Salubrious part 16

Once Charlie was discharged, things seemed to almost go back to normal. There was no break in Allan’s dedication to keeping an eye on Charlie in the hospital until he was released. Charlie acted annoyed the entire time and Allan acted aloof but attentive.

Pim was happy his best friends were okay and that they were all back at work. Charlie had briefly talked to Pim about what happened during the concert and the next morning but barely spoke to Allan the day they started back at work.

“Things between us are now really awkward, beyond weird, like I know we… he actually kissed me first, which is really not Allan’s thing. I don’t think… it’s just something we did. I can’t do.. I can’t do anything to fix it right it now,” Charlie rambled to Pim, looking at Charlie in a shiny, wide eyed way.

“Did you try to talk things through at the hospital? I mean if you both said you wanted a more serious relationship then..” Pim started, and Charlie sighed.

“It’s a fucking hospital, Pim. We didn’t get any privacy. I was just in a shit mood and he was fluffing my pillow, calling for the nurse for me without me asking, giving me water, feeding me jello. It was a little much.”

Pim giggled, “He fed you jello? Oh my gosh.”

“Yeah and he has a bum arm from the stabbing. I felt like shit that he was taking care of things while I stayed in bed being useless.”

“Oh Charlie that just sounds so effin’ romantic. Like out of that movie, The Notebook, or something. What are you going to do now?”

Charlie scoffed, “Go back to work.”

Pim frowned. “So, are you two in relationship purgatory, then?”

Charlie cracked a slight chuckle. “That sounds pretty accurate actually Pim. You know, maybe you should be a fucking therapist. You can psycho-analyze people really well,” he complimented Pim genuinely.

“Why thank you Charlie. Now, we have to go help that cop’s daughter smile!”

Charlie frowned, “What? What cop?”

“Oh, the one that tried to arrest you. It turns out the boss made a new client when that cop tried to arrest you on false charges. He said his daughter was upset because of her impending divorce. So we need to make her happy again!”

“So the boss just is going force me to help the daughter of some prick that almost put me in jail? What the fuck! What is wrong with my life, seriously…”

Pim nodded in sympathy. “Charlie, you know, you don’t have to come, I’ll take care of it.”

Charlie stood up, looking determined. “Fuck no. I won’t let that happen again, Pim. You took on other jobs because I was a mess. I need to just take this job on like a man.”

Pim stood up, high fiving Charlie. “That’s the spirit.”

Suddenly Allan walked into the break room.

“My oh my, someone has something to prove. I find that very provocative,” Allan said, starting to clean out the fridge.

“The fuck does that mean, man?” Charlie asked, looking at Pim helplessly. He went over to the fridge and looked at the stuff he was pulling out.

“Come on, Allan, don’t start with this now, you can’t lift shit for the next week or so. I’ll.. I’ll just clean out the fridge when I get back. Go do some filing or whatever.”

Allan shrugged. “Cleaning helps my moood.”

Charlie frowned. “It won’t help your mood if your wound reopens, will it?”

Allan grumbled. “Fucking mother hen wants to rule the roost!”

“More like I’m the one stopping you from making your stitches break open…” he blushed. “Or something.”

Allan gave him an uncomfortable look. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

Charlie started putting things away as Allan grabbed the things to take it out. Suddenly, they both grabbed the same thing and Charlie gulped.

They dropped it with the force of impact, landing face to face.

“Oh, god-damn-it Charlie,” he said in a muffled voice as their faces were smushed together.

“Just … fucking… put this shit away, please, man! I’ll take inventory and do all the things you need to do. Fuck, just chill…”

Pim looked away from second hand embarrassment.

“You aren’t my boss!” Allan argued.

“I never said I was!”

“I’m your smiling friend, remember? This isn’t how you treat me.”

Charlie scoffed, getting up in a huff. “Friends? Friends… Allan, I can’t be friends with you!”

Allan stood up, looking frantic, gasping. “What? You can’t be…” Allan didn’t finish his sentence. He kicked the fridge door.

“Fuck you,” Allan said in a broken voice, leaving the break room.

Charlie turned to Pim, “Let’s go to that stupid job before I explode.”

Pim said nothing but realized with a certainty that this situation was blowing way out of proportion. He knew nothing about this would be easily resolved. Yet, he still had a tinge of hope.

“Now I see why you wanted to do the job…” Pim joked weakly. Charlie frowned.

“I can’t let him win.”

Pim looked confused. “Win? Who? Allan or the cop?”

“Whoever, Pim.”

They went to the job in awkward silence. Pim kept trying to understand what he meant but couldn’t help the daughter smile or help his friends from the social cloud hanging over their heads.