Chapter 4
Several hours had gone by since Flik's assessment with Dr. Flora and no one had dropped in to visit him even once. Not even the doctor herself- who claimed she would be in frequently to check up on her patient- was noticeably absent. Tired and feeling slightly depressed from being so alone, Flik turned to his side and glanced at the curtain entrance to the medical ward. The entire room was pitch black minus the small amounts of light that crept in through the gaps in the curtain. It gave the room a very cold and haunting atmosphere and made Flik feel very uncomfortable. Why hasn't even Dot attempted to try and see me? Am I really that disliked that not even my best friend can come to see me? Flik thought to himself as he felt the moments slowly creep by. And I wonder about Princess Atta. She probably got hurt real bad too if she has been locked up in her room and no one else was allowed to see her. At this last thought, Flik suddenly raised an eyebrow. Something peculiar had just ocurred to him. Lying down upon his back to stare at the ceiling, he let his brain replay through the events that had ocurred after Dot had left and Dr. Flora began her examination.
As soon as Dot had left the room, Flik felt a strange sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the doctor approached him. The doctor's uninterested glances, her strange tone of voice, the fact that the other council members seemed keen on getting Dot out of the room for no discernable reason as well as their surprising agreeance to Dr. Flora's remarks; all of these observations flew about Flik's head as he lay in his bed, awaiting Dr. Flora's actions. He could feel his heart rate beginning to increase as well as his palms becoming sweaty. Calm down, Flik, he thought to himself. There is no reason to freak out. Everyone has your best interest in mind. Forcing himself to calm down, Flik put on a calm face and glanced upward towards the doctor and gave her his best reassuring smile. Whether or not she bought his facade, Flik didn't know, but she made no sudden doubtful reactions, causing Flik to ease slightly.
"So, Flik," Dr. Flora began, reaching underneath the bed and pulling out a small container of gloves made out of leaves. Pulling out a small pair, she put them on and wiggled her fingers gingerly to get them comfortable within the tight gloves. "Let me get myself ready here. Would you mind telling me exactly what you have been experiencing since you've awoken; what types of pain or otherwise uncomfortable sensations you've had the misfortune of enduring?" She walked over towards the end table and opened up her bag, Flik attempting to sit up slightly in order to watch her. Spotting him shift in the bed, the doctor immediatly rushed back over to her patient and put a hand on his shoulder, gently forcing him back down.
"No, no Flik!" she cried. "Don't move around so much! Just stay put and relax. You need to rest after everything you've been through." Glancing down, she took note of the washcloth that was still sitting next to Flik's shoulder. Gazing back at him, she gestured towards it with a confused expression. "Why is the washcloth next to you? Did something happen?" Reaching down, she picked up the damp cloth and held it up to the light. Turning it over several times, she inspected every possible angle. After a few further inspections against the light, she held the cloth up to her nose and sniffed it. Pulling the cloth back from her nose, she gingerly held the cloth back up to the light as if trying to decipher a hidden message written on it.
What is she doing? Flik wondered, butterflies twittering around in his stomach as he watched the doctor's careful scrutinization of the cloth. That washcloth only had water on it, and it was Dot's idea, not mine. Gulping, he squeaked, "Is- is everything ok, Doctor?"
Not finding anything note worthy, she lowered the cloth down from the light and slowly nodded to Flik. "Sorry about that, Flik," she stated, a serious gaze in her eyes as if she were about to deliver a dramatic monologue. "I just had to make sure that there wasn't any blood or other dangerous chemical on this washcloth. I didn't want there to be anything worse with you than there already was. Do you know where this came from?"
Immediatly, Flik nodded. "Yes, Princess Dot gave it to me not long after I woke up in order to try and help cure my headache," he explained to Dr. Flora in the most confident voice he could muster against his palpatating heart and quickened breaths. He was half expecting the doctor to grill him further about the washcloth and its potential source, but to his surprise, she merely nodded in approval and walked back over to the end table, setting the washcloth back in its bowl. Flik watched as she opened up her medical back and pulled out a few supplies, none of which he could clearly make out without getting up. Not wanting to cause any more disruptions or reasons for suspicion, Flik chose to remain still in bed and resort to only moving his eyes.
