Fantasy Vs Reality | The Withering

12: Catching Up

Life can seem meaningless... but you can't give up. Even though we are against you... we still need you.

~~

Coal's eyes flashed open to an ever-familiar blinding bright room. He looked around slowly, and winced as his body ached. His mind was foggy but he tried to remember what happened. He was talking to someone... and then his neck began to feel funny. He remembered drooling blood profusely and dropping to the ground. There was yelling in the distance, but everything after that was blank. 

He sat up slowly, squinting his eyes as they adjusted. He turned his head to see Lynx looming over a desk on the other side of the room. The massive Maine Coone was rummaging through some things.

Coal watched her for a while and then cleared his throat. She turned sharply, nearly knocking over a case of vaccines, and stared at him in surprise, "Oh! You're awake!" she meowed like a kitten as she set the things down she had grabbed moments before.

"Yes." Coal said in a raspy voice, "If I wasn't awake I'd be dead or sleeping, numskull."

Lynx narrowed her eyes and looked away, "You don't have to be rude you know."

"I'm not," Coal replied crossing his arms, "I'm merely getting revenge because of how you screwed me over by waking me up too soon earlier-"

"Oh, so a little misunderstanding is all that you-"

"A little misunderstanding that could've ended my life, dumbass." Coal snarled, throwing off the sheets that were on him. "I have every right to be upset with you!"

"She doesn't know the whole story, and yet you persist."

Coal stopped getting up, and turned his head. Jacob was in the doorway with a look of disappointment in his eyes. He shook his head slowly, "Lynx, if you don't mind, I'd like a word with the patient alone."

"Yes doctor." Lynx responded, turning to leave without looking back. Coal caught sight of tears glinting in her white fur as they streamed down her face. He rolled his eyes.

After she left, Jacob just stared at Coal for a long moment. When he didn't say anything, Coal shrugged his shoulders exasperatedly, "Well?"

"It's not like you to act like you are." Jacob stated.

Coal felt taken aback, he's always been rough around the edges... hasn't he? "What are you talking about?"

"It's not like you to consistently pick fights with Lynx. You used to flirt with her all the time before this for Hava's sake." Jacob sat down on the end of Coal's bed. Coal tucked his knees up to his chest. "Why are you treating her so poorly over a small mistake?"

Coal's eyes widened, now the doctor was taking sides! The audacity! Jacob had said so himself that she put him in danger.

"Look fuzzy ears, I didn't ask to be the one to travel over to an entirely different time just to fetch some extinct girl who previously possessed Storm's body. The technology we are dealing has little to no information and the dangers that it brings is not okay. One small mistake-"

"Could end everything as we know it." Jacob interrupted and finished.

"Then why are you taking sides?" Coal asked, trying not to hiss.

"You're afraid that whatever happened to you is Lynx's fault." Jacob stated.

Coal nodded silently, at least Jacob was starting to get the point. Coal opened his mouth to speak but Jacob continued, "Whatever happened to you, was not done by her. Something else went wrong. I think it had to do with the solution of gas I put in the pod when you crossed over the second time."