Dependance

by taters4u

Now that Sonic has escaped Amy's psychotic house of horrors, will he be able to overcome his demons and addictions and return to his family and friends? Or will his addiction become the one enemy he can't beat?

25. Chapter 25: Happiness and Sorrow

. Chapter 25 (Rated T)

Happiness & Sorrow

Six Months Later

Sonic walked out of the Doctor's office, a big smile on his face. "So, what'd he say?" Sally asked. She had stopped going in with him four months ago since all his appointments had ended in the exact same fashion since. Sonic would be taken back to the room, the doctor would come in, talk to him and ask a few questions. Sonic would always give the exact same answers and once that was done, he would leave. But this time seemed different.

"Good news." Sonic began. "He said I don't have to take those pills anymore. I'm through the withdrawals." He said, grinning ear to ear. "Oh, Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, leaning over and giving him a big hug and a kiss. "That's great." She said, buckling her seatbelt up; Sonic did the same.

"Yeah. He was still surprised that I got through it so quickly. He told me, 'The progress you've made is extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it.' I'm surprised he didn't give me a medal or something." Sonic said.

*Eee* The breaks squeaked slightly as she pulled up to the light. "Well, it is pretty amazing. Do you know anyone that heals quicker than you do?" Sally asked. "No." Sonic said. "Or anyone that can run like you do?" She asked him. Sonic shook his head no. "Okay then."

They pulled up to the house and went inside. "Think you can vacuum the floor in here real quick?" Sally asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Yeah." Sonic said, going over to the closet and grabbing the vacuum. "So, what time are they going to be here?" Sonic asked. "Around six I think." Sally said. The banging of glass clanking together came out of the kitchen as Sally began setting the dirty ones inside the dishwasher. Sonic bent down, grabbed the plug and stuck it in the wall and flipped the vacuum on and ran it over the floor. He was finished in less than a minute and once that was done, he wound the chord up and stuffed it back in the closet.

"Anything else?" Sonic asked, stepping up to the breakfast bar and leaning against it. "No. Not really." Sally said without bothering to turn around. "Cool. Just yell if you need me." He said. Sonic walked over to the doorway that led into the hall and quietly slipped into the bedroom and began rummaging in the nightstand next to his bed. "Dammit. Where is it?" He growled, pushing various things around.

"Geez!" He hissed, moving a bottle of cologne and a book out of the way. "There you are!" He exclaimed. He finally found hidden deep in the back and he pulled it out, stuffed it in his pocket and got up and walked out, flipping the light off behind him. The plan that night was to have a nice, quiet dinner with friends. But this particular gathering had special meaning. This time, it was to celebrate a couple of milestones. One, it had been six months since Sonic had come back as well as six months of sobriety under his belt.

It hadn't been easy. It had only been two weeks since he had been able to lay of the Methadone and his Doctor had given him the ok to stop. But the eight weeks leading up to that were terrible. His body was finally at the final step, which meant clearing out what junk remained in his system. His Doctor had warned him that most of the drugs remained in his system for a good stretch of time and it was time that his body would need to clean itself out. For eight weeks, on and off Sonic would have the withdrawals come and go at completely random times; unlike before when it was only for a few hours a day every other week; in a normal addict, that was reversed, the weeks and weeks of withdrawals would happen first, followed by the every other day cooling down period.

But that was over as was his ordeal with Amy. After he had returned to Silver Springs and revisited the house, it all seemed like a distant memory to him; everything had returned to normal for him. He could even look back on it and not want to puke or cry, which was a refreshing feeling. Sally was even happier for him than Sonic was. Now, she no longer worried about him. The vivid nightmares had all but stopped and he no longer woke up screaming or shaking from fear; breaking most of Amy's stuff had helped a lot too.

Sonic sat down on the couch and flipped the TV on. "Ngh." He muttered, rearranging the object he had hidden in his pocket, which was pressing down on his leg. "Hey Sonic?" Sally called out. "Yeah?" He replied, turning the volume on the TV down a notch. "Can you call them and see when they'll be here?" Sally asked. He could hear the sound of pans rattling around in the kitchen as she prepared that night's meal.

"Sure." Sonic said, setting the remote down and grabbing his phone.

*Beep* Sonic pressed the 'End' button and set the phone down. He had talked to Tails long enough that the battery had gotten hot from the phone being used so long that the plastic felt like it would burn his finger if he touched the casing too long and he was glad to get it out of his hand. Kid sure can talk a long time. Sonic thought. He got up and went into the kitchen and leaned against the breakfast bar. "Shadow should be here in about twenty and Tails said he and Knuckles were leaving right now." Sonic said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a soda out of the fridge. Lemon-lime. He wasn't a big fan of the darker sodas like cola or Root Beer, but he didn't have anything against them.

