The reoccurring nightmare still haunted me every night. Some nights, I would wake up over and over again from the same dream. Some nights other dreams would have me waking in a pool of sweat. My sixth morning in the hospital, I woke from the reoccurring nightmare to the sounds of growling, yelling and someone holding me tightly against her chest. “It’s ok Flame!” the woman yelled but I was buried in her chest and that was not ok! “I’m here! You’re ok!” she continued to wail. Finally, I managed to pull back and gasp for air.
The woman had dark blue hair and lavender eyes. The same lavender eyes that I had. I take a few deep breaths before gasping out a questioning, “Mom?” With an ear shattering squeal she yells, “Yes Flame, Mommie is here sweetest child!” as she returns me to her suffocating embrace. Mother or not, I really couldn’t breathe. I briefly contemplate the backlash of biting or jabbing a finger into her ribs before I am suddenly released.
On Mom's pale white shoulder, rests a tense, deeply tanned hand. Behind Mom is a man with steely, pink eyes and dark red hair.
“Dear, calm down before you extend Flame’s hospital stay even further.” He says this evenly. No anger or threat. Just an order to be followed. Mom pouts before I notice the realization cross her face that he is being serious. That’s not exactly reassuring.
“Hey Dad.” I say in a way of greeting my serious looking savior. His dark caramel skin color, red hair, and pink eyes had images of Tieflings popping into my mind. Good to know that I won’t lose my own tan anytime soon, if I take after him.
Dad pulls Mom down into a chair next to my bed and settles into his own chair beside her. Mom wipes at her face and sniffles as she tries to pull herself together before she starts into a fresh outburst of tears. “I’m so sorry Mommie wasn’t here when you woke up. Your father only told me this morning that you had finally woke up!” she yells as she clutches my hands and buries her face into my tiny palms.
My umbreon is still growling from the side of my bed. Only her eyes and ears are visible. Eyes that are glaring dagger at Dad.
“This is why I didn’t tell you, Angel. Flame wasn’t even awake before you started smothering her and now, you’re hysterical. They only cleared her for your visit today.” he said flatly. I kinda understood why the doctor would not want me exposed to Mom right after waking up. My first physical therapy session had been stretching and breathing exercises and I fainted before the session ended.
Mom asked me to tell her about my stay and recovery. I thought my body was recovering fast, so I talked about how I had already progressed to jogging and talking on a treadmill in just a few days. Dad started to return Umbreon’s glare at some point while I talked.
So, this was our reunion . . . It didn’t. Well. It didn’t really match what I had dreamt about. I thought those few happy dreams that I’d had so far were memories from this life but as I looked at the red-haired man and the blue haired woman, I couldn’t see it.
The man was aloof and cold. The woman had wiped her ruined make-up off once she’d stopped crying and was now reapplying it while I sat there in front of them. She seemed to have tuned me out. It was around the time I started talking about the exercises the doctor wanted me to continue, on my own and where to find the information online.
No one spoke after I trailed off from reciting the instructions the doctors had given me. I hadn’t even bothered to finish my sentence. I could tell they weren’t listening now. Mom was focused on her hand mirror and Dad was on his tablet or maybe it was his pokedex? I wasn’t sure what the differences were, I initially thought he might have been taking notes, but he kept tapping even after I went silent.
This is the scene that Nurse Carmine walked in on. “Good morning and and umm apologizes for uh oh for well uh the interruptions.” she stuttered as she took in the scene. Mom didn’t even react as she finished applying her lipstick. Dad put his tablet away in some sort of shoulder sling carrying case as he stood up. “Angel, it’s time for our meeting.” Dad announced flatly.
Mom gave herself a final look in her mirror before pulling me into her chest for another suffocating hug and then kissed each of my cheeks as Dad started toward the door. “I love you sweet child. I’m going to transfer all the allowance that you’ve missed. I will do it the second that I get a chance to! Don’t worry for a moment that we forgot about you! I know it’s been rough on you since most of your coins are in your trainer account. You are so smart! Keeping some silver in your personal account!” Mom steps away with a final pat on my head.
“Hey Mom. Can you tell me when my Safety exam is? The JA said you guys would tell. . .” Dad cuts me off. “We aren’t scheduling the exam yet. You need to prove that you learned something before you waste our time.” He announced in the same flat tone he’d used every time he opened his mouth. How could he utter such a cruel statement in such a cold way? To his ten-year-old daughter! I’m in the hospital after being attacked and losing my entire team!
My voice turned quiet while my face tenses. “Say that again.” I demanded of the retreating adult. Dad turned to face me. His face ready to reprimand me. “You listen. . .” He started but trailed off as a flicker of fear darts across his face that is quickly replaced by anger. He must not like the hatred seething out my glare. Umbreon is now on the bed beside me. Her expression was just as angry and dark energy building all over her body.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I slide off of my bed and stand in front of my parents. Rage filling my thoughts. How could they? How dare they? Umbreon jumps from the bed and positions herself between us, ready for a battle. “Is that REALLY what you think?! I question with anger seething out of every syllable.
