Humanity 2.0, Year 001, Day 028

"I had to a follow-up appointment with the doctor after the hospital visit a few weeks ago."

"Oh... cool... did they say... anything? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. All's well. I'm more worried about you."

"I'm... actually kind of... worried too." Emily paused. I could tell she was trying to decide whether or not to tell me something. "Something's... weird."

"What?"

"I'm sick... I know I'm sick... but it's like, I can see and hear stuff further away now... it's kind of trippy, Ben. Am I tripping?" She spent a few moments oddly humming to herself. "The guy down the hall... he's watching some porno... I've been, uh, listening to every little, uh, sound, for the last hour... it's kind of fucked up, though, because, uhh... he doesn't have it up – um, loud, or anything... am I nuts, Ben?"

"You're not nuts. I actually think I know exactly what it is."

"You do?" Before I could answer, she continued. "Fucking hell, how do guys get off on this porno stuff? She sounds fake as hell."

"I do know what it is, but for now, just get lots of rest. Any time you get hungry, order whatever you want from room service. I'm serious, go crazy and order three steaks a day if you're hungry enough. I can afford it."

"Pfft." She gave a meandering, sinister laugh. "Like hell you can. I'm good enough... I think... to drag myself across the street to the mall... and raid the food court, every few hours. It's about all I do other than sleep..."

I frowned, staring upwards as I tried to think of a way to convince her. The last thing I needed was for Emily to stuff her body with fast food and make herself even more unhealthy while the retrovirus ran amok with her body. At the very least, I should be making the food runs for her, to keep her well-rested. Still, she really did sound like she was halfway to being lucid over the phone, and I would be checking in on her as often as I could.

"Okay then, but if you feel worse at any time, let me know. I'll be there right away. Otherwise I'll be there in a couple hours once I'm done here."

"Pfft. Yeah right... you just want to get your dick polished again... 'Huh huh, suck some medicine from my tube, baby'." She made a mocking over-masculine voice. I gave a short laugh. Well, she hadn't completely lost it, anyway.

"All right, go to sleep before you get too nasty."

"Okay..." We said our goodbyes and hung up.

I sighed, and hung my head low for a time as I thought through the day. My original plan had been to go to Emily and come clean to her too, but I just didn't have the energy. I also feared that if I tried to have that conversation with her while she was sick as a dog, she and I both might think I was trying to take advantage of her weakened state. As an expert at not dealing with problems, I decided I'd leave that whole thing for when she recovered.

I suppose I was really good at making bad decisions back then, wasn't I?

After making sure Bethany was still sound asleep – deeper than that, even, I couldn't even get more than a few unintelligible noises even when I tried to shake her awake – I stepped outside and found myself walking back to my apartment, wondering if just my own sexy sister and the hot Bethany would be enough for the new Ben.