Waiting [2430-1-3-Sun 9:00am]

[Chase Nicolai]

Like most spaceports, Nox had a small medical clinic, the sort of place you could go if you were sick and your clan's healers couldn't help you, or if what had happened to you was too much for your ships medic to handle. This hadn't been their first stop at the spaceport. They'd gone to the Kildeer first and Celyn had done her best to try take care of Terence.

But she was still hurt from the bite she'd received, and Terence was worse off than any of them had thought he could be. And as it turned into hours, they finally bit the bullet and headed over to the spaceport, hoping the medics there could help him.

At the moment, both Chase and Celyn were sleeping in Tere's room, Celyn on the empty spare cot, and Chase dozing on the floor, his clothes neatly folded in a pile beside him. The black cat slowly came back to the waking world, body sore from the precious night's adventures, and still far too tired.

He padded over to Terence and pulled himself up, paws resting on the bed as he tried to make sense of the strange machines and charts recording all sorts of things about Tere. None of them made much sense to Chase, and he could only hope that Celyn would know what was going on, and that she could tell him there would be good news.

Seeing Tere laid out in a bed, pale and quiet, was more than Chase could stand. This was his best friend, his lively and happy best friend, and right now just looking at him hurt. Terence should have been laughing and joking about how dumb they'd been, and that they'd gotten out by the skin of their teeth. But he was just lying there.

Chase stayed there for a long moment, and then padded back over to his clothes, changing and quickly dressing. Humans had weird taboos about nudity, and while he usually enjoyed exploiting it, right now the last thing he wanted to do was make Celyn uncomfortable. She was the only person who knew what he was going through at the moment. That was his best friend in the bed, and Celyn's boyfriend.

(( I went ahead and started a new thread so we're not left hanging waiting for a response. Rudy and Casey can wander in at anytime if they're around! ))

[Celyn Ryan]

Celyn

The night had been filled with guaze and constant screening from the Nox spaceport doctors. Their voices were easily masking the true dangers that Tere was in, The sad way they would look over at the two as they paced around the room. Celyn couldn't do anymore then she already had.. She'd done her best to stop the bleeding from his head, to bandage the deep puncture marks that adorned his body.. but the doctors had done even more. In the wee hours of the morning they rolled him from his room into another room just a little ways down the hall.. There they did a cat scan, some Xrays to see if he had any broken bones.. then brought him back. Of course, silent as ever.

The doctors had bandaged her neck, treated it with antiseptic to stop any possible infection, but they told her there would always be a scar. One of the nurses was even nice enough to give her a soft wool sweater to replace her bloody and tattered shirt. Celyn never moved from his room, Her eyes glued onto the beeping monitors and the humming of his oxygen tube.. It was just like seeing Father again. Watching helpless as he slowly deterated right before her very eyes... but soon exhaustion took over and she found herself asleep beneath the warm covers of a cot placed into the room.

Hours passed, and the sun finally began to flicker into the room. It danced across the floor and stung her sleep filled eyes, but she didnt stir.. Seeing the panther creeping up to Tere's bed brought a sadness into her chest. This was Tere's childhood friend, his best friend. How many times Tere had told her silly stories about how much trouble they'd gotten into.. Or what adventures they'd shared. But seeing him like this now, it just wasn't right. She pulled the covers over her face as Chase changed, then slowly sat up and gave a sleepy yawn to let him know she was awake..

Slipping from the cot she slowly made her way over to Tere's bed, her scratched up hands slowly sought his hand. Soft fingers gently ran over his, feeling the needle beneath his skin pumping medicine and water into his veins.. He was cold beneath her warm touch, and didn't stir when she gently placed a hand on his cheek before gently placing her lips against his forehead. This wasn't the Tere she'd met before, the lively and always funny Were lion that always kept a smile upon her lips... he seemed lifeless as she stared at him, but the soft rise of his chest and the beeping of his heart monitor said otherwise.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, as she backed away from his bed to once again sit down upon her little makeshift bed.. Her eyes slowly found chase, and she tried to give a smile.. but it didn't reach her eyes. "I shouldn't have left.." she spoke softly, her hands tightly bound in her lap.. She was more angry with herself for trusting Crys.. but that was Celyn. Everyone deserved a chance, but not when it endangered the lives of those she cared about. "I'm sorry Chase.." she whispered softly, not wanting to meet his eyes as they stared to the floor.