*Ding-Dong* "I'll get it." Sonic said, getting up off the couch and walking over to the door. He opened it; Tails and Knuckles were waiting and the walked in. "How ya' doing?" Tails asked, giving Sonic a big hug. "Pretty good." Sonic replied, hugging him back just as hard. They broke and Knuckles gave him one as well. "Looking good." Knuckles said. He always said that to Sonic whenever he saw him; commenting not only on his progress with his exercising, but how normal Sonic looked to him again. The image of Sonic lying in the hospital bed that night he had gotten the call from Sally had stuck in his head ever since.

"Hey, I try." Sonic said as he welcomed them in. "Come in." Sonic said. They walked in and headed over to the breakfast bar. "Hey Sally." Tails and Knuckles both said in unison. "Hey guys." She said, quickly looking up from the salad she was making. "Should be ready in a few minutes." She said, tossing a handful of fresh mushrooms in with the greenery.

Knuckles and Tails went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. "So what's new?" Tails asked. He didn't get around to see Sonic as much as he used to since he had found a girl of his own. From what Sonic had heard, her name was Cream and Tails was absolutely in love with her, even though they had only been going out for a couple of weeks.

"Got good news today." Sonic said. "I don't have to take those damn pills anymore. Doctor says I'm completely clean." He said. "That's great!" Tails exclaimed. "Good for you, man." Knuckles said, reaching over and patting Sonic on the shoulder.

"So, Tails. Why didn't you bring Cream with you? I kinda wanted to meet her." Sonic said. "She was busy with work. But she said she'd stop by if she got off early enough." Tails said. He was blushing a little.

Sonic saw that and had to take the opportunity to embarrass him a little more. "So have you two... you know?" Sonic asked, grinning and lightly elbowing him in the side. Sonic and Knuckles both saw his cheeks turn red through his fur and he turned his head away from the pair slightly. He didn't say anything, but he smiled and nodded.

Bout time. Sonic thought. "Nice." He said. Knuckles held his hand out for a high five, and after hesitating, Tails returned the gesture. "So how was it?" Knuckles asked, grinning. Tails seemed to blush even further and Sonic and Knuckles laughed. But after a few seconds, Tails held his hand up, his thumb up in the air and nodding.

"She did." He said coolly. Sonic's eyes widened and after a few seconds, Knuckles reached in for another high-five, which Tails returned. "Really?" Sonic asked. "Yeah." Tails said.

"I am so proud of you right now." Sonic said. He looked like he was going to cry from pride but *Ding-Dong*, the sound of the doorbell ringing had Sonic getting up again. He went over to the door and opened it. "Hey, blue."

It was Shadow. Blue was what Shadow had started calling him for reasons Sonic couldn't figure out, but it was much better than having Shadow trying to kill him all the time. "Hey." Sonic said, waiving Shadow inside. "Hey Sally." Shadow called out.

"Hey Shadow." Sally replied, walking out of the kitchen. "You're just in time. It's ready." Sally said.

"Damn, that was good." Sonic said, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. Just like always." Tails said. Shadow and Knuckles both nodded in agreement. "Thanks guys." She said. "Glad you enjoyed it."

Sonic sat up fully in his chair. Now that dinner was over and everyone was together in the same room, it was time. Everyone was talking amongst each other and laughing when Sonic cleared his throat. "Guys, can I have your attention?" He asked. He felt weird saying that for a room with only four other people in it; it just hit his ear wrong. They all stopped talking and turned to Sonic. "What is it?" Sally asked. "Yeah." Knuckles said.

Sonic stood up and grabbed his glass and held it up in front of him. "You all know it's no secret what happened to me and it's my seventh month of sobriety, and I just want to say, without all of you, I don't think I ever would've made it this far and I just want to say thank you. You are the best group of friends anyone could ever have." He said.

Everyone nodded in agreement, murmuring 'yeah' and 'no problem'. "Now that I've had time to look back on it, I realize I was a major ass and I just want to say I'm sorry. If I've ever done anything to hurt you, I'm sorry and if I could take it back, I would in a heartbeat."

They all nodded in agreement. "Hey, man, everyone makes mistakes." Knuckles said. "Don't worry about it." Shadow said.

