//------------------------------// // Hurry Up and Wait // Story: In an Instant // by Ruirik //------------------------------// How many times had she heard that infernal sound? That irritable, grating, ceaseless sound that cloyed for attention like a junior level pedantic director who thought he could tell the difference between a sharped C and a flatted D. Pressing a hoof against her eyes, Octavia gritted her teeth to stifle a shout of frustration. The monotonous tick, tick, tick ground at her nerves like a file. Oh, how she fantasized about the tortures to unleash upon the auditory cancer that was the analog clock. To gingerly lift it away from it’s precarious perch on the wall, place it on the floor with the utmost care, and return with the largest hammer she could get a hold of, heave it over her head and- “-tavia? Oi! Octavia!” Octavia shook her head vigorously to snap herself back to reality. Lyra and Bon Bon stared at her, Bon Bon with mild concern, Lyra with mild irritation. Both had a set of cards held close to their chests. All three of them were in a wide-open waiting room just off of the surgical suite. Like every room in the hospital, the walls had been painted a neutral tan color. The floor was assembled from large white tiling set into charcoal-colored grout. Much like the ER waiting room two fake hibiscus plants were placed in the corners of the room. The plants flanked a couch long enough to seat four ponies. Its soft green cushions offered a fair level of comfort for the countless ponies that were forced to wait in the room for news of their loved ones. “Sorry, what?” Octavia asked sheepishly. Bon Bon chuckled while Lyra rolled her eyes and groaned. “I said,” repeated Lyra “Do you have any threes?” Octavia blinked in confusion for a moment, the gears in her brain stuck awkwardly for a moment before she recalled the cards in her own hooves. “Uh…Go fish.” She finally answered as she studied her hand. Lyra grumbled and retrieved a fresh card from the deck placed between the three mares. Bon Bon regarded her friend with concern. “Octavia, are you all right?” she reached out with a hoof, lightly resting it on the cellist’s shoulder. Octavia flinched at the touch and sighed. “Yes. Yes I’m fine.” She answered quietly “I’m just worried about Vinyl.” Bon Bon offered Octavia a reassuring smile “They did say three to five hours yesterday dear, it’s only been four. She should be out soon.” Octavia managed a nod, though she couldn’t force herself to take comfort in Bon Bon’s optimism. She was at least grateful Lyra and Bon Bon had come to keep her company during Vinyl’s operation. She may not have been a particular fan of Go Fish, finding it a touch simplistic compared to Blackjack or Poker, but Lyra had insisted on it, claiming the game was good for ‘wasting time’. Still, she had indulged the unicorn, and the simple game had helped to stave off the pervasive boredom and anxiety for a while, at least until Octavia’s more obsessive tendencies had honed in on the tick of the clock. Every tick was a moment lost. An instant of her life she would never retrieve, crueler still, an instant she could never share with Vinyl. The countless precious seconds of life passed her in a colorless blur. Without Vinyl beside her, each moment felt empty and cold. Lyra and Bon Bon tried their best to offer her light in the metaphorical darkness, yet all their efforts only managed to flicker like candles in the wind. “It’s your turn, dear.” Bon Bon reminded her. Octavia bit back a sigh and looked over her hand again. “Do you have any sevens?” She asked Bon Bon. With a light grumble, the crème-colored earth pony hoofed a pair of cards to her. A gentle knock startled all three mares from their game. Standing just inside the door was a tired-looking Poultice, still dressed in his scrubs. “Am I interrupting?” He asked with a good-natured smile. “No! No,” Octavia hurriedly got to her hooves, her heart racing in her chest. “How did it go? Is Vinyl all right? Can I see her?” Poultice found himself leaning back slightly from the sudden barrage of questions. His somewhat bemused reaction earning a giggle from Lyra and Bon Bon. “Well,” he started, “The surgery went well overall. We successfully removed the herniated discs and the bone graft was placed with no complications. Vinyl’s spinal cord is intact and looks fairly good considering the trauma she’s endured. We got her