DanceDream: Hiya, dear reader. (You are one of my absolute favs. Always look forward to your reviews and chuckle like crazy sometimes when I read what you put down in the review!) Yeah, Eggman was so madly fun to write. And sadly I will never type a situation like that ever again in my life, but stories are always different and show change, and there's always gotta be something new! And Eggman certainly won't be forgetting that day soon! Sadly, there is still some suspence in this chapter and not a whole lot answered. However, chapter 11 DOES reveal all, pretty much. There was so much to fit into 'this' chapter, and struggled where to reasonably end it for the next one! Otherwise it would have been even longer! Yes, the Thorndyke's are pretty worried to death. At least Sonic is in a safe environment now, but it's all down to where things go from here. Well, DanceDream, have an awesome Christmas. It is a really special day, and it's a shame it goes so fast. Oh and Happy New Year too! You take care, and I'll speak to you next year! XD
Storm337: LOL! You'll never be able to look at your language teacher the same way again! XD Eggman is everywhere!
KhallieGurl: So, so glad I could provide a fanfiction that meets your needs, because here on FFN, that's all that really matters. I'm really glad I chose the Sonic X Universe for this, because it wouldn't have worked so well if I had used any others, and despite the show's flaws, it is the best currently out there, and something I will always come back to. I love the whole 'family' environment they have in the show, and the overall personality of the characters. So for I'll Be Right Here, I always try and make it feel like an episode. And I am so proud to have SFCMD! ^_^
This chapter is dedicated to KhallieGurl.
X
Chapter 10:
"I know, Amy." Tails paced the long, white waiting hall with restless steps. Even his twin tails erratically twirled together, only to unwind then re-curl in a consistent pattern that reflected his anxiety even when he tried to obliterate it from his voice. He had burrowed Christopher's phone and rang home to keep Amy and Cream up to date. It was only fair. They were worrying at home, having known that the rest of the family almost fell out of the house at once to rush to the hospital. They knew little of nothing to what was going on, and it was best to inform them. After all, they couldn't be here right now, which was probably for the best. The last thing Sonic needed right now was her company. But even as he thought this, he regretted it. Amy sounded genuinely worried and upset. She reflected how he felt inside. Cut up and sorrowful. If she would have been here now, she wouldn't disturb Sonic's rest at all. She'd know just how serious it was, and thus react as such to the situation. She was old enough not to panic or grab Sonic in rough, careless hugs.
"Did you find out what happened to the X-Tornado?" She asked next down the line. Her words were shrill. Shivery with concern. She was probably in the lounge, pacing like he was. Nursing over a hot chocolate to slake off some of the shaky nerves with Cream sitting worriedly on the sofa. Sonic had inadvertently put them all in this situation. Ironic really. The most selfless creature in the world who didn't want to worry a thing had put them all at their wit's end. And this was only the beginning.
"No, not yet. I assume Eggman has it, since he's the one who brought Sonic in."
"I still can't get over that it was him that helped!" He heard Amy reply. "What kind of sicko is he?"
"I'm not sure myself, but I'm really too thankful to confront him about it yet either. That can wait. What's important is that Sonic is safe and secure. He looks...better. I watched him sleeping. I think he's going to be okay." Though Dr. Clover's raging undertone as she spoke to the rest of Sonic's family made him know this wasn't strictly so.
"I want to come over."
"Not at the moment. We're hoping Sonic will only be here a day or two. So we're staying over, even if it means taking a nap in the public cafeteria all night." He heard her sigh. A lost, frustrated rebuke to his explanations.
"Well, okay, Tails. But you had better ring me as soon as you get another update or if he wakes, you hear me? I don't care what time of the night or morning it is! Call me!"
Tails rolled his eyes and nodded even if the expression went unknown to her. "Sure thing, Amy. You'll be the first to know."
"Are you going to let Knuckles know anything about this?"
"I see no reason why we should. Anyway he's done his part and I don't want to...annoy him. Besides, he has his own phone now. If he wants to know how we're doing, he can call."
"Okay. This is going to be the longest night in my life."
"Mine too."
