Hello everybody! Geez you seemed to really enjoy last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've got a pile of reviews so I'm not going to waste any more time!
Guest: Pretty much, it did go much more into detail about the gruesome bits. He's certainly affected by all this.
Obliviblur: It certainly hurt, and I wanted you guys as the readers to be able to feel Tails' pain and what he was going through, at least a little bit. When Sonic gets his hands on Robotnik, I don't think it's going to end well.
Wedgely: He's certainly got resolve, I don't think there's much Robotnik can do to faze him, which we'll cover in this chapter! Everybody wanted to do something, but they didn't know what, and Rotor didn't want anybody near the kit while surgery was happening for fear of making it worse.
SuperTailsFan0812: I figured it was about time that Tails got some emotional release, especially after what he's been through.
Spider10: He got it originally cut off before the events of the story, as covered in chapter one. We got a glimpse of the event in chapter two however, and I don't think things like that just go away!
Hjue44: I didn't just want to have the physical side of things, anybody can write that and somewhat get away with it, as you've read some of my other stuff, you'll know I like tackling some of the mental and physiological stuff as well, injuries aren't only physical after all!
Alright guys let's get going!
Waves
Sweet Freedom
A couple of hours had passed since Tails' surgery. Since then, all the Freedom Fighters had come in to check on how the fox was doing. His consensus was always similar, that he was feeling much better after the procedure, simply because the burning pain in his leg was now gone, replaced by a somewhat numb sensation.
Mentally however, he was still somewhat stressed. The surgery had opened back up dozens of repressed memories from his time captured in Robotropolis. From the torture and pain he underwent, to the crippling loneliness and depression. Of course, he tried to hide this from the others, there was no point in making them even more concerned.
Speaking of which, Sonic was most concerned for the kit's health, so much so that he was unwilling to leave the infirmary where the fox was currently at. The kit was still tied to an IV drip and blood transfusion to ensure that he would remain stable for the time being. Though he seemed physically exhausted and he had lost most of his voice from screaming.
Despite this, he still seemed quite compassionate, and it felt odd to have his much attention directed at him.
Currently, the fox was fast asleep in his bed, the heart monitor that was hooked up to his wrist showed a slow but steady heartbeat. The fact that he was event still alive was a miracle, however, his chest cavity would still have to be addressed. It was decided that it would be looked at it once he had recovered a bit, but until then, it was to be kept clean, with the bandages changed out once a day.
Sonic watched the slow rise and fall of the kit's chest intently. As he was about to allow himself to browse amongst his thoughts, the door opened, and Sally peeked her head in.
"Is he asleep?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, you can come in. He's exhausted."
She nodded her head and quietly closed the door behind her. "Anything happen yet, I mean after you know."
"Not really, he'll shift every once in a while, but otherwise he seems fine. Well, as fine as he can get anyways."
"That's good," Sally responded. "I just can't help but feel bad for him."
"I think all of us do Sal. I just wish there was something we could have done, maybe I should have stayed with him on the raid he was captured, or maybe we should have dedicated to getting him out instead of the cautious approach we took."
Sally sighed, "Yeah, I know... I wanted there to be something, but I'm not sure what we're going to do now, especially since he doesn't have a leg."
Suddenly, a faint voice was heard, "Sally? Is that you?"
The two looked over at the infirmary bed and found that Tails had opened his eyes just barely, seemingly unable to have the strength to open them any more than they already were. The kit's voice was raspy and faint, but somehow managed to sound as cheery as ever.
Sally smiled, "Yes, it's me Tails. Sonic's here as well, we're just checking up on how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine, just a bit sleepy..." The kit responded, letting out a yawn. "How long was I out?"
"A couple hours," Sonic responded. "You seem like you slept well."
"Yeah..." Tails responded, before pausing. "Sonic, I have a question..."
"Ask away bud, what is it?"
"I want to see something; is there any way you could take me outside?"
Sally and Sonic exchanged worried glances. Sal was the first to try and respond.
"Tails, I'm not sure if-"
"I'm sure it'd be fine bud, as long as we get back quickly."
Sally shot the hedgehog a glare out of the corner of her vision, Tails simply smiled.
"Thanks, do you know if we could get some of this off me?"
"You'd better know what you're doing..." Sally whispered under her breath to Sonic, as she moved to detach some of the cables connected to the fox.
As she finished, Sonic picked up the kitsune and carried him out of the infirmary. Ignoring the surprised expressions of the other Freedom Fighters and electing to let Sally do the explaining, he carried the kit up the ladder until they were on the surface, where he placed his surrogate brother on his shoulders.
"Alright bud!" Sonic began. "Where we headed?"
"Do you know that cliff? Where I go to relax?"
Sonic sighed, "You could have just told me that was where you wanted to head bud!"
The hedgehog darted off; Tails seemed to be enjoying the sensation of the wind in his face. It reminded him of when he was just a little kid, after he had met Sonic that is, they would do this kind of stuff all the time.
