Triage

by Vargras

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Romance, Big Macintosh, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Nurse Redheart
Length: 10956

The daily life of a simple nurse.

For Ponyville's premier nurse, life is anything but slow - a full-time job, a budding relationship with Big Macintosh, and her own friends and family often leave Redheart's hooves full, and it's all she can do to catch a break.

It's a tough job, but somepony's gotta do it.

Fic is rated Teen for gore (due to medical situations), language, and romantic situations.
Featured on Equestria Daily! Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and commented!

Published 2012-04-03 08:14:03 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-09 20:56:39 UTC

Somnolence

Six in the morning. She had been doing this for years, and yet it never got any easier. With a groan, Redheart rolled over and fumbled for her alarm, smacking the nightstand a few times and knocking over a picture before finally finding her mark. As she slipped out of bed, the white mare let out a quiet yawn, gently rubbing at her eyes with her forelegs as she fought to shake off her own sleepiness. Redheart turned towards the nightstand and muttered under her breath as she gently picked up the portrait, a faint smile spreading across her face as she caught sight of the subject. Not even a picture of Big Macintosh would be enough to cure her early morning grumpiness, however, and she honestly had no idea why she had ever agreed to morning shifts in the first place.

That was a complaint for another day, however. For the time being, she slowly made her way towards the bathroom, and after brushing her teeth, she hopped into the shower. Not surprisingly, the water was cold, and she quietly grumbled about the coming day as the water washed over her. For three years - three! - she had lived in Ponyville, and some of the regulations at Ponyville Medical still confused her to no end. Why was a child like Nursery Rhyme part of the staff? Why was there only one actual doctor at the hospital? And furthermore, was Nurse Sweetheart going to steal her lunch yet again?

She quickly shut off the water and hopped out of the shower, drying herself off as best she could, and began the arduous task of pinning her mane up. Redheart knew full-well that it was done for safety reasons - a long mane gave unruly patients something to grab onto, and it could also be a liability at times. Still, that didn't make it any less difficult to do, especially when one only had hooves and no magic. She had been doing this since nursing school, which certainly made it easier than it could have potentially been, but it was still a hassle that she often wished she didn't have to go through.

The mare let out a faint sigh as she finally succeeded, and she grabbed the towel in her mouth, throwing it into the sink as she made her way towards her kitchen. Breakfast this morning was going to be simple, as it always had been - coffee and a bagel. Part of her felt like a bit of a hypocrite in regards to the coffee. She had always told some of her patients how bad it could be for their health, and yet she still drank it. Unlike them, however, she managed to moderate her intake, and she gave the coffee-maker a gentle kick with one of her hindlegs as she retrieved a bagel from the fridge. At the very least, it looked like Macintosh had cleaned the pot since the last time either of them had used it, something she was certainly thankful for.

As she waited for the coffee to finish, she threw the bagel onto her table and unlocked her front door, briefly stepping outside to retrieve the newspaper. She soon pulled a chair out and took a seat at the table, idly tapping a hoof against it as she flipped through the paper. It was never anything overly exciting or out of the ordinary, but one article in particular seemed to catch her eye. With her curiosity piqued, Redheart leaned forward and took a closer look.

MYSTERY STOMACH BUG TAKES THE WONDERBOLTS DOWN A NOTCH

A mystery stomach bug has apparently put the entire Wonderbolts team on sick-leave, a representative said early this morning. All members of the aerial performance team were taken to medical facilities, though the representative declined to specify which ones. "They're getting the best care bits can buy. That's all you need to know."

Redheart sighed and closed the paper, briefly rubbing her face before grabbing her bagel and taking a bite. If the Wonderbolts had all gotten sick, it meant something nasty was starting to go around, and it would only be a matter of time until Ponyville Medical would have to deal with it as well. She hastily finished what was left of her bagel, then tossed her lunch onto her back and kicked the coffee-maker off - she wouldn't have time to finish it anyways.

With her nurse's cap stuffed in her mouth and her sack lunch balanced upon her back, she made her way out the front door, and there was only one thing on the nurse's mind.

"Damnit, I hate Mondays."

Not surprisingly, the hospital was already busy, and staff members scurried to and fro as they carried out their respective duties. Redheart ignored them, for the time being, and made her way to the nurse's station. She soon approached the assignment board and began to look it over. It took a bit to find her name - recent additions to the staff, most likely - but she soon found it and began to go over her list of patients for her shift.

Nurse Redheart
-Soarin'
-Misty
-Fleetfoot

"That... can't be right." Seeing the Wonderbolts on the list was a bit of a surprise, but that wasn't her biggest worry. Instead, what had confused her was how short the list was. No charge nurse worth their salt would purposely give anypony such a small list of patients, as it inevitably lead to other staff members getting more patients to make up for the slack. Concerned, Redheart quickly tracked down the charge nurse, and she let out a groan upon seeing who it was - Nurse Coldheart. "Coldheart?"

The yellow mare turned around and briefly eyed her before looking back at her clipboard. "Morning, Redheart."

"Coldheart, I think you made a mistake. I've only got three patients on my assignment list."

"Not a mistake. Those three are all you've got for the day."

Redheart blinked and quickly shook her head. "But if I've only got three, then that means-"

"That the others are gonna have more." Coldheart briefly looked over her clipboard from top to bottom and soon turned a page with her nose.

"You do realize that I'm gonna get dirty looks during lunch break, right?" Getting a light workload at Ponyville Medical often meant one of two things - either the patients required more attention than usual, or somepony had managed to become the Head of Nursing's favorite. More often than not, it was the latter, and it often earned the unfortunate recipient a fair amount of scorn. "I mean... only three? This stomach bug can't be that bad, can it?"

"Sounds like somepony did her homework." Coldheart set her clipboard aside and grinned at the white mare. "It's honestly not that bad, but the Wonderbolts are willing to pay a hefty amount if we give their best flyers some top-notch care, so some of ya got small assignment lists."

Redheart sighed and shook her head. "So it's about the money."

"Well... not entirely. We all made an oath when we got our nursing licenses to help everypony, no matter what. The money's a good incentive, though."

"Why are the Wonderbolts here, though? They've always gone to Canterlot or Cloudsdale. I mean, they've got better facilities, and-"

"Overflow."

Upon hearing that, Redheart quickly balked. "...Overflow? You can't be serious."

"Nope." Coldheart simply shook her head and picked up her clipboard once more. "When the article said the whole team got sick, they meant it. Every single pony in the Wonderbolts is sick right now. Cloudsdale took most of 'em, Canterlot took some as well but they were already fairly busy, so we got the others."

