Words cannot describe how SHOCKED i was with all the reviews and the CONTENT of the reviews! I really didn't expect much because i felt like it wasn't very good, but I'm glad everyone is enjoying it!
And as the process goes: Reviews birth plot bunnies, and plot bunnies make me wish to write, and thus a new chapter is born!
I have a few things to say about this chapter before it is read, actually. First, This one isnt quite as Sulley-Randall centered as the previous two. second, the REASON that is is because im going to put some other character conflict in here to to juice up the story and just because!
So heh, thanks so much for the reviews and i love you all with every fiber of my being :3 Enjoy?
Chapter Three
A loud choir of voices chattered noisily beyond any range of comprehension. They spoke consistently and all at once, rendering them unintelligible. Slowly and in unison, the voices began growing louder. They rose in volume to a cacophonous pitch and filled the air with their harsh tone.
Randall was running.
He tried to cover his ears but the sound bled through as if there was nothing there. He felt himself scream but heard nothing. The sound was getting into his head.
The voices washed away all at once and for a few seconds Randall felt peace. He closed his eyes despite the fact that he'd been running around in total darkness, but he didn't even have 3 seconds before a new sound blasted a hole through the area. It wasn't alive, it was some kind of alarm. Very familiar. But the purple monster wanted even less to do with this new noise than the old. He twisted his body painfully in an animalistic attempt to get away, unaware that it would do no good and that it was only intensifying his torture.
The siren stopped and the voices returned.
Death sounded good.
The feeling of something prodding his hypersensitive skin caused Randall to cringe. He saw nothing, but he could hear and feel.
Hands started touching him from all angles, tugging and tapping and squeezing despite his swatting. He felt fear rising high up in his throat, his breathing was becoming very shallow.
So this was Hell.
Only a couple of monsters had come in Mike's car to see Randall. Shockingly, not many that many workers at the company even liked Randall. Even Mike had protested at first, but Sullivan talked him into it.
"I believe this is the hospital they said they were taking him to," Mr. Waternoose, the CEO of Monsters, Inc. who had insisted upon being brought along, commented as they pulled up on a large medical facility. Mike nodded and pulled into a parking spot, hopping out quickly.
"I sure hope they found out what made him faint like that..." Fungus stated nervously, a large quantity of worry for his partner glistening in his three eyes. Sullivan smiled and nodded.
"They're pro's, they'll figure it out in no time," he comforted.
Truly the blue monster was baffled by how Fungus could still care about Randall despite how badly he treated him sometimes.
"He... Really isn't that bad of a guy..." The small red monster spoke carefully, as if reading Sulley's thoughts. The top scarer opened his mouth to reply but couldn't think of anything good to say so he just nodded.
"Come on, come on! Lets get a move on, stop falling behind!" Mike clapped his hands impatiently and called for everyone to hurry up as if it was his dying grandma they were going to see. Sullivan sped up a bit and was followed by Fungus.
Waternoose was already at the counter asking what room Randall was in, so the other three monsters just followed behind him. In no time flat a nurse came to show them the room, and Waternoose thanked her in that grandfatherly way he had. Sullivan followed near the end of the small crowd, allowing worry to settle in on him.
Back at the factory, he'd been staring straight into Randall's eyes when he had passed out. One minute they were enraged, the next they seemed to shrink as something that looked like pain overtook him. It was a subtle observation, and Sulley didn't think it would be smart to tell anyone unless he was sure. After all, everyone thought Randall had just been dehydrated or something. He didn't want to spread the rumor that it had been more serious.
But the theory remained, and Sullivan needed to make sure Randall was okay with his own two eyes.
Room number 337 was the door that the nurse brought them to. She stepped in by herself first, probably to make sure the patient was awake, and then walked back out. "He's a little groggy, so only go in one at a time." The nurse then left swiftly, off on more important hospital business.
A short exchange of unsure glances shuffled through the group before Mike sighed.
"I'll go in first," he announced with a shrug, "I'll probably have the least to say."
Nobody argued, so the green monster turned towards the door, slowly opened it up and tiptoed into the room.
When light hit Randall's lightly lidded eyes, he was sure he was gazing into the light of god or something because of how bright it seemed. He scrunched up his face, tilting his head back in fourth in an struggle to rid his vision of this intense glare.
Finally giving up his efforts, the lizard-like monster scowled and opened his eyes. Everything was foggy for a minute and he blinked several times. There was a figure very close, and she seemed to be asking him something.
"You have some friends that want to see you Mr. Boggs, should I let them in?"
The voice sounded slightly distant, but Randall was regaining his grip on reality quickly. Her form finally took shape, and he was able to identify her as a nurse with dozens of tentacles and two eye stalks. Pleased with the clarity of his vision, Randall nodded.
"I don't know who would come, but I guess if they did they might as well get what they want..." He purposefully kept his voice in an uninterested tone, but secretly he was quite curious about who would make the trip. Surely Fungus would, being his assistant, but no other monsters came to mind.
"I'll send them in one at a time," the nurse turned and left as quickly as she had appeared, and Randall found himself alone.
A small ray of light was magnified through the window and hit his pillow. The purple monster had recollection of the bright light that had woken him and grimaced, pulling the shades down immediately.
"Hey... Uh, Randall..."
The monster jumped as his this new voice met his ears unexpectedly. He turned sharply, almost falling out of his bed.
