[For Alex]

[how_itgoes]

After he'd started hearing his heart rabbit away like an animal on speed, Sam had made an executive decision to go check himself back in the Clinic, at least for an afternoon. Just in case he had a massive coronary, he would be in the right place. It's there that he's ignoring the sounds of heart monitors all about him and people talking about his

Comments

[neveraffordme]

Alex smiles ruefully at him from the doorway; she's not exactly been in touch with either of her roommates lately, but she hadn't been able to miss the news of Annie's disappearance, or of Sam's flirtation with yet another near-death experience. It's unsettling, practically nervewracking, no matter how hard she tries to keep that off her face.

"Personally, I couldn't agree more." She crosses the room, folds herself into the chair by his bedside. "How are you feeling?"

[how_itgoes]

Sam glances up at the new voice and he manages a light smile in Alex's direction, though he has the feeling it doesn't even reach his cheeks, let alone his eyes. "Utterly crappy," he responds, with genuine sincerity in his tone. "I suppose you heard about what happened?"

[neveraffordme]

"Yeah." She reaches out, hesitates, settles for patting the back of his hand lightly. "I'm really sorry, Sam."

And she can't help feeling responsible for it, just a little, down with all the rest of the doubts; Alex shows up, Annie goes, and correlation might not equal causation but that's a hell of an overlap. Maybe it's her, maybe there are people her mind just can't hang on to.

[how_itgoes]

Sam's smile is just as tired as before and he sets down the paper, staring up at Alex from where he's lying temporarily, filled with the regret he's come to be a friend of. "I keep thinking I should have done something. That it's my fault she's gone. The landscape is changing and she goes because...I've slipped too deep into the coma."