"Are you sure you can do it on your own?" Sweetheart asked as she watched Maverick struggle to stand up, holding a hoof out to catch him if he should fall. She could almost feel the nausea radiating off of the human as he desperately tried to hold his own, one hand propping him up against the arm of the couch, the other holding a towel that covered the lower half of his naked body.

Maverick's breathing was slow and pressured. His body ached as the events from the incident started to catch up with him. Aside from the hole above his waist, he had several pulled muscles, a good few that turned out to be torn upon further examination, and his knee was severely bruised. Although he was broken, his pride remained in tact and he simply refused to let the nurse help bathe him. If he would ever get to the point where he can't even clean himself, he would rather he be shot in the head and put out of his misery.

"I'll be fine..." He managed to say between breaths, pulling himself upright. This lasted all of two milliseconds before the broken knee came back to haunt him. Holding back his natural instinct to wince at the pain, Maverick limped his way over to the bathroom.

Sweetheart, of course, did not let him leave unattended. She followed close behind the man, ready to brace him if the need arose. She had already tried to reason with him about letting her help while he was still recovering. However, getting through to him is like politely asking a brick wall to do push-ups. Once her guest had made it to the bathroom, he immediately closed the door behind him. This not deter the nurse, as she was adamant about making sure he would reach the tub successfully. There's a brief period of near dead-silence as she listens in from the outside. The following grunts that followed just seconds later filled her with a sense of guilt and worry. Luckily, they ended as quickly as they came and the sound of running water helped to ease her troubled mind.

Not by much, but it was something.

Letting out a sigh, Sweetheart steps away from the door and goes into her kitchen. It hasn't even been an hour since she got home from work and already she was dreading going back. She loved her job more than anything, but the thought of leaving this poor stallion- man- alone filled her with dread. She went into her fridge to find a quick snack as she reminded herself that she has the weekend off, so she can try to work with him more frequently in the coming days. It wouldn't be easy, nothing with him has been thus far, but she was determined...and had a bit of a sweet tooth right now.

Sweetheart went into the bottom drawer of her fridge and pulled out a chocolate pudding cup, locking it between her teeth as she gently closed the refrigerator door. After grabbing a spoon from one of the nearby drawers, the mare settled herself next to the dining room table. The next few minutes were spent mostly in silence; The only noise being made coming from the shower in the bathroom and her metal spoon meeting the edge of the plastic cup as she scooped the sweet treat int her mouth.

Her mind was still running amok on how things would change around here for the time being. And, how she would have to disguise her behavior more efficiently. Knowing how she acted in the hospital earlier today, it wouldn't surprise her if some of her co-workers caught on to the fact that she was eager to leave. Of all of them, Amethyst was the only one to confront her. That mare is as bright as they come. There's no way she didn't suspect something was up.

As much as Sweetheart hated lying, and those that did it, she would have to come up with an explanation for the way she acted at work. There would no doubt be questions, especially from the doctor. It would serve her well to get her story straight sooner rather than later.

The spoon met the bottom of the plastic cup with a light tap, earning the mare's full attention. She had been so lost in thought that she didn't even get to enjoy her pudding, nor notice that she had pretty much cleaned in out much faster than she intended. Letting out a soft hum, she collected the cup and the spoon to dispose of both of them properly. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect, it would seem. Her ear flicked at the sudden lack of sound coming from the bathroom just as she placed her spoon in the sink.

With little more than that, Sweetheart trotted back to the bathroom, waiting patiently beside the door for her guest to return. Not surprisingly, he did not return immediately. She could hear him clear as day struggling to move. It goes against her own personal morals, but she would have to force him to accept her help. The more he neglects her assistance, the more he'll end up hurting himself as a result and she simply cannot allow that to happen.

Sweetheart took a breath to steel herself before knocking on the door to announce herself. "Maverick, I'm coming in!" She didn't wait for a response as she turned the knob and swung the door open, only to slam it shut immediately. "Ahhh! I'm so sorry!" The fur on her face had somehow changed from white to a near blood red color, her eyes wide from shock and her breaths deep and paced.

