Chapter 2: The Road to Recovery: Part 2...
The next day, Marcus and Orchid are tending to their farms, once they're done, they went to town for a drink and a bite to eat at the diner. But along the way there, Orchid started coughing.
"Are you alright, Orchid?" asked Marcus.
"I'm o-cough, cough!" Orchid tried to say something.
Cupcake saw what was happening to Orchid.
"You look pale, Hun. Why don't I give you directions to Dr. Where?"
"Dr. Where?" asked Marcus.
"He and Nurse Side are the only doctor and assistant in town." Cupcake explained.
"I'm fine! Ah-choo!" Orchid tried to pretend.
"No, you're not." said Marcus. "Come on, let's go to the clinic."
So, the two farmers went to see the doctor and nurse at the clinic, Inside, they saw the doctor working at the front desk, besides wearing a uniform, the doctor has a short black clean cut hair and looked like in his mid 30s.
"Do you have an appointment?" Dr. Where asked.
"No, but my friend here is sick." Marcus explained.
"Sorry, but you need an appointment." the doctor told the farmers.
"Come on!"
"Ha ha, just kidding!" Doctor Where joked. "Bring her in."
"Man, i hate jokes..." Marcus muttered.
"Ms. Side? Are you there?" Dr. Where called.
"Here!" the nurse called as she came out from behind a large filing cabinet. Ms. Side is 60 years old and despite her age, she's still active, fit and healthy because of her job, she wore a 1960s nurse uniform and had gray hair.
"I assume the sick one's the girl?" asked Ms. Side
"Y-(sneeze)-Yeah. How'd you know?" Orchid asked.
"It's all over your face. Literally!" the nurse/midwife answered.
"Huh, Cupcake really noticed it, too." said Marcus.
"Yeah, well, don't trust amateurs." said Ms. Side. "...Now that we've introduced ourselves, it's time for the brain surgery!"
"WHAT?!" Orchid exclaims.
"It's okay, Orchid. She's faking it." Marcus told her.
"Sh-She-sniffle-is?"
Both doctor and nurse laughed hysterically.
"I said it before and I'll say it again-I HATE jokes!" Marcus grumbled.
They stopped after a moment and went to work.
"So, you two are the new farmers, right?" asked Dr. Where.
"Yup!" said Orchid.
"Have you been working hard?"
"Yes."
"Very, VERY hard?"
"Mmm-hmm!"
"Then I can only assume you have a cold due to stress. I'm ordering you stop working until you're better." the doctor ordered.
"But who will water my potatoes?"
"I will." Marcus volunteered .
"But you have a cow to look after!" Orchid pointed out.
"My cow only needs a feeding." Marcus explained. "You worked yourself too hard, putting in extra work! I know you. You know you strain yourself, but do so, anyway. I bet that field has too many crops and you watered them too much, I'LL give them only the regular amount, they'll probably be overwatered, anyhow."
"But-"
"No buts!" Marcus interrupted. "We'll go to the diner for some some lunch and a little fun, THEN you go home and rest."
As they left, the doctor and nurse waved goodbye a bit creepily.
Marcus muttered, "Sheesh, they're worse than that cop and those other girls!"
The two farmers entered the diner. Outside at the outdoor bar, a stand up comedian is on the stage doing his routine. They see Lucas having lunch on one of the booths and Freida talking with the cook.
"Hey, Lucas." Orchid greeted.
"Hey, guys." Lucas greeted back while waving hello.
Freida turned and spotted the two farmers, who then said to them...
"Oh, hi there. Orchid and Marcus, isn't it? We met at the outdoor bar two days ago."
"Of course we have." said Marcus with a smile on his face at the sight of the beautiful waitress.
"Take a seat, i'll be with you in a minute." said Frieda as the two farmers find their seats in one of the booths.
"How are you holding up, Orchid?" Marcus asked.
"I'm fine, Marcus, thanks for checking on me." Orchid answered. "You're right, though, i shouldn't have worked too hard."
Just then, a voice could be heard on the loud speaker. Marcus and Orchid recognized it as Kibo's, so they gone outside to the outdoor bar to check it out.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask for your attention, please! Welcome, everyone to Open Mic Night! Tonight we have none other than the president of the Freestar Islands himself... Tyranus Freestar!"
A spotlight shined on the mic as a man entered with six bodyguards. The president himself was a middle aged man with short brown hair, brown beard, green eyes, wore a gray military uniform decorated with a couple of medals and black boots. The president then gave out a speech...
"Hello everyone! It is an honor to be apart of one of the nation's fun activities in one of our most wonderful towns. But enough talk, let the festivities begin!"
"What is he going to do sing?" Marcus whispered to Orchid as he and Orchid find themselves a seat at a nearby table.
"First off, i should ask: "What do you call a laughing egg? All cracked up!" Tyranus said.
"Oh, no!" Marcus said, putting his hands over his face as the crowd laughed at the joke.
"And do you know what they called a farmer with a sheep under each arm?" asked Tyranus. "A Playboy."
"Oh, that's just low, even to your standards." Marcus said quietly.
The audience laughed again. President Tyranus continued...
"Oh believe me, i would enjoyed life if it weren't for this economic depression, but duty calls and i must help my people through these hard times."
"Yeah, thanks, Mr. President." Marcus said with sarcasm as the crowd applaud.
"Oh, i'm sorry, is there something wrong, sir?" President Tyranus asked Marcus.
