HOSPITAL VISIT
Note: This story takes place during the second season, right after AndrAIa joins the group.
Dot stood in the middle of the field and looked around, shielding the sun from her face with her hand. In the distance, she could see Bob running towards them, and dread filled her stomach. Had he succeeded?
"Everybody down!" He shouted, reaching them. He had a horrible limp, and Dot suspected he had somehow hurt himself. He threw himself against her, pushing her to the ground. Enzo and the rest of the binomes threw themselves down, just as the castle blew up.
Dot cringed as she felt the hot flames wash over her, but Bob was sprawled over her, holding her close. The next thing she knew, they were no longer on the field, but in Dot's Diner's parking lot. The purple game cube left Mainframe, disappearing in the sky above.
Bob rolled off her, groaning. Dot sat up and looked at him. His face was scrunched up in pain, and he was clutching his right knee. "Bob!" she cried, "What happened?"
"I think I twisted my knee when I was trying to run out of the castle," he explained, "I'll be okay." He tried to stand up, but he groaned when the pain got to him and sat back down.
"I don't think so," Dot said, shaking her head. "Look Bob. Let's get you to the Principle Office and get that knee looked at. You can't go around saving Mainframe with an injured leg."
"There is nothing wrong with my knee," Bob insisted.
Dot smiled at him. "Don't tell me a guardian like you is afraid to go to the doctor!"
"I'm not afraid of anything! I just...feel fine, that's all."
"That's not how it looks. Come on Bob. To the doctor." She held out a hand to help him up. He sighed and took it. She pulled him up, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Now, lean your weight on me, and we should get to the principle office in one piece."
"Haha. Funny."
It didn't take long to get Bob to the Phong's, and Dot took him to the hospital room the minute they got there. Phong wheeled himself in, carrying a clipboard in his hand.
"Ah, let's see, who's the lucky patient?" he said as he entered the door. He looked up to see Bob sitting on the operating table, a completely miserable look on his face. Dot was standing beside him, smiling in an amused way.
"Oh, well, Bob!" he said, going up to him. "This is rather…surprising. So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Bob mumbled, but Dot elbowed him in the side.
"Bob's twisted his knee in a game," she explained. "I thought it would be best if you took a look at it."
Phong nodded. "Yes yes, of course. Now Bob, I will get you a paper robe, which you will have to change into-"
"A paper robe?" The Guardian screeched. "Me? No way, no how! That thing is open in the back!"
Dot smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that. Just wear your underwear."
"What about drafts?"
She paused. "Well…uh…that is a problem, isn't it?"
Several miliseconds later, Bob sat on the operating table in…well…the paper robe.
Dot stood beside him, a smirk on her face. It was her, after all, that had gotten him to wear it. Phong was busy inspecting Bob's knee, which did look pretty black and blue, if you ask me.
Bob was shuffling around uncomfortably. The operating table definitely was too cold, and he could tell that better than both Phong and Dot. At least he got to keep his underwear.
"Hm…" Phong mumbled, "Uh huh….uh huh….uh huh….hm…." He continued on with that until Bob couldn't take it any longer.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY KNEE?" he burst out.
Phong looked at him, startled. "Can you be patient for a little while?"
Dot laughed and Bob sent her a dirty look.
"Well now," Phong said, "your knee is…well…it's going to need surgery."
"Oh," Bob said, "I understand. I understand that perfectly." He glanced at Dot, then fainted across the operating table.
Phong looked at Dot. "Does he do this all the time?"
She shrugged. "I wouldn't know, and I wouldn't want to know."
When Bob woke up, he found himself lying in a hospital room, in a bed. The whole place was white. The sheets were white, the walls and cielings were white, the trays, everything. Even his robe was white, which was, thank goodness, not made of paper.
He looked around and saw Dot standing in the doorway. He gave her a freaked out look. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital room," Dot replied, walking into the room, "your surgery is tonight, and you're going to be put on medication until then."
