Claire woke up late the next morning still feeling rather sleepy. The nurse was helping fold up a cot, and Karen was holding out a breezy sundress and sandals.

"Oh, that's a sweet dress," Elli was commenting with a grin. "She will look so cute in that."

"I figured something light would feel best," Karen admired the powder blue garment with a satisfied nod.

The blonde stirred; there was no way she could fall back asleep now. The other two in the room were being far too loud…

"Welcome to the world of the living!" Karen had way too much energy as she hovered over her friend. The tips of the brunette's hair dangled in Claire's face and the farmer scrunched up her nose in protest. "Doctor Trent already checked on you and said you can go home now to rest."

The farmer sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked around the room vaguely, remembering with a nervous pang that she was in the hospital. She noticed a vase of wildflowers and rosemary on her nightstand and found herself relaxing a bit; whether it was the fragrance or the mere idea that someone had thought of her while she was ill, she could not say. Perhaps it was both.

"Carter and Cliff already stopped by, but you were still asleep. Cliff volunteered to water your plants today and look after Koro and Tucker," The nurse explained with a kind smile.

That easily explained the flowers; Claire had already begun associating the herb with her friend. She wondered how many people in town knew what had happened to her. The farmer prayed that it wasn't common knowledge by now; she didn't want to be labeled as weak by the other villagers. Cliff had obviously mentioned yesterday's events to his roommates and the priest, maybe Doug and Ann… And Karen had probably told her parents, which meant her mother would inevitably tell Manna…

This meant the entirety of Mineral Town knew, or at least they would by this afternoon when the famed trio of gossipers met in the town square.

Claire frowned. It was the beginning of her second season, and surely people hadn't gained much faith in her yet. Were they even willing to at this point? More likely, they would think she was nothing but reckless and irresponsible…

"I've got your clothes here," Karen held up a bag, shaking the blonde from her reverie. "Elli was really sweet and did your laundry, but I brought you something lighter to wear." She held out the offered dress with a flourish.

Claire blinked. It felt like everyone was talking at once; she was still trying to get her bearings. The two brunettes left the room so she could change in privacy.

The young woman looked down at her arm. There was a bandage where the IV was, but she only vaguely remembered it being there. Yesterday was filled with hazy blurs. The farmer recalled working in her fields with dreams of snow cones in the morning hours. She remembered having a heart-to-heart with Karen soaking in a cool tub of water with great detail, along with some kind words and a sweet farewell from Cliff. After her friends left her side, she must have fallen into a deep sleep. Claire snapped back to the present and looked at her clothing choices. The young woman opted for the dress; she still felt warm. She grabbed the vase and the bag with her clothes and stumbled out into the lobby, her legs fighting her as she attempted to walk.

Karen immediately relieved the young woman of her belongings, and the farmer asked the doctor how much she owed.

"Nothing. Just take care of yourself, Claire." He gave her a very sincere smile.

"Th-Thank you." The blonde was shocked by this act of kindness; she had actually been a little concerned as to how she was going to manage the medical bill for her visit.

Elli handed the grocer's daughter a few more bottles of juice for her friend and they left the clinic.

It felt good to be standing on her own two feet again, but she still felt unsteady. All she really wanted to do was go back to sleep. She expressed this to Karen.

"Good. Because I'm taking you home and you are not allowed to do a lick of work today." She took her friend's hand and walked her home. "You are going to go home and sleep."

That sounded just fine to Claire.

They reached the farm and she was greeted by an excited yipping Koro. Claire reached down to pet the dog, rubbing his ears and smiling when the puppy closed his eyes with pleasure. She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye as her friend was watering her fields. Cliff saw her and gave her a friendly wave with a gloved hand. She stood up more abruptly than she meant to as she prepared to approach him and was punished by a wave of dizziness; she stumbled a bit.

Karen caught her by the arm. "What on earth are you doing, Claire? Be careful!" The young woman scolded and protectively put a hand on her back.

"I'm going to thank Cliff," Claire thought that it was obvious as she turned toward the young man.

"Hold your horses, girl; he will come to you! What part of rest do you not understand?"

The farmer didn't realize how large her field looked to everyone else. Karen rolled her eyes and brought her friend's things inside.

"Cl-Claire…" Cliff's eyes were lit up as they focused on his friend and he fought back a blush. The young woman looked very pretty in the blue cotton dress, but that was hardly important right now; she appeared to be much healthier than she was yesterday. "I-It's really good to see you standing again," He set the watering can down on the ground and greeted her with an embrace.

His skin was warm and smelled of rosemary, leather, and sweat. Claire found the combination of scents quite agreeable – he smelled like hard work. "Thank you for all of your help... Yesterday and today…" She buried her face into his shoulder, still ashamed at what had happened and the burden she had placed on everyone. "I hope Koro and Tucker weren't too much trouble."

