Two days passed and Leona still had yet to awaken from the deep sleep that she had slipped into once she had stabilized. Wildwing was starting to worry for his teammates.
Tanya spent every free moment that she had with Leona, talking to her and checking her vitals religiously, but Wildwing was starting to see the strain that it was putting on her. He had to bring her food from the kitchen because she refused to leave Leona's side and even when she had the food she barely ate because she was so sick with worry. He would urge her to eat but she would avoid the topic and move her food around on that plat so that it seemed like she had eaten something.
The biggest surprise had been Grin. He meditated next to Leona for hours each day, trying desperately to reach the woman and bring her back to the land of the living, but with each failure he became more and more despondent and instead of his occasional sarcastic comments, Grin rarely spoke. He seemed to be in a deep state of contemplation anytime anyone tried to talk to him.
The low moods of the other ducks were starting to affect Duke, Mallory, and even Nosedive. Wildwing sighed as he stood in the entrance to the common room where Nosedive was morosely flipping through the channels on the TV. All he could do was continue to support his teammates and hope against hope that Leone would awaken soon. Wildwing went over to his brother and ruffled his hair playfully before sitting down next to him to watch a news report. Thankfully the streets of Anaheim had been quiet these past few days. Wildwing cast one more worried glance down the hall towards the infirmary where he knew Tanya and Grin were keeping watch over Leona, before turning back to the TV.
Tanya let out a heavy sigh as she sat next to Leona's still form. She glanced at Grin ascertaining that he was still deep in meditation, and then clasped Leona's limp hand in her own.
"Leona please." she whispered, closing her eyes. "Please come back to me. You can't leave me alone again." she plead with her sister and squeezed her hand three times. It was something that they had come up with when they were children and the older ducks would pick on Tanya. Leona would jump in front of her sister and scare off the bullies despite her small size and lack of muscle. Her words were sharper as a barb. She would then turn to her sister, help her up and squeeze her hand three times. I love you. It was always enough to comfort Tanya and calm down Leona.
Tanya squeezed her hand three more times but there was no response. She sighed and sat up, releasing Leona's hand, but before she could pull away she felt three weak squeezes on her hand. She gasped and scanned Leona's face for any kind of movement but after a few seconds there was nothing. Chalking the event up as lack of sleep and wishful thinking, Tanya's feeble hope was fading just as Grin jerked out of his meditation.
Tanya quickly turned around and began checking the monitors, not wanting Grin to see her feeble emotions.
"Tanya." his deep voice pulled her attention away from the monitors and back to the bed where Leona was sleeping. Except that she wasn't sleeping anymore. Grin was helping her sit up and her bright green eyes were locked on Tanya. Tanya gasped and launched herself at her sister, hugging her as tight as she dared with Leona's still healing wound. While it had progressed rather far, it was still tender.
"Aww didja miss me Taunny?" Leona asked, her voice slightly hoarse from disuse. She was gripping her sister tight and shaking slightly, her body betraying her true emotions behind her playful façade.
Tanya let out a tearful laugh and pulled back from the tight embrace. "Of course I did. Now don't ever pull a stunt like that again. I had to revive you one too many times." she smoothed her sister's hair and checked her over as she spoke.
"Aw c'mon Taunny. I knew that you would save me. My hero." she simpered playfully, laying back on her bed like a damsel in distress.
"Would you like some water?" Grin's deep voice cut through the moment and the sisters turned serious. Tanya got up and went over to the Medicom, setting it to scan Leona's body.
"Sure Big Guy." Leona accepted the glass of water from Grin and sipped it, "What's your name by the way? I don't think we've been properly introduced."
"Grin." he answered, letting his sweet smile through his calm mask. Leona winked at him and rested a small hand on his much larger one.
"Well Grin. Thanks for pulling me out of my head. Next time take a girl to dinner first okay?" she smirked when his cheeks immediately inflamed and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Leona chuckled at his obvious discomfort and went back to drinking her glass of water.
"Okie dokie Leona. Everything looks pretty good but you uh... need to be on bed rest for a couple of days until your incision fully heals and your body rec- recup- gets better." Tanya announced, a big smile on her face.
Leona pouted and opened her mouth to protest but Tanya held up a hand to halt her protests. "You will stay in this bed and I'm gonna keep an eye on you." she said sternly, and Leona pouted but raised no further protests.
"I shall inform the others that Leona is awake. I am certain that they will be happy to hear the news." Grin said as he stood up and walked out of the infirmary. Leona watched him go appreciatively, eyeing his muscular form.
"Leona Vanderflock!" Tanya gasped and narrowed her gaze at her sister, "Did I just catch you checking Grin out?!"
"Yes ma'am." Leona giggled and winked at her sister. Tanya rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the smile that appeared on her face.
"You're insane." she teased.
"But you love me that way." Leona shot back and finished her glass of water. Tanya just hummed noncommittally and pretended to check the monitors.
Throughout the rest of the day, Leona became acquainted with each of the Mighty Ducks.