They said their goodbyes and Tails regretfully hung up. He looked up at the cheap, plastic clock on the wall above the double exit doors. 9:20pm. Time crawled. Irreversibly. Sometimes the kitson swore the minute hand only crept backwards.
With a huff of rue and despair, he went back into the doctor's warm office. His family hadn't moved from where he had left them. Chuck was taking in everything Dr. Chelsey was saying, and then adding in his own knowledge every now and then, albeit woodenly. Chris sat like a paralyzed mannequin on his chair, back to the wall. Face shadowed despite the artificial lighting. It was clear that he was finding this all hard to take in. Tails had felt faint earlier and had to leave the room. Had to occupy himself with something to keep his mind off it, so he called up Amy. The reasons weren't to reassure her. That benefit was only secondary. The reason for calling was only to calm himself. And it had worked for about fifteen seconds. Now he was back in the chaos. He waited by the door.
Dr. Eggman didn't even acknowledge his brief departure. He sat in the furthest corner, still wearing his odd disguise. Arms folded as per usual in a defensive manner that did not entirely suit him.
Chelsey regarded Tails sparingly for a few seconds, mostly still fascinated and slightly daunted by his alien appearance to her. Then she forced her glance away and settled it back on Chuck. "We don't know for sure yet. He's going to need to undergo a few tests to determine the extent of the damage. But first we need to generalize his body's chemistry. What he's allergic too and so on. I suggest we leave him to rest tonight before we start anything at dawn. I also suggest we leave the questioning for later. I don't want to distress him. However, what I am most disappointed with is his clear indication of neglect. How you have got him so dehydrated is beyond me. Not only that but he feels underweight. What is his normal weight exactly?"
"We all love Sonic very much." Chuck defended at once, speaking for all of them (excluding Mr. Smith). He remained defiant despite her grilling. "If he decides to dig holes under the blazing summer sun whilst vomiting, yes, of course he's going to be dehydrated! His odd behaviour had everyone confused."
"If you noticed such 'odd behaviour' as you put it, why didn't you get help for him sooner?"
"We weren't sure. Some days he seemed fine... it's complicated, doctor."
"Did you provide him with enough to eat all times of the day?"
"Well, yes of course! We...we mostly leave it for him to sort out. He knows where the food is kept."
Chelsey looked even less impressed. The more Chuck strove to defend them, the more surreal and terrifying this ordeal was becoming for all involved. Even Eggman had been grilled. Eggman. Grilled by a mere woman. But he too seemed cowed. He had barely spoken unless questioned. Tails wasn't sure if Eggman would decide to leave...or stay as soon as the interrogation was over.
"Well, his dehydration's been halted. The machines will keep him stable and comfortable. Then he'll be strong enough to undergo the tests. But first I'm going to need to question him and see where he stands in all of this."
Chuck hung his head. "Yes doctor."
"Now," the female doctor said, settling Chris especially with hard, curious eyes, "what happened exactly in the warehouse on that day? You were the only one present, correct? Start from the beginning and take your time."
The boy looked quickly at Chuck and then Tails, seeking mental support. He shortly explained what had transpired. The machinery exploding (he left the part out about Eggman) and how Sonic saved him from injury. "I had to race back in to find him." Chris continued as he uncomfortably recounted the tale. "It was dark in there. Fire and smoke everywhere. I found him, but he was out cold."
"How long had he been unconscious for?"
"I don't know."
"Had he stopped breathing at all?"
"Yeah, he had." He complied, eyes gazing at the floor.
"For how long?"
She was adamant to get all the information she needed. Tails was more than happy to wait in the sidelines, content for once not to be involved simply because he'd break down like the cub he was and shoot out of the room in front of all of them, including Eggman. It was also cruelly ironic how even Eggman himself was here, hearing the story from Sonic's side. He had obviously got out unharmed through possible ejection, and had not realized what simple leaking gas and fire could do to a hedgehog. Yes, it was painful hearing Chris recount what had transgressed, but it was vital information nonetheless.
"I don't know." Chris fiddled with his hands in his lap. "It was all happening so fast!" His voice choked up. Chuck pressed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Maybe four minutes...maybe more, maybe less."
"And his symptoms after?"
