Doing alright // Hardzello

Chapter 14

When Joe arrives at the hospital, Rami is undergoing another set of tests. Joe walks over to Lucy who is still sitting in the waiting room. Her leg is bouncing up and down fast. 
"Hey, how is he doing?" Joe asks. 
"I don't know. He was in a lot of pain earlier. But I don't know if it's any better now," Lucy says. Joe nods while he sits down next to her. 
"Thank you for coming," Lucy says. 
"No, problem. I'm glad to help out," Joe says. He takes his phone out of his pocket to look at the time. It's nearly three o'clock. 

A nurse walks up to them.
"You are with Mr Malek, right?" She asks Lucy.
"I am," Lucy says.
"We're currently looking into the test results. In the meantime, you can wait with him," The nurse says. Lucy and Joe get up to follow the nurse. They are taken to a room where they are met by Rami laying in a hospital bed. He has a weary smile on his face. He raises an eyebrow while he looks at Joe.
"What are you doing here?" Rami asks.
"Checking in on you. Lucy called me to tell me what has happened," Joe says. He pulls two chairs to the bed for him and Lucy to sit on. Lucy immediately sits down on the chair closest to Rami. The latter smiles while he grabs her hand in his own. 

"How are you doing, Rams?" Joe asks. 
"I'm doing better. They gave me some stronger pain killers that take the edge of the pain," Rami says. He looks over to Lucy before bringing her hand to his face. He places a kiss on the back of Lucy's hand.
"I'll be alright. Don't worry," Rami says. Lucy takes a deep breath while nodding.
"So, you and Ben, huh?" Rami asks Joe. A huge smile spreads on Joe's face.
"Me and Ben," Joe repeats. 
"I think you two are perfect for each other," Lucy says. Joe chuckles.
"Thank you." 
"She isn't even kidding. I should have counted how many times she has said that today." Lucy smacks Rami's arm.
"You might be in a hospital bed, but that does not mean you can get away with everything." Rami shoots Joe a quick wink.

"Rami Malek?" A voice sounds from behind them. A doctor has walked in.
"That'll be me," Rami says while raising his hand. 
"I have your test results in. Do you want them to stay or would you prefer to be alone?" The doctor asks. 
"They can stay if they want to," Rami says before shrugging. When both Lucy and Joe stay seated, the doctor takes another look at the paper he is holding.

"You told us earlier that you have been losing weight for your work. Have you been doing that under the supervision of a professional?" The doctor asks. Rami nods.
"Yeah, I have a personal trainer and dietician who keep an eye on my exercise and food intake," Rami says.
"We have found a serious lack of some nutrients in your blood levels. These deficiencies have caused your digestive system to fight for every nutrient it can get. That is why you have been experiencing the cramps," The doctor says. Rami nods slowly.

"I'll write a letter to for your supervisors to inform them of all the details. My assumption is that they rushed you into this diet too quickly and that they made a miscalculation in the exercise and food intake ratio," The doctor says. When he sees that no one has questions, he continues.
"For now, I'd like to keep you here for the rest of the day. I want to keep an eye on your food intake today so we can get you out of the danger zone of malnutrition. At the end of the day, I want to check your levels again and then I'll decide if you can go home or if I'll keep you here another day," The doctor says.
"Alright. Just to make sure, I want you to know that I just followed the diet I was given and that I put my trust in the professionals helping me. This has nothing to do with an eating disorder or whatsoever," Rami says. 
"I'm glad. Whichever it is, I still want to get you out of the danger zone before I'll release you from the hospital."

Lucy and Joe make their way back to the hotel. By now it was six o'clock. Joe has already called the director to inform him of the situation. Now he was on his way to Gwil's hotel room. He knocks on the door a few times. 
"Hang on," Gwil's voice is raspy and low. Joe hears some stumbling going on from inside the hotel room. The door opens. Joe chuckles at the side. Gwil's hair is standing in every direction. He has sweatpants riding low on his hips and his eyes are barely opening.
"I'm just here to inform you that we have a stop until next Monday," Joe says. Gwil rubs his hands through his eyes.
"Okay, why?" Gwil asks. 
"Rami is in the hospital. He has a quite serious nutrient deficiency. They are keeping him there to get him back to healthy levels," Joe explains. Gwil raises an eyebrow.
"Is he okay?" Gwil asks. Joe hums.
"Yeah, Lucy and I just came back from the hospital. He got some painkillers to relieve the pain, but he will be back on his feet in no time. The director just wants him to take a few days to get back on track," Joe says. Gwil nods.
"Okay, thank you. I'll give him a call later."

When Joe walks back into his hotel room, Ben turns around to meet his eyes. Joe explains the entire story once more.
"Come and lay down. You need to catch some sleep," Ben says. Joe shakes his head. 
"No, I'm alright." 
"Joe, come on. You need to sleep," Ben says. Joe shrugs.
"I'll probably not sleep anyways."
"What if I lay with you?" Ben asks. Joe sighs.
"Fine."

After crawling into bed, Ben immediately places his head on Joe's chest. That assures that Joe can't go anywhere. Joe sighs contently. 
"Thank you," Joe whispers. 
"You're welcome. I love you," Ben says. Joe's lip corners push up.
"I love you too."

*******
Hey guys,

I hope you are Doing Alright (pun intended).

Don't you worry, there will be a lot more drama coming very soon. So, hold your horses.

But for now, take good care of yourself and others. Stay safe, stay healthy.

Goodbye,

Xx Itsametaphorjoe