Sonic smiled. "Thanks." His voice was a tad lower when he spoke that 'thanks.' "But there's one person in this room, and I can't stress this enough, you have all done more than your fare share for me and for that I am truly grateful. But," He looked at Sally, "and I mean you guys no disrespect, but that person has been there with me every night and given me so much more."

Knuckles, Tails and Shadow shook their heads no. "She's been there when I've woken up screaming in the middle of the night screaming, been there with me while I was throwing up and shaking from the withdrawals." He grew silent and shuddered slightly. "Been with me in my darkest hour." Sonic looked at the ground then back up.

Sally's eyes were glassy and the other three simply sat and listened as he poured his heart out to them. Shadow sat quietly, and Tails and Knuckles felt quite touched. "Now that you're all here, I have one request." He said. "What is it?" Knuckles asked. "Can you all close your eyes for a moment?" He asked. They all looked at each other, puzzled at his request, but they did and once there eyes were closed, they heard the sound of his chair moving across the linoleum and the sound of his footsteps as he walked around to the table, then silence as they stopped a few seconds later.

"C'mon." Sonic quietly grunted. "Okay. Go ahead and open them." He said. They did. The four looked around and saw him standing by Sally's side, his hand behind his back. Shadow was sitting next to where Sonic was standing and he tried to get a peek at what Sonic was holding. Is he...

"Sally," Sonic began and Sally watched as he got down on one knee, holding a small box that he cracked open. Inside was an engagement ring. When she saw the ring inside and grinned from ear to ear and her heart, along with the others, began beating faster and harder. "You've been with me for it all. I know I don't deserve you, but I have to ask, will you marry me?"

Knuckles and Shadow smiled and shot each other a look; Tails felt a wave of happiness wash over him, and Sally...

"Yes." She said, smiling and nodding enthusiastically. Tears of joy streamed down her face; a welcome change of pace. "Yes I will!" She said, and Sonic placed the ring on her finger and they stood up and embraced. The others clapped and cheered and they shared a kiss, then a hug which lasted for several seconds. They kissed one last time, and then Sonic and Sally sat back down. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

Later on, after the initial flood of joy had begun to die down, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles and Sonic stood out in the yard as they did whenever they got together. "Congratulations." Tails said, giving him a big hug. "Yeah. I was wondering if you were ever going to ask her." Knuckles said. Shadow simply nodded and grinned.

"Well, there were a few things that got in the way." Sonic said. "Anyway, I want to guys to know I appreciate everything you've done for me and if I disrespected you in anyway earlier, I'm sorry." He said. All three shook their heads no.

"You kidding?" Knuckles asked. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah. It's no big deal." Tails said. Sonic smiled, happy that they hadn't. They talked for a few more minutes, then Tails cleared his throat and glanced over at Knuckles. "I guess we should be going." He said. Knuckles nodded and they walked over to the car, Sonic and Shadow following close behind. Tails started his car and backed out of the driveway and Sonic and Shadow waived as the drove off into the distance. When they were gone, Shadow turned to Sonic.

"Guess I'll head out too." Shadow said.

"Alright." Sonic said. "See you later."

"Congratulations." Shadow said, giving Sonic a grin before speeding off into the darkness. Sonic laughed to himself and walked back inside. Sally was standing behind the couch, waiting for him to come back in. When he walked back in they embraced, and she kissed him, which he gladly returned.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" She asked.

"You might've mentioned it a time or two." Sonic said. She giggled and, with a grin on her lips, kissed him again. "I do have a question." She said. "When the hell did you buy the ring?" She asked. "I don't remember you sneaking off when we were out or anything like that. Did Tails take you to get it?"

"That, my dear, is one secret I cannot reveal." He said. She lightly elbowed him in the side. "You're no fun." She laughed. "So when did you buy it?" She asked again.

"I told you, I can't tell you." He said, laughing.

Sally looked at the ring on her finger, glistening in the light. It wasn't anything extraordinary. A simple gold band, with a small emerald in the setting. He even had it engraved, which read, "To Sally, I would be nothing without you."

*Hee-hee* "Have you thought about a date yet?" She asked.

"It's May... How about October 18th?" He asked, shooting off the first thing that came into his head. "Our anniversary?" She asked, smiling. "As long as we can have it here." She said. The backyard would be perfect and it would save them a lot of money. "Of course we can." Sonic said, leaning in and giving her another kiss, which led to them making out on the couch for several minutes. When they broke, they just looked at each other and leapt up and went back to the bedroom; Sonic already had his pants off before the bedroom door shut.

