Long after 1993…

His doctor had decided opinions on what he should and shouldn't eat—short version, if he liked it, he couldn't have it—and everything hurt. He was fed up with the sterile white bed and the sterile white ceiling and the sterile white monotony of the hospital. He was tired and sick and lonely. He was tired of being sick, and sick of being lonely.

It had been good. Oh, it had been better than good. But it was time, and he wasn't sorry. He closed his eyes, dozed off.

There was a voice—strident, amused, Cockney. "Blimey, it took you long enough. What, are you going to make me carry your scrawny arse in?"

"It would do you no harm to perform honest work for a change," LeBeau shot back.

"Maybe not. But at this stage of the game, why risk it?" He grinned. "Carter did make me carry 'im. For old times' sake, 'e said."

"It could have been worse. It might have been Kinch." It didn't seem as though he'd be needing his body anymore, so he left it where it was. "Or Schultzie!"

"Blimey, I'd've needed a derrick," Newkirk said with a shudder. "Nah, Kinch didn't ask for a piggyback ride, thank goodness."

LeBeau laughed. "I won't either, then. What about le Colonel?"

"Didn't ask. But, you know… I would've done it." He smiled. "Only fair. 'E carried me long enough. So did you, for that matter."

LeBeau slung an arm around his shoulder. "We all carried one another."

"Truer words," Newkirk agreed. "C'mon, then. They're waiting for us."

And as they walked away, chattering nineteen to the dozen—and arguing, just a little bit, because, well… because!—it got brighter and brighter as they approached the door.

And brighter still as they passed through it.

Fin.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Author's note: So much for the drabble format. This is 300 words even, and trying to hack it down to size was an exercise in futility. And the original ending- which involved a sort of heavenly induction center, with Saint Peter (no, not him. The real one, and shut up, Newkirk, nobody asked you,) issuing Louis a harp, a halo, and two sweaters- was a bit too silly to include, but made me smile enough that I thought you all might get a bit of a kick out of it.