Comatose Cowboy
Chapter 8 - "Faye's Fury"
Faye was feeling strange and cranky. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but something was definitely amiss on the Bebop. The feeling shadowed her for days, before finally tackling her one night as she lay in bed waiting for sleep.
Spike was being nice to her.
What was that all about? Was he so happy just to be alive that he forgot to twist her panties just for the fun of it? Faye stewed over this problem. If Spike's reactions toward her had changed since he awoke, then she didn't know where she belonged anymore. She understood her previous position perfectly- selfish, independent, tough, gorgeous. What did he want from her?
The thought continued to gnaw at her until one day she was exiting the shower after a two-hour beauty session to find Spike out smoking in the hall. He was standing in her way, so she moved to the left to pass by. He moved to the left as well, blocking her exit. She feinted right, but he too moved right so that she was trapped, standing in only a damp towel with her hair dripping around her face.
Spike put his arms against the wall on either side of her so she couldn't move and leaned in so that his face was just millimeters from hers. He flicked his cigarette to the floor, not bothering to grind it out with his foot.
"I've been meaning to tell you something lately, Faye," Spike said, smiling wickedly.
"Oh, yeah, what might that be?" Faye asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I've been meaning to say thanks." His eyes were dancing with mischief.
"I'll bite - thanks for what?"
"Thanks for the sponge baths. They really made my day, if you know what I mean," he chuckled slightly.
Faye's eyes went wide. Her mouth dropped open and hung there for a moment. Spike took the opportunity to plant a kiss on her. Then he dropped his arms and sauntered away. Faye stood there, incredulous for a long moment, unable to process what had just happened to her, then shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"JET BLACK, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! You swore you'd never tell. I should have known better. This is a boys clubhouse and it always will be."
Jet had been in his room, catching up on his bonsai trimming when Faye exploded. He poked his head out of his room innocently.
"What did I do?" Jet asked.
"You fucking told Spike that I gave him a bath while he was in the coma, that's what, you asshole!"
"Whoa, whoa, there. I never said anything to him about that. I don't want to discuss it anymore than you do."
"Then how does he know, huh? How else could he know? I only did it because you were too chickenshit to do it yourself and this is the thanks I get."
She was so angry her eyes were blazing. It was probably just as well for Jet that Faye was naked under that towel and nowhere near a weapon. She might have killed him. All of her feelings of not belonging and betrayal came flooding back into her. She needed to leave, right now.
"I swear, Faye. I didn't say ANYTHING," Jet called out to her retreating back. "Spike, get in here!"
"I'm resting," came the lazy reply from the couch.
Despite his new feelings for her, Spike still could not resist stirring up shit with Faye. She rose to the bait every time.
Jet caught up with Faye and grabbed her arm. He propelled her toward the living room, where Spike was 'napping' with a newspaper over his face. Lucky thing, too, because he was laughing to himself under there.
"We're going to settle this now. Spike, come out from under there. I want to clarify something" Jet said calmly, but firmly.
Spike tossed the paper to the floor and looked up at Jet and Faye.
"How did you know about the baths?" Jet demanded.
Spike wasn't sure how to describe what had happened. He hardly believed it himself. But he owed these two confused friends an answer.
"It's weird. It was like a dream, but not. I knew it was real. I was aware of a lot of what happened in my room while I was in the coma, even though I couldn't move or respond. I could hear you two talking to me and I knew when I would get turned over and stuff. I know Faye gave me a bath, twice. I remember it like a dream," Spike confessed.
Faye was going apoplectic inside, but she struggled to remain calm on the outside.
"You and your dreams. All I've ever heard from you is how life is one big dream that you never wake from." All Faye could think of were those days when she stupidly sat and talked for hours, telling Spike all that stuff about herself. She had given him all the ammunition against her that he would ever need. All those feelings and memories that she had spoken aloud, thinking him asleep - COMATOSE!
Jet's words knocked her out of her internal reverie.
"You know, I read somewhere one time that coma patients might be able to hear and feel what's going on around them. That's why I always talked to you. Huh! Isn't that interesting..."
"You knew?" Faye said accusingly. "You knew! And you never said anything to me about it. You just sent me in there to do your dirty work and let me talk about things, knowing he could hear me? Well, fuck you both!" Faye ran to her room and slammed the door so hard the ship rattled.
The two guys looked at each other and shrugged. Then Jet asked, "So, Spike, what did she tell you about that's bothering her so much?"
"Mostly about your bad cooking and how she had to do everything!" Spike laughed. Jet laughed too, eventually. "She'll get over it," Spike mused. "I think I'll go have a little talk with her when she cools down."
