Matthew was in the middle of rewatching Naruto when the call came. He reluctantly paused the show and grabbed his phone. The number on his screen was foreign to him. He declined the call and unpaused the TV. No telemarketer was going to interrupt his personal time. The phone rang again a minute later. Same number. Matthew hovered his finger over the decline button. But what if it was actually important? Maybe one of his friends had gotten a new number. He hit accept and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he said.

"It's Ludwig, Gilbert's brother. Is this Matthew?" said the person on the other end. They had clearly been crying. Matthew got a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Yeah, I'm Matthew. Is something wrong?"

"There's been an accident. I- I don't know the details, but-" Ludwig took a deep breath before continueing. "Gilbert's been asking for you. Everything's probably going to be fine, but I think he'll need some company, at least." Matthew tried his hardest not to panic. If everything was really going to be fine, then why did Ludwig seem so upset? What kind of accident even happened? There was no time to dwell on those questions. Right now, Gilbert needed him.

"Where is he?"

"The ER. I think it's room 135 to be exact."

"I'll be over in ten." Matthew hung up and pulled on his shoes without any socks. He booked it out to the street and waved down a taxi. When the driver asked where he was going, Matthew handed her a twenty and said, "Get me to the ER as fast as you can." Within a few minutes, he had arrived. He bolted inside and asked the receptionist where Gilbert was. His pajama bottoms were sagging and his t-shirt was sweaty, but he barely noticed. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at him.

"Last name?"

"Belshimitt. He's in room 135, I think."

"And you are…?"

"Matthew. I'm his partner." After checking a few papers, the lady told him to head down the hall and to the left. He gave her a quick smile of thanks before speed-walking to the room. The door was ajar, and he could see Ludwig standing by the bed. "Is everything okay?" Matthew asked. He tried to sound casual.

"Mattie! See, I told you he'd come," Gilbert said as he waved his bandaged hand. He struggled to sit up. "C'mere, man." He patted the tiny bit of space that was still left on the bed. Matthew came up and put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert winced but didn't stop him.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"Ah, not much. Some jackass in a gas-guzzler ran into me. No big deal," Gilbert said. "The worst part was that I didn't get his license number."

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem pretty beat up."

"Nah, dude. He was only going like 56 kilometers an hour. Barely scratched me." Matthew glanced at Ludwig.

"I didn't know head trauma was a scratch," Ludwig said.

"Oh, lighten up, bruder. You're scaring Mattie. It's just a little headache." Ludwig sighed and looked away. His eyes were still a bit puffy from crying. Gilbert continued, "Anyways, I'll probably be out in a bit. Just gotta… uh..." He stared blankly into space for a moment.

"You're not going anywhere until you've been treated. Now, I wish I could stay and make sure you don't sneak off, but I have a flight to catch. Matthew, I trust that you'll keep him in line," Ludwig said.

"Uh, what?" Matthew said. Everything was happening so fast; he didn't know what to think.

"I'm sorry to put all this on you, but I'll lose my job if I don't leave right now. Just keep him safe for me." Ludwig patted Matthew's shoulder and waved goodbye to his brother. "Hopefully we can meet again in better conditions," he said. And then he was gone, leaving Matthew alone with Gilbert. Gilbert chuckled and sunk into the understuffed hospital pillows.

"That guy worries too much. I'll be just fine," he said.

"Right," Matthew said without a trace of a smile. "Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee would be great. Not this hospital shit, though. I need a real, strong brew. Oh, or maybe a beer. Think you could sneak me one of those?"

"I don't think that's allowed."

"Aww, don't be such a prude." Gilbert folded his arms. "You're acting just like Ludwig." Matthew chuckled but stood his ground. Looking back, he wished he'd gotten Gilbert that beer.

