Okay guys, So I was going to let this sit for about a month before I updated, because I'm an asshole. But honestly I didn't want to write this chapter. So I just figured I would go ahead and get it out of the way.

I'm not gonna lie though, shits gonna get a little weird in the story.

Anyways guys, I've been busy. Besides my full time job, I'm also helping introduce people to the beauty of the 2nd Amendment. I'm helping educate people who necessarily don't know a lot about guns and taking them out shooting, helping them find a gun thats suitable for their needs, and just helping more and more people get introduced to organizations like USCCA and GOA. Both of which I'm a member of.

So that takes priority over writing.

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Jem took in a breath as he slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he had been run through a meat grinder. It hurt to open his eyes. They felt like they had been weighed down with lead weights and the light from the surrounding lamps felt like they were burning. He could hear voices but they sounded like the adults from Charlie Brown Cartoons. He wanted to sit up and move around. But at most he could move his fingers. And even that seemed like a challenge, almost like he was gripping a stress ball. He felt someone pry his eye open to check his pupils. He wasn't sure what was going on.

"Mr. Cotton! Mr. Cotton!" He heard voices cry out.

"W-W-W..." He tried to say something, but his mouth felt like he had cotton mouth.

"Call the family! They should be checking in for their daily visit!" He heard a voice say as Jem was trying to piece things together.

What the heck was going on? He wasn't completely stupid. He knew he was in a hospital. But why? The last thing he remembered was he went to go get Nala's lunch. And then that was it. What happened?

"Mr. Cotton, you're going to feel a little groggy for a few hours. However, we're going to put you on a stimulant to help you be more alert, when your family visits, you'll be able to understand whats going on." The head doctor said.

He thought it had to be the head doctor. All Jem could see was blurry faces.

"I...I...I..." Jem tried to say something.

"I'm...fucking...hungry..."

Jem was originally going to ask how he got there, but the only thing he could think about was the fact that as soon as he woke up. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days. And his stomach started acting up like a pedophile who got a job as a public school teacher.

"Well, we can't let you eat anything crazy right away. So we're going to have to start you out on something soft like oatmeal." They heard Jem groan.

"This...is...bullshit."

Jem could feel some of his mental clarity start to come back the longer he stayed awake and the longer he talked. And the only thing he wanted now was either steak or fried chicken. Or maybe both. He was just hungry. And he could see the bowl of oatmeal coming, there wasn't any fruits in it, no brown sugar or cinammon, just plain old janky ass hospital oatmeal. Seriously, he almost wished he was still passed out.

Actually he was about to get his wish. Because his vision was going dark again.

"He'll be okay, he's still exhausted." He heard the doctor say as he fell back asleep.

He didn't even wake up to hear the door slam open.

"DADDY!" But that jolted him awake as he felt a large lump on his chest.

"OOF!" His vision returned as he saw a head of blond hair and a lion tail wagging like a dog.

"Oh hey Sweetie." He said as he could hear Nala bawling.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" She said through the tears as the doctors pulled her away.

"Easy Child, your dad still is a little rough." One said as she held Nala in place on the floor.

"Yeah...what happened? I don't remember much." He tried to ask but he got distracted by someone grabbing his hand.

"Huh?" He asked as he turned.

Only to see Winter was staring at him. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Winny? Whats wrong?" He asked as Winter tried to open her mouth but nothing came out.

Eventually he saw a single tear roll down her face and she leaned in gently to hug buried her head into his neck as she let her tears fall. The doctors didn't pull her away because she was being gentle. And luckily Nala learned how to get away with hugging her father without getting pulled off like a over excited dog. So she just hugged her daddy from the other side and gently put her head into the other side of his neck.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you two as well." Jem was still confused as to what had happened. But he knew that whatever happened, it must have been rough.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Winter said as she kissed him.

Jem just melted into the kiss as the doctors cleared their throats.

"While I would hate to break up such a touching moment. We do have to continue our examinations." The head doctor said as Jem tried to lift his arms.

"Doc, what exactly happened? Feels like I'm trying to swim up a waterfall right now." He said as the doctor went silent for a bit.

"You've been unconscious for awhile Mr. Cotton, your muscles haven't had to work." That didn't fill Jem with confidence.

"...How long was I out?" He asked as everyone was quiet.

"Sir, I don't think thats the right question to ask, we really should be focusing on your health, we'll inform you after the exams." The Doc said as Jem didn't like the sound of that.

"You're avoiding the question, how long was I out?" Jem did not like how he was reluctant to tell him.

"Sir, you have to understand, we don't want to cause any unnecessary stress." The doc said as Jem got angry.

"You're causing me unneccesary stress right now! How long was I out?!" He tried to raise his voice, but he coughed.

"Get him some water!" Winter said as they gave him a small sippy cup of water.

"What the hell?" He asked as he didn't know why they wouldn't just give him a regular glass of water.

But after he had finished sipping from it. He noticed something. He could see his reflection in the glass of the cup.

Why was his face so gaunt?

"What the hell? Whats wrong with my face?" He asked as even with the beard covering his face, he could see his cheekbones were more prominent, and his eyes almost looked sunken in.

The doctors wanted to calm him down. His heart rate monitor was starting to go up from the stress.

"Sir, you need to calm down."

"DOC! JUST GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT! HOW LONG WAS I OUT?!" Jem's heart rate was sky rocketing from the stress.

The doctor realizing he wasn't helping him by keeping information from him, decided to come clean.

"Mr. Cotton..." He took a deep breath.

"You've been unconscious for six months."