StarFox: Stars of Yearning
Chapter 5: Enter Joy DewFur!
Greetings dear readers and fans. I'm leaving this author's note here to inform that I've decided to rewrite the whole story from the ground and not leave you in the dark of whenever a new chapter is coming out or not. I'm really sorry if you were looking forward to a new chapter! I feel I've gotten a lot more experience as a writer now (At least that's what I like to believe :p). And I want to write the best possible version of my story that I'm capable of! For both you (dear readers and fans) and me! Please look forward to the new chapter of the new version and I hope you'll stick with me as I head into this new direction!
Other then that, please stay safe and stay home! Watch some tv series/movies, play the video games you never had the time to play/finish and have a wonderful day :)
Cornerian Sanctuary's PO room B12
It was quiet inside the private OP room where Fox was situated, save for the beeping from all the medical equipment hooked to him. The entire room was pristine white and was the size of a small living room with a couple of necessities appliances and furniture, a window as wide as the room itself with the dark green curtains parted to let in the warm sun rays. Joy was patting Fox's head with a wistful smile on her tired face. A nostalgic feeling made itself known to her from the experience. Joy did this for a while before looking at the digital clock on the left wall and sighing. "Just when I finally found... this isn't how I've wanted to find you after all this time however..."
Joy Dewfur has the appearance of a red deer Lylatian with a thicker fur coat coloured light brown/orange with white spots sprinkled on her arms and legs than most of the Lylatians of her species. The tips of her fingers had short black fur however. She had amber coloured eyes with long black eye lashes, currently had heavy bags beneath them while wearing red framed glasses.
She had long blond hair reaching her lower back with bangs and tiny, pointy ears, and a small black button nose that uncharacteristic of her species. She was wearing a white doctor's coat over her black blouse, tight black jeans with her little, triangular cream coloured tail poking out of it just above her butt, a light blue face mask that was hanging on her neck and and wore custom made red, hoof-like shoes with short sleeves to cover her ankles as her sub species of Lylatians had hooves instead of regular feet with digits.
She was wearing her normal outfit with her doctor's coat over it since her shift was finally over and was ready to go home. She forgot to take the green face mask around her neck however.
"Fate hasn't be kind to you, hasn't it Fox?" Joy said with her silvery voice as she looked at Fox with a melancholic visage, resting her hand on Fox's cheek "As if fate hasn't tormented you enough already. You of all people, it's simply not fair..." Joy growled lightly while holding Fox's hand, his hand cold to the touch. She stood up from the chair next to Fox's bed and made her way to the door before looking back at Fox wistfully.
"I promise I'll come back for you tomorrow to check on you..." Joy then smiled "At least you're not alone any more, seeing as you have three lovely ladies waiting you from what Nick told me!" Joy giggled "Such a charmer! He's just like you James... just like you..." Joy whispered. She then wore had a very melancholic smile "You and Vixy left this world way too soon, my old friends... rest assured however, he's in good hands now..."
Joy turned back to the door and placed her hand on the hand scanner and a beep of approval, the door opened with a swish.
"See you tomorrow..." Joy whispered as she left the room. She made her way back to public side of the wing she was in.
Meanwhile on one of the sky bridges to hospital
Fara and the gang were on their way to the help desk as instructed by Leonie in a earlier phone call. Thankfully it wasn't as busy as it was yesterday. The girls were halfway to the wing, crossing one of the many sky bridges connecting the various buildings within the complex, the bridge itself being made up from a projected beam of blue hard light particles with guard rails which were connected to several large hovering platforms, with smaller one hovering around to other places to form a new bridge periodically, which spooked Fay witless.
"Uuughh... I'll never get used to this! I hate that it's see through! Look how far down it is! W-What if the power suddenly goes out?! Why didn't we took the ground road?!" Fay whined with wide eyes as she panicked while holding on to Miyu's hand for dear life.
Miyu however, grimaced and grunted from the surprising painfully strong grip Fay had on her right hand "Cuz it's faster... Holy Lylus... Fay! Didn't know you had... such... a... strong... grip!" Miyu placed a hand on Fay shoulder and lightly shook her "Hey... Hey! Fay! Look at me!" Miyu took a hard look at Fay, who gasped as she calmed down "Have no worries, Fara and me are here for you fluffball! Just... don't crush my hand, please?"
