"But I can't walk yet", Sam argued with the doctor who rolled his eyes at him yet again. "Do you expect these things to heal overnight Mr Golbach? You are perfectly capable with crutches!"

"I don't want crutches though! I want to be able to walk! If it's all the same to you!" He snapped and Rena placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Well you're going to have manage with them, unless you want to stay here while your friend Colby leaves and goes home without you", he challenged and Sam scoffed, biting his tongue to hold back any more remarks.

"Whatever you say doctor", Sam sunk in the seat if his wheelchair, finally wearing something other than the crap the hospital provided. He and Colby have been given permission to leave the hospital and go home, along with regular checkups with a therapist and doctor.

Sam didn't want a therapist. All he wanted was Colby. If he had issues he wanted to talk about, he'd rather express them to his best friend and companion, someone he trusts with his life.

Colby seemed to be taking the situation a lot better than Sam was. Sam had become hostile with everyone besides Colby, he's grown detached and skeptical of all his friends. Colby supposed it was because of Katrina when's he denied his pleas and downright lied when she visited Sam.

His trust in others has been compromised.

Colby wasn't doing any better. His entire memory timeline has been distorted from his concussion. He was experiencing mild memory loss and distortion. He forgot some things and a lot of what he can remember was out of order. His head was a bubble of confusion but all he thought was important was that he remembered Sam and what generally lead them up to where they are.

He remembers arriving at the hospital but not in the way you'd think. He'd replay these moments like he was watching it from a 3rd person point of view. He wasn't there but at the same time he was.

He remembered being attacked and he remembered protecting Sam until the car. He had no idea what happened after he went inside the hospital upon hearing the screams. After that all he remembers is laying in the back of his car on the way to the hospital.

He wanted to tell the doctor this but every time he got to doing it he backed out. All he wanted was to go home at this point.

The biggest difference between Sam and Colby was that Sam wanted to forget and Colby wanted to remember.

________

"Could you go any slower?" Colby teased as Sam etched himself out of Elton's car. "Do you want to be a cripple Colby? You piece of shit", Sam smirked lopsidedly as he pulled out both his crutches and heaved himself onto his semi-stable feet, his friends walking alongside him to ensure he doesn't fall over.

Sam and Colby looked up at their large house and felt it's shadow dawn down on them. It was their home but he felt so claustrophobic.

"Looky here! The explorers had made their triumphant return at last!" Corey spoke in a sing song voice as he wrapped Colby in a warm and welcoming hug before doing the same to Sam.

"I honestly wasn't sure if y'all were gonna make it back", Corey crossed his arms and eyes them both.

"Oh please, you aren't getting rid of us that easy!" Sam winked playfully and Corey rolled his eyes while letting out a loud and exasperated sigh.

"Damn! I was really hoping we got you this time!"

"Close one though!" Aaron squawked from his seat in the kitchen. "Hey Aaron!" Sam carried himself to the kitchen hurriedly, hitting the leg of Aaron's chair with the bottom of his crutches.

"Hey Sammy", Aaron looked at him with a disgruntled expression which made the blonde chuckle.

"You two must be exhausted from the hospital!" Devyn spoke as she hugged both boys. "You have no idea!"

"Which is why we're, or rather me, I don't speak for Sam here but, I'm gonna go upstairs and crash!" Colby exclaimed, clasping his hands together and saluting the rest casually, exchanging a lingering stare with Sam before making his way up the steps.

Sam watched him walk off and turned to his friends, deciding to stay behind and catch up with them. He'd rather have them distract him from his livid mind.

______

Sam was back at the hospital, his back flexed painfully due to the glass it was laid down upon. He let out startled cries and tried to push himself up to sit upright but stopped when the shards punctured the skin in his palms.

He started to cry and whine, slowly turning his head side to side, his eyes darting around wildly as he his lips parted to scream out in desperation. He screamed and screamed. But something was wrong. So very wrong.

He strained his voice that was not making sound. He was screaming but it was silent, like his voice box had been removed from his body.

Hot tears streamed down his cut up cheeks as he tried to make a sound but the only audible noise was his body shaking against the glass shattered floor.

Soon he started noticing whispers echoing all around him, the darkness seemed to be closing in on him and he opened his mouth wide to scream and scream more. His face was red and his ears felt close to popping from pressure. He tried to move but the pain kept him ground and he was felt silently screeching for the terrors to leave him in peace.

Peace. Please. Help me.

"Sam!" He heard a faint voice through the deafening silence. He looked around frantically to search for the host of the voice but all he could see was the darkness consuming the landscape of that fucking hospital around him.

"Sam! Sam wake up!" The voice was clearer now and he shut his eyes, his own voice becoming more apparent and he could hear the faintness of his screams finding itself.

______

"Sam! Sam wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Sam shut up in his bed, his body rattled and shivered horribly as he hyperventilated and looked around.

"Hey hey hey! Sam look at me! It's okay! I'm here!" Colby cupped his hands over Sam's wet and red cheeks, forcing their eyes to meet in the darkness.

"C-Colby!" Sam immediately tackled his friend in an embrace, shamelessly allowing sobs of hysteria to be exposed.

"It was horrible! I couldn't move! I-I couldn't scream for help! Oh fuck I hate this so much!" His body trembled against Colby's bare chest, thanking for the comfort of his companion.

Colby shushed him and rocked their bodies side to side, his palm gently tracing along the muscles of Sam's back which flexed at the touch.

"Please stay with me! I can't sleep alone!" Sam begged and Colby didn't even have to think about as he lay there with Sam. Holding him like he was the most important thing in the world.

And at that moment he was.

_________