It went on for months: tests, x-rays, spinal-taps; and Sonic and the
rest of the Freedom Fighters were finding it hard not to worry. There was
some nerve-damage, but the doctors said the tests were inconclusive. Sonic
tried to take this as "you'll be on your feet in no time", but part of him
knew that he should prepare for the worst.
Sonic was feeling better, his latest headache having worn off. And he was getting used to the whole routine of tests, physical therepy, and other 'details'. Getting used to it, but not liking it. Amy and his friends did keep his spirits up though, with their frequent visits. Especially Amy, who would often sneak in after the 'visiting-hours' were over.
Right now, Amy was talking his ears off, but Sonic didn't care. It diffused the tension in the room, and the scent of her perfume, rose, was welcoming after having to smell the various hospital-odors every day. He looked into the eyes of his pink-furred friend, and smiled.
"Amy..." Sonic interrupted.
"Er... sorry... I-am I talking too much?" Amy giggled.
Sonic didn't answer, and just hugged her instead. He squeezed her the best he could with the arm that had been around her shoulders since she got into the hospital-bed. Sonic couldn't sit up yet, as he was still awaiting a very important operation: a team of the best surgeons on Mobius would attempt to repair his spine, and minimize the nerve-damage.
Amy kissed Sonic on the cheek, and squeezed his hand, which she was holding.
"It's ok," Sonic whispered.
"I'm... scared," Amy stammered, "What if... what if you don't... ever- "
"I WILL!" Sonic shot back, with a sudden look of panic in his eyes.
Amy's last statement had sent an awful chill down his spine. No! He would walk again! He was Sonic the Hedgehog! A hero!
"Look, Sonic, I was just saying-" Amy paused for a moment, then decided to skip the explaination as her friend was not into 'geek-speak', and sighed, "-be brave"
There was a long silence, somewhat uncomfortable. Sonic let out a deep sigh.
"I wish... that we could be somewhere else..." he mumbled.
"I know," Amy said, "It would be so much more romantic if we were outside, on a starry night. Just you and me... er... sorry-I-uh... hehehe..."
Sonic just chuckled, and reached out to stroke Amy on the cheek. They had been getting rather close lately. Even kissing, and he had welcomed it. Could it be...?
"You know, Amy, people will talk..."
Amy just nodded, and brought her face close to Sonic's, staring into his bright, green eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she gently ran her fingers over that soft skin on his muzzle, the silky fur on his head... She took a breath, and gave Sonic, her hero and friend, a light kiss on the lips.
He started and blushed, and gazed into Amy's brown eyes... why did they look so beautiful all of the sudden? Sonic wanted more, and knew that Amy wanted the same.
"Yes," the girl hedgehog whispered, "They will talk. Let them"
Another pause. Then, Sonic broke the silence:
"That was good... can we... do that again?"
Amy nodded, then got ready to kiss her friend again, only to be interrupted by a doctor.
"It's time for the operation"
She got up off the bed, and held Sonic's hand for a moment. They didn't know if the operation would work, but they had to do something, because this was no ordinary patient. This was Sonic, the hero, and his speed was the only thing that helped him defeat Robotnik all this time. Without it, Mobius would be as good as gone.
"After the operation," Amy whispered to Sonic, who was already being preped for the difficult surgery.
Sonic smiled back through the mask that was being placed over his muzzle. He felt extremely nervous, but tried to hold onto thoughts of Amy, her warmth, and that scent that he now loved. The air in the mask smelled strange, and made him feel dizzy.
Amy will be there when I wake up... Sonic thought, as his world began to blur and fade away, soon it'll all be back to normal...
******
Sonic... Sonic...
Sonic opened his eyes, and let the world slowly come into focus. There was a shape looking down at him... a blurry pink shape, and two others, gray and orange... Amy... Johnny... Tails... He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking the fog out of his head.
"Amy..." he whispered, his voice sounding tinny from the after- effects of the anesthesia.
"Shh..." Amy hushed Sonic, gently stroking his cheek, "You're gonna be ok"
"I wanna... get up... and run... I'm goin'... stir... crazy... here..."
Amy touched her finger to Sonic's lips, then remembered what she said before the operation, and kissed them again.
"Yeah, just relax," Tails said.
