RP LOG with 1twntyovreighty | Jail Break

[geniuscowboy]

[Follows THIS and THIS]

Chris knew he really shouldn't be that surprised when he woke up and found himself on the floor. He was though. It was a rude shock, and really not part of his evil escape plan. All he remembered was making it to his front door, seeing Rick... and then two Ricks, and now waking up doing a good imitation of a welcome mat. Rick was crouching over him, looking like he was about to try and give him a small smack on the cheek to wake him up, but Chris grabbed his hand. "Hey... hey... no sibling abuse. That's against the rules," he stated woozily. The floor seemed to feel really nice, actually. He was horizontal, and that just felt good. He blinked slowly, trying to get the room to stop spinning. "Okay, I'm just going to assess the state of the carpet for a little bit longer, and then I'm gonna get up, and we'll never mention this again," he decided.

A brief couple of moments passed before Chris glanced up at his brother and then groaned, slapping a hand over his eyes. "No... no, don't. Don't give me that look. I've been getting that friggen look all morning, and I don't want it. Stop. Right now. Stop. I mean it. I just need to get inside and things will be awesome."


Rick had been shocked to see his brother standing at the door, but the moment Chris went down, Rick was just concerned. How could he not be? He really had been ready to slap Chris awake if he needed to. He was also wondering just how he was supposed to get Chris inside without dragging him along the carpet. Rick didn't feel strong enough to lift up his brother as much as he might have in previous months. Now that his brother had his hand, Rick gave it a squeeze as he smirked lightly. "And they thought I was going to be the one to cause trouble. You're worse than me, bro, and that's saying something. I need your help for the getting inside part, buddy. I haven't exactly been keeping up with my exercise regime."

Chris held up the finger on his other hand. "Just one more minute," he said, as if he was requesting an extension of his lunchbreak or something. "I can do it. I can. Just gotta work myself up to it. Dude, you look rough," he added, peering up at Rick now that the head spins were passing. Maybe it was ironic he was saying that considering he was the one plastered on the floor, but he really wasn't overly thinking about himself at that point. The whole reason he had busted out of hospital in the first place had been because he overheard his Mom saying that Rick was in a bad way, and it was why Chris had been so determined to get the hell home. Once Serena found out what he did, though, he was going to be in so much trouble, it wasn't funny. "I am so going to have my balls cut off," he realised as an afterthought.

"Ya think?" Rick asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. He sighed at hearing that even his brother thought he looked rough. He was tempted to just brush the comment off and away, but the tears started to fall before he even realised he was crying. He was just so relieved to see his brother. Chris was all he could think about lately besides his own fight against cancer. It was all starting to hit home for Rick what had happened, and the funk he'd fallen into wasn't getting any better. He felt awful that his mom had to be the one to try and console him, and Rick had just pulled away to try and save her from it. "Serena'll do more than cut your balls off, bro. You'll be lucky if she ever goes naked around you at all."

Chris nearly just started crying himself when he saw Rick start to get upset. It was all right there. He just had to give into the urge. Instead, he awkwardly pulled himself up into a sitting position, feeling that his head was still throbbing and he couldn't even keep track of what was all feeling crap now and why. Maybe once he could curl up in his own bed, he could analyse the situation a bit better. He got his arms around Rick in a rough hug, pressing his fist against his back so he could grip just that little bit tighter. "Shit, I know... I know. I didn't exactly think any of this through rationally, and I don't give a fuck about it all now. I got here and no body parts fell out or off. That's a top notch success, as far as I'm concerned. I just... Mom said... and I just had to... I fucking couldn't take it anymore."

Rick hugged Chris back as a sob escaped and cursed himself for falling apart so easily these days. "I feel like I should yell at you for jeopardising your recovery, but who am I to judge, huh? And I want my little brother... I can't help it. We just really got to get you inside. Don't need your neighbours talking about how the great Dr C started sleeping in the hallway. I can't believe Mom told you. I didn't want you worrying. I don't even really know what happened, and then Mom went and got all cut up trying to clean up the mirror. I felt like such a prick. Again."

