Charlie nods, and puts one arm under Meyer's legs and the other around his shoulders, high as he can to avoid the bandages. He pushes aside the part of his brain that tells him to tell Ned no, to say that Meyer is his and his responsibility. Because this isn't about him, and two is going to be easier on Meyer.

So they lift him into the chair together. Every noise of pain Meyer makes sends another knife into his gut, so he keeps mumbling to him in Yiddish, insults and pet names overlapping with each other, because talking is better than this ridiculous, repressive silence punctuated by Meyer, his Meyer, sounding in pain.