Suddenly feeling an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, he risked a glance over to the entrance of the medical ward. Mr. Soil had since returned from the hallway and was chattering away with Cornelius and Thorny in a huddle. Occasionally, one of them would break away from the huddle and give Flik a questionable glance before returning to their conversation. Flik wasn't sure what they were talking about but he couldn't escape the feeling that he was certainly a topic of their conversation. Groaning lightly, he returned his gaze to Dr. Flora who was busy searching through her medical bag for more supplies. A sick feeling of dread rushed over him, piercing his heart like a bucket of ice. These were the exact same circumstances that had ocurred to him when he had originally been sent off to the city to search for warrior bugs, as well as the council's initial reaction upon his return: doubt, scheming, and secrecy. They immediatlely bestilled lack of confidence in any of his abilities, choosing instead to discuss amongst themselves without his input about a proper "sentence" for his misdeeds. Everytime he had ever made a mistake previously, the results were always the same: he was brought before the council of ants, they would discuss and bicker about how to remedy his mistake (which usually involved punishing Flik rather than actually implementing solutions to the problems caused), he would try to speak up and give his own suggestions only to be shut down instantly due to the council's doubt in him, they would huddle or go into another room to discuss or otherwise scheme about Flik in private, before coming back and delivering a verdict Flik never had any say in and would have to agree with or else face exile.
"Ok, Flik, back to my original question," said Dr. Flora as she turned towards Flik once again. Taking note of his inability to awknowledge her statement, she followed his gaze over to the chatting council members still in the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Flik saw a look of understanding cross over the doctor's face as she glanced back over to Flik and gave him what he assumed was a brief nod. Walking towards the council members, she briefly turned towards Flik and held up one finger, indicating to give her one moment. She then turned her back to him and joined in the huddle. While Flik could not hear what she was saying, it must have been somewhat shocking as the three other council members gasped and quickly looked over to Flik in shock before returning to the huddle and whispering more quickly and intently.
At that moment, Dr. Flora suddenly raised her voice and backed up out of the huddle. "I'm serious, gentlemen," she stated in a loud voice, causing all of the males including Flik to jump in shock at the sudden change of tone. Glancing back over to Flik once more, the doctor smiled apologetically before turning back to the council once more. "While I agree with your... previously given statements, I'm afraid right now is NOT the time to be discussing them further. Right now, I must take care of my patient and ensure his wellbeing. I insist that you please leave me with him and we can finish this discussion with the Queen and Princess once she is better." All of the other council members began to objectively cry out at once, only to be immediatly silenced by the doctor's raised hand. "ENOUGH!" she shouted, earning a second jump from Flik. "Please get out of the medical ward! Flik needs his rest." Without waiting for a response, she quickly reached out and began to push all three of the council members towards the exit.
"Ok, Dr. Flora, ok!" Mr. Soil huffed, jerking away from the doctor's grip. "We can discuss circumstances later. Please just promise me that Princess Atta will be in attendance."
"I am not sure at the current moment, Mr. Soil! None of us are, you know that!" Dr. Flora interjected. "Please just give me some time with my patient." With that, all three council members gave the doctor a disapproving glare while she maintained her serious, yet composed scowl. After one final huff from all three of them, Mr. Soil. Cornelius, and Thorny left the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Dr. Flora turned back and walked towards her patient. Giving him an apologetic look, she began, "My sincerest apologies, Flik. It seems that the council-"
"It's nothing, Doctor, really!" Flik interrupted, surprising himself. He did not intend to reply with such a negative outburst, but he couldn't help himself. After all the stress and pressure he had been under, the last thing he needed at current moment was any more reason to worry about his current status in the colony, and here the council was, chatting about and glancing at him like he was a deadly disease they needed to find a proper way to dispose of; it was not exactly the welcoming comittee Flik would have expected upon his return to the anthill to put matter lightly. It also didn't help that every other part of his body still ached and his sore throat was starting to come back again. Any single movement he made would cause another sharp ocurrence of pain, and more than anything, Flik just wanted to be sleeping away peacefully, not lying in bed awake, with the doctor grilling him with questions and letting his fears fluster wildely through his head. Cringing slightly, he gave the doctor a fearful glance, silently hoping she would not press on about his sudden outburst.
Unfortunatly, no such luck ocurred. "Flik, my dear, I understand that this process you are going through must be very overwhelming and painful for you, and I share my deepest condolences. With that said, could you please try to remain patient with me and not get yourself in such a fuss if you are left waiting or if other duities need to be attended to first? You are not the only patient I have to attend to..."
