[ Even in the midst of this strange misery, Blake can't stop himself from expressing a tinny laugh at that joke. That's what he was talking— well, thinking about, anyway, that ability to just pluck an opportunity for a solid jab right out of thin air. Might as well be a punch in the gut for how it feels like it catches him off-guard. ]

Just 'cause you didn't get the box of chocolates doesn't mean they didn't get sent.

[ Which is an utterly shameless lie for the sake of comedy — and poorly done if he's honest with himself. Anyway, John would send a bottle of whiskey and a deck of playing cards well before a box of chocolate. At the very least, he'd send an Almond Joy instead of one of those good-luck-to-you mystery morsels from the local confectioner. (No matter how many times he tries to avoid it, somehow Blake always ends up with the lemon creme filled candies, his least favorite of them all.) ]

Look, I did come by. [ And this is where his own guilt on the matter seeps in. He'd had a shift and he'd missed visiting hours and the one chance he did have, the nurses were administering some kind of test and he wasn't allowed in. It wasn't personal, he really had tried. Maybe he should have tried a little harder. ] Had me so worried I was walkin' my shoes off in the hall 'till they told me it wasn't gonna happen. So, I left the message, expected I'd get a call, and...

Well, you know the rest.