Bob's eyes widened. "Hospital room?" he squeaked. He sat up and tried to get out of bed, but his knee turned and he had to sit down again. That's when he realized the robe. The only thing he was wearing.
"Where's the rest of my clothes?" he cried, pulling the covers up to his chin.
Dot laughed. "You know hospital rules. Robes are all you can wear these days."
"Who dressed me in this?"
"The nurse."
Bob hesitated for a bit, then took a deep breath of air. He slowly let it out. "Dot, I do not want to be cut up."
Dot shook her head and laughed again. "Bob, you're not going to get deleted, okay? The doctors here are the best in Mainframe…they're the only ones in Mainframe but…who cares, right? They won't slip or anything."
"Slip?!" Bob said.
"You're not afraid of that, are you? You are a guardian, after all."
He paused. "No. No I am not afraid."
"Oh, all right then." She smiled. "I'll come back after the surgery, okay? I promise. In the meantime, I'm going to go to the diner-"
"Bob! Bob!"
The door slammed open and Enzo burst in, AndrAIa behind him. Bob sat up in surprise and cringed, expecting one of those Enzo-welcomes. Instead, the young sprite stopped at the side of the bed.
"I hear you're going into surgery, Bob," he said, "The best of luck to you, Bob."
AndrAIa frowned. "What's surgery? And why does Bob have to go through it?"
"You see AndrAIa, it's really simple," Enzo explained, turning to her. Dot and Bob listened as he spoke. "Bob has hurt his knee really badly, I think he damaged it's bone structure, so what the doctors have to do is put him to sleep, cut into him, and fix what's wrong."
Bob raised his eyebrows. Put to sleep? Cut?
"They have to cut into him?" AndrAIa asked innocently. "What happens if they mess up? Surgery sounds like serious business Enzo, and it would be terrible if they slipped or made a mistake."
"Mistake?" Bob squeaked.
"Okay you two," Dot said, standing up. "You guys should get going and let Bob get some rest. We'll see him in the morning."
"Okay," Enzo said. "See you Dot. Bye Bob, good luck."
"Thanks," Bob said weakly, as the two small sprites scampered out of the room. He smiled nervously at Dot.
"Now don't you worry one bit, guardian," Dot said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Nothing bad is going to happen, nothing at all. I'll be here the nanosecond they're done with you."
Bob swallowed. "Okay."
She gave him one last smile, then turned and left the hospital room. Bob sighed with relief and leaned against the pillows. "Okay," he said to himself. "Everything will be okay. The doctors here are experts, they know what they're doing. They would never make a mistake on me."
Just then, the door opened and a binome nurse walked in. "Hello, Bob!" she said cheerfully. "How are we doing today?"
"Um…okay," he replied, sitting up.
She stopped at the side of the bed. "That's good. I'm sure the surgery will be just fine. Now, once we get you on medication, we'll be able to get you in that operating room. The sooner the better, I'd say! Now, give me your arm, I'll need to take your blood-" She grabbed his arm and held out a needle.
He swiped his arm away. "What? What is that for?" he asked.
"To take your blood, silly!"
"Someone's already taken my blood!"
"No they haven't, Mr. Peabody."
"Mr. Peabody?!"
"Why, aren't you Mr. Peabody? The one with the appendicitis?"
"NO!" Horrified, Bob hid his arm under the bedsheet.
"Oops!" she cried, putting the syringe away. "Silly me! Almost did the wrong thing there! Don't you worry, we'll get this all straightened out."
Bob gave her a scared look. This definitely wasn't making him feel better. "I've got to get out of here," he said to himself as the nurse left the room to get the right medication.
Dot was sitting at the diner, going through her organizer. She felt good about Bob. He was going to be okay, she knew it. The doctors were going to fix his knee, and he'd be okay. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid until then.
The doors to the diner burst open, just as she looked up. Bob stood there, dressed in his hospital gown. Her mouth dropped open. "Bob!"
Bob was swaggering, nearly looking drunk. He took a long look around the diner and saw her. "Dot!" he said, limping over to her.
"Oh my User!" Dot stood up. She was afraid something like this was going to happen. "Bob, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the hospital!"