stitched, bandaged, and we took her into the recovery room nearly an hour ago. I would have come and spoken to you sooner, but Vinyl isn’t waking up as well as we’d like from the anesthetic.” Octavia felt a wave of cold run through her body. “W-what do you mean. Is she okay?” “Relax, relax,” he said calmly, raising a hoof to emphasize his words “Her vitals are strong and she’s breathing on her own, Dr. Fields is keeping a close eye on her. It’s just that some ponies do not react as well to anesthesia as others do. Vinyl is waking up, but it is taking longer than we like to see. The thing we have to concern ourselves with now is the risk of post-operative pneumonia. Now in healthy ponies that risk is very small, but given Vinyl’s condition I’m not going to take any chances. We’ll keep her in intensive care until I’m satisfied she’s in the clear.” “How would she catch pneumonia? Aren’t hospitals sterile?” Octavia asked, feeling a bit dumb for asking. Poultice merely smiled, he loved his work, and he loved when a pony wasn’t afraid to ask a question. “We’re not entirely sure what causes it, about one in a thousand ponies comes down with it after surgery though. We think it’s either a negative reaction to the anesthesia or possibly correlated with the prolonged amount of time a pony spends prone on their back. You see, when you’re lying down for a prolonged period of time, fluid pools in your lungs. In ponies that are prone for a long time the natural bacteria found in all of our lungs has a chance to cause an infection. Given Vinyl’s paralysis, her chances of pneumonia are higher than I would like.” Octavia’s eyes shifted back and forth, her mind spinning as she processed the information. Lyra stepped up beside the grey mare, her concern apparent on her face. “Isn’t there anything you can give her? Like some pills or something to, I don’t know, stop anything?” she asked. The question earned an amused chortle from Poultice. “As wondrous as modern medicine has become, we still have a lot to learn. We may not be able to prevent disease, but we certainly can treat it.” He smiled. “So, so what happens now?” Octavia asked, her shoulders sagging. Bon Bon noticed the shift in her posture, though she kept silent for the moment. “Well,” Poultice started, taking a breath to consider his words “Once Dr. Fields is satisfied that Vinyl is ready, we will take her back to her room and she can sleep off the effects of the anesthesia. She’ll be out of it the rest of the day, easily, and starting tomorrow we just need to keep an eye out for infection.” Octavia nodded sullenly, when she spoke again her voice was quiet. “What can I expect to see?” “Well, she will have a sore throat for a few days and some difficulty speaking and swallowing, hence the liquid diet we discussed yesterday, and she has a small incision on her right hip where we harvested the bone graft that will probably be a bit sore. Aside from that be on the look out for any sign of nausea, confusion, or a high fever. Octavia,” he turned his attention to the cellist. Her lavender eyes locked with his “You know Vinyl better than all of us. I’m counting on you to let us know if anything seems off. I don’t care how insignificant it might seem, I’d rather not chance it with a mare in her condition.” “Will she be able to move again now?” Octavia asked hopefully. Poultice kept his face neutral. “She has a chance now. It’s more than she did before, but we’ve still got a long way to go. With a lot of therapy, I have confidence that she will at least regain use of her forelegs and will be able to sit up. She’s young, she’s generally healthy, and she’s got a lot of willpower, so I think she’s got a good chance of getting some use out of her rear legs as well.” He explained, hesitating at the end. “…But?” Octavia asked meekly, Poultice shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t want to give you false hope. There is a very real possibility that Vinyl will never walk again. I’m sorry.” He bowed his head slightly. “We won’t know for sure either way for a while yet. Until then you’ve got to keep your chins up and hope for the best. We’ve got a fantastic team of physical therapists here." Octavia nodded. Poultice smiled, “Any other questions?” he asked the three mares. When none were asked he nodded simply and turned to leave. “I’m going to check and see how Vinyl is recovering. I will be back shortly. I promise.” He