The lingering accident

Back home

Pete and Steve walked to the car together, their breath visible in every exhale. Pete looked up to the clear night sky. It promised to be a cold night tonight. He then watched the silent Steve next to him, who had his eyes on the pavement in front of him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." Steve looked up to him. "I'm fine."

They walked up to Pete's car, where Steve waited for him to unlock the doors and took place in the passenger seat. He shivered slightly, feeling the cold of the vehicle, but that was a problem that would soon be fixed. Something that couldn't be said about his injury. With a sigh he dismissed that thought, there was little use of thinking that. It was something he had to live with, he had accepted that.

He watched the streetlights pass as Pete drove over the road. What a way to end the party. He sure had some explaining to do on Monday and that was something he didn't look forward to. He knew how they would react. At least there was a weekend first.

"Why didn't you bring Karen with you?" Steve asked, when he remembered Pete's wife hadn't been at the party. Most of their colleagues had brought their spouses.

"She didn't want to come. How about Angela?"

"She's out with a friend of hers."

"Where were they going?" Pete asked, turning on the indicator to make a turn. They were almost there now.

Steve laughed. "Who knows? Whatever they're in the mood for. They didn't have any real plans when they left. They were certain they wanted to eat something, but didn't know where. And after that it was even more vague. Maybe a movie. Or a club. Or both."

"Or something else," Pete added, grinning.

"Exactly. I'll find out when she gets home and I'll make sure to tell you."

Pete glanced aside quickly, before returning his attention to the road ahead. It was good to see he could still laugh, but then again, nothing seemed to keep him down long. Nothing ever had.

When Pete pulled over in front of the apartment building where Steve and Angela were living, Steve opened the car door and got out of the car. He gazed at the top of the building for a moment, and the star-lit sky above it, his hand still resting on the car door. Standing on the sidewalk, he turned around and looked into the car.

"Care for some coffee?" His breath again showed in a small, white cloud as he spoke. He dragged his friend from the new years party. It was the least he could do and he would enjoy the company, his wife wouldn't be home yet.

"Sure." Pete turned the engine off and followed Steve into the building. After what had happened, he didn't like leaving Steve alone and he had been planning of waiting in the car at least till Steve would be in his apartment. That was one reason to accept the offer. The other was that he just liked to visit his friend. Drinking coffee together was something he only turned down when he didn't have time for it. As it was his plan to spent most of the evening at the party, there was surely enough time for some coffee at his friends place.

"When is Angela coming home?" Pete asked, walking through the hallway alongside of Steve, who stopped in front of one of the doors and searched for his house key in his pocket.

"An hour or two I reckon. When she goes out with friends, it tends to get late."

Steve opened the door of the apartment and stepped aside for Pete. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll make some coffee."

Pete walked into the living room, to the black leather couch that was standing against the white wall. He had been here many times, as Steve had visited his place. The interior of Steve was modern, with a lot of black and white furniture, whereas Pete himself preferred wooden furniture. He sat down and picked up a magazine, when he waited for Steve.

"I still feel bad for dragging you from the party like that," Steve said from the kitchen, boiling the water for the coffee and preparing the filter. He would make a large pot, so Angela would have some when she returned.

"Don't be ridiculous, you didn't know that would happen. And besides, the party wasn't that spectacular. We've seen the people there dozens of times. The only difference was that we could drink champagne, paid by the boss." By the silence from the kitchen Pete judged that Steve wasn't convinced. "I recall I offered to take you home."

"That's true," Steve sighed, walking in with two mugs. "But still..."

"Don't worry about it, I much rather have your coffee then the boss his champagne."

"The least I could do." Steve gave one mug to Pete and sat down next to him.

They brought the conversation to a different subject and drank coffee. At one point they both got up and Steve showed him the new stereo they had bought. He just placed a cd in the player when Angela got home.

"You're early," Steve greeted her with a smile.

"Same counts for you," she replied. "Wasn't the party fun?"

"The party was alright, but my legs cramped up."

Angela came closer, worry visible in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Pete helped me and brought me home." He pointed towards the kitchen. "There's coffee in the kitchen if you want some."

She knew Steve wouldn't want to discuss it further, so she nodded and went into the kitchen. There was nothing to discuss really. It came, it went away, it would come again. She sighed, looking at the coffee pot. She was worried, but there was nothing she could do. He had these pains ever since the accident. She took a mug from the cupboard and poured some coffee in, thinking back about when it all had started. The police had showed up at her doorstep and told her that her husband had been in a car crash. It turned out that a car suddenly came from it's side of the road and crashed into Steve's car. He had spent a while in the hospital. Besides fractured ribs and a whiplash injury, his legs were severely injured. He had been in rehabilitation for a few months and even though he was quick enough to recover and walk around again, it wasn't over with that. Most of the time he was fine, but sometimes pain shot through his legs. Usually it was just a stab of pain, it went away as quickly as it came, but sometimes the muscles in his legs turned into a painful cramp, which only loosened with walking. It could be one leg, it could be both at the same time. And the doctors didn't know what caused it, so they couldn't cure it.

She took the mug in her hands and left the kitchen. For a moment she watched the two man talking about the stereo. There were no signs that Steve was depressed about his situation. He seemed like there was nothing wrong with him. And she knew he wanted to look that way. Angela joined them, smiling at Steve, who put his arm around her and gave her a kiss.

When Pete said he would be leaving, she walked him to the door.

"Thanks Pete," she said to him.

"For what?" Pete asked.

"For being there for hem." Angela knew Pete was the only one who knew.

Pete offered her a smile. "He's a friend, of course I'm there for him." He looked past her to Steve, who seemed to be occupied with choosing the next cd to play. "Hey Steve, shall I pick you up on Monday?"

"Sure." Steve looked up with a smile. "I'd like that."

"Alright then, see you on Monday."

Steve nodded and Pete turned to Angela. "Until Monday."

"Have a safe trip."

Angela closed the door behind Pete and walked up to Steve, who put his arms around her in a hug.