"What's your pain on a scale of one to ten?" The Doctor asked, holding his clipboard.
"Uh...it's not bad. Um," Sam replied and cleared his dry throat, "3."
The Doctor put his hand on his hip, "You don't have to lie, Sam."
"I'm-I'm not," Sam replied, confused.
"You've suffered terrible agony," The Doctor told him, "I mean, your 10 must be astronomical."
"Yeah, I-I guess I have a high threshold," Sam replied.
"Yeah," The Doctor agreed, "But the worst is knowing that there's always a new 10."
"W-what are you talking about?" Sam asked.
"Well, I'm talking about the truly elegant torture I have prepared for you today... Sam." The Doctor morphed into Lucifer and Sam staggered back on his hospital bed.
"Just.. just stay the hell away from me," Sam said shakily. He got up and put some distance between them, keeping his back to the hallucination for good measure.
"But it's...it's so nice chatting," Lucifer protested, "Sam, I hate these one-sided conversations."
Sam squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm his pounding heart.
"Come on, engage buddie," Lucifer whined. Damn. His voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Sam swallowed. Just ignore him. Ignore him. It's not real. He isn't real...
"Psst. Hey Sam?" Whispered Lucifer, "You. Me. Locked ward. Is it just me or is this just like the Cage?"
Sam trembled and took a deep breath. Dear God. He'd been thinking that for some time. No. No. No. This was hospital.
"Psychiatric ward, actually," Lucifer remarked, "Thick walls. Locked doors. No one to hear you scream..."
Sam gulped and tried to ignore him.
"Come on, bunk buddy, talk to me," Lucifer prodded, "This is like the Cage."
"Leave me alone," Sam hissed through his clenched teeth.
"Aw. You don't really mean that, do ya bunk buddy?" Lucifer said.
Sam was shaking. "Yes. I do. Just go away."
"You don't mean that, Sam," Lucifer said, "Be honest. You miss me. That's why you let me in."
Sam clenched his fists and stared at the ground. He did not let Lucifer in. At least, not on purpose...
"Uh-oh. Avoiding eye contact. Is that a sign of shame, Sam?" Lucifer asked, "Come on, it's just the two of us. You can be honest, I won't judge – that's God's duty."
Sam took a deep breath and focused on his pounding headache.
"Well, if you feel like chatting, hit me up. I'll be here," Lucifer said, then added, "Always."
* * * * *
At lunch, Sam took a bite of his roast beef sandwich. At least food still tasted good. Then he looked down and saw maggots. The sandwich hit the floor...
At some point, Sam overheard the nurses discussing alternate ways to give him nutrition because he wasn't eating his food...
"Don't worry, Sam," Lucifer said, "You'll die from insomnia before starvation."
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