"Tell me why you stayed."
While Lewis’ voice was nothing but gentle, Clifford still felt like he was being quizzed on something he’d studied for but had forgotten all the right answers to. “To help,” he answered, heaving yet another sigh, exhausted. Were this not a phone call, he’d have his head on his beloved’s shoulder and be safe in his arms. But it was a phone call and Clifford had to rely on his own strength, that was being sapped from him bit by bit, to stay standing. “The staff, they... need the extra hands, tending the little things that get lost in the chaos.”
He pressed his back against the painted brick wall, pulling in another lungful of the recycled air of the hospital. At least he no longer choked on the frustration and despair suffusing the corridors when he’d first stepped inside three days ago. Clifford wasn’t doing anywhere near the amount of work the mere handful hospital staff were yet he’d been running himself ragged to ensure their daily tasks weren’t so daunting. It took a startling amount of energy just to boost morale alone. “But that doesn’t answer my question: do you want me to see to your brother or not?”