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Chapter Fifteen
Point of View: Nick
One Week Later

"It's really for your own good," Brian was saying as he wheeled me through the halls of the hospital. My leg was braced up and I felt as though he should be using me to ram through a wall or something, like a in Greek battle. My arm was strapped to my chest by a sling, and my jaw hurt like a sonuvabitch.

"I don't need it," I argued.

Brian turned me around and backed through a door, pulling me along carefully until my leg had cleared the jamb before turning me around again. "You wrapped your car around a tree. You're seriously think you're fine?"

I sighed.

Oak Grove Rehabilitation Clinic was located on the twelfth floor of the hospital. It just sounded corny, like a place you'd see those motivational posters featuring kittens and people in boats.

I might've been a little cynical of the idea.

"Nick, you know AJ agreed this was a great thing for you," Brian reminded me, "And so did Howie and Kevin." He stopped just outside of two very large, ominous looking doors that had the clinic's name written across them. He came around to the front of me and knelt down to be on my level. "Besides, Nick, you don't have a choice."

"I'm not sick like AJ was," I argued.

Brian shook his head, "No, Nick, you are. I know. I saw you that night after the accident." He looked at my casts. "You're looking great now in comparison to how you looked then. Please. Just... give this the old boy scout try, huh? If for absolutely no reason other than because I've asked you to."

"I'm not talkin' to no quacks about my personal life," I said.

"Then talk to them about the weather," he answered.

"That's not what they want to hear and you know it."

Brian shrugged, "No, but it's something to talk about. Maybe after you get to know them better you'll feel more comfortable talking about other things. Like what made you wrap your Escalade around a tree, for instance."

I hadn't told Brian about Krystal's phone call. I still wasn't sure if I was mad at him or her yet. Brian was being so good to me, though, getting me orange juice and sneaking in M&Ms and marshmallows to the hospital room, that I couldn't really hold a grudge too much against him. Plus, Krystal hadn't even called me, even though Brian said -and I'd confirmed- that the accident was all over the news.

The pictures of the remains of the Escalade had made me want to throw up - that's how mangled the body of the car was. Doctors and nurses had reminded me everyday that it was a miracle I had lived through the accident. By all rights, they said, with the amount of blood I'd lost and the way the Escalade had impacted the tree, I should've been dead. Especially since I didn't have a seat belt on when I crashed.

"Please, Nick?" Brian asked me again, "I wanna have a best friend a lot longer than you're going to live if you don't take this seriously and clean up. I'd like for us to use Rogain and Viagra together, you know?" he smirked.

"Viagra?" I asked, laughing, "I really hope we never use that together, Brian."

He smirked, "Ohmigosh, did you just laugh?" He stood up and held his hands up over his head, "Attention, everyone! My friend.. just laughed!" People looked at him like he was nuts as they walked by us.

"You're a dumbass," I muttered.

Brian smiled warmly, "Ah, but I'm a dumbass that made you laugh... and now, I'm a dumbass that's going to make you go to rehab." He hit the button that opened the automatic doors and pushed me in.