Chapter 7

Caretaking 101

Sonic was in trouble. He didn't know one thing about taking care of people, so when Amy got sick, Sonic was left with no knowledge of how to help her. For the past 2 weeks, Sonic had let Amy do all the stuff she was able to do on her own, not because he didn't care, but because he wanted Amy to be able to take care of herself in case he wasn't there. Sonic looked around the room. Amy had been laying in bed for a couple hours, and when Sonic checked her temperature, he gasped. She was running a fever of 105 degrees. Sonic was at a loss for words. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Come on, he thought. Where are you? He scrolled all the way to the bottom until he found the name he was looking for: Dr. Stives. He tapped on the name and pressed the call button. He waited for Dr. Stives to pick up, but it went straight to voicemail. Sonic sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked back at Amy and put his hand back on her forehead. Sonic had woken up that morning expecting Amy to call him up to help her, but when she remained absolutely silent, Sonic got worried. He knocked on the door, and when she didn't answer he walked in to find her like this. She was sweating and moaning with pain, and Sonic grew extremely worried. Now, though, he wasn't sure if she'd be alright. He got up from the side of her bed and went down to the kitchen. He got out a bowl and poured some soup from a can into it. He put it in the microwave and waited for it to heat up. He then proceeded to carefully carry the bowl of hot soup up the stairs to Amy's room. He sat it down on her nightstand and pulled up a chair next to her bed. He sat there in silence and looked at her. You have to admit, he thought. She looks cute when she sleeps. Sonic realized what he just said in his mind and blushed. He looked back at Amy and sighed. There was still no sign of movement coming from the pink hedgehog, and Sonic scared there was something wrong with her. So, sonic did what any reasonable person would do: consult the internet. He looked up what condition Amy had had but couldn't find any credible resources. At last he stumbled upon an article called "Caretaking 101". He clicked on it and began to read. It had facts like "how you should let them rest". Sonic made a mental note to remember that, and read on. "A sick person needs love and constant encouragement. A person who is sick should rest in a quiet, comfortable place with plenty of fresh air and light. When they're sick, you can spoil them a little bit, like giving them a healthy treat, a new movie or a story book to keep them active. The person should be prevented from getting too hot or cold." Sonic looked at the window, and saw that the curtains were completely closed. He opened them up and looked back at what else he had to do. "They need fresh air…" Sonic said to himself. He opened her window and turned back. It was a beautiful day, and he longed to be outside, running as fast as he could take himself without completely destroying the ecosystem, and travelling to wherever the wind took him. But, Sonic reminded himself. I made a promise I would stay and help Amy, and I always keep my promises. Sonic did everything else the article said, and sat back down on the chair. Sonic looked at the clock and sighed. He had been caring for Amy for at least half the day. It was already 7:43, and Sonic was exhausted. He started closing his eyes (not that he was trying to), and gave himself up to the dark abyss that was sleep.

"Morning sleepy head." Sonic looked up to find where the voice came from. He had just woken up from sleeping, and he was trying to remember why he was in Any's room. He turned to the bed and let out a sigh of relief. Amy was sitting up in bed staring at him. She had this funny look on her face, like she was trying to figure out why Sonic had slept on a chair in her room. Sonic stood up quickly and made to walk out of the room, but Amy stopped him before he could. "What were you doing in here?" she asked, though not in an angry tone, but with a tone of curiosity. Sonic scratched his head nervously and turned back to face her. "Well, you got sick, you see, and I… I was trying to help you get better… I guess I got a little carried away." Sonic chuckled nervously and exited the room. Amy crawled out of bed and reached for her crutches. She carefully made her way down the stairs and into the living room. She sat down next to Sonic and hugged him. Surprised, Sonic just sat there. "Thank you, Sonic. For everything." Sonic smiled. "Aw, it's nothing Amy, really. You need someone around to help, and that's what I'm here for. I'm your friend, and that's what friends do." Amy let go of Sonic and continued to look at him. She smiled and they sat there in silence. Sonic suddenly remembered Amy could still be sick and told Amy to stay still. "I need to feel your forehead in case you're still running a fever. Amy obliged, and Sonic put his hand to her head. It was warm. That's good. he thought. Sonic felt relieved. He took his hand away from her head and put his glove back on. He stood up and started to walk up to Amy's room. He walked in and grabbed the bowl of stone-cold soup off of her nightstand. He walked back down to the kitchen to heat it back up, and gave it to Amy. "Eat it. I don't know of you still might be sick or not, but eat it just in case." Amy took the soup and started to blow on it. Sonic decided to sit down and find a movie to watch, for he remembered how you should give the sick a treat, like a movie. He flicked through the channels until he found one of his favorites: The Princess Bride. He clicked on it and smiled. It had just started. Amy gasped and said, "Ooh, I love this movie!" That made Sonic smile even more. They sat there in silence, laughing when called for, and enjoying the moment. Amy moved right next to Sonic and leaned against him. To her surprise, he didn't object. On the contrary, he put his arm around her, and together, they finished the rest of the movie.