Melody didn't know what she was really doing, not like she'd had experience with these sorts of things before.
Most adults probably did it often enough to know how to properly make it feel not so clumsy and forced, however this was her first time. She had read how these things go in her novels, in them it had sounded so easy yet dramatic enough to keep the reader wanting more. Those books didn't help much though when she had attempted the same in the flesh.
The apology that had come forth, the one that took a great deal of courage for her to say had left the pony in the hospital bed staring at her as if she had spoken complete gibberish.
"Wah?"
The dusky mare squeaked and ducked back into cover behind the foot of the bed, a few charts on the end fell off their hook to scatter over the floor. Melody could feel the heat burning her ears with embarrassment. I must have said it wrong! You stupid filly!
Luckily for her Jubilee was there to lend a hoof in the matter before more of a misunderstanding could take place. "What I think Melody here is trying to say is that she feels responsible for your head injury. She was the pony stacking all those books that fell onto you."
There was a brief moment before anypony said anything more, time the oddly named stallion used to mull over what he had just been told. "Ah hmm, so you're apologizing just for the books? Just the books?"
It sounded like he had been expecting something else, but what that was Melody couldn't guess at. Was there something else she did to hurt or offend him? She thought back to the events of that night, recalling how she had heard the crash and rushed to pull him from beneath the sea of hard covers. Melody remembered the panic she felt, the adrenaline and uncertainty of how to preform first aid. She had hoped her boss Biblious would return in time, the old book sage would have known the proper way to treat such wounds.
That's when she remembered that while she waited she had wrapped a dusty old tarp sheet around the unicorn, as she had vaguely recalled reading it in a book, something about shock? At the time she had his head resting on her lap while she was examining the bump next to the horn. The stallion had woken up so fast it had startled Melody enough for her flight instincts to kick in... Which forced the pony to roll into the wall with a sizable amount of force...
"Umm... I-I-I'm also s-sorry for knocking you int-to a w-wall!" Melody blurted out from behind her cover, she couldn't tell what 'Des's actual reaction was, but from the laugh she heard from the other end of the bed it seemed to have made it's mark.
"Yeah, alright I forgive you for that too. Honestly, those bruises don't really sting anymore anyways." Melody blew a sigh of relief at that.
The sound of her wicker basket shuffling about caught her attention, "So... I've never gotten 'Get Well' flowers before, would you mind telling me what kinds they are?"
That got Melody's attention enough that she peered over the edge of the baseboard and back into view of the red headed unicorn. The harsh judgement the mare had expected to see on his features was absent, with instead only curiosity held in his green eyes. When Desmond saw his visitor's head reappear he smiled awkwardly.
The anxiety Melody had felt welling up in the pit of her stomach was still there, although not over boiling like it had been before. Social interactions had always been her biggest fear since she was a filly. However, something about the feeling of mutual nervousness she could sense from this pony made the phobia slightly muted.
Getting up onto all fours Melody shuffled over to the basket, carefully explaining each flower and what they meant. "T-the white flowers are carnations, they come in m-many different colours, b-but if they're white they mean good luck."
Desmond snorted at that and rolled his eyes, "I haven't been blessed good luck in years. Hard to believe a flower would change th-" A light punch in the side of his hoof by Jubilee stopped him short, the fiery glare she gave him told him to shut up before he said anything worse. Melody had wilted a bit at the bitterness in his voice, with her ears pinned back, yet she still stuck in her spot by the bed instead of running off. The unicorn seemed to realize his mistake and mimicked Melody's sad expression, "A-ah, I'm sorry for being rude, just... Me and Lady Luck don't see 'eye to eye' per say."
Melody had never heard of such a mare before, but from the way he talked about it it seemed they weren't on such good terms. She made a mental note not to bring up this mare again anytime soon. She nodded and resumed her showcase of the small flower arrangement.
"Umm, okay... T-these indigo flowers are hyacinths, which represent sorrow and apology..." Melody took a moment to breath, this had been more than what she normally spoke, and it was starting to tire her out. "I-I thought I'd make you this as a token of my sincere apology and to wish you a sp-peedy recovery."
She waited for a harsh rebuttal for how it was corny or how he didn't like the flowers she had picked, that he still resented her. The rejection she expected never came though, as Desmond picked the basket up to admire the flowers more closely. "They're lovely, thank you... Melody was it?" The mare simply nodded, a smile steadily spreading across her face.
"Though, it seems there's another in here," a cream hoof gingerly poked at a stem with a few deep blue flowers hanging off it, it matched the same bluebell in Melody's cutiemark that was fused together with an eighth note. The stallion looked back to her with those bright green emeralds, "What does a bluebell mean?"