"You know, my pa always told me that it's the nicest ones that are up to no good." Maverick's voice strains from the other side of the door, a few grunts following as he shifted around uncomfortably. "I never expected you to be so straightforward though. Diddle me in my sleep, maybe. But, not barging in on me while my dangley bits are out and about."

Sweetheart's face felt like it was on fire. Her eyes clenched shut as she tried to force the image out of her head and defend herself. "No! It isn't like that, I swear!" She defended, fearing that she may have actually offended the creature. "I thought you were having trouble getting out! I was just trying to help! Please, don't be mad! I'm not that kind of mare, I-"

"Loud noises!" Maverick shouted in response, primarily just to shut her up. It seemed to work as her voice had become as silent as the grave. After wrapping a towel around his lower body, the human opened the bathroom door and moved past a stoic and frozen Sweetheart; Who was much redder than he recalled. He hobbled back to the couch, easing himself into the cushions he had come to be almost too acquainted with.

While Maverick went about getting himself comfortable, Sweetheart managed to snap herself out of the confines of her own mind and eagerly trotted over to the couch to help the human. Her embarrassment showed, but her guest was either ignoring it or just didn't care. It's hard to tell for sure. She's only known him for a couple of days now and what little she had picked up on only seemed to make him more of an enigma in her eyes.

Most of the stallions she had encountered over the years, with similar injuries, could barely stand the thought of moving around as much as Maverick demanded to. Nearly every little thing she did to help him became a battle of sorts. Nothing concerning, or physical for that matter, but he would still fight her. Even now, as she tried to assist him in laying down, he continued to fight.

Maverick gave the mare a light shove, determined to settle himself; by himself. Seeing no point in trying to force herself on him at the moment, Sweetheart backed off and allowed the man to sort himself out. It hurt her to watch. The tough exterior hid a lot of how he was feeling, but identifying when others were in pain was a big part of her job.

As the man got comfortable, Sweetheart took it upon herself to prepare for bandaging. In hindsight, she probably should have done that earlier. To make up for her mistake, she moved quickly to grab the bag she used to snag a few things from her workplace and brought it over to the couch. After slipping on a pair of gloves to cover her front hooves, she got to work. She kept her movements slow and predictable, not wanting to agitate or hurt the already wounded human. In just a little over a minute, he was patched up as best as he could be. Now, all that remained was giving him a little something for the pain.

Sweetheart fished out a packaged syringe and came to a dead stop as four solid knocks echoed from her door. She looked to the front door for a second before glancing back at Maverick, placing the needle back into the bag. "Hold tight, I'll be right back."

"Like I'm in any condition to leave..." Maverick groaned out, still more than a little annoyed about this whole situation. It's not that he didn't appreciate the help, he just wasn't happy about needing it to begin with. "Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort."

This got a small smile from Sweetheart. She removed her gloves and gloves and trotted to the front door. Once she was close enough, she stood up on the tips of her hooves and looked out into the hallway through the peephole. What she saw caused her stomach to knot, her breath catching in her throat and her ears falling flat against her head as dread quickly started to fill her.

Sweetheart lowered herself to the floor proper, only to dance on hooves as panic started to set in and she began mumbling to herself. Maverick noticed this, of course, but he was in too much pain to care. When someone breaks down the door, then he'll worry.

Sweat dripped down Sweetheart's face as she tried to look for a sign, or anything really, that would keep her from having to open that door. If she was lucky, the mare on the other side would leave without causing a fuss. "Sweetheart!" A firm, feminine tone all but shouted from the other side. "I know you're in there! I can hear you doing your panic dance!"

"Oh buck.." Sweetheart muttered to herself, stopping her panic-induced movements as she came to terms with the fact that she was royally screwed. She took a breath, trying and failing to relax herself as she reached out a hoof to open the door. She twisted the knob and her heart sank as she opened the door just enough for her to peak her head out and make the most unconvincing casual greeting ever. "Hey, Amethyst! It's been a while! How's the family?"

Amethyst's eyes narrowed at the nurse, showing that she was not having any of this. Sweetheart should have known better. Miss. Star is a real no-nonsense mare and she did not like to play games. "You and I need to have a talk."

