Author's Note: I originally planned on doing all 30 days of Sicktember like last year, but having already worked on 30 short stories for a tribute to SassyScot's Nervember, along with many of the Sicktember prompts just not sparking ideas (or feeling a bit repetitive), I opted to only do ones that I felt strongly about, and combined a few of the prompts to make longer stories.
Prompt 1 – Alt. Prompt: Hospital Bed
"Was this really necessary?" Moffitt folded his arms over his chest and made an attempt to adjust how he was sitting in the bed. "I think this is quite unnecessary, darling."
His wife, Vanora, gave him a look. "It was necessary, love."
"No, it wasn't."
"Jack, you fell off the attic ladder."
"So? I didn't hit my head this time."
"True, but in the effort to avoid hitting your head, you landed awkwardly on your leg," his teenaged son, Jules, added.
Moffitt glared at both of them. "I still don't think that warranted dragging me to the bloody hospital. If anything, this blasted bed is making things worse! I was perfectly comfortable resting on the couch with a cup of tea! You pulled me away from my tea!"
"Jack, you were limping, your ankle is swollen, and you said your hip hurts." Vanora remained calm despite her husband arguing.
"All of that was temporary. I would've been fine if you left me alone."
"Hey, at least the doctors will provide an answer of whether we were right or not," Jules added.
"What have I told you about trying to downplay your injuries, dear?" Anah, a magical Egyptian cobra, gave Moffitt a very displeased look from her place on Jules's shoulders. If she had arms, they would be crossed.
"I will continue to say that this was ridiculous." Moffitt had descended into grumpy grumbling now. "You all overreacted. I'm perfectly fine. Just some bruises. Get me out of here and take me home before my tea gets cold."
Vanora, Jules, and Anah exchanged a look. They had no intention of moving. Vanora then returned her gaze to her husband. "There is tea here, love."
Jules's eyes widened. "Mum, no, why? You know how he feels about—"
"Hospital tea is rubbish!" Moffitt growled. "It barely even qualifies as tea! It is only a few steps above the utter sludge that Troy once made! I bet they brew it from the fake plants in the bloody waiting room! It's that horrible off-brand stuff that your parents have! It's—"
His rant was interrupted by a doctor entering the room with several radiographs in hand. The man cleared his throat. "Jack Moffitt? Am I… interrupting something?"
"Yes, thankfully," Vanora said.
"Well, in that case." The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Your wife, son, and… pet cobra were right to bring you in. Your ankle is not broken, thank goodness, but it was badly sprained in your fall. We'll wrap it and send you on your way. As for your hip, fortunately, we found no evidence of a break or dislocation. Just some very bad bruising. Overall, stay off that leg for a couple of weeks."
"All I'm hearing is that I could've stayed home," Moffitt grumbled. "What a waste of time."
"No, this wasn't a waste of time. I'll be back in a minute to wrap your ankle."
Jules pursed his lips, glancing between his parents. "So, uh… we're not going to get an apology, are we?"
"Have you just met your father?" Vanora asked.
"No."
"I'm not apologizing for this," Moffitt said. "You overreacted. I am fine—ow!" He shifted, and a sharp pain shot through his leg from his hip. "Bloody hell."
"I'll remake your tea when we go home," Vanora sighed. "Just, promise you'll actually stay off your leg while it heals."
"At least that'll be easy when we go home. The couch doesn't feel like it was stuffed with rocks." Moffitt made a convoluted attempt to get comfortable without moving his injured leg too much, but it resulted in more sharp pains surging through him.
"Do you want someone to put a pillow under your rear, dear?" Anah asked.
"No, don't bother." Moffitt gave a sigh of his own. "Bloody ridiculous."
"Love, are you just going to keep grumbling until we go home?" Vanora asked.
"Yes!"
Jules smirked while glancing at his mother. "Have you just met Dad?"
"No." Vanora rubbed her face. "Jack?"
"Yes, darling?" Moffitt replied.
"I do love you, you know that?"
"Despite my grumbling?"
"Despite your grumbling, your anxiety, and your downplaying of injuries, yes, because there's much more to you than just that."
Finally, Moffitt smiled. "Why, thank you. And I love you, too."
