Through Crimson Eyes

by Level Dasher

Chapter 24: Normal?

“Seriously? You’d never know it if you looked at him,” Mom said. Inkwell sat on top of my bed with me, patting my bare head, happy as a clam. The doctors had started my chemo treatment, but none of the side effects had kicked in yet.

“I know,” Joy responded. “I don’t get it, to be honest; he looks absolutely perfect right now. He hasn’t been feeling well for a while, though. Some of his levels have been off, and his last biopsy could have had better results. If the tests from today come back with similar numbers as last time, then we’ll need to put him back on the list.”

“Maybe it’s our little star over there making the little guy feel all perky.” Dad smiled as he pointed a hoof at me.

I couldn’t help but smile myself as I glared at him, but then I realized what Joy had just said. “Wait, you mean he needs another heart transplant?”

Joy nodded at me. “It certainly looks that way.”

I sighed. “Geez. You oughta talk to Rosebud.”

At that point, my head started aching. I thought it could have been from Inkwell’s tapping at first, but then I realized it wasn’t that kind of headache. It didn’t throb, it just… hurt. I groaned and said, “Hey, it’s great to see you guys, but I think the chemo’s starting to kick in. Maybe you should go; I might want to sleep this off. Come on, little guy.” I lifted Inkwell off me and set him on the lower part of my bed.

“Awwww…” Inkwell complained. “But Crimmy—”

“Oh hush, Inky,” Joy scolded as she lifted the colt off my bed. She looked at my parents and shook her head with a smile. “It must be your son. I haven’t seen mine this happy in ages.” Joy turned to me and said, “Feel better, Crimson. Hopefully we’ll see you soon. Say goodbye, Inky!”

The little colt slumped his shoulders as he slowly waved to me and said, “Bye, Crimmy. Feel bettuh.”

“Thanks, buddy. See you soon.” I waved back to him as they walked out the door.

“I honestly can’t believe you don’t want to be a teacher like Joy,” Mom said. “You’re great with foals.”

I sighed. “I’m great with certain foals. Inkwell is one of those foals.” I could feel my head acting up again, and I groaned. “I’m gonna try to sleep, okay?”

“Sure thing, buddy,” Dad responded. “We know she’s going to come, so if you’re still asleep when Tesla gets here, do you want us to wake you up?”

I shot back with no hesitation, “Yeah. I don’t wanna sleep through Tesla Time again.” I chuckled along with my parents as I leaned back on my pillow. “Besides, the side effects should be gone by then.”

“Good point,” Mom said.

Dad took a long, deep breath before he said, “Have a good nap, buddy.”

I pulled up the covers and answered, “Thanks, Pop.”

“…and if you turn it a little more to the right, you’ll see Pisces, the fish.” I swiveled my telescope, making sure it didn’t hit the window glass.

“It doesn’t really look like a fish. It looks like a check mark with a circle on top,” Tesla said.

I laughed. “Most of the constellations don’t look like what they’re supposed to be. The one I showed you a second ago, Aries, does kinda look like a ram’s horn, but it’s my sign. I favor that one a bit. I didn’t make ‘em; I just look at ‘em.”

“Hey, what’s my sign?” Tess asked.

“Hmm… your birthday’s July… 11th, right?”

“You remembered!” She smiled at me, and I smirked back.

“Yeah, I remembered. I think that’s, uh—” I suddenly stumbled over my hoof and fell into the window. “Ah! Ow…” Luckily for me, I missed my telescope, and didn’t break the window.

“Ohmygosh, are you okay?” Tesla cried.

I rubbed my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. My hoof just gave out. It’s a side effect from the chemo; it’ll go away.”

“Maybe you should get back in bed.”

I sighed, “Fine.” Tess supported me as we walked back to my bed. “What was I—”

“Don’t worry about it. Lemme get you in bed.”

Mom and Dad were in the hall. As I climbed back on the mattress, after pushing my pole over to the side, Mom opened the door. “You two done stargazing?” When she saw me rub my head again, she asked, “Are you alright, Crimson?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Hoof gave out again— made me fall over and hit the window.”

