Portal2 Recovery 4 SPOILERS

Chapter 4

"Hey. Hey, guess what. Guess wh- hey. Hey guess what. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Guess what."
There was a sigh. "What is it, mate?" came a weary reply.
"We're in space."
Wheatley closed his eye, too weary to argue with the sphere. "Really now? I haven't noticed."
"Space is big. Big and lonely. I don't think I like space. I like Earth. Let's go to Earth." The space core decided.
"You and me both, mate." Wheatley said, and if he had a face the comment would have been accompanied with a weary smile. "It is terribly lonely up here, isn't it? I wonder if she's lonely down there… on earth… I do hope she's not dead. You know, GLaDOS may have killed her. That would be bad. Terrible, really. A great shame. It wouldn't be fitting, you know? No, no, I'm sure she's alive. She's too stubborn to just die. And too smart. In her own brain-damaged fox way."
"Is it the lady? I liked her. Liked the lady, yeah, yeah. she helped me. Helped me go to space."
"She was a good friend…" Wheatley sighed. "My only friend, actually. And I ruined it."
"I'm your friend. Space friend. In space. Space friends together?" The space core asked, looking at Wheatley in a way similar to a begging puppy.
Wheatley laughed slightly. "Yeah, we're together, mate. Thanks."
"Space friend?"
Another sigh. "Yeah?"
"Promise you won't leave me in space?"
"Sure, mate. I promise."
"I don't wanna be in space alone."
"Me neither. Granted, it'd be quieter… but at the end of the day, I think I'd miss it. Having someone to talk to. Or listen to. Depends on the mood, really."
"We're in space."
Wheatley cast a glance at the core, who was once again distracted by stars in the distance. Then the personality core looked down at Earth longingly.


The cast had come off cleanly. The arm was still raw and sore, but Chell didn't mind, or really care. Having the cast off was a relief, and it meant she was getting closer to checking out of the hospital.
And then she could start what she'd been planning for weeks now.
"How does it feel? It'll be a little sore, but as long as you don't overwork it you should be fine." Erica asked, escorting the girl back to her regular room.
Weeks had passed, maybe even months. By now, Erica knew Chell's entire story, and, though she was still a bit wary, accepted it. This was an extreme relief to Chell, and she was quite liking the normality of having a friend. She even felt a little bad for what she was planning… but that was stupid. Chell had more important things to worry about than hurting Erica's feelings.
"You're recovering really well," Erica said, snapping Chell out of her own thoughts. "I'd say you could even check out soon. The only thing keeping you here is the fact that you don't have a place to go to after checking out."
Chell looked at Erica, who was smiling contently, blissfully cheery. "Well, I used to have a room-mate, but she went off to college about a year ago. The arrangement worked out well then, and I was thinking, well, if you wanted, that is… you could move in with me after checking out."
Chell stopped walking, staring at Erica. She hadn't expected that. This complicated things a bit…
Erica continued on, stopping walking but misreading Chell's reaction. "I could help you find a job, re-intigrate into society. C'mon Chell, you're going to need a little help with some things. I don't think GLaDOS tested you on how to get a job or pay the bills."
Chell ran a hand through her hair, thinking.
"Take your time, though. I don't need an answer right away. Just… let me know whatever you decide." Erica smiled as they reached room 302. "Here you are. I have to go check on some other patients. See you later, Chell."
Chell watched Erica walk away, guilt building in her gut. She'd feel horrible for what she had to do, but she had to do it. She had to.