Chapter Five:

Nice warm bed

When Sonic awoke, he was aware of a few things. The nicest of the lot was that he was warm all over, ear tips to toes and everything in-between. He wiggled some and then stopped when it became apparent that it was a bad idea to do so. Well over half of his body, mostly his stomach and the whole of his right side hurt. After a wee bit of wiggling Sonic was relieved to find that although several of his ribs were more than likely cracked, they thankfully weren't broken in the worst way. He could thank not only his own anthro body for that, since even despite his malnutrition it was still denser than a normal human. As well as the lingering Chaos energy in his frame.

It took a few minutes for Sonic to register, as he struggled to be back into the land of the fully conscious, that there was something heavy, yet soft, on top of him. It was a large yellow and tan comforter. He turned his head and found that there was a pillow of the sane pattern under his head as well. His quills where fattened against his back and the bed, but it wasn't uncomfortable, nor that his chest was wrapped.

Sonic was in a semi-dark room, cloud filtered light came in through two windows. Though some rain was drizzling on the glass, but nowhere near the intensity of what it had been like before (not that Sonic was sure how long he had been out, it could have been hours or days), it was slowly getting brighter from false dawn to true morning.

Sighing, the anthro debated on around to see what he could other than where his head was tilted to the left, he was in a large queen size bed. The room was light, being painted a golden yellow with...plants here and there growing on the walls? There was a dresser over towards the foot of his bed. The glitter of crystal caught his eye but there was no temptation to investigate right now.

Sonic carefully shifted so he could pull the comforter up to his muzzle, green eyes peering unfamiliar plants, wondering where he was and if he had died and gone to heaven. If he did it wasn't so bad, if heaven had such a comfortable bed. When he became use to the room (and realized that some of the plaints were paintings) he tried to remember what happened, but couldn't remember much. He had found a house then ran when he had been spotted by the adult man. There had a sudden bright light as he was jogging, looking for a hollow.

Nothing.

No... He remembered the colors, they had been soft and glowing in an interesting way in front of his slumped form (was he tied up?). He remembered liking those at least, but then what? He was here. He didn't know how he'd gotten here. Or where here was for that matter, but he wasn't complaining too much. Though Sonic could really use some food, all things considering it was nice and warm, and dry, and warm, and seemed safe enough. And it was warm!

...he was getting sick of being cold and out in the elements if you couldn't guess.

"Mmm..." Sonic wriggled his toes and tried to get deeper into the bed without tarring any scabs or, you know, breath too deeply. He liked this, he liked this a lot really. The hedgehog was starting to dozed off when there came a soft giggle to his left.

Dark blue ears pricked up out of the space between the comforter and pillow at the sound, then one rotated like a radar dish to fallow and aim at the sound as there was another giggle. There was a pause before the other ear flicked. After another giggle, the ear twitched deliberately three times, then twice as they identified two separate young voices.

Slowly, carefully, Sonic reached out with his left arm. Stretching it out as far as he could before lifting the comforter up enough to just be able to look out between the small opening. After a moment a small set of blue eyes peered in, and two small hands lifted the blanket a little more for both young girls to peer back at Sonic as the hedgehog tried not to shiver at the small shot of cooler air that came in.

"Hi..." a shy voice spoke up, red bangs falling into the faces of both girls.

"Hi there," Sonic smiled, a soft half purr escaping him. As leery as he was with humans, he could never quiet felt the same way with the kids. Most of the time they were too innocent to know that animosity aimed at anthros. The hedgehog frowned as he looked at the girls, twins by the nearly identical features they had, though one had blue eyes the other green. Had he met them before... Sally! From last night (was it last night or more then one night?) and that sister he had glimpsed.

The other girl spoke up "I'm Lilly, this is my sister Sally. Daddy says your hurt so you shouldn't move okay?"

"I wasn't planning on moving." Sonic admitted and assured as he blink, then again as the blanket was put back down. Ears pricked again, he winced as he pushed the comfertor down, the new if still flittered light of dawn.

The girls ran over to where a padded chair had been dragged into. The red fabric was out of place to the spring yellow and green theme of the rest of the room. Sitting in the chair, reclined back and with thick wool, sock-covered feet propped up on the side of the bed Sonic was in. Someone had tossed the throw blanket off the bed onto her at some point, it matched the comforter. It didn't cover up that her left arm that was in a sling, and the other was tossed over her face too keep the morning sun out of her eyes.

The woman stirred as the girls pestered her into waking up, "Aunt Jessy! Aunt Jessy, he's up! He's up, up, up!"

Jessy stirred and snorted, wincing against the light much as the Anthro had just done as she lifted her right arm, "What? Okay, okay I'm up girls….no I'm not, hang on."

She yawned hugely, her whole frame shifting and then stretched. Lifting her left arm a bit and the right reaching out into open space before tucking behind her head. Jessy looked over at the anthro in the bed that was watching her far more carefully then he had the two younger girls. For a long few moments nothing happened as blue eyes met clear green.

"Hi," Jessy said around a much smaller yawn.

"...hi." the hedgehog said back. One ear flicking but the other curved forward in interest. "I'm Sonic. I think I was run over." He said, using shallow breaths, anything deeper hurt too much.

"I'm Jessy," The mechanic gave Sonic a lazy two finger salute with a bandaged hand, "I ran you over."

Sonic blinked. Twice.

Strangely, despite most of his interactions with adult humans thus far in his short, remembered life, Sonic found himself smiling. As for some impossible reason, Sonic realized that he just suddenly liked this woman. "Thanks so much," he said dryly.