"How is Princess Atta?" Flik blurted out again, unable to control himself. Cringing again, he felt his entire head flame up in emabarrassment. Oh, shoot! he thought. I've really done it this time.
Dr. Flora glanced at Flik as if he was a ghost. Composing herself, she cleared her throat and calmly said, "The princess's current condition is none of your concern, Flik. She is under my care and her wellbeing will be taken care of, I assure you." Raising an eyebrow, her face became more sour. "Now, if you would prefer for me not to continue your evaluation, I can leave you in your current state and exit the room, choosing when to comeback, which we will see when that is. Or, you can cooperate with me, we can get through this process together, and I can make you more comfortable so you can rest. What would you like me to do? I'd assume you want me to stay and finish up?" Putting her gloved hands on her hips, she continued her disapproving scowl at Flik, causing the latter to shrink in his bed and merely nod.
"Very well," Dr. Flora stated calmly, before returning for the third time towards the end table. She picked up a stethoscope and swung it around her neck before grabbing the rest of her medical bag in one hand and the dew flower in the other and returning to Flik's side. Gently setting the bag down, she grabbed the stem of the flower and released a dew bead into her palm, offering it out to her patient. "Drink." Flik obeyed. The liquid immediatly soothed his throat once again, causing him to breath a sigh of relief. Noticing his demeanor beginning to calm, the doctor smiled slightly and offered him another dew bead to which her patient gladly accepted.
Setting the flower down on the ground, she took the stethoscope, plugged both earpieces into her ears and placed the resonator on the center of Flik's abdomen. A shiver suddenly flew threw his body; the resonator was very cold! "Sorry, Flik! I should have checked beforehand. Try your best to ignore the coldness and give me some deep breaths." Teeth chattering, Flik shakily breathed in and out multiple times as the doctor recorded his heartbeat in several place on his abdomen. After what felt like an eternity of the cold circular metal being placed up against his exposed body, Dr. Flora finally removed the resonator and took the earpieces out of her ears. "Apart from a slightly increased heart rate, which I assume was brought up from the temperature decrease, your heart and breathing rates are normal,"she explained with a slight giggle. Flik gave her a relieved smile but said nothing.
After performing a few more medical procedures upon Flik, replacing his IV fluids with fresh ones, and readjusting Flik's body to be in a more comfortable position, Dr. Flora returned all of her medical supplies to the end table and approached Flik's side once again with a satified smile. "Well, Flik, I'm happy to report that you seem to be in better condition that I had originally thought. You have suffered some major trauma in your head and abdomen and both of your arms, while not broken, are severly bruised and should not be exposed to atmospheric materials for a days to prevent irritation; hence the casts. It also appears you have broken a few ribs as well. I am honestly surprised your lungs are in as good shape as they currently are, considering the heavy beating you took from the grasshoppers. Apart from the injuries I just mentioned as well as a few bruises on your eyes that should disappear in a few days time, I estimate you should be looking at one or two weeks her in the medical ward before you are cleared; five days if we're lucky!" She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave him a proud smile. "Keep hanging in there, Flik! This process will be over before you know it."
With that, the doctor turned around to leave the medical ward. Flik's eyes widdened. Is that it? he thought. Just tell me how I'm doing and nothing else? What about Atta? What about the circus bugs? What about anything? Just before she made it to the curtain entrance, Flik let out a small cough and stammered, "D-doctor?"
Turning back around, Dr. Flora glanced at Flik with a quizzical expression. "Yes, Flik? What is it?"
Flik had about a million questions he wanted to ask all at once and he wasn't expecting the doctor to actually turn around and put him immediatly on the spot, but instead choose to ignore the question or merely respond with, "There is nothing to worry about." But now here she was, expecting an intelligent question from him. Wanting to not seem like a fool, he quickly spoke out the first question on his mind. "Are you not going to put me under? Shouldn't I go back to sleep?"
The doctor gaised at Flik with a confused expression before realization finally began to sink in. "You mean put you back under anesthesia?" He nodded, more eagerly than he anticipated. Dr. Flora laughed. "Goodness, you are so eager, I guess the engineers weren't lying when they said it was powerful stuff. No, Flik, there is no need to put you back under unless there is another operation that needs to be performed or if you go into critical condition once again. Seeing as how neither circumstance is true, you are free to just relax and sleep normally as you please in your own time. I will be coming back every hour or two in order to check up on you."