[Chase Nicolai]

Celyn's yawning perked Chase's ears up. Looks like maybe his moving around had woken her up. She didn't seem to be too tired, so he didn't apologize for something he might not have even done. Instead he stood back and gave Celyn some time alone beside Terence's bed.

He half expected to see her wake up under her touch, like in all the tales he'd heard told around the fire about how so-and-so was so sick that nothing could wake him but his true love. But Terence stayed as quiet as ever, and the machines made the same noises, the beeps and hisses that meant some unknowable thing.

Celyn spoke and... she was right. She shouldn't have left. It was be easy to blame here. But Chase knew the truth. "You wouldn't have left if Crystal hadn't talked you into trusting her." It was hard to keep the rumble in his chest quiet, but it came anyway, the seething furious remains of a suppressed roar. It came out instead as a snarl, and his own eyes slipped over to look at the door. If Terence had ended up dead because of her, there would be nothing but a spot of red left on the dirt where a fox had once been.

But Terence was alive and he needed Chase to be here, just in case. So he was here. And if Crystal came around? Well, as stupid and selfish as she was, he doubted she was suicidal. If Chase didn't kill her, he had a feeling maybe Celyn might stop being so soft and gentle for a moment and help him out.

"You should have never been left alone, not with her around." Chase repeated, walking over to sit beside Celyn on the bed. "I should have come out with Terence when he took you to meet his pride. I could have kept an eye on you when he got distracted. I could have scared Crystal off." This was the bitterest part for Chase. He'd thought Terence and Celyn needed their time together, and so instead of going out to hang around just in case, he'd stayed at the spaceport and gone out to the bar. And for what? For nothing, but a best friend who wouldn't wake up.

[Celyn Ryan]

Celyn

The silence of the room was annoying, irritating.. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Tere's mother and father had come to see him earlier that day.. That was the worst. Standing there outside the window watching the tears that poured from his mothers eyes, and the frustration knowing he was here because of her. Damn her, damn her for ever thinking the Fox was nice. That she actually gave a damn about her, and didn't just want Tere for herself. Now look where he was..

Her eyes swept over to Chase as his words brought her back to the present, the beeping of Tere's monitors were still the same. It wasn't just a horrible nightmare.. this was real. His words didn't help the pain, they just made it burn in her chest twice as hard. "I know.. I shouldn't have been so foolish.. Tere warned me about her." she muttered the last part as she squeezed her pillow. Her tan face scrunching up with frustration. She had a medical degree, and for what.. To watch the man she always dreamt of meeting laying in a bed with nothing she could do!

As she felt the side of the bed bend to Chase's weight, she let go of the pillow and turned her hazel eyes to him, She knew he was right. But she still felt the nagging irritation that she was an adult, Why couldn't she have let him know. Or atleast paid more attention, She was to naive.. Stupid. "It wasn't anyones fault but that damn fox.." she muttered trying to sound tough, but her voice cracked slightly "Tere will be alright.. I know he will.." she was trying to convince herself more then Chase. Knowing all to well what happened when a Human awoke from a coma. They hardly knew the world around them.. They had to relearn everything they'd ever known. Simple things as walking were now challenges.. but those were the ones that didn't come out for years..

Tere would wake up.. He had to..

[Chase Nicolai]

Chase put an arm over Celyn's shoulders, giving his best friend's girlfriend a bit of a hug. She looked like she needed one right now. Hell, even Chase could have done with one. What he could have done with most of all was Terence sitting up and asking why he was stuck in a hospital room, and why Celyn and Chase were looking so sad.