"We'll do our best until you can get back on your feet again," Johnny added.
"Thanks..." Sonic said, his voice tired, and mouth dry, "I'm... thirsty..."
"Here," Johnny said, taking a glass of water from a table, "Just don't drink too much-"
He was interrupted by Sonic expelling the contents of his stomach onto the once clean bed-sheets. Sonic hadn't eaten or drank at all the day before the operation, as a safety precaution, and the withdrawal of the ether had made him sick.
Johnny held his friend's head up a little, and let him drink enough to rinse the horrible-tasting bile from his mouth. Sonic welcomed the water, which tasted sweet after his mouth had been assailed by that awful, sour vomit. He avoided swallowing too much, and spat the rest out, as he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep it down for some time.
Amy took a clean part of the sheet and wet it down with some of the water, and used it to wipe Sonic's face. Poor Sonic... hang in there...
"Get well," said Tails, as he patted Sonic's shoulder.
Sonic smiled, then fell back to sleep. As his world faded away again, he felt the touch of cool, gentle lips on his forehead. Amy...
******
Several days passed, and Sonic was anxious to get out of the plastic cast that he had to wear over his clothes. The doctors, however, were acting rather strange. They were teaching him to get in and out of a wheelchair by himself, and performing other forms of 'physical therapy'.
"What am I gonna need that for?" he demanded, "I'm not gonna be in this wheelchair for long, you know!"
After a hard session of physical therapy, Sonic lay back in his bed, exhausted. Amy was there, as usual, and sat down beside him. She wiped the sweat off his forehead, and stroked his cheek.
"What a work-out!" she said, "Pretty soon, you'll be stronger than you were before you got hurt. Robotnik won't know what hit him!"
"I don't think that will be possible," the doctor spoke up.
Sonic and Amy tensed.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Sonic wondered out loud.
The doctor sighed.
"I'm sorry, we... wanted to tell you..."
"What? Tell me what?"
Little fireworks were going off before both hedgehogs' eyes, and in their foreheads. Their jumped into their throats, as what the doctor said began to register.
"We tried to set your spine before anymore damage could occur, but it was too late..."
Too late... no... no...
"Y-you mean..." Amy began.
"I'm afraid the nerve-damage was already done, and it can't be repaired. Sonic, the damage is permanent."
Those last words slammed into Sonic's brain like a brick wall. No... no... no...
"NO!!! WHADDAYA MEAN IT'S PERMANENT??? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME??? IT CAN'T BE!!! NO!!! NO!!! I'M NOT GONNA BE A CRIPPLE!!!"
"I'm sorry, but we can't cure everything," the doctor said, "I wish we could, but spinal nerves can't be repaired"
Sonic was in shock. This couldn't be... if he couldn't move his legs, then he couldn't run... speed was his life, and now, he would be stuck in a wheelchair until he died... why?
"NO!!!" he cried out, "PLEASE!!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE A CRIPPLE!!! PLEASE-"
"Sonic, there's nothing they can do about it," Amy said, trying to calm her friend down, "We'll try to find something that'll give you your legs back. Porker'll find some way-"
"DAMNIT!!!" Sonic interrupted her, yelling and hyperventallating, "HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA STOP ROBOTNIK??? WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO??? HUH???"
Amy grabbed Sonic's arms and shook them, trying to snap him out of it.
"Sonic! Please don't make this any harder! I'm very sorry this happened, but there's nothing we can do for your legs. I'm very sorry"
As Sonic calmed down, the Amy's grip on his arms loosened. Then the paralyzed hedgehog caught his breath, stared blankly at his friend. The doctor left the room, leaving the two hedgehogs alone. It was unreal. Sonic, without his speed...
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, before Amy worked up the courage to speak.
"Sonic... I... I-"
She couldn't finish. The doctor had dropped the big one, and for her and Sonic, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters, the world had ended. How would they fight Robotnik now? Sonic was often the only one standing between the dictator and freedom, and now, he was crippled. Permanently crippled.
Amy reached down with a shaking, sweaty hand, and stroked Sonic's forehead. If the world was going to end, they would have to make the best of their last few days alive. Sonic, not having quite recovered from the shock, put his arms around Amy, tightly squeezing her and feeling almost nothing on his chest because of the cast. He felt his girlfriend stroking his head, and buried his face in her chest, letting loose the tears. It was all over. Sonic the hedgehog, champion of Mobius, was crippled for life.
