What's That Smell?

Recovery- Part 1

(I liked writing it as a story and I may just keep it that way)

Albi spent almost a week in the hospital, just keeping Clive company. Clive was on and off, passing out at random points, but for the time he was awake, he was just incredibly happy. The nurses told Albi and Skuggy that he cried when he woke up, but not from pain or stress, only because he was ecstatic to be alive. Albi, upon hearing those words, also cried.
Currently Albi was sitting beside Clive's hospital bed, holding his hand and talking with him quietly. Clive was attempting to speak back but his breathing was affected severely by the knife puncturing his lung, so instead Albi just decided to talk on his own, telling Clive what had happened while he was recovering. When Clive did speak, his voice was raspy from not being used at all for days. He was also slightly sick on top of everything else, his weakened state only letting the sickness get worse. However, slowly, he was recovering.
Albi stayed with him for hours, talking to him until eventually, Clive fell asleep. Albi checked his heart rate every once in a while, making sure he was doing okay. Soon one of the nurses came in to check as well.
"He's fallen back to sleep?" she asked quietly.
"Mhm... It's good. He needs as much rest as possible," Albi replied. He spoke softly, still holding Clive's limp hand and rubbing over it gently with his thumb.
"He is going to be okay, for sure, right?" Albi asked. The nurse could see the worry still in his eyes.
"For sure. As long as he doesn't strain himself and let's his body heal, he'll be just fine," she assured, "He shouldn't go back to work for at least the next couple weeks. But try and have him walk a little bit once a day at minimum. It'll help him keep his strength, so he doesn't forget how."
"Will do, thank you.." Albi responded, setting down Clive's hand beside him on the bed, "Did anyone figure out what happened?.."
"Not for sure.. But they think they have an idea. Your friend, Skuggy, maybe he can tell you? He was there, wasn't he?" the nurse suggested.
"Maybe, he didn't speak much after that night. I could ask him later, but I wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable."
Albi stood and stretched, making sure not to bump anything.
"When should we expect Clive to be able to leave?" he asked, fixing his sweater.
"Well, he can leave when he chooses once his breathing becomes stable enough. For now, he's still having fits every once in a while.. He's not fully healed inside yet. Sometimes liquids get into his lung again and that tends to cause serious reactions for him," the nurse explained, "He needs to be here in case that happens, or without proper treatment he could still die."
"Ah, well.." Albi flinched, "We don't want to take any chances then. Clive has a tendency to try and push himself... He may try and pretend to act fine just to get out and come back to the apartment. I would really love to see him back as soon as possible, but of course, we don't want anything rushed.."
"I'll keep that noted. Well- the doctor should be in in a little while to check up on him, just a heads up."
"Gene?"
"Yes, of course. Heh... Gene has set himself aside as Clive's personal doctor. He and Dr. Myer like to fight over him sometimes in a friendly way. It's cute if you ask me. But.. Also kind of worrying, that this poor kid comes to this hospital that much."
"You're right. It is... Worrying. His immune system isn't exactly perfect, and for some reason.. He's been a common target for attacks lately."
"Well... Hopefully that stops soon. He's a good kid. He's super super sweet, and really doesn't deserve to have to deal with this," the nurse waved goodbye before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Albi got up, gathering up his own things and preparing to leave so Gene would be able to get right to work. He placed a light kiss on Clive's forehead before heading out.
As he opened the door, Gene was already standing there.
"Oh- hello, Doctor. My bad, I was just leaving," Albi said quickly. Gene fixed his glasses and offered a smile.
"Oh, it's alright. You don't need to leave if you don't want to, it's perfectly fine if you'd like to stay with him," he suggested.
"No, it's okay. I've stayed for long enough.. Clive needs some rest and quiet time. I'll be back soon, however. Don't doubt it," Albi chuckled lightly.
"Oh well, tell your roommates I said hello. Give Skuggy a hug for me, and if you see Marque any time soon, thank him for me- he sent me some thank you flowers a while back and I haven't gotten around to seeing him."
"Heh, you got it, Gene."
"Goodbye, Albi, I hope your day is well."
"You too, goodbye!"
Gene and Albi waved goodbye before Albi left down the hallway, leaving Gene to do his work.

A Skip in Time- Four days

Clive was released from the hospital after a long and grueling near two weeks. He wasn't walking on his own, Gene took some time off to help him get around via wheelchair. When he made it home, he was greeted by a large welcome home surprise party, almost surprising him into shortedge of breath, but he was very grateful and very happy nonetheless. Skuggy beat Albi to him first, pulling him into a tight hug. This was followed by Albi, and Mendel, who actually came to the little party despite his disliking to socializing.
Clive was extremely happy to see all of his friends after that long apart, and even more happy that they did all this for him. Albi thanked Gene for working as hard as he did to make sure Clive made it back safe and okay. Buggy and Dexter, who hadn't been able to get to the hospital a lot, caught Clive up on things that happened while he was out. (Dexter got a goldfish from his petshop, but still hasn't named it.)
The party went great, and Clive ended up crying halfway through it, resulting in a large, loving group hug. Even Mendel was dragged in against his will.
"God, you guys are the best.. Thanks so much! It means a lot that you all would go through the trouble-" Clive's voice was still a bit raspy, but doing a lot better now than it was before. His breathing was stable and he looked much healthier.
"Of course, love. No need to thank, you deserve it! We missed you," Albi gave Clive another close hug, pecking him lightly on the cheek. Clive laughed, a light giggle mixed in, and flushed a bright pink.
Soon though, the party ended as night grew closer. Soon people began saying their goodbyes. Gene left first, followed by Marque (who showed up halfway through the party; late from work but still determined to be there), and Mendel was the one to leave last. He stayed with Clive for longer, just talking recent events, and he could tell it was helping Clive just stay relaxed. Eventually, Skuggy helped Clive move from the wheelchair onto the couch, where he could get more comfortable and feel more at home.
Once the clock struck 11, Clive had fallen asleep against Mendel's side, using him as a pillow and hugging him around the waist. Mendel knew for a fact that he legally wasn't allowed to move, so he was stuck. Both Skuggy and Albi would never admit they were jealous, but they were. Though they both accepted that it didn't matter, all that mattered was that Clive was comfortable and resting.