Fay loosened her grip on Miyu's hand "Ah! So sorry Miyu! I-I didn't mean to crush your hand like that!"
Miyu smiled at Fay "It's okay fluffball!" Miyu flexes her left arm at Fay "Don't worry! I'll make sure you'll reach the other side safely. You can hold on to my hand if you want."
Fara joined Fay at her other side and smiled as held her hand out to Fay's other hand "And mine if you wish Fay."
Fay heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that as she gladly took Miyu's and Fara's offer "Thanks Miyu, Fara..."
Fara smiled at Fay "Like Miyu said, we'll make sure you'll reach the other side safely."
Miyu grinned "No problem Fay!" Miyu paused when she heard Fara failing to stifle her laughter "Hey... What's so funny sis?"
Fara held her hand before her snout trying to stifle her laughter "How does it feel now that you're the one on the receiving end of such a strong grip Miyu? Not so funny any more is it?"
Miyu however smirked at Fara "Aww still salty you couldn't win from me in arm wrestling? Especially since that one bet long ago?"
That took the wind out of Fara's sails and she now frowned "Hmph! You're lucky all your stat points into strength and not anything else! I would've wiped the floor with you otherwise if I were the one who could decide the game for our bet if I didn't lose that die roll!"
Miyu laughed at Fara's embarrassment "Keep telling yourself that sis! I'll never forget that day you had to flash the pizza delivery boy with your hooters! Woo boy... that look on his face, probably was his first time seeing really good ones that are actually real hahahaha!"
Fara putted her head in her hands, a very red blush on her face "Ugh... don't remind of that..." Fara felt a shiver go down her spine "The way he drooled... and then asked if I wanted to go on a date with him... Still can't believe you made me do that Miyu..." Fay couldn't help but giggle hearing Miyu and Fara talking about it.
"Well he had guts, I'll give him that since he tried. And thanks for being a good sport by flashing your hooters as punishment for losing!" Miyu laughed and smirked as Fara frowned while growling at her.
They stopped walking at the red light signal of the traffic light post on the last large platform of their road and had to wait with several other pedestrians for the smaller platforms to form their bridge to their destination.
"I do wonder however Fay." Fara glanced at Fay "How come you're afraid of walking on hard light sky bridges but when you're in the cockpit of an aircraft, you show no fear whatsoever?"
Fay fidgeted with her hands "Well it's because when I'm in a aircraft I know for 100% sure that I'm in control of the situation and also because there isn't a random chance for it to suddenly disappear from underneath of my butt and for me to plummet to my untimely death!" Fay fumed.
Fara shook her head "Well while those are fair points, I'll give you that, however there hasn't been such an incident in like a very long time. There are simply too many fail safe mechanisms in place for such a thing to happen. From reinforced power shields against kinetic forces such as a crash landings or lasers to shock resistant backup batteries to ensure a safe landing in case of power failure due to something like a EMP blast. These things are very safe, their creator Huey Otacon made sure of it!" "Now that think about it, the creator has such a weird name. He must be such a nerd!"
Fay sighed in defeat "Okay, okay... I suppose you're right Fara."
Fara smirked "I know I'm right Fay hehe!" Fara gloated "Just hold on to us and everything should be fine" Fara said with a warm smile.
Fay lighted up when Fara said that "Alright! I'll put my faith in you and Miyu, Fara!" Fay cheered.
"That's the spirit!" Miyu said with a air fist pump "Alright, enough fooling around girls, our bridge is here!" Miyu pointed at the newly formed bridge in front of them. It was one straight line to the hospital of the Cornerian Sanctuary's complex. Fay grabbed hold of Miyu's and Fara's hand, Miyu and Fara giggling when she did that.
"Let's go girls!" Fay exclaimed she made a mad dash towards the hospital with renewed determination, dragging Fara and Miyu with her, which they didn't mind as they laughed, glad to see their friend in higher spirits again.
They arrived in the hospital's plaza in no time, albeit a bit winded even though they're used to sprinting such distances as a result from their rigorous training at the academy. Since it was morning it wasn't as busy as it is in the afternoon and onwards.
After they caught their breath, they looked around for the elevator to the upper part of the hospital where wing B was situated.
