Fred shuffled along the walkway within the courtyard of the hospital. Sunlight warmed his shoulders and the top of his head. It was a welcome shift from the cold lighting and air conditioning in his room.

It felt good to soak up natural light. He had never enjoyed the outdoors much, but an extended stay caged within hospital walls made him long for fresh air. His eyes wandered as he pushed the metal walker steadily along the open-air path. The strange realization weighed on him, he could be dead right now instead of meandering the little manicured garden. The silence of the space left Fred moderately uneasy. Nothing stood out to alert him to the day or the time. Neither of these things seemed to matter much at the moment, either.

The slight breeze sent a chill over his arms, but not so cold as to want to adjust the hospital robe resting on his shoulders. The scrub pants and shirt were the most clothing he had access to since being freed from a hospital gown. He did wish he had some shoes in place of the rubber gripped socks.

Convincing the nursing staff to remove the varied devices that had kept him alive for nearly a month had been a chore that had taken much of the night.

Anyone in technical support knew, the overnight support was rarely as in-command of things as day shift. The medical field was no different.

The staff insisted on the walker. Fred was grateful after trying to stand. That was the first moment he realized he must again be among the living. Death or a dream would not have been so tiring.

“Uncle Fred!” Evan’s voice broke the silence of the garden and any lingering thoughts Fred had that this was not reality.

Fred pivoted in the frame of the walker to see his nephew. The young man did not look as vibrant and cocky as Fred recalled from their last encounter on the train.

“Who dragged you in?” Fred laughed.

Evan sighed, but gratitude exuded in his demeanor.

“You can’t go wandering off.” Evan strode toward Fred.

He stopped short after a few steps. “Are you okay?”

Fred released a cool smile. “Eh, it’s nothing a burger and fries won’t fix.”

“Good luck with that request.” Evan rounded the chair and took hold of the handles. “You’d best get used to rabbit food.

“Nonsense.” Fred shrugged. “I feel better than ever. I was starting to think this might be heaven.”

“Sure.” Evan smirked. “And what tipped you off it wasn’t?”

“Your sorry ass,” Fred quipped.

“Well, best get used to me, too. We’re gonna be roomies for a while.” Something in Evan’s tone told Fred this was not only due to his health. In silence, Evan walked Fred back to his room.

“I can pack my own bags.” Fred protested as Evan puttered about the hospital room.

“You are supposed to be resting. The doctors are impressed with your seemingly spontaneous healing, but you still need to take it easy.”

From his perch on the edge of the bed Fred watched his nephew.

“Am I going to have to put up with you mothering me for long?” He complained.

Evan shoved a stack of get well cards into the side pocket of the small satchel.

“I certainly hope not.” Evan scanned the room for any stray items.

He lifted a tablet from the bedside table and turned it in his hands as if it might bite him before adding it to the clutter of other small items and articles of clothing.

The nurse entered as Evan zipped the closure on the bag.

“I apologize gentlemen.” She struggled with a folder of papers.

“The systems are down here too?” Evan scowled.

The nurse nodded. “In some wings yes, others no. It’s sort of skipping around.”

“What systems?” Fred’s interest drew him from the bed to Evan’s side.

“The Cloud has been … a bit glitchy.” Evan took the papers from the nurse. “Which is why we are going hard copy I assume?”

“Yeah.” The woman patted at her uniform. “Shit.”

“Not used to needing a pen?” Fred snickered.

“I’ll be right back again.” The apology was implied in her tone as she scurried away.

“I wonder where they found enough spare paper kicking around?” Fred pulled the folder from Evan’s hands and flipped through the pages.

“So, what did you break while I was gone?” Fred tapped at the embedded touchscreen in the Tesla. “Tablets down. GPS spotty.” Fred paused to turn a serious gaze upon his nephew. “Will I be able to watch my shows while I’m stuck on recovery?”

Evan batted Fred’s hand away from the frozen GPS screen.

“They’re still trying to figure it out. And until then, my security clearance is revoked. I’m on indefinite furlough.”

Evan glanced at the smear of notes etched on the palm of his hand.

Fred raised a brow at his nephew. “You know, that cool stuff called paper. I hear the ancients used it to write directions on.”

Evan shot a scowl at Fred.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Fred turned Evan’s palm.

“Your place.” Evan pulled his hand away.

A short laugh escaped Fred. “Take the next left. Then north to thirty-sixth street.”

“Right.” Evan put his hands on the wheel.

“No, left.” Fred laughed. “Don’t you know how to get to my place? You’ve been there often enough.”

“Why would I commit that to memory?” Evan scoffed.

“In case of apocalypse?” Fred winked as he tapped again at the non-functioning dashboard screen.