The Institution

Chapter 13: Continued

I spent the majority of my next bedridden week studying. Arthur came to visit me every afternoon after his classes and each visit he brought me another textbook. He would sit with me for hours at a time, entertaining me with mindless chatter and stories of the most ridiculous things. He even found it in his heart to tell me a few jokes, something the Arthur before the accident would never have done.

"What kind of shoes do ninjas wear?" said Arthur out of the blue one sunny afternoon.

"What?" I said, fighting a smile. I could already tell that this was going to be a terrible joke.

"Sneakers."

I collapsed against the bed rail laughing. It was probably the worst joke I've ever heard, but it was Arthur's face that made it hilarious- I could tell that he was sacrificing a great deal of his pride in his attempts to cheer me up.

It came as a pleasant surprise that I had several other visitors aside from Arthur: The first to arrive was Thomas the RA, who showed up on Wednesday with a platter of get well cookies from the staff at Smith Hall. Then came Rachel, who was apparently responsible for all of the flowers overflowing the table under the window; Alfie, who accompanied Rachel and spent the majority of the visit chewing his nails, his eyes darting about nervously and lingering on the rather frightening looking needles balanced on a tray by the door; and, to my complete embarrassment, Freya, who squeezed into the hospital room on Friday with a dozen colorful balloons and a handwritten card that wished me a speedy recovery.

It was a week later when my doctor entered the hospital room and told me that I was ready to go home, so long as I didn't participate in any strenuous activities. That wouldn't be a problem, seeing as the most strenuous activity I ever participated in was walking across campus to class. I was overjoyed; the hospital room was far too small for my liking and I was getting restless after being cooped up in there for so long.

The nurses provided me with a pair of crutches and then sent me on my way, with instructions to call if there were any problems or side effects from my prescription and a reminder that I have a follow-up appointment next week that I can't miss.

My mom called a cab to drive us to my dormitory. For the entire car ride she fretted about whether I was really healthy enough to return to school and start attending classes again. She had booked a flight back to North Carolina for later that afternoon but was second guessing her decision.

"Maybe I should stick around for another week or two," she said worriedly. "I don't know if I feel comfortable with you living on your own so soon after the accident...."

"I won't be alone," I pointed out. "Arthur lives in the same room as me."

"I know that, Ethan, but I still worry. It's my job as a mother to worry," she replied.

It would have been nice if she could have stayed longer, but I knew she had to get back to work. She had missed over three weeks already and another week could lead to her losing her job. So instead she escorted me to my room and helped me get settled in my own bed before we said our goodbyes.

"I'll be seeing you soon anyway," I reassured her when she began to get teary, "I'm coming home for Thanksgiving, remember?"

Before my mom left she pulled Arthur aside. Curious, I tried to eavesdrop on their exchange but the words were spoken too softly for me to hear. Arthur was nodding, and then my mom gave him a hug too. Then she came back to give me one final embrace and a kiss goodbye before departing for the airport.

"What did she say to you?" I asked Arthur once my mom had left.

Arthur flung himself down onto his own bed and looked at me sideways. "She said that it was nice to meet me," Arthur told me. Then after a second's thought he added, "And then she asked me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don't do anything foolish."

"Me? Foolish? Never," I replied, as if scandalized that anyone could ever think such a thing.

Arthur laughed.

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If you happen to discover any grammar mistakes as you are reading, it would be awesome if you could let me know where they are so I can fix them! :)