"Uh, no offense, sir, but my grandma can crack better jokes than you." Marcus told the president.
"Well, if you think you can do better than me, then go right ahead." said Tyranus.
Marcus gulps and stands up, he tried to leave, but Cupcake and Kibo dragged him up onto the stage. Marcus was anxious and trembling as he spoke through the microphone...
"Uh, hi everybody... Uh, does anyone know why the chicken cross the road?... To get to the "dinosaur at the other side?"
The audience groaned at the other joke while the doctor and nurse yelled "Boo!" Kibo and Cupcake laughed out loud while Sunny tried to cover her mouth. The rest stood by aghast.
"Speaking of egg and chicken jokes, did you know the watermelon came before the egg and not the chicken?"
The audience groaned, booed and shouted at the poor comedian to get off the stage.
"Alright! I think you said enough, let's go!" Kibo called.
She came on stage with two other officers, a man and woman.
"Hey, who are THESE guys? " Marcus said, struggling.
"You didn't think I was the only one looking after things here, did you?" Kibo told the farmer.
"Is it just you guys?" asked Marcus.
"Us and a few other officers." Kibo corrected. "We don't have much funding, so our budget is tight."
Once off the stage, Kibo releases Marcus and before he can go back to his table, Frieda approached him asked...
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Marcus answered. "I can't believe i botched it! I am such a loser!"
Marcus and Frieda see Orchid coming toward them, but then she tripped.
"Although, i'm worried about Orchid." said Marcus as he goes to help Orchid.
Frieda, Markle, Lucas, Dr. Where and Ms. Side all ran toward Orchid to help.
"Are you okay, dear?" asked Frieda.
"Yeah, i'm fine, i just tripped." said Orchid as she sneezes.
"Give me room, please, i'm a doctor." Dr. Where instructed the crowd as he examines Orchid, when he finished, he said... "You should not be here in this condition, you must go home and rest."
"But..."
"Please, listen to the doctor, you're pushing your body too far." Markle interrupted. "Even athletic guys like myself have their limits."
"Please, not now." Lucas told Markle.
"I'll take her home, guys, don't worry." said Marcus as he picks her up.
"Yes, take me home, please." Orchid pleaded.
"I'll come by her house tomorrow to check on her." said Dr. Where.
"Take care of yourselves now, and be more careful in the future." Ms. Side.
"We will, thanks again." said Marcus as he carries his friend home.
"I knew it was a bad idea to come here when i'm sick." said Orchid.
"You think so?" Marcus asked sarcastically but sighs and apologized... "I'm sorry, i'm just a little stressed."
As the five residents watched the farmers walked home, Ms. Side said...
"Poor dear, she should learn not to work so hard."
"Now i am worried, We should go help them tomorrow." said Lucas.
"I'm with you on this." said Markle. "Of course, i do anything for the ladies."
The next morning, Lucas, Markle, and Frieda were standing outside Orchid's house.
"Oh, hi, guys." Marcus greeted them.
"Y-you spent the night at HER house?" Frieda asked.
"Yeah, someone needed to watch over Orchid." Marcus answered.
"Well, no need to do anything e!se. We'll take her to Dr. Where." Lucas volunteered.
"Well, I DON'T think I need help taking her there." said Marcus.
Orchid popped her head out the window and said...
"It's fine, Marcus. I don't mind."
So, the group of friends took the two farmers to the clinic., once they arrived there, they saw Father Juan in the waiting room.
"Father Juan? What brings you here?" asked Orchid.
Juan turned around to look at the gang, who then said...
"Orchid! Marcus! I'm so glad you're here! Follow me!"
The priest led them into a broom closet.
"What the-" but Marcus was interrupted.
"I came to ask for help from the doctor."
"Are you sick?" asked Orchid.
"You know I receive dreams from The Sea God, right? Well He bothers me so much, I decided to take sleeping pills to get rid of those dreams."
"How?" asked Orchid.
"They're strong enough to combat even the strongest of dreams." Father Juan answered.
"But isn't it your job to get those dreams?" Marcus asked.
Father Juan was silent for a second, but then he said...
"...They're more like nightmares, now."
"How can we help?" asked Orchid.
"Orchid!" Marcus exclaimed.
"Actually, you CAN help! You can say a chant while I'm asleep, touch my hands, then go into my dreams for me!" Father Juan told the farmers.
"No way!" said Marcus.
"Sure thing!" said Orchid.
"But Orchid!" Marcus exclaims.
"Father Juan needs us!" Orchid insisted.
"I probably should've told you this before, but since you're the heroes and all, you need to talk to The Sea God eventually." Father Juan explained.
"C'mon, We're NOT heroes." Marcus said.
"But you're both farmers and the LAND does need saving." said Father Juan.
"And we already agreed to help EVERYONE!" said Orchid.
"I agreed to keep this whole thing a secret and to run a farm. NOT save a buncha islands!" Marcus argued.
"Well I'M going to help!" Orchid declared. "If you don't want to help, then get out and go back home!"
"...Fine. If you do it, I guess I'll have to, too." Marcus finally conceded.
"Then, let us begin... But in here. We don't want anyone else to see." said Father Juan
Juan lay on the ground.
"Now repeat after me..."
The priest began to chant in Latin, the farmers followed suit. All three of them soon began to slumber and soon enough, they have entered Father Juan's dream...
To Be Continued...