Raindrops On Roses

by arcum42

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 5330

Roseluck falls off a ladder. Raindrops is not amused.

When Roseluck falls off a ladder, Raindrops is right there for her, ready to help her as much as she can. But will Raindrops ever be able to admit her true feelings for Rose?

To give you an idea of how old this fanfic is, when I started it, none of the ponies in it had tags. Now, Dr. Stable is the main one left without one.

The picture is from "Picture Perfect Pony", which also provided a bit of fairly obvious inspiration for this fanfic.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-17 05:43:01 UTC

A Fashion Show and A Fall

Raindrops drifted lazily on a cloud, her turquoise mane blowing idly in the breeze. The jasmine colored pegasus had gotten off early from weather duty today. With barely a cloud in the sky, and no storms scheduled, there was no need for her own personal area of expertise.

Not that storms were actually her special talent. Other ponies always assumed that she specialized in rain because of her cutie mark. She'd been given assignments involving storm clouds so frequently that she had become good at it, simply because she dealt with them so often.

She didn't really mind. She'd even picked out the name "Raindrops" to give them that impression, rather than talk about the circumstances she'd actually got it in. And rainy weather fit in with her normal state of mind, anyhow. Not depressingly bright and sunny days like today.

On the good side, the clear sky today left her free to enjoy the scenery. There was a certain magic in seeing the world from above that never grew old, and always helped break her out of her typical gloomy thoughts.

As she was gazing down at Ponyville, Raindrops noticed that an unusually large crowd was forming downtown. Curious, she descended down from her cloud to see what all the commotion was about.

On a closer look, it seemed to be some manner of fashion show. At least, that's what she assumed all the silly mane-cuts and dresses below were about. They seemed to be doing makeovers on anypony passing by, willing or not. It never ceased to amaze her what some ponies felt they could get away with.

In the center of all the chaos, Raindrops spotted the most beautiful mare in existence climbing up a ladder outside her shop. She paused for a moment in sheer admiration. She'd felt this way about Roseluck for a long time. By the time she had realised it, the two of them were already good friends, though, and she had always been too worried about losing her friendship to act on her feelings.

Of course, that was true in her life in a lot of ways. She had always had a tendency to put decisions off until the last minute, or let inaction make the decision for her. While there were a few times she'd had to make a decision quickly and done so, she otherwise hadn't had much luck overcoming her crippling inertia.

Suddenly, the scene playing out in front of her snapped Raindrops out of her melancholy thoughts. Some of the ponies from the fashion show had started harassing Rose while she was at the top of the ladder. One of them opened up the window it was leaning against, and as Raindrops watched in horror, Rose fell down to the hard ground below.

She knew there was no way to make it there in time. She absolutely knew it without a doubt. But she still moved as fast as she could. Roseluck needed her, and there was no time for any hesitation.

Zipping through the crowd, she made her way to Rose's side in record time. Roseluck lay unmoving on the ground, ladder beside her. The nearby ponies seemed to not even be paying her any attention, let alone helping. Typical. Raindrops knelt down by her side to see what shape she was in.

"Rose! Are you all right?" She said, not feeling particularly bright as she said it. She just fell off a ladder, idiot! Of course she isn't all right.

Then again, was was she going to say? So, paralysed below the neck lately? Spinal cord intact, then?

"I'm fine..." Roseluck said, starting to get up, then winced in pain and gently lowered herself back to the position she had been in. "Maybe not. My back and neck are throbbing painfully, and moving just made it worse. Way worse."

Visions of fractures and broken bones swam in Raindrops mind. Calm. You need to stay calm for Rose.

"Lie back and relax, and stay calm. I'll get you some help. You need a doctor." Raindrops said, trying not to hyperventilate.

"Will you stay here with me, Raindrops?" Roseluck asked meekly, some of her usual facade breaking away.

"I will." Raindrops promised. She scanned the crowd quickly, looking for anyone that could help. Soon, she spotted two friends of Roses' walking through the crowd, headed roughly in their direction.

"Lily! Daisy!" Raindrops waved them over. "Get your flanks over here, quick!"

The two of them trotted over. They looked rather irritated at Raindrops initially, but when they came into view of Rose, their eyes widened.

"What in Equestria?" Daisy started to ask, taking in the sight in front of her.

"Some punk fashionista knocked Rose off a ladder. I need the two of you to get a doctor over here to help her as fast as possible. I don't think she should be moved right now." Raindrops told them. They were both close friends of Rose's. Hopefully they could manage this without hysterics.