Chris moved and managed as far as getting on his knees before he stayed there and took a couple of moments so he didn't get dizzy again. "She didn't tell me. She told Serena, and I overheard. I wish I hadn't because if you feel like a prick, then I guarantee, I feel ten times worse after hearing what Mom was saying. We've screwed her over, dude. Worse than we even think. She thinks we don't need her, and she doesn't understand why. She just knows that we never go to her anymore and never tell her anything, and... she's right. I don't even know what to do, but she was going to talk to Bella about what happened with you because she didn't know what else to do. After that, I just had to come home to make sure you were alright. Everyone kept telling me you were fine, but then to hear that you really weren't, I freaked out."

"I thought I was fine, but it's just... Everything's piling on. And I got the next lot of chemo coming up, and I just can't... I have no hair! And you nearly died!" Rick reached up to wipe away the tears angrily before he hooked an arm around Chris to try and help his brother as best he could. "She what? Of course we need her. I think maybe we just forgot how to tell her. Or I did. I just don't know what to say to her. I really don't. I keep wanting to tell her about Bella and the baby, but then Bella hasn't even told her brother yet and we're supposed to be waiting, but it's just... hard. It's hard to think of things to say that don't relate to that. I just feel lost, and I hate that she's feeling unwanted. It's not her, though. It's us."

Years down the track, if someone showed them video of this moment, they probably would have laughed their asses off. As it was, Chris was doing a very good imitation of being drunk, and Rick was an emotional mess. In hindsight, it would have been amusing to watch. Right now, though, it just sucked. Chris couldn't believe how hard this was turning out to be. He must have gotten really unfit in hospital, and by the time he managed to stand again, he was breathless and more on the dizzy side than not again. "I really gotta sit down," he warned, plucking up the strap of his bag so he could shove it inside his door. "Has Bella told you not to tell Mom? Because to be honest, most of the hospital has gotta know Bella's pregnant by now, and it's not fair that Mom is the last to know. She should have been one of the first. But dude, if you don't even know how to talk to Mom anymore, maybe you're more screwed than you realise. I don't think it's just now she's talking about. It seemed like she was talking, like, since everything just blew up."

Rick guided Chris inside and tried to stop the tears just from spilling. "I don't think she wants to talk to Mom about it, to meet Mom as the pregnant girlfriend. At least that's how she made it sound. She came over late when I first came back here, and Mom had gone to the store for something. When Mom came home, Bella just didn't want to deal with it. I don't know what... She just doesn't want to say anything. That's how it sounded." He eased Chris onto the sofa before he dropped down beside his brother and huffed in frustration. "I just want to tell her. I want to talk to Mom, but I know if I tell her... She'll just think I didn't tell her because she doesn't matter anymore or something. How do you not hurt her?"

"Yeah? Then maybe the ball is just in your court, dude. To talk to Mom on your own. You can't blame Bella for hovering somewhere in between all of this. Her hands are tied, and she's worked fucking hard to get to where she is. She's a really well-known Oncology fellow. Her rep is almost untouchable. She's also trying to wrap her head around the fact she had believed for years that she couldn't have kids, and now she is. To top it all off, she's been in batting for us, for our health, right from the start. She gets rid of your first kidney, and when that doesn't work, she does everything in her power to make sure you have the best of everything to get better, man. She's probably carrying around enough secrets to make our dicks curl. She also knows how things between you and Mom are. Maybe she just doesn't have the energy to get in the middle of that when she's carrying around everything else? Or maybe she just feels shitty that she's yet another secret you're not telling Mom? I dunno, dude, but you can't lay this on her if she's not ready to step up to your side and face Mom with you. And really, maybe Mom deserves to have you talk to her alone, too? Or she's only going to think you can't even tell her this without back-up," Chris pointed out, already slumping down in the sofa. "I do hurt her. I've pushed her away just as much as you have. I've been doing it ever since that night Dad put her in the hospital."

Rick rubbed his hand over his face and cleared his throat before looking at Chris. Guilt twisted deep inside him and he gave a nod. He knew his brother was right. Of course he was right. He'd wanted to tell their mom about the baby back in the hospital but it had just never happened. Now he had the time, and he was too busy having a meltdown to talk to her. Again. No wonder she had a complex about it. No wonder she was writing her sons off already. "How can I do any of this without her? How can either of us. I can't look after you on my own right now, and I can't be a dad without her help. I don't want to become ours. I want to get it right from the start. Assuming Bella can even carry full term. That's another thing she's got to add to her pile. A pile I can't even really help her with. Why did you push her away?"