Chris hid his face away behind his hands. Tails wasn't sure if it was mere grief that had sent Chris off, or guilt, or both. So Chuck answered for him; "regretfully, Sonic wavered in and out of consciousness for some time, and he had a heavy seizure during the very next day after the incident. We called for professional help from one of his personal friends. And yes, he seemed better after that. But then he started developing odd behaviour."
"Go on."
Chuck explained in more detail the holes Sonic fervently dug in the summer afternoons. The heavy vomiting spells and the frequent, haphazard way he walked. Tails had to join his voice to the appeal and told her the washing machine incident, his deafness and the way he acted towards Christopher. But one of his more distressing symptoms was the way he spent an age staring at either a patch on the carpet or the way he gazed at the garden solidly for minutes on end.
'Mr. Smith' remained silent throughout.
Chelsey doted the last few notes down on paper. She could not evaluate anything just yet. It felt like a detective case, where she would then need to work out what was wrong, what was normal, and if Sonic's behaviour was indeed something to worry about. Right now, she had nothing to go on but his family's confession.
"Well, that'll be all for tonight. I presume you'll be staying over?"
Chuck left the hard, uncomfortable chair. "I had better fill up the meter in the car park."
Tails watched them all file out the room. Eggman taking the rear. He did not stop to speak with the two-tailed fox. Though Sonic's circumstances weren't anyone's fault, Chelsey was only doing her job by grilling them. It was only natural to assume that some external factor had been the result of Sonic's physical deterioration and not of his own doing, like his loss of weight and severe dehydration. It was good to have a human medical doctor care so much, of which she did. Wanting to get to the bottom of this mess and make Sonic immediately well again even if it had resurfaced memories Chris especially wanted to be rid of.
XXX
Sonic spilled from his dreams in foggy confusion. He blinked twice, realizing that he had stopped dreaming, or so he assumed. He was looking up at a white, high ceiling that was not speckled in cracks like the ones in Chris's room. The sheets were tight over his body. He could hear activity not far from him, perhaps outside the room. Lots of footfalls. The sliding shut of doors. The murmur of people. He swivelled his ears downward, and the noises disappeared. The air was pungent with alien smells he naturally did not like. But amongst the smells of unsettling certainty was a familiar scent. It took him back to home. Where the grass was thick and cumbersome. Where the trees poured upwards to meet the sky and the mountains were the monoliths of fortitude and adventure.
His ears drew forwards, and he levelled his gaze downward, bottom of his chin touching the thick, white sheets. Tails sat at his immediate right-hand side on a little plastic chair. He was holding his hand, but for some reason Sonic was too numb to feel his touch. There was an ugly catheter that looked like it had been drilled into his wrist, and the numbness explained it. He was attached to an IV. Tails' eyes never wavered from his thickly confused ones.
"Hiya, bro. Good to see you." Tails broke out to him.
"Where am I?" He took another brief look around him, hoping to see an answer. He was in a hospital room, this much he gathered. But the room was only lit by a dim light above them. The corners and machinery were feathered in premature darkness.
"Newbury Hospital. Guess who took you here?"
Sonic levelled his eyes back at Tails again. This was not good. He was in a place he didn't know. It made little sense. Why a hospital? He wasn't sick or injured. "Buddy, why am I here? Have I been...kidnapped? You too?"
"No, silly!" Tails took a moment to gather himself. "Eggman brought you in. He was worried about you."
"Eggman?"
"Yes!"
"So we've been kidnapped by him?"
He discerned Tails draw back a little, face moulding into a frowned smile. "You haven't been kidnapped. You're safe here, in the hospital. Chuck and Chris are waiting outside. We can't allow anymore than one person in here. There's gotta be room at all times for the staff in case... well, never mind that. What matters is that we're together again."
Sonic studied him for a moment, trying to comprehend what Tails had verbally delivered. Like pieces in a puzzle coming together to reveal the overall picture, he remembered. He had gone to see Eggman. Had gone to deal with him as only he knew how best to do it. He got there using the X-Tornado. The X-Tornado...that blew up. Tears overcame him. They came from nowhere in particular, but all at once he was consumed by regret and the unsettling sadness he did not like.
