Chapter 4 – The Things We Do For Love.
It was a new day in Headquarters and Disgust woke up feeling very excited. She was in the mood for some serious retail therapy today!
After that fiery little squabble between Anger and herself yesterday, Disgust had given their relationship some careful consideration and she finally arrived at the conclusion that the two of them need to spend some time away from each other…at least occasionally!
They had practically been glued to one another for the past week and Disgust realized that she needed to give Anger some space every now and then if she wanted to avoid similar confrontations in the future.
Disgust sighed as she sat down on the edge of her bed and began putting on her favorite shoes. She glanced down at her "formally" injured foot and wiggled her toes experimentally before slipping on her shoe. Even though her foot was perfectly fine by now, she had been pretending that she was still hurt until quite recently because she craved the care and attention she had been receiving from Anger following her D.I.Y mishap!
But since their fight yesterday, Disgust knew that it was time to drop the act. She didn't want Anger to think that their relationship was based on lies! She really did love him and she didn't want him to feel like she had been using him all this time purely to satisfy her desire for attention!
That's why Disgust had concocted a plan to show Anger just how much he means to her. She knew that she would never be able to convince him to go shopping with her on Fashion Island, so she decided that she would go by herself and surprise him by picking out a stylish new outfit for her beloved!
Disgust smiled to herself happily as she finished putting on her shoes. She got up and retrieved her handbag from the closet before pausing in front of her new mirror to make sure her makeup was perfect. Then she headed out her room with a purposeful air about her stride.
She couldn't stop thinking about the funky clothes she was going to buy for Anger! As much as she adored Anger the way he was, there was certainly a lot of room for improvement and Disgust knew just the thing to help make him look a little more visually appealing…
She remembered seeing a gorgeous black leather jacket the last time she went to Fashion Island and she thought it would look perfect on her man!
And while she's there, she would buy him a nice shirt to go with it as well as some lovely dresses for herself! No trip to Fashion Island would be complete without stocking up on some of the hottest new trends…
When I'm through with him, Anger is going to look so sexy in his new outfit! She thought to herself with a sly smile.
As soon as she reached the main room Disgust found Joy, Sadness and Fear already busy working at the console. There was no sign of Anger yet, so she assumed that he must have overslept this morning.
Disgust walked over to the other three Emotions and greeted them amicably before telling them that if Anger asks about her whereabouts by any chance, to let him know that she went shopping and she would be gone for a few hours.
Joy nodded and responded with an upbeat, "Okeydokey!"
Sadness and Fear just shrugged in disinterest and turned their attentions back to the console as Disgust activated the Recall Tube and stepped inside.
XXX
About half an hour after Disgust left for Fashion Island, Anger emerged from his room with a tool belt strapped around his midsection.
"Hey, is she gone?" The red Emotion whispered as he waddled up to the console to join the others.
Sadness nodded unenthusiastically. "Yes. She went shopping and she wanted us to tell you that she'll be gone for a few hours." She replied in a melancholy voice.
"Oh perfect!" Anger said as a wide grin spread across his face. "That gives me plenty of time to finish the little surprise I have planned for her!"
Joy stroked her chin with one hand as she regarded the red Emotion thoughtfully. "I hope whatever it is, it's something nice…you know how fussy she can be!"
Anger rubbed his hands together and chuckled excitedly. "Oh trust me! I think she's gonna love this! I've made this nice little wooden shelf especially for her, and I intend to hang next to her new mirror so she can keep all her cosmetics and lotions close by when she gets up every morning!"
Sadness nodded in agreement as she listened to Anger's explanation. "You're right Anger. I bet Disgust will love that."
The blue Emotion looked down at the floor and gave a gloomy sigh as she added, "You were a bit nasty to her yesterday, so I think you should do something nice to make it up to her…"
"Oh, but Disgust certainly gave as good as she got!" Joy chuckled, giving Sadness a friendly fist bump on the arm.
Fear was wringing his hands together nervously as he regarded Anger with thoughtfulness.
Finally he stepped forward and offered with a half-hearted shrug, "If you need any help putting that shelf up Anger, let me know…"
Anger rolled his eyes and mumbled sarcastically, "That will be the day…when I actually need your help Beanpole!"
With that, Anger turned and marched off in the direction of Disgust's room. The other three Emotions watched his departing back until he disappeared around the corner before letting out a collective sigh of relief. It appears that everything was working out just fine between Anger and Disgust today and all of them could carry on with their work in peace!
XXX
Unfortunately, the peace turned out to be very short-lived…
Soon the sound of loud hammering, interspersed with the occasional swear word was ringing throughout Headquarters as Anger set about installing his little "surprise" for Disgust.
Joy, Sadness and Fear gazed in the direction of the ruckus warily. They all appreciated that Anger was really trying to go out of his way to impress Disgust and everyone was grateful that the romance between their two co-workers seemed to be thriving…
But why is that everything those two did for each other had to be so loud?! Couldn't Anger have just given Disgust some flowers and treated her to a nice romantic dinner instead of turning Headquarters into a noisy construction site?!