“What? Level, get in here.”

“Mom, I’m fine.” I gave a harsh sigh. “This isn’t the first time it’s happened, remember?”

Dad walked in behind her. “You okay, buddy?”

I rubbed my head again. “Yeah, I’m fine. Please don’t make a big deal out of it.” My parents getting over-excited about minor things had become a frequent, and bothersome, occurrence. “I’ll sleep it off.”

Tess leaned on my bed. “You gonna go to sleep? You want me to go?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s getting kinda late for you anyway, isn’t it?”

Tess hung her head and said, “Probably. My mom’ll get worried…”

Mom came up to her and asked, “Tesla, you talked to your mother about that dark magic, didn’t you?”

Tess looked up at her and said, “Huh? Oh… yeah. She was upset about that. Not at me, just the whole thing.”

Mom leaned down to look at her square in the eyes. “Are you two alright?”

Tess turned away and said, “Yeah.”

“Would you like me to talk to her?”

“I… maybe. I’ll… I’ll let you know.”

As she walked through the door, Tesla called, “See you tomorrow, Crimson.”

“See you tomorrow, Tess,” I called back to her.

After she was sure Tess was down the hall, Mom asked me, “Is she still upset with me, Crimson?”

I shrugged. “I can’t really tell. She might be. You’ve been smart not to bring that stuff up again, though.”

Dad sighed. “Girls are a strange phenomenon, Crimson. It’s hard to tell exactly what they’re thinking. Especially after you marry them,” he laughed.

Mom smiled and glared at him. “Oh yeah? Care to take a guess what I’m thinking now?”

Dad scratched his chin. “Probably something along the lines of hitting me.”

I laughed along with Mom as she said, “Well, we’re not as complicated as you think, then.”

Dad ducked behind my bed. “…Uh oh. Crimson, hide me.” Mom and I laughed again.

“There aren’t many places to hide in a hospital room, mister,” Mom chuckled. She stepped toward Dad as she looked at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “You’re just going to have to take it.”

I’d heard them talking like this before…

“Uh, guys? Can you not do that kind of stuff in front of me, please?” I crossed my forearms and alternated staring at the two of them. “I’d rather you waited until I fell asleep.”

The two of them furrowed their brows at each other for a split second before their eyes went wide and they burst out laughing. Between laughs, they spoke in unison.

“Sorry!”

“Sorry!”

As they stopped laughing, Dad started coughing. When it stopped, he said, “Woah, sorry. Must’ve been a tickle in my throat. I— hey!”

“You read my mind, so I had to do it.” Mom smiled as she retracted her hoof from his shoulder.

“You did have it coming, Dad.” I smirked at him, and he returned the look.

“Good point. Well, now you’ve seen firsthoof why you don’t insult mares right in front of their faces.” I nodded as he whispered in my ear, “You have to wait and do it behind their backs.” He winked at me as Mom hit him again. “I had that one coming, too, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, Dad. Might wanna stop.” I laughed in the middle of a yawn.

“You’re probably right. You want to hit the hay?”

I sighed. “Yeah, I think so.” I snuggled under my sheets. “See you guys in the morning.”

“Alright, buddy. We’ll let you sleep in if we can.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

As they walked out the door, I could hear them talking. “It’s good to see we can still have a little fun with him, despite the restrictions,” Mom said. “At least he can feel a little normal when other friends come to visit, but I’m going to have to oversee some of the things you’re teaching him.”

Dad laughed. “Hey, can’t I have a few guy-to-guy jokes with him?”

I heard a snort. “Jokes, yes. Don’t make them look like lessons, though.”

“Oh, fiiiiiiine.”

The two of them laughed, and I couldn’t help but join them.

Comments

[Topaz Moon]

“Hmm… your birthday’s July… 11th, right?”

Glad I changed the birthday of the character in the story you are editing a few days ago, it was that date.

Nice update

[Dreams of Ponies]

A nice little chapter, and ooh, Tesla and Crimson stargazing... hmm, seems like a waste of a moment where he could gaze at her instead