A Few Weeks Later

"Let's go with that one." Sally said, pointing to a picture in the magazine. Please God, kill me now. Sonic thought. Even though they still had over five months left until their wedding date, Sally had completely thrown herself into planning the wedding, pouring over every bridal magazine and anything remotely wedding related. "Okay." Sonic said.

"You really want that color scheme?" Sally asked. Each word more useless than the last. It wasn't like she was obsessed with the wedding. She kept the planning under control to an extent and hadn't smothered him like most brides-to-be did, which he was grateful for. If it had been him, it would've taken less than a day. He had already picked out his tuxedo, a black jacket and slacks, red tie and white shirt. He wanted to get the hat that went with the suit, but he would've looked like a gangster and that wouldn't have went over so well with her.

"I'm sorry." Sonic said, leaning back in the chair. Maybe I could get Cream to help me. Sally thought. She looked at Sonic and saw he was pretty much off in his own world. She wanted him to be involved in the wedding as much as she was, but like most men, he didn't care for it too much. The most thought he'd put into it was his suit, which took him all of five minutes. And he looked nice in it.

"You can go." She said, trying to control her anger. She didn't want to force him to do what he didn't want to do; she wasn't like that. Sonic looked at her for a second before answering, making sure it wasn't some kind of trap. "Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Besides, if you're not into it, God knows what you're gonna pick." Sonic stood up and went over to the living room couch and sat down. Sally decided to get some outside help and called Cream. A while later, there was a knock at the door. Cream was more than happy to help Sally with whatever she asked. In the few short weeks they had known each other, Sonic, Sally and Cream had a good friendship going; dating Tails helped them get to know each other rather quickly and was an excellent ice breaker. Sally and Cream sat down at the table and started gabbing away and pouring over magazine after magazine, Cream giving suggestions on what plates and silverware to; things like that.

After a few hours, they invited Cream to stay for dinner, but she declined and left. "Call me if you need me again." Cream said. Sally waived. "I'm sure I will." She said. Sally went back inside. "That was fun." She said. "Make any progress?" Sonic asked.

"Got some more of it done. She found these plates that I totally skipped over earlier." She said. The sound of dishes rattling around coming from the kitchen as she began filling the sink. I'll do these tomorrow.

That night, when while they were laying in bed watching TV, Sally scooted a little closer to Sonic and gently kissed him on the neck. "Hey." She said in a soft, sultry voice. "Wanna... you know?" She asked, giggling like a schoolgirl. Sonic turned his head toward her and shook it no. "Sorry." He said. Sally pulled back, using her elbow to prop her up. "What's wrong?" She asked. He never declined to fool around in bed, but when he did, he usually had a good reason. "Just a little upset at my stomach. Can I take a rain check?" He asked.

"Sure." She said, reaching over and stroking his head. "I'm sorry, Sal. I'm just not in the mood tonight." He said. "Welcome to my world." She said. He let a small smile escape. "We have anything, like Rolaids© or something?" He let a long groan out.

Sally saw he was holding his stomach and she could tell he was in pain. "Sure. I think we have some Mylanta© or something lying around." Sally got up and went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, she saw the blue bottle of antacid in the door and grabbed it and went back into the bedroom.

"Here you go." She said, handing the bottle to him. "Thanks." He said. He opened it and took a swig, then took another one for good measure. Sonic swallowed and a look of relief washed over him. "Thanks." He said, smiling.

She took the bottle back into the kitchen and climbed back into bed. "Feel better?" She asked. He nodded. "Yeah." He scooted closer to Sally and wrapped an arm around her like he did every night. "Good night, Sal." He kissed her gently on the back of the neck. "Good night Sonic."

A Few Hours Later

"Sal?"

"Hmmm." Sally moaned, trying to ignore the voice calling out to her.

"Sal?"

"Wha..." Sally opened her eyes and looked at the clock. '1:18.' "Sal?" It was Sonic's voice that had woken her up. "What's wrong?" She asked, still half asleep. He hadn't woken her up like that since he had those nightmares, which worried her. She turned toward Sonic and when she saw him, she woke up quicker than she'd ever woken up before. He was sitting up on the bed, hunched over and clutching his chest; a grimace of pain on his face. Sonic was grabbing at his chest, almost as if he was trying to lift something heavy that wasn't there. She also noticed that he was sweating profusely and his eyes were closed and he was breathing was short and rapid. Sally turned toward him and grabbed him. "What's wrong?" She asked, feeling that familiar sense of panic returning to her the night she'd found him on the porch.