"Wazowski?! What are you doing here!?" Even in a hospital bed, Randall could always be hostile. It was a gift, really.
Mike shifted his weight, slightly uncomfortable looking. "Just came by to check and see if you were doing okay..." He kept glancing up and meeting the chameleons eyes for a second before looking quickly at something else.
"Why would you, Wazowski?" Randall snorted, mind whirring at alternative motives, "you think we can get back all buddy-buddy just because you come to visit me when I'm sick?" His voice was sour and it rubbed Mike the wrong way.
"I wouldn't want you back as a friend!" He growled, suddenly furious at the accusation, "you're a backstabbing jerk that only cares about himself!"
Randall's heart was pounding, and the beeping on the pulse monitor was going faster every second. It occurred to him that this was the first they had really talked about what had happened between them, and he definitely had a few choice words to toss around.
"You have no right to call me a backstabber, Wazowski!" Randall snarled, fingers clenching at his sheets, "when the only thing you did was play me!"
"PLAY YOU?! I— no..." Mike put his hand on his face in an effort to calm down. He remained quiet for a couple seconds before he began again, "look, Randall, this is definitely not what I came to say. I actually had this whole shtick planned out where I pleasantly wish you good health and tell you not to mess up Sulley's life too bad. This falls nowhere within the plan, so I think I should start ove—"
"Mess up Sullivan's life?" Randall cut into Mike's monologue sharply, voice low, "what could you possibly mean by that?"
The small green monster sighed dramatically then got very serious, "you may not know, but Sulley apparently thinks you're in bad shape and wants to help you out or something. I just wanted to warn you not to mess with him." Randall felt his face flush and he hissed out a breath. Words refused to come to him, kind and unkind alike, so he simply glared at the floor and smoldered until Mike had finished his "wishing of good health" and left.
Help him!?
The words stuck in his head like a bad taste. He didn't know if this was some trap or just an obnoxious playing-the-hero routine, but either way he detested the idea.
His pulse was returning to normal, but the chameleon himself was steaming when Fungus walked in. The small, timid red monster inched slowly into view, waving unsurely. Randall rolled his eyes. Fungus was always so jumpy, and he really didn't need to be.
"H-hello sir, h-how are you feeling?" He stuttered slightly, as he usually did when anxious. Randall gave him a long stare before he replied.
"Fine. Just tired." His words were concise, but Fungus seemed very dissatisfied. His three pupils darted back in fourth a few times, quite obviously deciding on whether or not to ask what was really on his mind. The irritated look that Randall gave him, however, made him stop stalling and blurt out his question.
"Do they know what's wrong with you?" Fungus cried, stepping back automatically in fear that he might be hit. But as opposed to a violent route, Randall just leaned back against and wall and closed his eyes. He was thinking, and Fungus wasn't about to interrupt that.
"They do."
"Eh-wha...?"
Randall had replied shortly and in a finished tone. He looked hard at Fungus, not wanting to appear weak before his assistant.
"They. Do. Now send the next one in."
The red scare assistant shifted his weight in consideration, then nodded— beaten— and hurried out. Randall fell back, almost tired.
He could have told Fungus, it wasn't that he didn't trust the little guy (actually he was about the most trustworthy monster Randall knew!), he just didn't want to talk about it. It was a pathetic truth, but the purple monster felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it.
"Mr. Boggs, I hope you are feeling better?"
A chill fluttered down the long spine of Randall, and he turned to see his boss standing at the foot of his bed. Mr. Waternoose looked sympathetic and condescending all at the same time, and it caused the scaled monster to submit like a trained dog. He hated it, but Waternoose seemed to be very skilled at making him feel that way.
"Yes sir..." Randall said quietly, looking down. The spider-like monster's gaze softened and his more nurturing side came out. He put a hand on Randall's bed gently.
"Now, don't be in any huge rush to get back to work," he comforted warmly, "after all, I don't want a bunch of unhealthy monsters running around— we'll make due while you're gone." Randall swallowed hard, nodding.
"Y-yes sir."
A moment of silence passed and Waternoose withdrew his hand.
"But don't forget Boggs, I still have that project for you," his tone was foreboding and Randall shuddered heavily, "it doesn't have to get done right now, but it must be soon," his brows furrowed together and he sighed, "you're a hard worker, Mr. Boggs. That's why I'm trusting you with this."
"Yes... Sir..."
A small nod sufficed as a goodbye and Mr. Waternoose made his exit. As far as Randall could figure, he would be the last visitor.
Maybe it should have been more obvious to him, maybe he could have guessed it if his mind had even been on that train of thought. But as the final, bulky, blue monster slowly walked into his room, Randall swore he heard the pulse monitor skip a beat.
"Sullivan!?"
"H-hey Rand..."
Okay, a few words yet again!
When i mentioned other character interactions up there, i meant a decent amount of Randall and Mike post-University drama. The thing with Waternoose will also play a part, but not an overly huge one i dont think.
I hope im not getting redundant or anything XD ii have band camp and it keeps leaving me exhausted and void of free time, so i keep writing chapters and these lil note things while im half-asleep.
But for any wondering, there will be some SulxRand stuff coming up real soon :DD Cant rush these things, KEEP REVIEWING AND ILL TRY TO POST AGAIN AS SOON AS I GET A FREE MINUTE!
