Chapter 77: Preoccupations

Dixie had her eyes closed as she finished plunging into a deep sleep; she had hardly slept at all for two days. Suddenly, she regained her sense of reality and began to open her eyes little by little. She got up calmly as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, which were quite blurry at first. Then, she opened her eyes to the fullest when she realized where she was. She turned to look at the window immediately... although this time, she saw no trace of Diddy or anyone inside that room...

"Oh, you've woken up, little chimpanzee," someone said suddenly.

Dixie turned to look and realized that it was just another of the doctor-looking people, who was present in that same room. This person also carried a kind of tray with pieces of fruit, which he took to Dixie.

"Take this, it's for you. You must be hungry," the person said, smiling kindly.

Dixie gave a doubtful look at first, but then picked up one of those pieces of fruit, including banana, and proceeded to taste some. Those foods tasted great, so she continued to try them; she hadn't eaten anything in even a little over twenty-four hours.

"By the way, little girl, I have some news that might cheer you up a little," the person said, smiling at her, which caught Dixie's attention instantly as she continued to eat. "Well, he's not all fine yet, but... your little friend, the monkey, has been saved."

Dixie made a shocked gesture instantly as she felt an acceleration in her heartbeat. She turned again to look into the room where they had intervened Diddy previously and then looked at the person, gesturing as if asking where he was.

"Oh, no, no, he's not there anymore," the person commented. "They took him to another room; he has to stay and rest there... I'll take you so you can see him, do you want to?"

Dixie hurriedly finished her meal before nodding her head as a sign of confirmation.

Later, the person took her in his arms and carried her out of the room through the corridors. Dixie was eager to see Diddy; she felt a little air of hope coming back, and she couldn't wait to see him awake again... It was what she was most looking forward to. On the way, Dixie noticed through the windows of the corridors that it was still night hours.

Then, the person who carried her, began to climb some stairs until they reached a second floor, where he continued walking through the corridors there. Later, he entered with her into another room with all white walls, where there were several rolling stretchers of different sizes. In the end, a group of people were observed inspecting a couple of the stretchers, where perhaps there were some animals in them.

Suddenly, Dixie opened her eyes to the fullest when she saw on one of the first stretchers Diddy, who was lying with some kinds of devices connected to certain parts of his body such as arms, chest or nose, and was with a sheet around his feet. A pair of people were also around Diddy, apparently examining him. Dixie was instantly excited and showed as if she wanted to catch up with him, but the person was holding her. The only problem she had... it was that she still didn't see Diddy awake; he remained completely motionless, which again discouraged Dixie.

The person carried Dixie to the stretcher where Diddy was, and allowed her to stand on it for a closer look. Dixie looked at Diddy with some uncertainty, before turning to look at the people next to her.

"No, don't worry, the little monkey is fine," one of the people said, examining Diddy, giving her a smile. "Fortunately, they were able to save him. But he still has to recover, so for now he won't wake up until even tomorrow or the day after. He has to continue to rest and has to be taken care of."

Dixie didn't seem to fully understand the matter, but she was beginning to have a little more confidence in those people; after all, there had been improvements in the situation so far.

"By the way, how was the mandrill and the orangutan's surgery?" one of the people asked.

"Their surgeries were successful too," another person replied... before pointing to the stretchers in the end. "They're already recovering there as well."

"Oh, thank heavens. So, everything is fine," one of the people commented with a relieved smile.

Hearing that, Dixie froze for a few seconds as her palpitations accelerated and she began to be consumed with anger and resentment again. Suddenly, she grumbled and jumped off the stretcher to go at a brisk pace to where the two apes were, but the people chased her instantly, noticing that behavior in her.

"Hey, no! Come here!"

Dixie had reached to get on the stretcher where they had the mandrill in the same way as Diddy; she was in all the position of wanting to attack him, but unfortunately for her, people rushed to stop her by holding her torso and limbs.

"Stay still, little chimp!" one of the people ordered her as they held her, while she waved her feet in the air continuously. "No, don't do that! Calm down!"

Dixie, being under the spiteful feeling towards the apes, continued to put up resistance and tried to stretch her arms towards the mandrill.

"No, stay still, calm down!" the person said, taking her back to the stretcher where Diddy was, even if Dixie continued to insist and even make signs of wanting to attack the apes.

"Geez, why did this little chimpanzee suddenly behave that way toward those apes?"