"But-"

"You've got a job, Redheart. I suggest you do it."

The white mare soon admitted defeat and made her way towards the nurse's station once more.

Time to get to work.

The first patient on her list - Soarin' - would be easy enough to handle. She had taken care of him before during a very brief stint at Canterlot Hospital, and the light blue stallion had always been fairly easy to take care of. Redheart briefly knocked upon the door to his room and opened it, slowly making her way in as she balanced a tray of food upon her back. "Well, well, well. Look who it is."

Upon hearing her voice, the pegasus rolled over in bed, turning to face her. "Well, at least they gave me a pretty face."

"Quite the flatterer, aren't you?" She grinned and slid the tray off her back and onto his bedside table, sorting out the various foods and drinks that had been prepared for his breakfast. "Haven't been getting into trouble or anything, have we?"

"Oh, you know me..."

"Yeah, I do know you. You're too good of a guy to get into anything too bad." Redheart stopped setting his breakfast up and grabbed his folder from the end of the bed, briefly flipping through it. The nurses from the previous shift had already left her some notes, and some of them made her frown ever so slightly. "Hm. Been having trouble keeping your food down, eh?"

Soarin' shrugged at her. "Water's about all I've been able to keep down."

"Well." She snapped the folder shut and set it aside for the time being. "Let's see if we can't fix that. We're gonna try something a little less... substantial."

"Meaning?"

"Apple sauce, mostly."

The stallion quietly snickered and shook his head. "Apple sauce and apple sauce, with a side of apple sauce. That's breakfast, huh?"

"Pretty much!" Redheart let out a small laugh of her own and pulled his bedside table towards him. "Go ahead and start eating, I just gotta check a few more things."

Soarin' had already picked up a cup of apple sauce in his mouth, and he turned to glance towards her. "Lik'?"

"Don't even play that game with me, mister. You've done this enough to know what comes next. C'mon, wing out." She grinned and slowly shook her head, even as the blue pegasus did as told. He slowly extended his left wing for her and simply went back to eating his breakfast, and the white mare soon bent her foreleg and placed the bend of her leg near one of the joints on the wing. Though earth ponies and unicorns often had their pulse read from an artery in one of their forelegs, there was a much easier way to find it when pegasi were involved - it may have seemed rather odd at first glance, but the wings were actually an excellent site for a pulse reading. The musculature in the wings obviously needed a source of blood, and the various arteries and veins often ran close to the surface of the skin, making it very easy to count the pulse rate.

The stallion set the first cup of apple sauce down and let out a satisfied sigh. "Good call with the apple sauce. I think I actually might be able to keep this down."

Redheart smiled and opened the folder once more, quickly jotting down his vitals - part of them, at least. "Good to hear, Soarin'. I'm gonna have to come back later to get your blood pressure, but your pulse and respiration are well within normal bounds."

"Considering how much I practice, I'd sure hope so."

The nurse couldn't help but laugh at that, and she giggled before closing his folder once more and placing it at the foot of the bed. "At least you're staying positive. Just call if you need anything else."

"Like more apple sauce?" He smiled and gave one of the empty cups a poke, causing Redheart to grin once more.

"Yeah, like the apple sauce. I'll be back in a bit, need to check on some of your team-mates."

"Alrighty. Thanks, Redheart! Real quick, though." Soarin' raised a hoof, and the nurse quickly stopped and turned to face him once more. "Who do you need to check on next?"

She didn't really know why it mattered so much, but Redheart didn't necessarily see the harm in answering either. "Misty's next on my list. Why?"

The light blue stallion quickly began to chuckle and grin. "Oh, you're gonna have fun with her."

Redheart simply sighed in return and left his room, shutting the door behind herself.

Oh, you're gonna have fun with her - that didn't bode well at all.

Misty's room was right next to Soarin's, and though Redheart had never worked with her, the Wonderbolt already had quite a reputation. She had been one of the younger and newer recruits, and yet she had quickly worked her way up the ladder, enough so that she was now part of the main team. Redheart glanced down at her own clipboard and flipped through several pages before finding the additional notes that had been written about her next patient.

Misty
-VS taken by 3rd shift, no VS necessary from 1st & 2nd
-FUO noted
-T reading required
-Pt c/o cramps in RLQ
-WBC recommended

The nurse took a seat upon the floor and idly tapped a hoof to her chin as she went through the notes once more and thought it over for herself. Third shift got vital signs already, less for me to do... fever of unknown origin? Probably the stomach bug, take her temperature and double-check it. Cramps in right lower quadrant? Might be viral. White blood cell count would help verify that, though... that means needles get involved. Nopony ever likes needles.

She would worry about that once she managed to actually get to it - for now, Redheart hung her clipboard on the door to Misty's room and gently knocked before letting herself in. Unlike Soarin', the mare seemed to be fast asleep, and her lights had been dimmed. Such a thing now gave the nurse the unfortunate task of waking the patient up, and Redheart knew just how fleeting sleep could be when one was sick. Still, it had to be done. Everything they did was for the well-being of their patients, after all.

The white mare slowly walked over to the light switches and gradually bumped them up a few notches, hoping for a result. When nothing happened, however, Redheart knew she was going to have to lend a helping hoof. She made her way towards Misty's bedside and gently rocked the pegasus back and forth. "Misty? Time to wake up, dear."

"Ngh... five more minutes..."

"I know the feeling, Misty, but you need to get up. Now c'mon, rise and shine."

Misty slowly shook her head and buried her face in her pillow. "...don't wanna."

Redheart sighed and shook her head. "Should I open the curtains instead?"

"...fine." The light yellow pegasus rolled over towards the source of the voice and rubbed at her eyes - as best she could while she was still hooked up to an IV, at least. "I'm up, just... don't open the curtains."

As the Wonderbolt finally opened her eyes, Redheart gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to. Now then, I'm Nurse Redheart, and I'll be taking care of you for the next few hours. First thing's first, though, I need to get some readings."

Upon hearing this, Misty's eyes flew open, and the pegasus quickly curled up into a ball. "Readings? What... what kind of readings?"

The nurse simply blinked and stared at the huddled mare. Okay, should definitely check her folder. "Just some basic information, Misty. Nothing too serious."

"...Oh. G-good."

Redheart briefly eyed the pegasus as she made her way towards the foot of the bed, and she quickly pulled out the folder and began to flip through it. At the very least, it seemed like Misty had calmed down, but...

