Secret Crush

Joe groaned as he awoke in the hospital bed, he wasn’t surprised really. Despite Twilight’s healing spell he had lost quite a bit of blood and would probably need to recover. “At home… I’ll get better at home” Joe muttered as he sat up and stretched a little to get the blood flowing again. “Oh you’re awake” said a very soothing voice, Joe looked over to the voice and saw Nurse Redheart standing with a tray of hospital food.

“So how are you feeling?” Redheart asked as she set down the tray of food on the stand beside the bed. “Good… I’m good, so let’s get me outta these ridiculous clothes” Joe chuckled and pulled off the hospital gown. He only had boxers on and the floor was a little chilly. “Ohh doc, you got my clothes?” Joe asked, shivering a little from the cold tile floor and Redheart turned away to allow Joe a little privacy.

“Ohh don’t worry about it doc” Joe said as he walked up beside her but the hospital monitors were still hooked up to him. Joe pulled out the monitor needles and the monitor flat lined. “Oh shit” Joe muttered and walked back over and turned off the machine. “Uhm… would you please put something on?” Nurse Redheart asked, blushing a little due to Joe’s rather revealing posture. “Well… that’s why I asked if you had my clothes” Joe replied.

“Sorry Joe, but your clothes were destroyed and we threw them out” Nurse Redheart informed him. Joe snapped his fingers in disappointment, “Damn… where’s my car?” Joe asked and Nurse Redheart shrugged, Joe had become a regular at the hospital, usually coming in with very bad wounds but thanks to Twilight’s magic he usually recovered quite quickly and even when Twilight was away and Joe had to recover naturally he did so at an unnatural pace and was usually out of the hospital in a matter of days, feeling better and stronger than he did before.

“Well then… let’s get me outta here” Joe said but Nurse Redheart put her hoof in front of Joe and stopped him. “I’m sorry Joe… but you have to stay here until you’re better” Redheart informed him, Joe gave her a pouty face and she chuckled. “Sorry Joe, as handsome as you are, that’s not gonna work this time” Redheart chuckled. “Ahhh shoot… to bad I wasn’t more handsome I could just pull of some dance moves and just dance outta here before anyone knew what was going on” Joe chuckled.

“Yeah, you dance… I think if you did that you’d end up hurting yourself worse than you already were” Redheart teased, Joe had tried to dance his way out of the hospital before but just ended up twisting his ankle. “Tell you what… if you promise to get in bed right now then I’ll sign your release papers and even do something extra special just for you” Redheart offered. “Deal” Joe replied, not even thinking twice about what she was talking about. “Well then yo better get into bed” Redheart said as she trotted out of the hospital room.

Joe laid down on the hospital bed and rubbed his eyes as he looked to the hospital room clock, 11:39pm. Joe rolled his eyes, he had to be outta here tomorrow morning to be to work for 7am, Applejack refused to let him work full days on Sundays, simply saying he should take it easy but Joe refused, stating that if it wasn’t for her he’d probably still be on the streets in Ponyville. Though he had easily paid off the debt a long time ago he had become sort of attached to Applejack and her family, almost like she was his mother, Big Mac was like the big brother he never had, Applebloom was like a little sister he always wanted and Granny Smith… well Granny Smith was Granny Smith.

Soon Redheart returned, walking with a bit of sway in her walk, Joe loved it when she did this. She walked up to Joe and whispered in his ear “If any-pony ever found out about this I’d lose my job… so try and keep it down would you” Redheart whispered. Joe nodded attentively and she pulled up her hospital dress.

Joe’s heart raced as he looked to what she had brought for him. She had hidden his M1911 under her hospital dress and walked with that sway so no-pony would see the protrusion from the pistol. “Oh Redheart I love you” Joe said as he picked up the pistol from her hoofs and held it gently in his hands. “Any-pony asks… you found it in the washroom” Redheart said with a wink. “Thanks Redheart, I love you” Joe chuckled sarcastically. “Yeah you only love me when I get you your gun but as soon as its ‘you have to stay in bed’ well then it’s ‘I can’t believe this shit’” Redheart laughed. “Hey I still love you, even when I’m mad that you’re holding me here against my will” Joe laughed.

“You don’t love me, admit it” Redheart laughed. “Okay fine, but you’re still a good pony and you will always be my friend” Joe chuckled, Redheart rolled her eyes. “See you in the morning Joe” Redheart said and walked out of the hospital room, Joe inspected his pistol.

The pistol had a bit of dirt and grit in it from the battle with the timber wolves that he’d have to clean tomorrow after work. He checked to see if the gun was loaded and made sure it wasn’t and then spun the pistol on his index finger in an old western style. “Okay… this isn’t so bad” Joe muttered to himself and laid down, sliding the pistol under his pillow and quickly falling asleep peacefully.