The mare could feel a twinge of heat in the tips of her ears, "T-t-they mean lots of di-fferent things, but I wanted them to m-mean humility..." She busied herself by absentmindedly straightening out her hair with a hoof.
Turning to the teal unicorn that was watching them both with an amused grin Des put the flowers down, "Would it be possible to get a vase for them, nurse?"
"I don't see why not, I'll be sure they get plenty of water soon. It'd be a shame if they wither too soon."
The rest of the evening passed by relatively peacefully, most of the conversation was carried by Des and Jubilee but Melody didn't mind that much, she was content with just being included in whenever they asked her a question. The get well card and gift of mango jam went over well with the stallion who looked about ready to cry after taking a taste. "My god... It's been too long since I've tasted anything."
Nurse Jubilee pretended to be offended with a mock indignation, "My cooking isn't that bad. Maybe you just can't appreciate the high quantity cuisine we offer here!" They all shared a laugh at that.
Soon enough the time passed when the visit should have ended, with Tulip returning to help escort Melody out. "I see didn't burn the place down while I was away. I'll be sure to reward you for being such a good little colt." The way she teased Des sparked an irritated glare from him, yet he kept what quip he wanted to say back with just merely grumbling instead.
The pink nurse then turned to the bat pony, "Well hun, it's time to head on out. Time to say your goodbyes."
Looking across at the large wall clock Melody realized they had been there for at least a couple hours. Time seemed to go out the window after hearing stories of Des's far off home; it seemed to be a fascinating place filled with nothing but hairless monkeys, yet still somewhat similar to Equestria in many ways. Maybe she would go visit sometime.
The dusky night pony got up from beside the bed, facing Desmond with a small bow. "Thank you for having me tonight... I'll be sure to write soon..."
The freckles on his muzzle seemed to glow just a bit as the stallion returned the gesture with a smile, "Likewise! I'll send a letter as soon as I get out of here."
"Don't be too optimistic there pal, Dr.Greenline still needs to give you the all clear first. That noggin jogglin still left a few screws loose up there, you might be here a bit longer still."
"I resent that you think I'm crazy," Desmond glared at Tulip, "I've just been put in a different body and am in a world that I don't belong in. Simple as that."
Tulip scoffed, "You're right, you may be simple, but that's still a load of ponyapples if you ask me."
Nurse Jubilee gasped and immediately thwacked the pink mare over the head with a magazine. The other nurse winced as she rubbed her head. "Tulip! What did I tell you about cussing at work!"
"Aw c'mon sis, no need to hit me like that!"
"Wait... You two are related?" Desmond glanced between the two mares, both opposite in colour pallet and personality.
The sisters momentarily looked at each other and shrugged, "Different mothers, same deadbeat dad. At least Bloom here got her horn from him, all I got was his pink fur."
"Oh don't say that Toffy," Jubilee put a hoof around her sibling, "Pink suits you. Makes you seem more sweet, sis."
Tulip rolled her eyes but didn't retreat from the hug, "Yeah yeah, just don't call me Toffy here either."
Melody watched the sibling nurses with a gentle smile, wondering if what her life would have been like with such a sibling.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" Desmond abruptly shouted gaining half a dozen ears to swivel back to him at his outburst. "Melody, I think I was supposed to meet your boss for a job interview... But then a lot of things have happened since. Would you tell him I'm sorry I couldn't arrive in a more normal way? I'm sorry if any of those books were damaged."
"O-oh... Sure, I could pass that along." Melody nodded, "Though, I'm certain Biblious is just as worried about you as he is about his books... He's been fretting about the incident and has since cleaned up the shop somewhat."
"Good... Also, I've seem to have lost a few of my things, they might still be back at the shop under a pile of books, but I'd really like my bag and clothes back. I... I had a rather important family heirloom in them."
Melody approached the bed once more and laid a hoof on top of Desmond's, who at first flinched from the contact but kept his foreleg there when the mare's hoof felt oddly soft and comforting. "I-I'm sorry to hear you've lost something so important... I'll keep an eye out for it."
"Thank you," some of the tension in Des's back left him and he sank deeper into his cushions. A yawn escaped his mouth and the two nurse sisters knew it was about time to actually leave so their patient could rest. Quietly together they left the odd stallion to rest and recuperate.
That night Desmond dreamed of flying through the clouds on top of a giant book like a magic carpet. Strangely enough he swore he heard a gentle lullaby his mother used to sing to him during the dream, he couldn't remember the words but the tune kept his dreams peaceful until the morning.