"I dunno..." He trailed off. He was out of breath after only two words. Jesus.

"I woke up..." He stopped to try to catch his breath, which at the moment seemed an impossible task. "and I felt like... my che...chest was ca...caving in." Sonic moved his hand from his chest to his left arm and began rubbing it.

Sally got up and started getting dressed, grabbing her clothes and throwing them on in record time. "It hurts!" Sonic yelped.

"What? Your chest?" She asked. He nodded, unable to speak at the moment.

Shit!" Sally thought. The urge to cry was overwhelming, but she had bigger problems at the moment and she shook them off, forcing them to the back of her mind. "C'mon." She said, grabbing hold of him and dragging him to his feet. He was able to stand, but he was having a difficult time just keeping his balance. "Nngh!" Sonic yelped as another bolt of pain tore through his chest. "I don't..." He trailed off. "C'mon Sonic." Sally said.

Sally was determined and she got him to walk, although he had to walk slowly. He was soaking wet, literally soaked with sweat, and his breathing was labored, which made walking difficult. Sally, somehow managed to get him outside and over to the car. It took a minute, but he was out at the car. Sally opened the passenger door and when Sonic saw that the door was open, he fell into the seat, banging his head against the roof of the car. He didn't care. He just wanted the pain to stop. Sally made sure he wasn't hanging out the door and she shut it quickly and ran back to the house and locked the door, then ran back over to the car and climbed in. She looked over at Sonic and saw that nothing had changed.

"You still with me?" She asked. Sonic nodded. Stay with me. She thought as she reached over and buckled him in. Sally turned the key and gunned the engine. When it turned over, she threw it in reverse and backed out of the driveway; she was clocking twenty when she hit the brakes to turn onto the road. "Sonic?" She said, calling out to him to make sure he was conscious.

"Nngh!" He moaned and she knew he was still awake. "Cold." He muttered. Sally threw the car into drive and punched the gas. "Hold on." She said. The car picked up speed quickly and within a few seconds, she was going well over 100. Sally reached down and flipped the heater on for him. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. She thought over and over again.

Sonic's body had went limp and his right arm was hanging off his left arm. "You still awake?"

Nothing.

"Sonic?" She said.

Nothing. Sally floored it and has she crossed the sign that marked the city limits, she was doing 118mph.

She pulled into the hospital parking lot, locking the brakes as she drove into the bay where the Ambulances dropped off their patients. She ran inside to the ER desk. Sally burst through the door and the nurse working behind the desk looked up. ER nurse saw the look on her face and knew something was wrong. "What is it, hon?" She asked.

"Heart attack, I think." Sally said.

ER nurse turned her head to her left and bellowed. "Code blue! Need a gurney to the front!" She yelled. A few seconds later, two men came out of a room pushing a gurney. Once Sally saw they were behind her, she ran out to the car, the nurse and two guys following close behind her.

ER nurse bent down beside the open door and quickly examined him. "Ok." She stood back up and the two men stepped forward, and pulled Sonic out of the car. He had passed out a few minutes before she pulled into the parking lot and she couldn't tell if he was breathing. "What happened?" ER nurse asked as they wheeled Sonic inside.

"He woke me up a little while ago and he said his chest was hurting and his arm was numb. He was sweating and he was having trouble breathing." Sally said. "Anything else?" ER nurse asked as they went into the area where the ER patients were examined. "He had an upset stomach earlier. I gave him some Mylanta© for it and that's about it." She said. There was a Doctor and a couple of nurses working on Sonic already. "Get a line in." The Doctor ordered.

"Who's his Doctor?" ER nurse asked. "Dr. Anderson." ER nurse nodded. "I'll let him know he's here. What's his name?"

"Sonic." Sally said. ER nurse nodded again and rushed to the front desk.

Meanwhile

"Got it." The nurse called out. "Good. Get a fluid drip started. Someone get the BP cuff on him." The Doctor ordered as he finished putting the tiny gel pads for the monitor on Sonic. One of the nurses grabbed the wire cluster and handed half of them to the Doctor and took the other half for herself and started hooking the gel pads to the connectors. "Get me a reading." The Doctor ordered and one of the other nurses scrambled to do so. She grabbed the cuff and wrapped it around his arm and began inflating it. "Pads are connected." The nurse said. "Central line is in."

"Turn it on." The Doctor said. The nurse on the other side of the bed reached up and turned the monitor on and it beeped steadily, getting itself ready. But it didn't start beeping along with Sonic's heart rate or displayed any numbers like it was supposed to. There was just the sound of a steady tone and flat lines on every readout.

