Chapter 8

Hospital.

"Shit." I sprung to my feet, grabbed my purse and bolted out the door. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT."

A blast of winter hit me as I trudged through the snow and slush. The elements were successful at coating me silly, but I could only feel horror.

Many people had taken to the winter warning, the roads were clear of everything except snow. Rush hour had ended hours ago, but as fast as I wanted to drive, the road was still slick and there wasn't much good in killing myself before I got to the hospital.

But why was Clarissa there?

She didn't call me—some stranger did. My mind started playing all of the worst possible scenarios. Was she unconscious? Dying?

Was she even at the hospital?

Was she even at the local hospital?

She went to visit her brother—but that was in the morning. The drive back would take another four hours, meaning she was supposed to spy at Shadow's house around five.

It was seven-thirty.

Snow blanketed my windshield every five seconds, confirming that I was on a suicide mission. But by some miracle my car finally made it to Mercy Hospital. I dashed inside like a maniac.

"Where's Clarissa?" I asked. The nurse blinked at me like I was crazy. But I was—coated in snow, in nothing more than boots, a dress. "WHERE IS SHE?"

"Ma'am, you have to calm down," she flipped through some papers on the table. "Besides, visiting hours are over—"

I ignored her and bolted inside the space.

She could be—

She could be—

The hospital was relatively crowded, people were coughing up their lungs, and stretchers with patients were being rolled back and forth. I didn't know where I was, just that it reeked of disease.

Death.

"Clarissa!" I spun toward a bear in scrubs. "I'm sorry, but do you know where Clarissa Bobcat is?"

"Um..." he started thumbing through his charts. "Bobcat...Bobcat...I don't see her name."

"Do you know where she is or not?"

Maybe I had too much bite in my tone, because the doctor scoffed.

"Look, I'm not a tour guide, I have patients to tend to." His glare traveled to mine. "And general visiting hours are over. If you don't leave, I'll have to call security."

"There she is!" The nurse from before pointed at me. With a security guard at her side. Good to see my welcoming committee had arrived.

"But..." I inched back, but I knew there was no escape. "...My friend, there was a call, she's here and I—" Before I could babble on further, a hand pressed on my shoulder. I spun around and couldn't believe my eyes.

Well, I could. I just couldn't believe what Parker did next.

His pulled me into a kiss. It was nothing more than a peck. Just one that seemed to last for a blissful eternity. One that included tongue. And I think I was the one who started it. Before I could come to my senses, he released me.

Parker wiped his lips. "Sorry, she's my girlfriend. She has to give me a message. Must be flustered by the weather." His hands found my shoulders again. "Are you alright?"

"It's not me we should be worried about," I mumbled, watching the guards and other workers walk off. "It's my friend, Clarissa. She—"

"Nice to see you too." Parker smiled, charming and ageless as usual. He started flipping through his own file. "You said you have a friend here. Tell me, is it an emergency? Because this is the gynecology ward."

"It's an emergency."

"Okay, then let's head toward the ER." On the brisk walk through the hospital I briefed him about someone calling Clarissa's phone and the same someone mentioning the hospital. And on top of all of that uncertainty, whether she was okay or even breathing, I had no idea where she was.

"Well, this is the only hospital with an ER in the city," Parker said, contemplating this as we walked. "There are a lot of private practices in the area. So if your friend was in town at the time of her accident it is highly likely she's here."

We stopped at a reception-like area, where even more people were being rolled inside the building with stretchers. The environment was frantic, cold. I could barely take in what Parker was saying to the nurse when he nodded.

"She's here." He led me through another hallway, but I felt no relief.

"Is she okay?"

He didn't respond.

"Parker." He just kept walking, took my hand and quickened his pace. I took his eagerness for a good sign. It had to be.

He stopped abruptly. Looked at the door. Sighed before opening it.

And when he did, I walked into hell.

"Clarissa." She was lying in a hospital bed. Limp. Strapped to an IV. A bandage wrapped around her forehead. I touched her free arm. It was cold. Why was she cold? "What happened?"

On cue the door opened, and a woman in a lab coat walked in.

"Dr. Possum?" She then turned to me. "Miss? Are you friends with Miss Bobcat?"

"Yes," I said, walking up to the fox woman. "Is she okay?"

"She will be," she replied, checking Clarissa's temperature. "She's warming up."

"She's freezing," I countered. The doctor merely blinked at me, touched my hand.

"You're freezing." She reached into a small closet behind the door. Threw a blanket at me. "Dr. Possum, please check her temperature while I tend to Miss Bobcat."

"I'm fine." I brushed him away. "Just tell me what happened to Clarissa."

"It appears that—" Dr. Fox's phone started ringing. She sighed. "Sorry, I have to take this." She left the room before I could stop her. She was arguing about a concussion.

"Shit," I said, cupping my face in my hands.

"Don't worry," Parker said, walking to Clarissa's side. "She's sedated. And it appears her head injury is minor. And her vital signs are steady."

"But how did this happen?" Tears were already beginning to pour from my eyes. I didn't know why I was playing dumb. She must have hurt herself while doing my bidding—my pointless bidding.

