Chapter One

A Newborn Hero

Day 162, 3220

The dim lights of the waiting room seemed to make everything more eerie. There was no one else around. No patients waiting in the same room, no nurses at the receptionist desk. Nobody. The only noise came from the humming of the dim lights late at night. Jules shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he looked up at the clock, 2:34 am.

Jules yawned as he mumbled, "Damn, how long's this stuff take? I mean, shouldn't be too hard to jus' get the lil' guy outta her." He signed and looked at the ceiling with boredom. "Holy crap!" His mind re-entering the world around him, "Lil' man's gonna need a freakin' name!" He sat for a moment before pulling something out of his artillery vest pocket. There, in his hands, was an old, crumbling photo of his childhood family. Jules was young in the photo, maybe about 5 or 6. His smile was huge, larger than it ever has been lately. Next to him was a young Sir Charles, his brother, with a small moustache starting to bloom from his upper lip. His smile wasn't as large as Jules' but it was still as sincere. Behind him was his mother. He always thought she was gorgeous and would have loved to spend more time with her, that is, before she died from some unknown disease. His mind flashed back to when he held her hand that one last time. Tears raced down the young boy's face as she spoke with her dying breath, "I love you, Sweetie…"

Jules shook his head, trying to forget the awfully painful memory. His attention shifted to the last man in the picture. Olgilvie Hedgehog, Jules' father. That name represented years of hard work, dedication and heroism towards Mobius. His pose, had "pride" and "valor" written all over it as his stood straight and tall in his military uniform. Despite the picture's terrible quality, the badges and pins on the old man's uniform seemed to glisten.

With a smirk, Jules simply pocketed the photo once again. "I have a good idea," he mumbled happily. He looked back up around the room. It was as if time stopped; nothing really changed at all.

His eyes, heavy and tired, began to slip shut as he leaned back in the chair. His thoughts of the boring waiting room, started to disappear from his head. All he could see now was empty, blank nothingness…

He didn't get far in his dreamless sleep, however. His thoughts of nothingness were quickly interrupted as the double doors busted open. Jules' eyes shot open.

"Jules Hedgehog. Congratulations." The young doctor said softly with a smile. Jules literally tripped as he launched out of his chair like a damn rocket.

"Where is he? I gotta see him!" Jules couldn't control the excitement in his voice.

The doctor laughed, "Calm down. He's just around the corner."

To Jules, every step down the hallway was an eternity. His life seemed to reflect upon him with each thud of his combat boots. Thud. Dealing with his brother's constant teasing. Thud. His first day at school. Thud. His training at the Mobian Military Camp. Thud. His first date with Bernadette. Thud. His wedding day. Thud…

He snapped out of his trance as he noticed his wife, Bernadette (or Bernie as everyone called her) holding a small, wrapped bundle in her arms. "Isn't he beautiful?" She asked him as he stood dumbstruck in the doorway.

The doctor chimed in sarcastically, "You do know that… you can walk in room, right?"

"Y-yeah,"

Underneath all the bundled up blankets, lay a small, baby hedgehog. He couldn't have looked more look like Jules if he tried… well, minus his father's brown bangs. The child's fur was a perfect cobalt blue. His tiny, un-developed quills just starting to break free from the back of his head; hell, he even had the same oblong nose as Jules. It was the most adorable sight the two had ever seen. Bernie finally broke her stare from the child and looked up to her husband, and couldn't believe it: the grown man next to her, who went from Hell and back when he was younger, now was shedding tears, something she never really saw. "Jules… a-are you... crying?"

Realizing he let his guard down, he smiled and said, "N-no… I'm just, ya know… sweating from my eyes!"

The couple laughed as he took the child carefully into his arms. Jules quickly stiffened as the young infant squirmed in his arms, afraid he would shatter into millions of tiny, irreplaceable pieces, like a China doll, at the slightest movement. Jules was too pre-occupied to notice the panting old man in the doorway.

It was Bernie who spoke cheerfully, "Why, hello Sir Charles!"

"I got… here… as fast… as… I could…" Charles he spat out the words quickly between breaths. Regaining his breath, he changed the subject, "Oh my God. He's… he's amazing…" he said walking slowly into the room.

"I know," Bernie said; looking up towards the bundle still wrapped in Jules' arms as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Jules smiled, looking at the child, then began, "Oh darlin'. I, uh… forgot to tell you," He chuckled, then continued, "I… thought of a name." He flashed a cocky smile.

Sir Charles simply looked at Bernie, "You let him come up with the name?" He put his face in his hands and began to laugh, "Oh, this 'oughta be good."

Jules simply shot his brother a glance.

"What did you come up with?" Bernie asked him sincerely.

Jules regained his smile and said, "Something honorable, something that the family could be proud of…"

"Oh God," Charles sighed and laughed some more, cutting Jules off.

Ignoring his brother, he continued, stairing down as the sleeping child, "Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog."

Charles' laughter stopped at that instant. He looked up at Jules, his face serious. Finally finding the right words, he whispered, "…Dad would be proud of you right now."