Dr. Flora turned around to leave once again, but another question blurted itself out of Flik's mouth before he could stop it. "What about Dot and the circus bugs? Will they be allowed to visit me?"
At the sound of that question, Dr. Flora halted in her tracks. While Flik could not see her face, he almost got a sense of absolute horror being displayed in her eyes. A tense air suddenly filled the room as her physical form began to lightly shake. Grabbing ahold of her hands, she turned back around to Flik with an unreadable expression on her face, although Flik could somewhat read the uncomfortable tone in her eyes. Unknowingly wringing her hands together, she gave Flik her best mustered smile as she slowly explained, "Um, well, you see, Flik... The Queen... has ordered that you should not be receiving any visitors apart from myself and the council for the time being. I guess she supposes it is best for you to receive your rest without any outside influence. I personally don't see the need for such a request, but I don't argue with the Queen's decisions."
"Well, why was Dot allowed in here then?" Flik asked, raising an eyebrow at the doctor's strange answer.
"Princess Dot, Flik, remember your place," Dr. Flora scolded, suddenly raising her voice. "And I honestly don't know why she was in here earlier. I think it was that she simply didn't hear about her mother's orders and wanted to make sure you were ok. But Mr. Soil has since informed me that he has told her about the Queen's request and she will simply have to wait for a few days until it is deemed ok for you to have visitors." Seeing the male ant's surprised expression, her face softened and she put on a warm smile. "Never you worry, Flik. I know things seem kind of strange right now, but after the astronomical events that have taken place over the last few days, I think it's best for everyone to relax a little and reevaluate everything. Now, if there is nothing else..."
Can't hurt to try one more time. Flik thought to himself as the doctor gestured towards the entrance, clearly wanting to leave the room. Acting quickly, he asked his final question, "How is Princess Atta doing? Is she running things ok in the colony?"
Sighing, Dr. Flora put her head in her hands. Rubbing her forhead with her fingers, she glanced back up at her patient with a mix of annoyance and exhaustion. "Flik, I already explained to you that it is none of your concern how the princess is doing. I can assure you that everything is fine and she is being well taken care of. If you must know, I am leaving you now so that I can go and checkup on her. I will be back in a little while, Flik. Rest up now." And with that, she exited out of the medical ward.
Flik breathed out a heavy sigh as his recollection ended. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed, the blankets and sheets now a twisted mess. He had attempted multiple times to doze off and give his tired brain some much needed rest, but he continually found himself unable to do so. Instead, his mind was deep in thought: about all of the crazy events that had ocurred over the last few days, about the miraculous ability of both himself and all the ants in his colony being able to stand up to their tyrannical grasshopper lords and overthrow them, about the sudden blur that was Hopper kidnapping him away from the colony and Atta swarrming to his rescue, about her confession of her sincerity of his wellbring to him, about the strange new circumstances he found himself in, and-most dominating and hauting out of all his thoughts-about what consequences, positive or negative, lie in store for him without any true clarity being laid out.
I saved the colony, he thought as he stared up to the ceiling of the medical ward for the umpteenth time, fighting back the waterwork of tears that threatened to burst out. The bird plan may not have completly worked, but I stood up to Hopper. I told him the truth. I made all of the other ants believe they could rise up against him, and they actually did. They did rise up against him, and he even died as a result. He recollected the proud feeling of accomplishment that had washed over him as he witnessed the ant colony as well as the circus bugs charge towards the terrified grasshoppers. They had formed a mob and fought back against the grasshopper's attempts to resist them, eventually forcing the grasshoppers to leave in fear and hopefully to never return again. It wouldn't be much later after those emotional events however when the rain would begin to crash down and completly ruined the moment, sending the colony into a fit of chaos as they scrambled to the safety of the anthill. Hopper had of course taken advantage of the pandemonium, somehow gotten free of the circus cannon he was stuffed into, and had taken off in flight with Flik tight in his grasp. Of course, all of the circus bugs had taken flight in order to try and rescue their friend from the evil grasshopper's clutches. While Hopper had successfully evaded all of their attempts with Flik helplessly watching as his friends dangled in the branches of the trees, at least they had made an effort to rescue him. At that moment, Flik's spirit had completely sank, as he was certain that no one else from the colony would attempt to come after him, and as a male ant himself, he couldn't fly. All he could do was simply go limp to avoid the chills of the freezing rain and await whatever horrific fate Hopper had in store for the poor ant... until...