"Hey, Sonic, you okay? You're...you're crying..."
"Hey, Tails... your plane. I had an accident. I sorta...blew it up." For a tiny moment Sonic wanted to turn away. And not beguile himself by watching Tails' reaction unfold. But he couldn't turn away from it all, and pretend to ignore what was there. So he decided to face Tails' misery. He deserved all the hate one could give. But Tails' reaction immeasurably surprised him. Anger did not dawn on his brow. Disrespect did not foil his temper. He merely slid a hand beneath Sonic's back and forced him upwards and against him in an embrace. He allowed himself to be moved into his arms, body a little tense.
"I know you did."
"H-How?" The guilt flared to new strengths he didn't even think were possible to feel.
"Eggman told me everything. He also told me how he almost lost you."
"Tails..." He couldn't understand. What his brother had just uttered did not make any comprehensible sense. He tried to digest the information while he still had it, but the thoughts just slipped away into the fog like silk.
"Dr. Chelsey said she couldn't get you breathing properly for ten minutes upon arrival. They had to give you a respiration stimulant to get you started."
The tears pooled down Sonic's eyes and dripped down Tails' back, some of the water droplets clinging to his reddish fur on their trial downwards. "Can we go home now, bud?"
"When you're ready, yes."
"I'm ready now." He ruefully eased himself from the kitson's warm embrace. "Just show me to the exit. I'll take care of the rest. How many robots are out there?" He didn't hear the kitson's reply. He grabbed a corner of the bed sheet and ripped it back. He saw the clasp on his ankle before he felt it. A leather strap that was furred on the inside with sheepskin to keep him from rubbing on it was tied to the metal bed post with a chain. It was like one of those restraints they strapped mental patients with to stop them getting out of bed. It was only on one ankle, and the chain was long enough to allow freedom of movement in bed, but nothing more.
"Tails, mind telling me why I have a leather bracelet on my leg?" He reached down and inspected it, the simplest of movements on his part bringing up a soft nag of nausea and the beginnings of a soft headache.
"Sonic, I'm going to be honest with you. That strap was my idea. I made the choice."
"Why?"
"Your natural reaction is to run or escape. Every time we've tried to help you, you up and go without informing us."
"Urm, remind me?"
"That time you left the house and crawled to the garage. Then you leave in the X-Tornado. Sonic, just lie down and rest. We'll take care of everything."
"But I feel fine." He brushed the last of the stubborn tears from his cheeks and yanked hard at the restraint. "Take it off me. I don't wanna stay here!"
Tails shut his eyes from Sonic's struggles, shaking his head. Gently he placed a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be long, Sonic. I'm going to stay by your side throughout this. Then we'll be home together. No matter what."
His hands left the soft leather. He tried easing his bare foot up against it, hoping it would slip through, but it was tied tightly to his ankle, making such an attempt impossible unless he had a serrated knife to work at the leather.
"Tails, can ya at least loosen it?" He asked. Tails' confession unheard.
"No." Came his succinct reply. "I won't. This is to help you. Please try to understand."
XXX
Sonic didn't seem to hold a grudge. He played at the leather strap for a time as he couldn't take his mind off it, something a toddler would do. He fidgeted with it for as long as he could before sleep won him out.
Tails left briefly to grab some food and drink for them both, shutting everything else from his mind. He was struggling with acceptance. He already knew Sonic would fail all the tests.
Even the hospital made Tails feel uneasy, and he wasn't even a patient, so he understood how Sonic felt. And his marked distress at the restraint was to be expected. At least he only worried at it for a while before falling back against his pillow. But it was good to talk to him. See those eyes find his. Hear his bright voice. Nothing could have been better.
Not long after Sonic's doze, he was woken by a nurse (much to his disapproval) and wheeled out of the room still in bed to the MRI scanning room down the hall. Tails, Chris and Chuck could not enter due to the magnets and instruments used. Safety permitted them to wait. But they could still look into the large room through the overlooking window that allowed them to observe the procedure. Mildly nuked with soft sedation to keep him from struggling or panicking, Sonic was picked up by one of the assistant male nurses known as Rowan and placed on the MRI holding platform. The table-like platform would then in turn be taken into the giant cyclone MRI machine that looked a lot like a washing machine. Even though it was just a large medical tool, it did look frightening to a child or animal. Its white dome was the hub of the activity, and contained the vital process of delivering the magnetic fields that would in turn visualize detailed internal structures of Sonic's inner workings. Obviously Chelsey saw this procedure as necessary and got straight to it. It was barely six in the morning and already Sonic was undergoing the most stressful of the tests.
