Steve's hand wrapped around the cool water bottle, helping to centre him a bit. He needed it even more, once he saw Michael leaning down to pour another bottle into a bowl for Vincent. It felt like someone was squeezing his heart in their hands, and he quickly took a drink to try and relieve the pressure.
"Thank you. Thanks, Michael," he replied, his voice barely revealing the strain he had survived just a moment before. Steve had always felt strange calling the boy Meru, perhaps because he had been in the same year as his older brother.
"It seems like you and I have more in common now than we did before. Were you up in the rehab ward? I was there last year, before they realized that everything was physically okay. There was this one nurse, Betty... she used to bring me cinnamon rolls with icing."