* * *

Joe awoke early but as he looked to the hospital clock he realized that he’d slept in. “Shit” Joe muttered but as he began to get out of bed Nurse Redheart trotted into the hospital room, pushing a cart with some of his clothes and his pistol holster. “Here… Scootaloo and Applejack brought in your clothes last night and Rainbow Dash parked your car out back” Redheart informed him. It was truly amazing, most ponies couldn’t drive his car simply because it wasn’t meant to be driven by ponies but when Rainbow Dash found out that it didn’t take much effort to drive and realized it went quite fast for the amount of body effort it took to use it, she jumped on the idea of driving it. After a month of training she learned how to drive the Shelby Cobra and could do so quite well.

“Well thanks doc” Joe said as he slipped into his daily attire which consisted of a black leather jacket, some black leather pants, and black boots and tinted sunglasses. In his best Arnie voice he looked to her and quoted “I’ll be back” then smiled at the funny one liner. “Of course you will, knowing you you’ll break your leg during your football game on Wednesday” Redheart said, reminding Joe that he had a football game on Wednesday.

“Oh yeah… I forgot about that” Joe muttered as he holstered the pistol inside the jacket, concealing it very well. Redheart escorted Joe out of the hospital and as they left the front doors Joe waved to Redheart “Thanks doc… see yah later” Joe called out and she blushed. He always called her doc even though she was just a nurse and she had tried to tell him that on numerous occasions during his visits but he still called her doc.

Joe hopped in his car, he opened the glove box and grabbed a fresh magazine and slid it into the pistol but didn’t cock back the slid. He started the car and it rumbled to life, he reached into the glove box and grabbed another cassette tape and put it into the radio player and smiled as he drove out towards the farm while the tunes of George Thorogood played on the radio cassette player.

Know the day I was born

The nurses all gathered round

And they gazed in wide wonder

At the joy they had found

The head nurse spoke up

Said leave this one alone

She could tell right away

That I was bad to the bone…

* * *

At the apple farm Applejack had Pinkie Pie and the others setting up a surprise for Joe, first off for saving Scootaloo and second for his birthday. Though he didn’t care much for his own birthday he always went out of his way for others on their birthdays yet usually forgot his birthday so Applejack made sure that he always had some sort of special thing on his birthday.

“Here try this” Applejack said and gave Scootaloo a slice of apple pie, Scootaloo took the pie and took a bite out of the slice. It was very tasty and she ate the rest of the slice. “Joey loves apple pie, but don’t tell him, ah want it tah be a surprise” Applejack said as she wrapped up the other pies and hid them from plain view. “Applejack… I know I’ve said this a dozen times but I’m sorry” Scootaloo apologized but Applejack shrugged, “Sugar cube, yah ain’t got nothin tah be sorry tah me fer… ain’t yer fault yah got tricked, the only one yah should be sorry fer is Joe cause he got the worst licken outta all of us” Applejack replied. “Licken… more like nearly died, did you see him when he was in the hospital?” Scootaloo gasped at the calmness Applejack had for Joe’s situation.

“Sugar cube… yah should know that it takes more than a few timber wolves tah take down Joe… for some reason he doesn’t mind putting his life on the line for others and always recovers miraculously” Applejack informed her then sighed. “Ah even seen him put himself on the line fer them no good Flim and Flam brothers” Applejack informed her then stopped and her ear lifted as she heard the roar of Joe’s car and looked out the window. “Ha, ah don’t believe it… thought we’d have more time” Applejack said as she rushed out the front doors and motioned for every-pony to hide.

Joe pulled his car up and turned it off, he was wearing a ridiculous set of clothes, black leather on a hot day like today wasn’t smart. “Hey AJ, what do yah need me to do?” Joe asked and Applejack ran up to him with a worried look. “Joe… yah were just on death’s doorstep yesterday… yah didn’t have tah come tah work today” Applejack told him and he shrugged. “Alright… ah guess yah could go cut some more wood… if yer up tah it” Applejack said and Joe nodded, departing for the other side of Sweet Apple acres to go cut up some firewood.

As Joe left and got far enough away Applejack motioned for the all clear and went back inside as the others came out of hiding and continued with the party preperations. Sweetie Bell and Applebloom were fidgeting with the cupcake tray while Scootaloo tried to clean off some dishes. “Alright… well if yer all up fer it, ah guess yah could cook something fer supper” Applejack asked and they all perked their ears up at the opportunity to cook something, usually Applejack did all the cooking. “What about you sis?” Applebloom asked and Applejack looked out to the barn. “Ah think the others are gonna need muh help settin up the decorations if they want tah be ready fer tonight” Applejack said as she left outside to help the others.

For the next little while everyone did there thing to set up for the party, well except Joe who was still rather oblivious to it and was out chopping wood. He had gotten rather hot and regretted wearing the heavy black leather jacket and quickly took it off and simply wore a tank top except this one was a light sky blue. He looked over to the wagon and cursed as he realized that he had forgotten to bring water. He tossed the axe in the wagon and hooked himself up when he heard the snarling of a timber wolf from behind him. He sniffed the air, he could smell its horrid breath, in his exhaustion he hadn’t kept up his guard while he was working.

Quickly unhooking himself he grabbed the axe off the wagon and turned to face the timber wolf but it was strange, there was only one but he could tell from the glint in its eye that it was the same one that had possessed the large timber wolf but now it had a new body. Joe grunted to himself “Come back for seconds eh”