The Chibi Problem Part 16
As expected, the ER did not approve of BabyDoll. They couldn't actually remove him, because he was glued to my neck, but they weren't happy. I told them that he was my "companion", but I don't think they bought it. Not completely. However, they seemed concerned enough about my still-bleeding head to make an allowance, "just this once" (glare).
We all sat in the waiting room while they finished up with the drunks and overdoses, and handled a sudden car accident. BabyDoll stared, wide-eyed, as a stretcher, complete with IVs, dripping blood and screaming occupant was whisked into the treatment area. When the doors shuffed closed behind the action, he turned those enormous violet eyes to me.
"Oooiiiii... Oooooiiiii... Shiiiii..."
Accident, I explained. Very bad.
Wow... came the breathy comment from Shawn. Dad, is he gonna die?
Mike looked down at his son and tightened his arm around the kid's shoulders. I don't know, sport. It looks pretty bad. The doctors'll do their best.
Seatbelts, I muttered, and they looked at me. Gotta wear your seatbelt.
Mike got up and went to the desk. A couple of minutes later they called me. Mike helped me up -- man, that chair felt so comfortable -- and I wobbled through the doors.
Just as they were closing, I remembered where we were.
Mike, you need to stay with Shawn; this isn't Base, remember.
It took him a few seconds; his eyes flickered between the closed doors and me. I disengaged him from my arm. You need to stay with him. I'm fine with BabyDoll.
Shit. I'll bring Shawn with.
Geez... Baby, will you do me a favor? I asked my little darling. He turned those enormous eyes on me expectantly. Will you stay with Shawn and keep an eye on him? He's a chibit and he shouldn't be alone. The doctor will want to talk to Mike. Okay, sweetie?
He thrummed anxiously, petting my cheek, then cooed his acquiescence.
Open the door, I said to Mike. BabyDoll made a dive off my shoulder and glided out the door to land on the chair next to Shawn, who looked startled and delighted. He hopped onto the kid's leg and sat down, cross-legged, his braid drawn over his shoulder and his hand on Shawn's arm.
Okay, let's do this, I muttered, stepping bravely up to the steel table.
To be perfectly honest, I'd had second thoughts about BabyDoll being with me while they stitched up my scalp, and maybe rearranged my brain while they were at it. I wasn't sure he would be able to sit quiet if he thought they were hurting me. This would work out better.
The nurse asked questions, the doctor asked questions; hell, even the janitor asked questions; I told everyone something different. Hey, I don't often get humans hanging on my every word, I figured I might as well enjoy it.
Mike frowned a lot and tried to straighten out my weird answers. At one point, someone mistook him for my significant other and jumped to a precarious conclusion by asking if we'd ever considered counseling.
Mike turned six shades of red, and I almost fell off the table laughing.
Oh, I just assumed, said the doctor in embarrassment. He's such a cute little boy, she said to Mike. He looks so much like you. And that beautiful bird.
Gawd, I hope so! I giggled. And he's not a bird, he's a duo chibi, and his name is BabyDoll. He's mine. The other cutie is Shawn and he's Mike's. OW! Owhow!
Bastante!
~*~
I sort of phased in and out after that. They stitched me up and gave me a shot that took the pain away, but they wanted to keep me for twenty-four hours. I vetoed that notion. The gundam would be frantic if I didn't come home before dawn. Not to mention what BabyDoll would do if Mike tried to take him home without me.
I signed a bunch of forms absolving the hospital of any responsibility, should I fall over and expire from the concussion, got a bag filled with drugs and instructions and somehow managed to make it back to Mike's car without incident.
BabyDoll returned to my shoulder, peering at my stitched head and wrinkling his nose at the betadine. I was vaguely aware of Shawn excitedly telling Mike that BabyDoll talked to him, and Mike's typical parent response.
You gotta listen if you want to hear, I muttered, but I don't think either of them heard me.
BabyDoll pressed himself against me and thrummed all the way home. I got weird (weirder?) from the painkiller and tried to sing along with whatever was on the radio. Mike finally turned it off, so I sang with the music in my head.
Ever have a piece of music or a song get stuck in your head? Something you just can't get rid of, that drives you abso-damn-lutely in-freaking-sane? It took me a few minutes to realise that I was singing the Small World song from the Disneyland ride. And I couldn't stop, even when I tried to recoil in horror from my own voice.
By the time we got home, Shawn was singing with me, BabyDoll was thrumming along with us, and Mike had a twitch at the corner of his eye. Ha! Teach him to be a Good Samaritan to a crazy person.
We were met at the door by the entire gundam. Angel landed on my shoulder and almost tipped me into the wall, but Killer swarmed up my other side, and it balanced out. Mike tried to shoo them away, but chibis don't shoo, and they just glared at him. I flopped onto the sofa, and the whole gundam had to have a look at my head, even the chibits. Mike made dismayed noises as they crowded around me. I finally just told them to line up, take a look and move on, which they did. I convinced Mike to go on home; the gundam would wake me up regularly, and who could sleep with all their noise anyway?