"Get the paddles." The Doctor ordered. One of the nurses scrambled to get the defibrillator paddles and another one pulled out various objects and quickly laid them on the bed. Sally stood in a corner and watched them work like a carefully choreographed dance routine. The nurse that was grabbing various objects, including the large gel pads that the paddles set on when they discharged. The third nurse that was there on his left side grabbed a wooden tongue depressor and stuck it in Sonic's mouth and the other two finished setting up the defibrillator.

"Pads are down." One nurse called out. "Charge to 300." The Doctor ordered. Nurse 1 reached over and turned a dial, then flipped a switch. An eerie, high pitched whine began to fill the room and everyone, Sally included watched as the machine powered up, and when it was ready, it beeped three times in rapid succession.

"Ready." Nurse two called out and she placed the paddles directly over the large pads on his chest. "CLEAR!" She called out. Everyone moved away from the bed and she pressed the red buttons on the paddles and the defibrillator discharged into Sonic's body, causing his frame to jump off the bed several inches and fell back against the mattress when the charge had ran it's course.

The monitor above his bed flashed a brief set of numbers and the lines that measured his heart rate and other vitals spiked for a brief second, then went flat again. "Again." The Doctor ordered. Nurse two nodded and watched the defib's screen while it charged back up again. Nurse three, who was looking on from the side, looked up and finally, there was a reading; his BP.

"BP is 40/10." She said slowly, shaking her head. "It's charged." Nurse two called out. "CLEAR!" She yelled out and released the discharge into Sonic's body again. Nothing. Sally felt herself begin to lose control of her emotions and she started openly crying as she watched the man she loved fade away in front of her.

"Charge to 500!" The Doctor ordered. *Slam* "Whadd'ya got?"

It was Dr. Anderson. Sally jumped as he burst through the ER doors and over to Sonic's bed. The Doctor who had been working on Sonic from the beginning looked up. "Cardiac arrest. No response to defib. BP is 40/10." He told Dr. Anderson.

"What's the charge?" Dr. Anderson asked. "500." The nurse replied. "Go to 800." He said. "Doctor?" Nurse two said wearily. "Do it." He said again. Nurse two nodded and cranked it to 800 and he turned to the other nurse. "Get me 100 ccs of Adrenaline." He said. "Doctor?" She exclaimed. "Do it or we lose him!" He yelled. She stood there for a second trembling, then ran off to get what he wanted.

"Shock him." Dr. Anderson ordered. Nurse two nodded. "CLEAR!" She yelled and discharged again. Sonic's body rose and fell with the current, but the monitor beeped its steady tone. Please don't leave me Sonic!

"Charge again." Dr. Anderson said. The nurse that ran off to get the adrenaline came back and handed him a syringe pre-filled with the drug. Dr. Anderson ripped the plastic paper off and tossed it on the ground and uncapped it. "Where's his line?" He asked.

Nurse one pointed to it and he took a step toward it and plunged the needle into the rubber plug and emptied the syringe into it. "How long's he been down?" Dr. Anderson asked as he handed the needle to Nurse one. "About five minutes." Nurse two replied. Dammit.

The defib machine's whine reached it's peak and it was ready. Nurse two leaned in and discharged again. *THUMP*

"Again." Dr. Anderson said.

*THUMP*

"Again."

*THUMP*

*beep, beep, beep* The monitor above his bed began beeping slowly and faintly as it picked up the faintest sign of a heartbeat and a few second's later, it began beeping steadily, but weakly. Sally watched as Sonic started breathing again. They were shallow breaths, but he was breathing. Thank you God. Sally thought and cautiously walked over to the foot of his bed. "Good job people." Dr. Anderson said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sonic was out cold, but he was breathing.

He looked over and saw Sally standing there and he walked over to her. "Thank you." She said, teary-eyed. "No problem." Dr. Anderson said. "From what I can see, he's stable for now, but it's going to be touch and go for a while. I'll get him started on a drip and a couple of cardiac medications. Betapace and Melonax probably. Those should keep stable until we can find out what happened. So what caused you to bring him in?" Dr. Anderson asked.

"He woke me up around one, said he was having chest pain and trouble breathing. Uh... before that, around nine, I think, he said his stomach was upset and I gave him some Mylanta© for it. That's about it." Sally said.

"Was he doing anything that could've caused major stress? Sex, exercise? Anything like that?"

"No." Sally said. "It was a pretty normal day. I did kind of snap at him while we were planning the wedding, but that's about it." Sally gasped. "You don't think...?"