"She fell off a ladder? The horror. The-" Lily started to say. I guess not.

"Yes, she fell down and needs your help. Do you think you can go down to the hospital and get it for her? Are you capable of that?" Raindrops said, exasperated.

Daisy looked at Raindrops, observing her body language, the protective way she was hovering right over Rose, as well as the tone she'd taken, and came to a snap decision.

"Gotcha. One doctor on the way." Daisy drawled. "Come along, Lily."

Daisy quickly galloped away, dragging Lily's unresisting body along for the ride. Raindrops turned back to Rose.

"Daisy and Lily are on their way to the hospital, Rose. I'll stay here with you while we wait for the doctor." Raindrops told Rose.

"That's good, Rain. I'm so tired." Roseluck said faintly, wincing in pain again, as she involuntarily moved while talking. "Maybe I'll take a quick nap..."

"No going to sleep now, Rose. You could have a concussion, so I'd like you to stay awake 'til the doctor gets here. No need to talk, though. Just listen." She moved closer yet, and held on to one of Rose's fetlocks, feeling that the contact would help. And she talked.

She talked about the weather patrol. She talked about Roses flowers in her shop. She talked about how upset the fashion show had made her. She talked about the scare she'd gotten, seeing Rose fall. And she kept talking, changing the subject anytime Rose seemed to lose interest or zone out, while Rose just stared up, gripping her fetlock and listening to the sound of her voice.

After what seemed like an eternity, a carriage arrived, pulled by two bored looking stallions. A cream-colored unicorn in a labcoat and a mare with a nurse hat jammed on top of her pink mane exited the coach and walked up to Raindrops.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Stable. I take it this is the injured mare in question?" The unicorn asked Raindrops, indicating Rose.

"Yes, Rose took a fall from the very top of a ladder, landing on her back. She's been having both neck and back pain, especially if she moves. I've made sure she stayed in the same position and that she stayed awake while we were waiting." Raindrops told the doctor, wanting to give him as much information as possible.

"Very good. It sounds like you've done everything I'd have asked you to do if I had been here. If you'll move away, I'll examine her. Once we are sure it is safe for her to be moved, Nurse Redheart and I will get her on a stretcher, and on her way to the hospital." Doctor Stable said, walking towards Rose.

Raindrops bent down for a moment. "Rose, the doctor is here to examine you. I'm going to move away so he has room to work, but I'll be nearby if you need me."

"Thank you, Raindrops." Roseluck said softly. Raindrops let go of her fetlock, and backed away from her, so the doctor could get started. She could feel her body trembling all over from nervousness, now that her focus was gone.

Suddenly a loud voice came from behind Raindrops. "Don't worry, she's in good hooves with the doctor."

Raindrops yelped in surprise, and quickly turned around, eyes watering. A white mare was right behind her, a slightly amused expression on her face. Nurse Redheart, was it? Nurse Heart Attack, more like.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She said apologetically, pulling what looked like a long board with hoofholds on either side from the carriage. "I can tell you are concerned about your marefriend."

Raindrops felt herself turning bright red. Was she that transparent? "Um, we're not, er, she's not my... we're just good friends."

"The more fool her, then." Redheart looked her over assessingly. "Or the more fool you, perhaps."

Redheart pulled a stretcher out from the carriage as well, setting it by the board.

"Regardless, Doctor Stable is one of the best doctors in town. He'll take good care of her." Nurse Redheart said.

After a few minutes passed, Doctor Stable called to the nurse.

"It sounds like he's ready to move her. You are more then welcome to assist. It's manageable with two, but three is preferable, and it always helps to have somepony she trusts there." Nurse Redheart told Raindrops.

"Wasn't that what they were for?" She asked in surprise, pointing to the burly stallions still hooked to the cart.

"Oh, no, dear. The union they belong to forbids them from doing anything not in their contract." Nurse Redheart told her.

"Really? How nice for them." Raindrops glared in their direction. "Let's go, then."

The two of them walked back over to Dr. Stable.

"Nurse Redheart and... Raindrops, was it? I've assessed Rose's condition. It currently looks like she has a strained neck and back, but I'd like to run some x-rays to be sure." The brown-maned unicorn said.

"I take it you are ready to transport her back to the hospital? I thought Raindrops could help us with moving her." Nurse Redheart replied.

"That would be easier, and Rose seems comfortable with her." He levitated the board over to his side. "Very well. I'll stay on this side of Rose. I'd like both of you to move to her other side, and turn her to face in your direction. Raindrops, you should be fine as long as you follow Nurse Redheart's lead."

The two of them circled around Roseluck. Nurse Redheart took a position near Rose's head, and gestured for Raindrops to stand near her rear.

She then spoke softly to Rose. "Rose, this is Nurse Redheart. Raindrops and I are going to turn you to face us, so we can get you on a stretcher. We'll go slowly. Just tap one hoof on the ground if anything we are doing hurts."

She then returned to Raindrops. "We'll need to coordinate this. As I turn her to face us, you'll need to turn the half of her closer to you at the same time. She'll tap one hoof if she is in pain. If that happens, we'll stop and change where we are holding her, then start over. Got that?"

Raindrops nodded, and they began. It seemed to take forever, with a few false starts, but they eventually got Rose lying on one side. Doctor Stable quickly levitated the board right where she had been. "Excellent. Now if you can turn her facing upwards, so she is on the board, we should be ready to transport her."

They gradually reversed the process, and lay Roseluck out on the board. Nurse Redheart bent over Rose for a moment, and whispered something in her ear that made her blush. Which was, Raindrops observed, one of the cutest things she'd ever seen.

"Very good!" Doctor Stable beamed. He quickly locked the wheels on the stretcher, and got it spread fully out with Nurse Redheart's help. "Now, I'll levitate the board with Rose over to the stretcher, while the two of you keep the ends steady."

Following his instructions, they soon had her on the stretcher, and then in the carriage. Nurse Redheart came back over to his side. "Good work. You seem to be a natural at this. If you ever get tired of your current job, you might consider working for the hospital. We could always use the help."

New career opportunities? Later. There are more important things right now. "Thanks. What's going to happen to Roseluck from here?" Raindrops said, refusing to get distracted.

"Once she is checked in, we will run some tests on her, and get some x-rays. We'll need to keep her for observation for a few days. The results will determine how long her stay is past that." Nurse Redheart said. "If you stop by in an hour or two, you ought to be able to visit her, barring anything unforeseen."

"Got it. Thanks for the help." Raindrops replied.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Now, I'd better get moving." She got in the carriage with Dr. Stable, and the carriage took off towards the hospital.

As Rose left, so did most of Raindrops energy. Now that the immediate emergency was over, she felt like just collapsing and curling up in a little ball for awhile. She was too worried about Rose, though, aside from not wanting to collapse in a public place. Once was bad enough.

While lost in thought, she kept walking aimlessly, not really sure where she was going. Suddenly she found herself colliding with a pony right in front of her. The two of them were knocked to the ground in a tangle of hooves and fabric. Detangling herself from a blue satin sash, she started apologising while moving aside the white dress covering her face. As both of them picked themselves off the ground, Raindrops was surprised to realise who she had run into.

"Daisy?" She asked, staring at the garishly mismatched dress she hadn't been wearing earlier.

Raindrops! How's Rose doing?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"The doctor took her back to the hospital. They said she was probably going to be fine, but I can't help worrying." Raindrop said. "If nothing else, I'm not sure how Rose will cover the hospital bills."

"Oh, she won't have to worry about that." Daisy responded, a touch of malice in her voice.

"Oh? Daisy, what did you do?" Raindrops said. She knew how Daisy could get when she got vengeful.

"After describing where to find the two of you at the hospital,  Lily and I asked around and were able to get a pretty good idea of how Rose fell." Daisy said, raw anger in her voice. "My cousin works as one of Photo Finish's PR representatives. Once I let her know about the accident, and that it was the fault of the fashion show workers, she became very worried about bad publicity. They'll be covering all of Rose's hospital bills."

Daisy sounded fairly satisfied with herself, which Raindrops supposed she had every right to be.

"I had been wondering where you'd gotten to. And why the dress?" Raindrops said.

"This thing? Move too slow, or don't say not to fast enough around there, and you'll have a makeover." Daisy said, rolling her eyes. "It's going to the back of the closet the moment I get home."

"Well, when you're not busy with your herb shop, you still audition for plays, don't you? Maybe you can use it for one of your parts." Raindrops suggested.

"Oh, that never goes anywhere, anyways. No one seems to want me to do more then walk on stage, say something stupid like 'I've never seen such bravery in all my life!', and walk off. I'll never appear in an important role." Daisy said, sighing.

"I can sympathise. I'm hardly going to be turning up in any Who's Who of Ponyville. Except maybe in the background of a picture or two." Raindrops said cynically.

"Would any of us?" Daisy asked. "So, where are you headed now?"

"They should be done with their tests on Rose soon, so I was thinking about going to visit her." Raindrops admitted. She'd be a lot more confident in how she was doing, that way.

"You really have it bad for her, don't you?" Daisy asked, a smile coming to her face.

"No! Er... yes. Maybe?" Raindrops said, flustered. She'd forgotten about Daisy's way of going directly for the jugular when she thought she was onto something. And being right, too.

"You do! I thought so." Daisy said triumphantly.

"All right, you win. I've had a crush on her for a long time." Raindrops said resignedly, hanging her head down. "I'm afraid I'll ruin our friendship if I act on it, though. Besides, I don't even know if she's interested in mares.."

"Oh, she is. I've seen her check out both mares and stallions alike before." Daisy said. "Besides, this is Ponyville. How many mares aren't into other mares here? Pretty bucking few, I'll tell you."

"Really?" Raindrops said, taken aback, a flush growing in her cheeks.

"Honey, this is one of the most sexually liberated towns in Equestria." Daisy said, a sultry purr coming into her voice. "Why, the other night I saw Carrot Top and Lyra sharing Bon Bon in the park-"

"O... Ok. I could have lived without knowing about that, Daisy." The flush in Raindrops cheeks at this point had spread up to the tips of her ears with embarrassment.

"I've seen a mare walk up to another mare in a bar here, say 'You. Me. Let's bang. Ok?', and both of them walk out together. This is an amazing town to live in." Daisy continued, enjoying teasing Raindrops. However, she decided to let up while Raindrops was still willing to listen to her. "Seriously, though, Raindrops, if you like Rose, just tell her. I know her pretty well, and I think you'd be surprised."

"Um... I'll think about it." Raindrops shook her head, still trying to get rid of the mental images Daisy had given her.

"Do that. And, you know, it's normal to bring flowers when visiting ponies in the hospital." Daisy said.

"Oh! You're right, I'd better get her some." Raindrops said, wondering where her mind was at.

"I know I'm right. Here, come along with me." Daisy guided her to a nearby flower shop, and they picked out some roses together.

"Now, I'd better get home to Lily. After how she acted today, I think she needs a little more... discipline." Daisy told Raindrops.

"Again, way too much information." Raindrops said, shuddering.

"You're so cute when you're scared witless. Go and visit your marefriend." Daisy said, turning tail and heading to her home.

"But she's not my... oh never mind." Raindrops mumbled, and headed towards the hospital.

On the way, a white kitten intercepted her path, rubbing up against her legs, almost tripping her. The kitten mewed and looked up at Raindrops with big blue eyes, whiskers quivering. Raindrops bent down and petted the kitten a few times, listening to it purr, then straightened up.

"Sorry, but I can't stay here. Go off and find your owner."  She walked past the kitten, and was surprised to hear a thump and feel something land right between her shoulder blades. She was afraid to look behind her and confirm what had just happened.

"Myrr?" Suddenly she felt sharp pointy objects digging into her back.

Raindrops half jumped in surprise. She then heard a low rumble coming from behind her. Craning her neck, she confirmed that a small kitten was now curled up on her back. It was sleeping in a spot Raindrops couldn't reach, and she couldn't think of any way to get her off without hurting her. She supposed she was stuck with the kitten for now. Figures.

Raindrops was a few minutes away from the hospital by now. She decided to continue there, and try to ignore the stowaway. She cast a baleful gaze at her back. If she could ignore her, that was.

She walked through the main entrance to the hospital, and headed to the reception desk. There was a blue maned nurse behind the desk that she didn't recognise. Not that she really knew any nurses other than Redheart, anyways.

"Ponyville hospital, how can I help you?" The nurse behind the desk said by rote, and then spotted the kitten. "Oh dear. We don't allow animals in here."

Raindrops facehoofed. Wonderful. My luck is running true to form.

"I'm sorry, it is hospital policy. Though that kitten is awfully cute..." She continued, fighting between a desire to stick with the rules, and an urge to lavish the kitten with love and affection.

"Ah, Raindrops." A voice came from behind her. "Here to see Rose, I take it. With a guest?"

She turned to see Doctor Stable behind her. Why was everypony sneaking up on her today?

"That just happened." Raindrops said.

