"True," he says. "It kept me out for months the time before last."

He actually hadn't been sure if it would let him back in at all, but he hadn't considered that option in any great detail, simply because he didn't want to think about what that would mean for he and Trudy.

(Part of him knows he has to accept the fact that he can't rely on the bar, but he's come to.)

"It's the thought that counts."

Carl sighs and leans back in the chair.

"Do you...need anything? From bar? Or medical?"