Sweetheart gulped as her eyes glanced back at the human laying on her couch. From here, it looked like he was asleep. That hardly mattered though. She couldn't let Amethyst come in and risk her seeing him. Celestia only knows how she would react; or worse, how he would react. Not looking to take chances, the nurse quickly opened the door just enough to slip her body through and closed it behind her.

This only made Amethyst that much more suspicious. What could this simple little nurse possible be hiding. She had a feeling that she knew and she didn't like it one bit. "Sweetheart, you're acting really strange. I need you to tell me what is going on."

Sweetheart bit her lip in thought, her eyes darting around as she tried to come up with something to say. She couldn't just lie to the mare. It would be way to obvious. Her only option was to be as cryptic as possible. "It's...complicated..."

This got a small growl out of Amethyst, causing Sweetheart to take a step back, only to bump into the door behind her. "I am in no mood for this. You are going to start talking and you're gonna do it now!" Her demanding tone only pushed the nurse further into her shell, making it clear that she would just have to come out and say it. "Somepony took supplies from the hospital and you're the only one acting really out of character."

Amethyst let out a sigh, doing everything in her power not to scream her lungs out. "Sweetheart, I need you to be honest with me..." Her eyes bore into the nurse's, only unsettling her further. "Are you doing drugs?"

Sweetheart's eyes widened at the accusation. She assumed that the doctor came here after figuring out she was the pony that took the medication, but didn't think this would be the train of thought it would lead to. "No! Of course not!"

"Then why are you acting so weird!?" Amethyst pressed, sure that she was right about her assumption. "You were fidgety at work, you made off with an entire bottle of morphine and you're clearly hiding something in your apartment!" That last part sent a visible shiver down Sweetheart's spine. "Look, I care about you. I really do. But, I cannot have you around if you're stealing medication for personal use."

Now that made the nurse's heart skip a beat. "Y-you don't mean-"

"I do!" Amethyst said firmly, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. It's become painfully clear that you're hiding something and I can't trust you." The mare turned to face the hallway, glancing back at the nurse one last time before trotting away. "Don't bother coming back into work. I'll have your things sent to you."

Sweetheart could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She was being fired and all because she wanted to help someone. Her mind was shouting at her to call out, to run over to her friend and beg for her forgiveness and explain everything, but she was frozen in place. She could hardly breathe. She didn't even move until her door swung open, slapping her in the flank so hard that it shoved her forward.

"Wait!" Maverick yelled out, falling to the floor with a pained grunt. Amethyst's head jerked back at the voice, her eyes widening in shock and even slight horror at the thing that had just launched itself out of her friend's apartment. He rolled onto his back, placing a hand to his bandaged side. "Fuck, that hurt!"

"Maverick!" Sweetheart practically screamed, ignoring the pain in her backside as she ran to aid the collapsed human. "It's okay! I've got you!" She said as she slipped her front hooves under the man's shoulders, lifting against his weight to sit him up. "How many times have I told you not to move around when I'm not there to help?"

"Blow it out your ass!" Maverick countered, groaning as he was lifted, his hand never leaving side, his leg shaking from the pain. Even though it felt like his body was working against him, the man pushed forward. He grabbed onto the door frame with his free hand, pulling himself up until he was able to stand. However, he was forced to lean against the frame to stay upright.

It would appear that it was Amethyst's turn to be frozen in place as she watched on in shock. It all happened so fast that she couldn't process it all. So many questions were buzzing around in her head that she could barely register what was going on right in front of her face.

Sweetheart trotted in front of the human, offering herself to him. "Here! Lean on me! I'll get you back to-wAHH!"

"Inside!" Maverick demanded as he let go of his side and grabbed onto the back of Sweetheart's head, pulling her into the complex before turning his attention to the mare standing in the hall. "That means you to!" He called out, leveling one of his fingers in her direction. "Don't make me have to come over there..."

Amethyst didn't know whether to obey or take off and call someone. Whatever this thing was, it was clearly far too injured to chase her if she did run for it. However, it's deep, commanding tone lured her in. She felt obliged to do as it said and her hooves would seem to agree as they began to move on their own, taking her body along for the ride. Her head dipped down like a scolded dog as she trotted past the human and into the apartment.