"Ahh there it is!" Fara exclaimed as she pointed towards a crowd of people waiting in front of three metallic double doors with buttons next to it. They made their way to the elevator and took a ride to Wing B. Upon arriving they made a beeline for the front help desk of the wing, where they saw a young adult black furred lioness-like Lylatian with a small, fiery orange mane, which was quite unusual for the females of her kind and wearing a black secretary suit, sitting at her desk in front of her pc staring at the screen while typing. They approached her as there was no line of people waiting there luckily enough.
The lioness Lylatian looked up from her screen when she saw Fara and her teammates approach "Ah good morning! And welcome to the Cornerian Sanctuary Hospital! How may I be of service to you?"
Fara realized who the receptionist was when she heard her voice "Ah good morning to you too. You must be Leonie right? We spoke to each other on the communicator earlier today!"
Leonie smiled when she recognized Fara's voice "Ah! And you must be Fara then! It's a pleasure to meet you miss Fara!" Leonie held her hand out with a smile.
Fara grabbed Leonie's held out hand and shook it "Likewise 'miss' Leonie!"
"Seems Nick wasn't lying, you really are as hot as he described you as! Same goes for your friends too Fara!" Leonie grinned when she saw the three of them blushing.
"Thank you for the compliment miss Leonie! My name is Fay! Pleased to meet you." Fay said with a blush and a small bow.
Miyu smirked as she held her hand out for a handshake, which Leonie returned "And name is Miyu! Nice to meet you Leonie!"
"Likewise Miyu!" Leonie smiled while shaking Miyu's hand"I'll inform the medical team that treated Duke that you girls have arrived and-"
Just as Leonie was about to finish what she was saying, the double doors leading the operation rooms swung open revealing a very tired looking light red deer-like female Lylatian known as Joy coming through the doors.
Joy let out a drawn out sigh and almost fell over before flinching herself awake as she felt the falling sensation "Ohhhh... this is job is going be the death of me some day... If not that, the litres of caffeine in my body surely will do me in..." she mumbled tiredly.
The girls turned to look at the tired doctor, who's eyes were closing and was about to fall asleep on the spot. Leonie called out to her to get her attention "Oi! Doc! Snap out of it! You're spacing out, You're scaring me Joy!" Fara, Miyu and Fay went up to Joy as they were worried about the doctor as well.
Fara addressed Joy as she approached her "Hello, Joy is it? Is everything alright? Do you need to sit down somewhere? Let us help you."
Joy snapped out of her stupor as Leonie yelled at her and Fara addressing her "Huh?! O-Oh! Greetings girls and Leonie! So, so sorry about that! Had to stay up..." The doctor let out a big yawn with her free hand covering her mouth "Since yesterday morning doing surgeries up until now..." Joy took Fara's offer for help.
Fara guided Joy to the wall mounted rows of chairs and made Joy take a seat on one of them "Oh thank you miss... that's kind of you" Fara did the same with Fay and Miyu sitting next to her.
Leonie had a exasperated, worried visage as she looked at Joy "Geez doc... you just had a two day long shift before this... I told you to take a break doc! I know you're one of the best, if not, the absolute best doctor here but you're gonna work yourself to death to this rate. Please! I'm worried about you Joy..."
"I'm so... so sorry Leonie. I really wanted to take your advice but... this was one patient I just had to take... I couldn't risk it leaving it to someone else! I'll promise I'll take a break now" Leonie seemed satisfied with Joy's answer. Joy took a moment to recollect herself before speaking again "By the way, are you three ladies the ones who accompanied Duke Vulpes by any chance?" the doctor said to them.
"Yes that would be us ma'am! Please, tell us that Duke alright" Fara said. All three girls looking at Joy with hopeful eyes, wanting to hear that their prayers were answered.
"Please doctor Joy!" Miyu said with glistering eyes "I could never forgive myself if... if Duke..."
The doctor gestured with a hand to the group to calm down while chuckling "No worries girls, I'm very glad to inform you girls that Duke is no longer in critical condition! Thanks to your quick response and help he made it!"
The girls were overjoyed and their faces lit up at the news "Alright! I knew it Duke! Thank you doc Joy!" Miyu fist pumped the air in pure jubilation and proceeded to put Fay into a bear hug.
"I-I'm so relieved! Duke... you made it!... thank you lady Joy!..." Fay uttered with joy as she felt the air being squeezed out of her lungs as she hugged Miyu back.