Chris felt a heavy feeling settle over him, and he felt just plain bummed. He thought it would be more euphoric leaving hospital, but it really wasn't. First this with his Mom, listening to her talk crap about herself. Only it wasn't crap, it was all the truth. Then the fact Serena was going to be beyond pissed when she realised he had disappeared. A lot could be on the line with that. And now, as he looked down at himself, he realised he had put his shirt on inside out again and had apparently gone out in public like that. "You just gotta tell her that, dude. Maybe that's why you're freaking out more than you can handle? You're not talking to anyone about it. In this whole wide world, Mom is your biggest fan, man. Even after everything, she still thinks we're perfect. That's just..." He trailed off, not able to find enough words. He swallowed heavily. "I don't know. Yes I do. I never wanted to make her cry like Dad did, and I... I hate Wimico. When I think about going back there, I just make some piss-weak excuse why I shouldn't."

Rick couldn't help it. As much as he wanted to be jumping around and smiling about Chris being home, he was still the big brother and he was still worried about Chris and the fact he had skipped out of hospital. He was half expecting a whirlwind named Serena to come bursting through the door at any moment. And then his heart just sat heavily in his chest when he thought about their Mom and how she was feeling. "I know, it is just... just. I do want to talk to her. I really am a prick. Jesus... How can we hurt someone more from not trying to hurt them? I think she needs to stay here with us. That's what I think. Wimico's never done any of us any favours."

"I dunno. I never even realise it until it's too late either. My whole hospital stay, I spent most of it off my face. I didn't realise Mom was so upset. She's been faking it around me. I get a feeling a lot of people have been faking it around me, and if they aren't, they're avoiding me..." Chris frowned, thinking of Dave and Eva. He had hardly seen either of them and every time he thought about it, his stomach just hurt even more. His cell phone started to ring his pocket and with a wince, he pulled it out, checking the screen and finding Serena's picture there indicating the caller. "Shit! Shit shit shit! You answer it!" he squeaked, thrusting it into his brother's hands with wide eyes.

Rick stared down at the phone and shook his head as he pushed the thing back towards his brother. "No way, bro. You answer it! I'm not giving up my balls. I've already lost my kidneys. And you've only lost one kidney, so you can afford to lose something else. She doesn't want to talk to me, she wants to talk to you. No more secrets, no running, no not talking about things. Isn't that what we're discussing?"

"I gave my kidney to you! This is the least you can do for me!" Chris protested, and handed it back as it kept ringing. "I'm not answering! She's going to kill me! She doesn't want to talk to me, she wants to tear me a new one!" He slapped his hands over his ears and started singing a Rolling Stones song really loudly to drown out the sound of the phone.

Rick hesitated before he simultaneously gave his brother a smack on the back of the head to get him to be quiet, and answered the phone with his other hand. He didn't even get a chance to say 'hello' before there was just all this yelling. The phone was nowhere near his ear, but both Deleo brothers would be able to hear Serena's voice clearly. He waited until the yelling seemed to come to an end before he tried to put the phone next to his ear. Only then the yelling started again, and he hung up before he just threw the phone away from them onto one of the chairs. "Forget it, I'm not facing a pissed off almost sister-in-law who can yell like that. If my dick was even working, it definitely wouldn't be now."

At somewhere around the one third portion of the yelling, Chris had just paled and looked at the phone in horror. He swallowed heavily and looked at Rick with wide eyes, before looking over at the phone like he was expecting it to just start yelling on its own accord again. "Well, I'm officially never getting laid again," he finally said, blinking.

Rick shook his head. "No, pretty sure you're just not getting laid for about a week. C'mon, man. I've seen you two, remember? There's no way she can deny you for too long."

"Hey, you're not the only one who can't get it up right now. My whole energy mojo isn't exactly working with the sexy time mojo. I think my dick is scarred for life from that catheter. I have no sexy left. Look at me. I look like one of those dudes who stops you at the lights to wash your windows," Chris said, throwing his hands up. "And I have vampire eyes. Look. Red, white, and blue. They're almost patriotic. I have hospital hangover."

