Spilling Guts

Part 130 - Eavesdropping

Louis crossed his arms tighter against his chest and let his head fall back against the wall. What the hell am I doing?

After drinking a real cup of coffee for the first time in two days and spending an hour hacking away at patents, he'd gathered enough... not courage. He wasn't afraid of seeing Will. He was just... wary. Whatever he needed to visit Will, he had it and a fully sealed thermos of warm tea. He walked up to Med Tech, caffeinated and feeling a little victorious with a few anecdotes to share with Will to pass the time.

The flicking of the lights in Will's room made Louis slow down as he passed the nurse's station. The sniffling and talking in the room made him freeze on the edge of the doorframe.

Then he heard the phrase "medically induced coma".

"Don't leave me stuck in dreaming," Will had begged. "Please. Don't keep me there."

"It would be dreamless. Temporary."

"Please don't."

Yeah, talking about a bunny hutches and going coffeeless isn't going to make Will feel better.

He'd been moping, doing patents, and trying to distract himself from the lack of Will across his desk. Nothing to help Will. Nothing to make a new Devil's Neckbrace. Practically sitting on his ass-

Balcuwitz left the room and jumped, startled by Louis skulking by the door. Balcuwitz looked Louis up and down, reading him and what he could not put words to. Then he leaned back into the doorway as if to speak.

Louis grabbed Balcuwitz's arm and shook his head. They walked further away from Will's room.

"You should talk to him," said Balcuwitz.

"I have tea and dumb stories. What good is that?"

"He needs a distraction."

"He's begging not to be put in a coma!" hissed Louis. "He needs more than a distraction, he needs a freaking miracle. That's not me."

Balcuwitz weighed him with his eyes again. "He's not asking for a miracle."

"Not right now. Okay? Not now." Louis felt too small against the amorphous horrors in Will's head. Balcuwitz would try to analyze him or make him analyze himself and he didn't want to dig that hole. "Maybe later, just... not now."

As Louis walked back down the hall to the stairs, a reproachful voice whispered in his mind.

Would Terry have walked away?

No, but I need time.

Back to his desk of punishment patents. The thermos of tea forgotten on the floor outside Will's room.

He didn't allow himself another sip of coffee.

***

Monday, 3:48PM

Beni and Reese had whittled their pile of patents down to one file (an over-engineered die-cut machine that still made more sense than a DIY Tudor Bunny Hutch), when Louis' tablet buzzed. The perk Louis had gained from his coffee hadn't lasted, the barricade of patents slowly drained the vibrancy out of him like the "handy-dandy portable fruit juicer" file that had gone straight into the "against the Geneva Convention" pile. He'd taken off his shades to rub at his eyes, and looked so miserable Reese was tempted to offer his and Beni's assistance with the patents for free.

Perish the thought.

Louis tapped his tablet and picked up his phone. "Yeah?"

He suddenly sat up. "Wait, what?"

Beni and Reese paused at their last patent. Louis sounded... happy?

"Have you told Will yet? No, let me tell him. He could use the good news. Bye!"

Smiling, Louis jogged away from Main Tech, a small tower of patents falling in his wake.

And if Louis was happy, then Beni and Reese wouldn't have to offer to do work for free. Bonus!