Suddenly, a tremendous BANG reverberated down the hall followed by a sharp cry of pain from Anger. Joy, Sadness and Fear looked at one another quizzically as an eerie silence ominously replaced the din that had echoed throughout Headquarters moments earlier…
Sadness sniffled and gave a shuddering gasp as she wondered out loud, "I'm happy with the way I look…trying to look beautiful sounds very painful!"
Joy and Fear exchanged a brief worried look before simultaneously running off towards Disgust's room to investigate what had happened. Sadness sighed dismally and waddled after the other two Emotions half-heartedly.
The three of them reached Disgust's room and pushed open the door to discover Anger lying on the floor with a dazed look on his face. The shelf he had been trying to put up, was hanging crookedly by one end next to the mirror and there was a wooden chair knocked over on its side next to the red Emotion.
As they came closer to their fallen co-worker, they noticed a rather nasty gash on the back of his head that was bleeding steadily. Anger didn't appear to notice his shocked co-workers as they gathered around him in a half circle…he was too busy writhing in pain and clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.
There was a very pronounced dent clearly visible in the bedpost closest to him...
Joy knelt down beside her injured co-worker, her blue eyes wide with panic. "Anger! What happened in here?! Are you alright?!" She exclaimed worriedly.
Anger groaned in pain and nodded towards the lopsided shelf as he grumbled, "Stupid shelf! Stupid chair! Stupid Anger! I'm too darn short! I should have used a ladder but instead I ended up falling off that chair!"
The red Emotion winced as he rubbed his left shoulder gingerly. "I think I hit my shoulder on the bedpost…its killing me!"
Sadness began sobbing quietly as she reached out and touched Anger's hand. "Oh poor Anger! You must have hit your head hard against the floor…you're bleeding!"
"I-I am?" Anger asked in confusion. He reached over with his right hand and touched the back of his head cautiously.
Surely enough, he saw that his fingers were stained with blood and he gave a woozy moan. "I guess that explains why I feel a little dazed…"
Fear was watching his red co-worker with pity. "I told you to call me if you needed help hanging that shelf Anger!"
"Call you for help?! You would be nothing but a hindrance to me Beanpole!" Anger snapped irritably.
Fear looked understandably hurt by Anger's harsh accusations. But before he could come up with a suitable response, he was interrupted by Joy's hand touching his forearm.
"Fear, maybe you could be helpful right now…" Joy took a deep breath and suggested calmly, "Could you run down to the Mind World Clinic and see if Nurse Betty is available? We'll need a trained professional to assess Anger's injuries."
"I can go…" Sadness volunteered gloomily.
Joy tried to give her blue co-worker an encouraging smile as she insisted gently, "No Sadness. I need you to stay here and help me keep an eye on Anger until medical assistance arrives."
She nodded at Fear and pointed out helpfully, "Fear is the fastest out of all of us! He'll be back with help sooner than if either you or I went."
Sadness sighed and nodded in understanding. "You're right I guess…"
"Don't worry Joy. Running fast is what I do best! I'll be back in no time!" Fear promised as he turned and hurried out the room towards the Recall Tube.
Joy watched him leave with a relieved smile.
Then she glanced at Sadness apologetically as she thought, "If Sadness went at her slow pace, anyone in need of medical attention would die and decompose by the time help arrived!"
XXX
Meanwhile, Disgust was having a blast on Fashion Island! She managed to find a lovely white cotton shirt to go with Anger's new black leather jacket. She even picked up a red bandana that she intended to put around his neck for some extra flair!
All she could think about was how cool and handsome her man was going to look in these stylish new threads as she arrived back at Headquarters on a high.
But she was very surprised to find a somber mood waiting to greet her upon her return. Joy was looking unusually serious as she worked at the console and guided Riley through History class.
Fear was pacing around the room with a cup of tea in his hand, but he seemed too anxious to drink it at the moment.
Sadness appeared to be even more miserable than usual. She was lying facedown on the floor near the Mind Manuals, a small puddle of tears visible around her inert form. Her face was completely obscured by her blue hair and the only signs of life coming from her was the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
And most worryingly of all, Anger was still nowhere to be seen in the room…
Disgust approached the others hesitantly, a concerned expression on her face as she ventured nervously, "Hey guys? Why are you all looking so serious? Did something happen to Riley while I was out?"
Sadness lifted her head from the floor and uttered in a shaky voice, "A-Anger got hurt!"
"WHAT?!" Disgust exclaimed, dropping her shopping bags in disbelief.
She glanced around the room frantically, her voice rising in panic as she demanded, "Is he alright?! Where is he now?!"