When she met Mallory she could easily determine that the fiery tempered duck held military chain of command in high regard, but wasn't afraid to let loose and go shopping every once in awhile. She also learned from Duke that he used to be the most notorious thief on Puckworld, but changed his ways to fight Dragaunus. Nosedive left the strong impression that he was impulsive and immature, but very likeable. Leona easily got along with the rambunctious teenager but she got tired easily in her weakened state and needed a nap after he came to visit.
Leona awoke slowly and saw Tanya busily tinkering with her Omnitool at a nearby desk. She heard the infirmary doors open but kept still so as not to be noticed. A handsome white duck entered her vision and hurried over to Tanya. He began stripping off his armor until he was standing there in an aqua-colored jumpsuit.
"So Wildwing, you finally decided to come in for your armor upgrades huh?" Tanya put her omnitool back on and put her hands on her hips, giving Wildwing one of her famous disapproving glares.
He smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry Tanya. We've been busy lately and-"
"No excuses." Tanya shook her head at him but gave him a small smile to let him know that she wasn't really angry with him. When he saw her smile, Wildwing relaxed and stepped closer to her. He put a hand on her arm and her undivided attention turned to him.
"How is your sister doing?" he asked and Tanya sighed.
"She's stubborn but she'll be fine in uh… a couple of days I'm sure." she gave Wildwing a tentative smile and Leona almost gasped. She hadn't seen her sister look at a male duck like that in years.
"And you? How are you doing?" Wildwing's hand slid down to her elbow, gently resting against her arm. Tanya started to blush and looked down, away from the intense gaze of Wildwing.
"Oh I'm fine now." she brushed off his concern but Leona could tell that she was soaking it up at the same time. Wildwing smiled and Leona chose that moment to loudly groan and open her eyes fully. Wildwing slowly released Tanya's arm as Leona sat up and looked around.
"Oh hello Wildwing." she said sleepily, yawning once more. "It's good to see you again."
"You too Leona." he seemed flustered; like he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. "I hear that you're feeling better."
"Much better. Thanks to Taunny." she used her sister's pet name on purpose, knowing how much she loved to be called by it.
"Taunny?" Wildwing looked confused and Leona smirked at her blushing sister.
"That's just Tanya's nickname." Leona said casually, but her plan was already in action.
"I like it." Wildwing said softly as he looked over Tanya. "I'll see you two later at dinner. Tanya, remember that we have practice tonight too. Big game tomorrow night." With that he walked out. As soon as he left, Leona's gaze whipped around to her sister who was glaring at her, her cheeks still red with embarrassment.
"Tanya Gertrude Vanderflock! You've got a big old crush on leader boy don't you!" She exclaimed and Tanya just got redder in her embarrassment.
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response." Tanya evaded her and went over to Wildwing's armor, getting to work on the upgrades and maintenance.
Leona settled back in her bed, and wondered where Grin was and why he hadn't come to visit her like the other ducks had. As if on cue, Grin chose that moment to walk through the infirmary doors and over to her bed.
"Hey Big Guy." Leona perked up and patted the chair next to her bed. "Come chat with me." Grin nodded and walked over to where Leona had indicated.
"How are you feeling?" was all Grin asked, and Leona launched into a tirade about how Tanya refused to let her up out of bed and how her sister was sooo mean. Tanya glanced back at them, intending to hush Leona so she wouldn't annoy the peaceful duck that she was chatting with, but Grin was hanging on her every word, an eager look on his face.
Leona bounced around from topic to topic and when she finally took a breath she grilled Grin for every detail about their hockey careers since that had landed on the planet. Grin launched into the tail of their destruction of Dragaunus's central tower on Puckworld and all of their adventures up until that point. Including their experiences with energy creatures, other dimensions, Dr. Droid and the dinosaurs. Leona listened to him speak with rapt attention, and by the time Grin got to the present in his story, Leona was asleep on her bed, peacefully resting.
Grin and Tanya carefully turned out the lights and walked out of the infirmary and to the main room to eat dinner. Leona slept on through dinner and the rest of the night, her body recuperating faster with the help of the sleep.
The next morning in the hallway, Tanya stopped Grin on his way to the main room. "Can you uh… keep an eye on Leona for me while I run to Lectric Land for some uh… supplies?"
"Of course Tanya." Grin nodded and Tanya smiled at him as she ran towards the Migrator.
"Be careful Grin! She's pretty sneaky and very uh… stubborn." she laughed and disappeared into the cargo bay.
Grin shrugged and headed towards the infirmary, "How hard can it be?" he muttered to himself. He froze as he entered the infirmary and found Leona's bed empty.
"Oh crap." he groaned and took off, searching every inch of the Pond for her but finding nothing. He took the elevator up to the locker room and opened every locker, finding no trace of her. He opened Tanya's locker and noticed that her spare skates and her practice gear were missing. Putting on his own skates, Grin hurried out to the rink where he finally found Leona shooting pucks into the goal.
"Leona this is not wise in your condition." he said as he skated out onto the ice and tried to catch her, but she sped away from him, gliding effortlessly over the ice.
