Nick and I, 1640 hours...
I get back home and Nick's standing in my apartment.
"Where the fuck have you been?" He asks.
"I instantly regret giving you my other key."
"What? Remember we have to meet with the KAC in like twenty min- What's wrong?"
"Nothing, what do you mean?"
"Brian, I've known you for seven years. You're never late and you've smiled four times. Did you crash your car again?"
"No... Do you want something to drink?"
"Yeah I could go for a sho- Is that red wine?"
"Yes."
"Brian, buddy, you don't drink wine."
"Yeah I do."
"Since fucking when? You drink vodka."
"Yeah."
"Straight from the bottle."
"Yeah."
"Every ten minutes. For two and a half fucking years."
"This is Shiraz."
"'Shiraz'? Are you fucking serious? You've never said that word before. Is this some of your multiple personality bullshit?"
"No."
"Brian, as your best friend... More importantly, as your fucking doctor, I'm worried about you."
"Okay."
He throws an opened envelope onto my coffee table.
"There's that. If you even care any more."
I pick it up and open it.
"What's this?"
"It's your blood work, EKG and MRI results."
I rifle through it.
"What does this mean?"
"It means you have high blood pressure."
"No, this isn't right. Where's the rest of it?"
"That's the thing, Brian. There is no 'rest of it'. You're healthier than a fucking horse."
"This can't be right. What happened to 'you'll be dead in a year, Brian'?"
"I can't figure it out. You're fine. I double checked. The two techs I gave your samples to said you have the thinnest blood outside of a veterinarian's office, but other than that..."
"What about esophagial cancer?"
"No cancer. Not even in your liver. No STDs. Minor lung damage, probably from cigarettes, but you could get that from anything."
"This doesn't make any sense."
"Where have you been?"
"What do you mean? Out."
"Your phone is turned off."
"It's just dead."
"You left in a hurry?"
"Yeah. I had somewhere to be."
"Look. Brian. I am excited to hell about your recent success, but you never leave in a hurry. Everything's always calculated and creepily down to the second. Is this about Aubrey?"
"Nope."
"What the fuck, man? Honestly. I'm worried. Please tell me."
"It's the badge girl."
His face instantly goes white and he sits down briefly on the couch. He stands up again almost immediately.
"I'm leaving. I'm just going by myself. I'll come back when it's over and tell you what happened. And call me when you sort your fucking shit out, man."
-Brian
"Where the fuck have you been?" He asks.
"I instantly regret giving you my other key."
"What? Remember we have to meet with the KAC in like twenty min- What's wrong?"
"Nothing, what do you mean?"
"Brian, I've known you for seven years. You're never late and you've smiled four times. Did you crash your car again?"
"No... Do you want something to drink?"
"Yeah I could go for a sho- Is that red wine?"
"Yes."
"Brian, buddy, you don't drink wine."
"Yeah I do."
"Since fucking when? You drink vodka."
"Yeah."
"Straight from the bottle."
"Yeah."
"Every ten minutes. For two and a half fucking years."
"This is Shiraz."
"'Shiraz'? Are you fucking serious? You've never said that word before. Is this some of your multiple personality bullshit?"
"No."
"Brian, as your best friend... More importantly, as your fucking doctor, I'm worried about you."
"Okay."
He throws an opened envelope onto my coffee table.
"There's that. If you even care any more."
I pick it up and open it.
"What's this?"
"It's your blood work, EKG and MRI results."
I rifle through it.
"What does this mean?"
"It means you have high blood pressure."
"No, this isn't right. Where's the rest of it?"
"That's the thing, Brian. There is no 'rest of it'. You're healthier than a fucking horse."
"This can't be right. What happened to 'you'll be dead in a year, Brian'?"
"I can't figure it out. You're fine. I double checked. The two techs I gave your samples to said you have the thinnest blood outside of a veterinarian's office, but other than that..."
"What about esophagial cancer?"
"No cancer. Not even in your liver. No STDs. Minor lung damage, probably from cigarettes, but you could get that from anything."
"This doesn't make any sense."
"Where have you been?"
"What do you mean? Out."
"Your phone is turned off."
"It's just dead."
"You left in a hurry?"
"Yeah. I had somewhere to be."
"Look. Brian. I am excited to hell about your recent success, but you never leave in a hurry. Everything's always calculated and creepily down to the second. Is this about Aubrey?"
"Nope."
"What the fuck, man? Honestly. I'm worried. Please tell me."
"It's the badge girl."
His face instantly goes white and he sits down briefly on the couch. He stands up again almost immediately.
"I'm leaving. I'm just going by myself. I'll come back when it's over and tell you what happened. And call me when you sort your fucking shit out, man."
-Brian