10:07 AM
It took an enormous effort for Leela to open her eye; it felt like someone had stitched it shut. She blinked and blinked, each time opening and closing her eye with less exertion.
Where was she? Wherever it was, it colored the ugliest shade of white. Something rung in her ears, and there was a shining in the distance.
'This is how it feels to go to the light,' she thought, and was ready to surrender when she heard a familiar voice.
"Leela!…Dr. O'Rourke, she's waking up!"
Fry? She turned her aching head to see, yes, Fry and the rest of the Planet Express crew. There was also a man in white, with glasses and silvery hair. He held a clipboard in one hand and had the other on her shoulder.
"Hello, Leela. How are you feeling?"
"Uhhhh…" Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. Why did doctors always ask that when they knew you were at your crummiest?
"That's all right. You're going to be groggy for a while, but you're alive and that's what matters."
That statement made the images return to the young woman's mind- smoke in the sky, watching everybody run, rubble in the streets…
"Those…those towers…"
"They're gone," Hermes said with his head down low. "Who knows who else is gone too."
"What!" Leela sat upright in shock…and noticed something peculiar. "Doctor…I can't feel anything below my hips! What's going on?"
"I was just ready to explain that, Miss," he said and repeated what he told the rest of the crew to her, emphasizing the hope to operate by tomorrow.
"Five months?!" she cried and flopped back down. "I might as well be dead!"
"Leela, for God's sake don't talk like that!" Amy pushed Fry out of the way and grabbed her friend's shoulders. "There's hundreds of innocent people out there- maybe thousands- who'd rather be in the position you're in. It might take five months for you to walk, but it might take years for others! Some won't be able to move again. Some are *dead*! Some are dying right now! You don't want to wish to be dying, believe me, I…" Her hands quivered and she pulled away. "Oh, God…" Amy turned away sobbing and Zoidberg held her close.
"Maybe we should leave now," Fry said quietly. He looked directly into Leela's eye for the first time since she woke up. "It'd be easier to visit after the surgery."
"Yeah," she said quietly and dipped her head low. One corner of her mouth turned up in an awkward smile.
"What's so funny?"
"Do you know you're still in your pajamas?"
"Huh?" Fry looked down and blushed when he saw Leela was telling the truth. "Heh. Guess I forgot." A light smile came to his face, and with no embarrassment or second thought, he leaned in and brought his mouth lightly to Leela's cheek. "Sleep tight."
The young woman's smile stayed on her face. "You too," she said as Fry let go of her hand and she watched the crew leave the hospital room.
After they left, Dr. O'Rourke nodded and said, "It's best for you to rest now. Just press that if you need anything," he pointed to a red button on the side of the bed.
"I'll be fine, Doctor. Thank you." Leela leaned back into her pillow and placed a hand where Fry had kissed her. She wanted to keep smiling, but any happiness was drowned by the misery in her body and in the world outside. As she closed her eye for a likely non-peaceful sleep, the tear trickling down felt hot as the smoke.
10:20 AM
Outside the hospital the atmosphere was none better. The crew saw more ambulances pulling in, and Hermes had to yank Fry out of the way to avoid being hit.
"Eyes on the road, man! We don't need you in a body cast, either!"
"Oh…sorry." Fry sighed and fumbled around in his pockets. "Hey, does anyone have enough change for a taxi?"
The rest of the crew fumbled around in their pockets as well. "Drat, none!" Farnsworth said. "We'll have to take the travel tubes."
The nearest travel tubes were about a block away, but when the crew got there, there was a heavy blockade surrounding them.
"Closed For Security Reasons. We Apologize For Any Inconvenience," read the signs surrounding the blockade. "Damn! Looks like we walk home," Bender sighed.
The crew shuffled along the street, looking around every so often. More blockades were surrounding the buildings that weren't evacuated. The clouds were dark like it was about to rain, but that wasn't accounted for the color, it was the smoke. Amy coughed repeatedly and rubbed her eyes to keep the smoke away.
"It's barely been two hours. How could everything look so horrible so quickly?"
"What I'd like to know is *why* this happened." Fry put on a sarcastic tone and said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
"What are you talking about?" Zoidberg asked.
"Back in the early 1990s, some terrorists detonated bombs under the towers in Old New York. A few people were killed and there were a lot of injuries, but the Trade Center wasn't really damaged."
"Did they ever catch who did it?"
"Yeah. I was too young at the time to understand why they did it. Even now I don't," he looked up at the gray sky.
Amy put a delicate hand on her friend's shoulder. "At least everybody we know is OK now, that's all we have to worry about." A worried expression came over her face, however. "Oh no, what if Kif's trying to call me now?" She quickened her pace and ran ahead of the Planet Express crew.
Fry sighed and sang a melancholy tune in his head as he and the others continued their silent walk home. It was going to be a long day.