Additional Notes
-Patient seems deathly afraid of needles + any other invasive tests. Often complains of IV being itchy. White Coat Syndrome a distinct possibility, in addition to mild hypochondria.

She soon closed the folder and placed it back in its spot, then redirected her gaze towards the Wonderbolt. "Alright, Misty. How are you feeling right now?"

Misty turned to face her, and she sat up in her bed slightly. "Um... g-good, I guess. My stomach really hurts, though."

"Yeah, read about tha-"

"Is it cecitis?"

Redheart paused for a moment and let out a little giggle, shaking her head as she did so. "No, it's not cecitis. What made you think that?"

"Well... uh." The pegasus nervously tapped her front hooves together. "I... I read about it once. Like the symptoms and stuff. And that you can die. And I'd really... really like to not die."

"Misty, dear, you don't have cecitis. All you've got is a stomach bug. You and the rest of your team all have it. And besides, cecitis is almost never fatal."

"What if it spreads, though? And what if I do get cecitis?"

Redheart placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Misty, you're not gonna get cecitis, alright? Have you been able to keep your food down okay?"

The pegasus quieted down somewhat, and simply nodded. The change of subject had seemed to help somewhat, but it was doubtful it would last for long. "What um... what kind of information do you need to get?"

"Well, the previous shift already got your vital signs, so we don't need to do that. Says you've got a fever, though, so I'm gonna need to take your temperature."

"Oh that's... not so bad."

"If you're complaining of stomach pain and cramps, though..." Redheart tried her best to say it in the least frightening way possible, but there was never an easy way to tell somepony that needles would be involved. "...I'm gonna have to draw your blood as well."

Not surprisingly, Misty quickly curled up into a ball once more, and she furiously shook her head. "No. You can do the temperature, but no needles."

"Misty, dear, this is so we can help you get better. The faster we figure out what's going on with you, the faster we can treat you and help you get out of here." She sighed and quickly brushed part of her mane aside. "I don't like needles either, but you have to believe me when I say that we're just trying to help."

"...never liked needles. Always been scared of them ever since I was a filly."

"Alright, um..." Redheart idly glanced around the room as she tried to think of something to perhaps sway the Wonderbolt's opinion. "What if I got you a local anesthetic? Won't hurt as much."

Misty quickly shook her head, fear in her eyes. "No. No no no. No anesthetic."

"I could always sedate you instead, you know. It's one or the other."

The light yellow pegasus sat up once again and rubbed at one of her shoulders with a hoof. "...the anesthetic wouldn't hurt or anything, right?"

"Not at all, Misty."

"Alright. I... guess I'll do it. The anesthetic, that is. And the temperature is just... by mouth?"

"Yep. Nice and easy." Redheart had already retrieved the thermometer and now sat by Misty's bedside. "Open up for me."

The pegasus slowly opened her mouth, and even after closing it around the thermometer, she managed to smile slightly.

This wouldn't be so bad after all.

In the end, things with Misty had gone surprisingly smooth - the Wonderbolt was understandably nervous, especially due to her rather obvious fear of needles. Redheart had managed to break through to her, however, and the blood sample was retrieved without incident. After sending it off to the lab for testing, she hastily trotted towards Soarin's room and took his blood pressure, jotting down the numbers within his folder. Somehow, she had managed to accomplish all of this before her favorite time of the day, a feat that left the white mare quite proud of herself.

Her favorite time of the day was, of course, lunch break. It wasn't as if she hated her job, but life as a whole had been incredibly stressful as of late, and any sort of reprieve from it was certainly welcome. She made sure to tell Nurse Coldheart she was going on break, and then quickly made her way for the break room. Within the fridge was a sack lunch with her name on it, something that she had made sure to write repeatedly all over the entire bag. She was sick and tired of Nurse Sweetheart taking her lunch, and even after confronting the mare over the issue, she continued to do it. Redheart hoped that, maybe by writing her name all over the entire bag, Sweetheart would finally get the message. As she entered the break room and approached the fridge, she closed her eyes and slowly opened the fridge door...

...only to open them and find that her lunch was gone. Again. Fuming, the white mare stormed over to a nearby table and took a seat at it, resting her head against the surface and letting out a groan. With lunch no longer a possibility, Redheart closed her eyes and did the next best thing.

She took a nap.

Redheart found herself in a rather familiar setting - a pond, a brook feeding into said pond, and a tree overhead. She was sitting on a checkerboard blanket, a picnic basket at her side, and sitting next to her was-

Macintosh. I remember this. This was our first date.

She glanced towards him, and the red stallion smiled warmly at her. They had already been together for a month or so, but to see this all over again sent her heart aflutter once more, and she certainly didn't regret having to see this once more. She sat in silence and watched as Big Macintosh opened up the picnic basket and fumbled around for something inside, eventually causing an apple to tumble out. He simply shook his head, the smile never leaving his face as he spoke. "Never good goin' through life with regrets."

Her own hoof pushed the apple towards him, something that he seemed rather thankful for, and Redheart soon heard herself speak. "So, Macintosh... I've got a question of my own."

Sheesh, this feels weird.

"Yeah?" He seemed to fumble around briefly and eventually managed to catch the apple by the stem. With the snack clenched in his teeth, Macintosh threw it skywards and caught the entire thing in his mouth, chewing it with almost no problems at all. She hadn't paid much attention to it back then, but to see it now was... surprising.

Did he just...? Okay, no. Not important. If I remember right, what's next is...

"Why me? I mean... I dunno if you've noticed, but you've had quite a few mares looking your way. You could have your pick of the litter, if you wanted." She felt herself smile nervously - if one was willing to excuse the pun, it was no secret that Macintosh was the apple of many a mare's eye, and so Redheart had found herself somewhat confused that she had been chosen for a date with the stallion above all the others. After all, she wasn't anything special. A simple nurse, and nothing more.

"Hm. And ya wanna know why I picked you fer the date?"

She nodded. "Pretty much."

Macintosh seemed to stare at the pond for a while as he mulled over an answer. "Well... I guess it's 'cause ya sorta went above and beyond when ya were stayin' at the farm and takin' care of Granny Smith. Ya didn't just take care of Granny, but ya took care of the whole darn family. Awful nice to find somepony willin' to go that far."

"Oh. It's... nothing, Macintosh. I was just doing my job."

And a damn good job, too!

He seemed to grin mischievously, and even though she had lived through this once before, Redheart found herself paying attention once more. "Yer job was takin' care of Granny. Nopony said ya had to take care of me or Apple Bloom, or that ya had to get up in the middle of the night just to keep me company."

