Disclaimer:  Quantum Leap and all related characters are owned by Bellasarius Productions and Universal.  No profit has been made off of the writing or distribution of this piece of fiction.

It Happened One Night

by:  J.A. Moniz

Sam lay still on the gurney.  There were only two things on his mind and he couldn’t seem to forget either of them.  He was cold and he was thirsty.

He didn’t know how long ago he’d been brought to the hospital but had a feeling it had been at least a couple of hours.  A doctor had given him a cursory exam before sending him down for x-rays and a CT scan.  He’d been brought back to the emergency room after that and the same doctor had cleaned the wounds on his head and side, stitching both.  He’d then been informed that his injuries weren’t that serious.  Aside from the two wounds, he had a minor concussion and some bruising from the punches and kicks he hadn’t been able to fend off.

After that, the gurney he was on had been moved against a wall in the corridor.  The emergency room was busy that night and space was at a premium.  It seemed after that he’d simply been forgotten.  He wasn’t even sure if anyone had called Al to let him know what had happened.  He’d given his friend’s name and number when he’d been asked who should be notified of his injuries.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been made to wait in the emergency room of Socorro General.  Back in 1987 when he’d come down with an infection in the surgical site to repair his dislocated shoulder he’d had to wait in the emergency department for several hours until a bed was available.  At least then, though, he’d been in one of the treatment rooms and not left in the hall.

His thoughts came back to the two that had been taking up his attention most recently - his thirst and his need to get warmer.  He realized the only way he could solve either problem was to ask for help.  He felt along the side of the gurney he was lying on looking for a call bell to push that would bring a nurse to his aid.  It was only as he did so that he remembered that he’d done the same thing several times before with the result the same each time.  There was no call bell.  There was no way for him to summon help unless he called out for someone.

The thought no sooner crossed his mind for what must have been the tenth time when he saw a nurse walk out of one of the treatment rooms and start to head in his direction.  “Excuse me,” he called out in a hoarse voice to get her attention.

The woman detoured over in his direction.  “Something wrong?”  Though her voice wasn’t unkind when asking the question, it seemed to Sam as if he were pulling her from something she considered more important.

“Uh, can I get some water, please,” he asked her softly.  Despite the fact that he was still cold, he felt that mentioning that might have been asking for too much.

“I’ll have someone bring you some,” the woman assured him with a quick pat on the shoulder before she quickly walked away from him.

One thing’s going to be taken care of, Sam thought as he watched her walk away.  At least he’d be able to slake his thirst soon.  He pulled the thin blanket he’d been given higher around his shoulders and settled down to wait.

After what seemed like an eternity later he was still waiting for the promised water.  In the time that had gone by, he’d seen several people wheeled into the hospital and assumed that must be taking up everyone’s time.  He’d overhead one of the EMT’s saying something about a motor vehicle accident with a number of cars involved.  That meant there’d be a lot of people brought in.

Tired of lying flat on the gurney, Sam propped himself up.  Leaning over the rail, he located the mechanism that would release it and pushed it.  With the rail out of his way, he levered himself up to sit with his back braced against the wall and his legs dangling over the edge of the gurney.  The blanket he pulled around his shoulders seeking whatever warmth he could get from it.  In that position he watched as different hospital personnel scurried up and down the hall.  Several times he attempted to call out to someone still seeking the water that would quench his thirst but no one paid him any mind and most seemed not to hear him.

His attention was caught by a woman who burst through the doors of the emergency room screaming for someone…a child he thought.  The woman was intercepted by a nurse before she could get too far.  She kept fighting the hold and calling out for whomever it was she was looking for.  Even after she and the nurse had disappeared into the waiting room, Sam was sure he could still hear her screams.

He watched as gurneys were pushed by with injured on them.  Many of them were covered in blood and he hazarded a guess that they were the victims of the MVA he’d over heard the EMT’s talking about.  He couldn’t help but remember his time as an intern at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  He’d hated nights like this.  Nights when so many needed his help but he wasn’t able to help everyone.  It was one of the main reasons he hadn’t stayed in the medical profession.  He just couldn’t separate himself to remain dispassionate in his work, though that didn’t seem to be a problem now.

A short while later a gurney was pushed out of the treatment room.  The orderlies pushed it in the same direction he knew X-Ray was since he’d been there himself.  He saw a small child lying on gurney.  Blood matted her blonde hair and she was crying softly asking for her Mama.  He guessed that the woman he’d seen earlier must be the child’s mother.

As they started up the corridor, the child’s soft cries turned into louder, more strident cries.  “Mama” was the one word she kept shrieking over and over.  Sam cringed at the sound.  He couldn’t understand why they didn’t let the child’s mother be with her.  No child should be expected to understand what was going on.

Eventually the child’s cries faded away though the hustle and bustle kept up.  People kept going back and forth but still he was ignored where he’d been left.  Contrary to the nurse’s promise, no one came to bring him water.   Spying a fountain up the hall a ways, he decided just to solve that problem himself.

He slipped from the gurney and took a step in the direction of the water fountain.  As he did, he noticed that there was a payphone near it.  Reaching for his jeans, he searched the pockets hoping to find a least a dime that the muggers hadn’t gotten.  It was small satisfaction when he found one.  Gripping it tightly in his hand, he made his way to the water fountain and the payphone.

