floor. Warrick ran over and started shaking him to get him to wake up.
"Nick it's just a dream. Wake up! Nick come on man! Wake up!" Nick's eyes shot open. He looked around him, and when he realized he wasn't underground, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He closed his eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. Warrick helped him back onto the couch and rubbed his back. "It was just a dream Nick. You're safe." Nick covered his face with his hands as the tears fell.
"Why does it seem so real?"
"I don't know bro."
"I dreamt that I did it...that I pulled it right in front of you. You're not supposed to be able to die in your dreams, but I did." Warrick just looked at Nick. He didn't know what to say, so he pulled him into a tight hug. "I wish I could be more like you." Nick whispered.
Warrick leaned back so he could look Nick in the eyes. "What? Why?"
Nick wiped at his eyes and looked down at the floor. "You always know what to do, you always know how to make things better. You're never scared."
"That's so not true." Nick looked up at Warrick. "Do you have any idea how fucking scared I was when you shot out that light? I thought you killed yourself, and all I could have done was watch. I thought I lost you. Those few seconds were the worst of my life. I've never been so fucking scared in my entire life."
'What are you doing..Nicky...No...Don't do it Nicky...You son of a bitch!' Another memory Warrick never wanted to remember.
Nick looked back down at the floor, then narrowed his eyes and looked back up.
"Wait...how did you see me shoot out the light?"
Warrick sighed. "There was a camera above you in...the box. Everytime we clicked the 'watch' button it turned on the light and we could see you." Nick closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I'm sorry." he choked out.
"It's not your fault. I wanted to keep the light on for you, I didn't know it was connected to the fan..." The realization that Warrick was almost responsible for suffocating Nick overcame him again and tears started to fall from his dark green eyes.
Nick looked up at Warrick. "Did everyone see it?" Warrick nodded. "I didn't know..."
"I know Nicky. It's okay." Warrick hugged him again. "You should get some rest." Nick nodded and stood up. He slowly walked into his room and fell back onto his bed. Warrick climbed in after him and wrapped his arms around him as Nick layed his head on his shoulder.
"Thanks." Nick's voice was quiet and lacked it's usual Texan accent.
"For what?"
"Being here for me this whole time...not letting me give up...not many people would do so much for someone."
"You're not just anyone Nicky. You're more than a brother to me man."
"Still..."
"Well, not many people have best friends like you. Otherwise, I'm sure they would."