Princess Atta saved me! Flik thought in excitement, remembering the shrill of joy in his heart as he was carried away from the grasshopper's grasp by the brave princess. Of all the scouts, all the workers, anyone who would attempt to come looking for me if anyone would at all, it was the princess herself who braved a rain storm and the scariest bug in existence to rescue a lowly screw-up like myself. Why? He continued to replay in his head all of the events that he could remember before he had awoken in the hospital ward, trying desperately to find any answers. He recalled Atta's desperate attempts to get back to the anthill, his last minute idea to lead her towards the bird's nest, the pair of them successfully making it behind cover before Flik ran back out to confront Hopper, the evil grasshopper's terrified screams as he was eaten by the chicks, and his long talk with Atta behind the rock about his deepest fears that he still held now. However, Atta had-much to Flik's surprise-not only ignored his remarks of self-pity but actually hugged him and insisted she cared about what happened to him. Of course, Flik had gotten knocked out from the bird's interference not long after, but then he had awoken in the medical ward? Dot had claimed that Dim, Rosie, and Tuck and Roll had found them in the thorny tree and had brought them back to the anthill. How had he and the princess ended up in the thorny tree? Surely the princess could not have carried the two of them back there all on her own. Had the circus bugs carried them back the entire way, taking a rest in the thorny tree on the way?
Something rustled near the curtained entrance of the medical ward. Flik glanced up excitedly, hoping to see someone coming in to visit him. However, there was no one there. Dejectidely, Flik slumped further down on his pillow, causing a large twinge of pain to emit from his forehead. Gritting his teeth, he hissed against the pain as he attempted to slowly breath in and out to remedy the pain's unpleastness. "Where's Dr. Flora when you need her?" Flik wondered aloud to no one in particular. "In fact, where is anybody? The Queen insists I have no visitors at all so that I can rest, but here I am stuck in a bed with my entire body in pain, lonely as can be, simply just awaiting my fate like a child awaiting his punishment. The council is upset at me- and rightfully so- but have they taken any positive aspects over the past several days into consideration, or are they just gonna send me off on my way the second I can walk again?"
At that moment, it began to dawn on Flik just how much the colony truly relied on the council for their survival, both positvely and negatively. On the positive side of things, Flik could not help but awknowledge just how much responsibility they took each and everyday to oversee all operations and ensure the smooth livilihood of every ant in the colony. Such a task had to be immensely difficult and he couldn't imagine the constant pressure and stress their jobs entailed, nor did he envy any of them for a moment, instead being perfectly content with his average status. Dr. Flora in particular was especially helpful for the colony as no one else had as much medical knowledge as she did, and should anyone ever get injured to the extent that Flik did, without her, the ants could very easily be left for dead. However, it was becoming more and more apparent to Flik that the council was also keen on ensuring total control over every last little detail about the colony without letting any other member have their own say. At every quarterly-annual colony briefing, the entire population of ants minus the royals and council members were held in strict compliance not to disrupt any statements given with questions or concerns. Rather, once everything had been announced for the colony, they were expected to follow all orders and remain one with the group at all times. It even seemed at this very moment that even the circus bugs were following the colony's strict rule, as not a single member has come to check up on Flik in the medical ward. Whether this was due to themselves recovering from the horrible events of the night of Hopper's death or the ban that Dr. Flora mentioned, Flik did not know, nor was he sure that he wanted to know. All he was sure of at that moment was the millions of thoughts that were swimming around his mind like a large swarm of hornets.
Should anyone mess up badly enough-which was a rare ocurrence in and of itself as every member of the colony was naturally a loyal follower to the bitter end-the entire council and the Queen (or Atta in more present days) commenced a judgement trial to ensure order and compliance would ensue from the convicted ant. During this trial, the convicted was allowed to express their case as much as they desired. Sadly, it would ultimatly do little in the long run as the council would take little to none of the convicted's testimony into consideration for their sentence. At best, the ant would get a simplistic sentence such as three days digging in the heaven-forsaken tunnels or an extra hour every day picking grain for two weeks. At worst, the ant would be exiled from the colony permenatly. Flik could only recall one ant being exiled from the colony in its history due to almost getting the reigning queen killed during a grasshopper invasion, and even then, the sentence was alwas deemed too harsh to give out to any ant, no matter how serious the situation. Even still, Flik always dreaded the day when a mistake of his would be one mistake too many and he would be exiled from the colony permenatly.
