ARKEN

Rush

Tobias traveled down West Washington Road, desperately in need of booze to curb the episodes. He went along at a steady pace, ignoring all that was around him. He was singularly focused on his goal, like an insect, or a robot.

His constant walking was interrupted when he spotted a small market across the street. The little building with the bright red banner with white text stood out amongst the grays and browns in the surroundings. They would have alcohol.

He was in the middle of the block and didn't want to walk all the way down to either end to the crosswalks. He checked both ways for cars rather hastily and walked out into the street. The car struck him going close to thirty.

He opened his eyes weakly to the blinding light above him. He was in a hospital bed, hooked up to all the fancy machinery. Rather than be glad he was alive or shocked about what had happened, his first thought was shit...I can barely afford food, let alone a hospital visit.

He was trying to think of how he could slip out of there when the door opened and a nurse came in. She was average height, with reddish-blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, bright hazel eyes, and full lips. She smiled when she saw that he was awake. He found himself momentarily distracted by how white her teeth were, an odd thing to focus on.

"Hello! How are you feeling?" She spoke with a chipper note.

"Sore," was all he managed to say, too distracted to make better conversation. The painkillers didn't help the situation.

"Yes, you took quite a hit out there. The doctors were concerned about the blow to the concrete your head took, but other than a mild concussion, your head's fine. As for the rest of you...your right tibia is broken in two places, your right radius and ulna are both broken, your left wrist is broken, and you've got a lot of bruises and scrapes."

Tobias looked down and saw that she was right: his left wrist and hand, right forearm, and right leg were all in casts. Rather than bulky, itchy material, these casts were thin. They were white and made of plastic. It looked like thick white string or web spun around his arm in a lattice type pattern.

"These flex casts will keep your bones in place until they heal. Luckily, they're leagues better than those old thick casts we used to use. They're made of super durable plastic and they're printed right here in the hospital. These ones allow for a modicum of movement without compromising the set, and you can still scratch your skin through the holes."

"But I bet they're expensive..."

"Actually, the material is all very cheap. What's expensive is the pain medication we have you on. That and the ambulance ride and the X-rays."

"Great..."

"It'll be fine, just rest." As she came over to change his IV, he got a good look at her face. Every time he saw a pretty woman, he was reminded of how long since he had been with one. "What's your name?"

"What's yours? It would help if I could put an actual name on your chart."

"Tobias Munn."

"Alright, Tobias...I'm Angelica Joules."

"Fancy name."

"I suppose." She replaced his IV quick and efficient, turning to go, "You really should try and get some sleep."

"I will."

Tobias was able to sleep for a little while. It was hard to get to there. He spent nearly an hour tossing and turning through the discomfort.