Who We Are ~ A The Henry Stickmin Collection Fanfiction

Chapter XV

~Two days later~

Dave sat in a waiting room on a bright blue cushioned chair.

"Panpa?"

He looked up to see a doctor with long blonde hair standing in the doorway on the opposite side of the room. Dave slowly stood.

"Ah, yes! Come along." she motioned towards him. He followed her down the hallway. "You're here to visit... Rupert Price?" He nodded. She made a quiet snort of approval as she pushed up her green pointy glasses.

"It's a wonder he's still alive. Unconscious, but still alive. No one's ever survived a blast from one of them before..."

Dave's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "I'll have to tell Dr. V..." she muttered, her hazel eyes glittering before tilting her head back towards Dave.

"He should recover within a few weeks, but will still have to be on medication." She turned into one of the small examination rooms. "He probably won't wake up anytime soon, but you can sit and wait for a while. Just don't leave without telling me. Okay?"

He nodded, his eyes fixed on the curtain hiding a bed. She quietly closed the door behind her.

Dave slowly started towards the curtain. Rupert was lying there, sleeping peacefully.

He was wearing a light blue hospital gown, his hair was tied neatly behind him, and his left arm was hooked up to some sort of machine, what it was, Dave had no idea.

He walked towards him, gently lifting his hand to hold Rupert's. Rupert didn't move. Dave sighed as he pulled up a chair from behind him.

He glanced up at the television, which had, strangely, been left on.

"In other news, the criminal organization known as the Toppat Clan has officially been taken down. The leader, Henry Stickmin, as well as Reginald Copperbottom, a former leader, and the unnamed right hand man have been killed, thanks to the late Charles Calvin and Rupert Pri-"

Dave switched it off, not wanting to remember anything about those horrible days. He squeezed Rupert's hand harder.

"I should go find the girl..." he mumbled.

"Get better soon..." He pushed the chair back against the wall. Small tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He had begun to pull open the door when he heard a quiet, deep voice.

"D... Dave...?" Dave whipped his head around.

"Rupert?!?" He ran across the room, almost vaulting himself onto the hospital bed. Rupert pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Dave..." he smiled.

Dave thrust himself onto him, wrapping his scrawmy arms around his body. He burst into joy-filled tears as Rupert gently put his hand on Dave's back.

"Rupert! You're alive! You're okay!" he shouted, hardly able to contain his happiness. He reached up and kissed Rupert's cheek, making him exhale amusedly.

"Of course I'm alive!" he laughed. "I wouldn't just let myself die!"

Dave made some garbled happiness noises, tightening his grip on the front of Rupert's shirt.

"I- I'm sorry I let you get hurt-" He suddenly burst into tears.

"Hey, hey..." Rupert kissed the top of his head. He ran his fingers along the side of Dave's face, lifting it to look at him.

"It's not your fault. I'm much happier that I got hit instead of you."

"Bu-but I messed up-"

"None of us are perfect. We are who we are, and I love who you are. Don't feel bad... It hurts me even more to see you upset."

Dave smiled. Rupert scooped him up in a big hug.

"I... I love you so much, Rupert."

"I love you too."