Before anyone could answer, Disgust took off and sprinted up to Anger's room, her heart pounding fast with worry for him. She flung open the door to his room and found him propped up in bed. He slowly turned to look at her and Disgust saw that his head was wrapped in a bandage while his left arm was resting in a sling across his chest.
Disgust ran over to him with tears in her eyes. "Oh my darling! Are you okay?! What happened to you?!" She sobbed hysterically, throwing her arms around him and hugging him protectively.
Anger grunted in discomfort as she accidentally pressed his injured shoulder with her palm.
"I'm not too bad now…I was given some strong painkillers that made me feel quite happy actually!" He assured her half-jokingly.
He gave a lighthearted chuckle and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Apparently, I cracked my head open and dislocated my shoulder…but apart from that, I've never felt better!"
Disgust was staring at him with her mouth open in shock. "But how could that have happened?!"
Suddenly she narrowed her eye at the red Emotion in scrutiny and punched him softly on his good shoulder. "I left you alone for only a few hours and you went ahead and did something dangerous!"
Anger chuckled sheepishly and corrected, "Actually it wasn't that dangerous…I got injured through my own reckless stupidity!"
He patted her hand affectionately, his amber-colored eyes full of admiration as he confessed, "I just wanted to surprise you by putting up a handy storage shelf next to your mirror for all your cosmetics."
"But I guess I'm too short!" He mumbled in frustration. "I should have used a stepladder instead of a wobbly chair…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Disgust leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. Anger stared at her in bewilderment as she slowly pulled away and whispered sweetly, "Oh my big, little man! You really need to stop spoiling me!"
As she spoke, Disgust caressed his bandaged head fondly. Her emerald-green eyes were filled with concern as she said, "The last thing I want to see is you getting yourself hurt just to impress me!"
Anger was speechless as he gazed into her captivating eyes adoringly. Disgust gave him a sweet smile and kissed his cheek affectionately.
The other three Emotions were watching the touching moment from the doorway. Disgust glanced up at them and a big smile of gratitude formed on her face as her gaze settled on Fear.
"I guess I have Fear to thank for patching you up?" She speculated softly.
Before Fear could answer, Sadness stepped forward and explained naively, "Actually it was a Mind Worker nurse that did it. Joy wanted a professional to look after Anger, since Fear only knows some basic first aid and he's not a doctor…"
"Yeah! I had the nurse give Anger a careful check over and she assured us that he'll be fine after a few days." Joy affirmed with a pleased smile.
"Did she now…?" Disgust asked with a note of bitterness creeping into her voice. The green Emotion turned her attention back to Anger and ventured suspiciously, "And this nurse…was she young and pretty by any chance?"
Anger gave an exaggerated snort and replied, "Not at all! I may have been a little dazed at the time, but I seem to recall that she was old, very wrinkly and had gray hair…"
"Oh no! There must be something wrong with my eyes!" Sadness exclaimed in genuine concern. "My glasses are not good anymore because to me, that nurse looked young and pretty even if she was a Mind Worker!"
Sadness started to sob as she stuttered, "I-I guess I can't see well…!"
She turned and ran to her room with her face buried in her hands as Joy and Fear exchanged anxious looks.
Disgust's brow furrowed in a deep frown. "Anger…" She glared down at her red co-worker and growled through clenched teeth, "How come I get the feeling that Sadness' recollection about that nurse is more accurate than yours?!"
She grabbed his necktie in one hand and gave it a firm tug as she prompted, "Was the nurse pretty or not? And don't you dare lie to me!"
Anger coughed and spluttered as she choked him with his own tie. His eyes betrayed his guilt as he wheezed, "Well…I suppose she may have been a little on the attractive side…"
He felt Disgust's grip on his necktie tighten ever so slightly. He gasped and insisted innocently, "But then I was in a lot of pain and under strong medication…so I can't say for sure!"
To his intense relief, Disgust finally loosened her grip on his tie. Her eyes were softly teasing as she said, "Well from now on, I'm going to be the only nurse looking after you Mister!"
A smile of fondness appeared on her face. "You looked after me so well while I was injured, so now it's time for me to return the favor!"
With that, Disgust got up and gently fluffed the pillows behind Anger's back. He watched her every move with pure adoration, his discomfort temporarily forgotten as he decided to make the most out of all the attention she promised to give him.
Oh yes! I can get used to this... Anger thought with a content smile on his face.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Well it looks like the shoe is on the other foot now! It's time for Disgust to look after Anger for a change and I'm sure she'll be one excellent nurse…
See what happens when those two try to surprise each other with special gifts? It just goes to show that sometimes people (and Emotions too!) will do all sorts of crazy things for love :)
I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story so far! I also want to send out a very warm thank you to RoseEmbers99, Orangebird124 and Tripledent for those awesome reviews throughout the story :)
That's all for now! Stay tuned for the next and final chapter as the Brickoli romance reaches its explosive (but heartwarming) climax!
Svinorita.