"I…am?" Bob nearly fell off balance and she had to catch him. He shook his head and frowned.
"Bob?" she asked, dreading the worst. "Are you on medication right now?"
"Yes," he said, a silly grin on his face. "Let's go get an energy shake, huh?" He made his way toward the bar.
"Oh no," Dot grabbed his arm and steered him toward the booth, plopping him down on the cushioned bench. "Bob, I've got to get you back to that hospital. Do they know you're here?"
"No." Suddenly, his grin vanished and he dropped his head onto the table top with a bang. "I don't want to go back, they'll cut into me! They want my appendix!" He was whining, which put of the air that he was on the verge of crying.
He's hysterical! Dot realized. "Bob, everything's okay, you hear? They don't want your appendix, what gave you that idea?"
"Mr. Peabody!"
"Mr. Peabody? He's dead!"
Bob looked up, a horrified expression on his face. "Dead? Dead?" He stood up and started pacing. "Dot, I can't go back, they're gonna get me, they're after me!"
Dot glanced at his backside. The gown barely reached halfway down to his knees. She had to hide a small smile.
"They're gonna put me to sleep, and I might never wake up again! Do you know what that's like? I'll never see you again!"
Dot smiled, flattered. "You'll never see me again?"
"I'll never get my energy shakes again!"
Her smile vanished. Oh. "Well Bob," she said, "I'm going to take you back to the hospital now, okay?"
He turned to look at her, but he swung so fast he lost his balance and fell against the bar. A binome walked by then, and Bob looked at it, eyes wide. "Aagh!" he cried, "I've grown! The world is shrinking!"
He was getting delirious, and Dot had to do something. The binome was getting a bit freaked out too as it scampered off. She sighed. "Come on, Bob. Let's get you back to that hospital." She took his hand and led him out the diner.
To her surprise, he didn't hold back. He let her drag him back to the Principle Office and to the hospital section. By the time they reached his hospital bed, he had calmed down a bit and getting really drowsy from the medication.
"Here we go," she said, plopping him down on his bed.
"Ah," he said, eyes closed. "And this bed is just right."
"Okay," Dot said, "try to get some sleep, okay? You'll be fine, nothing's going to happen." For good luck, she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You'll be okay, and I'll be back tonight, after the surgery's done, okay?"
He didn't answer, but he nodded. He was tossing his head back and forth on the pillow, eyes closed. She headed for the door.
"Dot?" he called out.
"Yes?" She turned back to him.
"I love you."
She froze, staring at him. He seemed to have drifted off to sleep. The words hit her like a jackhammer and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. She turned and left the room.
Back at the Diner, Dot sat at her booth, resting her elbows on the table and leaning her forehead in her hands. "He said 'I love you'," she repeated to herself. "Oh my User. He said 'I love you'." She frowned. "Was it 'I love love you', or love you as a friend love you, or love you as a sister love you…?"
She groaned. What was she going to do? What was she going to say when he wakes up? Will he remember any of this?
"Do I love him?" she asked herself. "Do I really love him? I like him, I like him a lot, do I love him? He's a great guy and he's always been there for me. And I do have to admit, there has been flirting involved. But do I love him? I don't know what to say! I don't want to break his heart, but I don't want to- oh, I don't know what to do!"
She glanced at her organizer. Guardian. Her password. Why exactly had she chosen that particular word for her password? Was there something beneath it? A reason?
She sighed, decidedly. "I know what I'm going to say," she said, standing up. "I'm going over there right now before he goes in for surgery, and tell him that I…I'll just tell him!"
Dot reached the hospital section just as Bob was being wheeled out of his room. She ran up to him, ignoring the three nurses wheeling him down the hall. Bob was awake, but probably still delirious.
"Bob?" she said.
"Dot!" he cried, relieved.
"Bob, I wanted to tell you that-"
"I love you," he repeated, "I love you Dot, and when I get out of surgery, I want you to go to the Super Computer with me."