The hedgehog arrived at his destination, a clifftop overlooking the ocean. The sunlight gently reflected off the untouched ocean water as waves splashed against the rocks below. He set the kitsune down at the base of a singular tree that stood atop the outcropping.
Tails had discovered this place years ago, and it was somewhere he could go to just get away from everything and to relax and focus. He especially loved listening to the sounds of the water impacting the rocks below, adding a soothing white noise to the scenery.
The kitsune closed his eyes at the base of the tree and allowed his mind to wander. After a moment, his thoughts were interrupted by Sonic.
"Hey bud, so what's on your mind? You only come here when you've got something to think about..."
"I'm just wondering what I'm going to do after all this is over, and about what happened with Robotnik."
There was a silence that followed for a moment, before Sonic spoke again. "Tails, you know that I won't let him hurt you again. Right?"
"Yeah, it's just something I can't get out of my head..."
"Also, you know you could have just told him Tails. We could have always made another Knothole somewhere."
The kitsune chuckled, "I know that, I didn't tell him because that would put you guys in danger. You're my family!"
"You're our family too Tails, though I'm sure you've figured that out by now! I just can't bear to see you get hurt."
"I'll be fine Sonic, really! It just makes me happy to know you're all here though..."
They both smiled and continued relaxing for a while. After a moment however Sonic spoke again, "Hey bud, do you have any plans for what to do to fix that leg of yours?"
"I've got some ideas, but most of them are going to be difficult."
"Hey, if anybody can do it, it's you bud!"
The kitsune blushed at the compliment, "Stop... Please, you don't need to flatter me..."
Sonic smiled mischievously, "Plus you're so nice, smart, caring..."
The pink color on Tails face turned a bright red as he tried his best to accept the compliments he was given.
"Finally," Sonic continued. "You're really cute when you blush, you know that?"
The last comment seemed to only multiply the kit's embarrassment. "I- I'm not cute."
"That's right, you're adorable!"
Tails burst out laughing at the final statement, "Alright, alright, you got me!"
The two of them shared a laugh, "There's the Tails I know!" Sonic responded, "So what if you can't walk right now? You're my little bro, and that isn't going to change!"
Their laughter died down and they sat in silence for a bit longer, listening to the crashing of the waves and enjoying the scenery. Eventually, Sonic stood up. "Well, I think it's about time he headed back, everyone is probably wondering where we went."
Tails nodded and allowed Sonic to pick him up and place the kit on his shoulders again. The two of them dashed back to Knothole and descended back into the compound, where they were immediately hounded by Sally.
"Where have you two been? You've been missing for two hours! I thought it was just going to be a short trip!"
"Relax Sal!" Sonic responded, "We just went for a walk to relax! Tails just wanted some fresh air."
Sally sighed, "Alright, well I'm going to give him his checkup for the day. Plus, he needs his bandages replaced."
Sonic and Tails both nodded as the trio traveled back to the infirmary and Sonic gently set Tails back down on his bed.
Sally took the liberty of hooking the kit back up to his medical systems as Sonic left the room.
"So, how was it Tails?" Sally asked.
"Good, there's a bit of pain in my chest, but it was worth it."
"That's nice to hear, now let me see those bandages."
The kit's chest hadn't improved much, all Sally could do for the time being was replace the bandages and try to figure out a time they could perform proper surgery on it. She wrapped the injury carefully, making sure to not tighten it too much.
After she was finished, she ruffled the bangs on the kitsune's head. "Now get some rest, you need it."
Tails weakly nodded, he had started to feel drowsy anyways and so he quickly dozed off.
Sally walked out of the infirmary and tracked down Sonic. "Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was?" She began.
"Relax, I had it under control!"
"Under Control!? What if you dropped him? What if he hit something? What if some of Robotnik's forces found you? Then what?"
"I'd trash them like I usually do!"
Sally sighed, "It's not you I'm concerned about Sonic, I know Tails is acting like he's all better, but he's still really hurt. After he's alright, you two can do all the catching up you want. But until then, just be careful with him, ok?"
"Alright Sal, I get what you're saying, I'll be careful."
"Please do, for Tails' sake."
There was a silence between them for a minute, Sonic eventually responded. "I wish you could have seen him Sal, for a bit, the real Tails came back, I can't be the only one who's noticed he's been a bit depressed recently."
"I think we've all noticed Sonic, and if you think it helps to go out occasionally, I'm not going to stop you. But please keep it to a minimum and be careful with him. He did seem a bit happier when you guys came back, you mean a lot to him you know."
"You do too! Tails told me that the only reason he didn't let Knothole slip is because he didn't want to see us get hurt."
Sally didn't respond for a moment, "That sounds like something he would do. Just don't do anything too crazy with him. Got it?"
The hedgehog nodded and the two went their separate ways, curious as to how everything would unfold...
Alright everybody, that's it for today! I wanted something fluffier after what all the characters have been though! I hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time!