Dr. Anderson shook his head. "That you caused it?"

Sally nodded. "No. If that were the case, it would've happened right after that. No. I'm going to run some more tests, but until then, he needs rest." Dr. Anderson turned to one of the nurses who was just finishing up with him. "Nurse, can you order a heart cath ablation and a full blood work-up?"

"Right away." She said. He turned to the other Nurse that was still by his bedside. "Get an Ultrasound and start him on the Melonax and Betapace ASAP. Get a full work up on him."

"On it." She said, turning around and quickly walking away. Dr. Anderson looked up at the monitor, which was taking another reading of his blood pressure. Sally walked cautiously to the foot of his bed and leaned on the wood panel that ran across the entire length. She noticed that his skin looked pale, almost white; he looked so weak lying in the bed again. It was just like the first time, except this time she had a terrible feeling.

The monitor beeped and the results of his BP came on the screen, '70/50'. He turned around and walked over to Sally. *Huuuh* Dr. Anderson let out a long, worried sigh. One of the nurses came rushing back over to him. "Ultrasound can take a look at him in an hour." She said. He nodded. "Good. Get him started on Lystocern too." He said. She nodded again and ran off.

Now he turned his attention to Sally. "Is he going to be all right?" She asked again. Dr. Anderson lowered his head and cleared his throat. "We'll know more when we get those tests done. For now, we'll get him in a room and get those other tests done in the morning." He said.

One of the nurses was stringing a couple of IV bags on the hook above his bed and Sally walked over to his side, grabbing a folding chair that was leaning against the wall and set it by his bedside. She smiled weakly and held his hand. He's cold. She thought as she grabbed his hand; she reached out and touched the side of his face gently and pulled it back. She thought for a second she might actually break him. He looked so frail lying in the hospital bed again, but at least he was alive. The monitor above his bed beeped slowly as it kept track of his vital signs. They were all low, especially his heart rate. '40'

"Excuse me?" Sally asked the nurse who was fitting the last IV bag on the hook. "Yes?" She replied, looking over at Sally. "Do you know when he'll wake up?" Sally asked. The list of things she would give to have him awake was pretty massive; the list to have him at home was even longer. "I'm not sure. Shouldn't be more than a couple of hours." She said and went back to hanging the IV bag, and once that was hung, she left. She leaned over the side of the bed and kissed him, gently on the forehead. "I'll be right back." She whispered and got up. She walked out the ER doors and outside and pulled her cell phone out and started calling everyone.

Fifteen Minutes Later

Knuckles was the first through the door, followed by Shadow, Tails and Cream. Sally was talking to Dr. Anderson when they walked in. "We'll go ahead and get his blood drawn and get him up into a room." Dr. Anderson said. Sally nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She said. Dr. Anderson saw the others and recognizing them from the last time Sonic had been in the hospital, he gave them a nod. They returned it and focused their attention to Sally.

"What happened?" Tails asked. "Yeah." Shadow said. "Is he ok?"

Sally shook her head. "No." She said, her gaze locked on the ground. She couldn't look at any of them when she told them what she was about to tell them. If she did, she might burst into tears. "He... uh..." Her voice was slightly shaky and she took a quick breath to calm it. "Doctor's think he had a heart attack." She said.

"What?" Knuckles asked, unsure if he had actually heard her right. The others stared in stunned silence. "He's still in there." She said, pointing toward the room where the ER patients were examined. At the end of the hallway, Dr. Anderson walked out of the double metal doors, along with a man carrying a large basket filled with syringes, tubes and alcohol pads. He turned left through another set of doors and Dr. Anderson continued toward them. "Ms. Acorn?" He said as he approached the group. Sally managed to come to her senses and she turned toward the sound of his voice. "Yes?"

"They've drawn some of his blood and he also being taken up to a room. 28, 2nd floor. Give them about five minutes to get it ready and then you can head up." He said. Sally nodded. "How's he doing?" She asked.

"Right now, he still unconscious from the shocks we had to give him and his BP is still a little low, but other than that, he's doing fine. He should wake up within the hour. I'll see you again when his blood work comes back." He said. Sally nodded and he turned around and walked away.

They walked toward the waiting room and headed back to the far wall and sat down while they waited for Sonic to be taken up to his room. Sally leaned forward and held her head in her hands. Knuckles put a hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be ok. You know that, right?" He asked.

Sally nodded. "Yeah. But he's just been through so much. Why him?"

"You think something like this is gonna stop him?" Shadow said. "I've seen him go through a hell of a lot worse than this." He said.