Her heart was breaking. "The Super Computer?" she asked, touched. "Well I-"
Bob turned to one of the female nurses. "I love you," he told her, "I want you to go with me to the Super Computer."
Dot stopped walking.
He turned to the male nurse. "I love you," he told him, "and I want you to go to the-"
"Ack, can it, kid," the nurse said, grumpily.
"I love you, ceiling," Bob continued, "I love you bed, I love you…"
Dot shook her head, confused. Bob didn't love her, then. He was just being delirious. He was under medication, and that was why he said those things.
She turned to leave, but something made her stop and think. What was she going to tell Bob, anyway? Did she love him back? To tell the truth, she was disappointed that Bob didn't mean what he said. Did he? He was under medication, though. He could have told her what he felt deep inside.
She sighed. Or, he could've just said anything. Medication did that to a person. She started walking again, and left the Principle Office. Oh well. She would figure it out later.
The surgery was finally over with, and Bob was put back in his hospital room. He felt much better, too, even though he had a small cast over his knee. It wouldn't stay long, though. He really didn't remember much of what happened before the surgery, but he knew he felt much better now.
"Hey."
Bob looked up to see Dot standing in the doorway. "Hi, Dot," he greeted her, "come on in."
Dot walked in and sat down beside the bed. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," he said, "Just fine. In a couple of seconds, I'll be ready to hit those games again."
"But no more stress on the legs, okay?" Dot said, "I don't want you in here again. I definitely don't want to go through that again."
Bob frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Bob, do you remember what you said before surgery?"
He shook his head. "No, actually. I don't remember anything."
"Oh. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"You?" He frowned, thoughtfully. "No, not really."
Dot nodded. Then she glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. I'm expecting a call from Al. I'll come visit you again, you hear?"
"I hear," he said, smiling. He watched as she left the room, then looked down at his bed covers. He did remember vaguely spots here and there. He frowned, but it disappeared. Yeah, he remembered one thing. But he wasn't going to repeat it until he knew for sure that she felt the same way too.
"I love you…Dot," he said softly to himself.
THE END
Note: This story takes place during the second season, right after AndrAIa joins the group.
Dot stood in the middle of the field and looked around, shielding the sun from her face with her hand. In the distance, she could see Bob running towards them, and dread filled her stomach. Had he succeeded?
"Everybody down!" He shouted, reaching them. He had a horrible limp, and Dot suspected he had somehow hurt himself. He threw himself against her, pushing her to the ground. Enzo and the rest of the binomes threw themselves down, just as the castle blew up.
Dot cringed as she felt the hot flames wash over her, but Bob was sprawled over her, holding her close. The next thing she knew, they were no longer on the field, but in Dot's Diner's parking lot. The purple game cube left Mainframe, disappearing in the sky above.
Bob rolled off her, groaning. Dot sat up and looked at him. His face was scrunched up in pain, and he was clutching his right knee. "Bob!" she cried, "What happened?"
"I think I twisted my knee when I was trying to run out of the castle," he explained, "I'll be okay." He tried to stand up, but he groaned when the pain got to him and sat back down.
"I don't think so," Dot said, shaking her head. "Look Bob. Let's get you to the Principle Office and get that knee looked at. You can't go around saving Mainframe with an injured leg."
"There is nothing wrong with my knee," Bob insisted.
Dot smiled at him. "Don't tell me a guardian like you is afraid to go to the doctor!"
"I'm not afraid of anything! I just...feel fine, that's all."
"That's not how it looks. Come on Bob. To the doctor." She held out a hand to help him up. He sighed and took it. She pulled him up, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Now, lean your weight on me, and we should get to the principle office in one piece."
"Haha. Funny."
It didn't take long to get Bob to the Phong's, and Dot took him to the hospital room the minute they got there. Phong wheeled himself in, carrying a clipboard in his hand.
"Ah, let's see, who's the lucky patient?" he said as he entered the door. He looked up to see Bob sitting on the operating table, a completely miserable look on his face. Dot was standing beside him, smiling in an amused way.