His first goal was the water fountain.  When he reached it, he drank deep and long from it.  Satisfied that his thirst was quenched, he took the last couple of steps to the payphone.  Lifting the receiver up, he rested his aching head on the side of the phone for a few seconds as it spun with dizziness.  Once the dizziness subsided, he raised his head and pushed the dime into the slot.  Slowly he dialed Al’s number being careful not to dial wrong.

“Please be home.  Please be home,” he chanted softly as the phone rang.  He needed to get out of this place of pain and suffering…this place where he was helpless to help any of those around him.  As he was about to give up hope that his friend was home, he heard the familiar, gruff voice on the other end.

“Calavicci.”

As relief washed through him at the sound of Al’s voice, he was unable to say anything until once more the voice came through the phone.  “Look, whoever this is,” Al said heatedly, “It’s late, and I don’t have time for this.”

Sam quickly realized that if he didn’t say something, Al would hang up the phone and he’d lose his chance to talk to him.  “It’s Sam,” he gasped out quickly.  “Please come get me.”

“Sam?” Al questioned.  “Where are you?  What’s wrong?”

Sam visibly sagged with relief that Al hadn’t hung up and moved to lean back against the support of the wall.  “I’m…I’m at the hospital,” he answered.

“You’re what?”  Sam held the phone away from his ear when Al’s shouted question set his head to throbbing harder.  “What the hell are you doing there?”

Once Al’s shouting had ceased, Sam again held the phone to his ear.  “I was at the ATM and I got mugged…I think I got mugged.  I’m cold, Al.  I want to go home.  Please come get me.”

“Sam?” Al asked, his voice gentling.  “Is there a doctor or nurse there, Kid?  You don’t sound so good.”

“I don’t know, Al.  Please come get me.”  As he spoke, Sam’s legs began to give out and he slid down the wall to sit on the floor.  “Please,” he again begged.

“Ok, ok, Kid.  I’m on my way.  You just hang tight.  You’re in Socorro, right?”

Al’s question barely registered in Sam’s mind.  He’d heard the reassurance that his friend was on the way and that was all he cared about.  It was only when Al repeated the question again that he finally answered.  “Yeah, I’m in Socorro.”

“Ok, Sam.  You just hang tight and I’ll be there in about 15 -20 minutes.  Ok?”

“Yeah,” Sam answered nodding his head.  “I’ll be here.”  He heard the click of the phone disconnecting on the other end but didn’t have the strength to rise up from the floor and hang the phone back up.  He was still sitting on the floor against the wall when a nurse walked by five minutes later.

“Sir?  Mr. Beckett?” the nurse question.  “What are you doing on the floor?”

Sam blinked up at the woman startled to see someone so close to him.  “I was thirsty,” he explained, “and I had to call Al.  He’s gonna come get me.”

“I’m sure he is,” the nurse responded skeptically.  Seeing an orderly walking by she waved him over.  “I need some help getting Mr. Beckett back to the gurney,” she said when the man came over.

The two of them helped Sam to his feet and walked him over the gurney he’d been on earlier and got him settled on it.  “Now you just stay put right there,” the nurse said as she snapped the safety rail in place.

“I’m cold,” Sam mumbled as she started to walk away.

The nurse stopped and looked back over to Sam.  “You stay put and I’ll have someone bring you over another blanket.”  She looked closely at Sam suspecting that he might not do as she’d asked.  “I mean it, Mr. Beckett.  No more wandering around.  We don’t have time to go through the whole Emergency Department looking for you.”

“I’ll stay here,” he promised.

“You do that.”  She gave him one more firm look before walking away.

Once the woman was out of earshot, Sam propped himself up on his elbows.  “I’ll stay here but I don’t want to lie down,” he said softly.  Again he leaned over looking for the release on the safety rail and pushed it.  Once the rail was out of the way he swung his legs over the side so that he was sitting with the wall to his back.

Time seemed to tick by at a maddeningly slow pace from there.  Sam watched as stretchers with injured people on them were wheeled past where he’d been left as more victims from the auto accident were brought in.

The knock he taken to his head left him rather dazed and, largely, apathetic to the plight of the people he was seeing being taken in for treatment.  He knew he should feel something for them but he just couldn’t seem to conjure up the proper response.

He broke through the barrier of his emotions when another child was wheeled by him calling out for her father.  Her face was bloodied and her cries were feeble at best.  It wasn’t just the girl’s condition that moved him.  It was what he overheard one of the nurses say – both of the child’s parents had been killed in the crash.

Even after the child had been taken into a room and the door had swung shut, Sam could still hear her cries…or at least he thought he did.  He wanted to do something for the child, anything, but there was nothing he could do.  Eventually her cries faded away.  He hoped that didn’t mean the child had as well.

He was still cold and still waiting for the blanket he’d been promised.  Looking up and down the corridor to make sure the nurse from earlier wasn’t in sight, Sam again slipped from the gurney to the floor.  He wasn’t going to break his promise and go anywhere but he was going to do something about being cold.  He figured if he put on at least his jeans he’d be warmer.

It wasn’t easy to get them on.  He had a little trouble balancing on one leg to pull them on but he managed to do it.  Feeling somewhat warmer, he pulled himself back up to the gurney.  Pulling his legs up, he hugged them to his chest.  Al would be here soon and he’d take him home and then everything would be fine and this strange night would end.