"Oh thank you, thank you so much doctor Joy, I'm so glad that..." Fara heaved a big sigh of relief with a hand over her heart and looked back at Joy, who smiled but hasn't said anything back in response. Fara then had a frown on her face "I feel a but coming..." When Fara heard Miyu snickering she growled with her arms crossed "Not that kind of butt smartypants!"
Joy laughed softly at the antics of the girls, who looked a bit embarrassed now "Oy vey, you girls remind me so much of a certain band of friends who acted just like the three of you hahaha!" Joy lifted her glasses wiped away a tear from her left eye "Just like you said miss...?" she gestured to Fara.
"Oh! My name is Fara, doctor Joy. Sorry I haven't introduced myself and my team mates to you yet." Fara and Joy shook hands as she said that.
Miyu let go of Fay and did the same as Fara after she was done shaking the doctor's hand "My name is Miyu. Pleased to meet you doctor Joy"
Joy smiled at Miyu "Likewise miss Miyu." She let go of Miyu's hand and looked in Fay's direction "And what is your name sweetheart?"
Fay blushed at being called sweetheart "My name is Fay, lady Joy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Fay made a small bow before shaking Joy's hand.
Joy pulled Fay closer to her and chuckled as she started to pat Fay on her head, who's cheeks were turning red from blushing profusely as she's being pat like she was a little child "Ooohhh you're so adorable Fay, you remind me so much of my own daughter..."
Fay pouted as she heard Miyu and Fara trying their best to stifle their laughter before failing utterly and burst in a laughing fit, further aggravating Fay "Ooohhhh... you two are soooo unbearable sometimes!" Fay lightly growled before she softly whined again as Joy started to pat her again "Lady Joy... could you please, please... stop doing that? I feel so embarrassed when you do that..." Fay sighed with relief when Joy stopped, who was still chuckling "Even though I did... like it..." Fay muttered under her breath.
Joy gave Fay one last pat before stopping "hehe so sorry about that Fay. I simply couldn't resist the temptation. *Ahem* back to the matter at hand..."
The girls expressions turned serious and focused their attention on Joy as they awaited the doctor's next words. "Your friend Duke may be out of critical condition but he must stay here for at least a couple of weeks. Not only did he lose a lot of blood, his organs and tissue surrounding his stomach got damaged badly by stomach acids that was leaked from the puncture wound in his stomach."
"Oh no..." Fara gasped as she held her hands in front of her mouth. "Please tell me It's not permanent damage..." Miyu's ears drooped when she heard that. Fay rubbed Miyu's back for comfort, Fay herself had a downcast visage however upon hearing the bad news from Joy.
Joy sighed as she never enjoyed bringing bad news to relatives or loved ones of the patients here "Have no fear girls, while the damage is severe, it is possible to treat them. But it is going to take a while and honestly... I can't say for sure if he'll walk out of this without any permanent damage..." Joy looked sadly at the girls as she felt sad for them upon seeing their downcast visages "Rest assured however, I'll do everything within my power to make sure he'll be back to his healthy self again! I give you my word on this!" Joy said with determination.
Fara let go of the breath she was holding "That reassuring to hear... thank you so much for saving his life doctor Joy" Fara said with smile with Miyu and Fay nodding, concurring with Fara. "Is it possible for us to see him right now?"
Joy had a mischievous smile on her face "Normally I'm not suppose to do that, especially since it's been so soon after the operation but... I'm willing to make a exception this one time." Joy said with a wink. The girls were ecstatic when they heard that "You're cool for doing this doctor Joy!" Miyu cheered.
Leonie wasn't as ecstatic however "I swear if you weren't the best doctor around here... you wouldn't get off the hook so much with all the rules you're breaking..."
"Don't you worry about a thing Leonie! You're way too young to be worrying so much. As always I'll take the blame if they blame you for not stopping me hahaha!" Joy guffawed as Leonie was pouting and looked away.
Loenie sighed "Alright fine... I'll pretend I didn't heard nothing and look away..."
"You're a real sweetheart Leonie." Joy winked at her "Well then girls, shall we?" she stood up and gestured towards the doors.
"Yes please!" The girls said in unison and stood as well and followed Joy and went through the doors to be on their way to the private OP rooms of wing B.
As they walked through the hallways, Joy decided to fill the silence with something that was on her mind that she wanted to ask "May I ask you girls a question about something?"
