Childlike Eyes ~A Monkees Fanfiction~

Chapter 4

Mike ran outside, and almost smacked into Charlie. Behind him were Davy, Peter, and Micky. Charlie stopped abruptly, and the others smacked into him and fell back like Dominoes.

"Oh my god! Mike, what happened?" Charlie stared in shock at the scene before him. Clementine looking nearly dead and his beloved diner in ruins. Mike shook his head, and just took off running. He needed to get Clementine to the hospital quick. Micky and Davy ran after him while Peter and stayed behind with a devestated Charlie. Cars whizzed by them, honking their horns and swerving out of the way. The hospital came into view, and Mike increased his speed. He pressed his shoulder to the door and forced his way in. He didn't need to say anything as three doctors rushed towards the four and took Clementine away. He stood there panting, and would've doubled over if it weren't for Davy and Micky holding him up by his arms.

"Mike, man, what happened?" Micky asked. Mike coughed, and Micky and Davy turned their heads away. "Hey!" He yelled. "Can we get some water over here?!" A nurse bustled over to them and handed a grateful Davy a water bottle, which he then gave to Mike.

"Are you here for the young lady that just came in?" The nurse asked, instinctively placing a hand on Mike's back and monitoring his now slightly labored breathing.

"Yeah!" Mike winced as he straightened up. "Is Clementine okay? Can we see her?" The nurse smiled reassuringly.

"Of course. I'll take you up, I just checked her in so I know where she is. From what I know, your girlfriend's gonna be just fine."

"Oh, she's not-" the nurse winked at him.

"Only family and significant others are allowed. So if anyone asks, she is." Mike chuckled in relief, touched that she would do that for him, even if she didn't know him. They came up to a door that was labeled '422', and they all took note of the number in case they didn't have the nurse there to show them. Then they realized that they didn't even know her name.

"Excuse me miss," said Davy. "But what's your name?" The nurse flashed a smile and pulled a nametag out of her pocket.

"I'm Helen. Sorry, I would wear this nametag but it's defective and the pin is always pricking me. And new nametags aren't really on top of the hospital's list of priorities, I suppose." She laughed.

"We only allow one at a time when the doctors are still analyzing. I'm assuming you'd like to go?" Helen looked at Mike and he nodded.

"Thank you," he said as he walked into the room, letting the door shut behind him.

"Hey Micky, I'm gonna run down to the cafeteria. Wanna come?" Davy asked, folding his arms and shifting his weight from foot to foot. Micky scratched his curly head in thought.

"Nah Davy, I'm good." He replied. Davy nodded and turned to walk away. "I think I'll stay here and talk to Helen for a while, if that's okay with her." Helen blushed a little as Micky stared at her. While she was looking down at the ground, Micky stole a glance at her ring finger- completely bare.

"Actually," Helen said. "My shift just ended. I'm all yours."

"Good," Micky laughed, and he placed a hand respectively on her upper back and they strolled down the hallway in deep conversation. Davy just stood there, shaking his head and smiling.

"And they say I get all the girls!" And with that, he laughed and walked away.

While Mike was sitting with Clementine alone, he had nothing else to do (besides worry) than to study her features, really study them good for the first time.

He had failed to notice a lot of things in his few days of knowing her, which wasn't surprising. The way her freckles barely graced the bridge of her nose and brought innocence to her cheeks, in addition to the natural blush that was always there. Her eyes, although now closed, were a deep emerald if he remembered correctly. Her auburn hair was wavy, as though it had started out curly but gradually the curls faded, like jeans. He must have been there for an hour before her eyes finally opened.

"Clementine!" Mike tried not to be too loud, all too aware of Clementine's current state. Watching her eyes closely, it was as if he could see the memories flooding back to her. Her mouth made a slightly astonished 'o', and Mike automatically touched her hand out of reassurance that she was okay. They both looked at their hands for a split second, surprised by his gesture.

"You alright, Clementine?" He asked, his voice only slightly above a whisper. She gulped slightly and nodded, the color returning to her drained face almost as quickly as it had gone.

"I've been here less than a week and already I'm in a hospital." She said. "Cliff is going to kill me." Mike chuckled, amused by her sense of humor that still shone even in the fairly drab hospital. However, he could see that she was still incredibly shaken as she started to quiver slightly in the hospital bed.

"You're fine now," he said. "Mike's got ya." Again, they were both surprised. But while Mike blushed, not really knowing why he said that, Clementine calmed down. Just as Mike couldn't figure out why he had uttered those words, Clementine couldn't figure why they'd had such an effect on her. Still, Mike was hesitant to say much after that. Eventually, after an hour or two of talking, they both fell asleep with their hands clasped. Mike's head lolled to the side slightly and fell onto Clementine's pillow, and Clementine rolled over in her sleep, causing their noses to touch as a result of their new sleeping positions. Fifteen minutes after, Helen walked in. She smiled at the pair, knowing what being alone together meant for them- even if they didn't yet. So she fished a pad of paper and a pen out of her pocket and left a note.

Let them sleep. Nurse's orders!

-Nurse Rosen