Al burst through the doors of the ER scanning the area quickly for any sign of Sam.  He assumed that if Sam had been calling him, he must have been in the waiting room.  Not catching sight of him, he approached the harried woman behind the desk to inquire as to Sam’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, could you tell me…” he started to ask but was quickly cut off by the woman.

“I’m sorry sir, please take a seat over there and someone will help you as soon as they can.”  The woman didn’t bother to look up from the papers she was leafing through and pointed to the chairs in the waiting area.

Al looked over to the chairs she’d indicated and saw that nearly all of them were taken.  It looked like a busy night in the ER.  “I don’t think you understand,” he tried to explain to the woman.  “I don’t need to see a doctor.  My friend called to say he was here.  I just want to know where he is.  His name’s Sam Beckett.”

The woman sighed and put the papers down and looked up at Al.  “Like I said, Sir, if you’ll take a seat someone will be with you.”  She gestured to the sheaf of papers, “I’ll need to go through this to see where your friend is.  Was he one of the victims in the car accident?”

“No, he wasn’t in a car accident.  He said something about getting mugged…or at least he thought that’s what happened.”  He gestured to computer in front of the woman, “Look, could you just plug his name in there and tell me where he is.”

The woman sighed but did as Al asked.  “He’s still back in the treatment area,” she explained after accessing the information.  “It doesn’t look like he’s been admitted.”  Again she looked up to Al and pointed him in the direction of the chairs.  “Just wait over there and as soon as someone can tell you something about your friend, they’ll be right over.”

Realizing that this was the most information he was likely to get, Al went over to the indicated chairs and took a seat hoping it wouldn’t be too long before he’d hear something about Sam.

He hadn’t been sitting there for more than 10 minutes when the swinging doors across from him opened and a nurse walked out.  From past experience, he knew that the doors led to the treatment rooms.  Just before the doors swung shut he noticed a familiar figure sitting on a gurney pushed against a wall out of the way.

Quickly rising from his chair, Al went through the swinging doors to check on Sam.  He didn’t care if he belonged on the other side of them or not.

“Sam?” he called out approaching his friend.  When he got close to him he was able to see the white bandage on his forehead.  “What the hell happened?” he asked when he was in front of the gurney.

When he heard Al’s voice so close to him, Sam jerked his head up.  “Al,” he breathed out seeing his friend.  “You really came.”

Al noticed the slightly lost look in Sam’s eyes and his concern ratcheted up a few notches.  When he’d spoken to him on the phone, Sam hadn’t seemed himself.  Now, seeing the bandage on his head, Al wondered if he had some kind of head injury.  It would make sense.  What wouldn’t make sense was why his friend was sitting on a gurney in the corridor and not in a treatment room or admitted.

“Of course I came, Kid.”  He rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder.  “What happened,” he again asked.  “What are you doing out here.”

“There’s no room,” Sam explained.  “Doctor said I wasn’t hurt bad.”  His gaze broke away from Al and started wandering, taking in his surroundings.  “’M cold, Al,” he finally said when he brought his wandering gaze back to the man in front of him.  “Can I have a blanket?”

“No room,” Al echoed then remembered what the nurse had said about an auto accident.  If there were enough cars involved, it could have overwhelmed the emergency department.  With the exception of the bandage on his head and the fact that Sam didn’t seem to be connecting fully with his surroundings, he didn’t seem to be hurt too badly.  That would probably explain why he was out in the corridor.

Al looked around and spotted a cart a short way away that looked like it had sheets and blankets on it.  “Hang on a second and I’ll get you something,” he said.  He made sure Sam was steady before walking away.

Grabbing a blanket from the cart he carried it back over to where Sam was sitting.  He shook it out and wrapped it around Sam on top of the one the younger man had already pulled around himself.  As he did, he noticed Sam’s rather odd attire of the hospital gown and his jeans.  He rubbed his hands up and down Sam’s arms trying to bring warmth to him as the younger man huddled into the warmth of the blankets.  “What happened?” he asked again.  “Were you in the car accident?”  Sam might have said on the phone something about being mugged at an ATM.  Seeing the chaos of the emergency room, Al started to wonder if maybe Sam had been in one of the vehicles involved instead and was just confused about what had happened.

“Car accident?”  It was obvious that Sam didn’t really know what was happening.  “There was no car.  I went to the ATM.”  He stopped his explanation again looking all around.  “Can I have some more water?” he asked.  “I didn’t get enough before.”

Al’s brow was furrowed in confusion and worry.  Something didn’t seem quite right.  Sam wasn’t following his question for more than a few seconds before he’d sort of drift off.  This time he stopped looking all around, his gaze instead staying steady on something behind Al.  Turning around, he saw what must have captured his friend’s attention - the water bubbler that was there.  “Yeah, sure.” 

Again he made sure the injured man was steady before going to the water fountain.  He grabbed one of the cups from the dispenser hanging on the wall next to it, filled it, brought it back to his friend, and handed it to him.  He remained silent until after Sam drained the cup and handed it back to him.  “You want some more?”

Sam shook his head slightly.  “No, thank you.  Can we go home?” he asked hopefully.

“Not until I figure out what happened and if you’re all right.”  He again rubbed his hands up and down Sam’s arms but this time it was to make sure he had his attention.  “What happened at the ATM, Kid?  How’d you get hurt?”

Sam shrugged slightly.  “I guess the door didn’t close all the way.  Two guys came in behind me and wanted my wallet.  One of them had a knife.  I said I didn’t have a wallet but I guess they didn’t believe me ‘cause the guy with the knife cut me.”