Rick patted his brother's leg in sympathy and tried not to look at the phone lying on the chair. "I have scarring from your girlfriend's voice yelling in my ear. In fact, I'm half deaf. She'll get over it. You probably panicked her, and then she'll be here playing nursemaid because she doesn't care if you have vampire eyes. She just loves you. I'd help you get to bed, but I don't think I can move."

"I have scarring from my girlfriend's voice yelling in your ear," Chris added and shoved his hand up under his shirt to scratch at the operation wound. It had been as itchy as all hell for days now, but as a surgeon, he knew that was just a sign it was healing well. There was no redness or anything to indicate an infection, so that was a plus, despite all the rest of the shit that had happened. "She doesn't need to be panicked. I'm fine. Mostly. I couldn't stay there anymore! I need fresh air and my own bed and food I don't mind putting in my mouth. I don't think I can move either, so looks like we're stuck here," he decided, resting his head back as he exhaled heavily and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sick of being in bed anyway. I want to sit here like a big lazy normal person."

"Staying here more than works," Rick agreed readily. He touched the bandanna he'd slipped back on after his fit, and then just rest his arm across his stomach as he stared at the TV that wasn't even on. "How did this happen to us?" he finally asked.

"Well, you were a giant prick for years, and then you got cancer. I think that's the black and white of it," Chris replied without hesitation. He couldn't help if there was still some lingering niggles of hurt there that crept to the surface now and again. It meant a lot to him that Rick was making an effort, but Chris knew that it would never have come if Rick hadn't gotten sick. He really had been just going to step away to keep himself healthy and focus on his own future after being kicked in the nuts by Rick so much, but when push came to shove, Chris really hadn't been able to walk away from his family. He would probably keep taking care of them until the day he died. Hopefully that day just wasn't as soon as he feared it could have been with the op gone wrong. "Thing is, there'll be someone worse off than us. We're lucky. Look at what we got. Mom... Serena... Bella. Dave, Aimee, Proctor, Tuck, Eva... Drew, Lisa... we could have fuck all."

Rick frowned as he felt the guilt twist in his stomach again, but this time it was over Chris and their mom. He knew he'd fucked up. Of course he did. He slipped his arm around his brother's shoulders and pulled him into a slight hug as he continued to sit there quietly. "I'm sorry for being a giant prick for so long. I really am. I know I'll never be able to make it up to either of you, but I'm trying, and I can't thank you enough for what you did, bro. I'm more than grateful for the friends you got, too. I'm just glad you're finally somewhere that can make you happy."

Chris just reflexively let his head drop onto Rick's shoulder now the lethargy of his escape act was creeping over him. "Except it's not really. On the face of it, it's all happy families, but under the surface, I'm not so sure. Serena and me are good... at least, we were until I pissed off from hospital without telling her. But Mom's lost, Dave's ignoring me, I haven't spoken to Eva in weeks. Tuck tells me Eva thinks I don't need her anymore, so she's been keeping her distance. Then you and Bella. It should be easy, but it isn't. You don't know what's going on with the baby, and Bella probably isn't even sure how she will physically cope with being pregnant. I don't even know how to fix any of it. Not this time."

Rick rest his check on the top of his brother's head as he fought the urge to just surrender and close his eyes. He was feeling drained after the emotional rollercoaster of the last couple of days. He pulled his mouth to the side before he let out a huff of a laugh. "I'd say we should throw some kinda dinner party so they all know we still care about them, but neither of us are up for cooking, or dancing. Still, maybe we'll just have to learn to work the phones better, huh? Keep in touch with people. Is Eva still leaving?"

"Except, I try calling Dave and he ignores me, so that theory goes out the damn window," Chris complained, scrunching his nose up. He gave into his own urge to close his eyes, tucking his arm around his stomach under his shirt. "I think so, only she's delayed it a couple of months until I can make it back to Alpha. Tuck seems to think Proctor's going to hit Dave up to take Eva's place, but last I heard, Dave wasn't liking the prospect of being there permanently. It's just going to be weird. Eva trained me. She's been there the whole time. She was my closest pal when Dave was in LA. We probably could have dated if we didn't have a chance of killing each other in the process. I can't believe that my two closest friends aren't talking to me. If anyone is the giant prick here, it's me. I just... have no idea what I've done. I know I didn't tell Eva about Serena, but that was self-preservation for our jobs. We didn't know how anyone would take it if they knew at work and bottom line is, I still want a fellowship. I just don't know if I'll get it, especially now I've been set back. If Eva leaves, there'll be a fellowship opening, but every single surgeon on Bravo and Charlie want it too."