"Of course doctor Joy." Fara said.
"Shoot away doctor Joy." Miyu said with a smile.
"What would like to ask of us lady Joy?" Fay asked.
Joy had a mischievous smirk on her face as she stopped to turn around to face the girls. Fara and her team mates stopped as well and waited for Joy to ask her question. "Sooo... which one of you beautiful girls are the lucky one to have become Duke's girlfriend?"
Fara, Miyu and Fay were stunned and caught off guard by Joy question. They started to blush profusely as they didn't know what to say. They fidgeted for a while before answering.
Fara answered first "Erm... to be really honest doctor Joy... We've met him just yesterday. We haven't had enough time for that to happen yet..."
Miyu and Fay both nodded "Same here..." they both answered.
This took Joy off guard as she didn't expected those answers "R-really? Huh... I thought for sure... But the way the three of you act..." Joy was confounded by this until she realized something.
Joy gasped as she looked at the girls, who started to blush even more "Forgive me for being so brazen but... does this mean that all three of you fancy Duke?!"
All three looked away and nodded with their tails wagging, silently admitting what Joy just stated. There was an awkward silence between the doctor and the girls wanted to hang their heads in shame. Before they could do that however, Joy burst into a fit of laughter, confusing the girls.
"Oh hoo hoo... this is amazing..." Joy held her stomach as it started to hurt from laughing "Just... just like his father hahaha!"
The girls raised their eyebrows when Joy said that "Just like his... father?" Fara said with curiosity. This piqued the interest of Miyu and Fay as well.
Joy calmed down and started to explain "His father was a charmer just like Duke. He didn't even tried and was just being himself when he went out but always managed to woo a group of women and some even followed and hanged out with him for a while before becoming friends or wanting to become something more."
Fay was genuinely surprised to hear "Really? Guess I now know where he got his good looks and charisma from." "That makes me wonder though, why he didn't talk about his parents."
"Doctor Joy, could you maybe tell us more about Duke's father? I'm curious now" Miyu said with a smile.
"Sure! But let us move onwards, shall we?" Joy gestured to continue and started to walk towards the private OP room where Fox was situated, with the girls following her "Well what would you like to know about Duke's father, Miyu?"
Miyu held her chin thinking up a question "I guess just a generic one, what was Duke's father like in the time you've known him and how did you met him?"
Joy smiled as she recalled memories from her time with James "Well he, together with his wife, second to my husband of course, are just about the most funniest, caring and charismatic persons I've ever met in my life. I-I didn't had any friends before meeting him as the kids back then tended to avoid and bully me because..."Joy paused for a moment as she recalled painful memories, unsure if she should continue.
"Hey." Joy was surprised when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked to the left and saw Miyu looking at her with a sympathetic visage "I'm really sorry if this is a difficult topic to talk about. You don't have to tell us if it makes you uncomfortable." Miyu said with a smile.
Joy was touched to see that Miyu was so caring "Ah... thank you Miyu. That's very sweet of you. But I don't mind. In fact, it's actually kind of relieving to be talking about it with someone." "It's strange how it's so much easier to confess something to total strangers than to loved ones..."
Joy motioned the girls to stop for a moment and stopped walking as well, she then breathed deeply and breathed out before pulling aside the bangs hanging over her forehead, revealing a round, pale scar, which surprised the girls "I was bullied because I had a mutation on my forehead, causing a horn to grow out of it. They called me a freak and other unpleasant names and sometimes... it even got physical..." The girls gasped in response. It especially hit close to home for Fay, having experienced bullying as well.
"Joy, if it offers any you comfort, I know your pain... I've been bullied myself too" Fay said sadly.
"If there's one thing I hate the most, it has to be bullies! They're the scum of the Lylat..." Fara growled before calming down "I'm sorry you went through that doctor Joy."
"If we were in the same school at the time, I would've loved to beat the crap out of them for you doctor Joy!" Miyu growled as well "My knuckles are itching just thinking about it!"
Joy giggled sweetly hearing the responses of the girls "Aww... all three of you are just precious! Thank you for your compassionate words, it oddly means a lot to me. I can see why Duke has taken a liking to all of you!" Joy then faced Miyu and winked "Also Miyu, the way you just responded, you sounded just like Duke's father and mother!"
This surprised Miyu "Really?! How come?"