As he explained, Sam lightly rubbed his left side.  Since Al couldn’t see any bandages besides the one on Sam’s head, he guessed that he’d been cut on the side.  “What happened after, Sam,” he prompted when it didn’t seem as if Sam wasn’t going to go on with his story.  “How’d you hurt your head?”

At the reminder of the head wound, Sam reached up lightly touching the bandage there.  “I hit my head when I fell, I think.  Or maybe it was when one of them kicked me.”  He dropped his face to his hands.  “I don’t really remember.  I already told the police everything I could remember.  I couldn’t do anything.”  He dropped his hands to his lap again looking at Al.  “They surprised me and there was no room and then they started hitting me.  I think I passed out for a little while ‘cause all of a sudden they were gone but the police were there.”  Hysterical laughter bubbled out of Sam.  “I guess they found out I was telling the truth.  I forgot my wallet and I didn’t have any money either.  That’s why I was at the ATM.”  As quickly as the laughter began, it stopped but Sam’s next words came out in a torrent.  “They took my watch, Al.  The one you gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I’m sorry.  I couldn’t stop them.  I really tried.”

“Sam!  Sam!” Al called out as he stooped down enough to be able to catch his friend’s eyes.  “It’s ok, Kid.  I know you tried.  I’d rather they got the watch than for you to fight them and end up dead.  A watch can be replaced – you can’t.  Ok?”

“Yeah.  I…I guess so.”  Sam paused dropping his head back down.  “I really did try.”

“I know you did, Kid.”  Al squeezed Sam’s shoulders gently.  “Just as long as you’re alive – that’s all that matters.”

There was silence between them for a few moments before Sam broke it.  “I really wanna go home and get out of here, Al.  It reminds me of when I was working at Mass General and there were so many people who were hurt or sick.  I couldn’t help them all.”  He stopped and looked around again.  “I really wanna go home.”

Al tried to remain calm despite the fact that Sam had told him he’d narrowly missed getting killed.  The guys who’d mugged him could have easily done more than just cut him and beat him up.  “I need to find your doctor, Sam, and find out if it’s ok for you to go home.  Just hang on a little while and I’ll get you outta here.  Ok?”

“Ok,” Sam agreed nodding his head slightly.  “I wanna go home and sleep.  My head’s hurting.”

“I bet it is.  You just stay put while I find someone.”  Al noticed that more and more Sam wasn’t looking very steady.  “I tell you what, why don’t you lie down until I find someone who can tell me if it’s ok to take you home.”  Not giving Sam time to agree or disagree, Al guided him so that he was once again lying on the gurney and made sure the blankets were wrapped around him as the younger man continued to shiver slightly.

Just as he was getting ready to go and find someone who could tell him just what was going on with Sam, a voice called out behind him.  “Excuse me, Sir, you don’t belong back here.”  The voice belonged to a doctor dressed in green scrubs.  “You can’t be here,” the man said coming to a stop just behind Al.  “You’ll have to leave or I’ll call security.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Al told the man.  “I want to know what’s going on with my friend here.  How bad’s he hurt and why is he sitting in the corridor?”

The doctor blew out a quick breath.  “We’re a little busy tonight.  I can assure you that Mr. Beckett’s being well taken care of but you really need to leave this area.”

“The hell he is,” Al burst out in frustration.  “He’s got no way to call for help here.  I had to get him a blanket ‘cause he was shivering and if I hadn’t come back here he’d still be waiting for water.  That doesn’t sound like he’s being well taken care of.”

The doctor held up a placating hand.  “Please understand, sir, we’ve been nearly overwhelmed tonight.  I can assure you Mr. Beckett has not been forgotten about nor ignored.”

During the back and forth with the doctor, Sam again pushed himself up so that he was sitting instead of lying down on the gurney.  As he did, one of the blankets fell from him and slipped to the floor.  When it didn’t look like either of the two men near him were going to pick it up, he tried to bend over and snag it himself.  When he did, he became overwhelmed with dizziness and felt himself start to fall forward off the gurney.  At the last minute, his fall was halted when Al noticed and grabbed him pushing him back.

“Whoa!  Easy does it,” Al said as he steadied Sam on the gurney.  “I thought I told you to lie down.”

“I don’t wanna,” Sam stubbornly replied.  “I just wanna get out of here an’ go home.  You’re here now.  You take me home.”

Al sighed seeing the stubborn glint in Sam’s eyes and the stubborn set to his jaw.  He knew the younger man was going to keep pushing for what he wanted until he got it.  He wondered if the doctor had any idea just how stubborn the man in front of him could be.  “Look, Doc,” he said with a bit of sigh, “How bad’s he hurt and can he go home?”

The doctor’s attitude became all business.  “He’s got a mild concussion from the hit to the head as well as 6 stitches in the laceration there.  He’s got another 10 stitches to close up the slice across his rib cage.  Other than that, there’s a lot bruising from the beating he took.  If there’s going to be someone with him to keep an eye on him, I see no reason why he can’t be released.”

“I’ll be with him,” Al assured the doctor.  “I’ll make sure he does whatever he needs to.”  As he said the last, he pinned Sam with his eyes.  He could match the younger man for stubbornness when the need arose and this was one of those times.

