My Friend is Back

Keibiin finishes preparing Benjimin's tea and places the mug on the cart closer to him.  She turns to Sumi, "And how should I prepare your tea, Ms. Masen?"  Sumi smiles and is about to answer when Benjimin speaks up, "She likes hers plain and boring.  Not even a lump of sugar or a dash of lemon." 

Sumi gasps theatrically and smacks Benjimin on the thigh. "It's not boring!  I just like the taste of the tea and only the tea."  She turns to Keibiin, "I can pour my own.  You don't have to wait on me.  Shouldn't you be assisting Omoide anyway?"  Sumi says as she pours the tea into her own mug.

Keibiin nods and looks at Benjimin, "As for the ginger, Mr. Simkin mentioned that you might like some with your tea. I caution you to only eat a little as to not upset your stomach which has only been handling liquids lately."  She stands and takes Benjimin's chart again.  She checks his vitals and updates the information on the chart.

"Mr. Madelin, I'm going to remove the sensor pads.  Your vitals have been stable for 24 hrs so the machines are not necessary."  Keibiin smiles at Benjimin as she moves around the bed, removing the adhesive sensor pads that have been placed on several parts of his body.  Once finished with the removal, she shuts off all of the monitoring machines. 

There is a strange quiet to the room now until Keibiin speaks again, "The adhesive residue should come off eastly when you bathe, which you should do soon.  Let me know when you are ready and I will assist you." 

"Understood, and thank you."  Benjimin says to Keibiin.

She bows to Benjimin and then to Sumi.  "I will take my leave now.  Omoide and Mr. Simkin are in the gym.  Should I let them know that you are awake, Mr. Madelin?" 

Benjimin smiles at Keibiin, "No, let them get everything out of their system.  I'm sure Harold could use someone to talk to or just get all grungy and sweaty with.  If you could just leave them a note in their rooms for when they are done, I'm sure they will come see me after a while."  He says, returning to inhaling the scent of his tea and nibbling on crystalized ginger.

"Very well.  I will do as you request and I'm going to make something that will be easy on your stomach.  We need to get you off that IV so you can start your physical therapy."  Keibiin bows again and leaves the room.

"You didn't show her how to make that protein gruel you were feeding me before, did you?" He looks at Sumi and raises an eyebrow.

"Hey, that 'gruel' is probably what kept you alive while you did…" She waves her hands wildly in the direction of his lab set up on the other side of the room, "whatever it was you were doing!"  She picks up her mug and takes a sip, testing the temperature.

Benjimin laughs at her overacting and pats her hand that is again, resting on his thigh, "I'm sorry.  You're probably right but would it have killed you to put some ginger in it… or even some cinnamon?  It was like eating paste and just as sticky going down.  You're lucky I didn't choke on it."

"I guess it could have been better.  I bet Keibiin will make you something much better with more benefits than what I had thrown together."  She smiles brightly at Benjimin and he laughs again, "Probably."

Sumi takes a larger sip from her mug as the tea starts to cool. Benjimin does the same but lays back against the pillows, closing his eyes and sighing.  "I miss having my tea.  Maybe you should have started with that." He winks at Sumi and empties his mug.  She takes it from his hand, placing it back on the cart and starts tucking the blanket in around him as if he were a small child with a head cold.

"That was perfect.  Thank you, Sumi.  I think I'm ready for a nap."  He sighs and closes his eyes relaxing into the pillows even further.

Sumi rises from the chair and moves the hair from his forehead, then cups his cheek while gently rubbing her thumb along his cheekbone, "Just a nap, okay?  No deep sleep for days this time or I will set you up with a catheter, a large one."  Her voice is strained as she tries to sound playful.

Benjimin half opens his eyes as he places his hand over hers on his face, "I'm not going to sleep that long.  Just a nap from the warm tea and talking with one of my best friends." His eyes close, "Besides, I don't need to chase that dream… he's already here."  The goofy expression crosses his face again and then fades as he drifts fully into sleep.

Sumi places his hands under the blanket and moves the cart back to the door.  She dims the lights and picks up the tray, turning to look at her friend with a smile, "You really should tell him these things, and not me."  Her expression clouds a bit but she shakes off the frustrated feeling of not being able or allowed to drive Omoide in the right direction.  Benji want's Omoide to make the realization on his own but if her assumptions about Omoide are correct, he will never acknowledge the connection between him and Benjimin.

"Sleep well, Benjimin." She sighs, just happy to have her friend back, and leaves the room, letting the door close quietly behind her.

Benjimin's breathing evens out and gets deeper.  His hands twitch once, then again and again as they grab onto the blanket like his is trying to keep himself grounded to the bed, to this plane.  His faces contorts into a painful expression as his head rocks from side to side.  The all at once, all movement stops and he holds in his last breath before exhaling, "No no no no, please, no…." Then his body goes slack and his head falls to one side.

Had Keibiin left the sensor pads on Benjimin and the machines on, someone would have been alerted to his panicked condition and might have been able to stop him from being pulled into this state, but this was not the case, and now Benjimin was once again trapped in a dream that he cannot control, while on the outside, his body and mind appear to be in a coma-like state once again.