Shortly after this, the doctors had led us, well, them, I suppose, back to Vince's room. My heart broke to see him so thoroughly destroyed and with nothing I could do to make things better. Staring vacantly at the ceiling, his hand clenched and unclenched, grasping at his hospital gown, whispering to himself, again and again.
"No… no… no… no…"
Apparently he had been this way since they'd told him of my death.
Eventually the anguished whispering subsided and he fell asleep, drained and exhausted. The preceding hours had been tough for everyone. Naboo and Bollo had worked tirelessly trying to elicit some response from my traumatised best friend but to no avail. They tried every crimp under the sun, even a couple of the Flighty Zeus ones, but to no effect. Nurses came in to administer medication and he didn't even acknowledge their presence. Even when a large needle was produced, he didn't flinch. If it hadn't been for the ceaseless mantra escaping his lips in increasingly hoarse whispers, he would have seemed as dead as I was.
The nurses finally persuaded us to leave, insisting that we needed some sleep as he would need us when he woke. I noticed how tired and tiny the shaman looked as he and the ape headed back to the flat. I had considered going with them but realised I had no need for sleep anymore. Instead I paced the endless corridors, nose assaulted by the scent of strong coffee from the overpriced cafeteria, a pleasure I realised, sadly, I could no longer enjoy. Before long, my concern for Vince dragged me back to his bedside. I perched on the edge of the bed, hand resting lightly on his, mindful of the drips that wrapped around his arm, forgetting I could do no damage. I watched him sleep, peaceful, at least for a short time, hoping that in his dreams he could escape the nightmare that was around us. I watched him stir, squirming slightly and giving a gasp of pain, reminding him of where he was and what had happened. I watched his eyes glaze over again, the emotion drain from his face as he tried hard to forget.