Sonic was feeling better, his latest headache having worn off. And he was getting used to the whole routine of tests, physical therepy, and other 'details'. Getting used to it, but not liking it. Amy and his friends did keep his spirits up though, with their frequent visits. Especially Amy, who would often sneak in after the 'visiting-hours' were over.
Right now, Amy was talking his ears off, but Sonic didn't care. It diffused the tension in the room, and the scent of her perfume, rose, was welcoming after having to smell the various hospital-odors every day. He looked into the eyes of his pink-furred friend, and smiled.
"Amy..." Sonic interrupted.
"Er... sorry... I-am I talking too much?" Amy giggled.
Sonic didn't answer, and just hugged her instead. He squeezed her the best he could with the arm that had been around her shoulders since she got into the hospital-bed. Sonic couldn't sit up yet, as he was still awaiting a very important operation: a team of the best surgeons on Mobius would attempt to repair his spine, and minimize the nerve-damage.
Amy kissed Sonic on the cheek, and squeezed his hand, which she was holding.
"It's ok," Sonic whispered.
"I'm... scared," Amy stammered, "What if... what if you don't... ever- "
"I WILL!" Sonic shot back, with a sudden look of panic in his eyes.
Amy's last statement had sent an awful chill down his spine. No! He would walk again! He was Sonic the Hedgehog! A hero!
"Look, Sonic, I was just saying-" Amy paused for a moment, then decided to skip the explaination as her friend was not into 'geek-speak', and sighed, "-be brave"
There was a long silence, somewhat uncomfortable. Sonic let out a deep sigh.
"I wish... that we could be somewhere else..." he mumbled.
"I know," Amy said, "It would be so much more romantic if we were outside, on a starry night. Just you and me... er... sorry-I-uh... hehehe..."
Sonic just chuckled, and reached out to stroke Amy on the cheek. They had been getting rather close lately. Even kissing, and he had welcomed it. Could it be...?
"You know, Amy, people will talk..."
Amy just nodded, and brought her face close to Sonic's, staring into his bright, green eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she gently ran her fingers over that soft skin on his muzzle, the silky fur on his head... She took a breath, and gave Sonic, her hero and friend, a light kiss on the lips.
He started and blushed, and gazed into Amy's brown eyes... why did they look so beautiful all of the sudden? Sonic wanted more, and knew that Amy wanted the same.
"Yes," the girl hedgehog whispered, "They will talk. Let them"
Another pause. Then, Sonic broke the silence:
"That was good... can we... do that again?"
Amy nodded, then got ready to kiss her friend again, only to be interrupted by a doctor.
"It's time for the operation"
She got up off the bed, and held Sonic's hand for a moment. They didn't know if the operation would work, but they had to do something, because this was no ordinary patient. This was Sonic, the hero, and his speed was the only thing that helped him defeat Robotnik all this time. Without it, Mobius would be as good as gone.
"After the operation," Amy whispered to Sonic, who was already being preped for the difficult surgery.
Sonic smiled back through the mask that was being placed over his muzzle. He felt extremely nervous, but tried to hold onto thoughts of Amy, her warmth, and that scent that he now loved. The air in the mask smelled strange, and made him feel dizzy.
Amy will be there when I wake up... Sonic thought, as his world began to blur and fade away, soon it'll all be back to normal...
******
Sonic... Sonic...
Sonic opened his eyes, and let the world slowly come into focus. There was a shape looking down at him... a blurry pink shape, and two others, gray and orange... Amy... Johnny... Tails... He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking the fog out of his head.
"Amy..." he whispered, his voice sounding tinny from the after- effects of the anesthesia.
"Shh..." Amy hushed Sonic, gently stroking his cheek, "You're gonna be ok"
"I wanna... get up... and run... I'm goin'... stir... crazy... here..."
Amy touched her finger to Sonic's lips, then remembered what she said before the operation, and kissed them again.
"Yeah, just relax," Tails said.
"We'll do our best until you can get back on your feet again," Johnny added.
"Thanks..." Sonic said, his voice tired, and mouth dry, "I'm... thirsty..."