Joy smirked "Because that's exactly how I met Duke's father and mother. One day I got bullied so badly that they were beating me black and blue because I dared to defend myself. I thought I wasn't gonna make it out of it without broken bones... that was, until Duke's father and mother, who was his girlfriend at the time, showed up and beat up the bullies! It was just the two of them versus eight and it still was very one sided because the bullies never stood a chance!"
"Wooow... No wonder Duke did what he did for you when you were in danger Miyu! I like him even now, as corny of a reason it is." Fara giggled with a warm smile. "And what happened after that doctor Joy?"
Joy nodded and made a gesture for them to start walking again, she then continued telling her story "After that, they helped me get back up on my feet or in case, hooves haha! And walked with me to the school nurse and stayed with me to make sure I was okay after they went and got back from informing the principle of what happened. We became immediate friends for life afterwards! Oh the things we've done together in and out of the school... such sweet moments in my life... We would be here all day if I were to tell you girls even a couple of stories about them!"
Joy then had a melancholic but pleasant smile on her face "They even helped me gather enough money for a surgical procedure to remove the horn growing out of my forehead by asking around in and outside of school for donations without me knowing it! I'm eternally grateful for them that they've done that for me... I wasn't from a rich family, I couldn't afford something like that for a long time..."
Joy sighed before taking a deep breath "I was so relieved when the doctors removed the horn... my life took a turn for the better. That joy I felt..." Joy laughed when she heard the girls groan "Oops! Sorry for the name pun haha! But any ways, that feeling... that is what inspired me to become a physician and eventually, a surgeon! To help and give others the same happiness I got from my surgery. Thanks to Duke's parents. Since they've done that for me, I've swore to them that I would watch over them and their eventual children as their physician! Like they did for me, albeit not as a physician of course."
Fay smiled brightly after hearing Joy's story "Wooow... what a heart warming story and such a wonderful friendship you've build up with them. They're such lovely people, no wonder you admire them so much doctor Joy!"
Miyu grinned, enjoying the Joy's story "I hope we'll experience something similar with Duke! Actually come to think of it, we kind of already do, he saved me after..." Miyu then frowned "But after hearing your story doctor, I have to wonder. Where are Duke's parents now? As I recall, Duke has lived a very lonely life for the past three years. His parents strike me as the kind of persons that would absolutely not allow something like that happen!"
At Miyu question, Joy went completely rigid and silent and stopped walking, mere inches away from the door to Fox's O.P room. The girls did not like this reaction and feared they may have overstepped some boundaries.
Joy then turned to face them with a saddened and solemn visage "I'm not sure this is mine to tell but... since I like you girls so much in the short time we know each other and because you three have feelings for Duke, it's probably for the best I tell you so you can avoid this topic and not upset him unless he himself wants to talk about it..." "Okay.. here we go... forgive me Fox..."
The girls remained silent, tails limp and ears drooped, waiting for Joy to explain. They fear they already can guess where is going. Joy took a deep breath "D-Duke's parents..." Joy had to swallow as she had difficulty saying what she wants to say "They were killed during the conflict on Corneria leading to the Lylat Wars..." "Oohhh... It doesn't feel good to lie like that... even though it is technically the truth in a way!"
They saw it coming, yet it didn't do anything to lessen the pain they felt upon hearing what had happened to Fox's parents. That they've met their untimely death, leaving Fox behind a orphan. The girls didn't know what to say. They were too shocked.
Fara especially was shocked "And I thought I had a tough life so far..." she muttered.
Miyu had a downcast visage with her arms crossed. "Duke... what the hell happened in your life up until now? Why is it so hard to speak right now?!"
Joy had a despondent smile on her face "Hopefully now you know why he doesn't talk about his parents and why he's lived such a lonely life. He lost nearly everything in the Lylat Wars, not to mention the attack on our city here three years ago. Life can be so cruel sometimes with the hands it deals you..."
Fay looked up to Joy "Why are you telling all of this to us lady Joy? It seems like really heavy, personal stuff that you shouldn't share with strangers..."
Joy smiled sadly at the girls "To be really honest... I kind of hope you three will become Duke's salvation from the downwards spiral his life had taken. But I'm also telling you girls this because this is the last opportunity for all of you to walk out of this. I won't hold it against you if you decide to leave because it be a very tough road to tackle from here on out and... not everyone can handle that. The choice is yours." "Either way, I'm not letting you out of sights any more Fox..."
