"Welcome to St Margaret's hospice." It was far more cheerful than he had expected, the lawn was well trimmed, the counter staff looked tired but their smiles were genuine. "Thank you for having me."
"We will show you to your room." Maybe a little too excitedly. As we walked through the corridors, there were a few rooms that seemed out of place. Residents in bed wearing headgear with tonnes of machinery in those rooms. "What is going on over there?" curiosity definitely getting the better of him. "Oh, we have a partnership with St Margaret's University to try out nerve gears as a pain relief."
"Nerve Gears? "
"Yes, I don't know the specifics well, but you know the virtual reality game Apocalypse... ? " She paused, she could see the glazed look in Arthur's eyes. " Well I'll ask the resident technician to explain to you later. All I can say is that it puts you into a dream and disconnects your bodily pain."
Arthur pondered for a moment. Although he did not keep up with new technologies, he had some idea how the concept works.. in the big picture. It would not hurt to try it, what had he got to lose anyway? "Please do. Thanks."