"Not at all," He patted her back and picked up the watering can. "Get some rest and we can talk later. Let us pamper you today," he smiled, briefly placing a kind hand on her shoulder before returning to the crops.

Cliff had brought his own gloves; he came with the full intention of toiling in the fields today. She was relieved he had a good handle on things, but the farmer didn't feel right leaving him to do all of the work. She bit her lip. "Okay..."

She gave him a nod and bit back a laugh as Koro let out a happy bark and trailed after the young man. Cliff chuckled and held a conversation with the puppy as he began watering again, splashing a little bit on Koro's head to tease him. The dog yapped in response and wagged his tail, eager to play. Cliff apologized to the canine for riling him up as he continued to work, but Koro followed him at his heels, circling his legs and playfully barking. Claire noticed that the brunette would make a statement or ask the puppy a question, and the canine would often bark or yip in response as if he understood; the farmer found herself giggling.

"He sure is cute, isn't he?" Karen's sudden voice beside her caused Claire to jump.

The farmer's stomach gave a strange jolt. "H-Huh?"

The grocer's daughter roared with laughter when she saw the look on Claire's face. "Koro. He sure is a glutton for attention, and all he ever wants to do is play. How do you get any work done?"

"Well, I manage about as well as Cliff is," The farmer admitted. She watched the young man alternate between watering the plants and giving the puppy a bit of attention, usually in the form of a pat on the head or a quick splash of water.

"It's nice to take a break and see someone else do your work for a change, huh?" Karen gave her a grin.

Claire's smile faded. That heavy pressure returned to her shoulders as she was reminded how guilty she felt. She knitted her brows and bit her lip. "Actually…"

The young man looked up from the empty watering can and noticed both of his friends were keenly watching him and were likely talking about him. He gave them a shy wave, and the rosiness in his cheeks was visible from the farmhouse.

A warm sensation spread through Claire's belly. "It's not that bad, I suppose." The blonde returned the gesture as she headed into the house with Karen.

Claire walked inside and her friend was already pulling back the blanket on her bed for her. The young woman handed her a bottle of juice.

"Drink."

The blonde was happy to obey. She took a swig of the strange-tasting liquid and her eyelids felt heavy.

"Alright, now get some rest," Karen ruffled her hair.

Again, Claire was quick to comply.

0o0o0o0

Karen flipped the page from the book that had been sitting on the table for the past few hours. She had been reading it on and off again to help pass the time. She was on chapter five now; it was actually a pretty interesting story. The brunette heard stirring from the bed in the corner of the room and tried not to look too excited as the blonde took a deep breath, stretching and finally opening her eyes.

The grocer's daughter waited just long enough for her friend to exhale and blink a few times. She set down the book and walked over to the bed. "How are you feeling, sleepyhead?"

Why was it that people always asked that question within seconds of awakening? She didn't have an answer. It had been a deep and dreamless sleep, and she still was regaining consciousness. "Dunno yet," Claire mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Karen ran a few fingers through her brown hair as she admired the vase of herbs and flowers on the farmer's bedside table. "Well, you slept all day. It's nearly 7:30."

A pair of blue eyes widened in horror. "What?!" She sat up straight and immediately regretted it; stars swam before her eyes for a moment as she regained her equilibrium.

"Don't sweat it," Karen closed the book and set it on the table. "Today was a day for rest."

The blonde blinked some more and looked around the room curiously; the floor was no longer rocking back and forth like a ship on stormy waters the way it had this morning. "I think I'm starting to feel more like myself."

"Good. You had quite a few callers today." Karen pointed at a few bundles on her table.

Claire stood up and stretched her back, wobbling a bit. Karen smiled at the farmer's messy hair, but didn't comment on it. The young woman shakily took a cross-legged seat at the table, too tired to care how undignified she looked. Karen passed her the last bottle of juice, which the farmer obediently sipped at. She had grown accustomed to the strange flavor. Her eyes widened when she saw the offerings that had been brought while she was asleep.

"Wow, who brought the care package?" Claire saw a basket with fruit and a couple of bottles of juice.

"Those are from Kai. He stopped by with Gray."

Claire's face flushed. "Wh-Why didn't you wake me?!"

Karen laughed. "You were out pretty cold. Gray dropped you off a book, but I told him you were sleeping," She handed her friend the novel she had been reading. "A whodunit. Pretty good so far."

Claire's heart pounded. She was surprised he had thought to bring her something, and she was deeply touched.

"Gray also came over to check up on Cliff, and Kai brought him some lunch," Karen continued, "I guess he was pretty upset last night when he got back to the inn."

Claire felt a rush of guilt, but didn't say anything.

"He was so calm and collected when we saw you and took you to the clinic. Honestly, when the two of us found you, he was the only one who really knew what to do."

The blonde wracked her brain and had a vague memory of his gentle voice and cool water. "It all feels like a blur," She admitted with a weak voice. "W-Was I really that bad off?"

