Extremely Loud, Intensely Bright, Drastically Tense, Exceedingly Tight

by h4ns

Just A Little Bit of You / Hospice

Chapter 32: Just A Little Bit of You / Hospice

Early the next morning, Ponzi Scheme arrived at the crack of dawn and drew the curtain closed. He had to shake his nephew awake. "Bait, wake up."

"Ahh, not now, I'm trying to sleep."

"Bait, this is not the time to be toying with me. Get up."

"Just five more-" Ponzi slapped him once on his still hurting leg. That jarred the young stallion. "What the buck is your... Uncle Ponz-"

"Bait, it's time for you to make your decision."

"What, now!?"

Ponzi didn't utter another word. He just stood there a stared.

"I- I- I need more time than-"

"I've given you plenty of time."

"Isn't there another way I-"

"Yes, you can choose to live on your own for the rest of your life."

Bait-and-Switch lied there in disbelief. "Th- there's no way you would-"

"Oh yes I would. You're of legal age to be put out on your own. Now I'm going to ask you one last time, and I expect an answer. What did you decide?"

"I... I..."

"You have until the count of three. One... Two... Th-"

"Okay, fine, if it means I can come back I'll... stay and-"

"You've made a wise decision." Ponzi began to walk out.

"But, could you at least get me into a different room." Bait lowered his voice. "That... thing there threatened to-"

Bryce yelled through the curtain. "That was a promise."

"Whatever it is you deserve it, but I'm only going to do it because we're family, and so he can actually enjoy his stay here."

"Thanks, Uncle Ponz, your-"

Ponzi left without saying another word.

A few minutes later a pair of nurses arrived to relocate the tan earth pony. As he was wheeled past Bryce he said to the human, "Looks like you're going to have to wait the whole six weeks, doesn't it?"

Bryce replied with a smirk, "Well in six weeks we're going to be living together."

As he was rolled out of the room his face was filled with fear at this sudden realization.

From Bryce's bedside, Nurse Tenderheart asked, "What was that about?"

"It's a long story, but he's the main reason I'm here. I told him I was going to break the rest of his legs because of that."

"Oh... Well if you do it at the hospital he won't have to travel very far," she said with a smile.

"I wasn't really going to do it. I'm just going to let him think I am. But I like your thinking."

"Well it saves time on helping him recover."

Bryce chuckled. "You're not one of those nurses who quietly kills her victims and blames it all on an unknown allergy, are you?"

Nurse Tenderheart said to him, with a straight, cheeky grin, "Available only upon request."

"... Uh... maybe later?"

She continued to smile as she said, "I came here to check your vitals and to let you know that once I'm done your friends will be allowed in to see you."

"What, really!?" Bryce tried to sit up but the pain in his chest kept him from getting up very far.

"Sure, but the sooner we get done the sooner they can see you." She did a few quick checks of his vital signs and refreshed Bryce's bandages before giving him the okay. "Now, before I leave, is there anything I can do to make their visit more enjoyable?"

"Well, could you help me prop myself up?"

"Of course... There, now sit tight. They'll be here shortly."

He heard them all coming before he saw them. "Dinky, Apple Bloom, both of you stop running before you hurt somepony!"

Both of the fillies came running in, pouncing on Bryce the moment they saw him. The pain that shot through him was indescribable.

"Hey, Bryce, are yuh feeling better!?"

"Yeah, we've been worried about you. Hey, do you think you'll be out in time for us to play a little while today?"

"It's been boring not havin yuh home. Even Corn misses you."

"We brought him to see you, but the nurses wouldn't let him come in."

Their ranting was stopped dead when they heard their names called from behind them in a cold manner by Amethyst.

"Dinky...! Apple Bloom...!"

"Uh, h- hey sis..."

"Get off of him, you're hurting him!"

They both hopped down off the bed.

"Now apologize for hurting your friend."

"Ssorry, Bryce."

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's... it's okay..." He said, the pain of them jumping up and down on him still echoing throughout his body.

Ditzy came in after her stepdaughter. "Don't be too mad at them, Amethyst, they're just excited to see him. We all are, right?" The gray pegasus said, giving her a nudge.

"Yeah... maybe a little."

"So how have things been going for you, Bryce?"

"Well, I fell like I've had two rocks dropped on my chest, fed food that crawls in my mouth, and I've been stuck on my back for the past two days. All and all, I'm still alive."