A red light shot from Dad’s hip and materialized into his flareon standing in front of Umbreon. Flareon’s mouth is already open and building flames for an attack. “Number One, that’s enough, return.” Is all Dad said, before he turns back to the door and leaves. Mom follows behind him with her tablet in hand. “I transferred your allowance. Be sure to check your dex after breakfast.” She said with a wave and a bright smile on her face as she closed the door.
Nurse Carmine pushes our breakfast cart toward us. Umbreon is still bristling with dark energy and rage, so she lets out a warning yowl toward the nurse. This caused me to tear my eyes away from the closed door. “No girl.” I said sternly. “She is not our opponent. Our opponent chose to run.” I continued bitterly.
Umbreon lowers her ears and lets out an apologetic yowl toward Carmine as the dark energy around her, starts to evaporate off of her. Carmine looks from trainer to partner with a deep frown. “You two look as though you’ve had quite a few rawst berries for breakfast already. Do you think you have room for any of the breakfast that I slaved away in the kitchen to make?” she asked while she helped me back into my bed. I tried to smirk at her lighthearted teasing. It was better than awkward silence or worse. She had every reason to excuse herself from my pity party.
I look toward the now meek umbreon. “Umbreon, go ahead and eat. I feel like someone just poured aspear juice down my throat. . .” “There’s nothing wrong with aspear juice” Carmine said as she hands me an oran berry. “Sure, if you like feeling your throat close up.” I retorted before taking a bite from my berry and looked over my breakfast plate. “No,” she said as she ruffles my hair gently. “That’s what rowap berried do to you. I once saw a munchlax faint after eating one of those infamously sour rowap berries. I hear they are common in Sinnoh and that some eccentric locals carry then around and offer them to unknowing trainers.” she said with an all too knowing grimace.
I picked at the food in front of me. It was another amazing meal. Hospital food sure was good in the pokemon world. . . wait. I still with my fork pausing between mouth and plate as the thought fully forms. I jerk my head up to look at Nurse Carmine.
“Child, what is that look on your face? Is there a gengar behind me?” she asked with a small laugh in her voice, but the question derails my thoughts and sends a shiver through me as the scene with the musharna flashes through my mind. While talking with Carmine this past week, I had come to realize that talking about ghost pokemon always brought the attack to the front of my thoughts. Since musharna are ghost type pokemon, it makes sense for ghost to be a trauma trigger. I had tried to discuss this with other staff at the hospital but only Carmine seemed to understand what I meant to some degree but she had a habit of talking about the ghastly evolution line.
The color draining from my already paling face reminds Nurse Carmine of my problem. “Flame, I’m sorry. Your expression just seemed so strange. Are you ok?” she asked. “I understand.” I said as I rolled food around on my plate. “Dealing with this is new for everyone. Heh. I kinda had a thought suddenly. So, I am just wondering and would appreciate it if would tell me how much or how often my meals are actually made by the cook here at the hospital?” I said nervously. “Ah, you noticed. Your records said that you have never been in a hospital so I figured that you would just make assumptions.” Carmine settles into her normal spot on the chair in front of my bed. “I like to cook.” she said. She pulls out a 3x5 photo from her apron as she continued. “My team each had different needs, and I spent so many years of my life on my Journey and on the road with my team. Cook, train, play, cook, clean, train, groom, and then sleep. Snacks and berries all day long.” Carmine passed the photo to me. It’s another blurry image. Marcus loved taking pictures with an old camera so he could develop them himself. Carmine continued, “The cooks at this hospital have three types of meals they are allowed to make for patients but none of those diets are meant for children with vitamin deficiencies. You have vitamins prescribed to you, sure, but I have watched you take them twice a day and you are still recovering so slowly.
Carmine stood up, clearly flustered. “The doctors are stuck attending meetings with your parents or other members of your family or the JA of Unova! I don’t even know when they find the time to look over your charts! What happened to you . . .” she takes my hand in her hers, “Flame. What happened to the two of you was unprecedented in so many ways. Your parents forced me into a gag order when I agreed to be your nurse so I won’t be able to tell you much and I technically shouldn’t even tell you about the legal grown-up stuff, but this is all being handled wrong. You are a Pokémon Trainer of Unova and that should remain a title of respect.
Nurse Carmine goes quiet after her intense reveal. She drops my hand and seems to be undecided about what to do next. She sits there staring at the food in front of me, so I decide to start eating in earnest. Her words had fueled a desire in me to know more. I had become complacent in the hospital of a strange world that I didn't belong to but I also didn't want to leave so I made a decision.
“Nurse Carmine. Are there any practice exams for this safety exam that I need to take?” I asked. “This exam is uncommon.” she responded. “Normally, people quit after a major accident, but they usually have gym badge before this too. I have a study guide that my husband made for me around the time that we met. Long story.” she said with a wink that promised the story would be worth the wait. “I should still have it on my PC at home. I will send you a copy, once I find it.” We finished our breakfast in good spirits but now there was a weight on me that I couldn’t shake. Physical therapy was harder and more exhausting, and I couldn’t focus during my lunch conversations with Carmine.
Three days passed when I got an email from Mom. She told me my exam date and said to keep it a secret. For two or three days after that, I had trouble sleeping so I was too tired for my physical therapy or studying.
Do you like the parents?
