Especially in the first few days after the fire, when the nurses unwrapped the gauze, David Malagrino and William Long forgot how lucky they were. No matter how much Valium and morphine they had been given ahead of time, the air would hit their exposed burns with a sting painful enough to make grown men cry out.

''It's just more unbearable than anything you've ever felt,'' Mr. Long said.

Mr. Long and Mr. Malagrino are survivors of the fire on Feb. 20 at the Station nightclub in West Warwick. Most of the time, the two men are well aware of being among the fortunate. They are alive and in good condition, and they are sure to recover.

The fire killed 99 people; 185 more were treated at hospitals.

[Eleven people remained in critical condition on Monday, most of them heavily sedated and breathing with the help of ventilators. After more than three weeks at Rhode Island Hospital, Mr. Long was released on Sunday. Mr. Malagrino is expected to be released within a week.]

In their time together as roommates, the two have leaned on each other.

''He has his upset times,'' Mr. Long said. ''You know, we get a new nurse, and the dressing changes don't go so well, and it makes him angry. I'm there to cheer him up and take him out of his anger. And when it's my turn for a bad moment, David takes me out of my sadness.''