"That's good to hear. Do you feel like you're getting any better?"

"Well, I don't know, but the codeine helps."

Dinky and Apple Bloom both jumped up and hung over the side of his bed. When he saw Dinky he was grossed out at what he say. The bruise that had been on her nose had grown much larger since he'd seen it. It was a a large mark with hues of blue, red, and yellow that covered a large part of her nose.

"Do yuh think you'll be out soon?"

"I- I wish I could, but the doctor told me it'll be at most two weeks until I'm allowed to leave."

"But you'll get out quicker than that, won't you?" Dinky asked.

He tried to avoid looking over at the grayish-purple filly. "I- I don't know."

Ditzy said, trying to reassure the two young fillies, "He'll get out when he gets out." She reached into her satchel and produced some paper and crayons. "Here, why don't you both try coloring something for him? Try and make his room feel more homely."

"Yeah, maybe it'll help him get better quicker. Come on, Dinky, lets make something that'll surprise'em."

They both went to work down on the floor on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, Ditzy and Amethyst came up to him. By then Bryce had taken on a sad expression.

Amethyst asked, "Hey, what's got you so glume?"

"... Is she mad at me?"

"Who?"

"Dinky..."

"No, why would...? Oh, you mean about the-" Bryce looked away from them both. "She isn't mad at you for it."

"Well, are you sure?"

"Yes, she was more upset that you got hurt. She doesn't even act like it happened at all."

"It just... it looks so terrible... Aren't you upset, Ditzy?"

"I was upset when I saw it, but she's acting like it didn't happen. So I'm not going to make a big deal out of it."

"... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, she'll live. Like you said: some ponies are just clumsy. We just have to be glad nopony got hurt... Except for her... and you."

"Yeah... What about the orange one?"

"Applejack, she's... we're not completely sure."

"How bad was her leg broken?"

"She didn't really break it. The circulation to her leg must have been cut off. She's fine, but she hasn't been able to work the past couple of days."

"Did she... say anything...?"

"She hasn't really talked to anypony since it all happened. We're not sure how she is."

"Oh... That sucks... I was going to have a party next week, too."

"You were?"

"Yeah.... Sorry for not mentioning it sooner. It was go to be next Tuesday."

"Next Tuesday, but that's-" Amethyst began to say.

"Gosh, look at the time. I need to get going," Ditzy stuttered. "Amethyst, make sure they both don't stay too long, Bryce needs to get as much rest as he possibly can. If I get home late you can take them both to see him later." She gave her young daughter a kiss before running out of the room.

There was then a silence between them both.

After a few minutes, Bryce asked, "How have you both been doing?"

"Hmm?"

"You and Ditzy."

"We've been getting along better now, actually. I mean, I decided you were right, and what you told me was right. I even asked here myself." The magenta mare began to smile. "She does see me as her daughter, even if I'm not."

"Do you still blame her for-"

"I- I don't blame her as much as I had... I'm still mad that he left, but... Is it wrong of me to feel like I don't want our dad to come back?"

"Well, I would look at it like this: if he didn't want to take care of you both when you were young then he can't just decide to come back and act like he was there the whole time. Regardless of what his reasons were he still abandoned you all, nonetheless."

"I don't understand."

"Just think about it. It'll-"

"Ere, Myce!" Dinky and Apple Bloom jumped up at Bryce's bedside, a single piece of paper in each of their mouths.

He took both of their pictures from them. "Well, these look nice. What'd you draw?"

Apple Bloom spoke up first. "Ah drew yuh a picture of Corn."

"This doesn't look like corn. It looks like my dog."

"But yuh said... Wait, you're pickin on me, aren't yuh?"

Bryce smirked. "Yeah. What about you, Dinky?"

"I- uhm..."

"What's the matter?"

I drew a picture of my family."

"Well, I can see you, your sister, your mother, but who's this here?"

"T- th-"

"It's okay; I won't get mad. Just tell me who it is."

Dinky hopped back onto his bed and pressed herself into his ear. "It's you."

