Sodor's New Worker

Quiet Goodbye

   The morning was crisp and dewy. Light from Maddy's window spilled into her room, shining light right into her eyes. She hissed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Peering over at her blurry alarm clock, she could make out that it was six in the morning. Feeling around for them, she didn't find her glasses, but instead found James' face.

"Mmnh.." he groaned. "Knock it off.."

"Can't find my glasses.." she grunted, still bapping at his face.

   He grabbed her wrist to get her to stop. Once he was sure she wasn't going to hit him anymore, he reached over to the nightstand to grab her glasses. Sliding them on her face for her, he couldn't help but snicker at how disgruntled she looked. 

"What's wrong?" he asked as she immediately stole his jacket that had ended up on the floor. 

"I'm hungry." Maddy replied, buttoning up the jacket.

   As soon as her feet hit the floor, an aggressive soreness shot up her legs. After a moment, she did it again, standing up while hanging onto her bedframe. 

"I don't think you're supposed to be walking after-"

"I'm fine."

   She was, in fact, not fine as one of her knees gave out and she went tumbling to the floor. James waited for her to come back up, but as he looked over the edge of the bed, she was just laying there, immediately defeated by sore legs as a result of passion. She prided herself as being virtually undefeatable, yet that's all it took. 

"..come on." he soothed. He walked around her bed to pick her up and set her back down. "I'll..get you breakfast."

"James, you can't cook-"

"Shhhaaah. Shah shah shah." James shushed her, looking around for his pants. He wasn't going to leave the room in just his boxers. "I will figure it out."

"Burn the place down in the process.." she grumbled, flopping on top of the comforter. "Get Henry to make breakfast.."

"Henry's going to want to strangle us- me- because of last night."

"I'm not loud. That's your problem."

   James clicked his tongue, picking up a pillow that had fallen off the bed and throwing it square at her face.

"HEY-" she shrieked. But it was too late, by the time she pushed the pillow off her face, he was always out the door, shutting it behind him.

   Making his way into the kitchen area, James noticed Nate sitting at the communal table, eating cereal like he lived there.

"What the hell are you doing here??" he questioned, staring Nate down.

"..I live here." he replied, half asleep.

"Since when??"

"Since..forever?? Sorry I died for a few years??"

"Thought Maddy kicked you out."

"Maddy  cannot speak for the whole sheds." Nate grumbled, yawning as he crunched on his cereal. "So yes, James, I do live here."

"Pah." he scoffed, rummaging through the fridge, grabbing an apple and the package of strawberries she had scrawled her name all over. "Where's the box mix?"

"..Why?? Do you?? Ask??? You can't cook."

"I can so. I can read instructions on a box of pancake mix. Now where is it?"

"..No idea." Nate smugly replied. Earned him a smack on the head.

"You're absolutely no help and useless."