Hearing that he’d be allowed to leave shortly, Sam’s body slumped with relief.  He didn’t fail to catch the look that Al had given him and knew the older man would be doing his hovering routine.  After the night he’d had, he’d take it…even welcome it.  He started to slip from the gurney once more but Al still kept a grip on his shoulder holding him in place.  “C’mon, Al, let’s go.  You heard him.  I can go home.”

“Yeah, I heard him but first we need to see if there’s anything you need to do when you get home - any medications you might need.  Just hang on and sit there a few more minutes.”  He said you could go home and that’s where I’m gonna take you.”  He turned his attention to the doctor.  “So what about it, Doc?  There anything I need to know about before I get him outta here?”

“There’s going to be a prescription for an anti-biotic.  We don’t know how clean or dirty the knife used was so we want to take precautions there.  I’ll also give him something he can take for pain.  He’s probably going to feeling dizzy and nauseated from the concussion and have a headache for a while.  As long as it doesn’t get too extreme, there should be no cause to worry.  Other than that, the best thing for him will be to rest and he should make an appointment to see his own doctor within the next week.”  He looked between the two men and saw Sam anxious to leave and Al anxious to do what his friend wanted.  “I’ll get the paperwork and prescriptions ready and have a nurse bring them to you.”

While they waited for the nurse to bring them the paperwork, Al grabbed Sam’s clothes from the plastic bag under the gurney to help him get dressed.  Since Sam already his jeans on, Al knelt on the floor and pulled his socks onto his feet followed by his sneakers.  When he shook out Sam’s shirt, he saw that it would be useless to the younger man.  Not only was there a good-sized tear on the left side but it was also saturated with blood as well.  Seeing it, Al realized how close his friend had come to losing his life.

“This is pretty much useless,” he said balling up the shirt and stuffing it back in the bag.  He’d seen how the little bit of color in Sam’s face had drained away when he’d seen the torn, blood stained shirt and wanted to get it out of the younger man’s sight.  He didn’t think it worth trying to salvage the shirt and, after making sure there were no other personal belongs in the bag, took it over to the trashcan near the water bubbler and dropped it in.

As Al walked back over to Sam the nurse came over to them with the paperwork for Sam’s release.  She indicated where Sam had to sign on the forms to be released and went over the discharge information with both him and Al.  The two prescriptions she handed to Al.  As she turned to leave, Al asked her if there was anything Sam could borrow to wear.  She promised to bring a spare scrub top over to them.

Once Sam had pulled on the scrub top, Al helped him get up from the gurney, steadying him until he had his balance.  “Where’s your coat, Kid?” he asked looking around.  It hadn’t been in the bag with the rest of Sam’s belongings and he didn’t see it under the gurney where the bag had been either.

“I didn’t have it on,” Sam explained.  “It’s still in backseat of my car.  He paused a moment chuckling just a little.  It’s a good thing I didn’t have it with me since my driver’s license and credit cards are still in the pocket.  If I’d had it on, those guys would have gotten that stuff.”  At the thought of his car, Sam started patting the pockets of his jeans.  “Oh no,” he breathed out.  “Where are my keys?  If they got my keys they probably took my car too.”

“Hey, hey relax,” Al admonished Sam resting a hand on his shoulder.  “Here are your keys.  They were at the bottom of the bag.”  He handed the ring of keys over to Sam.  The younger man visibly breathed a sigh of relief before slipping the keys into his pocket.  Al didn’t miss the fact that as he did, he brushed his thumb over the medallion attached to the keychain.

Al realized that Sam was also lucky that the two guys who’d attacked him hadn’t taken his keys and the car.  He knew how attached Sam was to the keychain he carried his keys on.  It was a gift from his mother when he graduated from Med School and he’d carried it with him since then.  Often times he used it as a talisman of sorts during his most stressful time.  Since Sam had kept his hand in his pocket after putting the keys there, he guessed that that’s what he was doing now.

“Ok, you can’t go out there without a coat, it’s pretty chilly right now,” Al said in an effort to distract his friend from what could have happened.  He shrugged out of the coat he had on.  It was a heavy leather coat, dark green and black with stop signs on the elbows and back.  Sam often joked that Al should take the coat’s advice when he was with women.  “This might not fit you too well but let’s get it on you,” he said helping Sam into the coat.  Luckily it was just a little big on him which mean it sort of fit Sam.

“I don’t want to take your coat, Al,” Sam argued trying to pull his right arm from the sleeve while Al was pulling the coat up his left.  “You said it’s cold out so you need it.”

Al got the coat up Sam’s left arm and pulled it back onto his right.  He zippered it closed quickly before Sam could try to get it off again.  “Right now it’s more important that you keep warm than me.  You’re the one who got hurt, not me.

At Al’s words, Sam looked down and fingered the bandage over his eye.  “It’s kinda hard to forget.”

“Yeah, well,” Al began trying to distract Sam once more from what could have happened.  “Looks like you’re free to go so let’s blow this popsicle stand.”  He put his hand on Sam’s back and gently nudged him in the direction of the double doors that led back to the waiting room of the emergency department.  Sam hesitated for just a second before letting Al usher him out.

The two walked in silence until they reached Al’s car.  “Why don’t you stay at my place tonight,” Al suggested as he opened up the passenger door.  When he saw Sam about to protest the idea, he added, “It’s late, Kid, and I’d rather not drive all the way out to your place right now.  Besides, this way we won’t have to go so far to pick up your car tomorrow.”  Seeing the wisdom in Al’s words, Sam nodded his agreement.