"Oh, well, Bob!" he said, going up to him. "This is rather…surprising. So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Bob mumbled, but Dot elbowed him in the side.
"Bob's twisted his knee in a game," she explained. "I thought it would be best if you took a look at it."
Phong nodded. "Yes yes, of course. Now Bob, I will get you a paper robe, which you will have to change into-"
"A paper robe?" The Guardian screeched. "Me? No way, no how! That thing is open in the back!"
Dot smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that. Just wear your underwear."
"What about drafts?"
She paused. "Well…uh…that is a problem, isn't it?"
Several miliseconds later, Bob sat on the operating table in…well…the paper robe.
Dot stood beside him, a smirk on her face. It was her, after all, that had gotten him to wear it. Phong was busy inspecting Bob's knee, which did look pretty black and blue, if you ask me.
Bob was shuffling around uncomfortably. The operating table definitely was too cold, and he could tell that better than both Phong and Dot. At least he got to keep his underwear.
"Hm…" Phong mumbled, "Uh huh….uh huh….uh huh….hm…." He continued on with that until Bob couldn't take it any longer.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY KNEE?" he burst out.
Phong looked at him, startled. "Can you be patient for a little while?"
Dot laughed and Bob sent her a dirty look.
"Well now," Phong said, "your knee is…well…it's going to need surgery."
"Oh," Bob said, "I understand. I understand that perfectly." He glanced at Dot, then fainted across the operating table.
Phong looked at Dot. "Does he do this all the time?"
She shrugged. "I wouldn't know, and I wouldn't want to know."
When Bob woke up, he found himself lying in a hospital room, in a bed. The whole place was white. The sheets were white, the walls and cielings were white, the trays, everything. Even his robe was white, which was, thank goodness, not made of paper.
He looked around and saw Dot standing in the doorway. He gave her a freaked out look. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital room," Dot replied, walking into the room, "your surgery is tonight, and you're going to be put on medication until then."
Bob's eyes widened. "Hospital room?" he squeaked. He sat up and tried to get out of bed, but his knee turned and he had to sit down again. That's when he realized the robe. The only thing he was wearing.
"Where's the rest of my clothes?" he cried, pulling the covers up to his chin.
Dot laughed. "You know hospital rules. Robes are all you can wear these days."
"Who dressed me in this?"
"The nurse."
Bob hesitated for a bit, then took a deep breath of air. He slowly let it out. "Dot, I do not want to be cut up."
Dot shook her head and laughed again. "Bob, you're not going to get deleted, okay? The doctors here are the best in Mainframe…they're the only ones in Mainframe but…who cares, right? They won't slip or anything."
"Slip?!" Bob said.
"You're not afraid of that, are you? You are a guardian, after all."
He paused. "No. No I am not afraid."
"Oh, all right then." She smiled. "I'll come back after the surgery, okay? I promise. In the meantime, I'm going to go to the diner-"
"Bob! Bob!"
The door slammed open and Enzo burst in, AndrAIa behind him. Bob sat up in surprise and cringed, expecting one of those Enzo-welcomes. Instead, the young sprite stopped at the side of the bed.
"I hear you're going into surgery, Bob," he said, "The best of luck to you, Bob."
AndrAIa frowned. "What's surgery? And why does Bob have to go through it?"
"You see AndrAIa, it's really simple," Enzo explained, turning to her. Dot and Bob listened as he spoke. "Bob has hurt his knee really badly, I think he damaged it's bone structure, so what the doctors have to do is put him to sleep, cut into him, and fix what's wrong."
Bob raised his eyebrows. Put to sleep? Cut?
"They have to cut into him?" AndrAIa asked innocently. "What happens if they mess up? Surgery sounds like serious business Enzo, and it would be terrible if they slipped or made a mistake."
"Mistake?" Bob squeaked.
"Okay you two," Dot said, standing up. "You guys should get going and let Bob get some rest. We'll see him in the morning."
"Okay," Enzo said. "See you Dot. Bye Bob, good luck."