Rick cleared his throat and gave his brother a squeeze. "You deserve it, bro. I know you do. You've busted your ass for this hospital, and for Alpha Team. Even I know that. I can see it, just from the little I've been around. As for Eva, well, it's not like she's a big fan of mine either, but maybe you just need to call her and ask her around. Let her in a bit, huh? Or I can always try and put the heavies on her... Tell her how much you're sobbing like a little girl." Rick felt like a bastard for knowing about Dave, but he had promised not to breathe a word. He didn't even feel safe trying to give his brother advice about his best friend without giving something away. "Dave might just be feeling under the pump. Wasn't Alpha Team down you and your girl? Serena's only just got back to it..."

Chris's eyes were still closed as he scrunched his nose up just a little. "I'm sick of talking about my feelings with everyone, though. They all want to know how I am, and I tell them I'm fine just so I don't need to elaborate if I tell them I'm feeling crap. I don't really know exactly how I feel. It's all over the place. I can feel fine one day, then wake up bummed that my heart stopped the next. Hey, I'm not the one sobbing like a girl, dude! I don't need my rep over there ruined. Two of my nurses have already seen my bare ass from when they were working in Surgical over here for a few days. Serena nearly tore their eyes out. She would have voodooed their memory too if she had the capacity. Yeah, they were down, but Proctor had a chick up from Bravo. She was pretty good apparently. Probably has her sights set on Eva's spot too now, though, no doubt."

Rick nodded. "That's what it's like for me, but I just can't be bothered talking about why I feel shit, only then I just stopped telling myself I was feeling shit and it just kinda... built up. You know? Now I just have to try and make it all up to mom. At least you don't ever have to worry about me asking you if you're okay. I hate that fucking question. Has anyone told Serena that she's a very angry woman? I used to think she was all cute and sweet, but now I know better."

Chris gave a snort of a laugh. "Are you volunteering to tell her that? It's not anger, per se, it's just... Girlfriendzilla. Seriously. One time, she totally tore this Ortho a new one and he has a rep for being the crankiest bastard to grace the earth. He's made more staff cry than that ex-Military pharmacist who has seriously made one patient wet themselves. She has bitched me out like you wouldn't believe on occasion, too. I was trying to help her when she had to call her first time of death, and I walked away with a shiny new asshole too. I want Mom to move to Miami. Half of that is selfish. I don't want to really deal with Wimico anymore, but I think she'll have more here. She'd even be closer to Dave's parents here and they were always pretty good friends. How's things with Bella? Why aren't you talking to her about how you feel?"

"Better you than me, bro. Although I've got a pregnant... girlfriend. She's going to be just as unpredictable. Maybe it just means they're passionate?" Rick suggested with a sleepy slur as he started to relax. Chris was back with him and that seemed to take a huge pressure off. Rick felt like he could at least stop worrying about what his brother was doing. "She'd have so much more here. It really would be better for Mom. I haven't really spoken to her since the other night. She's been busy. It's fine, really. I know she's reduced her patient load but she's still got a lot to deal with. I talk to her when I can. She got me this t-shirt."

"Dude, you got a girl pregnant. You realise you told me, like, a billion times never to do that when I was a kid?" Chris pointed out with another snigger of amusement. "She is so going to have your balls carried out in a little bag when those hormones kick in. You think she just took your kidney, you wait. I have to deal with Serena with PMS, you get a pregnant Bella. This is going to be punishment for all those prick years, I think. She's all sweet Oncologist now, but I think there is a Pregnantzilla in there waiting to be unleashed. You know, Serena's moved in here now and her bro is staying at her place. Drew is cool. Maybe Mom could crash there for a little while, see if she likes Miami. She could stay here, but you've seen the size of the place. Serena's place is close." He opened his eyes a little to look down at the t-shirt and then laughed. "You think you earned that, huh?" he teased.

Rick scrunched up his face. "Yeah, alright. You win for now. But I bet my Pregnantzilla is totally going to win over your Girlfriendzilla when she really gets going. Serena hasn't ripped your balls off yet. Just given you new assholes. And she hasn't cut any body parts out of you. Christ, I just hope all the punishment is over in this nine months... I am trying to be the good guy here now. Sure, why not with Drew? We're all pretty much family now anyway, right? This just seals the deal. It's worth asking." Rick nudged his brother's knee with his own. "I think I'm getting there."