Time felt like it had come to a stand still. From the beginning he had expected he would have to somehow win Dinky back to liking him. Even after reassurance from Ditzy and Amethyst he was positive the most he could expect from Dinky was for her to respect him. But instead, she still felt the same way she had about him. There was no way of telling how she really felt about. How any of these ponies felt about him. To a person like Bryce it was hard for him to feel any sort of emotion as any normal person would. When he was angry, he became anger incarnate. When he was sad, the whole world around him was cold and uncaring. Now he was felling an emotion being laid upon him he'd rarely ever felt from anyone or anything. It was like he'd gotten to eat a whole chocolate all by himself, but this cake felt warmer, more cozy, more filling, and everyone he cared for was with him, sticking close by him. Refusing to leave him even for a moment. Accepting him, his faults, and his shortcomings.

He began to tear up as a long awaited smile finally spread across his face.

"Are you okay, Bryce?"

He ran his fingers through her blonde and white mane, rubbing it firmly into her scalp. "I'm fine, Dinky. Thank you for... for this."

"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's her family; and she's included me in it."

"But I thought you were a part of my family."

Bryce could tell she was jealous. "Don't get mad, Sprout. There's enough of me to be a member of both your families."

"Really?"

"Come on up and I'll show you."

Apple Bloom did so. Immediately Bryce brought her in close. That was enough of an answer for the yellow filly.

Amethyst gave them time to have their moment. After a while she said, "Okay, girls, I think it best we go on and let Bryce get some sleep."

"Ahh, come on, Amy, we just got here."

"Now you know that's not true. Come on, we can come see him later on."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise. Now lets get going before one of the nurses catch us." Both fillies hopped back down from the bed.

"Hey, Dinky, if I get out soon enough there's going to be a party for me at my house. Feel like going to that?"

"I don't know, YEAH!!!"

"Great, I'll try my best to make sure it happens. Now go take care of yourselves."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometime later in the afternoon, after he felt inclined to take a little cat nap, Bryce was shaken awake.

It was Nurse Tenderheart. "I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm need to tell you that we've run out of room and that you'll have a different roommate."

Letting out a yawn, Bryce nodded his head to show he understood.

"Okay, he's going to brought in soon. I only wanted to tell you so you wouldn't be surprised."

Just as Nurse Tenderheart had said, a male earth pony, not much older than himself, was brought in. He was a brawny stallion with a sand beige coat, a short dark brown mane, and a medicine show wagon on his rump. He looked to have once been a strong stallion, but whatever sickness was currently plaguing him had left him no more than a sickly colt. Just watching him having to be helped into his own bed made him look that much more infirm.

Later Doctor Stables came over to the sickly stallion. "Hello, my name is Doctor Stable. Could you please state your name?"

He responded in a gruff tone of voice, "Foreign Goods."

"I have your test results. They aren't good."

Foreign Goods didn't reply.

"I regret to inform you that we've found a hole in your heart. We can't tell how long it's been there, but with its size it would be a death sentence for somepony of your stature to continue working in your line of work."

"You can't tell me to stop working!"

"I'm not telling you to do that, I'm trying to warn you. If you continue to go about like you are your current occupation 'will' kill you. I can't stop you from doing this, but your life 'is' on the line. We're going to keep you here through the night for observation."

Doctor Stable left the room, allowing an earth pony mare to take his place. She was a scrawny mare with an indigo coat, a green and pale purple banded mane that was laced with beads, and a dreamcatcher on her rump. "What'd he say, hun?"

"He told me what we already know. There's a hole in my heart."

"But that's not all he said, is it?"

"He didn't say anything else."

"Goods, don't lie to me. I can always tell when you are."

"You already know what he said, but I can't do it."

"Goods, don't do this. I know it's your talent, but you can't do this to yourself."

"What do you want me to do. Sell off everything I own and settle down!?"

"No, I'm not suggesting-"

"I need to get to Saddle Arabia by the end of the week. They aren't going to wait for me for weeks, months."

"But that could kill you."

"I'd rather be dead then have to sit around, not seeing the world, not living up to my name."

"Is that all you care about, what about me? Aren't I important to you anymore?"

Foreign Goods won't say anything back.

"I see..." She walked away from her coltfriend.

"Haze..." She didn't turn back as she left the room. It was at that second he took notice of Bryce. "What the buck are you looking at!?"

Bryce looked away.

"That's what I thought!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following morning Bryce awoke feeling weak. After the events of last night he would be surprised if things were otherwise.

When the nurse on duty checked him the night before he'd gone to bed looking healthy and well. But when she came in to check on him that morning she was in utter shock at his ghostly appearance. Now he was pale and shivering, despite him being covered in a blanket.