The drive to Al’s condo was made in silence.  They stopped long enough for Al to run into the pharmacy and drop off Sam’s prescriptions.  Luckily it recently changed its hours so that it was open 24 hours a day.  He figured by the time he got Sam to his condo and settled there, the prescriptions should be ready and could drive back over and pick them up.

About five minutes before they reached their destination, Al noticed that Sam had fallen asleep with his head leaning against the window.  “How do you get yourself in these fixes,” he asked softly.  Soon he was pulling into a parking spot in front of the building.

“Sam,” Al softly called as he turned off the engine.  When there was no response, he called his name again this time nudging gently at the younger man’s shoulder.  “C’mon Kid.  Wakey, wakey.”

“Mmmm…what?” Sam asked groggily straightening up from the window.  He looked around at his surroundings as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes.  “Where are we?”

“We’re at my place,” Al answered as he pulled off his seatbelt.  “Let’s get you upstairs and settled.  Your prescriptions should be ready by then and I can go back and get them.”

“Ok,” Sam agreed still half asleep.  He clumsily began to pull his seatbelt off.  By the time he’d accomplished that, Al had gotten out of the car, come around to the passenger side, and pulled the door open.  He helped Sam out of the car and into the building keeping a guiding hand on Sam until they reached the door to his condo.

After unlocking and opening the door, Al led Sam in and took him into the spare bedroom urging the younger man to sit on the bed.  “I’m gonna go see if I can find you something to wear tonight.  Why don’t you start to get undressed?”

Al headed into his bedroom to look for something his friend could wear.  It would be a challenge considering their difference in height but if he recalled correctly he should have a birthday gift from an old girl friend that, though not fashionable, would probably fit Sam.

When he came back into the spare room with the pile of clothes Al found Sam sitting on the bed.  He’d taken off his jeans and sneakers and sat in his boxer shorts and socks with Al’s coat still on.  Al dropped the pile of clothes on the bed next to Sam and reached for the zipper on the coat pulling it down.  “I don’t think you want to leave this on to sleep.  It won’t be very comfortable.”

Reluctantly Sam let Al take the coat from his body before also taking off the scrub top.  He took the first piece of clothing from the pile next to him and looked at it curiously before looking over to Al.  It was a black t-shirt with a large yellow smilie face in the middle of it.  “You own this?” Sam asked in surprise.

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t really my idea,” Al began to explain.  “You remember that girl I was going out with a few months back, Karen?  Well she bought it for me for my birthday along with the sweatpants.  I’m not sure what was worse – her sense of fashion or her ability to guess sizes.”

When Sam pulled on the t-shirt, Al realized just how far off Karen’s sizing was.  Even on Sam, who was taller than Al was, the shirt was quite large.  “Finish getting dressed,” he advised as he stepped out the door.  “I’m gonna go get you an extra blanket.  You look like you’re still cold.”

When he got back to the room, Al saw that Sam had finished dressing in his borrowed clothes and was once more sitting on the edge of the bed.  He had to stifle a laugh when he saw him.  If the shirt had been too big on Sam, the sweatpants seemed to swallow him up.  The extra fabric was bunched up around his ankles and Al guessed that Sam probably had to pull the drawstring tight to keep the pants up.

Al urged Sam to get up from the bed before spreading the blanket he’d brought in over it.  He pulled the covers down and plumped up the pillow before turning and urging Sam to get into bed.  Once the younger man had, he pulled the blankets up over him.  “Why don’t you try to get some sleep,” he suggested.  “I’m gonna run back to the pharmacy and see if your prescriptions are ready but I’ll be back in a little while.”  Al suspected that Sam was already asleep before he even left the room.

It was a little less than an hour later when Al returned, Sam’s prescriptions in hand.  He quietly entered the condo not wanting to risk waking Sam.  He realized it was unnecessary as soon as he stepped in and saw the light on in the kitchen and the sounds of movement coming from it.

He went over to the kitchen door, looked in and saw Sam opening and closing cabinet doors in some kind of search.  “Lose something?” Al asked curiously startling Sam who spun around quickly.  When he saw who it was who’d spoken, Sam sagged against the counter behind him.  His face had turned a ghostly shade of white and his breathing had sped up.

“Easy, Sam,” Al said in a softer voice holding a calming hand out to the startled man.  “I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”  He realized that after the events Sam had experienced that night, coming up behind him and startling him as he had probably wasn’t the best thing to do.  He moved up next to Sam and put a gentling hand on his shoulder.  “What were you looking for?” he asked softly.

“Um…I don’t know,” Sam responded slightly bewildered.  “I was hungry and was looking for something to eat.”  He looked down to the floor his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.  “I’m sorry I jumped like that.  I guess I’m feeling a little shaky.”

Al squeezed the shoulder under his hand gently.  “Hey, no need to apologize.  I should have known better than to come up behind you like that.  After the night you’ve had, it’s no wonder you’re a little jumpy.  No one can blame you.”  He waited until he got a small answering nod from Sam.  “Now, what did you want to eat?”

“Just…I don’t know…just something.  I never got to eat dinner.  That’s why I was at the ATM – so I could go get some dinner.”  Sam walked away from Al and sank down to one of the kitchen chairs.  “How do I get myself into these things?” he quietly wondered.