Thirty minutes later, a diagnosis was given. Unsurprisingly, Gilbert had head trauma. It wasn't a severe case, but it wasn't anything to laugh at. Rest was mandatory, and he wasn't supposed to drive for a while. He also had some bad bruising, but nothing was broken. He was free to go home, but he was encouraged to have somebody to help him out around the house. Gilbert laughed at the news. He sat up and declared, "Rest? Nah, man. My body can handle anything. A little head trauma won't hold me back." He stood up, took a wobbly three steps forward, and fell over. Matthew managed to catch him just in time and made him sit back down.

"I'll call you an uber," he offered. Gilbert groaned.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I can call my own uber." He took his phone out of his pocket and found that it was completely broken. He cursed. "I'll take the uber," he said.

"Alright. I think I'll go with you, too. Just to make sure you get settled in okay."

"What's the point? I'll be on my own, anyways. Might as well just let me go now." Matthew hesitated for a moment.

"You're right. I'll just have to take you home and care for you myself. Do you need anything from your place?"

Gilbert said, "You really are too good to me. I'll just wanna grab my snacks and laptop and I'll be set." He stood up again. This time he was able to take a whole five steps before he had to lean against Matthew. He looked at the nurse with the biggest grin on his face and said, "This one's a keeper, right?" Matthew chuckled. He patted Gilbert's shoulder.

"I sure hope so. Now let's get you home," he said.

Matthew helped him check out, called an uber and took him outside to wait. Gilbert managed to get the hang of walking and was able to get into the car with minimal nausea. They went to Gilbert's place and loaded up on snacks and entertainment before heading over to Matthew's apartment. Gilbert made a beeline for the couch and laid down. All that walking was too much for his sore legs. Matthew carried the bulk of Gilbert's things and set them on the kitchen counter. He gathered his spare pillows and blankets. "I'm sorry that I don't have a guest bed. I can sleep on the couch, if you want," he offered.

"I'm not gonna kick you out of your own bed, man. I could totally take the couch," Gilbert said.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable. You need a proper place to rest."

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah, there's gotta be a better way. What size bed do ya got?"

"It's a queen."

"That settles it, then. We'll share it," said Gilbert. Matthew's face got a bit pink.

"Isn't that a bit, uh, you know-"

"It'll be fine. I'm too sore to try anything, trust me." Gilbert stood up and walked over to Matthew. He took the spare pillow and asked, "Where's the bedroom?" Matthew lead him into his bedroom and immediately felt embarrassed. Dishes and clothes were everywhere, and the sheets were coming off the bed. Gilbert glanced around. His eyes settled on a box of issues that sat on the bedside table next to a container of lotion. He hurried to look away, but Matthew had already noticed.

"Sorry about the mess."

"It's fine. Reminds me of home." Gilbert got on the bed and leaned against the headboard. He put the pillow behind his back for support. Matthew set a spare blanket on the edge of the bed and started cleaning up. He gathered his dirty clothes and put them in the laundry basket. "You don't have to do all that," Gilbert said.

"It's no big deal, really. I should start cleaning more regularly, anyways," Matthew insisted. He piled up his dirty dishes and carried them into the kitchen. He came back with a duster. After wiping off every surface in the room and putting away some of his more embarrassing possessions, he decided to lay down beside Gilbert. He sighed as his head hit the pillow. "Alright, I'm done. Oh, dang, I almost forgot!" He sat up and faced Gilbert. "Do you need anything?"

Gilbert chuckled. "If you could get my diary, that would be great. Oh, and maybe a water."

"Sure thing!" Matthew got up and headed for Gilbert's pile of belongings. He grabbed a water bottle and a small red book that he presumed was the diary and brought them back to the bedroom. Gilbert gladly took them. He opened the diary, flipped to a blank page and started writing.

"Dear diary," he said aloud. "Today some dumbass decided to hit me while I was on my way to get more beer. Luckily, my excellent body held up against the attack. I even get to hang out at Mattie's place, now. It's a pretty sweet deal." He slammed the book shut.

"I didn't know you kept a diary," Matthew said while he held back a giggle.

"I have to make sure my life story is preserved for future generations."

"Right. Maybe I should keep a journal, too."

"That would be nice. I have a few blank ones at home. Remind me to give you one."

"Sounds like a plan."