Disclaimer: If Futurama was mine, it would've been shown this Sunday, instead of whatever cra--I mean erm, fine entertainment program it's been replaced with...
It Got Through
"Fry, whatever this important thing is, can't it wait until it's light, or until I'm awake?"
Leela was being dragged down a grungey New New York street at 4.00 in the morning by her co-worker Fry. Leela didn't now why, and to be honest, didn't care. All she was trying to do was sleep while standing up and being forcibly moved.
"I'll tell you soon..."
Early on yesterday...
'Happy Welcome Back Leela!' the sign read. A table was covered in snack food and Zoidberg was wearing a party hat.
"Wow, guys, you didn't have to do this!"
"Oh my, no. We didn'twant to." The Professor replied cheerfully."It was Fry who did everything. In fact, the longer you were away, the longer I didn't have to pay you. So I don't care!"
Zoidberg calling out "Welcome home, Leela!" and going to hug her covered up Leela's profanity-filled response.
As she saw him coming over, arms wide, she swiftly made her way over to the snack table.
She started to look for something that she liked, but couldn't find anything that even remotely resembled food.
Just as she was about to stick her finger in what looked like chip-dip, Fry came running over with a spoon in one hand and a dog bowl in the other.
"No, don't touch that!" He shouted. "It's acidic!"
"Ahh!" Leela shouted, quickly withdrawing her hand, which at this point was only half an inch from the foul substance.
Fry walked over to her as he continued his story.
"We found out when Bender was making it. He went to taste his 'masterpiece'," said Fry, making quotation marks in the air. This made Leela laugh. Secretly pleased with himself, he went on. "The stuff slipped from the Mama Rusty's Home Soldered Metallic Chip he'd put it on. It burned strait through his arm."
"Oh, my God!" Leela exclaimed. "But," she asked, puzzled. "Why did you serve it if it could kill people from the inside-out?"
"I didn't. I think it was Hermes. He was muttering something about 'cheep orphan labor' or something like that. This is why I'm eating the Bachelor Chow, But it's not as good now they've put flavour in it."
"Oh well...we better get rid of this food, it could kill everyone."
"Cleaning up food? That's easy. Zoidberg!"
xXx
Later that day...
Leela had put on her jacket and was heading towards the door when she felt a hand stop her and pulled her gently back. Hands covered her eye.
"Guess who!"
"Fry! Stop acting like you're five!" Leela complained, but with no real anger in her voice.
"Why? Being like me is fun." She hated to admit it, but what Fry said was true.
"Right, can we act like adults now? I to get home and sleep."
"Huh? I thought all you did was sleep when you were in that coma. Unless, you just pretended to be in a coma for two weeks to get my attention? Knew I wouldn't be able to leave you when you were in trouble? "
"Fry! A coma isn't funny, nor is it restful. You wouldn't leave me alone in my dreams or when I was awake! I thought I was mad. I thought you were dead."
That was the first time she'd told anyone about what had happened in those to weeks of hell. Now that she had let it out of the box she had hidden it in in her mind, she felt relieved.
"Really? What was it like, without me there with you?"
"Surprising. It was too peaceful" she joked. They both laughed.
"Now I like you for your mind, body and subconscious"
"Thanks" Leela smiled at him.
They walked on in comfortable silence, enjoying the pleasant dust light, until they were about two blocks from Leela's apartment building.
Leela suddenly spoke. "You know, I've just noticed something. When you said what you liked me for, you said 'mind' before 'body'. Did you get them in the wrong order, or are you not as shallow as I thought?"
"I'm not that shallow." He replied simply, smiling slightly.
It was times like this that Leela's feelings for Fry were the most conflicting. He'd just told her that her looks were not as important as her personality, yet the stupid, immature things he did sometimes, like eating cereal he'd put on his head or making Zoidberg eat all that ph14 food, put her off. But these days, the gentle, caring Fry seemed to show himself a lot more.
As they neared the door of the apartment, Leela, who had been having a mental argument with herself for the last five minuets, decided what she should do.
"Thanks for walking me Fry."
"No problem."
They stood there, looking at each other, not moving.
"Fry, I have something to tell you."
"Okay."
"I know how you feel about me, and I know what I've been like each time you've asked me about it. Firstly, I'd like to thank you for you staying beside me for those two weeks in the hospital. If you hadn't, I would properly still in the coma, properly forever. You gave me back my life. Thank you so much."
"You don't have to thank me. I'll always be there for you."
"Since then-" Leela felt tears in her eye. She felt crying whenever she mentioned or even thought about the coma. It reminded her that death was always closer than she thought.
"Oh, no, Leela, don't cry." Fry comforted her. He raised his hand and wiped away a tear that had slid down her cheek.
Leela tried to start again. "Since then, I've known how short life can be, and is. I've got to do things more impulsively. I've got to live."
She stopped, but this time not to cry. Fry's hand was still on her face. She moved closer, her arm sliped around his waist, pulled him into her. His hand caressed her cheek.
They kissed. The dusk light changed into night, the stars shimmering around them.
The seconds, minuets, hours, melted into one. Whenever it was, they pulled apart.
"Good night, Fry"
"Good night, Leela."
Fry stood and watched, dazed, as Leela went into her apartment. What she had said was true. He had to seize the moment...
TBC...