"Thanks," Bob said weakly, as the two small sprites scampered out of the room. He smiled nervously at Dot.
"Now don't you worry one bit, guardian," Dot said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Nothing bad is going to happen, nothing at all. I'll be here the nanosecond they're done with you."
Bob swallowed. "Okay."
She gave him one last smile, then turned and left the hospital room. Bob sighed with relief and leaned against the pillows. "Okay," he said to himself. "Everything will be okay. The doctors here are experts, they know what they're doing. They would never make a mistake on me."
Just then, the door opened and a binome nurse walked in. "Hello, Bob!" she said cheerfully. "How are we doing today?"
"Um…okay," he replied, sitting up.
She stopped at the side of the bed. "That's good. I'm sure the surgery will be just fine. Now, once we get you on medication, we'll be able to get you in that operating room. The sooner the better, I'd say! Now, give me your arm, I'll need to take your blood-" She grabbed his arm and held out a needle.
He swiped his arm away. "What? What is that for?" he asked.
"To take your blood, silly!"
"Someone's already taken my blood!"
"No they haven't, Mr. Peabody."
"Mr. Peabody?!"
"Why, aren't you Mr. Peabody? The one with the appendicitis?"
"NO!" Horrified, Bob hid his arm under the bedsheet.
"Oops!" she cried, putting the syringe away. "Silly me! Almost did the wrong thing there! Don't you worry, we'll get this all straightened out."
Bob gave her a scared look. This definitely wasn't making him feel better. "I've got to get out of here," he said to himself as the nurse left the room to get the right medication.
Dot was sitting at the diner, going through her organizer. She felt good about Bob. He was going to be okay, she knew it. The doctors were going to fix his knee, and he'd be okay. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid until then.
The doors to the diner burst open, just as she looked up. Bob stood there, dressed in his hospital gown. Her mouth dropped open. "Bob!"
Bob was swaggering, nearly looking drunk. He took a long look around the diner and saw her. "Dot!" he said, limping over to her.
"Oh my User!" Dot stood up. She was afraid something like this was going to happen. "Bob, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the hospital!"
"I…am?" Bob nearly fell off balance and she had to catch him. He shook his head and frowned.
"Bob?" she asked, dreading the worst. "Are you on medication right now?"
"Yes," he said, a silly grin on his face. "Let's go get an energy shake, huh?" He made his way toward the bar.
"Oh no," Dot grabbed his arm and steered him toward the booth, plopping him down on the cushioned bench. "Bob, I've got to get you back to that hospital. Do they know you're here?"
"No." Suddenly, his grin vanished and he dropped his head onto the table top with a bang. "I don't want to go back, they'll cut into me! They want my appendix!" He was whining, which put of the air that he was on the verge of crying.
He's hysterical! Dot realized. "Bob, everything's okay, you hear? They don't want your appendix, what gave you that idea?"
"Mr. Peabody!"
"Mr. Peabody? He's dead!"
Bob looked up, a horrified expression on his face. "Dead? Dead?" He stood up and started pacing. "Dot, I can't go back, they're gonna get me, they're after me!"
Dot glanced at his backside. The gown barely reached halfway down to his knees. She had to hide a small smile.
"They're gonna put me to sleep, and I might never wake up again! Do you know what that's like? I'll never see you again!"
Dot smiled, flattered. "You'll never see me again?"
"I'll never get my energy shakes again!"
Her smile vanished. Oh. "Well Bob," she said, "I'm going to take you back to the hospital now, okay?"
He turned to look at her, but he swung so fast he lost his balance and fell against the bar. A binome walked by then, and Bob looked at it, eyes wide. "Aagh!" he cried, "I've grown! The world is shrinking!"
He was getting delirious, and Dot had to do something. The binome was getting a bit freaked out too as it scampered off. She sighed. "Come on, Bob. Let's get you back to that hospital." She took his hand and led him out the diner.
To her surprise, he didn't hold back. He let her drag him back to the Principle Office and to the hospital section. By the time they reached his hospital bed, he had calmed down a bit and getting really drowsy from the medication.