The girls didn't even needed a second to think it over. They looked Joy in the eye with resolute visages.
"It would be absolutely appalling to abandon him right now! No need to worry doctor Joy! We'll stay with him, I give you my word as team leader!" Fara saluted even though it was unnecessary.
"I would be the biggest coward alive if I turned my back on him after he saved my life. Whenever he likes it or not, I'm sticking by him from here on out! You can count on that doctor!" Miyu saluted as well with a grin.
"You must care a lot about Duke to tell us all of this lady Joy. You have known him for a long time, right?" Fay asked.
Joy had a sad smile on her face "Ever since he came into this world as a little kit..." "And what a wonderful moment it was for me, James and Vixy when that happened... Almost feels like another lifetime ago..."
Fay stood resolute and saluted "Have no fear lady Joy! I share the same feelings as Fara and Miyu and... I like him too much to abandon him like that!"
Joy was overjoyed (so sorry for the pun) when she saw how determined the girls were "I'm so glad I decided to put my trust into the three of you!" Joy then placed her hand on the hand scanner of the room and after a beep of approval, the door swished open once more. "Come girls, he's waiting for you."
They spared not a moment and they stepped inside along with Joy. Once they were inside, the door swished shut behind them. They took in the scene and room in front of them, finally seeing Fox after what feels a long time.
They were too taken aback as there Fox laid, eyes closed and lower half of his body covered under a blanket, leaving only his upper part of his body visible, which was wrapped in bandages with a few tubes poking out of them that were hooked up to several IV and blood packs that were hanging from poles on either side of the bed and several beeping medical equipment and finally, a gas mask on muzzle to help him breath, also hooked up to a medical appliance.
The girls, who had their mouths covered with their hands, after a long pause and being silent, finally were able to move and joined Fox, Fara and Joy on the right side and Miyu and Fay on the left of his bed after they grabbed some chairs they were in the room. Both Joy and the girls wore sad and solemn visages as they looked at Fox and the state he was in.
"It's painful to look at, isn't it?..." Joy stated solemnly.
"Duke..." Miyu murmured as she grabbed Fox's hand before gasping "H-his hand... it's so cold..." nevertheless, she still held on to it tightly.
Joy shook her head "I'm afraid that's normal, he just came out of ER room not long ago..."
"Hello Duke... It's good to see you're doing okay. We're all here for you. Me, Fara and lady Joy as well, the whole gang!" Fay placed a hand on Fox's cheek and softly knead it. "Must be silly for me to be talking to him... probably can't even hear me right now..." Fay sounded despondent, a sentiment they all shared.
"It's not silly at all Fay..." Joy laughed softly "I did the same thing when he was brought here after the operation."
Fara took hold of Fox's other hand and held on to it "Oh Duke... Wish I could talk to you again... but at least you're doing okay now... W-we'll try and visit you as many times as we can until you're better! Okay?" Fara smiled softly as she was just happy talking to him, despite knowing she wouldn't get a response.
"Huh?!" Both Miyu and Fara gasped as they were startled when they felt Fox squeezing their hands back, albeit very weakly and subtly. Fay was also surprised.
"Duke?!" Fara exclaimed while taking care that she wasn't too loud "Duke! Can you hear me? Squeeze again if you can!"
For a moment they had hope that Fox somehow would wake right at the very moment they felt him squeeze back. Sadly, they were only met with disappointment.
"Oohh... it was too good to be true..." Miyu sighed.
"Ditto Fara..." Fay murmured.
"Remarkable..." The three girls looked at Joy when she mumbled that "For him to even have a bodily reaction so soon..." Joy then smiled warmly "I have a feeling that he's going to make a speedy recovery." Joy said with a wink.
"Really?!" Fay said as her face lit up.
"Call it a hunch but yeah!" Joy giggled. "Right, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you girls to leave for the day. We still have post operative procedures to do and as much as it saddens to say this but I'm afraid Duke is not going to wake up today..."
"Aww alright..." Fara sighed. She then turned to Fox "I have to go now... Until the next time Duke..." She squeezed his hand one last time before letting go and giving him a peck on his cheek.
"Duke... I'll save this outfit for you to see, the next time you're awake... until then..." Miyu also let go of Fox's hand and gave him a small kiss on his forehead "Bye Duke..."