Mr. Smith walked into the waiting hall with a fresh bag of hotly baked donuts. "Snacks, anybody?" He asked nicely enough, even though his voice growled with the attempt.
"Why do you still wear that awful costume?" Chuck said, nose pressed up against the observation glass.
"Er, hello? I'm still in the public eye." He said loftily. "The moment I strip myself, they'll arrest me. I did blow up half a city quite by accident. Sonic's to blame for the damage as well. If he simply allowed me to dominate..."
"All right, all right." Chuck waved his hand at the offered treats in short refusal. "You've made your point. So why are you still here?"
"To see how my little blue rat gets along. I have my rights too." He sat down in one of the thin, plastic seats, and then regretted it. The armrests acted like restraints against his massive backend. "I knew I should have dieted like Decoe and Bocoe keep telling me."
Sonic was watching them some six metres away on the other side of the glass while he sat on the table that would eventually take him through the MRI tunnel. He waved meekly at them, smiling with difficulty. He was surrounded by strangers in white coats and tools. The machine behind him was in its last warm-up stages. It began to hum loudly like a giant boiler. Chris waved back. Tails gave the little hog a thumbs-up, mouthing the words: 'you're doing good.'
The MRI was an amazing machine that, in short, scanned the body in full 3D detail to determine any problems using the body's own atoms and water molecules. The process wasn't a quick one, and the noise in there would be unbearable, but it was an efficient way to find out what was wrong. Tails trusted the doctor here. He knew she would do all she could to help them.
Eggman dived into his doughnut bag. Chris watched in revulsion. But he still persisted in his question. "Why use MRI?"
Chuck answered for him, for he knew a little on medical machine, if not a whole lot. "The MRI provides good contrast between the different soft tissues of the body, which makes it especially useful in imaging the brain, muscles, the heart, and cancers compared with other medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography or as we call it: the CT scan. Unlike CT scans or traditional X-rays, MRI uses no ionizing radiation, so it's a safer method for him. The less intrusion in his body, the better."
"That blue pincushion will be up and about in no time." Eggman scoffed between mouthfuls of his sugary treats. "He has this way of recovering. Trust me, this time next week the critter will be hopping and skipping all over my plans like always! Then I'll spend the rest of my life regretting the day I helped him."
"I hope you're right. I really do." Tails almost snapped, unable to press down on his anger. He hadn't slept for the past two nights, least of all in a waiting room trying to get comfortable on a plastic chair. On top of that, the worry was monstrous. The MRI would confirm his greatest fears, or crush it. If it was the latter, he and Sonic could get on with their lives again. But there were still answers to get from Chelsey about the holes he dug in the garden. The washing machine he had taken a liking too. The anger he showed at Chris. The circles he ran in. The deafness. The vomiting. He walked funny. Was it simply just discomfort and confusion brought on by smoke irritation? Or was it going to be worse? And if it was, how could he cope?
He shook his head. Gotta trust in Sonic. He'll get past this. This is just a bump along our path.
"Still, hope you had insurance on that plane of yours, fox." Eggman added, crashing Tails' train of thought. "Glad to know he doesn't just wreck my machinery."
"It was an accident. He didn't mean it. Machines can be replaced. They're just bits of material and metal. Sonic is irreplaceable. He's my brother and that's all there is to it."
"Ho ho. Quite. Freaks of nature, come together, eh?"
Tails leaned his chin against the palm of his hand. Sonic was being guided to rest on the table. They were putting straps across his thin arms to keep him from moving. Being still was key to accurate readings from the giant, throbbing machine. Sonic could no longer see his family when lying down and this distressed him. He spoke a few words and tried to get free. But the struggles were only short lived. Chelsey came over to his left side and explained something to him. Tails struggled to read her lips. All he could read from her was, 'what color do you like?' But whatever she was saying, it worked. Like magic Sonic was still and quiet. Smiling even.
