The hospital visits continued until the very last day of Buster's stay, and it was clear that he'd improved tremendously since the first time Suki had come in to see him. He still had a hard time moving around, and would often flinch or groan after each step he took. It was strange, seeing him so slow. Suki had only ever seen Buster in his most natural state; directing. Acting. Amping up his cast and crew who he loved with all of his heart. Now, he was hurting. Taking his time. It was quite refreshing to know that he was even capable of taking a breather since everybody knew he deserved one. Suki recalled the day Buster was actually released, and how everyone had gathered to help him every step of the way. She'd called two separate taxis for the entire party and on the way out, whenever Miss Crawly was pushing Buster in a wheelchair provided by the hospital, he'd chuckled weakly and said, "Well, I can't tell if this juxtaposition is hilarious or humiliating."
Miss Crawly had only laughed, brushing it off, and Suki had even chuckled a bit, as well, looking down at the battered showman. She'd helped the koala into the taxi, piling in with Miss Crawly, Ash, Porsha, and Rosita. Moon was placed purposefully in between the porcupine and the mama bear of the group, Rosita herself. Despite his newfound energy, whatever drug the staff had given Buster that morning was certainly working its magic. He was practically unconscious once again before they even pulled off, slumping against Rosita's side. The woman had smiled warmly, wrapping her free arm around his frail shoulders and allowing him to lean against her the entire drive. For some reason, Suki could not stop looking at him.
Both taxis pulled up to the hotel the New Moon Troop was staying at for that night, and that was whenever Rosita had to gently jostle Moon back into consciousness. Suki offered to help everyone get set up inside because even though they were only staying for one night before leaving for the city, the Saluki wanted to do anything she could to help.
And she did.
Suki helped with luggage, rooms, and check-ins. She helped Buster make it to the elevator and into his room. She helped him by setting up his luggage in just the right position and order so that whenever he left tomorrow, he wouldn't have to bend over backward attempting to look presentable. She left out a white sweatshirt and basketball shorts, noticing that he also had the same pair of slides that she'd seen Ash wearing about a week ago, and the same ones she had practically been living in since. Suki had raised her eyebrow at that while Rosita and Ash helped him to bed.
"Matching shoes?" she inquired playfully.
"It was... Ash's idea," Moon responded carefully. Ash simply chuckled and teasingly punched his shoulder. As they were leaving, Suki turned to face Buster once again.
"I'll see you around."
The koala looked up at her with those tired, hopeful eyes. "Yeah, Suki. I'll see ya."
And that was whenever she pulled out one of her business cards from her purse, placing it on the nightstand by his bed. Buster was surprised by the swift motion, looking from the bright white card to Suki's face.
"If you ever need me, call me. I'm serious. Okay?"
Buster slowly reached to grab the card, rubbing his thumb over Suki's name. His ears fell back and he smiled again. "I will. I promise."
Days passed, weeks followed, and before Suki knew it a month had gone by. A month stuck in Redshore City; a month stuck talking to the police about Jimmy's trial. A month, in her eyes, with no contact from Buster Moon. She hadn't really expected him to call, in all honesty. In his eyes, their relationship was most likely over, and it wasn't as if it was an extremely significant one, at that. She was a scout. The same scout who, actually, told him he and his cast didn't have what it takes to be great performers. The same scout who looked at him as if he was just mud stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Suki had spent the entire month the New Moon Troop had been gone regretting all of those things. There were nights she'd actually been sitting awake in her kitchen, looking down at her phone and expecting something... anything. While she could understand why the phone never rang, it never stopped hurting. She was just getting ready to forget Buster and the New Moon Troop in general, whenever her phone rang one fateful morning. It was from a number she did not yet recognize, so, excitement having taken hold of her, she picked up, practically throwing the phone up to her ear.
"Hello? This is Suki Lane."
Buster woke up with a start. It had been the first solid sleep he'd had in a long time, and the fact that he'd been out for so long, unaware of his surroundings, must've rocked his body back into consciousness. He groaned; the thin blanket he'd been using thumping to the floor. Forcing himself into a sitting position, Buster relished in the relative peace and freedom from his pain, if at least for a little while. Those painkillers the hospital had recommended really worked their magic, even if they made Buster feel like a zombie for the hours that followed after he would inevitably collapse. He slipped off the couch, picking up the blanket and folding it nicely back into place before he made his way to his desk. He struggled to get up on his chair for a moment, but once he did he found a bright green post-it note with a message relayed in Ash's handwriting:
Hey, Pops! I came back in to check on you and saw you were out cold, so I'm gonna let you sleep in your office for tonight. The guys and I are heading out, but don't worry! I locked the theatre up and double-checked all the doors, so you should be in good shape. Oh, and I had Miss Crawly count all of the coffee pockets for you Keurig, so if we get back tomorrow morning and see one out of place, we'll know. And you won't be getting off easy! Johnny helped to restock the fridge with water, so if you get thirsty, drink that. I'll see you in the morning, Pops. Take care.