Fay also gave him small peck on his cheek "Bye Duke, hope you'll make a quick recovery. We have gifts, hugs and kisses waiting for you when you're awake..."
The girls were saddened that their time with Fox was short but they were also grateful that they still got to spend time with him nevertheless. They stood up and returned their chairs to their original places in the room. They now stood in front of the door of the room, ready to say goodbye to doctor Joy.
"Thank you very much for letting us see him today, despite it being against protocol." Fara said as she made a small bow.
"You're seriously the coolest doctor I've ever met Doctor Joy! Thank you for this!" Miyu grinned as she shook Joy's hand.
Fay's face lit up when a idea popped in her head "Oh yeah! Would it be okay if we give you our holo-tech phone numbers? So you could contact us when Duke wakes up?"
Joy smiled warmly at Fay as she started to pat Fay's head once again, much to Fay's dismay "Of course that's okay sweetheart! I don't mind at all! I'll give you girls mine as well, so you can contact me whenever you wish!"
After exchanging numbers and after a few handshakes and hugs. It was time for the girls to be on their way back to their life routines and let Joy and her colleagues get to work. After saying their goodbyes to Joy, they left the room, leaving Joy behind in the room.
Joy sighed as took her holo-tech phone out of her pocket "Such lovely girls they were! You're so lucky Fox!" She murmured as tapped on her phone "Alright, time to call in an old friend of mine."
She held her phone up to her ear, hearing it ring for a few times before it made the sound that it was being picked up "*Ahem* Hello, Beltino Toad speaking here?" Metallic clings and something being welded could be heard in the background.
"Hi Beltino! How've you been? This is Joy speaking here!" Joy said with happy tone.
Beltino lit up when he heard Joy's voice "Ah! Hello, Joy my dear friend! So good to hear you again! I've been doing excellent! How about you my dear? Are you resting enough? Are you sleeping well? What about-" Beltino fired a multitude of questions, causing Joy to laughed.
"I'm doing just fine Beltino! Admittedly, I've neglected sleep quite a bit because of working scheme lately..." Beltino gasped when he heard that. But before he could inquire about it, Joy spoke before him "But that is not why I'm calling Beltino. Last time I spoke you, you said you and your nephew, Huey, were working on experimental medical nano bots, right?"
Beltino hummed, thinking it over before replying "Indeed! In fact, they just got out of the testing phase and everything worked excellently!" Beltino exclaimed excitedly "Now if only I could find a volunteer in short term..."
"That's sooooo you Beltino! So dependable!" Joy grinned bright when she heard that "Really now? Joy said drawn out. "I might have exactly what you need right now..."
Beltino gasped when he heard that "REALLY?! *Ahem* Sorry!, I would appreciate it greatly Joy! How soon can the volunteer cooperate?"
"Right now in fact!" Joy replied.
"Excellent! I shall come over to you right now with Huey! Meet you at the hospital's plaza?" Beltino said.
"Sure thing! Until then Beltino!" Joy said.
"Until then Joy!" Beltino said before ending the call.
"Whew... Looks like fate decided to deal you a good hand this Fox..." Joy was so glad that Beltino pulled through once again. He, together with his nephew Huey, are responsible for inventing many of the medical equipment and appliances that's being used right now.
"Now to find the nearest coffee maker..." Joy murmured as she exited Fox's room, on her way back to the public side of the wing she was in. After scoring herself a mug of piping hot coffee, she made her way to the hospital's plaza.
I hope you readers have enjoyed this chapter! I myself feel this one was kind of a slow burner as I've spend much of it introducing the lovely surgeon Joy Dewfur. Hopefully you don't mind and also that you guys hopefully will enjoy her as a character in this story! I usually name the characters in my story with a pun in it, seeing as the games did the same for their characters. It has either a pun relating to the kind of animal they were or had a pun in their name/surname relating to their occupation.
Also, what I would like to know from you readers would be, is the pacing alright? Is it too slow or is it the right pace? I'm really at odds with this. Please, let me know if you feel like it and if you do, how feel about it.
And as always, feel free to leave a review and possibly some feedback regarding the story and writing. I would really like to hear what you have to say about it and don't be afraid to write something. I appreciate nevertheless :) Until next chapter!
*Stands at attention and salutes at you (the reader)* This is The Supreme Bookwyrm! Signing out!