"Perfectly understandable. And it would brighten up Rose's day..." Doctor Stable paused thoughtfully. "What is the kitten's name?"

Raindrops meant to tell the doctor that she didn't know the fuzzy little stowaway, but about then the kitten woke up, stretched, and started testing her claws on Raindrops back.

"Aah! Claws! Claws!" She shrieked, as the kitten dug its claws into her.

"Claws, hmmm? Seems appropriate. Alright, Claws, I hereby give you the temporary title of doctor for the duration of your visit." Raindrops looked at Dr. Stable as if he'd lost his mind. "If anyone gives you any trouble about the kitten, tell them it is 'Doctor Claws', and if they continue to give you trouble, have them see me."

"Um, sure. How is Rose doing?" Raindrops felt she might as well get to the point of her visit.

"Roseluck seems to be in good shape, but we're waiting for the x-rays to come back. She's currently recuperating in room 12. Here, let me get you a visitors badge." He turned to the counter. "Nurse Coldheart, could I have a visitors badge for Miss Raindrops and Doctor Claws, here?"

"Certainly, doctor." She grabbed a sticker from behind the counter, smiled as she scribbled "Raindrops & Dr. Claws" on it, and stuck it on Raindrops crookedly.

"Room 12 is right down this hall." Doctor Stable said, pointing. "We don't have fixed visiting hours here. You should be able to visit as long as you like, as long as you aren't interfering with either the patients or the staff. Follow me."

Raindrops followed Doctor Stable down the hall. When they got to room 12, the doctor knocked briefly on the door, then opened it for Raindrops.

Entering, Raindrops found herself in a room with blue-green walls with large swirls painted on them. The first thing she saw in the room was Roseluck lying in a bed, a collar of some sort wrapped around her neck, looking pensive. Her expression immediately perked up on seeing Raindrops.

"Raindrops! Are those roses for me?" Roseluck asked.

Raindrops nodded, holding back the various rejoinders that came to mind, and placed the bundle of roses on the bed where she could see them. Roseluck immediately picked them up and started examining and smelling them.

"Oh, a few different varieties of hybrid tea roses. A very nice selection. Thank you, Raindrops!" Roseluck said, delicately sampling a few petals.

"I did have Daisy's help in picking them out." Raindrops said modestly. I certainly don't know enough about flower meanings to pick out the right ones.

"Ah, but you are the one that actually brought them here. And helped me after that fall. I can't thank you enough for that. Those horrid fashion show people..." Roseluck stifled a bit of a sob, thinking about it.

"Don't worry, they are already paying for it. Daisy saw to that." Raindrops interjected.

"Oh dear. What did she do?" Rose said, suddenly worried, knowing her friend all too well.

"She talked to their PR department, and they are now covering all the hospital costs for your stay." Raindrops said.

"In return for my not saying anything against them, I suppose. Still, that helps a lot. I'll have to thank her." Roseluck peered at Raindrops. "What is that on your back?"

"This is Dr. Claws. Don't ask. It's a long story." She trotted over to one side of Rose's bed, so she could get a clear look.

"Oh, how cute! There's a little kitten curled up on your back!" Roseluck reached over and started stroking the kitten. She gave Rose a happy mewling sound, licked her hoof, and strategically positioned herself closer to her, while still making sure to inconvenience Raindrops as much as possible.

Rose petted Dr. Claws for a while, leaning on Raindrops for support while the pegasus put up with it in silence. She didn't really mind that much, as she was getting to spend time with Rose, even if it was under odd circumstances.

After a while, she noticed that Rose had stopped petting the kitten. Looking up, she saw that they were both fast asleep. Rose was half slumped on her back, using her as a pillow. Raindrops knew there was no way she'd be able to move without disturbing them. She sighed, and wrapped her wings around herself. Tucking her head under one wing, she went to sleep as best as she could.

The next morning, she woke up to find a blanket wrapped around her, and that her back was no longer occupied. Looking around, she saw Roseluck laying under the covers in her bed, kitten curled up at her feet. The roses she had left had been neatly placed in a vase on a side table.

Gazing at Roseluck, she thought about how crazy the last day had been. Some part of her wanted to just bolt out the door right now and run back to her life as it had been. But another part was happy with the way things were now, cat and all. She pulled the blanket off, and started to get up.

Just then, Roseluck yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes. Noticing that Raindrops had woken up, she started stammering apologies. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't really mean to fall asleep on top of you. It just kind of..."

