"Okay, so...how about...that?" I pull back as I finish adjusting the bracelet I've made Gardevoir wear. She shakes her wrist a bit, and seems satisfied by how it fits. I nod as I reach over and open the clasp, placing the sizing implement down on her bedside table as I write down her wrist size.
"So...it's not going to be a pretty bracelet," I warn her. "It's probably just going to be insulated wire in plastic with a black box on it - nothing special."
She nods again, and I feel the unfamiliar presence of her mind within mine as she projects her thoughts. What will it do?
"It's a jammer, to ensure that no other trainers can capture you in a pokéball. I basically gutted a pokéball that I had lying around and extracted its jammer. But that's besides the point - it's just to make sure that travelling trainers won't try to catch you."
She nods again. She very rarely used telepathy to speak to myself or Lucario - she is still very withdrawn. While that doesn't really surprise me, as she's only been here three days, the degree to which she will withdraw into herself at times really does.
Just the other day, I found her with her legs huddled to her chest, staring off into the distance, with dry streaks of tears on her cheeks, as if she had just recovered from some sort of episode. While it is definitely promising for my research...it's still highly disconcerting, and it concerns me greatly.
I go through my usual shtick of "don't pull at your bandages, make sure you get plenty of rest, and if you need anything press that button". I've been saying it every time I've left her alone for the past eight days. After I'm done, I return to my study.
I'm still keeping her "hospitalised", for lack of a better word. I don't feel comfortable having her walk around outside such a short time after her recovery, even if she exhibits the remarkable healing capabilities of most Pokémon. I just need to be sure that she's healthy enough to travel - after all, I had to perform surgery on her horn, which will definitely require physical therapy down the line…
I allow myself a moment of respite as I struggle to wrap my mind around everything that needs doing for this poor Pokémon. I mean, I have it all written down, but it seems...astronomical. I've never taken on a patient with so many needs before - the most I've treated until now has been fractured limbs, greenstick fractures in baby Pokémon, a few lacerations...never anything this severe.
I honestly feel like I might be in over my head with all of the monitoring I have to do, and all of the things I need to keep track of. I would bring her to a legitimate Pokémon hospital, but...because she's technically wild, it wouldn't be covered by my Pokémon healthcare, so I'd have to pay the hospital bill out of pocket.
What's even worse is that I'm afraid to move Gardevoir two feet, let alone transport her to the nearest Pokémon hospital.
I take a moment to clear my head as I read through everything I need to watch out for, just to be sure that I haven't missed anything.
Movement of her horn...infection of her sutures...opening of her sutures...misalignment of the bones in her forearm...speaking of which, did you know that Gardevoirs have three bones in their forearm? The third appears to be a vestigial form of Gallade's blades.
Anyway, there's a plethora of other things that could go wrong that I need to watch out for. Luckily, I didn't have to actually open any organs during surgery, or this would be a lot more complex and dangerous than it already is...
You're going to drive yourself mad if you keep staring at those charts…
I turn to Lucario with a small smile. "Hey, bud," I mutter, groggily. He pulls over his chair and flops down next to me.
I know it's not ideal, but all we can do for now is wait. I've checked her body, and I can tell that her internals are healing well - honestly, I'm somewhat surprised with how well you performed some of those surgeries. Especially sealing her lung - that was impressive.
I sigh, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder so he knows that I'm okay. "Thanks, Lucario…"
A moment of silence passes as I rest my head, eyes closed, lost deep in thought. It's not an uncomfortable silence - in fact, quite the contrary. Lucario and I are sharing a "mindspace", as we call it. He's using his telepathy to create a limited bridge between our minds, so that we can share ideas quickly and easily. I've found that it's almost like having a program run in parallel - it helps to have someone else thinking with you, so you don't have to do all of the thinking yourself.
And while it may sound intrusive, the both of us enjoy this connection quite a lot. It brings with it a sort of familial intimacy - it's almost like we're brothers when we're doing this. Siamese brothers that are grotesquely joined by the brain.