"He's a strong guy. I'm sure he'll wake up anytime." Chase looked over at Terence, like maybe he would hear them and prove Chase right for once. The werelion didn't stir, breathing quietly and steadily, like he was asleep instead of something worse. "And... if things don't get better, we'll go to Terra. Terence was always talking about all the technological wonders they've got there. So there's got to be something for someone like him." He wanted to add 'right?' but he didn't, knowing that Celyn didn't need uncertainty right now. She needed to be told that things would be okay.

And maybe they would be, if Chase believed hard enough, and if he was willing to do whatever it took to make them okay again.

[Celyn Ryan]

Celyn sighed softly, resting the side of her head against Chase's temple and closing her eyes.. He was warm like Tere was and she smiled softly remembering the trip out to Nox. It was there they shared their first kiss... what she wouldn't give to be able to feel his hands cup her cheeks and press his lips against hers. But that wasn't how she needed to think, Tere was going to wake up.. His bones would heal and his scrapes would disappear. He was going to be fine.. he just needed some sleep.

Her eyes reopened when he spoke, shifting from his shoulder so she could look at him. Her gaze soon followed his and fell back upon Tere's sleeping form.. "I hope so.." she whispered softly before letting her hazel eyes wander to his again. As he spoke of Terra she nodded her head slightly "I used to work as an intern at one of the Hospitals.. They owe me a hand." she tried to think positive.. but there was so many things that could go wrong. Even if he did wake up, whose to say he would walk again? Or even remember their faces...

She shook her head and looked to Chase, "Chase, If we go back to Terra.. are you going to come with us?" she asked softly. It would be reassuring to have someone aboard that could help direct the ship.

[Chase Nicolai]

Hospitals. That was good. If Celyn knew a hospital, and the healers working there, then maybe they'd be able to do more. Chase could hope the healers at the spaceport would do their best, but they hadn't been very positive so far. Some of them had talked about Terence like he wasn't here anymore. Chase had held his tongue, but only because Terence still needed their help.

Celyn's question caught Chase a bit off-guard. Until this moment, he hadn't really thought about it. He had said "we'll go back to Terra" and the we in that statement was definitely applying to him as well. Terence had always said that getting off of Nox would be a good thing. It was just that Chase had never really seriously thought about what it would mean to leave home. Terra was a million miles away, and full of humans. Tere said it was so weird being there, since it was the exact opposite of home.

And while the thought had caught him off-guard, it didn't take him any time at all to decide. He was going wherever Terence needed to go. If that meant Terra, then he'd be with him on Terra. "Yeah." He finally answered, nodding, "Yeah, I'll come. I don't know what I can do, but I'll do whatever I can to help out, even if that's just being in the same room."

[Celyn Ryan]

Celyn gently tugged at the sleeves of her sweater before wrapping her arms around her waist, Nox was always chillier then Terra that was one major difference. A doctor came in for a brief moment to check on Tere's monitors and replace his IV pack before silently exiting the room again.. atleast back on earth the doctors would talk to them.. She's just have to be sure she mentioned he was allergic to silver!

Leaving Terra was terrifying, and the outcome hadn't turned out the way she had certainly hoped but atleast they were going back home now. Tere would get the best of care she could get him, She still had a apartment a few blocks away from The Hospital. It was probably dusty, but everything was still intact. It would be enough for her and Chase, even Rudy and Casey if they chose to stay... which she doubted they would. There would be no way the Kildeer funds would be able to keep them employed. The funds were already starting to slim down, they had enough to get back to Terra with food and gas..

When Chase spoke that he was coming to she smiled softly "Good.. He's going to need every familar face he can." she stated matter of factly. If he woke up in the Terrain Hospital she could see his face now, he would probably get angry either that or become terrified.. something she would never want him to go through alone. It was always scary when a coma patient woke up, They would sob and cry because they didn't remember a thing.. or their legs didn't work.. It was devastating. But if Chase was there things would go a lot smoother, If not Chase could smack him around a bit (lol).