smiled. The three mares each nodded, Octavia giving him her thanks before he disappeared out the door again. Octavia loosed a heavy sigh as she sat, a hoof rubbing over her eyes. Bon Bon put a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “What’s the matter, Octavia?” Octavia was silent for a moment, the only sound being her deep breaths and the ticking of the clock. Bon Bon and Lyra exchanged a nervous glance. “Tavi?” Lyra spoke anxiously, her own hoof rubbing the earth pony’s back. She felt the subtle tremor in Octavia’s flesh and noticed the quivering of her friend’s jaw. “Its not fair…” Octavia spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Its just not fair.” “Hey now,” Lyra pulled Octavia into a hug “come here. It’s gonna be okay.” “She doesn’t deserve this,” Octavia whimpered “She didn’t do anything to deserve this!” Octavia let out a quiet sob into Lyra’s chest. Bon Bon sat next to her marefriend, wrapping her forelegs around both mares. “Why did this have to happen to her?” she cried. Lyra’s amber eyes looked pleadingly into Bon Bon’s, unsure of what to do or say. Octavia managed to compose herself after a few moments, pushing away from Lyra’s chest with one hoof while the other wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered “I’m so, so sorry.” “Come on,” Lyra said as she wrapped her left foreleg around Octavia’s shoulders “It’s okay to be upset Octavia. Celestia knows I wouldn’t be half as calm as you if it was Bonnie in there.” Both earth ponies shared a giggle at the comment, though Bon Bon shot Lyra a knowing wink. Octavia’s sullen chuckle faded quickly. “I don’t know what I’d do without the two of you here. It’s just so…difficult.” Octavia sighed again, her head bowing down “Between worrying about Vinyl, and that…that mare stealing Vinyl’s gear over a pittance.” Octavia hissed. “Oh, don’t get me started on her,” Bon Bon pressed a hoof to her temple in aggravation at the thought of the yellow mare, “The world would be better without terrible ponies like that." Octavia scoffed agreeably. “Things will work themselves out in the end, you’ll see.” Lyra said hopefully. Octavia appreciated the sentiment, even if she couldn’t bring herself to share in the unicorn’s optimism. Again, the gentle knock of Dr. Poultice’s hoof on the door drew their attentions away from each other. “Hello again.” He smiled, stepping into the room with a slight spring to his gait. “How is Vinyl?” Octavia asked, her hooves rubbing together anxiously. “Vinyl seems to be coming around now. Dr. Fields is going to keep an eye on her for a little longer before sending her back to her room. The three of you are free to head back up there at any time, she should be along in the next 30 or 45 minutes I would think.” Poultice smiled at the noticeable wave of relief that washed over all three mares. “Oh, by the way: Octavia, did you do some planting recently?” Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon exchanged a perplexed look with one another before Octavia stepped forward to answer. “Uh, no not really. Why?” she answered, a grin spread over Poultice’s face as he struggled not to laugh. “When I asked Vinyl how she was feeling,” he chuckled “She mumbled something along the lines of ‘Did Tavi plant her crops yet?’ before she fell back to sleep.” Lyra and Bonnie shared a giggle while Octavia felt herself at the peculiar crossroads of amusement and concern. Poultice noticed the look and patted her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s normal for ponies to be confused and a bit nonsensical when the anesthesia is wearing off. Her head will clear up after a few hours of good sleep.” He explained Octavia let out a relieved sigh. Poultice offered them all a soft smile. “You three go on upstairs, Vinyl will be there soon.” As he left, the three mares gathered their saddlebags and the small entertainments they had brought with them hours earlier. The walk back up to Vinyl’s room was silent aside from the sound of their own steps. The room itself seemed so empty without Vinyl’s bed occupying it. The silent monitors and machines that hung from the wall sent an uncomfortable chill through Octavia. Taking a seat on the small couch she slipped a hoof into her saddlebag. She blindly groped around the confines of the bag for a moment before her hoof settled on the Beethooven that Vinyl had left her. Octavia felt her nerves calm somewhat as her