Always By Your Side [Finished]

[The Jenn]

Felaria had brought him to the same doctor he'd used when she suddenly appeared in the body of a Golfam lizard in the Capital. It was a smaller clinic with a good reputation and harried staff that didn't have much time for idle chatter. That was fine. She didn't want to talk to them.

Her poor man had just... collapsed on her! One minute they'd been in a cafe to celebrate the fact that she'd found a job and the next his wine glass was crashing to the floor as he wilted in his seat.

And they didn't know what was wrong with him. They'd offered to take him to a larger hospital, but that would mean more doctors getting up in his business and probably about as clueless as the ones here were proving to be. No thanks. At least the cute little number who brought her food seemed friendly and willing to chat every once in a while.

She scooted her lizard body closer to his, thick tail draping across his legs and one hand gently stroking his cheek. They told her that talking to him might bring him out of... whatever this was faster, and if he stayed like this for another two days then they would have no choice to move him. So she talked, and she whispered, and she touched. To make him come back.

He had to come back.

What was wrong?!

"Lover, please, wherever you are... listen up a little an' come on home. I'm here waitin' for you. An' if somebody's spell did this t'you, I swear I'll rip out their spleen an' feed it to a bander while they watch. Please. C'mon." She leaned over to kiss his cheek and then tucked her smooth nose against his neck, trying not to get upset.

[Kari Muffin]

Alcohol wasn't something that normally induced a coma. Then again nothing was ever normal about Harold, or so it seemed.

When he fell into the coma he ended up re-living his life. His painful life that he had never really wanted to remember. So he was in a coma for five days. Five days that he couldn't run away from as much as he wanted to.

After what seemed like an eternity he heard a voice. It was faint at first. But it was familiar. And he was too out of it to notice that he had started crying.

His eyes opened slowly. His head was spinning. Nothing made sense. What had just happened? Was that real? Had all of that actually happened in his past? "Felaria?" he said in a confused tone as he reached out to brush his fingers up against her cheek. "Felaria I...."

He couldn't think of anything to say that made sense to him in the moment. He had once been a weapon? How was that even possible? It did explain things... like why he could never figure out what his bipedal or animal forms were. But... had he really... done all of those things?

[The Jenn]

Continuing with the occasional mutters against his neck, Felaria was brought fully back to the situation at hand by a questioning voice vibrating against her muzzle. Her eyes snapped open, her breath paused, and her entire body twitched. That gorgeous voice.

And then he moved, and she could have cried with how happy she was. She hugged him instead. There'd been enough crying already.

"Harold, shh, it's okay. I'm here, lover, right here, an' I ain't goin' nowhere. We's in the clinic after your 'belle o' the ball' impression. Don' worry. You was out of it real bad. Nearly gave me a heart attack. Betcha you all fuzzy."

She gingerly slid back so that she could sit and look half-down at him, trying to tell just how coherent he was or wasn't. He looked alright. Looked... stressed, as usual. Well, it was too much to hope for that a little coma would give him an honest rest.

[Kari Muffin]

Harold took a few deep breaths as he listened to Felaria speak. Wait a minute he had been celebrating with her over her new job. He had had a drink and then he hadn't been feeling well.

He returned her hug with a tight squeeze. He apparently was still crying a bit. He ignored the tears and simply gave into the hug. Everything was going to be fine. Sort of. This was a really confusing mess.

And apparently he'd been knocked out for some time. For a moment he was completely unsure of where he actually was. She had said he was in the clinic right? That made sense. So all that... that had been a dream.

Of his past. There was no denying that. There was no forgetting that now that everything had come back to him.

"W-when we get out of here I need to have a conversation with you to get something off... my chest." He said as he forced himself to sit up. He felt a little dizzy but he ignored it. "There's a lot that I need to tell you uh... I'm sorry I made you worry. I don't really know what happened."

[The Jenn]

Oh good, the man was squeezing back. Always a good sign. Awareness, if nothing else, and he knew who she was or he wouldn't be clutching her like that and he wouldn't remember her name. There was always that fear for her, irrational though it may be. They'd been glued at the hip for over a hundred years, but something in her always worried that there would just be a point where it was all too much.

But no. He was just... he was okay. He looked dizzy and muzzy and a little ill, but he was okay. She moved back so that he could sit and gently stroked the side of his head with one webbed hand.

