A Fallen HomeKin

PART XLV

The green sheet pulled back and Tim rolled in, pushing a cart in front of him. "Brave Bud! You don't know how glad I am to see you awake."

Fralith turned his head towards him, a little flash of light breaking through the fog and PainBird's insistent squawking. Neither would go away, even after being awake for a while and drawing with RuthMom. Still, he mustered up the energy for a small smile and a word. "...Tim!"

Tim flashed a smile back, coming to the side of his bed and fussing with the metal things standing there. "That's right, buddy." He chuckled and leaned down, peering at his face then his shoulder.

Patting his arm, he said with a tightness easing in his voice, "Yep, you'll be okay. It takes more than a bullet to take out this Brave Bud." The corners of his eyes scrunched and his mouth tightened around his smile. "Though you cut it awfully close."

"Beep..?" So many words. And Tim...looked like he had when he'd woken up after his first Lion dream; greatly relieved, a little shaken, and hiding it all under a face of cheer. Why? The vague impression of course, golden hair brushing his cheek and deep, rumbling words wandered past his thoughts, followed by the sensation of wetness flowing out from his shoulder.

Patting his hand, Tim straightened, expression returning to normal. "Yes, you'll be fine. The docs even say that your shoulder will heal almost to full normalcy."

Blinking, he tilted his head down and to the thick white bandage encasing his shoulder. He couldn't see it well, and...he didn't really want to. It was better not knowing how bad it was and remembering how he got it. "Beep." Why were his thoughts so gloomy? Beep you fog. You're too heavy!

Tim chuckled, reaching over and pressing a button, making the bed's front half rise. "Beep indeed. Now, do you want some food?"

Food? As he flicked his gaze to the cart, his stomach grumbled, twisting in his belly. Food would be so good! "Yes beep."

"Coming right up." Tim put a tray over his lap and set the food on it. "Once again, you get the better food of the hospital."

On the plate there looked to be some meat, greens, and...blobs. Just—blobs. Heaviness rolled over him, pressing at his chest and bogging down his thoughts. He— didn't have the energy to try to figure out the new things. Everything ached and rolled with the fog and he hadn't seen the rest of the family and— and— Closing his eyes, he leaned back on the bed.

Sleep called to him, but he'd just been sleeping. The...Rivierian medics back in SecondHome said that losing a lot of blood made one tired. Was that why he was tired? Had he lost a lot of blood? He...couldn't remember.

"Oh, Brave Bud." A hand rested on his head and a short pause. "Here."

Something crinkled above him and he opened his eyes, looking up.

Tim held out a little rectangle of choc-o-late, gaze soft and caring with a hint of playfulness. "This should perk you up a bit. But same deal as before; no one gets to know about this, okay?" He blinked one eye dramatically, just like Zee had.

Choc-o-late. Choc-o-late! The heaviness receded for a moment, replaced by a ray of sunlight. Reaching up with his uninjured arm, he took the rectangle of choc-o-late and popped it into his mouth. The familiar sensation of sweetness hinchillas ramming their heads into his tongue and sides of his mouth eased some of the shadows tightening under his skin.

Choc-o-late was good. Choc-o-late didn't hurt him. Choc-o-late from Tim was even better. Swallowing the last of the sweetness, he licked his lips and turned his gaze back to the tray in front of him, fog thinning around him. He targeted the meat first, eating every last bit before moving onto the greens. With each bite, it seemed like his stomach grew hungrier and hungrier until he had no choice but to eat the blobs.

Reluctantly, he picked up one and sniffed it. Salty. Dropping it in his mouth, he chewed and swallowed. Meh. But it wasn't too bad, like YuckBlobs. It would have to do. Wrinkling his nose, he shoved the rest into his mouth and washed it down with a bright orange liquid—that looked and smelled to be the same kind BlueShirt tested for him, so he figured it was safe—in a cup. There. Much better. He patted his stomach, beeped, and eased himself back against the bed.

"Food always makes things better, huh, Brave Bud? Especially chocolate." Tim chuckled and picked up the tray and put it away, along with the plate and empty cup.

He nodded, giving his stomach another pat. "Very beh-ter!" It was nice and full now, making the fog sink to his legs so it didn't cling to him like a soggy blanket, dampening everything. He was awake and— he wanted more choc-o-late.

A light flicked on in Tim's expression. "My, you've learned some words! Ruth has been teaching you well, eh?"

Swish. The green sheet parted, and BlueShirt stepped inside, dressed in a dark blue uniform with a red stripe down the sides of his legs. Faint shadows hung under his eyes, accentuating his haggard and hard expression that quickly turned to one of relief as his eyes landed on Fralith. "Zander," he breathed. "You're awake!"

BlueShirt! BlueShirt was finally here! "Hi!" Warmth seeped into his bones, curving his lips upwards.

In a few quick steps, BlueShirt closed the space between them and caught him up in a tight hug. "You had me so worried."

"Beep." Nestling his face into BlueShirt's chest, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He was too squished to try to hug him back, but that was okay. BlueShirt was hugging him. He'd been worried because he cared. And that was more than enough.

Many heartbeats passed before BlueShirt pulled back and gently laid a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "Never do that to me again. Let me handle the dangerous stuff, okay? I—" He ran a hand over his face. "—I can't lose you."

He looked up at BlueShirt, head tilted. BlueShirt looked so...tired. No, strained. Was everything okay? Did something else bad happen? Well— besides the whole thing with Ray-chel. Reaching out a hand, he grasped BlueShirt's sleeve. "You beep?"

BlueShirt blinked and straightened his shoulders. "Yes, I am okay, Zander." Turning to Tim he asked, "How is he? Will he be okay?"

Tim smiled and patted the bed. "This little Brave Buddy's a tough one. He'll be okay. It's a long road to recovery, but the doctors have high hopes that he will be able to use his shoulder normally again."

Tension leaked out of BlueShirt's BodyTalk. "Thank God."

Tim dipped his head. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit." Taking the handles of the cart, he pushed it towards the door. "See you later, Brave Bud. I'll be back this evening with some more food." With a final grin and dramatic blink, he disappeared behind the green sheet.