hoof rested against the dolls soft body. Lyra and Bon Bon sat close by, with Lyra reclining lightly against the confectioner's shoulder. “So,” Bon Bon started, trying to fill the silence “When do you two have your first show with the symphony? I’ll make sure my schedule is free to sit with Vinyl so you won’t need to worry, Octavia.” The two musicians mulled the question for a moment, Lyra coming to the answer first “Our first show is in six days, so that makes it Wednesday next week. Right?” she looked to Octavia. “Yes. Yes, Wednesday from Six o’clock to Nine o’clock, including intermission.” She frowned. The thought of leaving Vinyl’s side for any amount of time left a bitter taste in her mouth. “That should be fine, what time do you girls need to leave?” Bon Bon asked. “Uh, we have to be there for tune up and final practice at three I think.” Lyra answered. Octavia nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll be here around two. Is that alright Octavia?” She asked as her gaze shifted from Lyra to her fellow earth pony. Octavia thought for a moment before she nodded “Yes, alright. Thank you Bon Bon.” The crème-furred mare smiled kindly and nodded. Silence again descended over the room. Lyra fell into a light snooze on Bon Bon’s shoulder while Octavia stared absently at the floor, her mind unfocused on any particular thought. Normally when she was preparing for a concert, Octavia was brimming with excitement. Her mind would focus on the task with laser like precision until the last note of the last song had faded from her immediate memory. Granted, Vinyl usually played a rather prominent role in the distraction as well. Without the pale unicorn waiting for her just off-stage, Octavia found her mind drifting. There was no excitement in her heart to perform her art in front of hundreds of other ponies. It was just a nuisance that she would be put upon to do. There was a quick knock at the door before Dr. Fields trotted in, smiling as always. Behind him, a pair of earth pony nurses delicately maneuvered Vinyl’s bed back into position. The three quickly reattached her to the monitoring equipment, filling the room with the steady rhythm of Vinyl’s heart. The sound sent a subtle, but powerful wave of relief through Octavia. It was an audible confirmation that her love was still with her. The nearly five hours it had been since seeing Vinyl had felt like a small eternity to the cellist. Her heart clenched in her chest when she was able to get a good look at Vinyl. A fresh white sheet covered the unicorn up to her shoulders, though the slow rise and fall of her chest was still visible which Octavia was grateful for. A new cervical collar held her neck in traction. Where the previous one had nearly matched her fur in color, the new one was an iron grey outside with black padding on the inside. The frame of the collar itself was more open along the arterial sides of Vinyl’s neck, which gave Octavia a good view of the bandage that concealed the surgical incision itself, though she could see that the fur on that side of Vinyl’s neck had been shaved away, exposing the skin below. There was some small evidence of dry blood along the area, though most had been well cleaned up before they had bandaged her. Vinyl’s mouth hung open slightly, her breaths occasionally interrupted by dry coughs. Her ruby eyes were hidden behind her heavy eyelids as she slept. Octavia longed to look into Vinyl’s eyes again, to see the torrent of emotions that roiled within the unicorn like a silent hurricane. The bandage on Vinyl’s forehead had been removed, giving Octavia her first good view at the wound. The gash was held together by dozens of stitches. Dried blood formed a painful looking canyon nearly three inches long. Octavia hoped that once healed, any scarring would be concealed by Vinyl’s fur or mane. She gingerly ran her hoof though Vinyl’s mane once she was able to get close enough. Octavia had grown used to Vinyl’s, admittedly, loose definition of personal grooming; a shower every other day or so no longer flabbergasted Octavia like it did in the early days of their relationship. Yet even Vinyl would have admitted her coat and mane made her look like a train wreck. The two nurses excused themselves from the room as they finished their tasks, leaving Dr. Fields alone with the three. He smiled to Octavia as he finished writing notes in her chart “She had a little