"Aww c'mon Big Guy. This is such a nice rink you guys got here and it reminds me of home. It's prefect for practice!" she twirled around on the ice and shot the puck at the goal, making a perfect shot.
Accepting what he must do, Grin skated over to her and swept the unsuspecting duck off of her feet and into his arms. She dropped the hockey stick that she had been holding and it clattered noisily on the ice. Grin remained stoic as he carried the pouting duck back into the locker room where he slid off his own skates without dropping her and then carried her to the elevator.
"I'm sorry Grin." she mumbled as they waited for the elevator to reach the base entrance.
"Why are you sorry?" Grin looked down at her in confusion and Leon sighed, resting her head against his chest sadly.
"I'm sorry that I'm such a burden." she whispered and Grin tightened his hold on her. The doors opened before he could reply and he began walking back to the infirmary.
"You are not a burden." Grin rumbled, looking down at her seriously. "You are a gift. To Tanya, to all of us." he set her down on the bed and busied himself with taking off her skates for her.
"Thanks Grin." Leona whispered after a few minutes and Grin nodded sagely in response. Once all of her hockey gear was removed and she was in her combat pants and a hospital gown she lay back down on the bed and chatted with Grin. They stopped so that she could eat some lunch but continued on well into the afternoon.
Leona tired out quickly, especially after her escapade on the ice that morning, and when she started to doze, Grin stood up and made to leave. Leona quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Would you mind waiting with me until I fall asleep?" she asked sleepily, a hopeful look on her face. Grin found that he couldn't resist and sat next to her.
"I shall meditate as you fall asleep Leona." he acquiesced and sat down. He didn't for one second let go of her hand.
Hours later when Tanya and the rest of the team walked into the infirmary looking for Grin the found the two still holding hands. Leona was sleeping peacefully and Grin was meditating.
"Awww it's a Kodak moment!" Nosedive snickered and used his com to take a few pictures before Wildwing pulled him back and Duke walked over to Grin. As soon as he got close, the gentle giant's eyes snapped open and focused on the snickering group in front of him.
"You have returned." he said matter-of-factly and stood, Leona's hand falling from his. In seconds she was awake, looking up at all of them with hooded, sleepy eyes.
"Oh hey guys." she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Man I must have slept forever. Next time I get the bright idea to play some hockey don't let me." she mumbled and sat up, getting comfortable.
"YOU. DID. WHAT?!" Tanya roared when she finally absorbed what Leona had said. She marched over to her guilty looking sister and glared down at her as she set the Medicom to run diagnostic tests. "Of all the irre- irrespon- dumb things to you had to play hockey!" she ranted and visually checked her sister over.
"But Tanya I-" Leona tried to explain but shut her beak when Tanya gave her a deadly glare. She lifted up her sister's hospital gown and inspected her incision. Leona blushed at the sudden reveal of her stomach and the gentlemen all looked away politely, Grin with bright red cheeks to accompany his embarrassment.
"Everything looks okay but if you want to heal anytime soon you better stay in this bed." She gave her sister a stern look.
"Yes mom." Leona said sarcastically and stuck her tongue out at her.
"Honestly." Tanya rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. She injected the painkiller into Leona's arm and then rewrapped her bandages around her stomach. She replaced the hospital gown and tucked Leona back into the bed.
"What time is it Tanya?" Wildwing asked, moving closer to her side. Leona smirked at him briefly and then winked at Tanya who immediately became flustered. She glanced at her omnitool and her eyes widened.
"Time to get m-moving if we wanna make the game." she said and turned around to head out of the infirmary but almost collided with Wildwing whose face was inches away from hers. She gulped nervously and the two stared at each other awkwardly until Duke cleared his throat. Wildwing quickly stepped back and headed for the exit.
"Tanya can I watch your game on the TV?" Leona pleaded with her sister. "I'll be good I promise." she took her sisters hand and squeezed it three times while hitting her simultaneously with her puppy dog look.
"Ah fine." Tanya squeezed back and then walked over to turn on the TV near the bed. The pregame was on and Leona waved to the team as the headed out to the rink.
It was a few minutes before the final buzzer, and the Pond was filled to the brim with screaming fans. The rink went almost silent as the fans held their breath for the Mighty Ducks' final play. Tanya had the puck, and she and Mallory began to pass it back and forth, all the while moving to the opposite ends of the rink. At Duke's signal, Mallory forwarded the puck to him, where he began to circle the goal. Then he saw Nosedive coming on fast, and as planned he passed it to him. Nosedive shot across the short space of ice left towards his goal, and slammed the puck into their opponent's goal. The crowds went wild and the sound of the final buzzer could barely be heard over them. The ducks met in the center of the rink and lifted their hockey sticks so they clashed together.
"DUCKS ROCK!" the crowd roared.
Phil immediately went down to the Ducks' underground headquarters to head them off after the final buzzer. He was determined that this time Wildwing and the rest of the team would participate in one of the many publicity stunts that he had lined up.
As he was walking past the corridor that led to the infirmary, he saw a light at the end of it, and heard a TV. He cautiously walked down the hallway, wondering who could possibly be there.