Chapter 2: Don't Do That, It Hurts


The punk was running, fast, and the girl who called herself Medley was on the ground, apparently Juno's main attacker had stabbed her back. Quietly, Juno touched the injury carefully, She growled.

"What do you want? You better get out of here before some more thugs come." She growled. Juno ignored her and lifted her off the ground. Medley growled some more.

"Are you listening!!??" Medley snapped. Juno merely proceeded to carry the girl to the hospital. As soon as he arrived, the receptionist called in a doctor. After she was taken to a room, Juno looked at the receptionist.

"Will she be repaired soon?" Juno asked quietly. The receptionist sighed.

"It depends. Normally people rocover quickly, unless they lack a will to get better. Then their stuck in the hospital for months." She responded. Juno sighed, then went outside. Along the walls of the hospital grew some honeysuckle and a few snapdragons, his favorite flowers. Thinking, he finally picked a few flowers from their bushes and re-entered the hospital when he finished. Shyly, he appoached the registration desk.

"Excuse me... About that girl I brought in a few minutes ago.. Where is she?" Juno asked.

"Down the hall, first door on your left." Replied the receptionist. Juno nodded thanks and rushed to the room. The room was empty; she was barely in. Looking at her rest, Juno felt an emotion he wasn't used to. He wanted to hold and protect her so much, it was almost an instinct. She rolled over and looked at him.

"What's your problem? You don't have to thank me." Medley growled, trying to seem aggressive. Juno blinked.

"I calculated the odds of your being lonely so I thought..." Juno began.

"You got the lonely part right. You don't know what living on the streets is like. It's scary. You beauracratic models have it really easy." Medley said quietly. Juno put the flowers in her hands.

"Why don't you reside in a house?" Juno asked softly. Medley sighed.

"I don't know why I'm telling you, but... My mother died when I was still a baby, and my father was killed in a housing accident 3 years ago. I don't have any other family, so I took to the streets before anyone could get to me. But you'll see. Soon as I'm out of the hospital I want to get a job at the children's hospital." Medley said, smiling shakily. Juno smiled back warmly.

"I'm sure you'd do fine there." Juno said reassuringly. Medley smiled again, yawned, and fell asleep. Juno smiled quietly to himself, and left Medley so she could rest. Juno found it difficult concentrating on his duties the past few days. Almost everything reminded him of Medley, and he didn't know why. Even Andromeda noticed.

"Juno, if your having a problem concentrating, why don't you take a vacation?" Andromeda finally asked on afternoon during Juno's break. Juno looked at his sister before answering.

"I... I am not sure. Maybe tomarrow I will try getting my mind back on protocol. I will be off-duty." Juno said quietly. Andromeda nodded.

"You do that."

Medley was restless. She'd been in the hospital for a week, and she felt confined. She hadn't been up all week, and doctors didn't tell her anything. Medley shifted slightly. The bed was too soft, and her pillow was too soft. She was used to concrete and old newspapers, not soft beds and pillows. However, after a while she got moderately comfortable and yawned, adjusting her blanket so she was warm. It was lonely with noone to talk too. The nurses didn't come in often, thus she was lonely. Quietly, she looked at the small boquet of honeysuckle and snapdragons and smiled slightly. That beaurocrat. He'd been oddly nice, not too stuffy, like many other beaurocrats. She wouldn't mind if she saw him again. But to him, she was likely just some nut on the street. Sighing, she looked out the window longingly when there was a knock at her door. "

It's open." Medley said, sighing deeply. The door opened with a slight creak and then was closed.

"Greetings." Came a familiar soft voice. Medley rolled over in surprise.

"Hi!" She said, surprised. Juno nodded.

"How have you been this week? I presume repairs are going as scheduled?" Juno inquired. Medley nodded.

"If you ask me, I'm doing great. I can sit up now. I'm hoping they'll let me on my feet by next week." Medley said. Juno nodded.

"It wasn't as severe as calculated then?" Juno asked. Medley blinked.

"Uhm.... No, it's only a shoulder wound. I won't be using my left arm for a while till it heals completely, but that can't be helped." Medley said, happy to have him to talk with. Juno smiled cheerily. He was just glad she was alright; that she wasn't mortally wounded.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Juno asked, somewhat shyly. Medley giggled and blushed slightly.

"I'm flattered.. But like I said, they won't let me on my feet. I'd need a wheelchair; their afraid I might fall down, even though it's a shoulder wound." Medley sighed.

"But I'd love to get out of this room." Juno looked thoughtful.

"I will return." Juno said, before exiting the room. Quietly, he made his way down the hall to the nurses desk.

"Excuse me, might I borrow a wheelchair?" Juno asked. The nurse looked at him directly.

"What do you want it for?" She asked, slightly nerviously.

"I'd like to take the paitent in room 609 for a walk." Juno said. The nurse sighed then wheeled a wheelchair around the desk and handed it to him.

"I'll be expecting this back, hear? Don't go dismembering it." The nurse said. Juno nodded his thanks, ignoring the comment, and returned to Medley's room silently. Medley watched Juno return, wondering what he was going to do. Whatever he was up to, she was slightly uneasy. Juno picked her up gently and carried her to the wheelchair. Gently, he set her down so she was sitting in it. Before she could say anything, he wheeled her out front before speaking.

"How did your week progress? Well, I hope?" Juno asked.

"I dunno. Pretty boring. I don't particularly like staring at the same 4 walls, twenty-four seven." Medley sighed. Juno nodded slowly.

"It must be quite unintresting." Juno said calmly. Medley nodded.

"It's not my cup of tea, but that's life. Chews you up 'n' spits you out." Medley said quietly. Juno nodded agreeance again. Medley quickly changed the topic.

"Seen the news lately?" Medley asked.

"No..." Juno said warily.

"Good, you wouldn't beleive what the press is spouting nowadays. Some nonsense about robots getting murdered. I don't think that's true myself. People've gotten better about killing living people, haven't they?" Medley said. Juno blinked.

"I'm.. Not certain. I would hope they know better then take the life of a living being. And people've is not a word." Juno said. Medley agreed quickly, ignoring his people've statement.

"I'm sort of glad you guys built those sub cities, gates, and mazes underground when you did. I mean, it must be sad not seeing daylight, but your alot safer. People seem awful hostile lately." Medley said. Juno felt flattered she cared about the well being of himself and other machines.

"I'm flattered." Juno finally said calmly. Medley smiled shyly.

"Thanks for taking me on a walk... I feel embarressed for not asking this when we met last weekend, but what's your name?" Medley asked. Juno smiled.

"My designation is MegaMan Juno, however please, I ask you call me Juno." Juno said. Medley nodded.

"Ok... Juno." Medley said. Juno smiled and wheeled Medley back to her room and helped her back into her bed. Medley looked him square in the face.

"Juno, are you gonna visit some more tomarrow? It gets awful lonely here." Medley said. Juno looked thoughtful, then smiled.

"I'll try." He said. Medley smiled and whispered a thank you before Juno exited the room.