Charlie waited outside the hospital, waiting for Ben to get off his rounds. They weren't able to finish Ben's abrupt phone call announcing his departure to Africa as he was called into surgery immediately. Charlie had waited all night for a return call. He had lain in bed with the ringer on full blast, trying to desperately to sleep while prepped to wake immediately to Ben's call. But after tossing and turning listlessly for two hours, he jumped out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and a pack of smokes from the Seven Eleven on the corner of Halsted and Roscoe and waited outside the hospital doing something he hadn't done since he was in college: drank coffee and chain smoked. He rose from sitting at the planter as Ben came out of the hospital looking exhausted.

"Hi," Ben said.

"Hi," Charie replied.

"I guess we should talk."

"So what's going to happen?"

"I have to find a subletter in the next few days. They're arranging for my flight... "

"So you're going?" Charlie asked, fighting back tears.

"I have to," Ben said. "It's been my dream since I've been in med school."

"And I can't ask you to give it up. For me."

"Have you thought more about... coming with me?"

"Yeah... "

"And?"

Charlie lit up another cigarette, much to Ben's surprise. "I've got to finish out the school year at least. It's a couple weeks."

"And then after?"

" I don't know," Charlie said, avoiding Ben's gaze.

"We've got a few days," Ben said, wrapping his arms around him. Charlie lay his head on Ben's shoulder, feeling a sudden resentment for a continent he'd never been to.

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