as the days go by

 

Dory felt he'd rested enough. It was time to go. Except he had yet to learn where. 

Finn took the keys to the apartment. Yes, it was so final. Finn said they were done.

"I can't help you, man." Furthermore, Finn said he might as well be an enabler. "It's time you figure this out before it's too late."

Tears welled up in Dory's eyes now. Sure, he felt he was in a strange land, and in a strange place. He was sleeping on the couch in a small one-bedroom apartment of some nurse he'd met at the ER.

He reached for his phone. It was charged and he direct-dialed Finn without even thinking. Of course, it went straight to voicemail. He remembered then Finn and Oakley were in Paris.

Still, he knew his words might be empty. He could hardly think. He wasn't sure how to pick himself up and go. 

Everything was still at the moment. Cedric was out. He'd promised to cook him up something good. He didn't want to imagine what concoction that would be. He'd made mac and cheese with brisket, and it wasn't to Dory's liking, but he didn't say anything about it.

Of course, Cedric asked what he'd like for him to bring back. Did he have any favorite frozen dinners? Was he a peanut butter and jelly kind of guy? Dory didn't really know. Food was something he didn't care much about. He'd eat a protein bar here and there. He couldn't think of a favorite food.

"Pizza." He finally decided. "Just get a frozen pizza."

"What kind?" Cedric wanted to know, but Dory shrugged back. "Whatever."

Of course, this went back to the NQuil incident. Really, he'd only been thinking about sleep at the time. He wanted to rest. Why was that so abnormal? He was thinking of it intentionally. Really, he didn't see it as a problem.

He felt a little peaked now. The energy was gone of his creativity. He scratched the back of his head now. 

"You should eat, man. Are you anorexic too?" Cedric said a few days ago when he tossed him some of his sweat pants and a tee which swallowed him.

"I don't think so." Dory looked at him as if it all might be amnesia. Yet, he remembered everything perfectly.

Honestly, he was not cut out to be a teacher. Obviously, he was at his best with his violin. However, more was needed to suffice. He was too shy to play on the street. Perhaps, he'd get lost in a song, and..yes..he was afraid he might be mental after all.

Nothing was normal anymore. And he didn't know how to handle it. Still, he'd showered like Cedric suggested while he was out. He'd told him he looked as if he wanted to be stuck on a shelf somewhere. Was he just an unopened book?

He winced now, wondering what that was supposed to mean? Just then the door opened and Cedric was holding a cat along with a couple of bags from the grocery.

"I hope you like cats, my friend," Cedric chuckled and let the cat down on the sofa.

Really, Dory didn't know. But the cat went straight to Dory's lap. He'd never seen anything like it. And she purred instantly as if she'd been waiting all this time for him.