"No problem," Jessy said, matching his tone and arching an eyebrow, "You did manage to yank my arm out of it's socket so... tie?"

"Um, sure?" Sonic blinked a few times again before looking around. "Where am I?"

"Theisa Washington," Jessy fought back another yawn as she sat up slowly, pulling her feet off the bed and tilted the recliner back upright. "Currently in one of my Uncle Red's guestrooms."

Sonic glanced at the hair of the girl's at the mention of red before looking back to Jessy.

"We're not going to hurt you." Jessy assured, careful to keep her voice low and as non-threatening as possible, having seen the not so subtle look the anthro hedgehog was giving her. Estimating.

"You ran me over."

"You ran out into the middle of a dark road in front of me."

"…good point."

"Here," Jessy rose stiffly, from having slept in and odd position from her normal. She spotted the two covered bowls on the dresser that her technically young cosines brought in (though considering the age difference it was a bit easier to let them call her their aunt), "Why don't you sit up? We got some food for you, let's get that in you before we do anything. I'll even leave if it would make you feel better…?"

"Food?" Sonic tipped his ears up again and sniffed, smelling something good now that his nose was out of the blanket. This human couldn't be so bad if it- she, was offering him something to eat.

"Cha," The human nodded, "Here," She added coming over and carefully pulled the comforter off the hedgehog, without touching him and with her good arm.

Sonic slowly sat up, wincing as he pulled something that shouldn't have been pulled. He watched the human as it, no, he corrected himself firmly, as she went over to the dresser and picked up a tan bowl and a spoon. The two girls were shooed out of the room by the door behind the red chair, but his black nose twitched, inhaling the smell of whatever was in the dish.

His stomach gave a loud growl.

"Snt." The woman swallowed a laugh and handed the bowl over to Sonic's eager hands. He didn't bother with the spoon and sipped at the broth instead. When he found that it wasn't too hot, just warm and had a rich, slightly salty tang, Sonic he started to gulp it down barely chewing the soft noodles, celery, carrots and bits of meat. At least, he did that until he got a scolding to slow down before he choked. Sonic did slow down, but didn't stop until he licked the blow clean of every drop of the chicken noodle soup.

"And I thought me and my bothers ate fast." The comment reminded Sonic of the human that was now sitting on the end of the bed. He looked up and tilted his head to the side, taking his first real look at her. His emerald gaze had only a hint of wariness in it, but it was obvious that he was curious about her.

The woman wasn't that much taller than him, maybe a half a head taller if that. She had short brown hair, a loose black and white t-shirt with some car emblem on it, and a pair of to-big gray sweatpants. Her feet were crossed where she was leaning on the bed post, though she had a strong, but not a very large build under the loose cloths, showing that she was physically active; Sonic noted something he hadn't before. At the neck, on the left side where the dark copper skin was visible there and on the left arm where the sling wasn't covering, it was discolored in bruising.

Than Sonic remembered, a flash of memory inserting itself back into place. Of failing to jump in time, of not just hitting the turning motorcycle but impacting against the rider and taking her off with his momentum.

Ouch.

"Would you like some more?" Jessy asked nodding at the bowl Sonic had yet to release.

"Can I?" He asked glancing down at the empty dish, coming back to the here and now.

"Of course," She held out her hand and the hedgehog handed her the bowl, watching as Jessy stiffly turned to grab the bowl that had been meant for her. She gave that to him and left only to return less then a minute latter with more soup, having met Red just out of sight of the door, whispering a warning for him to stay back for now..

"Sonic!" The indigo hedgehog said on his third bowl as he slurped up the last of the broth off his thumb. By now convinced that this human at least didn't have any intentions of hurting him. It's funny how a full belly could change your first opinion of someone.

"Eh?" The woman blinked over at him, pausing from sipping at her own bowl of soup.

"My name," Sonic said looking up, "It's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." He stuck his hand out, ignoring the discomfort in his side and forearm as he did so.

"Jessica Binger." Jessy said taking the offered her good hand after setting the bowl aside just as carefully and shaking it. She smiled as she saw that the anthro kept his grip loose as he spotted the banges on her hand again, "Call my Jessy, everyone does, and I like it better. It's nice to meet you Sonic."

Sonic tilted his head again thinking, "Where am I again?"

"At my Uncle's. Since you had an intimate, yet nasty introduction with the front end of my motorcycle." The woman said wincing again. "I brought you back here, there isn't a clinic anywhere nearby that takes anthros in-"

"I'm a hedgehog." Sonic frowned.

"You're also an anthro."

"Am not."

"Do you even know what an Anthro is?" Jessy raised an eyebrow.

"Errr…" Sonic paused as he really thought about it, he'd been called that a few times by humans but no one would stop screaming or sometimes throwing stuff to explain.

"Didn't think so." The woman said taking the empty dish from Sonic's lax fingers, "An anthro is an intelligent, humanoid being, primarily animal like here. Though I heard of some plant types farther south in the rainforests."

"Huh." Sonic lifted his hands, looking them over then eyeing Jessy's. He didn't see much of a difference between them other than he had fur and small claws and she didn't. He shrugged it off then yawned hugely, sleepy once again with a belly that was full.

"Go back to sleep, you need it." Jessy said getting up and headed for the door, "I'm going to be just outside in the living room with my uncle, I'll leave the doors open so if you need anything just yell."

"Hey Jessy?" Sonic called before she could leave.

"Yeah?"

"Umm… Where's the toilet?"