"Yes, well... somepony had to take care of you, since you wouldn't. And I had trouble sleeping anyways."

And it's awfully hard to stay asleep when a sweetheart like him can't get any rest...

Redheart quickly found herself beginning to fawn over Macintosh once more, and in her dreams no less. As much as she wanted to simply stay lost within her own thoughts, however, things quickly deviated from the norm upon hearing Macintosh speak up once more. "Betcha wish our first date had been more romantic, eh?"

Okay, that definitely didn't happen on our date.

Macintosh began to lean towards her, a faint smile upon his face as he drew ever closer to her, and Redheart found it increasingly more difficult to resist such a... handsome stallion. "Well... kinda."

"C'mere you."

Oh ho, gladly...

"...is she talking in her sleep?"

"Yep."

You're better at this than I thought, Macintosh...

"Who the hay is she even talking about?"

"Pretty sure that's her boyfriend."

Hee... no biting, mister.

"Uh, wow."

"Alright, I've had enough of this."

Nurse Coldheart stomped a hoof against the ground, and it was enough to jolt Redheart awake. The white mare's eyes fluttered open, and she quickly glanced around the break room, letting out a faint groan as she inspected her surroundings. "Ngh... please tell me I didn't drool all over the table."

"You did." Coldheart slowly shook her head, and the yellow mare calmly paced back and forth as Redheart got her bearings. "You've been out of it the past few weeks, Redheart. Naps in the break room, performance has been slacking off..."

Word of her performance certainly caught her attention, and she quickly leaned forward. "I'm performing just fine! I can still do my duties!"

"Redheart, dear... you've got circles and bags under your eyes. You're sleep-deprived."

"No no, I can still do my job. I still need to check on Fleetfoot anyways."

Coldheart shook her head, a determined look upon her face. "I don't think so. If you're tired, you're a liability to yourself and the patients, and I can't have that. Go home and go back to bed. Take tomorrow off too, while you're at it."

"But... you can't do that! I need the hours, and you'll be understaffed!"

"I'm bringing in someone new. They'll cover your shift for you. Now go home and get some rest."

Redheart narrowed her eyes and scowled. "And if I don't?"

"Then the new guy gets to keep your job. Home. Now."

"Fine."

Before she could leave, however, Coldheart stopped her once more, a grimace of her own upon her face. "And before you go, clean up that table. After being here three years, you oughta know better than to sleep in the break room anyways."

As Coldheart and some of the other staff members left the break room, Redheart let out an irritated groan and stared at the puddle of drool upon the table.

Damnit, I hate Mondays.

Repose

To say that Redheart was peeved would be an understatement, and a colossal one at that - she was absolutely livid. After stepping out of the hospital, the white mare had made sure to get herself a healthy distance away from the building, and upon doing so, she let loose. She yelled. She spat. She cursed. She even took her anger out on a nearby tree, kicking it with her hindlegs, though she quickly began to regret doing so as she hobbled away.

She gradually walked off her limp as she moved away from the hospital, and Redheart let out a huff as she pulled out the pin that was holding her mane in place. If she wasn't on-duty anymore, there was little reason to stay in uniform as well, and she quickly threw the pin into a nearby bush and gave her head a good shake. Her nurse's cap soon fell to the ground, and Redheart briefly eyed it before leaning down, picking it up in her mouth, and continuing her trip down the road.

Stupid things cost too much to replace.

In spite everything that had happened thus far, she was still trying to stay on the positive side of things. Now that she had been given the rest of the day off, as well as tomorrow, there were all sorts of things she could do! She could actually get lunch! She could sleep in! She could-

"Howdy, Redheart."

Redheart quickly came to a halt and nearly stumbled her own hooves, but soon managed to regain her balance. After glancing around the area, she turned to face the source of the voice and grinned sheepishly up at the figure. "Uh... hi, Macintosh. I... didn't know Sweet Apple Acres made deliveries out this way."

Macintosh replied simply enough. "We don't."

"Then... what are you doing out here?"

"Got done sellin' our stock for the day, so I figured I'd take a walk." The red stallion inhaled deeply and exhaled, a faint smile upon his face. "Nice day out anyways. Thought you were 'spose to be at work, though?"

Upon hearing mention of 'work', the mare huffed and lowered her head. "Yeah. So did I."

"...ohh. You uh... you doin' alright, Redheart?"

"I've been better, Mac."

"You wanna talk about it over lunch? I've got some food packed, if ya want some of it." Macintosh pointed at his saddlebags and gave her a hopeful little smile, and even that seemed to perk her up a bit - the mention of lunch was just an extra incentive.

"I'd like that."

The two of them had managed to find a quiet spot a fair distance from the road, and Macintosh had already taken his saddlebags off and was rummaging through them. Even as he dug around for the food he had packed, Redheart grumbled and paced back and forth. The stallion briefly glanced towards her and chuckled before returning to his search once again. "Redheart, ya keep that up and yer gonna end up wearin' a rut into the ground."

"Doubt it."

"Yeah, well, Miss Twilight told me she managed to do it to a wood floor."

"Oh c'mon, you can't honestly believe that, Mac."

"Well, if I can't believe that, then how am I 'spose to believe you had such a bad day?"

Redheart let out a sigh and took a seat underneath the shade of a nearby tree. "Macintosh, that isn't fair and you know it. I got stuck with a short list, my lunch was stolen, and then I got sent home. I didn't even get to have my morning coffee!"

"And that's a bad day?"

"...by my standards, yes. Yes it is."

Macintosh carefully picked the saddlebags up with his mouth, carrying them over to Redheart and setting them down in front of her. After taking a seat at her side, he pushed one of the bags over, causing a canteen of water to tumble out, as well as some apples. "C'mon, hun. You gotta be starvin'."

Redheart wasted no time at all and quickly picked up one of the apples, taking large bites out of it and noisily chewing. She hadn't eaten anything at all since that morning, and she was hungry enough that even the grass on the ground was beginning to look appetizing. To any other pony, it may have just been a piece of fruit, but to her? This was a treat. Somehow, Redheart had managed to finish before Macintosh had even begun, and she was now leaning against his side. "I think... that apple is the best apple I will ever have. Not even kidding."

The stallion let out a soft chuckle and he glanced down at her. "Is it 'cause you were hungry, or 'cause you were havin' a bad day?"

"Both."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." She sighed and absentmindedly rubbed a cheek against his side. "You've been the only good part about today."

