"Oh for heavens sake Andy, you are such an asshole sometimes."

Sensing the gravity of the situation, he weighed his options. If he tried to help Andy he would no doubt just try to overdose again. But Andy was his friend, and he was young. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on Andy and his room. He felt the shocks first in his head and it was really the only painful thing he had felt since being here. The feeling spread down through his body and into the ground below him. The grass at his feet scorched and in a flash of light he was gone. He appeared in Andy's room. It was a trick he learned he could do if he thought hard enough. He would visit his kids all the time without any of "them" knowing. It took a lot out of him and the second he took complete form his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He would normally have to rest a bit but he didn't have that luxury this time. Andy's breathing was shallow. He half crawled, half walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Placing his hand on Andy's back, he said "Andy, I know you can hear me." The body squirmed and the breathing eased. "Andy listen to me, I am going to get you to the hospital. I can't do anymore for you than what I have done, and it won't last either. As soon as I release my hand we will only have a short bit of time before your breathing becomes labored again. You need to try to wake up. You know who this is, don't you?" Phil said. No answer. "It's Phil, Andy, and if you don't acknowledge me right now, I am going to kick your ass." The body convulsed and at first he thought that he had lost him but then he realized that Andy was laughing. "That's my boy, now turn over and look at me." Andy rolled over in the bed and came face to face with his old friend and mentor. "Damn." he said "I have never had a trip like this one! Hey, Phil, how the hell are you?!" Phil couldn't resist "I am dead you idiot, how do you think I am?!" They both laughed. "Look, Andy, I can't rescue you again. I am going to be in deep trouble as it is for being here now. I don't know if I am doing the right thing or not by trying to save your life. Maybe this was supposed to be your time. You don't mess with that end of the business, Andy, they don't take very kindly to simple souls interfering in their work." Andy stared, glassy-eyed at his friend. "Yo, Andy, don't check out on me yet. Enough talk, I have to make a phone call." He gently eased his hand off of Andy’s body and turned to the phone. Almost immediately Andy became short of breath again, his eyes closed and his body shook. Phil picked up the receiver and dialed 911. In his best Andy Dick voice, he asked for an ambulance. He hung up and returned his hand to Andy. He opened his eyes again. "We all have missed you very much, Phil." he whispered, a tear running down his cheek. "I've missed everyone too, Andy, tell them for me will ya?" he said, "Tell them I am okay and that I will see them all again someday." "Oh, and tell Dave to quit hiding that picture of his girlfriend behind the picture of his wife in his wallet. If he loves her, then show it. Let the writers know that I really appreciated the "Bill Moves On" episode. It moved me."

"I will Phil, I promise." Andy vowed. "Dave has a picture of a girlfriend in his wallet behind another?" Phil let it pass, knowing it would come in handy later.

"We had some good times, didn't we Phil?" he asked. “Sure did buddy, sure did." Phil answered, "Now listen to me, and I mean REALLY listen to me, okay?" Andy nodded "You have to cut out this bullshit. You've got a lot of talent but you're too damn self-destructive to give it a chance to grow. You've got to grow up Andy, and you've got to do it now before it is too late." Andy began to cry, he knew he was right. "But how, Phil, how do I do it? I mean I have tried before and…" His words were cut off but the sound of a siren coming closer. The louder the siren got, the more Phil's image began to fade. "Andy," he said in an echoing voice, "I'm gonna keep an eye on you and I will help you when I can. But I won't help you this way again. If you learned anything from me from our times together you know what you should do and how to do it. Don't do this for me, do it for your son. He needs you, you know."

Andy reached his hand out to Phil and touched Phil's fading hand. It made him feel strong. "No more crap Andy, enjoy life while you can cause you don't want to have to do it all over again. Take care, Buddy." And with that he was gone just as the paramedics entered the room.

Part 10