In My Neighbor's Bed

Ch. 8: The Comedian

Thankfully, the traffic wasn't too bad during the rest of my drive, meaning despite my little "detour" I still managed to make it to the facility around the time I had originally planned. I turned my phone off as I waited in line at the parking garage.

Aside from the distraction Mason might pose, Phil also had this nasty passive-aggressive habit of calling me too much whenever I visited Eli. Always some pointless bullshit like "where was the remote" or "did the office call earlier about anything important." Things he could have easily done or checked in on himself, but that he preferred to bother me about. His little way of telling me to "hurry back, you're taking too long."

Which might be one thing if I had been there hours at the time he started doing it. However, I was lucky to be there thirty minutes before he started with the assault of phone calls. I'd learned by now it was just better to have it off whenever I came. Besides, it's not like I'd miss anything important. After all, the most important person in my life was already there.

The facility was expensive. Hell, most people could probably afford to buy a house with what we spent there in a year. But it was well worth the money. Aside from the highly-trained and fully-equipped medical staff, the grounds themself were beautiful.

In order to reduce stress, pollution, and offer the patients a more comfortable environment, it was located far from the city. A large, well-crafted building in the middle of an open field. They had groundskeepers and gardeners employed year-round to help maintain it all.

And, of course, everything inside was completely secured and sterilized. You weren't even allowed to step foot into the actual facility until you'd passed through a security check, scrubbed up to doctor-level standards, and walked through a set of UV lights to kill off every last microbe that might be on you. A process to be sure, but worth it to know the person I loved the most would always be safe and healthy.

Despite the size of the place, I was long past the point of needing anyone to guide me through it. By now, most of the staff and patients already knew who I was too. A few smiled and waved to me, a couple greeted me by name, one physical therapist even pushed the button for the floor I was going to as I got on the elevator with her.

It was almost funny. A hospital, a medical facility. With doctors, nurses, sick patients, and medical machines up and down every hallway. Yet, somehow, I felt more at home when I was here than I ever did in my own home. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry at that fact.

However, as they always did, all those concerns faded away as I arrived on my floor. I walked as fast as I could without running as I made my way down the hall to Eli's room. My face was already breaking into a smile as I stood in front of his door. I lifted my hand and knocked on the door gently.

"Occupied," a familiar voice called.

I rolled my eyes. "Open the door, you little shit."

A second later the door swung open. Ronnie gave me a tired smile, nodding for me to come in. He gestured vaguely to where Eli was on the bed.

"I keep telling him not to quit his day job, but for some reason, he still thinks he's hilarious."

"That's because I am hilarious. Not my fault you guys don't know how to appreciate true comedy," Eli said with a shrug.

As always, I couldn't help but crack a smile seeing him. Bad jokes and all. I walked over and leaned down, giving him a kiss on the head. He made a disgusted noise and shoved me away gently. I snickered and rubbed his bald head, sitting next to him on the bed.

"And how is our resident village idiot doing today?"

"Ronnie," he whined playfully, "she's being mean to me again. Why do you keep letting her back in here?"