Macintosh looked down towards the white mare, a faint frown upon his face. "It wasn't really that bad, was it?"

"Mac... I had to get up at six in the morning, sit through a cold shower, and skip coffee and most of a bagel because I didn't have enough time for either. I show up for work and get assigned an incredibly small amount of patients, which makes the rest of the staff mad at me, and then I finally go on lunch break and discover that somepony swiped it yet again. And then, to top it all off, the charge nurse sends me home. It's the first time I've ever been sent home in my entire career. I'm tired and I'm irritated." Redheart sighed once more and looked up at Macintosh with a frown of her own. "Yes, it really has been that bad."

"...you still like what you do, don'tcha?"

"Of course I do, Mac. I just... I dunno."

"It's the other ponies, ain't it?" He gently brushed her mane away from her face and offered her a comforting smile. "You wanna talk about 'em? Might make ya feel better."

"I guess." Redheart shrugged ever so slightly, and the mare threw a foreleg around Macintosh, giving him a gentle hug. "There's... Sweetheart. Always steals my lunch, every damn day. Even if I write my name all over it, she takes it."

"You try talkin' to her?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't do any good. And then there's Nurse Coldheart. She's charge nurse for the morning shift."

Macintosh raised an eyebrow and peered down at her. "What's so bad about her?"

The white mare let out a groan and shook her head. "Everything. I don't know if she hates me or what, but she's always screwing me over somehow. Either my patient lists are short, which makes everyone else mad at me, or she gives me all the unruly patients, which makes my job extremely difficult. And I've reported Sweetheart to her numerous times now, and she won't do anything about it."

"You try reportin' her to some of the higher-ups?"

"It's pointless. She's been there longer than me, and the previous charge nurse finalized her transfer over the weekend, so... the job is basically hers now."

"Anything else ya wanna get off yer chest, hun?"

"Well... I've lived and worked here for three years, Mac. Three years, and so much of it just seems... backwards. For starters, we've got a filly as part of the staff. A child is running the front desk at the hospital, and during night shifts no less! And not only that, but I swear that there's only one doctor for the entire hospital. It's not that he does a bad job, but only a single doctor for an entire hospital? I mean, I know Ponyville Medical is a small hospital, but only one doctor is just stupid." Redheart huffed and rubbed her face against Macintosh's side. "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better for me to have just stayed at Canterlot Hospital, or Baltimare Medical."

The stallion placed a hoof under her chin and gently lifted her face until her gaze met his own. "We wouldn't have met, ya know."

"I know, but..."

"You feel like they don't appreciate ya or respect ya."

Slowly, and with a bit of hesitation, she nodded. "Kinda."

"For what it's worth, Redheart, I do. What you do ain't easy."

"Sometimes it feels like you're the only one who does."

Macintosh sighed and cocked his head. "Redheart, ya know that ain't true. There's plenty of ponies that are glad yer around."

"...sure doesn't seem like it."

"You've been awfully bitter all of a sudden. Everything okay, hun?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly stopped herself. As much as she wanted to say that everything truly was fine, she also knew that such a thing was a blatant lie, one that Macintosh would likely pick up on. Truth be told, she wasn't fine. She was stressed out from work, which was affecting her sleeping habits, which was then also affecting her work. It was quickly turning into a rather vicious cycle, and though she knew she needed help, she also didn't want to worry Macintosh. At that point, Redheart decided to do the next best thing - she would be vague. "It's... nothing, Mac. Just stress."

"Just stress? I ain't buyin' it." The stallion shook his head and frowned at her. "I've seen how ya look today, Redheart. You ain't lookin' too good."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Macintosh rolled his eyes and sighed. "I mean that ya look tired."

"...Alright, so I haven't been sleeping well lately. It's no big deal, Macintosh. Really."

"And how long has this been goin' on?"

Redheart laughed nervously and gave him a sheepish grin. "Um... a week. Or two. Or maybe three."

"Why didn't ya say anything, Redheart? If you were havin' that much trouble gettin' to sleep, I would've stayed the night with ya."

"Because I didn't think it was a big deal!" Redheart huffed and closed her eyes, rubbing a hoof against her forehead. "We're both busy ponies, Mac. We've only been together for a month, but I know how busy you can be with Sweet Apple Acres, and I didn't want to bother you with something like that. And besides, missing an hour or two of sleep isn't going to kill me."

"Redheart? I want ya to do somethin' fer me. I want ya to take a nap."

"...right now?"

"Right now. You need the rest." Macintosh chuckled and grinned at the mare. "I'll even be yer bed, if you don't wanna nap on the ground."

"Such a gentleman!" The mere thought of the stallion being a bed made her giggle, and Redheart gave his side a playful poke. "I appreciate the offer, Mac, but the ground will be just fine."

"Suit yourself." He slowly lowered himself to the ground, letting out a soft sigh as he rolled onto his side. "Could go fer a nap mahself. Been up since four in the morning."

"Sheesh, you get up earlier than me."

Macintosh cast a wayward glance up towards the mare. "Eeeyup. C'mon now, Redheart. No more delays."

"Alright, alright." Redheart gently eased herself down, letting out a groan and briefly closing her eyes as she made contact with the ground. "Feels like I haven't laid down in ages."

"'Cause yer exhausted, hun."

She quickly snuggled up against Macintosh, and a yawn slipped out as she lightly leaned against him. "I hate when you're right."

"And why's that?"

"...no reason, really." Redheart leaned up and gave the stallion a light kiss before settling back down, a faint smile upon her face. "That's for cleaning the coffee pot."

Macintosh grinned and chuckled softly. "Ya didn't really get to use it, though."

"I know, but... it's the thought that counts." The white mare let out another yawn and closed her eyes, the smile never leaving her face. "Thanks, dear."

As Redheart slowly drifted off to sleep, Macintosh gazed out from their spot beneath the tree and let out a yawn of his own, soon closing his eyes to join her in slumber.

"Any time, hun. Any time."

R&R

Of all the days in which something could go wrong, it had to be this one - Redheart’s lunch was finally left intact, and she was still pulled back to work in the middle of her lunch break. As she pushed her way out of the break room, ponies scurried to and fro, all of them carrying out their tasks in the fastest way possible. It was rare indeed for the hospital to ever be this busy, and the white mare quickly ran off to try and get some answers.

She soon found just the pony she was looking for. Nurse Coldheart, who was once again placed as charge nurse for the shift, was in the midst of barking out orders to several other employees, and she quickly turned to address Redheart. “Ah, there you are! Glad you got the message.”

