That week Sterling had spent within the hospital had been decidedly difficult if only for how utterly alone he had been. There was no one there to hold his hand when he had been told of the damage that had been done to his body. There had been no one to tell him everything would be okay when that passion medication had worn off. There had been no one to ensure the got home safely and no one to push him to attend that physical therapy they had claimed was necessary if he ever wanted to walk like a normal person again. It just seemed so pointless. Everything did. He had been let go of his job, that limp had made him a slow liability in an otherwise fast paced job. As far as Sterling was concerned, he had lost everything. He lost his boyfriend, his job, and his body. It had sent the man down a spiral he had been ill equipped to deal with. It was only natural that when the warlock cared least, he found a new ability he was capable of, that connection he had discovered with the Earth ran rampant in what was once a usually clean apartment.

He'd spent far more of his time than he cared to admit curled up within those sheets of his bed, wallowing in his own misery. Standing too long hurt, moving too much hurt and Sterling despised the looks he got when he attempted to leave the apartment. That limp was painfully obvious, even Harley had commented on it within moments of her entering that dark apartment. Sterling nestled himself deeper into those blankets, his bright blue eyes stared blankly at the window of his bedroom, the inside of which was near covered in vines that only let the light filter in at certain spots. That wrap of knuckles on the front door caused the man to roll over, his gaze traveled towards his open bedroom door and down the hallway that led to the living room. A soft sigh left his lips and, temporarily, Sterling considered ignoring that knock altogether. It would take him a while to make his way down that hallway and, most of the time, the trouble was not worth the effort. Still, considering the lateness in the evening, he supposed it was entirely possible it was Harley herself at the door. He was quite fond of the girl across the street and her dog. She'd become a welcomed friend in his time of need.

It was with some measure of regret that Sterling shifted to the edge of the bed, using the bedstand to lift himself up on his feet. His hand trailed along the wall as he slowly moved down those dark wooden floors towards the front door. For a moment, he paused in the hallway, resting his weight upon the side table with a small frown upon his features, the man temporarily lifting the weight off of his recovering leg in a rather brief respite. It took him a moment longer to open that front door and yet...the last thing he expected to see was the man that stood just upon the other side. His mouth parted ever so slightly, those blue eyes searching the features of his boyfriend as if he could not fully believe the man was there. Henry had left him. He'd abandoned him at that hospital to deal with everything alone. He'd been gone for weeks after Sterling was finally ready to take that plunge. For a long moment, Sterling hadn't the slightest notion of what to say - where have you been? Why did you go? Are you ever coming home? His gaze shifted to the floor, the warlock suddenly unsure of himself as he leaned against that door. "Um...do you...want to come in?" He uttered softly, almost expecting Henry to tell him that he was just here for his things before leaving Sterling all over again.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE