Whiplash

Chapter 5: Solace

His fur stood on end, sensitive to even the smallest breeze made by the doors swinging open near him. A yawn escaped his clenched jaw, blurring his vision from the escaped tears. A bloody longshot to think that I would have been able to get any sleep last night. Pip thought as he walked through the clean-lit hallway, meandering past the nurses and doctors that went about their jobs, down to the room the head nurse had told him about.

Judging by what the nurse said, it sounds like Feather didn’t either. The scenario had played over and over in his head as he tossed and turned last night, resulting in his sluggish nature. Pipsqueak almost worried himself sick at this point, the anxiety building up inside him and festering in his stomach.

He shook his head. Now really isn’t the time for that kind of thinking. You gotta stay focused. If you’re scared, then he is terrified. Straighten up and fly right.

Reaching the room, he took a few breaths to calm his nerves. Greeting him when he opened the door was Featherweight, sleeping. Not sure what I expected. Pip exhaled deeply, releasing some tension from his body. He found a chair to sit in and quietly schooched it near Feather’s bed.

As he sat down, he began to take in the surroundings. The window was completely covered up, not letting in even the slightest amount of light from the outside. The bed that featherweight was in looked almost freshly made. Featherweight himself looked like he had seen far better days. A bandage was wrapped tightly around his head, soft red soaking through the gause and sullying the clean white wrap. His gown was somewhat stuck to him due to the amount of sweat he had produced. His body looked frail and gaunt underneath the bed sheets. Nothing new there, Pip chuckled, dear Celestia, I shouldn’t be doing that, he thought, almost ashamed for laughing. Look at ya, Feather. I was only tryna help, Pip set a hoof on one of the guard rails of the bed and sighed. It’s good to see ya gettin some sleep. At least one of us can.

Pip’s eyes turned away from Featherweight and onto the nightstand next to his bed. He gave it only a brief glance before turning to look back at featherweight, but snapped back to the object that caught his eye.

Pip stared at a displaced and cracked reflection of himself through the lens of Feather’s prized camera. That’s probably going to hit him the hardest Pip thought as he looked it over, seeing no other visible breaks on the camera.

He sat up-right in his chair again, helplessness rising through the fog of his tired mind. I want to believe that I just need to be there for you right now. That’s what Mum and Dad said, but I don’t feel like I am doing anything.

Pip let out a small sigh as he rested his head on the guard rail, soon to succumb to the silence of sleep.

……….

Pipsqueak jolted from his sleep, the dream he was having immediately forgotten as he felt a rustling from the bed. He looked up to see Featherweight grimacing, but still asleep. His heart rate was beating quickly, but staying constant. Pipsqueak paid close attention to his friend, lowering one of the guard rails to get to a closer position. What’s wrong, mate? What’s gettin at you? He pondered, concerned, but able to do so little. Tears began to well up in both ponys’ eyes, though Pip managed to wipe his away, while Feather’s ran down his now pained face.

A few minutes passed by with whimpers and whines filling the room, crushing Pipsqueaks spirit even more. However, all at once the whimpering stopped. With silence filling his ears, Pip gave a relieved smile, relieved that Featherwei-

Jolting up in his bed, Featherweight was wide eyed and teary, gasping for air as if he had been starved of it. Visibly shaking, Feather let out another whine as he clutched his head.

Pip crawled up to the bed and tried to comfort his clearly distressed friend by wrapping his hoof around Feather’s neck and stabilizing one of his shaking arms. As he got Featherweight’s attention, he pushed to call light that was sitting near them to alert whoever. “Feather! Calm down, Kay? I called a nurse, so you’re gonna be ok. Alright? You’re gonna be-”

Featherweight lunged to Pip, wrapping his long, comparatively, forelegs around him and bringing him toward his sweat-soaked body. He squeezed tightly, trying to make up for the loneliness he felt in his dream. “Please!” He cried out as he dug into Pip’s shoulder, “Make the pain go away! Make it stop!” Tears fell and dampened the small colt’s coat, leaving him all the more stunned at the sudden intimate connection between the two.

A nurse came in and Pipsqueak blushed at the situation that he was in. “I’m not sure what’s wrong! Please help!” Pip said as he tried to comfort Feather. Hugging him back felt like the right thing to do, But why do I feel so weird about doing it now? He pondered, as the nurse moved in.

“I’m going to need you to stop hugging so I can examine what the problem is with the patient, please,” the nurse began, bags under her eyes weighing down the cold stare that she gleamed at the two.

Pip quickly pried Feather off of him, “I’m sorry, buddy, but the nurse ‘as gotta see what’s wrong with ya” to which Feather almost immediately replied with a whine of protest before letting go and seeing pip get off of his bed.

Why did I do that? I just woke up and...and I just felt so lonely. That...that pit in my chest feels so deep Featherweight tried to rationalize. Everything hurt, like nothing had changed from when he was in the dream. Only now, he had Pip. “I thought I wouldn’t hurt while sleeping,” he sniffled as the pain held steady.

“I’m sorry to hear that you were experiencing pain while asleep. To be frank, we’ve only had a few cases of concussions where the pain from it has been reported to be this bad. I can check with the doctor to give you a heavier dosage of migraine medication, but other than that, there isn’t too much we can do.” The nurse said as she wrote up in a chart for new quantities. “I will be right back. In the meantime, how about you talk with your little friend. I find that it is always nice to have some company,” She gave a professional's smile and went out to talk with the doctor

Pip looked at Feather, fear and guilt still swimming around in his psyche. “Featherweight?” He asked timidly.