After a while, Lucario and I come to a conclusion. We will continue monitoring Gardevoir for another two weeks - if anything changes in that time, we may extend that time period, but we will not shorten it under any circumstances. We even made a rough schedule for the next few days - but I'm sure that I won't remember it. Which is why Lucario is already starting to write it down.
You're lucky three fingers are enough to write with, he gripes at me. He's kind of become my assistant - since I don't remember anything and I forget to write stuff down, he does it for me.
You're still sure it's okay to start her physical therapy this quickly?
I nod. "The sooner the better - if we don't, she could get blood clots. Plus, she needs to start channeling her psychic abilities through her horn again - or it will atrophy. I've seen it happen before - it's pretty gruesome."
He nods with a huff of anxiety. I know exactly how he feels - while her physical therapy is completely necessary, I sincerely doubt that she will be eager to start on a new form of training regimen, as that's what physical therapy sort of is.
"Well, I'm gonna go get dinner started - would you mind checking on her really fast? Oh, and make sure she hasn't played with her bandages - I caught her doing that the other day…"
He nods, and I make my way to the kitchen while he goes to the infirmary.
Later that night…
Dishes clink and clang as Lucario efficiently cleans them. I can tell he was disappointed by the meal - leftover Pokémon-safe pizza - but we both know why I couldn't spend too long making an extravagant dinner tonight.
Is she still having digestion issues? Lucario asks, peering over as I prepare dinner for Gardevoir.
"Not that I can tell, but I'm still not giving her anything too heavy just yet…" I finish making the rudimentary sandwich, which I had to carefully select ingredients for, as I haven't determined if she has any food allergies yet. "Okay - you go relax, I'll go give her dinner…"
Lucario nods, and I sigh heavily as I walk the sandwich to Gardevoir's room. Not only will I be giving her food, I'll also be telling her about physical therapy. I can't imagine that it's going to to go over well…
When I arrive at her room, I find that the shy Pokémon is watching the television with a confused expression. I steal a glance, and I see that she's watching a sports talk show. I gently knock on the door so she knows I'm here.
"Hi," I announce with a gentle smile. "I brought you some dinner - and some water."
She blinks slowly. I nod as I place it on the elevated rolling table, and move it so it's in front of her in the bed.
"Once you're done eating that, there's something I need to talk to you about," I inform her. She blinks again, before cautiously beginning to nibble at the sandwich I've provided.
"So, uh...you like watching sports casts?" I ask, trying to make small-talk.
Is that what that is? She asks, flicking her eyes towards the television.
"Yes."
No.
I nod. "Understandable. I can't stand them, myself - want me to change the channel?"
No.
I frown in confusion. "So...what do you want to watch?"
This.
"But...you said you didn't like it."
It's the best option.
I watch her for a moment, and end up giving up on trying to understand her reasoning as I sit back and thumb through a few emails on my phone.
After a few minutes, Gardevoir has finished her food, so I move the table out of the way for her before preparing for what's next.
"So, Gardevoir...have you ever heard of physical therapy?"
No.
"Okay...well, after a patient undergoes an intrusive or otherwise traumatic surgery or injury, they need to do some exercises to ensure that they regain full functionality of their limbs - so all muscles are fully reformed and the bone can heal properly. Do you understand?"
Yes.
"Okay...well, starting tomorrow I'm going to begin these exercises with you." Her eyes widen, and I can see despair in her eyes, which is exactly what I expected, so I rush to explain. "These exercises will not be intensive - there won't be any training, the most I'll have you do would be to lift a book or something." That doesn't seem to help, as she seems to be lost within her own world of panic.
"Hey, Gardevoir, calm down - it won't be training, it'll be recovery, okay? No fighting, no training - just moving your arm so it heals properly." She seems to begin to calm when I say "no fighting," as she immediately stops frantically looking around the room for some sort of escape.
No...fighting?
"No. No fighting."
No pain?
"I can't guarantee that," I admit, gently. I take a risk as I place a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumps at the contact, and seizes up. I quickly remove my hand, and she looks up at me in fear, expecting me to resume contact in some violent manner. "You'll be on painkillers, but that can only do so much. But I promise that it it hurts too much, we can stop - Okay?"