Al leaned back against the counter behind him and looked over to Sam.  The kid looked absolutely drained.  There were already dark shadows under his eyes competing with the bruises from the attack.  The white of the bandage covering the stitches in his forehead almost blended in with how white his face was.  Unconsciously, he sat with his arm held close to his side protecting the injury Al knew was there.  The addition of the bright, over-sized clothes didn’t help either as it gave Sam the appearance of a child wearing his big brother’s clothes.

“From what I can understand, you didn’t do anything to get yourself into anything so I don’t want you to go blaming yourself for this.  The only ones to blame are those two nozzles who mugged you.”

Sam shook his head rapidly contradicting what Al had said and leaned over toward him just slightly to emphasize his words.  “I didn’t even fight back, Al.  I mean, I tried but there was just no room.  I just let them do what they wanted.”.  He sighed and slumped back in the chair.  “I feel so…,” he shrugged his shoulders not finding the words he wanted.

Al rapidly approached the table a pulled chair in front of Sam and sat down so he’d be on eye level with his friend.  “You feel like you’re weak or somehow less of a man ‘cause you weren’t able to stop those two guys…you weren’t able to defend yourself.”  He waited for a response from Sam but didn’t get one.  “Am I right?” he prompted.

Finally, Sam gave a tiny nod.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Bullshit!” Al exclaimed.  “What happened tonight doesn’t make you weak and it doesn’t make you any less of a man.  Damn it, Sam, don’t you see you did the right thing.”  At his words, Sam’s head jerked up staring at his friend in surprise.  Al quickly continued before Sam could have a chance to disagree.  “There were two of them and they had a knife.  If you’d put up a fight you probably would have been killed, Sam.  Nothing they took from you is worth your life.  Nothing.  I told you that earlier, Kid, but I guess you’re going to need a little time to believe it.”

Sam sat still staring at Al, taking in his words.  Finally, he nodded at the man’s words.  “Yeah, I guess.  I still wish I could have stopped them from taking the watch.  It really did mean a lot to me.”

“I know it did, Kid,” Al said while reaching into his coat pocket.  “I’ve got something for you.  When I went out to get your prescriptions I swung by the bank I know you use.  I figured your car would still be there and wanted to get your coat since you said your wallet was there.  You didn’t need to be losing that, too.  I found this.”

Al handed Sam the object he’d pulled from his pocket.  When he saw it, Sam sucked in a surprised breath before tentatively reaching out a hand to accept the object.  “My watch,” he breathed out.  “How?  I thought they’d taken it.  How did you find it?”  As he asked the questions he flipped the watch over and saw the inscription that Al had put there - is fleeting – friends are forever.

Al smiled softly at Sam’s reaction before he explained.  “Those guys who mugged you must not be very good ‘cause I found this on the ground just outside the bank.  The police must have missed it.”

Sam turned the watch over and over in his hands a couple of times.  The crystal was scratched, probably from being dropped to the pavement, but there was no mistaking it was his watch.  He thought when it had been pulled from his wrist that he’d never see it again.  “I don’t know what to say.  Thank you.”

Al’s smile grew at Sam’s simple thanks.  “I’m glad I was able to find it for you, Kid.  I guess I probably should have called the police about it, maybe there’s fingerprints or something on it, but I thought it was more important that you had it.”  He leaned over in the chair holding onto Sam’s shoulders to be sure the younger man was looking at him.  “I’m glad your alive, Sam.  That’s the important thing.”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed.  “I guess it is.”

A comfortable silence fell between the two men for a little while before Al finally broke it.  “Now, let’s see about getting you something to eat then you can take those meds the doctor gave you and go to bed.”  He got up from the chair and went back over to the kitchen cabinets.  “So, what do you feel like?”

“I don’t know,” Sam again said in response to the question.  “Do you just have a can of soup or something?”

“I should have a can of soup around here somewhere.”  After pulling several cabinet doors open and rummaging around inside Al pulled out the closest thing he had to a can of soup – a cup of Raman noodles.  “Looks like this is all I have,” he said apologetically turning around to show the cup of soup to Sam.

“That’s fine, Al.”  Sam watched as Al pulled the packaging from the cup and set it aside before filling the kettle on the stove and returning it to the jet to boil.  “I’m kind of surprised you have that,” he said after a while.  “I mean, it’s in a Styrofoam container,” he pointed out.

“I know,” Al responded with a sigh.  “I’m not too happy with that but they do make a quick meal and I try not to buy them too often.”

It didn’t take long for the water to come to a boil.  When it did, Al poured the water into the cup and brought it over to Sam, cautioning him that it was hot.  There was mostly silence in the room as Sam ate the soup.  When he’d almost emptied the cup, he pushed it away looking over to Al.  “It was kind of weird tonight.  There were all those people at the hospital who’d been hurt.  I could have helped them – I know how but…,” he trailed off for a moment looking down at the table before continuing.  “It was like I didn’t care or something.  I mean, I felt bad but…I don’t know…it was kinda like I was numb or something.  There was this little girl and there was so much blood and she just kept calling out for her mother but they wouldn’t let her back there.  The mother, I mean.  No little kid should have to go through that.  I just sat there, though.  I didn’t even try to help.”

“Would they have let you?” Al asked reasonably.  “If you’d gotten up and tried to help any of the injured, would they have let you help?”

“No,” Sam answered just as reasonably.  “I’m not on staff there so there’s a whole liability thing.  Plus, I was a patient.”