He didn't like it; I could tell from his tone of voice and body language, but it was after midnight on a Sunday night and I knew he had formation at 0645. Can't expect the troops to be on time if the Gunny is late, I reminded him.
He agreed reluctantly, but promised to look in on me. Tell them, I said, gesturing to the gundam. Otherwise, you won't get in the door in one piece.
I could tell he was giving me "that look", but he cleared his throat and announced to the room at large that he would be checking on me before he left for Base. It was part of being a good neighbor, he told them.
A moment of silence, then the adults acknowledged the fairness in that with a series of chirps, thrums and rumbles.
Okay, I sighed. You're safe.
He left, still shaking his head over what he would do to humor a head injury. He probably figured we'd laugh about my crazy behavior later. Ha! Little did he know...
Once we were -- relatively -- alone, DeathSky sat next to me; his scythe lay over his knees. He apologised again and I had to smirk. Just wake me up every hour, okay? I've got a little concussion and I'm not supposed to sleep too long.
With that, I yawned so hard my jaw popped. I just closed my eyes and went away.
~*~
I don't remember waking up during the night, but I suppose I did. I don't remember Mike looking in, but the chatter from the gundam suggested that he had. When morning hit (and it hit like a chunk of concrete bouncing out of a dump truck and through a windshield), I staggered to the bathroom, wrenched on the shower and stuck my head under the water. That woke me up enough to swallow my usual medications and the percodan. The gundam hovered anxiously while BabyDoll hugged my neck in diesel mode.
I really wanted a shower and some caffeine, but I didn't think I was up to making coffee. I was having enough trouble getting my clothes off with my head pounding the way it was. It took me a good two minutes to realise that I had an audience in the bathroom.
BabyDoll, Killer, Angel, the chibits, most of the duos and half the juveniles were ranged about the bathroom watching me struggle with buttons and zippers and hooks. It was enough to give me flashbacks of junior high gym class. I shuddered, then suggested that they all take a hike. BabyDoll, Killer and Angel hissed the others out, but refused to leave themselves. Killer decided it was time for the chibits' bath, and hauled on the sink faucet while Angel closed the plug. BabyDoll made a great show of not looking in my direction, so I declared a truce.
Just keep your snickering to yourselves, I warned.
The water (warm, not hot) felt so good after the initial shock that I just slid down to sit and let it rain down. BabyDoll scratched at the curtain anxiously, and I reassured him that I was still conscious; just felt more comfortable knowing that I couldn't fall. He sat on the other side of the curtain and kept up a running stream of chirps, thrums, and rumbles and "oooiiiii"s. It was... soothing. After a bit, I realised that he had a duet going. I pulled the curtain back to find the baby duo tucked into BabyDoll's arms thrumming along.
The little guy looked up at me and fluttered his lashes coyly, and I had to reach out and pet him. He grabbed my finger and hung on and I was forced to set him on my shoulder. He just moved over to snuggle against my neck, and BabyDoll grinned broadly. Like... mommie, like son.
What are we gonna name these little charmers? I asked BabyDoll. I figured that BabyDoll, Killer and Angel had chosen names for their little replicas, but I was still calling them "the little guys."
BabyDoll "oooiiiii"ed to the alphas, and in a few minutes they joined us with the other chibits. A six-way conversation ensued while I made a half-hearted pass at shampooing my hair.
That involved a lot of wincing, twitching and whimpering on my part at the confluence of water, shampoo and raw skin. I had to do it, though. I cannot stand for my hair to be dirty; it makes the rest of me feel grungy.
Voices got a little loud, there was some waving of arms and katanas and some indignant squeaks, and chirps that I supposed indicated a dislike for a proposed name.
I ignored it, and set about soaping up with my lovely lavender Yardley soap. I thought I might like to soak in a rosemary bath later, or maybe the next day. I'd have to close the guys out; BabyDoll likes the rosemary scent, and Killer fell in one day when I was filling the tub. Apparently, he got a little buzzed from the scent. He's a funny guy; all prickle and barbs when he thinks anyone might notice, but pure marshmallow and hot fudge when he doesn't know you're there.
Angel growls and glowers all the time, whether he has an audience or not. Still, it's easy to get around that -- just put one of the babies into his arms and he goes all gooey. Damn, I love my chibis!
And then I thought how great it would be if everyone had chibis to love and be loved by. And I scooped BabyDoll up, hugged him, and kissed the top of his head. He gave me an anxious, wide-eyed look. I'm not in the habit of snatching him away from the alphas like that; he might have thought something was wrong.
Just thinking how much I love you, I murmured, and he relaxed, beginning to purr. You guys take your time with names; I can wait.
I had to crawl out then. I was turning into a prune and the water had long since gone cold. And I still wanted some caffeine.
By the time, I got dried off and into some house-schlepping gear, I could smell the coffee cooking. I dare you to show me a Lab or GSD who can make coffee.
Or toast, for that matter. Yum... With honey...
TBC...
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