trouble waking up from the anesthesia, which is why we kept her a little longer than normal in recovery. She’s doing fine now, she’ll sleep off the rest of the effects and should be on the road to recovery first thing tomorrow.” Octavia nodded, her mind feeling slightly more at ease about things. Another raw cough escaped Vinyl’s throat, drawing Octavia’s attention. The worry was written plainly on her face for Dr. Fields. “That cough is a normal reaction for post-op ponies. It’s an esophageal reaction to the intubation process. Don’t worry about it unless it gets worse in the next twenty-four hours.” He explained. Octavia nodded slightly, her ears folding back “Oh. Alright.” “Dr. Poultice has another surgery to do, but he’ll be up again later to check up on her. Anything you need in the meantime?” he asked. “Um, yes.” Octavia started a bit hesitantly “Who would I speak to about helping Vinyl get cleaned up a bit?” Fields nodded, him ever present smile still affixed on his face “Just speak with the one of the nurses and they’ll set it up.” “Alright, thank you for everything.” She offered a smile in return. Fields grinned widely before taking his leave of the room. Octavia sighed wearily. Bon Bon sat beside her and patted her back lightly. Lyra kept a conspicuous distance from the bed “The worst is over,” she said to Octavia “Things can only go up from here.” Octavia nodded “I hope so. I really do.” “Say, uh…I’m gonna go get some fresh air!” Lyra piped up suddenly. She didn’t wait for a response before ducking out of the room, her fur a shade or two lighter than it’s normal color. Octavia and Bon Bon exchanged a confused glance. Lyra trotted away from the room as fast as she could without looking too out of place. When it had been Bon Bon with a cut and some stitches, Lyra had been fine. Something about the nature of Vinyl’s issues injuries, perhaps the scale, volume, or the smell of hospital antiseptics was making her feel sick. The last thing she needed was to keel over again. It had been bad enough with Bon Bon fretting over her all night and into the morning before they had arrived at the hospital. Celestia forbid if Vinyl ever found out she fainted. Lyra would never live it down. Lyra growled in aggravation as she made her way downstairs. A bit of fresh air to clear her head was just what she needed. Then, she could go back up to Vinyl’s room and be as supportive as she was needed to be. Passing several nurses and doctors who were engaged in some kind of conversation, Lyra inattentively pushed her way out the doors where she walked, horn first, into an unfortunate filly’s backside. The humor of the filly’s surprised yelp was lost on Lyra as she realized what happened “Whoa!” she blurted as she came to a sudden halt, “I’m so sorry! Are you all-oooh my…”her apology died on her lips as she beheld the scene before her. The crowed looked to number somewhere between one or two hundred ponies. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies choked off the street as well as the spacious garden in front of the hospital. The filly Lyra had unceremoniously run into, a unicorn who looked to be in her late teens with a sandy brown coat and a short brunette mane glared at Lyra in mild annoyance, her sapphire eyes narrowed as she regarded the mint-green unicorn. Lyra couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked vaguely familiar. “Wow,” Lyra marveled at the mass of ponies before her, most engaged in quiet conversations “You guys weren’t here when I came in this morning. What happened? Are the Princesses visiting the hospital or something?” The mare’s annoyed look relaxed as she chuckled a bit “No, no, we’re just here hoping to provide some moral support.” “Oh, uh, alright. I’m really sorry I ran into you, by the way. I wasn’t paying attention.” Lyra apologized properly. The filly waved her hoof dismissively. “It’s cool.” She responded before offering her hoof to Lyra “I’m Toccata.” Lyra stared at the filly dumbly, the similarities suddenly snapping into place. “Your dad wouldn’t happen to be the conductor Allegro would he?” She asked coyly. Toccata blushed fiercely. “Don’t say that so loud!” she hissed quietly “So embarrassing…” She mumbled as she facehoofed. Lyra stifled a giggle and extended her hoof out towards the other unicorn. Toccata pressed her hoof against it and shook politely. “I’m Lyra Heartstings, I’m one of the musicians working