Johannes glanced at the aged face, dumbfounded by the question the man had just asked.
"Oh. No, I am allowed to be here. What are you doing out here at this time of the night?" Johannes felt bad lying on the old man's face, but he did not want to risk being sent back so soon.
"Ha." A chuckle escaped his lips. "Don't lie to me. I know when people do that. Many people have skills nowadays, you know?" The old man retorted Johannes' blatant lie. "However, I get why you lied. Sometimes, it is nice to leave your room, smoke a good cigarette and gaze at the stars."
"I'm sorry. But I don't smoke. I want to make that clear." Johannes' gaze fell back onto the ground. He felt caught, and a sense of shame painted his head in a tomato-red shade.
"You neither have to be sorry nor should you smoke anyway. What's your name, young one?" the old man asked.
"Jo- It's Johannes, Sir. How about you? Uhm. I mean, what's your name?"
"You can speak casually to me. Please call me Hans." He stretched out his hand, waiting for Johannes to shake it. After Johannes grabbed his soft hand and shook it, he continued.
"Nice to meet you. You seem troubled. What's the reason for your hospitalization?" the man replied. From a quick glance, he immediately seemed to notice that Johannes was drained from a long, cruel day. At least, that is what Johannes assumed, which is why Hans asked.
"Nice to meet you too, Hans." Johannes wanted to lie again, but he understood that lies would have just been exposed by the man's skill.
"I have been hospitalized ever since I was a child. Until recently… I had been unable to breathe without any machines. Walking is new to me, too." Johannes was unsure why he told him about this fact. He could have left it out, but for some reason, he wanted to share this with this man he had never seen before.
"That reminds me of my son. He used to be in the hospital, too, when he was young - sometimes even for months. I had to work a ton to pay for that. Eventually, things seemed to work out for him as he grew older. I miss him a lot." Johannes could sense a hint of melancholy in the man's words. It was as if a deep sadness struck the man. Something one could harbour for a lifetime.
"I'm terribly sorry. Did he… You know. Move on?" Knowing there was no right way of asking, Johannes attempted to at least not be as awkward as he usually was in chats.
"Well, you could say that. Or at least I certainly hope he will one day." The old man's stare went blank, and his hands trembled a bit. "It's cold. We should go back inside," the man quickly added.
"You might be right. Let me check if one of the nurses is in the hall again. I'll tell you when we are good to go." Johannes smiled and slightly turned around, his neck stretching into the hall's direction. He neither saw the nurses walking around nor any other patients.
"Hey, it seems as if we are good to go. Hans, let's go", Johannes mumbled as he turned back to the old man. Yet, for some reason, there had not been anybody.
"Hans? Where are you? Come out. You don't have to hide. You know that I'd cover for you."
Johannes kept searching for the old man, even walking down the stairs connecting the two levels of the balcony, but there had been not a single soul except for him.
Because Johannes had never asked for Hans' ward or room number, he could not find the man. But he felt as if he did not have to find him.
After gazing into the starry night for a few more minutes, Johannes checked again to see if everything was clear. After he made sure it was good to go, he carefully sneaked back into his room. As he passed the nurses' room, his thoughts went back to Hans for a second, and he contemplated whether he should ask them about Hans. However, Johannes knew he had to concentrate on himself right now.
Eventually, Johannes carefully traced his steps back and entered his room. He felt exhausted even though he had only walked for around 500 metres. As his glance wandered onto his trusty friend again, he saw it had already been 1:32 AM.
How long did that take? I've been gone longer than I thought.
Groggily, he wandered down the path towards his bed. An aching sensation radiated from his sore muscles; feeling as if they would give in at any moment. With enough time passed, he managed to reach his bed and hesitantly sat on it, making sure his legs had been given enough time to acclimate to the new strain.
Then, he steadily heaved them into his cold bed and laid down. Johannes allowed his body to rest for the first time since this brutal day had dawned. Once he was not forced to move around, a suffocating fatigue overcame him.
Without [Basic Lower Body Strength lvl 1], I wouldn't have been able to do this. At least, I thi -
Johannes' thought stopped mid-sentence as his upper eyelids suddenly felt like they had fallen victim to gravity. Sooner than later, they found their way down to touch his lower eyelids. The comfortable feeling urged the tired man to go with the flow and eventually have his well-deserved sleep.