"Yeah. Okay, lover. No problem. We talk when we get home. You can tell me whatever you want, yeah?" But if he'd been hiding a medical emergency or something like that from her, she was going to have to fight not to turn him black and blue with suppressed terror. She wouldn't, of course, but. Internal struggle and all that.

"You feel good enough t'walk, or should we stay here a lil' longer? Ain't nobody else waitin' for this bed that I care about. I already settled the tab." Which had drained most of their meager savings, but, oh well. He would always be worth it.

[Kari Muffin]

Harold, though he probably should have stayed sitting down, didn't want to stay in this place much longer. How long had he actually been here? How long had the black out lasted? Felaria looked worried, sounded worried, and this was all just... a mess.

And he remembered everything.

Would Felaria even want anything to do with him after he told her the truth? But it wasn't like he could lie to her. And would she even believe him? He gave her a rather contemplative look as he tried to figure out how to answer her question.

"Okay," he said after swallowing hard. "I think I should be fine. I just want to get out of here as soon as possible."

He slipped off of the side of the bed to stand, wobbling slightly as he tried to regain his balance. Of course he was still dizzy. With a rather exasperated sigh he leaned against the bed. A million things were running through his head at once. He just need to focus on being home and being safe before everything else.

He really hoped Felaria would...

Right. Focus. He shook his head. "All right, Let's go... though I can't help but ask... how long was I out?"

[The Jenn]

Always pushing himself, her man. Always trying for more, better, and not in the pretentious dick sort of way. No. In the honest, hard-working, determined sort of way.

Standing up maybe wasn't the best for him right now. She sidled over to the side of the bed, reaching out her tail to steady his one side. Not as prehensile or versatile as her old one had been, but it was... usable. Enough.

"Yeah, alright. Whatever you want, boyo. Can't say I won't be glad to see home again. But you gotta take it easy. Maybe I can get a city-coach or summat. Don't want you fallin' over or nuthin' in the street. Couldn't keep the women offa you then, all han'some an' tragic."

She smiled at him, but there was worry around her eyes. Worry for him, worry for that expression he wore, his health, their money... but that didn't matter near as much as he did.

"You been out for five days t'day."

[Kari Muffin]

Harold paused for a moment. Wait, had the waitress tried something while he was out? Maybe he should stop going there all things considered. The reassuring tail, prehensile or not, prevented the man from falling.

When he heard how many days he had been out he actually decided to sit down. Maybe he should actually consider the idea of a carriage. "I was out for that long?" He ran his fingers through his hair. It made sense, really, when he put it in perspective. He had relived his entire life before meeting Felaria and he should have expected it to take more time really.

"A city coach might be a good idea, all things considered." He chuckled slightly. He probably ran up the bill to something outrageous. Suits, how much money had they spent on keeping him here? So much for all that money they were saving. "Felaria I'm... so sorry that I put you through something like this. Once we get home I'll explain everything."

He shifted around so he could properly hug Felaria.

[The Jenn]

Poor man looked as unhappy as she'd seen him in a while, but he was still trying to keep his spirits up. Felaria helped ease him back down with light touches of her tail and then crawled half in his lap, keeping her weight mostly off him. The hug made her close her eyes gratefully.

Little things. The touch of his hand. The grip of his arms. She would never be able to take them for granted, not after everything.

"I'll get the staff t'call us somethin' in a minute. Sure they won't mind. An' sure I don't, either. We get you home, get you some food, a bath, maybe a footrub or somethin'. Then you can talk all you want, about whatever you want. Nap might be a good idea, what with all the excitement. Not that you was awake for most of it, but I don't want you fallin' over again. Not on my watch."

[Kari Muffin]

The man held her close, shaking his head slightly. He didn't need to be pampered. All he needed was to be home, and have her and that would make things better. And he needed to get his information off of his chest.

"I don't need all that really... I just want you. And I just want to get home," he said after a moment of squeezing her closer. He didn't want her to have to leave to get someone. Harold just wanted to stay like this for a little longer. But considering all his conflicting emotions, he should probably let her go before he squeezed too hard.

So he slowly let go for her with a very strained sigh escaping him. At least the bill was taken care of? There had to be something positive about all this. Though... well there was the fact that he knew his past. But he really didn't know if that was positive or not.