She nods slowly, and I give her a small, empathetic smile as I leave her in privacy. "Get some sleep - you definitely need it," I advise her. I quickly remind her that she can call me if she needs me, before going to join Lucario on the couch.
How'd it go? Lucario asks.
"Better than I thought it would, honestly," I inform him. I smile as I wrap an arm around him. "I think she'll be able to recover."
Lucario cuddles into me, which is something that we've been doing for quite a while now - ever since he was a Riolu. While he may not sit on my lap anymore, neither of us could bear to stop cuddling as we watch television. Yeah, it can feel a bit weird sometimes, cus we're both sapient, humanoid, straight males, but it doesn't really bother me anymore. I just like being close to my little buddy - and he likes being close to me.
And yeah, maybe I'm a bit homophobic, but...whatever. What really matters is that Lucario and I are still family, no matter what.
Will you want my help tomorrow?
"Maybe - I'll have to play it by ear." He nods, and we spend a moment in silence before deciding that it's time for us to go to sleep. Lucario goes to his room, and I go to mine.
I hardly sleep at all, rethinking the schedule I've made for Gardevoir's recovery…
I take a deep breath, and attempt to clear my mind. Hopefully, all will go well…
The next day…
"Okay, Gardevoir - this is a very powerful painkiller," I inform the sleepy Pokémon. "So you can only take one." I put the small pill down on the table, and instruct her to swallow it with water. She does so hesitantly, and I pull out my watch. "Alright, so - you should begin to feel the effects within...twenty minutes, I'd say. When you do, let me know, and we can begin your physical therapy."
How will I know? She asks, uncomfortably shifting her arm in its sling, flinching in pain as she does.
"Trust me - you'll know."
She frowns at me, and I simply smile comfortingly as I begin to take her vitals.
After about twenty minutes, Gardevoir reaches for my mind, and it feels sloppy and uncoordinated. I think...it is happening…
I cock an eyebrow in amusement as I watch her stare into space for a moment. She quickly comes back to earth, shaking her head in confusion. I feel...fuzzy. Numb…
"Good - now, first thing's first. I'm going to need you to stand up." She nods, and complies, stumbling only a little as she does so. It takes a moment for her to find her balance, but since her legs were not injured as much as the rest of her body, there are no other problems.
"Now, let's just get this off…" I help her take off her sling, and she gasps in pain as she has to hold up her arm a bit higher. I make sure that she remains in general comfort as I pull the sling off entirely, and we begin to walk.
She walks easily, yet cautiously. I stay close by her, in case she loses her balance on the way to the makeshift gym I have set up for physical therapy.
As soon as we enter the gym, she begins to panic, looking around at the weights, treadmills, and various tools of exercise with unbridled fear. No...No, I...no, please, please, no…No training...
"Hey, don't worry - you won't be using any of this," I inform her, gently. I quickly usher her over to a chair, and she sits obediently - yet fearfully. Tears begin to well up in her eyes, and I sigh as I sit across from her.
"Gardevoir? Gardevoir, I need you to listen to me." She looks at me, pretty much shaking in her seat. My heart breaks at the sight. "You won't be using any of these - you're only here because it's standard practice. You'll be using...this." I pull out a little stress-ball, in the shape and style of a pokéball. She looks at it, then back to me, beginning to hyperventilate.
Please...don't make me go in there...I don't want to be in there again…
"It's foam," I hastily inform her. I press it into her hand, which is a bit awkward given that she's holding her arm close to her chest, and gently help her squeeze it. "Okay - you feel that? How it gives like that? What I need you to do is squeeze this ball as many times as you can - as soon as it begins to hurt, I want you to stop."
She gulps nervously, and squeezes the ball on her own. "That's it," I softly encourage her. I remove my hand from hers and begin to count.
At twenty eight, I notice that something is wrong. Every time she squeezes, she flinches a little. It only started just now - so around twenty six or seven - but it's clear that she's experiencing pain.
"If it hurts, you can stop," I point out. She nods, and gingerly puts the stress ball down on the bench next to her. I smile as I write a quick note down.