The brunette's eyelashes fluttered as she struggled to maintain a calm demeanor. "Trent said if we hadn't found you, you might have developed heat stroke, and ultimately your organs could have shut down." Her green eyes focused on the surface of the table.

Claire frowned. Surely Karen had been dwelling on this a bit, but the farmer was feeling much healthier; she didn't want the young woman to worry. "I'm very glad to have a friend like you."

Color rushed to the brunette's face, but she didn't look up from the tabletop. "I didn't really do anything to help. I cried and yelled a lot; that was about it," She confessed sheepishly, clenching her teeth.

The fact that anyone had been concerned for her safety had made Claire feel rather special, although somewhat guilty…

"I leaned on Cliff too hard with all of my crying and screaming," The grocer's daughter continued. "Apparently when he got home the whole thing hit him and he took it kind of hard," Karen explained with a sigh, burying her face in her arms. She didn't feel that it was appropriate to repeat the entire story that Gray and Kai had told her; it would just make Claire feel worse to know how anguished her friend had been after the incident.

Gray had confided in Karen that his roommate had been very withdrawn all evening, too distressed to leave their bedroom to visit the church or even go downstairs for a free dinner offered by Doug. He had quietly yet stubbornly pleaded that everyone leave him alone for the night. The roommates had returned from dinner to find their friend curled up on his bed, passed out from exhaustion, his cheeks stained with tears.

"I was so busy freaking out that I didn't really give him a chance to get upset about it." Karen struggled to keep her voice level.

Claire sunk deeper into her cushion. What kind of person was she, causing them both so much worry?

"I'm a terrible friend," They both stated in unison. The women stared at each other. Karen laughed, and it caught Claire by surprise.

"You don't need to beat yourself up any more about yesterday. It's over with. We're just happy that you're feeling better." She let out a small sigh and returned to the packages on the table, shifting to a more businesslike mode. "Rick dropped off a basket of spa boiled eggs for you so you don't have to worry about breakfast tomorrow. He stopped by and we talked for a few hours. I can't believe you slept through it." Karen blushed and pointed to another package, "And this is from Ann. She brought you a lunch box."

Claire popped it open and realized how hungry she was. Inside were a few rice balls, a small piece of smoked fish, and some pickled vegetables. She was drooling.

Karen laughed, "You have quite a few admirers, huh?" She gave her friend a nudge and winked.

She was shocked by all of the gifts. Claire's throat tightened in gratitude. "Everyone here is so nice," She managed to squeak out. Remembering her hunger, she took a huge bite of rice ball.

"Don't make yourself sick now," Karen teased.

Claire offered Karen an onigiri and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So Rick was here for a few hours, huh?" Claire cocked an eyebrow as she finished her last bite.

"Yeah, do you want to fight about it?" Karen tried her best to look menacing while stifling a chuckle. "It was a really quiet day. You were sleeping so soundly, and it got pretty lonely here." She shrugged casually.

The farmer wasn't in the mood for teasing her friend any further today. "Did Cliff stop inside?" Claire was slightly disappointed that the third member of their trio wasn't in the room with them.

The brunette shook her head. "No, he left after he finished watering. Why did you plant so much? He was out there nearly all day! I told him to just water half, but he insisted on doing the whole field…" She gave the farmer an exasperated look; it seemed both of her new friends had proven to be quite stubborn.

"Ugh, and I'm going to have to do the whole field tomorrow," Claire deflated. She didn't want to take advantage of her friend's kindness. Surely Cliff had foraging and fishing to do, and his help on her farm had cut into that time; she couldn't possibly ask for his help for another day. Her only other option was for her to take the work on herself.

"No!" Karen slammed her fist on the table; she was determined to have the final say. "You are doing half! And then you are doing the other half the next day!" She was not about to have a repeat of yesterday's events, not when she had the power to help prevent them.

Claire set down her jug of juice and furrowed her brows with worry. The timing of her projects was going to get thrown off… "But my crops will grow slower…" She insisted with a whine.

Karen wanted to hear none of it. "Do you want to get sick again?" She remained firm. "You're still going to turn a huge profit this season, trust me."

The farmer had a hard time realizing just how worried her fainting spell had caused her friends. "But I won't be doing any more tilling," The young woman pointed out obstinately.

Karen could see that she wasn't going to get her own way. After all, as the farmer had mentioned at the hospital, she was an adult and had the right to make her own decisions. "Fine." She folded her arms across her chest and sulked. She cocked an eyebrow and gave her friend a serious glance. "But once the onions come up, I am not letting my father sell you any more seeds until fall," She insisted.

Claire had no doubt that the brunette could and would bully her father into this. She let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, you win."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: I regularly hold conversations with my cats; I'll talk to them and they meow in response. Claire will be back up and moving next chapter. Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think!