What had equally filled the hospital staff with wonder, however, is how his roommate had done the complete opposite. Foreign Goods had gone to bed with no more fight in him than a comatose patient. The next day he had the strength to take on the Mare in the Moon, if he were so inclined. But even though he wanted to go on and head out, the doctor insisted he stay until they could do a few follow up examinations.

While he waited for the doctor to discharge him, Indigo Haze came back in. They both could just stare at each other.

They both spoke at the same time. "I just wanted... No you..."

Foreign Goods said, "You say what you have to say first."

"Goods, we both said things that we shouldn't have."

"I know, but, Haze, you-"

She held a hoof up to his mouth. "Shh shh shhhh... I know, and I shouldn't have tried to stop you from doing what you love doing. If it hadn't been for that, we would have never met."

"Yeah, I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. Haze, I don't know how you'll react, but I can't stop being a traveling salespony. I've done this all my life. I love you, but I want to die on the road. Not waiting around in some house we've bought."

"I know, and I'm going to be with you the whole way, but I want you to promise me one thing. Don't push yourself so hard. If you feel you need to rest then don't push yourself. It won't matter if we can't get our stuff somewhere if you exhaust yourself too death."

He sighed before saying, "For you, Haze, I'd go to Tartarus and back."

They both kissed.

Doctor Stables came back in. "Mr. Goods, I have... Oh, should I-"

They broke their kiss. "No, whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of her. No matter how bad it is."

"Actually I have good news. Very good news." He presented the pair with an ultrasound. "This ultrasound shows your heart when we scanned it yesterday afternoon." He presented him with a second ultrasound. "And this is the ultrasound we took an hour ago. Do you see any difference?"

"Uh, they both look-"

"To the untrained eye, maybe. But these ultrasounds show that the hole, previously found in your heart, has vanished outright."

"Wait, are you trying to say...?"

"Whatever was troubling you before will never do so again. All we can do is put it off as a miracle of nature. However, just to make sure, we will be giving you another ultrasound shortly. Do you have any further questions?"

"Uhm, I... Is this all for real?"

"As far as we know in this current moment in time? Yes." He left the room.

As soon as he left they both once again had each other in a loving embrace. "Haze can you believe it?"

"I can see it, hun, but I can hardly believe it."

"How do you think this happened?"

"I don't know, maybe... You!" She pointed a hoof at Bryce. "You did this! You may have saved his life!!!"

Bryce looked at her, puzzled. "I had nothing to do with that," he stated.

"You did, I can tell." She came over to his bed. "You did this to him."

"I don't know what you see, but all I can say is that I'm just a human, from Earth, that ended up here after he was struck by lightning."

"You're being modest. It's okay, I don't really care how you did it. I can't thank you enough."

"Haze, don't bother him too much. All the nurses are still keeping a close eye on him. They think he might croak any second now."

"I... You're right. I'm just so happy that you're going to be okay, and that this... human did it out of the kindness of his heart."

It was then Bryce said, "Have you been... smoking something...?"

"... Yes."

"Haze!"

"Calm your flank. I only took one draw."

"How long of a draw?"

"Okay, you got me." She looked back once again at the human lying in bed. "Whether you accept it or not, thank you."

"... You're welcome."

Comments

[Hawkx1]

Unmmm at the end WTF happened?

[Deadinlight]

4314865 somepony was high.

also even bryce is confused

[damnaion]

32# Oooo

[Fireeaters]

He's like John koffee(?) from The Green Mile!

[Cauchemar]

I'm assuming that he can transfer others injuries and sicknesses from body to body (in this case to his own) I guess any injury short of instantly fatal or loss of limbs he can fix

[josue]

4314865 a miracle or he took away their injuries and cast it upon himself this is called cast from hit points where you cast a healing spell that heals whatever Target you're targeting but by doing this you end up taking the injuries your target took upon yourself and other words you're hurt almost as much as they were

[KingCornRobot]

"Well, I fell like I've had two rocks dropped on my chest

feel?

When he saw Dinky he was grossed out at what he say.

Your use of pronouns here confused me at first glance; did he suddenly become grossed out by his own words simply because he saw Dinky, or did you mean to say Dinky was grossed out by what was said and accidentally put an extra "he" in there?

also "say" should be "said" since its something Bryce said in the past, unless you meant to say "saw", in which case what I said before is irrelevant