"So, we won't be doing anything else too intensive today," I inform her. "But there's only one more thing that I need to check, okay?" She nods, and I smile reassuringly as I take out my penlight. I pull on some gloves that I take from a nearby dispenser. "I'm going to have to touch your face for a moment - is that okay?"
She nods again, and I move as slowly and gently as I possibly can, holding her eye open as I shine the light on her pupil. She flinches, and begins to struggle. I withdraw for a moment so she'll feel more comfortable, and then eventually return to checking the dilation of her pupils.
Since she's on painkillers, her pupils are already dilated, but they respond appropriately to light. I nod to myself, and have her follow my fingers with her eyes, without moving her head. It takes some coercion, as she doesn't seem to understand the test, but she agrees, and does just fine.
"Okay, so there are no lasting symptoms of concussion…" I reach out towards her neck, and she flinches again. I pause, and make sure that she's okay with it before I rub at her lymph nodes, and ask if she feels any pain.
I continue with the regular checkup rituals, but I decide not to check her breasts or genitals. I wouldn't feel very comfortable doing so.
"Okay, so...you're definitely healing nicely," I mutter aloud. She rubs at her shoulder a bit - it's probably sore from being in the sling for so long. Fortunately, she no longer has to wear it - the fracture was minor enough that her elevated healing process has managed to pretty much completely repair the bone.
"Alright, so - since you're healing so well, I'm going to pull back on the morphine drip a little bit - I don't want to keep pumping you full of it, especially since you haven't been drinking many fluids…" I take a quick look at the way she's holding her arm. "Any discomfort in your arm?"
No.
I nod, and I'm about to jot that down when a spark against my leg makes me jump. "Arceus - Fuck!" I exclaim, falling out of my chair in the process. I rub my sore ankle, and glare at the culprit: Shinx…
"How'd you get in here, you little bastard?" I ask with a smirk. He playfully swats at my leg, and I chuckle lightly as I stand, my leg still a little shaky from the electroshock therapy that Shinx so kindly administered to me.
"So, what d'you want?" I ask, leaning down to boop him on the nose. He yips in excitement, and I roll my eyes as I realize the time.
"Oh, it's lunch time, isn't it, buddy?" He spins in a quick circle, excited beyond measure. I pick him up and give him a little peck on the cheek. Turning to Gardevoir, I outstretch my hand, offering support as she begins to stand.
"Come join us for lunch - you did well today, I think you deserve a break."
All I did was squeeze a ball.
"Exactly - we need to start out small. But I'm going to warn you - tomorrow will be more difficult, alright?"
How much more?
"We're going to need to make sure that the muscles in your arm heal properly - so probably some light weightlifting, maybe some reaching and grasping - but nothing too strenuous."
An impatient nip on my earlobe reminds me of the walking stomach that I'm holding. "Alright, alright - hold on just a second," I plead with the young Pokémon. I hold out my hand for Gardevoir again.
"Now, come on - lunch is a-waiting!" I support Gardevoir and walk her out of the therapy room, and into my meagre dining room. I pull out a seat for her as I put Shinx down and set upon searching for Lucario, whom I find napping on the couch.
I wake him with a quick flick to the head. He quickly rouses, and is very clearly grumpy.
Rude…
"It's lunch time," I inform him. "And Gardevoir will be joining us this time. Can you go sit with her while I prepare the food?"
He nods, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before stretching with a grand yawn. He hops off the couch, and heads to the dining room table.
I go into the kitchen and prepare some basic food - kibble with berries for Shinx, a ham and cheese sandwich for me, a ham and salami sandwich for Lucario, and a basic salad with berries for Gardevoir. I'm not sure what she likes, so I've just gone with basic lettuce, Tomato berries, and Razz berries. I quickly carry the varied dishes into the dining room, and set them down for each of us. We begin to dig in, Shinx eating on the floor - since he's technically a cat - and the rest of us at the table. However, Gardevoir seems less than eager to eat her food.
What is this? Gardevoir enquires as she pokes at her food.
I look at Gardevoir in mild confusion. "Uh...it's a salad?"