Maverick took a second to look down the hall. How no one came to investigate the noise was mind-blowing to him, but he wasn't about to complain. He limped in after the mares, closing the door as he entered. Much to his own surprise, Sweetheart was quick to come back to his aid, despite him shoving her just seconds prior to this moment. And, despite his own internal protests, he accepted her help. That landing really did a number on his already broken body and walking was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

Putting some of his weight on the mare, Maverick was able to make it back to the couch without hurting himself too much more. Sweetheart helped ease him back into the welcoming cushions, where he all but melted into them, his teeth bared as they clenched shut from the motion.

Amethyst stood on the sidelines as Sweetheart helped the creature settle in before diving into a small bag on the floor, the very same bag she had at work earlier today. She watched with curious eyes as the nurse pulled out a syringe and a small bottle of clear fluid. The pieces started coming together in her head as her friend filled the syringe and carefully pressed it into the creature's arm.

This took a turn that Amethyst never would have expected. It was hard to believe that Sweetheart was doing drugs, but this was so far out of left field that made her head spin. She wasn't even mad even more. A little upset, but not mad. She should have known that, if Sweetheart was taking things from the hospital, and it's obvious she did, it was for a good cause.

Sweetheart carefully removed the needle from Maverick's arm, placing it back into the bag and pulling out a small bandage to place over the injection sight. "There. Hopefully that will help." She gives the man a concerned look, but he was too busy staring at the ceiling to notice her. "You need to be more careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

"A little late for that..." Maverick pointed out.

Sweetheart could only roll her eyes at the statement. How he could be in so much pain and still manage to be a pain is beyond her. She lowered her head to pick up the bag, grabbing it in her teeth before looking up to see Amethyst standing just a few feet from her. She felt her ears go flat again as she looked up at her boss, barely lifting her head and walking toward her friend with a look of shame on her face.

Stopping a few inches short of the mare she once called her friend, Sweetheart set the bag down and stood up proper, but her eyes remained to the floor. "I'm sorry, Amethyst. I didn't mean for all for all of this to happen." She began, her emotions starting to show as she slowly came to terms with the consequences of her actions. "He just came in, out of nowhere, and he was hurt, and I wanted to h-help him and-"

It was killing Amethyst to see her friend so choked up like this. She couldn't let her go down, not after seeing all of this. One of her hooves quickly found a place on Sweetheart's chin, earning her the nurse's full attention. "It's alright; really." She said genuinely, hoping to help her friend relax. "I'm not mad at you. I just wish you would have told me."

Sweetheart looked back at Maverick, letting her friend's hoof fall from er face. He was still staring at the ceiling, but was noticeably in less pain. She leaned in close as she angled her neck to face Amethyst again. "Believe me, I wanted to." She said in a hushed tone, not wanting the human to overhear her. "I wanted to so bad, but he...he's very wary of ponies. He's scared that, if more of us find out about him, something bad will happen."

This got Amethyst to raise a brow. Sure, the creature was a bit daunting at first glance. But, it hadn't really done anything to provoke her per se. "Why would he think that?" She asked in an equally hushed tone.

"The ponies in the Southern Mountains." Sweetheart answered, glancing back at the human every so often to make sure he wasn't getting suspicious. "He said that they attacked him on sight. I tried to tell him they're not as culturally advanced, but he wouldn't listen. He doesn't even want to be here. He can hardly walk and he was trying to leave town just to avoid running into other ponies."

"Sweet Celestia..." Amethyst whispered, looking back at the human once more. "I can't say I blame him for being a little on edge. I would be to if I went through something like that." Turning her attention back to the nurse, she decided to pry for a bit more information. She wanted to know exactly why her friend went as far as she did for this thing. "So what's the damage?"

Sweetheart as been asked this question many times in the past, so her response was pretty much instinct. "Puncture wound, about two inches in diameter in his lower left quadrant; A few torn muscles in all four limbs and a possible fractured knee. I don't know enough about his biology to point out anything else."

That would explain it.

Amethyst let out a breath, conflicted, but knowing very well what had to be done. "You're a good pony, Sweetheart. You have a good heart. So...I'll overlook the fact that you stole supplies from the hospital." She said, her tone being just a tad condescending near the end. "But, as I'm sure you already know, I will have to confiscate the morphine."