"I'm sure you needed the sleep. And if anypony can appreciate how things like that can happen right now, it's me." Raindrops said wryly. And she did. It was the story of her life, really.

"While you were asleep, the doctor came by. He told me that I'll be able to check out in a few days, though I'll need to wear this collar for a few weeks after that, and something to brace my back." Roseluck said.

"I take it nothing showed up on the x-rays, then?" Raindrops said, glad for the news.

"No, everything was fine." Rose said. "And I've been doing some thinking. How long have we known each other?"

"Two or three years, I think?" Raindrops said, wondering where this was heading.

"I believe so. We've been good friends during that time, and I've been happy with that, and haven't looked for more. You rushed to help me the moment you knew I was in trouble, though. And your desperate attempts to keep me awake while help arrived has had me seeing you at a new angle." Roseluck continued.

"Does it?" Raindrops asked, at a loss for words. Was Rose going where she thought she was?

An impish smile came to Rose's face. "In more than one sense, actually. You were hovering directly over me, talking the whole time. And since it hurt to move, that left me with a pretty good view of your underside. I tried not to look, but..."

"What?" Raindrops cried, a flush coming back to her cheeks yet again, thinking in retrospect of how revealing of a position she'd been in.How much had Rose seen of her?

"Oh, don't worry about it. You're actually pretty cute." Rose said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"I'll say. Especially when she's flustered." Daisy said, striding through the door. "So, you two going to do it? You know you want to."

"Daisy!" Both Rose and Raindrops managed to exclaim at the same time.

"What? Just saying." Daisy shrugged. "Anyways, don't mind me, continue what you were doing. Lily would have stopped by as well, but she's a little tied up at the moment."

Daisy sat down in a chair, tucking a piece of rope that was sticking out of her saddlebags back in. Rose and Raindrops did their best to pretend she wasn't there. Plucking a single thornless yellow rose tinged with red from the vase, Roseluck continued to talk.

"So I was already thinking about how I'd missed how cute you were all these years. And then that nurse made a comment to me about how lucky I was to have somepony as devoted as you by my side." Roseluck said, nervously picking petals off the rose as she talked. "And I realised that, though you've been hiding it, you seemed interested in me as more than as just friends. So, I've been thinking about it, and about us, and... oh, buck it all."

Roseluck suddenly wrapped her forelegs around Raindrops rather surprised form, and planted a passionate kiss right on her lips. Raindrops was taken off guard, but quickly returned the kiss with interest, until hooting noises from the other side of the room made them remember they weren't alone.

The quickly separated, much to cries of disappointment from Daisy.

"Awww. It's about time you two lovebirds hooked up, though. If you two need to borrow any toys to consummate your relationship, I've got a million of them, all slightly used." Daisy leered, then ducked as a pillow was thrown in her direction.

"You may skip immediately to that stage in your relationships, Daisy, but I take things a bit slower than that, thank you. " Rose told her.

Turning back to Rose, she continued. "I'm actually not going to be any good for any sort of strenuous activity for at least a few weeks while I'm recovering, from what the doctor said."

She winced a bit, rubbing her back. "Possibly a little more, after what I just pulled. Still, I should be checking out in two or three days. Raindrops, want to go out to dinner when I get out?"

"I'd love to." Raindrops replied, with as much dignity as she had left.

"Great! I know just the place." She examined Raindrops with a critical eye. "In the meantime, maybe you should stop home and get cleaned up. I bet Dr. Claws could use some supplies, too, since she seems pretty attached to you."

"I hope not." Raindrops said, eying the sleeping cat. "I expect that you are right, though."

Thinking about it, Raindrops realised that she hadn't showered since yesterday morning. And she'd even missed a meal in all the confusion. It was just a good thing today was the first day of the weekend.

"And maybe you can come back later today to visit?" Rose said hopefully.

"It's a promise." She told Rose, kissing her once again. As she started out the door, the kitten pounced back on top of Raindrops, causing Daisy to crack up laughing.

As she left the hospital room, a big silly smile formed on her face, despite everything she'd been through. Suddenly, Raindrops didn't care that a cat had taken up residence on her back. Even her depressed mood that always surrounded her seemed to have lifted. She started whistling as she walked past the receptionist's desk, prompting a glare from the nurse on duty.

She and Rose were marefriends now, and that's all that mattered to her. From this point on, it's the two of us, together, she thought, and trotted off into a new day.