with your dad on the current tour.” She said with a proud smile. Toccata gasped loudly, her hoof recoiling from Lyra’s to cover her gaping mouth. “Dad told me about you!” She exclaimed, her voice hushing significantly for her next words “You talked to him about Vinyl, that’s who we’re all here for.” “Wai-What?!” Lyra gawped, her jaw hitting the ground and her eyes getting wide. “Yeah, dad told my brother and I what happened. We’re big fans so we told a few of our friends and well,” she looked over her shoulder at the large crowd “word kinda got around…” She grinned sheepishly. “You don’t say.” Lyra deadpanned. “When did you all get here?” “Well, my brother, Fugue, and I came about two hours ago. We’d planned to drop off some flowers and a card, but when we showed up all these ponies were here too. There’s a few journalists poking around too, I think they’ve lost interest though. I haven’t seen them for a while…or my brother, come to think of it.” She looked around the crowed again; her lips pursed in mild annoyance “Not sure where my brother got off to. Probably ran off to flirt with some mare.” Lyra chuckled and shook her head. She and Bon Bon always got hit on whenever they left Ponyville. Part of the benefit of living in a small town meant every eligible bachelor knew they were taken with each other. That privacy had been the main reason Octavia had agreed to move in to Vinyl’s Ponyville home rather than the both of them finding an apartment in Canterlot or Manehatten. “Have you seen her? How is she?” Toccata interrupted Lyra’s silent musings. The mint-green unicorn bit her lip and thought of the best way to answer the question without violating Vinyl’s privacy. “Well, um, she’s sleeping right now.” She answered honestly, Toccata nodded. “I know she can’t take visitors, hospital security made that very clear.” Toccata glanced past Lyra at one of the security stallions by the door. “Do you think you could just tell her we’re all here for her?” “Sure, um, lemme go ask her spouse.” Lyra said vaguely “I’m kinda not in a position to give you any details.” “Hey, it’s cool.” Toccata smiled “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone we talked until you get back.” Lyra nodded and excused herself back into the hospital. Rather than go right up to Vinyl’s room she made a detour to the nearest restroom. She meandered her way over to the sink where she opened the cold-water tap. The rush of the cool liquid into the porcelain basin echoed through the tiled room. Lyra stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t let Octavia or Bonnie walk into that throng unprepared. Vinyl and Octavia had kept their relationship extremely private. It wasn't that they were afraid to be seen publicly together so much as they strongly believed that their private lives were just that; private. Plus Vinyl was exceedingly protective of Octavia and her career. She did everything she could to keep their love tight-lipped so that Octavia couldn’t be blacklisted in the classical music circuits. Lyra was lucky; Bon Bon’s work was more than profitable enough to support them both without the comparative pittance of money Lyra’s street shows or private shows were able to yield. Allegro was one of the few conductors in the industry who didn’t care what his musicians did in the bedroom so long as they were nothing less than excellent with their instruments. Gathering water in her magic, Lyra splashed the cold fluid over her face, gasping as the chill cut through her fur and seeped into her flesh, providing a much-needed jolt to her mind. Sucking in a deep breath, she held it in her lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling. Closing the tap she observed her reflection in the mirror, fur damp, eyes bright. She observed the small condensations of water build along soaked tufts of fur, each drop building in size until it inevitably fell to the sink with a delicate splash. Lyra sighed and shook her head lightly. She couldn’t shake the bad feeling that had settled in her gut. Grabbing a paper towel to dry her face she left the restroom and made her way upstairs. Once back in the room, she became acutely aware of something being markedly different. It took a moment for her brain to register, as it was the absolute last sound she had expected to hear: Snoring. A grin snaked its way across her lips as she turned to face Vinyl’s bed. The alabaster mare’s mouth was