"At this rate, it's not likely that anyone is going to come in here and give me an advanced warning of whatever is being planned," Flik grumbled aloud. "Princess Atta of course is able to know everything that is going on... No, no, don't say that. She's the princess, of course she would. She would have every right to. But of course the precious council has to immediatly insinuate themselves into whatever positions they can to..."
Flik suddenly paused, the strange inconsistency he had thought of earlier coming back into his head. He had since forgotten what it was while recollecting Dr. Flora's examination, but now it stood front and center in his brain. What is the council's position right now? he thought to himself. Several statements from earlier in the day replayed themselves in his mind: "She is under my care and her wellbeing will be taken care of." "My mom insisted that only she stays with Atta while she is resting. No one, not even me, are allowed in there." "We tried to visit her as well, but the Queen said that she wants you and herself to be the only visitors." "I already explained to you that it is none of your concern how the princess is doing. I can assure you that everything is fine and she is being well taken care of. If you must know, I am leaving you now so that I can go and checkup on her."
Another rustling sound came from the curtain entrance of the medical ward, snapping Flik out of his thoughts. His heart sank, dreading to see anyone from the council show up in there again, including the doctor. Luckily, instead of an adult ant, a small female ant wearing a small green, leafy tiara was standing in the doorway with a large grin on her face.
"FLIK!" Dot cried loudly, before quickly flying into the room and giving her friend a large hug. Flik had no time to react as he suddenly felt all of the air pushed out of him from the small ant nearly pummeling his chest from landing on it so hard. After what felt like an eternity, the smaller ant pulled away from him and landed down on the ground at her friend's side. "I'm not supposed to be in here, so I waited until no one was looking and then snuck away from my room to come and find you," she whispered softly to Flik. "How are you feeling?"
Flik gave his friend a warm smile. "I'm doing a lot better now that you're here," he said to her, causing the young princess to giggle. "What's been going on? Is the colony ok? Have you heard any word from anyone about how your sister is doing?"
At the mention of Atta, Dot giggled again. "Yes, Atta is fine. I saw her myself. My mom is heavily enforcing the rule of no visitors in her room, pushing it from one day to three days. Luckily, she has allowed for me to come in and see as much as I like!"
Flik breathed a large sigh of relief. "Oh, that's great to hear. I've been very worried about her. Are the circus bugs still here? I'd like to see them at some point and tell them thank you for rescuing me."
Dot nodded happily. "Yes, they are all still here. Most of them are still waiting in their circus caravan thing for the ok to come into the anthill, as for some reason, my mom has stated that she doesn't want them in here right now. I guess they are a bit too loud or distracting or something. That didn't stop me and some of the Blueberries sneaking out earlier today to find Francis and play a few rounds of poker with him. He seemed to deeply enjoy that, even though he totally lost like every round!" A proud smirk arose on the young ant's face, causing Flik to chuckle. Glancing upward at her friend with a beeming smile, she continued, "Slim was also there, although he seemed to be recovering from last night's events and didn't talk much. As a matter of fact, most of the circus bugs apart from Francis, Gypsey, and Manny were rather quiet with us as we went over there. They of course asked about you and Atta and how you two were doing, and I said you guys were both all right. They all seemed relieved but didn't have much else to say beyond that." Dot stared glumly at the floor, bending down to pick up a small piece of glove that had since snapped off from a previous usage and began twiddling it in her hands.
Noticing her melancholy demeanor, Flik reached out from under his blanket, and, ignoring the throbbing pain in his side, rubbed the side of Dot's cheek. "Hey, Dot, what's wrong?" he asked, taken aback by the abscence of the young ant's usual cheery nature.
To Flik's surprise, the young ant grabbed hold of Flik's hand and nuzzled her face into it. Flik felt his palm become wet as tears began to stream from Dot's eyes. Flik's heart melted, unsure exactly what to do. "Come up here," he offered, gesturing towards his abdomen once again. Even though Dot did not see his motion, she immediatly jumped up and landed on his chest, knocking the air out of him once again. "Please, Dot!" he wheezed, gasping for air. "Please be careful when you land on me."
"Sorry, Flik!" the young ant cried as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, tears streaming from her eyes. While Flik couldn't raise his arms to hug her back, he moved his head slightly to nuzzle his chin atop her forehead.
