Dormant Love

Dr. Viper spent the whole morning thinking of ways to bring Rosella back into consciousness. Malcho patiently and quietly watched him, waiting for whatever he needed of him.

He knew emotional reasons were keeping her from being brave enough to rise. His now being an outlaw, not to mention abducting and mutating an animal from a zoo would make things more problematic once she was.

He would cross that bridge when he got to it, but the present was more important. He tried filling the room with roses whose scent he hoped would do the trick. She could smell the lovely aroma all over and although it did bring comfort, she stayed down.

He sighed sadly, but Malcho procured him to keep trying. He agreed, but something caught his eye. There was a piece of blue fabric hanging from her bed. He lifted her blanket to see to his astonishment his scarf in her hands.

He couldn't believe it. It was with her all along? Not only that, but her ring was around it in the middle. She must have been holding these before she was brought to the hospital.

She kept an iron grip on the scarf, as if her… life depended on it. The green doctor knew it was her reminder of the way things were before. A part of him would have liked to have the scarf to wear again, but it he didn't think she would release it because how things were now.

He was satisfied enough to see it and the ring the scarf was wearing. He was afraid she might have thrown it away after whatever Zyme told her.

"Oh, Rosssella, am I still in your heart?" he asked hopefully. He knew which side of him was in her dreams, his old self.

He sighed, holding her face, leaning the right side of his face on the top of her head. Suddenly, he felt something wet on his right fingers before he pulled his head back to see her left eye shed tears.

Before he did anything, she mumbled something that was inaudible at first, but her words became clearer. Malcho was worried she was sicker or something. Elrod held out his left hand to instruct him to stay where he was as he kept his eyes and his ears on her.

"Why? …Why wasn't I… more persistent?"

Persistent? With what?

"Why didn't I try harder… to tell him…" she breathed, turning her head left and right.

"Tell me what?" the doctor whispered, not making any moves yet. He knew she had to be talking about him.

"Why didn't I… try harder… We didn't need much… We didn't need much… We were fine… We were just fine…" More tears fell as she gripped the scarf. "It's my fault… He's gone… because… of me."

"No, Rosella," he insisted softly, delicately holding her close against his right shoulder, drying her tears. "Nothing isss your fault."

Whether she heard him or not, he didn't know, but she went on, her head leaning to the right as she kept breathing, "If I had tried… I just wanted him…" Heavier tears fell, and her voice cracked to his heartbreak. "I just wanted… him."

Elrod's green skin twitched when she started coughing hard. Terrified, he immediately had Malcho help him. They had to sedate her, or she would have ended up accidentally killing herself berating any longer.

Soon enough, she was still again, Dr. Viper putting his left hand on his scared heart, Malcho putting his right wing on his left shoulder consolation.

"We were lucky to hold her down, Malcho. Any more exerting tosses and turns like that and she would have died."

The thought of it made him shed two tears before he got a grip on himself as he wiped his muzzle dry.

"No, I cannot let myself weaken, either… Unfortunately, my friend, I am a biochemissst, not a therapissst," he pointed out regretfully, rubbing his chin.

Malcho used the language Dr. Viper had taught him by tapping in a communicating rhythm by knocking his balled-up tail feather on the floor. He asked, "Perhaps you could try something else besides her favorite flowers, master?"

"Perhapsss because the boutique has only provided a small serviccce."

"You know her so well, what else pleases her?"

Elrod closed his eyes as he kept rubbing his chin, wanting to keep quiet and calm to think, then an idea hit him. "Of course! Malcho, come with me, I have a special errand for you in the city."

"The city, master?" Malcho asked, his facial expression shocked.

"Yes, to where her former home isss."

The purple anaconda was mystified by a response that made no sense, but he stopped questioning and slithered out as instructed, waiting for the green scientist who rubbed the back of his right finger on Rosella's left temple.

He would go with Malcho, but he hated to leave her all alone in the lair in case she had gotten worse again.

Resolved, he blew her a kiss before closing the door behind him.

000

Malcho flew to the city by night, so to avoid detection by any witnesses and found the she-kat's former home. He carefully landed on the roof before touching something on his head. It was a communication and surveillance device Dr. Viper equipped him with before he left the lair.

With it, the doctor could see and hear everything Malcho did, so he could guide the purple serpent as he slithered to the front door where he found the spare key his master informed to open the door without literally breaking in.

Then, he slithered inside to collect the things the scientist requested.

000

Malcho returned without any delays or adversity, carrying his cargo that was tied up in ropes he carried well enough thanks to his anaconda strength.

He carefully set the things down outside the lair where Dr. Viper gleefully greeted him.

"Malcho, well done, and without any obstaclesss in your way."

His aide de camp nodded with his wings on his sides before he tapped to say, "I still don't understand what you intend to do with these objects."

"You will, you will," Elrod assured, "sssufficient to say, it'll definitely be something you've never been able to enjoy before."

000

Rosella was alone for a while, but in her deep unconsciousness, her ears perked at a sound… familiar, beautiful sounds…

Music… Precious music consisting mostly of violins and piano. Tears pricked her eyes as she smiled, her ears regaining their treasures as special as the ones in her hands.

She remembered playing and singing songs for Elrod who fell in love with music all over again because of her. In fact, music was the many things that made them both fall in love with each other, pass the time, not a care in the world…

"To return to those blissful times…"

As if her thoughts were heard, Elrod touched her right cheek as he smiled lovingly at her, "We can have that again, Rosssella. We can."

Wiping her face, he leaned down to lean his long chin on top of her head, his arms behind her shoulders. Malcho watched, feeling a discomfort he had never felt in his old life. What was it?

Looking at his master, he guessed: heartache. His heart went out to the people who would have been mates by now and should be.

Elrod held onto her for a few minutes before he felt movement beneath him. He opened his eyes wide, both mutants staring to see the girl moving only her arms that climbed out of the covers and subconsciously wrapped the blue scarf around his neck, accidentally leaving the ring around the middle.

The doctor held the ends of the scarf in his hands, staring at the fabric before looking back at Rosella who lay still again as if she had never moved.

Malcho slowly moved his gaze to his master who removed the engagement ring from his scarf, holding it in his right fingers before looking at her arms she laid on her chest above the blanket, her right hand looking incomplete without her ring which he was tempted to slip on…

He took a silent moment to reflect with his eyes closed before he held it in his palm he closed. Malcho tilted his head as he watched him place the shiny item in his pocket.

"I will return what isss yours as well… when you have returned yourself to me, then I will propossse again."

A part of him wondered if he wanted her to wake up to this, living in hiding in a secluded bayou with a mutant pet she hadn't seen yet…

"This isss not the world I'd promised for usss," he grimaced, gripping the ring, Malcho putting his wings on his shoulders in comfort. "… No, I must make it a one worth living in…" Seeing Malcho's wings on his shoulders, it made him think of how he had changed him so much into something acute and calm, then…

"Malcho, we have much, much world to do."

The anaconda blinked but waited patiently outside before his master leaned down, his right hand holding the ring high as he gave her a deep kiss, his left hand holding her right one before he smiled confidently, walking away, his hand slowly and gently slipping off hers.