Hello fellow Wilfred fans! This is my first try at a Wilfred fanfic, and as long as I get good reviews, I'll keep updating!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this chapter. All credit goes to Jason Gann and Adam Zwar.

"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."

~Mary Oliver

Chapter 1

Nice to meet you, Darkness.

There was no light. It was the kind of darkness that a man who resides in Los Angeles hardly ever experiences. There were no spots or colors like a person sees on the inside of their eyelids when they close their eyes; only pure, untainted blackness.

A searing pain across his legs.

No, not just my legs.

Ryan's head, his back, his chest, all ached.

Breaking glass – the sound was stuck on repeat and skipped like a broken record. A scream; it sounded like Ryan's own voice, but higher pitched than he ever remembered himself sounding.

At least since I turned 14.

A heavily accented voice muttering something in the distance…

Wilfred!

'I'mma run with your pan' was the best Ryan could make out from the distant Australian accent, but the voice was so far away, he could not make any sense out of it. Or perhaps it was 'I gave up and ran', or even 'I got fucked with a van'.

What the hell are you talking about, Wilfred?

Wilfred's voice gradually became louder, "I'm your number one fan. I'm your number one fan."

Finally there was light. Bright – too intense, and Ryan could not help but squint as he forced his eyes open. As his eyes adjusted, he could begin to make out a furry figure with long ears standing over him, blocking a portion of the light.

"I'm your number one fan."

"Wilfred?" Ryan was surprised by his own voice. His throat and tongue felt extremely dry, and his voice cracked alarmingly.

"Sorry, mate. I had to work in a 'Misery' reference after what happened," Wilfred said with an innocent smile on his face. "I don't need to break your legs to keep you from escaping. You already took care of that."

Ryan's blue eyes widened. "Wh-what? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Wilfred cocked his head, and concern was written on his face.

"My legs…" Ryan attempted to lift himself up by positioning his arms underneath him, but he did not get far before collapsing back down.

"You might want to just stay still, Ryan. I don't think you want to jack yourself up even further."

Ryan stiffly craned his neck to look past Wilfred and around the small room. He was obviously in a hospital, but how he ended up here was still a complete blank. "How did you get in to a hospital? You're a dog."

"Really? You wake up after three years and that is what you want to know?" Wilfred shook his head and sat back into a folding chair that sat by the bed.

Ryan gasped, which caused him to go into a fit of coughing. Once he caught his breath he stared at his friend. "Three years? I've been here for … three years?"

"Maybe more like five. I have no concept of time."

At a loss for words, Ryan looked back up at the ceiling and tried hard to remember something … anything. Jenna entered the room just as his eyes started to drift closed again; presumably whatever was dripping into his veins via the IV attached to his arm was making him incredibly drowsy. Jenna clapped her hands excitedly, which was enough to wake him up some. He glanced towards her and saw her grinning as she approached the bed.

"Ryan!" she cried joyfully, but not without concern in her voice. "You're awake! Let me call a doctor for you." She pressed the red button on a small box attached to a cord that was wrapped around the bed railing. It made a quiet buzzing sound.

Jenna placed a hand on his cheek and smiled down at him. "I'm so glad you're finally awake. I hope Wilfred hasn't been bothering you. The hospital staff only allowed it because you seemed to rest so much better when he was in the room."

Ryan could barely keep his eyes open, but he wanted answers. "Jenna. How long have I been here?"

Jenna frowned, "You-"

Oh god, it has been years.

Just then a tall middle-aged doctor with a balding head walked in to the room with a pretty blonde nurse at his side. Jenna and Wilfred stepped back to make room beside the bed. The doctor came to his side as the nurse went to check the IV bag. The doctor pulled a stethoscope from his neck and placed the cool diaphragm on Ryan's chest. He listened for a moment, and then put the stethoscope back over his shoulders.

"Well hello, Mr. Newman. Welcome back to the world. You gave us quite a scare there for a while. I'm Dr. Flatline-"

Wilfred chuckled.

"-and I've been taking care of you while you've been here. How are you feeling?"

"I…I'm thirsty."

"Yes. You are receiving fluids and food through your IV. We can't risk giving you free fluids just yet, you may choke. In a couple of days, if you are recovering well, we may be able to try a few ice chips." Dr. Flatline paused. "I know you probably aren't feeling the best, but a week and a half ago when the paramedics wheeled you into the emergency room, you looked a lot worse. How are you feeling, besides thirsty?"

Ryan was busy glaring at Wilfred. "Three years?" he asked incredulously.

Wilfred shrugged. "It felt like it. Never trust a dog when it comes to measuring time, mate."

The doctor stepped back, wondering if he had been heard, and studied Ryan's face. "Three years?" he repeated.

Ryan rolled his eyes, still angry at Wilfred. "Never mind."

Dr. Flatline looked concerned, and his eyes wandered across Ryan's forehead. "Did you hear my question, Ryan?"

Ryan nodded. "I feel…" He didn't know where to start; he just wanted to know why he was here.

"Are you in any pain, Mr. Newman?"

"My legs," Ryan responded quietly.

"That's not surprising. Nurse?" Straight away, the nurse began preparing a large syringe. "We're going to give you something to help with that. It will also make you more tired, and don't resist it. You need rest."

Ryan nodded as the nurse pushed the contents of the syringe into a tube that was already sticking out of his arm. A cool sensation spread from his arm to the rest of his body. Immediately his eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. He wanted to stay awake; he still had questions … so many … questions ….

Ah, Darkness, my good friend.

A/N: Please review if you want more!