"She'll be able to tell you when she wakes up," Parker said. "I'm sure Dr. Fox is very busy; maybe one of the nurses will know. But I can assure you that everything will be fine—"

"Look at her!" Part of me expected Clarissa to jump up from my outburst, but she remained as she was. Broken. And it was all my fault.

It was always my fault.

"Accidents happen," Optimistic Parker went on. He walked up to me, offered me a napkin. "And in no way is it your fault."

"You sure about that?" Only I didn't say that. I just bit my lip as hard as I could, surprised I wasn't drawing blood.

"It's a blizzard out there." Parker's indigo gaze fell to the snow-covered window. "You'll have to wait here. I'll instruct the nurses. But there's a vending machine down the hallway." He placed a twenty on the table. "I have to go. One of my patients is due for birth in a couple of hours."

"Thanks." However, I couldn't find relief in his efforts. I still didn't know why my best friend was lying lifeless. And things were supposed to be okay, but it was always a load of bullshit. Unfortunately, these were my positive thoughts.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Parker's eyes latched onto mine. I didn't want to look at him, but I didn't want to not look at him either. And maybe it was the far less than ideal circumstances, because the fact angered me.

"You didn't have to kiss me," I found myself saying. This wasn't the time to be snarky—not to someone who had just helped me. Which was why I wasn't surprised when he walked off.

But not without turning back to me, the corner of his lip jerking upwards ever so slightly. It wasn't a smile. His eyes touched mine briefly.

"You didn't have to enjoy it."

I didn't know I was sleeping until I heard the door creek open. I should have welcomed my consciousness, I was pretty sure I was dreaming about burning in hell for what I had done to Clarissa. But instead I felt groggily; my back was stiff and my eyes were as heavy as the somber hospital atmosphere.

"Did I wake you?" It took a while to register the voice. It took longer to attach that voice to a face. I shifted from my chair and looked up.

"No," I lied to Parker, blinking myself alert. A yawn escaped me. "What time is it?"

"2:37 a.m."

"What are you doing awake so late?" My glance was on Clarissa. She was still limp, but she was sleeping. One of her nurses said she had collapsed, must of gotten a head injury while outside, and then was brought here. Another said that her sedatives would wear off in the morning. Her doctor hadn't said anything.

"Delivered a baby girl for one of my patients a few hours ago." He took a seat next to me, seemed to deflate from tiredness. "And I can't go home because of the storm."

"I can't believe you have to work so late," I said, turning toward him. I mean, a couple nights of the week I'd stay up to do court files when thoughts of Shadow or even Scourge kept me from sleeping, but you couldn't pay me to deliver a baby at midnight.

"Well, it's my job," the gray possum said with a smile. It wasn't less than perfect. I couldn't help but smile back. "What?"

"Nothing." I think my own tiredness was acting like some sort of drug. I was feeling a bit giddy, but it might have been the soda I had earlier. "Just thanks for being here, I guess."

"It's my pleasure."

He patted my hand, but his smile left his face. "Did you get into an argument with my dad?"

I was surprised that this caught me by surprise. Between the blizzard of life, the half-dead friend, and him being here I should have expected to be interrogated.

"I wouldn't go that far," I countered, slouching further in my chair. "It was just a clash of interests."

Parker nodded. "Would I be over stepping if I asked what theses 'interests' were?"

I glared at him; I didn't want to look mean but I wasn't feeling nice.

"You're the interest."

"Oh."

I brushed a hand through my quills, but they were tangled. Messed up like this situation. "He keeps trying to set me up with you."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

He was lucky a glare couldn't kill.

"It isn't," I finally said with a sigh. "But he makes me feel hopeless." But who didn't?

"Amy."

"No, I don't want to hear it." I was looking at Clarissa again. Still unconscious. Still pitiful. All my fault. "It's true."

"He just wants what's best for you." He tilted my head in his direction. "So do I."

"But we don't even like each other," I said, shaking my head. "Not really. I mean, we could be a couple, but do you really feel any connection? You're a scientist. Just because we're reasonable doesn't mean we're compatible."

"True." His gaze found the ceiling. "But tell me, what attracted you to your relationships in the past? Are the reasons any more reasonable than where we are now?"

I blinked at him. Truthfully, I had no ground to my claims. Affection was as subjective as my confusing feelings. Maybe it was me. Maybe I had conditioned myself to only like males that either fucked with me or didn't give one.

"You're right," I finally said with a sigh. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're just too hard on yourself," Parker replied. "Do you blame yourself for your relationships failing in the past?"

"Yes."

"Well stop it," Parker said firmly.

"I can't."

"Have you been with anyone since you left?" He scratched his head boyishly, like he was a little embarrassed asking the question. But his glance was serious.

It was a simple question, but I had no idea how to reply.

If I were being honest, I would pretty much mean stepping all over his good and honest intentions. I had picked Shadow—would still pick Shadow even though he wanted nothing to do with me.

If I weren't honest?