Chapter 8 - "Faye's Fury"
Faye was feeling strange and cranky. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but something was definitely amiss on the Bebop. The feeling shadowed her for days, before finally tackling her one night as she lay in bed waiting for sleep.
Spike was being nice to her.
What was that all about? Was he so happy just to be alive that he forgot to twist her panties just for the fun of it? Faye stewed over this problem. If Spike's reactions toward her had changed since he awoke, then she didn't know where she belonged anymore. She understood her previous position perfectly- selfish, independent, tough, gorgeous. What did he want from her?
The thought continued to gnaw at her until one day she was exiting the shower after a two-hour beauty session to find Spike out smoking in the hall. He was standing in her way, so she moved to the left to pass by. He moved to the left as well, blocking her exit. She feinted right, but he too moved right so that she was trapped, standing in only a damp towel with her hair dripping around her face.
Spike put his arms against the wall on either side of her so she couldn't move and leaned in so that his face was just millimeters from hers. He flicked his cigarette to the floor, not bothering to grind it out with his foot.
"I've been meaning to tell you something lately, Faye," Spike said, smiling wickedly.
"Oh, yeah, what might that be?" Faye asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I've been meaning to say thanks." His eyes were dancing with mischief.
"I'll bite - thanks for what?"
"Thanks for the sponge baths. They really made my day, if you know what I mean," he chuckled slightly.
Faye's eyes went wide. Her mouth dropped open and hung there for a moment. Spike took the opportunity to plant a kiss on her. Then he dropped his arms and sauntered away. Faye stood there, incredulous for a long moment, unable to process what had just happened to her, then shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"JET BLACK, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! You swore you'd never tell. I should have known better. This is a boys clubhouse and it always will be."
Jet had been in his room, catching up on his bonsai trimming when Faye exploded. He poked his head out of his room innocently.
"What did I do?" Jet asked.
"You fucking told Spike that I gave him a bath while he was in the coma, that's what, you asshole!"
"Whoa, whoa, there. I never said anything to him about that. I don't want to discuss it anymore than you do."
"Then how does he know, huh? How else could he know? I only did it because you were too chickenshit to do it yourself and this is the thanks I get."
She was so angry her eyes were blazing. It was probably just as well for Jet that Faye was naked under that towel and nowhere near a weapon. She might have killed him. All of her feelings of not belonging and betrayal came flooding back into her. She needed to leave, right now.
"I swear, Faye. I didn't say ANYTHING," Jet called out to her retreating back. "Spike, get in here!"
"I'm resting," came the lazy reply from the couch.
Despite his new feelings for her, Spike still could not resist stirring up shit with Faye. She rose to the bait every time.
Jet caught up with Faye and grabbed her arm. He propelled her toward the living room, where Spike was 'napping' with a newspaper over his face. Lucky thing, too, because he was laughing to himself under there.
"We're going to settle this now. Spike, come out from under there. I want to clarify something" Jet said calmly, but firmly.
Spike tossed the paper to the floor and looked up at Jet and Faye.
"How did you know about the baths?" Jet demanded.
Spike wasn't sure how to describe what had happened. He hardly believed it himself. But he owed these two confused friends an answer.
"It's weird. It was like a dream, but not. I knew it was real. I was aware of a lot of what happened in my room while I was in the coma, even though I couldn't move or respond. I could hear you two talking to me and I knew when I would get turned over and stuff. I know Faye gave me a bath, twice. I remember it like a dream," Spike confessed.
Faye was going apoplectic inside, but she struggled to remain calm on the outside.
"You and your dreams. All I've ever heard from you is how life is one big dream that you never wake from." All Faye could think of were those days when she stupidly sat and talked for hours, telling Spike all that stuff about herself. She had given him all the ammunition against her that he would ever need. All those feelings and memories that she had spoken aloud, thinking him asleep - COMATOSE!
Jet's words knocked her out of her internal reverie.
"You know, I read somewhere one time that coma patients might be able to hear and feel what's going on around them. That's why I always talked to you. Huh! Isn't that interesting..."
"You knew?" Faye said accusingly. "You knew! And you never said anything to me about it. You just sent me in there to do your dirty work and let me talk about things, knowing he could hear me? Well, fuck you both!" Faye ran to her room and slammed the door so hard the ship rattled.
The two guys looked at each other and shrugged. Then Jet asked, "So, Spike, what did she tell you about that's bothering her so much?"
"Mostly about your bad cooking and how she had to do everything!" Spike laughed. Jet laughed too, eventually. "She'll get over it," Spike mused. "I think I'll go have a little talk with her when she cools down."