ajar, and every breath was accentuated with a gentle snore and occasional cough. Octavia was smiling as though the sound was the most beautiful symphony she had ever heard. Bon Bon waved to her lover, a similar smirk on her face. “Feeling better, dear?” she asked kindly. Lyra offered a noncommittal shrug. “We, uh, might have a situation outside.” Lyra started, earning a perplexed look from both mares. “What do mean?” Octavia asked, doing her best to keep her concern at bay. Lyra was quiet for a moment as she considered how to phrase things before deciding to just get it out there. “There’s a couple hundred ponies out front who came to offer their support for Vinyl. Allegro’s daughter, Toccata, she’s out front too.” There was a very pregnant pause as Octavia and Bon Bon processed the information. Octavia simply stood and trotted out of the room, a blank look on her face. Lyra and Bon Bon stared at the door in silence for a few minutes before they heard the telltale clopping of hooves running across the floor just before Octavia darted back into the room, her eyes wide and slightly panicked. “Told you.” Lyra deadpanned. “W-what do we do?” Octavia stuttered, “I-I can’t go out there! Vinyl wouldn’t want them to see her like this!” “I know, I know.” Lyra said, her hooves raising up in a placating manner. “That’s why I came back up here.” Octavia sat heavily on the floor, her back pressed against the wall as she ran her hooves through her long mane. Bon Bon moved over to her friend and wrapped a hoof around her shoulders. “How’s about Lyra and I go talk to them. We can make sure to be discreet for the both of you.” She lifted Octavia’s chin so she could look the other mare in the eye. Reluctantly Octavia nodded. “Tell them…tell them we appreciate all their thoughts and gestures and Vinyl will be back on her hooves soon.” Octavia said, her voice quiet and her thoughts elsewhere. Bon Bon nodded and stood, Lyra stepping up beside her. “We won’t be long.” Bon Bon said as she trotted out of the room, Lyra close behind. Octavia pressed her hooves to her head and sighed again. A light cough from Vinyl drew her attention back to her love. Quickly retaking her place at the side of the bed, Octavia leaned down to kiss Vinyl’s forehead. “Don’t leave me alone long, Vinyl. There’s a lot of ponies outside waiting for you.” For nearly an hour she sat alone with Vinyl, the sleeping mare’s snores and occasional coughs the only sound in the room. When Lyra and Bon Bon returned, both mares looked slightly exasperated, particularly Lyra who had a large stack of cards and several flower baskets in her magical grasp. “What in the world?” Octavia stared at them. “From Vinyl’s crazy fans.” Lyra deadpanned, thrusting the cards into Octavia’s grasp. Octavia fumbled with them for a moment before she managed to place them beside her cello case. “What on earth happened?” Octavia asked while Lyra set the flowers on the windowsill. “Vinyl’s fans were adamant about ensuring she know’s they are ‘there for her’.” Bon Bon made air quotes sarcastically “It would have been more touching if we weren’t getting our flanks stared at or having reporters trying to get scoops on what happened.” Octavia blushed and shook her head. “I’m sorry you girls had to go through that.” She apologized. Lyra waved a hoof dismissevley. “It’s cool,” Lyra said “You two would do the same for us.” Bon Bon nodded in agreement. Octavia smiled, proud of the ponies she and Vinyl could call their friends. The three spent a couple of hours looking through some of the get well cards while Vinyl slept. Octavia felt herself feeling genuinely happy her fiancé had such an enthusiastic fanbase. She wondered if it were her paralyzed, would the symphony goers be so kind? As the sun set over the horizon Lyra and Bon Bon decided to head home. Octavia walked with them down to the doors, the crowd having long since dispersed. With a hug she bid them both goodnight and made her way back upstairs to speak with the head nurse about getting Vinyl washed. As she reached the top of the stairs, a tan pegasus bumped into her as their paths crossed, a package he had tucked under his wing nearly slipping free from the bump. “S’cuse me.” He mumbled as he moved quickly down the stairs. Octavia watched him leave, wondering if he worked as a package runner. With a shrug she resumed her walk. ‘Bon Bon’s right,’ she thought ‘the worst is over. Finally.’