"I think I like chasing people I can't have." I had no idea how much truth or falsity there was in my response. I sort of knew Sonic wanted nothing romantically to do with me. But then again, I never chased Scourge and Shadow. They let me in before ultimately shutting me out. Maybe it just felt safer the other way around? "After Scourge, I was in a very short relationship. I don't even think it's fair to even call it that. But it was with Shadow the Hedgehog."

"I see." His voice was filled with conviction, but his expression softened. And I felt like shattering. See? All I ever brought was pain.

"We didn't do anything," I defended, not quite sure why I was defending anything. "I haven't had sex in over four years."

"Damn."

I couldn't help but laugh. The sexual tension would explain the dreams. Why I didn't mind him kissing me earlier. Why I started kissing him now.

It was only fair—he had caught me off guard with his lips on more than one occasion. I pressed mine against his, brought him closer despite the arm of the chair blocking us. Soft pecks grew to hard, wet presses, and in seconds we were lip-locking shamelessly.

He drew a moan out of me before I moved to his neck. I dabbed him with kisses, drew a groan out of him, and moved until I was on his lap. I tilted my head downward, suckled on his ear.

"Be careful, Amy," Parker said, letting his hands roam along my curves, rub my chest. I gasped, pressed his hand harder against my left breast. "I might lose it."

"What if I want you to lose it?" I said kissing him again, letting my tongue glide against his warm neck. He groaned again. Placed my hand on his impending erection. I pressed my lips against his ear. "What are you going to do then?"

He cupped my face with his hand as he brought me into another kiss. His hips thrusted upward; he rubbed against that spot that made my brain feel like mush. I bit my lip.

"I'm going to—"

A snort of a snore interrupted our tryst.

I looked over my shoulder, saw a more animated (but still unconscious) Clarissa shift in her bed. Her progress was a pleasant sight, but it didn't stop my shame from hitting me like a rock.

"Sorry," I said in something of a whisper. I moved from his lap. "Sex deprivation is a disease."

"I guess it's good you came to a doctor." He smiled innocently, like I didn't try to jump his bones a second ago.

And because everything set me off, I couldn't help but stare at him. Couldn't help but wonder if I was more irritated with him or myself.

"Why do you like me?"

His smiled faded only slightly. He inhaled. Exhaled. "You remind me of my mother."

I didn't know if that was a compliment or creepy. I nodded slowly. "Okay..."

Parker shook his head. "It's not like that—I never really got to know her. She died when I was nine."

"Oh."

He sighed again. "Yeah, my dad said that you're spunky like her. And since he speaks so highly of you, I just thought..."

"That we'd be the perfect couple?" I answered. Parker shook his head.

"Not perfect—nothing is. It's just that, I don't know, my dad has done everything for me. I never really fared well with the ladies. I was a scrawny nerd growing up," he told me, looking down. "My body's gotten past that, but I guess I haven't mentally. But I've been trying to open up more. It's just easier with you."

"So you don't really like me." I concluded, letting my gaze touch Clarissa. She was soundless. So quiet that it made me wonder if her "snore" was some sort of supernatural intervention. But somehow I was thankful.

"Of course I do," Parker said after a while. He squeezed my hand; I could feel his positive energy radiate off him. "But maybe I have a problem too—maybe I try to appease people too much. I try to force them to see what's good for them." I let him cup my cheek, stroke it with his thumb. "But that doesn't mean it's in their best interest. Or mine."
"But what if they don't know what's in their best interest?" I said, closing my eyes. My best interest was right in front of me. Parker. I should just let him in, do us both a favor. But I guess that was the problem. If I was viewing our possible union as something as trivial as a favor, was it really worth pursuing? Didn't he deserve better?

I squinted my eyes harder, allowed myself to get lost in his words, his reason. But somehow it didn't seem possible. It seemed like I was always making bad decisions. Which brought me to a conclusion—I couldn't be trusted.

"I think they know what's best for them deep down," Parker said after a while, still referring to me. "I guess we'll both know in time."

"I guess relationships are a load of bull," I sighed, reopening my eyes. "What do I do now?"

"Well," he pondered, tapping his chin. "We could continue."

"Parker."

"You're a prize, Amy Rose," Parker said with a sigh, "just not mine, I suppose." He rose from his chair. I blinked at him, suddenly feeling tired again. I had forgotten it was still freakishly late. And I probably still had work tomorrow.

"Where are you headed?"

He shrugged. "The gynecology ward. I might as well check on my patients." He put on his lab coat. "Care to come with me?"

I blinked again. "Why?"

"Babies."

Okay, it took everything not to follow him. I knew it was an invitation for this weird-lover-friend-relationship to continue. Even if he didn't realize it.

"Thanks, but I'll just stay and watch over Clarissa." I retook my seat. "Were you able to find out anymore information?"

"Unfortunately, no." The possum shook his head before his eyes widened slightly. "Wait, one of the nurses gave me her phone. Forgot to give it to her."

"Can I look at it?"

Parker pulled it from his lab coat and set it on the table beside her. He looked at me, nodded.

"No."

After planting a kiss on my head, he exited. Just like any chance of us being together. A small bout of relief hit me, until I unlocked the device. A picture flashed on the screen.

Shadow.

The box.

Mina.

What do you think so far?

Until next time,

KB