Sweetheart's head lowered just a bit. It would make Maverick’s recovery less tolerable, on his end at least, but she would like to keep her job. "I understand." Reaching a hoof into the bag, she pulled out the small bottle and held it out to the doctor. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Amethyst said with a smile, her horn glowing as the bottle was levitated from the extended hoof in front of her. "Like, at all. Seriously, we will both lose our jobs."

"I won't say anything if you don't." Sweetheart motioned to the human on her couch with her head, offering a rather nervous smile in return.

This got a light giggle out of Amethyst. "Not a word. But, if there ends up being a next time, please just tell me what's going on."

"I will." Sweethearts said with a nod. "I promise."

Amethyst nodded as well, sealing their little verbal agreement. She glanced back at the human one last time, considering his involvement in all of this. "I don't exactly have an open schedule, but I'd be glad to help out any time I can."

"Really?" It suddenly felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. However, she didn't know how Maverick would take having her around. "I don't know. Like I said, he doesn't really trust ponies...I wouldn't mind the help. Actually, I'd like it a lot. But...we'll have to take things slowly."

"That's perfectly fine." As much as she would like to hang around and possibly try to study this creature, she only had so much time. "I need to get back to the hospital. I have a long night ahead of me now that you left early." Sweetheart's features fell as she heard this. She was about to offer to go back with her, but Amethyst was quick to shoot it down. "Don't worry about it. I'll be alright. Besides, you look like you've got something pretty big keeping you busy here."

Sweetheart reminded herself that her friend was right. She went home early to watch over Maverick and she would do just that. She felt so lucky to have a friend as understanding as Amethyst. This mare had put with with a lot from her and she didn't know how to begin to go about thanking her.

Amethyst could see in her friend's eyes just how much this meant to her and decided that she should probably get moving. "I'll be on my way now." The unicorn said as she tucked the bottle into her coat pocket. "Good luck, hun."

"Thank you, Amethyst." Sweetheart said as her friend made her way to the door. "For everything..." Amethyst didn't bother looking back at her friend. She simply smiled to herself and left the complex.

The door closed with a soft click and Sweetheart fell to the floor like a brick. She felt so relieved. Not just because she would still be employed at the end of the week, but also because she finally got to get some of what was going on off of her chest. And it would feel so much better when she could actually start sharing the details now that somepony else knew the situation and wasn’t going to jeopardize it.

Sweetheart just laid there and let it all wash over her.

This was short lived, thanks to a particular voice coming from the couch. "That worked out a lot better than I expected." Maverick said, his eyes closed as his head rested on the cushion behind him. "For a minute there I thought I was gonna have to get up and intervene."

Sweetheart looked up at him from her spot on the floor. For some reason, it didn't click until just now. The mare got back to her hooves and slowly trotted over to the couch. "Thank you, Maverick." She said sincerely, sitting on her haunches as her gaze remained glued to the human. "If you hadn't come when you did, I wo-"

Maverick doesn't even move his head, shushing her as he reached an arm out. It took him a couple of tries, but he managed to set his hand on top of the mare's head. "You took some pretty stupid risks to help me..." He fingers began to dig through her mane, scratching lightly at her scalp. "Least I can do is have your back."

Sweetheart's body went stiff at first, but when he started scratching at her she practically melted. The feeling sent a pleasant tingle down her spine. She cooed in delight, leaning her head down so his fingers would brush across her neck. She let out a high-pitched noise as they did and her face became hot as pulled away from his hand.

Whatever deity was watching over her, Sweetheart thanked them internally that Maverick didn't seem to notice the noise she made, or look down to see her blushing face as she reached up and grabbed onto his hand to keep it from going near that area again. "S-still though! I-I r-really appreciate it!" She took a few slow, quiet breaths to relax herself. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all, just ask."

Maverick craned his neck to the side, opening his eyes a bit so he could see his desired destination. There was no fighting it this time around, he needed help. "Think you can help me lay back down. This position is killing my neck."

A warm smile spread across Sweetheart's face as she released the human's hand and stood up to help him. "I would be glad to."

Author's Note

"I can't think of thing to say...Fuck it!"

-Charles Lee Ray