Too lost for therapy - The Wombats

Six

6

On the way home from uni, I went into the corner shop. I rummaged around in my pocket for enough change to get Murph some tobacco. The stuff I found in his hoodie pocket, I had given to Mark. I didn't smoke and I wasn't about to start. The guy at the counter looked at me funny when I stumbled on my words asking for 'as much baccy as I can buy for 8 quid'.

Tord drove us to the hospital and I was buzzing.

"It's good to see you happy" He looked at me and smiled.

"You too" I smiled back at him. He had been keeping it together a bit better than me but I could tell he was hurting. He was eating more and had put on a bit of weight since Murph was admitted.

We arrived and went into the psychiatric ward. The woman on the desk was the same one from a few weeks ago.
"Hello. How can I help you?" She asked in the same happy tone.

"Hi. I'm here to visit Matthew Murphy" I told her, smiling slightly. She typed on her computer.
"Daniel Haggis and Tord Knudsen?" She asked, looking at both of us. We nodded.

"He's in room 1996" She pointed down the corridor.

"Thank you"

We came to the room and found a doctor that let us in.

"Matthew, you've got some visitors" He smiled, letting up go through. Murph turned and got up from his bed. Tord and I smothered him in hugs.

"My God, I've missed you both so much. It's so boring in here" he said into my shoulder. He didn't have his usual smell of booze and cigarette smoke instead, it was clinical. He wore a baggy shirt and some jogging bottoms and looked a Hell of a lot better than he did two weeks ago. He sat down on his bed cross-legged and I sat with him. Tord sat in a chair in the corner of the room.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm okay. You?"

"A hundred times better now that I can see you again" He smiled at me.
"So what's been going on?" Tord said. Murph looked over to him.

"Just trying to get myself back on track. Because I'm sectioned, I can't refuse anything. I shower every day, eat three meals, exercise for at least twenty minutes, have regulated medication..." He explained. His still wore bandages on both wrists, accompanied by a plastic hospital band.

"That's so good to hear," I told him, smiling.

"How's everything on the outside world? Mark and Clive okay?"

"Yeah, they're good. Actually, I have a present for you" I went into my hoodie pocket and got out the tobacco I brought for him. His eyes lit up.

"Fuck man. Thank you so much" He laughed. "I'll have to give it back to you after I've had one because I'm not allowed it in here," He said as he began to roll. He got up and went to the window, opened it and leaned out of it before lighting the cigarette.

"How've you been Tord?" He asked.

"I'm good thanks Murph" He smiled.

"Y'know what?" We both looked at him. "It's so annoying because they don't call me Murph here. It's always 'Matthew', no matter how many times I tell them" He had that stupid grin on his face. Tord and I looked at each other, rolling our eyes.