“Nurse Coldheart, what’s going on? Why’s everypony in such a hurry?” Another nurse soon ran by, bumping into Redheart and causing her to let out an irritated sigh - now wasn’t the time for that, though, and she knew it.

Coldheart slowly shook her head and turned to her clipboard. “Bad accident at the townhall. Part of the building collapsed, caught some ponies in it.”

“The townhall again? I thought we paid to have that stupid place fixed!”

“So did I.” The charge nurse frowned and flipped through several pages. “Some pretty severe injuries, got a few patients in critical condition. Start checking on patients, I need to see when these organs are supposed to show up.”

Redheart blinked in shock and quickly leaned towards Coldheart. “Organs? We honestly need organ transplants? It’s that bad?”

“Yep. And so far, I don’t like the numbers I’m seeing.” The yellow nurse sighed and shook her head. “Look, get to work, and I’ll worry about the organs, alright? That’s an order, Redheart.”

With great reluctance, Redheart left Coldheart’s company and began to wander the halls of the hospital. Nurses and aides ran from room to room, attending to the influx of patients, and the white mare found herself staring at a list of the patients from the accident. The collapse of the townhall had caused a surprisingly small amount of injuries, and for the time being, no deaths. As she pulled herself away from the list, she let out a faint sigh of relief - throughout her career, she had yet to have a patient die on her, and though she knew it was inevitable, she still didn’t want it to ever happen. Injuries were something a pony could recover from, and a death... was not.

Before she could think on the matter any further, Nurse Coldheart quickly ran up to her side. “Redheart, follow me. We’ve got a situation.”

“Situation? Coldheart, that doesn’t sound good.” Nurse Redheart quickly began to run as well in an effort to keep up with the yellow mare, and Coldheart was already flipping through her clipboard, even as she traveled through the hospital.

“It’s not. We’ve got two patients, both in critical conditions, and both going through liver failure as a result of their injuries. They both need transplants immediately.”

“And... the organs?”

Coldheart stopped walking and let out a sigh before lowering her head. “Could only get one.”

“...what?”

“I said I could only get one organ. They both need an organ transplant immediately, and without it, they’re both going to die.”

“But...” Redheart looked around the hospital, as if she were looking for an answer of some sort. “There’s... there’s only one organ. That means that-”

“One of them is going to die. I know.”

“You can’t just sentence a pony to death, simply because there isn’t another organ!”

“Redheart, look at me.” Coldheart’s own expression had hardened, and she spoke to the white mare in a stern voice. “We do nothing, two ponies are going to die. We do something, only one does. I don’t like it either, but... when you practice medicine, sometimes you have to make hard choices. I need you to help me with that very same thing, Redheart.”

With every passing moment, Redheart seemed increasingly more distraught. “I... why me, Coldheart?”

“Because you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. I know this isn’t an easy thing to ask, but... I need your input. I need to know who gets the organ.”

Nurse Redheart simply stared at the clipboard in front of Coldheart, and though it was just a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity. As a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead, she swallowed and nodded. “A-alright. Tell me about the patients.”

“Right. First patient is a pegasus mare, early 20’s. Currently undergoing liver failure, other severe injuries as well.” Coldheart let out a faint sigh and turned the page before continuing. “Second patient is an earth pony stallion, late 50’s. Also undergoing liver failure, but the other injuries are much less mild.”

“I...” Redheart swallowed once more and continued to stare at the clipboard, her thoughts racing. “I don’t know.”

“Redheart, I need an answer. We can’t hesitate, or we’re going to lose both of them.”

The white mare’s pulse began to quicken, and another bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to panic, and she found herself constantly glancing around the hall of the hospital. “I don’t know!”

“Redheart, I need you to stay calm, and I need an answer.”

It became increasingly more difficult for Redheart to keep her balance, and as her own breathing rapidly increased, she furiously shook her head, her eyes tightly closed. “I don’t know!”

“Redheart? C’mon, settle down!”

She began to sweat profusely, and she took a shaky step forwards before collapsing to the ground, letting out a choked gasp as she struggled for air.

“Redheart? REDHEART!”

Redheart awoke with a gasp, her body covered in a cold sweat. As she slowly caught her breath and looked around the room, the white mare let out a groan and placed a foreleg to her face, rubbing her eyes. “...not again.”

It was still the middle of the night, and though she had just had a nightmare, she felt a bit relieved that she was still within the safety of her home. She wouldn’t mind them so much if they weren’t so vivid, and simply thinking of what had happened in the nightmare caused her to grimace as she felt her chest tighten slightly. Redheart sighed and stared off into the darkness, and as she did, there was another groan beside her.

“...you okay, hun?”

She glanced down towards the red stallion, a faint smile upon her face. “I’m... fine, Mac. Just having some trouble sleeping, is all.”

Macintosh sat up in bed slightly, and she was fairly certain that he had narrowed her eyes at her - it was rather hard to tell when he was still half-asleep. “Don’t even try lyin’ to me, Redheart. You don’t wake up covered in sweat, just ‘cause ya weren’t sleepin’ well.”

Redheart huffed and rubbed a hoof against her forehead. It had always been incredibly difficult to slip a lie past Big Macintosh, something they were both well aware of, and she certainly wouldn't be able to do it now. "Mac, it was just a bad dream. That's it."

The stallion raised an eyebrow at her, a faint frown upon his face. "...Redheart."

"Alright, fine." The earth pony sighed and shut her eyes before falling back onto her pillow. "It's been a recurring one, but... I can handle it."

"Redheart, hun." Macintosh reached out to the white mare, wrapping his forelegs around her and pulling her into his embrace. "If it's botherin' you, you know you can tell me."

"I know, I know... but I'll be fine, Mac."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She rolled over to face him, a faint smile upon her face as she leaned up to give him a kiss. "I... envy you a little bit sometimes, you know."

Macintosh snickered in return and looked down at her. "Really now?"

"Yeah. I mean, working in the hospital is my dream job - I'm helping others, after all - but it's just so... stressful. It's not easy. Meanwhile, you get to work in the orchards. Just you and the trees, nopony really depending on you. It sounds kinda peaceful."

"Wanna give it a try yerself?"

Redheart blinked and peered up at him. "...really?"

"Sure. You come with me and work the orchards for the day, see how ya like it after that."

"Just like that? No catches, no strings attached?"

"Only catch is that ya go back to sleep. You need some rest, hun."

The mare smiled and gave his chest a poke with one of her hooves. "Hope you don't plan on staying up, mister."