"Here we go," she said, plopping him down on his bed.
"Ah," he said, eyes closed. "And this bed is just right."
"Okay," Dot said, "try to get some sleep, okay? You'll be fine, nothing's going to happen." For good luck, she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You'll be okay, and I'll be back tonight, after the surgery's done, okay?"
He didn't answer, but he nodded. He was tossing his head back and forth on the pillow, eyes closed. She headed for the door.
"Dot?" he called out.
"Yes?" She turned back to him.
"I love you."
She froze, staring at him. He seemed to have drifted off to sleep. The words hit her like a jackhammer and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. She turned and left the room.
Back at the Diner, Dot sat at her booth, resting her elbows on the table and leaning her forehead in her hands. "He said 'I love you'," she repeated to herself. "Oh my User. He said 'I love you'." She frowned. "Was it 'I love love you', or love you as a friend love you, or love you as a sister love you…?"
She groaned. What was she going to do? What was she going to say when he wakes up? Will he remember any of this?
"Do I love him?" she asked herself. "Do I really love him? I like him, I like him a lot, do I love him? He's a great guy and he's always been there for me. And I do have to admit, there has been flirting involved. But do I love him? I don't know what to say! I don't want to break his heart, but I don't want to- oh, I don't know what to do!"
She glanced at her organizer. Guardian. Her password. Why exactly had she chosen that particular word for her password? Was there something beneath it? A reason?
She sighed, decidedly. "I know what I'm going to say," she said, standing up. "I'm going over there right now before he goes in for surgery, and tell him that I…I'll just tell him!"
Dot reached the hospital section just as Bob was being wheeled out of his room. She ran up to him, ignoring the three nurses wheeling him down the hall. Bob was awake, but probably still delirious.
"Bob?" she said.
"Dot!" he cried, relieved.
"Bob, I wanted to tell you that-"
"I love you," he repeated, "I love you Dot, and when I get out of surgery, I want you to go to the Super Computer with me."
Her heart was breaking. "The Super Computer?" she asked, touched. "Well I-"
Bob turned to one of the female nurses. "I love you," he told her, "I want you to go with me to the Super Computer."
Dot stopped walking.
He turned to the male nurse. "I love you," he told him, "and I want you to go to the-"
"Ack, can it, kid," the nurse said, grumpily.
"I love you, ceiling," Bob continued, "I love you bed, I love you…"
Dot shook her head, confused. Bob didn't love her, then. He was just being delirious. He was under medication, and that was why he said those things.
She turned to leave, but something made her stop and think. What was she going to tell Bob, anyway? Did she love him back? To tell the truth, she was disappointed that Bob didn't mean what he said. Did he? He was under medication, though. He could have told her what he felt deep inside.
She sighed. Or, he could've just said anything. Medication did that to a person. She started walking again, and left the Principle Office. Oh well. She would figure it out later.
The surgery was finally over with, and Bob was put back in his hospital room. He felt much better, too, even though he had a small cast over his knee. It wouldn't stay long, though. He really didn't remember much of what happened before the surgery, but he knew he felt much better now.
"Hey."
Bob looked up to see Dot standing in the doorway. "Hi, Dot," he greeted her, "come on in."
Dot walked in and sat down beside the bed. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," he said, "Just fine. In a couple of seconds, I'll be ready to hit those games again."
"But no more stress on the legs, okay?" Dot said, "I don't want you in here again. I definitely don't want to go through that again."
Bob frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Bob, do you remember what you said before surgery?"
He shook his head. "No, actually. I don't remember anything."
"Oh. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"You?" He frowned, thoughtfully. "No, not really."
Dot nodded. Then she glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. I'm expecting a call from Al. I'll come visit you again, you hear?"
"I hear," he said, smiling. He watched as she left the room, then looked down at his bed covers. He did remember vaguely spots here and there. He frowned, but it disappeared. Yeah, he remembered one thing. But he wasn't going to repeat it until he knew for sure that she felt the same way too.
"I love you…Dot," he said softly to himself.
THE END