"Call 911!" Tom shrieked. "You are 911!" Maddie shrieked back. Tom shrivelled slightly. "Oh, right." Sonic wailed dramatically from the floor.

"911, what's your emergency?"
"Hi yeah, my dumbass son decided to try and bandage his hand up,"
"...I'm afraid I'm going to need more context, sir,"
"He put a steak knife through it,"
"Ah... ok. The paramedics are on their way. Keep it elevated and keep it covered with a clean covering whilst applying firm pressure. ETA is about ten minutes,"

Tom rubbed his eyes wearily as he sat on the plastic ironing board seats. "How's he doing?" Maddie asked, sitting next to him. Tom sighed lightly. "He'll be fine. They said it's gonna be fine. It's gone into the dermis layer, whatever that means," He sighed. "He avoided anything important for the most part,"

Maddie waited. "Do you think he'll be able to do stuff again?" She asked quietly. Tom side-eyed her. "I dunno. I asked the same thing; they said it's down to the recovery. Should it go ok, then he should be fine. And PT, he has to do like six weeks of PT to help the nerves," Tom added. Maddie chuckled. "What's funny about this? The moron put a steak knife through his hand, Mads... a steak knife!" Tom asked. Maddie patted his hand sympathetically. "One, he's Sonic. Second, it happens."

Tom narrowed his eyes.

Maddie chuckled as he stood. "I'm gonna grab a coffee. What do you want?" She asked. Tom huffed petulantly. "I don't want anything," Maddie grabbed her wallet out. "And I don't are you having for drinks?" Tom huffed again. "I dunno. Coffee, the way I usually do," Maddie shook his head as he walked off.

"Sonic Wachowski?"

Tom stood. "That's me. Is he ok?" He asked. Despite reassuring his wife, Tom wasn't fully convinced himself. "He'll be just fine. The surgeon stitched it together with dissolvable thread, which should heal within three weeks." The nurse gestured with her hand. "He's just coming out of the anaesthetic, but he'll be awake soon," He followed her through the twists and turns of the halls, stopping outside of a closed door. "As per protocol, I have to ask you to be quiet. He is sharing the room with two other people, both of whom are still under sedation." Tom nodded as he walked in, thanking her quietly.

"Tom!" Sonic cheered. Tom shushed him. "Shush! Sonic, they're asleep. You've gotta be quiet, buddy," He rushed over. "Oh," Sonic mumbled. He waved his bandaged hand in the air. "It feels weird. Why?" Tom groaned softly as he sat down, his back protesting at the uncomfortableness of the plastic chairs. "You put a knife through your hand, remember?" He reminded him with raised eyebrows. "Oh yeah... I was doing dinner for- oh wait, I'm not allowed to say," He giggled. Tom quirked an eyebrow. "Don't tell her I said anything, but I was doing dinner for Maddie."

Maddie?

"Maddie, eh? I didn't know you were planning on stealing my wife," He said nonchalantly. "Nope! She asked me and Knuckles to do dinner!" Tom nodded. "Well, you won't be doing anything for a while - you've gotta let your hand heal," Sonic only giggled. Tom shook his head. "Alright, night-night buddy. You're way too doped up to remember any of this anyway, so go to sleep," He drew the curtain around Sonic's bed to give him some privacy. "Stay? I don't like hospitals," His quiet voice asked. "Sure, bluey. I'll stay,"

If Maddie walked in thirty minutes later, she didn't take a picture of Sonic tightly holding Tom's hand as they drooled in their sleep.