Through Anything, Part 6

Through Anything, Part 6

Setting: The Hospital
Date: July 24th, 2011
Time: 2:43 PM PST
(Point of View: Cadence)

------------

I woke to some penguins talking. Blinking, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Everything was blurry at first, but I focused. I couldn't see much lying down.

"...really not sure what's going to happen..." Tristen was saying.
"Do ye think she may live?" someone said.

Ye?

Nobody I know says 'ye' except...

"D-dad?!" I said.
"Cadence? Are ye awake?" He came over next to my bed. Yep, it was him. He looked worried.
"Dad!" I said, this time sure and happy. "Wh- how did you get here?"
"It be the Adventure Party, remember?" he said, kneeling down to meet my eyes. I'm short and he's tall, and I was lying down anyway.
"O-oh, yeah," I said.
"I can't believe- What happened to ye?"
"Well, you've probably heard the story by now. I got zapped."
"Are ye alright?"
"Yeah, but they don't think I am."
"Hey, I said nothing about this to you," Tristen said with a small smile.
"Yeah, I know. I meant everyone else in this building," I replied. She laughed. Tristen and I had become friends over the days I'd been here.

"Are ye gonna live?" Dad asked softly.
I shrugged a little. "I have no idea."

Someone came up behind Dad. It was Franky. He looked down at me with soft, big, sober eyes. He looked like he'd been crying.

Dad put his flipper on my shoulder and Franky lightly sat on the edge of my bed.
"Ye don't look like yerself," Dad said softly.
"Yeah, I don't feel like myself either..." I muttered.

Franky rubbed my flipper, being careful not to rub too hard. Tristen was doing something on the computer that was hooked up to me. For a minute, there was total silence. I blinked a few times.

Right then, I was overcome with emotion. The two penguins that meant the most to me were here, and to be honest all I wanted was a big hug from both of them. If I moved, though, I'd regret it later.

Dad took a big breath and let it out, then made his way over to Franky's chair and sat in it. Franky held out a flipper and spoke for the first time since I'd woken up.
"Want me to help you sit up?"
I nodded. "Sure."

Franky knows the drill. He's helped me sit up a bunch of times before. I lift my head, and he puts his flipper around my back and pulls me up. He did that, then put my pillow behind me and I was sitting up. I smiled.
"Thanks," I said.
He nodded, smiling.

"So tell me what happened," Dad said.
"Me or Franky?" I asked.
"Either of ye."
"I'll tell him if you want," Franky said.
I nodded. "Okay."

"We were messing around in the Nightclub and she started singing. She was all hooked up to the speakers, and something blew out. She went flying backwards and got a nasty burn," Franky said.
Dad straightened his black pirate's hat and put one flipper on his big black beard. "But how did somethin' like that happen?"
Franky shrugged. "Technology can be weird."
"Ye be right on that one. I still can't be figurin' out how to use a cell phone yet!"
I laughed. "It's simple, Dad."
"Yer father be about 10 years behind ye in technology, Cadence," he replied. Franky laughed, and so did Tristen.

---------
About 1 hour 30 min later

Time: 4:19 PM PST
--------

"And that," Dad said, "is why ye never want to be messin' with a crab's food!"

Franky and I laughed.
"That's hilarious, Rockhopper," Franky said. "...sir," he added hastily.
Dad grinned, lightly slapping Franky on the shoulder. "Ye call me Rockhopper, Franky. How many times has yer captain said it?"
Franky shook his head. "Too many to count."
"Exactly." Dad glanced at the clock. "Ay... I should be goin'," he said. "I'll be back tomorrow, captain's promise."
I nodded. "Thank you for coming to see me."
He smiled. "Me pleasure." Standing up, he hugged me lightly.
"Feel better, Cadence. I love ye."
I smiled. "Love you, too, Dad."

He let go, smiled, and headed for the door. "Fair winds!" he called, closing it behind him.

Franky smiled at me. "He's funny."
"Talk about it," I said, grinning.

Franky glanced at the clock, too. "I might wanna get going, too... We have a gig tonight."
"Oh!" I was a little surprised. "All right."
"I'm really sorry, it's just-" he started, standing up.
"No, Franky, I totally get it. Go have fun. I'll see you later, alright?"
He nodded. "Bye, Cadence." He leaned down close to my face, kissed me softly, and whispered, "I love you."
Smiling and blushing, I said, "I love you, too..." I looked around. Tristen had left the room a minute ago to change shifts. Nobody was here but us, so I finished. "...Franky-wanky."
He giggled softly. "Bye." He kissed me again.
"Bye-bye," I said, giggling. He kissed me one more time. "Oh, Franky, stop it." Another kiss. I giggled again. "Franky. You gotta go." Another.  "Frankyyyy."

"Alright, alright." He pulled away smiling. Now both our faces were red with blushing and wet with kiss marks from the other.

"Bye," he said, lifting away and heading for the door.
"Bye," I said, giving him a playful wave.

Franky went out the door and I smiled distantly. I reached for the papers next to my bed, which was the report that had come at noon today.

'CHANCE OF SURVIVAL-- 17.90%'

There's hope. It's rising. There's hope for me.

----------