Damn you sunshine, you and your glorious warmth and sunbathing properties.
Slightly late and not as long as I originally hoped but oh well.
Rouge limped to her door and peered through the small window at the sudden rush outside. Nurses, interns and doctors were shouting, pointing and running this way and that. There was no coordination to what they were doing; it was like something had unexpectedly happened to suddenly and drastically upset the normalcy that they were used to.
Rouge opened her door and was hit by the noise of voices, rushed footsteps, the squeak of small wheels as nurses pushed along small trolleys stacked with bandages, packets and other medical paraphernalia.
"Excuse me?" She said in an attempt to attract someone's attention. It wasn't surprising however when no-one took notice.
"What's going on out here?" Another patient asked from their doorway. More and more were now watching this crazed bustle. Someone must have noticed their gathering as nurses and interns began to hustle patients back into their rooms. Rouge was about to close her door of her own accord when she caught a flash of ginger fur and red hair.
"Sheba!" The ginger feline turned at the sound of her name and Rouge noticed that she was wearing a set of blue medical scrubs over which hung a long white coat, she even had a stethoscope dangling from around her neck. She saw who had called her and limped towards the white bat, the rush of medical staff flowing around her like a river around a rock.
"What's going on?" Rouge asked when her friend was almost by her side.
"A GUN operation has brought in wounded." She answered simply. "You want to have a look? Grab your dressing gown and come with me."
Curiosity got the best of her and Rouge rushed to get dressed, being careful not to reopen any of her injuries or tear her bandages. When she at last emerged from her room she was wearing a loose hanging pair of white tracksuit trousers, a baggy red t-shirt and flat soled black trainers which one of Shadow had brought her on his last visit. Sheba cocked her head quizzically.
"I said grab a dressing gown, but whatever. Come on." The duo made their way quickly through the hospital. Any objections they met were swiftly silenced by a glare or a stern word from the ginger feline. As they passed through another set of double doors Rouge asked the question which had been eating away at her for some time.
"Sheba? Why are you dressed up?" Sheba glanced at her.
"Not figured it out yet?" The blank look she earned in reply was answer enough. "Some smartarse figures out who I am and I was press ganged into helping out."
She snorted in contempt. "These so called doctors couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery let alone a military grade triage centre!"
"Military grade?"
"Yeah, seems that this op was trickier than originally thought. Plus, we're dealing with something we haven't before." Rouge looked at her questioningly but Sheba held her tongue.
The double doors just ahead burst open as a gurney was shoved along rather unceremoniously by a nurse listing various injuries and what medicines and techniques that had been used. A second nurse jogged alongside holding up a pack of saline and a white coat wearing doctor rushed along opposite. But it was who was lying on the gurney that held Rouge's attention, a brown furred echidna.
She stared after the echidna even though Sheba had led her though the doors and the gurney was pushed out of site.
"That was…" She blurted out.
"Yep."
"But I thought…"
"So did everyone else. Alright, what have we got!" Sheba's raised voice caused Rouge to snap back round. They had arrived at the emergency ward to find it heaving with bodies. Rouge stared wide eyed at GUN soldiers sitting on beds, the floor, leaning on walls or just standing around aimlessly, most sporting some kind of injury. More echidnas filled other spaces, many looking worse off than their GUN counterparts, and they were dressed either in simple robes or intricate black armour bearing the clear signs of battle.
The smells hit her nose hard. Antiseptic, the tang of blood, the stink of singed fur and sweat. The noise was almost unbearable to her sensitive ears as people shouted to others, hurried footsteps thundered around, patients groaned and moaned, coughed and sniffled. But it was the sights that held her the most. The expressions on their faces were lost. Many were being tended to and they didn't take notice, just simply stared into space.
"Fractures to ribs three and five, number four is broken which has ruptured several veins and possibly pierced the left lung. We're waiting for confirmation to send her into surgery." Rouge spun around and saw a Dalmatian nurse leading Sheba to the bed of an unconscious echidna female.
"Waiting? No-no-no. No time for waiting! Get me some gloves and a scalpel." The ginger feline snapped rolling up her sleeves. Panic flashed across the nurse's face.
"You don't mean to perform surgery here, do you doctor!" Sheba glared at the canine.
"I'm not in the habit of repeating myself." The Dalmatian whimpered, clearly out of her depth and scampered away. "And find my college a coat!"
"C-college?" Rouge stammered.
"Well you are! And anyway, all hands to the pump. I know you've got medical training, all you field Agents do." Sheba began busying herself by looking over her patient and prepping her for surgery.
The Dalmatian returned in record time, pushing a small trolley of surgical equipment and a white coat slung over one shoulder.
"Thank you." Rouge said hesitantly accepting the coat.
"You stay with me." Sheba commanded the nurse. "Rouge, go work your magic on that lot over there. Nothing fancy, just bandage, stitch, make comfortable. Call me over if you need me."
Rouge turned away just as her feline friend picked up her scalpel and took a moment to centre herself. She pulled on the long white coat and grabbed a spare stethoscope from a passing nurse before diving straight to work.
Tails groaned and pushed himself out of bed. He'd been tossing and turning all night and since Sonic's phone call he hadn't been able to bring himself to close his eyes. His mind was in overdrive with everything that had happened in the past few days.