Chris laughed. "I don't doubt it. Serena isn't pregnant. The thing is, they've been getting quite tight lately. I think having us both making with the near death experiences made them figure they should pool together or something. And Lisa, Dave's sister. You know, the three of them together, and I'm totally terrified already. Also? Serena is totally going to rip my balls off tonight. I'll be one kidney and two balls down. Especially after that phone call. Drew's like Superman. He sort of swoops in with the good advice and then swoops out again when it's delivered." He gave a nod. "Yeah, dude, I think you're getting there too. In saying that, you got chemo tomorrow. If you decide to get in a bad mood, you should aim it at a seagull or something."

Rick cracked open his eyes and looked at Chris. "I'm hoping the bad mood's over... Otherwise maybe I'll just aim it at Wimico. If it blows up, Mom's got no choice but to stay here, right? Wasn't Lisa meant to like Drew, or something? So there is a chance of the three of them getting together... And I really am terrified. Can we just maybe get two big bubbles for us to be in so our balls don't get ripped off?"

"You know what? As sad as it sounds right now, I would be happy to detach my balls and just give them to her. Then maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty about not feeling up to sex with her. Technically, it's a no-go zone for six to eight weeks after the op," Chris admitted wryly.

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Has she even asked you for sex? Surely she knows that you can't just go back to pounding her into the mattress. You two are more than just sex, right?"

"Did I say she asked me for it?" Chris threw back, his eyes still closed. It was just easier. The light in his apartment was different to the fake light in the hospital. It would take some getting used to. "That doesn't mean I don't feel guilty. I never said sex was everything, but it's still something."

"I miss it," Rick admitted quietly. "The truth is I just want to be able to indulge in comfort sex with Bella... To feel close to her, to make love to her. I want a chance to express physically everything I fucking suck at saying out loud. Guess it's just gonna have to wait."

Chris nodded a little. "I guess. The way Dave said it, he never really got his dick mojo back. Aimee was the first he was with since he was sick, but he hinted that there were still issues. Not that I can say that with confidence. He didn't talk to me about it. He hasn't talked to me about much at all since I went and wrote myself off the first time he told me he'd had cancer. But Bella keeps saying everyone is different. Maybe now you got a working kidney back in there, things might get better."

Again, Rick had to bite his tongue to stop any secrets from tumbling out. If only he could talk about Dave with Chris. That was another part of his breakdown. If someone like Dave who had successfully curbed a death sentence only to wind up with testicular cancer, then what was the point? It just wasn't fair. "Just keep trying, man. He can't avoid you forever. We won't know until I try, I guess..."

"Have you even tried? I mean, you can't have had much chance. Not like being in hospital is all for the sexy mojo, and if you haven't spoken to her that much. It's an ass you start chemo tomorrow. You could have checked into a hotel for the night with her, cut yourselves off from the world. Serena and I have done that a couple of times just to chill out. Maybe once you start feeling better after this round?" Chris suggested with a small shrug. "I'll try texting him, get him to come around. Right now, I'm thinking he's doing a good job avoiding me forever and it just sucks. I feel like I've done something really wrong, but I just can't remember what."

Rick shook his head slightly. "Not since I got her off when she was supposed to be checking up on me, but my dick didn't wanna come to the party. When I start to feel better after the chemo, I want to take her out on that date, too. Maybe it'll just help to really establish the fact that we're not just doctor and patient." Rick opened his eyes again to look at Chris, his heart sinking in his chest. "It's not you, bro. It's definitely not you."

Chris had a fleeting thought in wondering how Rick knew it wasn't him. Any other time, and he probably would have questioned that. He was just so exhausted, though, and merely gave a slight nod against Rick's shoulder, deciding that this was as good a time as any to just take his big brother's word on something. "Date... sounds good..." he murmured, but he wasn't taking anything in anymore. Sleep was trying to claim him and it felt like a really, really good idea right then. In fact, deciding he was just going to rest his eyes for a few moments was the last real clear thought he had he did just give in and doze off with his head still resting on Rick's shoulder.

Word Count | 5,917