Far Away

CHAPTER X

Daring paced nervously in the lobby of the hospital, awaiting the word that Jack was going to be fine. Long hours had passed and it was driving her crazy. The purely white lobby had no decorations except for a red cross behind the reception. There was nothing to look at, to stop her mind from thinking about Jack. There was nothing to tear her mind from him.

Darwin was reading one of his thick dusty books on a soft white couch, and was periodically peering over the book to glance at Daring. She looked nervous. The pacing was about to drive Darwin crazy as the clop of her hooves timed an orchestra of nothingness except for the out of sync clock on the wall.

Daring suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked at the clock. It displayed 3:48. Jack was in intensive care for about three hours now and Daring’s mind has begun thinking about things she had never thought she would even dream about. Vivid pictures of Jack laying in a coffin, Daring sitting next to him looking helpless. Daring walked over to the reception desk.

“Excuse me,” she said, “Do you know the condition of Jackson Wanderer?”

The pony at the desk flipped through thick wads of documents and pulled out a file.

“Yes, I do, he is currently in a critical condition due to blood poisoning and lack of blood. I’m sorry ma’am but there is a high chance of fatality. He is undergoing surgery,” said the receptionist.

Daring walked back over to Darwin, her dam that blocked the flood of emotions was about to break spectacularly. She sat down next to Darwin stiffly and remained silent. She knew that if she tried to speak, the dam would bust. Darwin laid a hoof over her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” he asked cautiously as he sensed something was wrong.

Daring just shook her head slightly and stared at the pendulum under the clock. The clock ticked away every single second, which Jack could have died. She braced herself as she knew the damn would no longer hold what she had denied for so long.

“I need to tell you something,” she said to Darwin, her voice trembling.

“Yes?”

Daring blurted out everything that the receptionist had told her and then collapsed into him, her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. She really wished she could have treated him nicer, in the few days’ time she had known him for.

A doctor wearing a white coat approached them. He just sat down next to Daring as he flipped through his papers. Daring sensed his presence and looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Well, we have some good news and some bad news, which one first?”

“Bad news,” answered Daring her voice wavering.

“Ok, bad news is that Jackson will not be able to walk for three days and also will not be able to physically exert himself for two weeks.”

Daring couldn’t believe what the doctor had said, “What? Is he alive?”

“Yes, he is and now he is in a stable condition. You can visit him. That’s the good news.”

Daring stared for a few moments.

“Were you the one who performed the surgery?”

“Yes. Yes, I was.”

Daring looked at him for a second before crushing him in a hug.

“Thank you so much.”

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

Daring walked down the white hall. She finally found Jack’s room, room 517. She opened the door and looked at the bed. Jack was awake, with a drip in his left leg and reading a magazine. Daring entered and closed the door as softly as possible albeit in Darwin’s face. She trotted softly next to him and ponced like a lion onto its prey.

“Woah!” exclaimed Jack.

Daring crushed him in a hug, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re all right!”

“Of course I am,” replied Jack.

“I thought you died!” she replied.

“Do not ever think of anything like that again, ok?” Jack told her firmly, “I will be with you forever to the end.”

She found herself comfortable in his arms. A comfort she had never experienced before. A spark was ignited inside her that nothing could put out. She looked up into Jack’s brown, confident eyes.

“Me too,” she whispered as she drew closer to him, feeling his warmth against her fur.

The moment ended when Darwin came in with a giant book in his hooves. ‘Celestia dammit,’ she thought mentally when he came in. He just had to ruin the moment didn’t he? Darwin sat in a chair next to the bed, occupied by Jack and Daring, hanging off slightly.

“Are you ok?” he asked timidly.

“Yes I am.”

“By the way,” said Jack, “where is my stuff?”

“Oh don’t worry, all back at my apartment.”

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

Jack walked into the small, cosy apartment, where Darwin stayed during his research. Jack slumped down onto a large sofa at the edge of the living room. Daring followed suite. Darwin went into his spare bedroom and took out their things. Jack felt good with his revolver back to where it should be.

“Do you have a place to stay for the night?” asked Darwin.

“Yes, at a motel we booked into four days ago (I really have lost track of time. Four days is an estimate.),” said Daring.

“Do you want me to bring your stuff over from there? You can stay here for the time being. It’s free of charge.”

“Sure!”

Darwin flew out of the window into the air as Jack dozed on the sofa leaving Daring all alone. Daring felt like a broken record, she could not go to sleep and her mind wandered through the darkest alleys.

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

― *Dr. Seuss***

Daring knew what sensation she was feeling, an unquenchable desire. It was a feeling she could never confess to anypony, otherwise she knew her enemies would use it against her. They will try to break her with the ultimate power if they knew. This divine power is the strongest power ponykind has ever known. One word. Love.

Love is like a river. Ever flowing, never ending. Rivers pool into lakes. The lakes will overflow one day. That is when you can’t think of anything else. Anything else but that pony. That is when you will know that you are in true love.