"Nnnope." Macintosh smiled back in return and leaned down to give her forehead a gentle kiss. "G'night, Redheart."

Redheart soon closed her eyes and snuggled up against the stallion, burying her face in his coat.

"Good night, Mac."

When she next awoke, it was daybreak, and the empty spot beside her made it quite obvious that Macintosh was already up and about. The clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen told her just where the stallion had run off to, and Redheart smiled to herself as she rubbed at her eyes. Cooking seemed to run in the Apple family, and it was something Macintosh was quite good at. At the very least, he was better than she had ever been, and it had since become the norm for him to make breakfast after staying the night.

It would still be several more minutes before he would call for her, and with a grin upon her face, the white mare rolled over into the spot vacated by Big Macintosh and buried her face in his pillow. Even now, she could still pick up his scent on it, and Redheart took in a deep breath before letting out a content little sigh - it was an earthy scent, with a faint hint of both apples and sweat, and she had always managed to find comfort in it.

"Redheart? You up?"

She pulled herself away from the pillow and rolled out of bed, giving her legs and back a good stretch upon making contact with the floor. Despite having a nightmare, she had actually managed to sleep quite well, and she was almost convinced it was because of Macintosh's presence. Still, she couldn't exactly ask him to stay the night twice in a row, so she would simply have to do without him the next night. As she walked into the kitchen, Redheart let out a quiet yawn and smiled as she spotted Macintosh working by the stove. The mare slowly walked over towards him, leaning up to give the stallion a peck on the cheek. "Good morning, love."

Macintosh said nothing in return, but simply looked down towards her and smiled, and he finished up breakfast not long after. It was a simple meal, something they were both certainly used to - oatmeal and toast, with some apple jam Macintosh had given to Redheart as a gift not long ago. In between bites, the white mare casually flipped through the pages of the newspaper, humming to herself as she took another bite.

"So, ya ready for some work?"

"We're really gonna do it, then?" Redheart raised an eyebrow at Macintosh as she reached for her glass of juice, and she took a quick drink before setting it down. "I mean, I know it was the middle of the night, so... didn't know if you meant it, or if you were just saying it to try and get me to go back to sleep."

"Nah, I meant it. AJ's probably already workin' the fields. She knew I'd be a lil' bit late, so it ain't too big of a deal if we take our time with breakfast an' all."

"No sense in keeping your sister waiting, Mac." The mare scarfed down the last of her toast and took another drink before hastily carrying her dishes to the kitchen sink. She could always wash them after she got back home, and she found it rather funny just how excited she was over the idea of working the orchards with Macintosh.

In contrast to how fast she had been doing everything, the stallion had instead taken a slower pace. After standing up and taking his own share of dishes over to the sink, Macintosh slowly walked past Redheart, leaned down to give her a quick peck on the cheek, then opened the door for her. "C'mon now. If yer in such a hurry, then let's get to it."

With a wide grin upon her face, Redheart hurried out the door, and Macintosh soon followed as well. She couldn't recall the last time she had ever been this excited over work, but... she was. As the two of them made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres, there was only one thing on her mind.

It's just applebucking. How hard could it be?

On a morning such as this, Sweet Apple Acres was the very picture of tranquility. Celestia's sun had just barely begun its flight across Equestria's sky, and Applejack had already begun her chores for the day. She knew Macintosh would be late, of course - her brother told her about how Redheart had gone through a rough day at work, and how he planned on spending the night with her to make sure she was alright. Of course, he never said just what it was that they did when he stayed the night at Redheart's house, but that was hardly her concern. They were both adults and were free to do what they felt was appropriate with their relationship, after all. Not only that, but they did make for an awfully cute couple...

With a screwdriver clenched in her teeth, Applejack tightened yet another screw on the plow, spitting the tool out and rubbing at her forehead as she looked off towards the horizon. Off in the distance, she could distinctly make out two shapes - a red one, and... a white one? She squinted once more, the shapes becoming a bit more clear as they drew closer. Sure enough, it was Macintosh and Redheart. Applejack simply couldn't figure out why Redheart was here as well. There was the possibility that, maybe, Macintosh had brought Redheart along in order to give her an examination. She had been working awfully hard as of late, so an examination wouldn't hurt, and yet... The orange mare took another look, then shook her head. Redheart was out of uniform. She clearly wasn't here on business.

As the pair finally arrived, Applejack sat up and walked towards the two of them, giving them both a simple nod. "Mornin', you two."

"Mornin', sis." Macintosh took a few steps forwards, then peered down at the plow. "Coulda sworn I already tightened those."

"Well if ya did, Big Mac, then ya did a crummy job. I had to do it again." The orange mare turned towards Redheart, a faint grin upon her face. "Wasn't expectin' to see you here. Decided to just walk with Macintosh?"

Redheart smiled in return, and slowly shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm here to do a bit of work."

"...ya mean medical stuff, right?"

"Erm... well, no."

Applejack sighed and quickly turned to look over her shoulder. "Macintosh, what did ya do this time?"

The stallion looked back up and towards his younger sibling, and chuckled softly. "Well... Redheart was talkin' about how easy she thought it would be to work here, so I thought I'd give her a shot at it."

"Ya know what that means, right?"

"Eeyup."

"And ya think she can handle it?"

"If I didn't think she could, AJ, I wouldn't have offered." Macintosh stood up and nodded once. "She'll be fine, sis. Besides, you had all yer friends help us out with the Flim Flam Brothers, 'member?"

"Yeah, yeah... I remember." Applejack sighed and briefly glanced towards Redheart. "I'm trustin' ya with this, Mac... she's your responsibility, not mine."

"Suit yerself, AJ. C'mon, Redheart. Let's get to work."

Macintosh walked away from the plow and towards a distant tree, and Redheart soon began to follow him, keeping pace with the stallion. She had walked through the orchards before, but now felt... different. Perhaps it was her own relationship with Macintosh, or maybe it was the fact that she would actually be working these fields in just a few short minutes, just as members of the Apple family had done in the past. "You think she's mad, Mac?"

"Nah, she'll be fine." The red stallion had already picked out the first tree for Redheart to try. The tree was a bit on the short side, but still managed to bear fruit, and it had been a bit of an Apple family tradition to have the foals of the family try their first applebuck on it. Macintosh stepped up to it and placed a hoof upon the bark, smiling to himself. "Alrighty, Redheart. Here we are. I want ya to give this one a try."