"It's ok, Dot. You didn't do anything wrong," Flik whispered to her. "Just take as much time as you need." His soft, soothing voice to do the trick as after a few minutes, the young princess pulled back from her embrace with Flik but remained perched on his chest, arms still around his neck. She stared deeply into his eyes as if trying to uncover their darkest secrets. Why is she looking at me like this? Flik thought to himself. Her insistence was making him both concerned and uncomfortable at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Now, tell me, Dot. What's wrong?"
Sniffling, the young ant merely shook her head. Flik put on a warm smile and stared at her compassionatly. "It's ok," he whispered to her, trying to calm her down enough to where she would tell him her feelings. "There is nothing to worry about. Tell me everything that is bothering you."
Dot gave her friend one more sympathetic look before closing her eyes and nodding. "Ok," she said softly. Taking a deep breath in, she opened her eyes and locked gazes with Flik. "The entire colony has been in turmoil since the time you and Atta have been brought back. Everyone is acting like it's the end of the world and have not been able to do anything besides panic or wander around the anthill, blindly looking for something to do. The council seems to also be very confused as they are not letting anyone do anything while Atta is secluded and they also refuse to let anyone in here to come and visit you, and that includes me." Tears began to stream down her eyes once again, as Flik reached up with his casted arm and wiped them away the best he could. Sniffling, she continued, "No one is allowed to leave the anthill, either, for fear of something terrible happening outside without anyone else knowing. And while I'm allowed to visit Atta whenever I like, I'm always met with a cold air from everyone else as I leave, with everyone staring at me mean and not talking to me, and I don't understand what I did wrong. And now I'm going to get in trouble being in here with you, but I really badly wanted to be by your side and..." More tears threatened to escape the young ant's eyes, but Flik quickly wiped them away to the best of his ability.
"You haven't done anything wrong, Dot. You are the strongest, most noble-hearted ant I've ever met in my life, and I mean that." Dot stopped crying and looked at Flik in disbelief. "Believe it, Princess! All you care about is the wellbeing of everyone, and you are not satified until you know for certain that all of your friends and family are happy. There is nothing wrong that could ever come of that, and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong! Don't listen to them because they aren't worth it. And guess what?"
"What?" the young ant asked, still sniffling.
"I am so grateful that you are here with me right now, Dot," Flik replied, a tear beginning to form in his own eye. "Because just when I thought that everyone had forgotten about me and didn't care what happened to me, you came down here to check on me against everyone else's wishes and you stayed by me when I needed you most. You did that, Dot, because you have the biggest, most brightest heart in the entire world, and no one can ever tell you different. Now, come here!" Flik opened his arm up the best he could. Despite feeling large amounts of pain, he focused solely on the young princess in front of him, presenting the biggest and brightest smile he could muster to calm the poor princess's fears. Unfortunatly for him, the young princess quickly outperformed his smile by giving back one that was even wider and brighter than his own, causing his heart to melt once again. With a smile that could rival the highest clouds in its joy and tears streaming down her eyes, the young ant did a somersalt in the air before rushing back to Flik and throwing her arms around him.
"I love you, Flik." Those four words caused the male ant's heart to nearly stop as he became overjoyed with emotions. He simply could not explain how happy he felt at this current moment, as if every single one of his inventions had magically decided to work all at once and create for him the perfect vision of his dreams: acceptance. Dot was the first ant who cared for him, but not just a friend or as a role model, but as someone whom she could deeply trust with her feelings, emotions, and even life, and as a real genuine person rather than merely another member of the colony. Dot was the ant who actually loved him as a person. The entire situation caused Flik's heart to melt once again as he returned the young ant's embrace with five simple words to cap off his emotions: "I love you too, Dot."
The more Flik continued to delve on these newfound emotions, the more exhausted he realized he was becoming, finding it more and more difficult to remain consciousness. Finally, after what felt like several hours, Dot finally pulled back from the embrace, a slightly worried expression in her eyes. "Flik, there is something else I need to tell you. I've been forced by seveal people including my mother not to mention this to you, but I really feel like you need to know."
Flik was barely able to comprehend the words the young princess was saying, his mind diving back and forth between dreamland and consciousness. Glancing upward at Dot, he mustered a weak smile. "What- whatever it is, Dot..." he breathed. "It can... wait until... la... ter."
The last thing Flik remembered before his eyes completly closed and he slipped uncoscious were the sounds of Dot screaming out his name in vain and of several loud rushing footsteps coming into the medical ward.