She blinks slowly, and I have to make sure that I'm not seeing things as she picks up her bowl, and places it down next to Shinx. She quickly begins to eat, cramming a handful of food into her mouth at a time.
Lucario and I exchange a glance. He simply watches on, mouth slightly agape, as I approach the Pokémon.
"Uh...Gardevoir? The, uh...the fuck are you doing?"
She turns to look at me with a frown. Eating.
I shake my head. "On the floor?"
It's where I'm supposed to eat when there are others around.
I rub my eyes in exasperation. "No, no - Gardevoir, you can eat at the table, with us," I inform the degraded Pokémon. "And please...use your fork, okay?"
She simply stares for a moment, before meekly picking up her food and returning to the table. Shinx visibly relaxes - I don't think he enjoyed having someone so close to his food…
She sits down at the table, and Lucario and I exchange another glance as she begins to silently eat - thankfully, using her fork this time. I decide to give the poor, distraught thing a bit of positive reinforcement.
"Hey, Gardevoir...whatever rules your previous trainer had set up for you to follow, you don't need to follow them anymore, okay? You can use the restroom, you can eat at the table, you can watch TV - you're a person here, okay?"
She nods, yet remains silent. It would appear that she does not know how to respond. I just give her a small smile and return to my own food.
Peter, you killed it on the food today, Lucario informs me as he leans back in his chair, kicking up his legs and picking at his teeth with a claw.
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times - feet off the table!" I groan in exasperation as I force his paws off the wood. He rolls his eyes at me.
Well, I don't have feet. I have paws. He returns his paws to the table, and I angrily swat them down again.
"Pretty soon, you won't have paws either, you lil' shit…"
Oh, really? Is that so?
He leans forward, resting his elbow on the table as he gives me a smug smirk. I'd like to see you try, old man.
"Old man!?" I hike my eyebrows at him. "Well, I guess that you'd better start taking care of me, if I'm such an old man! Making me food, doing my laundry…"
His smirk disappears, and he immediately sits upright in his chair. Uh...you're not that old…
I give him my own smirk. "Geeze - you are just about the laziest Lucario I've ever met…"
Hmph...that's the pot calling the kettle black…
I snicker, and I'm about to reply when light snoring interrupts us. I look over at Gardevoir, and notice that she's fallen asleep - likely due to drowsiness from the painkillers. Lucario and I exchange a glance before I gently wake her.
"Hey sleepy head," I tease her as she rouses. "Let's get you back into your bed, okay?"
She blinks slowly, and eventually gets up with a yawn. I help her back to her room, and gently reconnect her to the monitoring equipment. As I'm placing a heart rate monitor on her finger, she surprises me by grasping my hand.
At first, I panic, assuming that she's started to panic and has decided to attack me. However, I immediately realize that her grasp is gentle - tender, even.
I look her in the eye, and I see tears, and a small, sad smile. Thank you, comes the resonation from within my mind.
"Uh...what?" I didn't expect her to thank me anytime soon...or at all, really.
Thank you...for helping me. For healing me. For feeding me. I always hoped that not all humans were like my trainer, but...I was too scared to try to find out. You've proved it to me. Thank you.
I smile in earnest pride, even though I'm pretty sure it's just the painkillers talking right now. I have no doubt that she'll be back to her regular reclusive behavior by tomorrow...but it's nice to know that in some way, she has started to trust me. I'm surprised it didn't take her longer to start trusting another human - although it has been two years, and she is a psychic type...
Geeze, I feel like I'm thinking myself in circles here…
I'm very tired now...goodnight.
I nod to her, and leave to go watch TV with Lucario. Shinx playfully swats at my feet as I flop down on the couch.
How is she?
"She's getting better," I inform the lounging Lucario. "I have no doubt that she'll make a near full recovery. Well...at least physically, that is."
He nods, and we go about the rest of our day, the both of us dreading the long road to recovery that Gardevoir has ahead of her…
Hey guys! Sorry that took so long, school and internships got in the way. You know, real life inconvenienced my minor hobby.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please give me feedback! I don't care if it's negative or positive, just don't be a douchebag about it, 'k?
Alright. Thanks.
Bye.