"Yeah." Tails said. "He'll be fine."

Sally began to feel better and had started to calm down. "Thanks guys." Everyone nodded. "It's what we're here for." Tails said. "Think we should get up there?" She asked. It had been almost ten minutes since Dr. Anderson said they were going to take him up to a room and they agreed with her.

*Ding* The elevator doors opened and they stepped out, except for Tails who, thanks to his fear of elevators opted to take the stairs. The others stepped off the elevator and waited for the fox, who came out of the stairwell a few seconds later and they walked down to his room together. His room was down past the nurse's station at the end of the hall. In fact, it was just three doors down from the room he had been in the first time. As they got closer, they slowed up and quietly stepped inside and saw him lying on the gurney, dressed in one of those backless gowns.

The light above the bed was on, casting a pale, cream colored light on him. He was still unconscious and Sally noticed his skin was really pale. The nurse that was in the room with him was hanging the IV bag when she heard them come in. "Hello." She said. "Hello." Sally replied; the others nodding at her or giving her a wave.

The nurse quickly finished and excused herself and left them alone. Sally sat down in the big pink sleeper chair beside his bed, Tails and Cream took the other two chairs in the room and Shadow and Knuckles stepped out to find chairs of their own, leaving the other three alone. Sally smiled. Now that she could see him again. She had never felt fear like she had when she heard him flat line in the ER.

"He looks better." She said, holding his hand. There were multiple tubes running all around him this time. One for his IV, which was in his arm and another in his nose feeding him oxygen. "At least he's all right." Tails said. "Yeah." She said. "I just wish he didn't have to go through this." She said.

"I know the feeling. I'd give anything to change places with him." Tails said. There was a low hum as the BP cuff on Sonic's arm began to inflate. "But if I know him, he'll be fine." The monitor above his bed gave a BP rating of 80/71.

"I know he will." Sally said. "Anyway. Cream."

"Yes?" Cream asked.

"I was thinking about the wedding." Sally said. "Should..."

Tails thought it was a little strange that she suddenly changed the conversation to the wedding, but he thought about it for a second and realized that it was better than constantly thinking about Sonic. If she didn't, she might worry herself into a heart attack of her own.

"That might be good. It couldn't hurt to take a look at it, at least." Cream said.

"Did he ever pick his suit out yet?" Tails asked, joining in on the conversation. "I'd like to get an idea on what he wanted so I can get mine."

"He went with a black suit, red tie, white shirt, dress shoes and hat. I didn't like the hat at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I've got a picture at the house I can show you later on." She said.

Sounds a little happier in here. Knuckles thought as he and Shadow came back carrying a couple of folding chairs. They un-folded them and sat down. Sally laughed. "You two would look good in that." She said; the others nodded. "In what?" Shadow asked. "The suit Sonic picked out. Red and black. It's perfect for you Shadow." Sally said.

"It'd really fit you." Cream said. "Well it is my natural color." Shadow said.

"You guys still on for October?" Knuckles nodded. "Yeah. But I've been wanting to move it closer, you know? Just get it over with."

"Well, you two've been together for how long now? Five? Six years? You've practically been married the whole time." Tails said. Shadow nodded. "Seems like all you need to do to make it official is have the ceremony." *Knock-knock* Everyone looked up and saw Dr. Anderson poke his head inside the door. "Hello." He said as he walked in. Everyone gave the standard head nod.

"So, how is he?" Sally asked.

There was a moment of silence as Dr. Anderson seemed to struggle to find the proper words. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Dr. Anderson asked Sally. No one liked the sound of that. Sally cleared her throat and locked eyes on him. "S... sure." She said, slowly getting up and following him out. They made a right and walked down the hallway a good ways away from Sonic's room. "Is it bad?" Sally asked.

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Yeah." *Whew* He let out a deep breath and opened the folder he always carried with him. Sally braced herself as best she could. Dr. Anderson's hands were shaking slightly as he flipped to the page that had the results of Sonic's blood work. "I'll be honest with you, it's not looking good."

Sally felt her stomach leap into her throat. "When we ran the blood tests, his potassium is way below normal levels. It should be above 80 and his is 14. His blood pressure is low too. Normally-"

"Cut to the chase." Sally said, cutting him off. She could tell it was a stall tactic, and if it was going to be bad, she wanted to hear it and get it out of the way; no matter how bad it was. Dr. Anderson nodded. "From what I've seen and after going over his results and eliminating every other possibility, I believe his heart is failing."