Sonic and Rouge had both been badly injured on a mission, Doctor Robotnik had attacked New Mobotropolis and had near enough destroyed the castle, almost killing Rotor, Antoine, Bunny and King Elias Acorn himself in the process. In panic for his old home and his friends, Tails had leapt into his ever reliable Tornado and flew full speed to help where he could.
It was shortly afterwards that he came into contact with the very vixen who laid heavily on his mind. A stunningly beautiful young woman whose relaxed, light-hearted and usually chaotic approach to everything had him staring on in amazement. She was the type who would try anything twice, someone who was prepared and willing to get their hands dirty, the type who would laugh at her own stupidity and whose smile could light up a room.
Tails went into the bathroom and poured himself a glass of water before catching his reflection in the mirror. He stared into his own eyes as memories reran though his head in perfect clarity.
He wanted to see her again, be with her again, and the thought that she would be leaving, sailing across the sea and into Mercia later that very same day wrenched at his heart.
"Is this what love feels like?" He asked his reflection solemnly.
He needed to talk to someone. But who?
Knuckles wouldn't have a clue what to tell him and Shadow would most likely start going on about how he's lost everyone he's ever loved, so speaking to him was out. Cream or Vanilla? No. It was too early in the morning. Amy would squeal and start going on about her Sonic. Sonic?
He walked slowly back into his room, sat on his bed and picked up his phone. Sonic had called him from Amy's phone, so it was logical to assume that he didn't have his phone at the moment. He started at the phone number for what felt like an age before finally he pressed the call button and raised the small handheld device to his ear.
Sonic paced around his room in ever faster circles. Amy had gone in search of someone to answer some questions a while ago and hadn't returned; assumingly she had been swept up in the madness that was rushing throughout the hospital. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about but Amy had made him promise not to leave the room. A point she made clear with the appearance of her Piko-hammer.
Rather than run the risk of facing Amy's wrath, he decided to swallow his pride and do as he was told for once. Although he'd be the first to admit that waiting around was maddening, and so when Amy's phone rang from the bedside table he jumped at the chance for something to do.
"Hello, how can I help?" He barked excitedly without even looking at the number.
"Hey Sonic." The cobalt hedgehogs' ears perked up at the sound of his brothers' voice.
"Hey Bro, what's up?" He sat down on the bed with a thump. "Thought you'd be soundo."
"Yeah well, I've got a lot on my mind."
"When haven't ya!" Sonic joked, earning a laugh across the phone line.
"I'm, well… I need some advice." Tails' voice was slightly shaky, a nervous tone coming across.
"Whatever you need bud." Sonic heard Tails sigh in relief and he repositioned himself on the bed to ease the growing ache in his legs.
"I… I've met someone."
"Way ta go Tails!" Sonic cheered; unaware of the mass amount of embarrassment he was causing the young two-tailed fox.
"Yeah…"
"So how is this someone eh?" Sonic's grin was broad despite the hesitation in his brothers' voice.
"He-her name is Sakura and she's an engineer in the Acorn Armed Forces." Sonic chuckled.
"She must be something to catch your eye."
"Yeah, she's something…" Sonic finally picked up on Tails' morose tone of voice and sat up.
"What's wrong Tails?" It was some time before the golden furred fox responded, the minutes seeming to drag by.
"She, she's being transferred to Mercia. Something about a joint building effort."
"When does she leave?" Sonic asked looking over at the small clock hanging on the wall.
"She wasn't clear on the specifics but… later today."
"Oh man Tails, tough break."
"I don't know what to do Sonic!" Tails wailed. Sonic bit his lip in thought.
"You really like her, right? Even though you've only known her for a short time?"
"Uh-huh." The young fox answered, slightly confused at where the question was headed.
"Well then, the answers simple!" Sonic folded one arm behind his head and leaned back. "You go with her."
"What? B-but Sonic!"
"No buts mate. You like this girl so much then go with her." Said the hedgehog grinning at his own advice. "Besides, you're old enough to take care of yourself. Hell, you've helped me out of several sticky situations. And if you can do that, you can handle jumping in at the deep end."
"But what about you guys? I can't just-"
"Stop right there Tails. If you keep taking one step forward and two steps back you're not gonna get anywhere. Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith."
"I… Thanks Sonic."
"No problem bro, it's what brothers are here for."
"I'll keep in touch."
"You'd better! And I want to meet this Sakura sooner rather than later, alright buddy?" Sonic was relieved when Tails began laughing again, the sound like music to his ears.
"I'd better go. Thanks again Sonic."
"Anytime Tails. See ya later buddy."
Tails said his goodbyes and the phone line went dead once more. Sonic's grin faltered slightly as he put the phone down. He was happy for his little brother, pure and simple. But the thought that Tails would be out on his own made a lump grow in his throat.
"Goodbye Tails."
Ok, so I lied about getting back to Shadow and his case but next week for sure!
Seriously though, had to finish off Tails' plotline (at least for now) so... yeah.
Also means I won't have to go back to Sonic or Rouge for a while either.
Anyway! Hope you enjoyed this sad excuse of a chapter and I'll see you next week.
Corrupt TE out!