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Connections
The Unbreakable
Lucy stormed down the hallway.
Since the nurse’s call, she hadn’t slept and couldn’t think straight. Matt had fallen. Dislocated his shoulder. Torn his surgical sites. Damaged the knee they couldn’t even operate on yet.
The sitter stepped back as she came up to the doorway.
“Hey,” she snapped. “We’re doing this. Now.”
Matt flinched, head turning slightly, face drawn. “Doing what?”
“You know what. I just spent twenty minutes with your nurses. Twenty minutes hearing how you ignored every warning, and for what? To prove something? To who? Because all you’ve proven is that you’re too damn stubborn for your own good.”
“I just… I needed—”
“No. You scared the hell out of me. Do you get that? Do you even realize how close you came to undoing everything?”
He lowered his gaze. Didn’t speak.
“You’re done. No more pushing through on sheer will. It’s not working.”
“Lucy…” He faltered. “I—I can’t—”
“You can’t what?” she pressed. “Admit you need help? Admit you’re not okay? Because you’re not. And you won’t be unless you start doing something about it.”
“I don’t—” His fingers dug into the blanket.
She set herself beside him. “Matt. Look at me.”
It took time. But he did. Glassy eyes. Holding, just.
“I know you’re scared. I know it feels like too much. But I’m not letting you sink any further. You’re going to let the therapists do their job. You’re going to talk to them. Today.”
A faint shake of his head. Almost nothing.
“No. No excuses. No arguments. You don’t get to decide this time. You’ve made it clear you can’t. So now you trust me.”
Tears slid down his cheeks. “What if it doesn’t help?” he whispered.
“Then we try something else. And something else after that. Because I’m not giving up on you. No matter how many times you try to give up on yourself.”
The crying went on.
“Okay,” he said, the word barely audible.
“Good. I’ll tell the nurses.”
She waited. A minute. Maybe more. Watched the way his chest hitched. Small, stuttering pulls that finally slowed.
Then she crossed the room. Paused. Left.
One down. One to go.
The firehouse churned with idle talk and clatter. Ben sat at the long table, thumbing through a report he wasn’t really reading.
Heels struck the tile, each hit too loud to ignore. Conversations trailed off.
“Outside. Now.”
Ben straightened. “Lucy, what—”
“I’m not asking.”
No one moved.
He hesitated, then pushed back his chair and followed her through the back door into the alley.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Lucy, if this is about Matt—”
“Of course it’s about Matt! What else would it be about, Ben? Because it sure as hell isn’t about you being there for him. You’ve been MIA for weeks!”
“I’ve been busy—”
But she laughed, sharp and bitter.
“Busy? Busy with what? Sitting here, hiding behind a desk, while Matt ended up on the damn floor because he thought he had to do everything alone?”
“What?” he blurted out. “What the hell happened?”
“You don’t get to act surprised. You weren’t there. You haven’t been there.”
“You think I don’t care? Don’t want to be there for him? I’m trying, Lucy.”
And it sounded true, until she shut it down.
“No. You’re not. Showing up once in a while, making a few awkward comments, and then running back to the station isn’t trying. It’s avoiding. And you know it.”
He did.
“What do you want me to do, Lucy? I can’t fix him. I don’t even know how to talk to him anymore.”
“You think it’s hard for you?” she shot back. “Imagine being Matt, wondering where the hell his best friend is while he’s lying in a hospital bed trying not to fall apart. I need you to show up. Be there. Be the friend he needs, not the one who disappears when things get hard.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Oh, I understand plenty. I understand that Matt is barely holding it together. That he feels like he’s lost everything. What I don’t understand is why you keep pulling away like he’s not the one who needs you most.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
Thin, even to him. That was the last lie he had left.
“Then do better!” Her voice broke. “Because he’s not going to survive this if you keep avoiding him. He needs you, Ben. He needs you to step up, not run away.”
No answer. He couldn’t defend it. Not anymore.
“You’re one of the only people he trusts, Ben. Don’t make him regret that.”
“I’ll fix it,” he said hoarsely.
“No. You’ll show up. You don’t get to fix this, Ben. You just get to be there.”
His head dropped. “Okay.”
One more second. Then she marched off.
She was right.
No idea what he’d say. Or if it would matter.
But hiding hadn’t helped either.
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