“Well, then why are you second-guessing yourself for not helping if you know you wouldn’t have been allowed.”  He reached over and grabbed Sam’s forearm to make sure he had the younger man’s attention and to drive home what he had to say.  “I know you, Sam.  If there were anything you could have done for that little girl or anyone else, you would have.  Tonight just wasn’t the time for you to be helping people.  It was time for you to let others help you.”

Sam gave Al a small nod.  “You’re right, Al.  Sometimes it’s just hard to accept that there are times when there isn’t anything I can do to help people.  I just…I hate to see people suffer – especially the innocent.”

“I know you do.  That’s what makes you the person you are.  Hell, if there were a few more people like you in the world, this would be a whole lot better place.”  He waited for Sam to agree with his words before gently taking a hold of his arm and urging him up from the chair.  “It’s time for you to go to bed now.  The doc said rest was the best thing for you so you should do that.”

Sam attempted to argue with Al’s decision but was cut off when a yawn nearly cracked his jaw in two.  “I guess I am kind of tired.”  They’d nearly reached the spare bedroom when he remembered the prescriptions Al had gone out to get.  “I didn’t take the meds yet.  I should take them, at least the antibiotic, before I go to bed.”

Al finished walked Sam into the bedroom and sat him down on the bed.  “I’ll go get them and bring them in.  You get yourself comfortable in bed.”  He came back into the room a few minutes later with the pill bottles and a glass of water.  He handed Sam one pill from each of the bottles and glass of water to wash them down.  Once the younger man had taken the prescribed medicine and lay back down on the bed, Al pulled the covers up and tucked them in securely.  “Just call out if you need anything,” he said as he straightened up.

As he left the room, Al turned off the light and pulled the door so that it was partially closed.  He didn’t think Sam would likely sleep through the night and he wanted to make sure he’d hear if he called out for him.

After turning off the lights in the rest of the apartment and checking the locks on the door, Al went to his bedroom.  He stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed.  Hopefully, he’d be able to get some sleep before Sam needed anything.

Contrary to what Al thought, Sam ended up sleeping the rest of the night through.  He was still asleep when Al got out of bed at 8:30.  Surprised that he hadn’t heard from Sam at all, the first thing Al did was slip into the spare room and check on his friend.

Sam was sleeping on his stomach, arms and legs sprawled across the bed.  His breathing was slow and deep.  He looked so peaceful, despite the bandage on his forehead, and after last night, Al wasn’t eager to wake him but knew he’d have to.

Since Sam did have a concussion, it was important to know that he would rouse from sleep easily and to check his awareness.  He also needed to take the antibiotic again.  Grabbing the glass from earlier off the table near the bed, Al went out to the kitchen, filled it up, and came back to Sam’s room.  He put the glass down on the table and sat gently on the side of the bed.

“Sam, time to wake up,” he called out gently as he began to rub up and down Sam’s back.  When he didn’t get an immediate response, he called Sam’s name again, this time shaking his shoulder slightly.  This time he garnered a response as the younger man started to stir.  He called Sam’s name one more time and finally broke through the barrier of sleep.

“Uh…whassa matter?” Sam mumbled lifting his head up from the pillow.  “Al?  Something wrong?” he asked spying his friend sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Nothing’s wrong, Kid.  It’s just time for you to wake up and take the antibiotic again.  It didn’t pass Al’s notice the grimace that crossed Sam’s face as he rolled over and pushed to sit up.  He was probably feeling the results of the beating he’d taken more this morning than he had last night.  “Maybe you should take one of those pain pills, too,” he suggested.

“I’d rather not,” Sam began, “but under the circumstances, I don’t think that’s such a bad idea.”  He accepted the antibiotic and pain pill from Al, swallowing them with water from the glass.  He was just about to lie back down when Al stopped him.

“How ‘bout if you get up for a little while and eat something,” Al suggested.  “You’re not supposed to take that antibiotic on an empty stomach.”

“Ok,” Sam agreed.  “Just something simple, though.  I really don’t think I’m up to much more.”  He waited for Al to vacate his position on the side of the bed before stiffly getting up himself.  “Darn, it!  I think I hurt more today than I did last night.” 

“Yeah, that’s usually the way it works,” Al remarked before starting for the kitchen.  Looking back over his shoulder he saw Sam follow him in a slightly bent position to compensate for the soreness in his ribs.

While Al busied himself in the kitchen, Sam sat at the kitchen table lost in his thoughts.  Last night had been a strange night, to say the least.  He’d never thought that the simple act of going to an ATM could mean almost losing his life.

Later, his experience at the hospital had been surreal.  He knew that was due, in large part, to his injuries and shock of the attack.  He’d always be grateful to Al for coming to get him.  It wasn’t just the ride home from the hospital but it was the fact that the man took him from what had fast become a confusing and unsettling place and taken him, instead, to one that was warm and safe.  That’s what he always hoped he’d remember from last night – how the bond of friendship he shared with Al had provided him a safe harbor in a turbulent storm.

Sam fingered the watch that he’d put back on as soon as Al gave it to him last night.  How true those words engraved on the back of it were – time is fleeting – friends are forever.

Al soon brought a bowl of oatmeal over to Sam and placed it down in front of him.  He sat in the chair opposite with the cup of coffee he’d made for himself.  As Sam ate, the two men again talked about what had happened the night before each grateful that at the end, the other was still there to provide the warmth of friendship.  They’d weathered this storm and both knew they’d be able to weather the storms that would come up in the future.

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