(to be continued...)
It took an enormous effort for Leela to open her eye; it felt like someone had stitched it shut. She blinked and blinked, each time opening and closing her eye with less exertion.
Where was she? Wherever it was, it colored the ugliest shade of white. Something rung in her ears, and there was a shining in the distance.
'This is how it feels to go to the light,' she thought, and was ready to surrender when she heard a familiar voice.
"Leela!…Dr. O'Rourke, she's waking up!"
Fry? She turned her aching head to see, yes, Fry and the rest of the Planet Express crew. There was also a man in white, with glasses and silvery hair. He held a clipboard in one hand and had the other on her shoulder.
"Hello, Leela. How are you feeling?"
"Uhhhh…" Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. Why did doctors always ask that when they knew you were at your crummiest?
"That's all right. You're going to be groggy for a while, but you're alive and that's what matters."
That statement made the images return to the young woman's mind- smoke in the sky, watching everybody run, rubble in the streets…
"Those…those towers…"
"They're gone," Hermes said with his head down low. "Who knows who else is gone too."
"What!" Leela sat upright in shock…and noticed something peculiar. "Doctor…I can't feel anything below my hips! What's going on?"
"I was just ready to explain that, Miss," he said and repeated what he told the rest of the crew to her, emphasizing the hope to operate by tomorrow.
"Five months?!" she cried and flopped back down. "I might as well be dead!"
"Leela, for God's sake don't talk like that!" Amy pushed Fry out of the way and grabbed her friend's shoulders. "There's hundreds of innocent people out there- maybe thousands- who'd rather be in the position you're in. It might take five months for you to walk, but it might take years for others! Some won't be able to move again. Some are *dead*! Some are dying right now! You don't want to wish to be dying, believe me, I…" Her hands quivered and she pulled away. "Oh, God…" Amy turned away sobbing and Zoidberg held her close.
"Maybe we should leave now," Fry said quietly. He looked directly into Leela's eye for the first time since she woke up. "It'd be easier to visit after the surgery."
"Yeah," she said quietly and dipped her head low. One corner of her mouth turned up in an awkward smile.
"What's so funny?"
"Do you know you're still in your pajamas?"
"Huh?" Fry looked down and blushed when he saw Leela was telling the truth. "Heh. Guess I forgot." A light smile came to his face, and with no embarrassment or second thought, he leaned in and brought his mouth lightly to Leela's cheek. "Sleep tight."
The young woman's smile stayed on her face. "You too," she said as Fry let go of her hand and she watched the crew leave the hospital room.
After they left, Dr. O'Rourke nodded and said, "It's best for you to rest now. Just press that if you need anything," he pointed to a red button on the side of the bed.
"I'll be fine, Doctor. Thank you." Leela leaned back into her pillow and placed a hand where Fry had kissed her. She wanted to keep smiling, but any happiness was drowned by the misery in her body and in the world outside. As she closed her eye for a likely non-peaceful sleep, the tear trickling down felt hot as the smoke.
10:20 AM
Outside the hospital the atmosphere was none better. The crew saw more ambulances pulling in, and Hermes had to yank Fry out of the way to avoid being hit.
"Eyes on the road, man! We don't need you in a body cast, either!"
"Oh…sorry." Fry sighed and fumbled around in his pockets. "Hey, does anyone have enough change for a taxi?"
The rest of the crew fumbled around in their pockets as well. "Drat, none!" Farnsworth said. "We'll have to take the travel tubes."
The nearest travel tubes were about a block away, but when the crew got there, there was a heavy blockade surrounding them.
"Closed For Security Reasons. We Apologize For Any Inconvenience," read the signs surrounding the blockade. "Damn! Looks like we walk home," Bender sighed.
The crew shuffled along the street, looking around every so often. More blockades were surrounding the buildings that weren't evacuated. The clouds were dark like it was about to rain, but that wasn't accounted for the color, it was the smoke. Amy coughed repeatedly and rubbed her eyes to keep the smoke away.
"It's barely been two hours. How could everything look so horrible so quickly?"
"What I'd like to know is *why* this happened." Fry put on a sarcastic tone and said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
"What are you talking about?" Zoidberg asked.
"Back in the early 1990s, some terrorists detonated bombs under the towers in Old New York. A few people were killed and there were a lot of injuries, but the Trade Center wasn't really damaged."
"Did they ever catch who did it?"
"Yeah. I was too young at the time to understand why they did it. Even now I don't," he looked up at the gray sky.
Amy put a delicate hand on her friend's shoulder. "At least everybody we know is OK now, that's all we have to worry about." A worried expression came over her face, however. "Oh no, what if Kif's trying to call me now?" She quickened her pace and ran ahead of the Planet Express crew.
Fry sighed and sang a melancholy tune in his head as he and the others continued their silent walk home. It was going to be a long day.
(to be continued...)