While they put Dixie back on the stretcher where Diddy was, she continued to be extremely furious, emitting squeals and even beginning to make gestures in order to try to explain to the people that those apes were evil and, above all, pointed to the apes and then to Diddy, as if trying to explain that they were the ones who had hurt him... But unfortunately, Dixie couldn't explain herself well, and people didn't grasp what she meant exactly.

"It seems that this chimpanzee doesn't get along with those two large apes, or at least that's what I see she's implying," one of the people said. "I think we'd better move her to another room, even to the little monkey."

Then, the people next to Diddy and Dixie, began to push the stretcher with Diddy on it, and also carried Dixie in their arms out of that room. Dixie only showed a face of indignation as she looked with a deep hatred towards apes, but she had to keep her composure in front of those people.

Seconds later, the people had moved both to another room, which was almost the same as the previous one, but this one was smaller for just five recovery stretchers. They placed the stretcher with Diddy on it and parked it in one of the stalls. Dixie was also placed on one of the stretchers, although she was not fitted with any device.

"Now, you both will be calm here," one of the people commented. "We must secure the door when we come out, just in case."

"What happened to the other four little chimpanzees that escaped this afternoon, by the way?" another of the people asked.

"They have hidden very well; they still could not be found. Although no one has claimed that they have seen them go outside, so they must be somewhere in this clinic. We even put food in the primate recreational area, in case they go there because of hunger."

Afterwards, people continued to examine Diddy and others did the same with Dixie, whom they only examined her slight wounds and bruises and also changed her bandages. During the process, Dixie only felt enormous frustration; the fact that two of the evil apes were also being treated was something that was worrying her, as she didn't want to imagine what else would happen if they fully recovered. Besides, she didn't know how to explain to those people what those apes really were, and that maybe it would be a danger if they were helping them too, besides wanting to say that it was the apes who had hurt Diddy. She did not know what would have become of the rest of the bad apes and Jemky's quartet either; perhaps those tamers would have already killed them as they said, but that would be reason enough for the two apes who were recovering in that place to want to take revenge or something like that.

"It seems that everything is fine with them so far," one of the people commented, finishing examining Dixie while the others were on the same with Diddy. "We can let them rest easy now."

Later, people began to put away their tools, and went to the door to leave. Dixie immediately went to Diddy's stretcher to check on him, prompting one of the people back to stop her.

"Oh, no, no, be careful," the person said as Dixie was touching the devices Diddy had been put on. "Don't touch anything from here; they're part of the recovery of the little monkey. Don't worry, if the monkey is taken care of enough, it's quite likely that he'll wake up in a short time. For now... you just have to wait, okay?"

Dixie only gave a serious look at the person, before she took her back to the other stretcher.

"Now, try to sleep, little chimpanzee," the person said with a smile and patting her lightly on the head. "You both are going to recover."

With that said, the person withdrew from the room and left them both alone.

Dixie stood for a while looking at the door and then at Diddy. Afterwards, though more carefully on this occasion, she went to his stretcher, and stood looking at him for a long time while he still stood with his eyes closed and motionless. Although they had already explained enough to her, Dixie did not fully understand the process that the people there, who were now known to be doctors, were doing, but she wanted to think that it would be something that could help them both.

Then, trying not to move any of the devices Diddy had, Dixie tried to settle down to be by his side, and placed her hand on his for a while. She just hoped that Diddy would wake up soon, as she had been told, and both would leave that place to resume the search for DK Island... or Hurricane Island, alternatively.

"Diddy…" Dixie said, looking at him with some sadness and caressing his hand, "recover... please... I just want to see you again," she added as a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks and wiped them simultaneously. "W-we have to return to DK Island…"

Dixie tried to restrain herself, but couldn't help but shed other tears upon looking at Diddy; even if she had been told that he had enough stability, she could not deny that the uncertainty about whether or not he would wake up was stronger... That had already happened to her before with her loved ones.

"Don't go, Diddy... please," she added as her tears continued to flow and she gave light sobs in silence. "Please... Diddy…"

Then, having calmed down a bit, Dixie stayed another while with Diddy while holding his hand or caressing his face between times. Even if she had been told that she had to wait some time for Diddy to wake up, she still wished that, even if just for a moment, Diddy would look at her and talk to her again to tell her that he was fine; she couldn't wait any longer to hear him and see his eyes.

Later, Dixie was starting to doze next to Diddy, so she decided to get off the stretcher to go lie down on hers. She settled in as best she could and closed her eyes to try to sleep... but not before looking at Diddy for one last time, hoping to see him awake as soon as she woke up too...