- Ash
Buster looked over at the clock on his desk; 10:30 PM. His heart leaped up into his throat. He'd been asleep for approximately twelve hours. He supposed this is what he got for sleeping all day; he most likely wouldn't be able to get a wink in for the rest of the night. Still, he found himself grinning down at Ash's words. He slipped the post-it off to the side and opened his laptop. If he wasn't going to fall back asleep, he might as well try to get some work done. He hadn't heard anything from anyone, really, about the musical space odyssey, Out of This World, so he figured it was best to scrap the piece and leave it as a one-off deal. It hurt, yes, because it was almost like he and his cast had suffered all for nothing, but he wasn't sure what else he could do at this point besides work on creating a new play.
The only problem with that, however, is that in order to create something, one must be motivated. Buster liked to pretend he felt motivated, but deep down, he knew he wasn't. So he sat, staring at the bright screen, and leaning back into his chair, chewing on the tip of a pen he'd picked up somewhere along with his brainstorming trance. As the minutes ticked by, Moon found his gaze shifting slightly from the screen of his laptop to something off to the side. In the corner of his desk, where the theatre phone sat, there was also a card. A shiny white card with matte black print and golden swirls on the corners and bottom. His ears fell a bit as he chewed the inside of his lip. The name 'Suki Lane' could be read from the bold letters, and Buster was stuck staring at that name for what might've been a couple of minutes. A knot formed in his stomach, but he pushed it down, slipping off of his chair and going to grab water from the fridge. Whenever Ash had said it was stocked, she hadn't been kidding. Johnny must've been really worried about his mentor's habits, and wanted him to stay as hydrated as possible. It took Buster multiple tries to get the cap open, mostly because his paws still hadn't healed all the way from the jolting shock they'd received about a month prior. Most of the time, they were completely numb, like they were now, but that had a lot to do with the painkillers he'd downed before passing out on the couch. He was thankful that they weren't burning or tingling like they sometimes did whenever he tried to write, but it was still a frustrating process getting them to work how he wanted them to. He was finally able to get the lid off, just as the office phone let out a shrill ring.
Buster Moon physically gasped, nearly jumping out of his skin. His heart started racing; he could feel it thudding heavily in his chest. He nearly dropped his water as his muscles started trembling so hard he could hardly stand up straight. While his nerves hadn't exactly calmed, Buster still managed to make his way back into the office, figuring that it would be Ash, Johnny, or Rosita. Any of them, really. He'd only been frightened because of the noise, that was all. Buster clambered back onto his chair, put the phone up to his ear, and answered.
"Buster Moon."
"Buster?"
Now, Buster was scared for an entirely different reason. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Suki Lane. Butterflies started breaking from their cacoons within his heart. He smiled nervously, though she wouldn't have been able to see it, anyway.
"S-Suki? Hi! How are you? I-I didn't know you had my... number."
"N-no, I didn't, heh. It took quite a bit of digging online to finally find it. And even then, it was your theatre's number, not yours."
"Well, i-is there anything I can do for you?"
"Mr. Moon, I just got a call from The Majestic. Are you familiar with them?"
Buster froze. The Majestic? They ran one of the biggest, most prestigious theatres in the whole world. He would argue it held more importance than Jimmy's fake brand. Why would they call Suki? And then, why would she call him?
"Of course, I know them! They've always put on incredible shows. My old man always wanted to take me to one of them."
"Well, they thought your show was fantastic, and they want to put it on in their theatre."
The world froze. For a beating moment, Buster forgot he was holding a phone. He just sat there, completely still, staring a hole through his computer screen. He could feel his heart jumping up and down in his chest.
"M-Mr. Moon?"
Suki's voice shook the showman out of his silence. "Are you... wait, Suki, are you serious?"
Something in his voice made Suki giggle on the other line, and Buster's heart practically soared.
"Yes! I just got the call, like, right now. Are you in?"