Featherweight turned his attention back to his friend, immediately noticing something was off. “Yeah, Pip?” he responded almost as meek.

Pip opened his mouth, trying hard to say what he wanted to, but all of the possible scenarios that he thought of that wouldn’t involve him getting a concussion flashed in his memory. He sighed, “We’re gonna find you a way to get onto that trip, alright? You have my promise to that as both class president,” He said as he stood atop the chair he was on, making a painfully flaunty stance, earning a chuckle from Featherweight, “And as your friend. We’ll figure it out,” Pip rested a forehoof on Featherweight’s.

Featherweight smiled, knowing full well that Pip would stick to his word. “Listen, Pip. I’m sorry about all this happening. I was just...so angry. I’m happy to have a friend like you to be here with me,” He then remembered his dream and shivered, “I must have looked kinda weird waking up, didn’t I?”

Pip’s smiled faltered, “Yeah, what ‘appened? I snuck into your room ‘cause the nurse said you would be sleepin, but you were whimpering. Ya made me kinda scared,”

“I was having a really bad nightmare. My head still hurt while I was sleeping, and I guess it just bled into my dream. No one would come to help.” Featherweight sniffled, but sighed and smiled again at Pip, “But it helped when I woke up and saw you.” he blushed a bit when he remembered what happened. “Thanks for letting me hug you. It really helped,” He looked away to hide his brightening face.

Pip did the same, “It’s fine. It’s not like we haven’t hugged before, right?” They both laughed so not to be left with awkward silence, which then transformed to genuine laughter. “Well, hey. Did the doc ever say when you were gonna be able to get outta here?” He asked.

“Uh,” Featherweight tried to recall if the doctor had said anything about him getting out, “Yeah, in about a day or two. I should be able to head out.”

“Great! In the meantime, I am gonna work on some things for the trip. Don’t worry, buddy. I’m gonna figure this all out,” He said reassuradly. I’ve just gotta.

“I believe you one hundred percent,” Feather said smiling, enjoying the company of a great friend.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. “Hi there, Featherweight. I just came back in to let you know that the doctor was ok with giving you a higher dosage of migraine medicine, so if you’d like to take that now, I am all ready,”

“Migraine?” Featherweight thought for a moment. I haven’t really noticed the pain. Now that I think about it, it is there. Huh, I guess talking with Pip helped. “Yeah, sure. I’d like that. Thank you,”

“Not a problem, I’ve got some water here and these pills here for you. Just take the pills and drink it down with water,” The nurse said cheerfully as she sat all items on the movable table next to Featherweight’s bed.

“Oh. Uh,” Featherweight looked at the pills and gulped, “I haven’t ever really taken pills. I’m kinda afraid I might choke on them,” Feather said with an awry smile at the nurse.

“Oh! Well, then I can go grab you some applesauce and we can put them in there. I’ve found that that is sometimes easier for ponies who are fearful of that. Would you like me to get your friend an applesauce as well?” She asked as she nodded to Pip

“Yes, please!” Pip said, happy to be getting a snack.

“Then I will be just a moment,” She said as she walked out.

“What time is it, anyway?” Featherweight asked as he looked over to the nightstand, only to remember what was sitting on it.

Pip went to look at the time as well, but then immediately winced at the object. “I forgot about that. What are you gonna do with it? There’s gotta be someone in town who can fix it, right?”

“Yeah, I know someone who has the tools to fix it, but the thing is I don’t have that much money in the first place. I’m sure I can figure something out. Who knows, it is a crack right down the middle. I could use it as an effect for my photos.” Featherweight mused

“Always finding the positive out of bad situations. That’s one of my favorite qualities you have. It’s like you can find the...I dunno, greatness? Er, beauty. Yeah, beauty, in everything you are in.” Pip got up onto the still slightly damp mattress and patted Feather on the back.

Featherweight had a light smile on his face, No one’s ever told me that. “Thank you,” He chuckled a bit and smiled wider at him. The bed was big enough to fit both of them, oddly enough.

“Well thank you for bein you, I guess.” Pip smiled.

“Alright, I’ve got two applesauces here, just don’t get them mixed up, alright? One has F on it, so it shouldn’t be easy to do that,” The nurse said as she left them on the table.

“Thank you, nurse.” They said in unison

“No problem. If there is anything else, please just hit the call button and one of us will be with you,”

“Alright. Thanks again,” Featherweight tried to get away without knowing what that nurse’s name was.

The nurse left and the two colts ate their respectful applesauces. The night went on smoothly from there, with Featherweight and Pip talking away about Celestia knows what just happy to be in each other’s company until the time came for Pip to go and Featherweight to attempt to get some sleep.

What If I have another bad dream? What if I can’t wake up like last time? Naturally, Featherweight had some apprehension about the whole idea. I guess things are different now. Right? Yeah! Pip will be there for me. He always is. And with his faith restored in is friend, Featherweight drifted off to sleep, with little anxiousness, and better yet, with little pain, to distract him from having a comfortable sleep.

……….

Across town, Pipsqueak went to bed with a smile on his face. I’m happy that he is starting to feel better. I wish I could have said what I actually wanted to say then. Oh well, plenty of time tomorrow, when he gets out hopefully Pip wriggled around underneath his bed sheets in excitement. I know EXACTLY who we can go to-to try and fix this funding problem.

Much like Featherweight, a calm was brought upon his mind, muffling all the guilt and anxieties he had about what happened, letting him get a good night’s rest.