"Here," Johnny said, taking a glass of water from a table, "Just don't drink too much-"
He was interrupted by Sonic expelling the contents of his stomach onto the once clean bed-sheets. Sonic hadn't eaten or drank at all the day before the operation, as a safety precaution, and the withdrawal of the ether had made him sick.
Johnny held his friend's head up a little, and let him drink enough to rinse the horrible-tasting bile from his mouth. Sonic welcomed the water, which tasted sweet after his mouth had been assailed by that awful, sour vomit. He avoided swallowing too much, and spat the rest out, as he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep it down for some time.
Amy took a clean part of the sheet and wet it down with some of the water, and used it to wipe Sonic's face. Poor Sonic... hang in there...
"Get well," said Tails, as he patted Sonic's shoulder.
Sonic smiled, then fell back to sleep. As his world faded away again, he felt the touch of cool, gentle lips on his forehead. Amy...
******
Several days passed, and Sonic was anxious to get out of the plastic cast that he had to wear over his clothes. The doctors, however, were acting rather strange. They were teaching him to get in and out of a wheelchair by himself, and performing other forms of 'physical therapy'.
"What am I gonna need that for?" he demanded, "I'm not gonna be in this wheelchair for long, you know!"
After a hard session of physical therapy, Sonic lay back in his bed, exhausted. Amy was there, as usual, and sat down beside him. She wiped the sweat off his forehead, and stroked his cheek.
"What a work-out!" she said, "Pretty soon, you'll be stronger than you were before you got hurt. Robotnik won't know what hit him!"
"I don't think that will be possible," the doctor spoke up.
Sonic and Amy tensed.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Sonic wondered out loud.
The doctor sighed.
"I'm sorry, we... wanted to tell you..."
"What? Tell me what?"
Little fireworks were going off before both hedgehogs' eyes, and in their foreheads. Their jumped into their throats, as what the doctor said began to register.
"We tried to set your spine before anymore damage could occur, but it was too late..."
Too late... no... no...
"Y-you mean..." Amy began.
"I'm afraid the nerve-damage was already done, and it can't be repaired. Sonic, the damage is permanent."
Those last words slammed into Sonic's brain like a brick wall. No... no... no...
"NO!!! WHADDAYA MEAN IT'S PERMANENT??? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME??? IT CAN'T BE!!! NO!!! NO!!! I'M NOT GONNA BE A CRIPPLE!!!"
"I'm sorry, but we can't cure everything," the doctor said, "I wish we could, but spinal nerves can't be repaired"
Sonic was in shock. This couldn't be... if he couldn't move his legs, then he couldn't run... speed was his life, and now, he would be stuck in a wheelchair until he died... why?
"NO!!!" he cried out, "PLEASE!!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE A CRIPPLE!!! PLEASE-"
"Sonic, there's nothing they can do about it," Amy said, trying to calm her friend down, "We'll try to find something that'll give you your legs back. Porker'll find some way-"
"DAMNIT!!!" Sonic interrupted her, yelling and hyperventallating, "HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA STOP ROBOTNIK??? WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO??? HUH???"
Amy grabbed Sonic's arms and shook them, trying to snap him out of it.
"Sonic! Please don't make this any harder! I'm very sorry this happened, but there's nothing we can do for your legs. I'm very sorry"
As Sonic calmed down, the Amy's grip on his arms loosened. Then the paralyzed hedgehog caught his breath, stared blankly at his friend. The doctor left the room, leaving the two hedgehogs alone. It was unreal. Sonic, without his speed...
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, before Amy worked up the courage to speak.
"Sonic... I... I-"
She couldn't finish. The doctor had dropped the big one, and for her and Sonic, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters, the world had ended. How would they fight Robotnik now? Sonic was often the only one standing between the dictator and freedom, and now, he was crippled. Permanently crippled.
Amy reached down with a shaking, sweaty hand, and stroked Sonic's forehead. If the world was going to end, they would have to make the best of their last few days alive. Sonic, not having quite recovered from the shock, put his arms around Amy, tightly squeezing her and feeling almost nothing on his chest because of the cast. He felt his girlfriend stroking his head, and buried his face in her chest, letting loose the tears. It was all over. Sonic the hedgehog, champion of Mobius, was crippled for life.