Wrecked life

Chapter 36

****Game Life****

Ralph went through the day on auto pilot. His coworkers tried hard to cheer him up some without obviously messing up the game but nothing helped. His downcast gaze didn't even meet Vanellope as she was shown as the winner on the roster. When she was able, she gave gave him concerned glances.

Truthfully she felt a bit guilty. She HAD pushed Ralph into getting involved with Dani but dang it what was she supposed to do? He needed someone and Dani had been perfect it had just never dawned on Vanellope she would disappear. Since she was brooding she wound up accidentally driving into a cupcake and finishing dead last in the race. It wasn't often she was last but it did happen after all for her to use her powers to win every race was the wrong thing to do.

She hoped she could think up something before the arcade closed to try to help Ralph. She hated the hang dog look on his face. She loved him and his heart ache made her own heart hurt. Another quarter was put in and she was about to start another race.

Felix was also unsure of what to do or how to help his friend. He tried to think of how he would feel if his wife suddenly left him. He realized just the thought shattered him and any desire to go on in the game life. In fact such a thing might make him go turbo and kill himself outside his game. This thought worried him more and he tried to think of what to say or do to try to help Ralph get through this.

**********Real Life **********

Dr. Ralph Malloy found himself outside Dani Mcdeal's room for about the hundredth time meaning to ask if he could have dinner with her. She was going to be discharged in a week if she showed no signs of going back into her coma. Despite what she had been through she was healthy and calm although there was something pensive in her gaze when she looked at him that he couldn't place. He didn't know if she liked him, didn't care for him or just thought he was damn nuisance.

A nurse paused next to him raising her brows. He realized that she had the dinner tray. He told himself to take it in and strike up conversation about how she was doing. No strike that, it was doctor patient talk. He should go in and ask if her family and friends would be planning anything to celebrate...no strike that she had one friend and her parents had died while she was young.

He looked at the food. No strike that the food looked awful he wasn't even sure what the hell they were feeding her. He stepped out of the way realizing the nurse was waiting a bit impatiently now. He dunked out of the way when she went in still trying to figure out what to do or say to see if his patient was interested in being more then just his patient.

Dani glanced at the door and sighed. He had chickened out again. She badly wished Ralph..well strike that Dr. Malloy would just come in and ask her out. She knew he wanted to her friend had told her about the talk about fishing, going to see the Phantom of the Opera musical, camping. For such an intelligent man he sounded really laid back and down to earth like her father had been.

Sadly he was a lot more like Ralph in Fix it Felix in the sense he apparently suffered from low self esteem and shyness. She had been trying to think of something to bring him around. That is if she could ever get him in here more then five minutes. She glanced out and saw the sun was going down. Her lips quirked up as she wondered what Ralph in the game Fix it Felix was going to say when he found out about her surprise and what could she say to the big doctor with the kind eyes when he came in to give her the latest updates.

*****Game Life ****

" For the last time I'm fine! I don't want to go to tappers I want to go home!" Ralph threw his hands up and then rubbed his face roughly. Vanellope had practically attached herself to his leg and Felix had one arm while Q-bert had the other. Did they think they could drag him to tappers? It was absurd. To prove it he simply started walking towards his shack dragging his friends behind him. Vanellope tried to glitch and found herself snatched up.