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The Sleep Survival Kit
Ben slipped in after visiting hours, having talked his way past the nurse station with donuts. Matt stared at the blank TV, his leg still held in a splint. He gave no sign he’d noticed him.
“Alright, tough guy. I’ve got something for you.”
He let the duffel slide off his shoulder onto the overbed table, and drew out a small white noise speaker.
“Introducing The Sleep Survival Kit,” he said, setting it on the table. “No strings attached. Just something to make the nights easier.”
He pressed a button. The sound of rain softened into the room. Satisfied, he reached into the bag again and placed a portable player beside the speaker.
“Step two, the classics.” He held up a DVD. “The ultimate ‘everything’s a mess, but it’s still gonna be yippie ki yay’ movie. Perfect for nights like this.”
A few adjustments, and Ben angled the screen toward Matt.
“Ready to go. All you have to do is press play. And if Die Hard isn’t your thing tonight, there’s other stuff in the bag.”
Matt’s gaze lingered on the setup. He didn’t move to touch anything, but Ben could tell he was still with him. Close enough.
“And finally,” he said, pulling out the last item, “the pièce de résistance.”
It was a roll of duct tape.
“When you need to stick your problems to the wall—or peel, fold, and press them into something manageable.”
He set it gently in Matt’s lap.
“Thanks,” he said, barely louder than the rain.
“You look like hell, man. Figured this might help. Worst-case scenario, you’ve got duct tape for emergencies.”
“We’ll see.”
“Just one night. If it sucks, you can say you told me so. But hey, stupid works.”
Matt didn’t reply, but his eyes flicked to the bag, then to the tape again.
“It’s all set up. Don’t overthink it, Matt. Just hit play.”
Without waiting for a response, Ben turned toward the door. The rain kept going behind him.
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Duct Tape Dies Hard