She had bucked a tree before, of course - she still remembered what had happened just yesterday, when she had taken her anger out on a tree. Unlike Macintosh and Applejack, however, this wasn't a job for her. They both had a refined touch, and as silly as it might have sounded in her head, they did indeed have a practiced way of going about kicking a tree. Redheart approached the tree, looked up at it, and brushed a bit of her mane away from her face. It was a bit intimidating, especially with her own boyfriend watching her, but she knew she could do this. The white mare firmly planted her front hooves, turned in place, and gave the tree a sharp kick, causing most every apple to fall down from the branches. With a smile upon her face, Redheart hopped backwards, and beamed up at Macintosh. "I... I did it! With one kick! I really do have it in me!"

Applejack just happened to be walking past at that very moment, the plow being towed behind her, and the orange mare turned towards the pair and grinned. "Pretty sure Mac is puttin' somethin' in ya."

That drew a stern look from Macintosh, and the stallion huffed as he turned towards his sister. "AJ!"

"Just a joke, Macintosh."

Redheart stepped towards the stallion and leaned up to give him a quick nuzzle. "Oh, don't worry about it. Like she said, it's just a joke. Besides, I think she might be a little bit jealous."

"Jealous? I ain't jealous of nopony! Me an' Twi have been together for over a month now, and we're both as happy as can be!" With a huff, Applejack began to walk away from Macintosh and Redheart once more, dragging the plow along as she headed for the barn.

Redheart, on the other hand, had a faint frown upon her face. She... had actually managed to forget that Applejack and Twilight were even dating. She had seen them around town before, been told about it by Macintosh, and they had even started to date around the same time that she and Macintosh had started - and she still managed to forget. "...I didn't mean to insult her or anything. She's... not angry at me, right?"

"Takes an awful lot to make Applejack angry. It's probably stingin' a bit for her right now, but she'll get over it. Ready to try some more?" Macintosh looked expectantly towards Redheart, and upon seeing her smile at him, he returned one of his own. "That's a 'Yes', if I ever saw one. C'mon, hun. We're gonna be awfully busy."

As Redheart soon found out for herself, what Macintosh had said hadn't been a joke at all. They immediately set to work, clearing row after row of the orchards and collecting the literal fruits of their labors, and as they did so, she quickly began to realize that maybe she was in over her head. She had always thought of work at Sweet Apple Acres as being relaxing and peaceful - she never knew just how back-breaking the work could truly be. They had only been at it for an hour or two, and Redheart already found herself sweating, and unlike her, Macintosh didn't seem tired at all. In fact, it looked as if he was only now hitting his stride.

Her first few trees only took a single kick, though that soon became two, and then three, and then four. When lunchtime finally rolled around, she found herself silently cheering. She was so very ready for a break, and Redheart let out a quiet groan as she took a seat, her body aching and burning from all the strain she had put it through. She was managing to work muscles she didn't even know existed, and part of her was beginning to dread her return to Ponyville Medical the next day - she was going to be very sore the next day, and the prospect of working a shift in that condition did not seem appealing at all.

Not long after they began their break, Applejack appeared with a plate full of sandwiches, and all three ponies sat beneath the same tree and talked over lunch. Redheart made sure to apologize for what she had said earlier, and the orange mare did the same in turn. Their talks largely consisted of their own relationships, and both mares spent the time getting the other caught up on things - Applejack spoke of how she and Twilight had been doing and what they had been up to, and Redheart did the same in return, telling the earth pony how wonderful and polite her brother was. It hardly seemed like much of a surprise to Applejack, and she gave a few grins towards her elder brother, who simply sat in silence through it all.

Lunch eventually came to an end, however, and with it meant a new wave of chores that needed to be completed. When she wasn't applebucking, Redheart found herself running to and fro, fetching one thing or doing another chore of some sort. She crushed grapes, pulled plows, fed pigs and hens, and it was then that she realized something - Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville Medical weren't so different after all. Both were hectic jobs, which required a frenzied pace at times, and both required a practiced touch. They were both difficult, but necessary jobs, ones that were performed with pride day after day, week after week, and Redheart realized something else. When Macintosh asked how her day had been, or when he had been there to cheer her up after a stressful week of work, he wasn't doing so simply because she was his girlfriend. He did it because he could sympathize, because he had been through much the same as she had, and it made her appreciate him and what he did even more.

The hours ticked by, and with it came the eventual end of the work day. Redheart had been utterly exhausted by the days events, and she now found herself draped over Macintosh's back, wincing with every step he took as he carried her back to her home. "Macintosh?"

"Hm?"

"I hurt everywhere."

"I know, hun."

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her, a faint grin upon his face. "Dunno what yer talkin' about."

"...Mac."

"You know I can't say 'No' to ya when you start actin' like that." Macintosh chuckled quietly and turned back towards the road in front of him. "Yeah, I did it on purpose. I figured you needed a bit of tough love, just to show ya that what you do ain't too bad. You're good at it, and you love doin' it. Besides, me and you? We aren't so different."

"No... I suppose we aren't." Redheart smirked and gave his stomach a gentle poke with one of her hooves, causing him to look over his shoulder once more. "I wouldn't mind a little more tough love, you know. Just... need to get cleaned up first. I've got grape juice all over me."

The red stallion let out a loud guffaw in return, slowly shaking his head. "Not tonight, hun. Awful easy to tell how tired you are, and besides - you got work in the mornin'."

"I know, I know. Just thought it wouldn't hurt to ask."

It wasn't much longer until they reached Redheart's home, and Macintosh was quick to carry her inside and get her cleaned up. The bath was more painful than she had anticipated, and she found herself wincing and hissing every time he scrubbed at the grape stains and dirt on her coat. If she was this sore now, then she would certainly be feeling this in the morning, and it simply made her dread that inevitable moment even more. With the last of the stains removed, Macintosh pulled Redheart from the tub as gently as he could, then dried her off and carried her to bed. He had even gone so far as to tuck her into bed, something she found a bit silly but sweet nonetheless. As he pulled the sheet over her, the stallion looked down at her with a smile. "Need anything else before I go?"

Redheart knew what she wanted, of course, and she looked back at him with a smile of her own. "How about a kiss goodnight?"

"I think I oughta be able to do that." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, once which she was all too eager to return, and he soon pulled back up, making his way over towards her bedroom door and shutting off the lights. "G'night, hun. I'll see ya after you got off work tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, Mac. Love you." As Redheart rolled over onto her side and curled up beneath her sheets, Macintosh gave her one last smile and slowly shut the door behind himself, giving her three little words before she quickly drifted off to sleep.

"Love you too."