Chelsey took a step backwards. The table with Sonic strapped upon its tongue was being sucked into the MRI tunnel.
"And down the rabbit hole he goes." Eggman lifted his face towards the window, fingers coated in sticky sugar.
"I reckon something got lodged in his body." Chris said brightly, suddenly sure he had the answer. "Why else would he get so mad at me? He must have been in pain."
"Chris," Tails said in tired vexation, "there is no such object in him."
"Of course there is. Why else would he look like he was going to attack me? You weren't there. Don't forget that the metal object could have gone in so deep, it can't be seen. The MRI scan will bring it up at once. It's the only explanation."
"Chris, quieten down." Chuck never took his eyes from the glass window. "We'll have the results in less than an hour. Then we'll know. It's painful that we have to put him through this. But the sooner we take him home, the better."
"We're going to have the house on lock-down." Tails said. "Even the cat flap is going to be nailed shut."
At this, Eggman laughed.
Sonic disappeared into the giant tunnel. There was only Rowan and Chelsey in the room, going over a few things at a computer terminal at the other end and exchanging notes. Tails got tired of waiting and slipped off his chair and walked down the hall. Chris watched him leave, but remained where he was. Something was still holding him back.
The young kitson waited by the MRI exit door at the opposite end of the waiting room. Here he was more or less left to his own thoughts. He stood leaning up against the walls and crossed his arms. He thought back to the languid summer afternoon when he confronted Sonic over the whole 'soda' incident.
"Sonic, you scared Chris yesterday. You scared him. What did you manage to do to achieve such a thing?"
"I broke his tumbler. He didn't like it."
"What else happened?"
"I heard an explosion. It made me remember the warehouse. And I lost myself for a moment."
"You can recall that?"
"Yes!"
"Sonic, we're worried about you. You seem okay sometimes, and then you relapse completely. It has something to do with the toxins you breathed in. You may have some light or moderate brain damage, but we can't know for sure unless we get you examined by an official animal physician that also deals with human anatomy."
"Tails, I'm fine!"
Tails let himself slide down to meet the floor. Maybe...maybe Sonic didn't have such damage. Maybe he was overreacting. Sonic had never dug holes before, except that time they needed shelter right away and they were miles away from home. Sonic could have carried him and run home, but he hated rain, and wanted to get out of it as soon as could be. And maybe the explosive soda can had Sonic worried and not traumatically aggressive. The circles when he ran and the crooked walking may have been due to underlining tissue or bone damage. Something the power ring did not touch on because Knuckles shared the power and not all of it was used to heal Sonic's body. Though Tails was not there on the day of the infamous warehouse explosion, but did Sonic land badly on his left side? He had never thought of it that way before. And maybe Sonic had hit his head too, causing temporary paralysis of said side and thus inducing that initial vomiting spell and the poor memory?
Tails felt marginally better. Here he was worrying, and the problem may only be trivial. The MRI would confirm the bruising and Sonic would be discharged from the hospital.
However it still did not explain why he had snuggled up in a washing machine. The mansion was full of guest beds that went unused every day. The night hadn't been too chilly to sleep on the roof either. And it also did not explain his frightening seizure on the kitchen floor after going to get a drink.
While he was debating this, the MRI door opened and Rowan stepped out, taking a few loose files with him. He spotted Tails and nodded down to him. "The test is over, urm, Miles, is it?"
"You can call me Tails." He remembered that he was still on the floor and rose to shake his hand.
"Cool. Anyway, you can see him. We're all done! I still can't believe we have him here in the hospital! He's a celebrity you know! Just as well we're keeping quiet about his arrival here, or else the media would descend on us like locusts!"
Tails nodded and their hands departed. "Did the scan go well?"
"We're still not sure yet." He replied. "We're gonna go over them, make sure we don't make a mistake, but Chelsey will give you the full details. Well, I'll see you later."
Tails nodded at the young nurse and didn't wait any longer. He went into the examination room.
Dib07: Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear readers! IBRH won't get an update until early January. ^_^
Take care, all!