Archive of Our Own

"Sonic, be careful, we've never seen this one, we don't know what it's capable of."

Tails' voice fizzled through his communicator. Sonic perked up an ear in the direction of the sound as he zoomed across a field. He lifted his wrist to his mouth so he could respond.

"Don't worry, lil guy, I'll be just fine. Nothing I haven't faced yet. I'm sure it's not too different from the other ones."

"I'm serious, Sonic. This could get dangerous."

"Yeah, yeah." He playfully rolled his eyes.

Tails didn't respond but he could figure him rolling his eyes just the same.

He leapt over a collapsed building, landing on a fallen over tree and ran along its length.
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*Well. This could get ugly.*

He narrowly dodged an explosive thrown his way as the thought crossed his mind. It bounced off the ground and exploded somewhere behind him. It's warmth brushed close to his quills and back before he could run far away enough. He couldn't look to check if someone got injured. His enemy wouldn't let him even if he wanted to.

His attention entirely focused on the giant praying mantis-like robot facing him, he clenched his fists, running an arc around it so he could get behind it.

He looked around, looking for a weak spot.

He eyed its joints with squinted eyes. Well, guess that was better than nothing.

He rolled into a ball and spin dashed into one of the joint of one of its hind legs. The sudden explosion sent him flying back and he painfully collided with the ground, a grunt escaping him upon impact. He blearily opened his eyes, putting a hand to his ribs, and watched as the joint burst into flames, a sickly green liquid oozing out the "wound".

The robotic insect cried out something shrill and he had to cover his ears, eyes scrunched shut under the white hot pain of such a sudden sound. It was akin to metal scraping against each other.

When the ringing in his brain subsided and when he opened his eyes, a shadow was looming above him. He turned his head with widened eyes and locked gazes with the robot, one long and incredibly sharp raptorial leg raised high above its head and ready to strike.

He cried out and scrambled to his feet. Through his communicator, he heard Tails shouting his name.

The raptorial leg struck the ground and punctured through dirt and stone, causing a cloud of smoke and dust to rise in the vicinity.

On his screen, Tails watched the cloud settle with growing anxiety, gripping the sides of the table, hard.

Something azur zipped across the field and away from the robot and Tails let out an audible sigh, posture relaxing slightly. He grabbed his communicator. "Sonic! That was so reckless!! I told you it would be dangerous!"

Sonic was about to reply when the robot unhinged its jaw. It sent a metaphorical shiver down his spine as he watched with widened eyes as a bright red light emanated from its mouth.

Red never meant anything good. Well actually it depends, he thought nonchalantly, but-

A missile was spit out of its mouth and he shouted his surprise. He dashed to the side, only to realise that it was a tracking missile and only barely avoided the whiplash of his dash as it barreled towards him.

"Oh I've had enough of this freak." He groaned.

He dashed to the forest, in the hope that the missile would hit a tree and explode away from him. It took a few narrow turns for the missile to explode somewhere behind him, and the second he heard it, he skid to a stop and turned around.

The praying mantis lowered its upper body to look at Sonic through the foliage, screeching its discontent.

He grit his teeth and tucked into a ball, spin dashing full speed at its face. He was ready to feel his quills grind against metal and tear at the fragile plates composing its face. What he was not ready for was for the robot to open its mouth and close it at the exact millisecond where he was standing right under its "teeth". Pain erupted and he cried out, crushed under the herculean strength of this robot's jaw.

For good measure, the creature bit down hard and went into position, throwing its weight as fast it could and properly *throwing* Sonic across the field.

He heard something in his back *snap* as he collided with something really, *really* hard, and he cried out as he tumbled to the dirt.

The world faded to black as much as it exploded into seething, ugly white hot pain. He realised with horror that he couldn't get his legs to respond. He was gasping for air under the unforgiving pressure of the pain. He couldn't even turn his hips so he could lie more comfortably on the ground.

The robot screeched, unhinged its jaw once more and released a flock of missiles.

At this point, Sonic was about ready to face his demise, whatever it may be, he'd face it.

He prepared himself for a new wave of pain, but.. It never came.

A figure just *appeared* out of nowhere and shielded him from the assault, deviating missiles, destroying some. A heavy cloud of dust rose in the air from the onslaught. He heard a shrill screech, something colliding with metal, violently, and something heavy tumbling and falling to the floor after a long moment of silence, then nothing. He vaguely heard someone shouting something then the air felt like it was buzzing with electricity.

Things had settled.

Footsteps. There were footsteps approaching.

He couldn't move.

There was a form in the setting dust. It approached and Sonic realised that it was a familiar shape. That's all he could think about as he fell into unconsciousness.
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Shadow ran as fast as his charge permitted him, careful to not jostle Sonic too much lest he endengers his life even more.

Gritting his teeth, he ascended the last step and crossed the distance to the door, opening it with a harsh push of his boot.

"*Somebody please help him!*", he immediately shouted the moment he entered.

A nurse at the desk flinched and whipped her head in his direction. Immediately, a personnel came to him and asked him what the situation was.

"He was thrown against a sharp rock, he's unresponsive and unconscious. He hit his lower back." He could feel the blood pooling in his hands.

A nurse sprang into action and asked for a stretcher to be brought immediately. Sonic was laid down onto it and transported away from him. He watched as the blue fur disappeared behind the doors.

He stayed there unmoving for a while before anyone acknowledged him. Someone approached him and asked him if he was related to Sonic and if he had any information about him he could fill out for him on the form that was put in front of him. Shadow replied that he knew where to find it -even though he had no idea of precisely where- and promptly warped to Sonic's house.

It was a small cozy little thing he shared with Tails, -well, theoretically, he once told him that it was Tails' house and he just crashed here, but that didn't matter much-.

He went to open the door only to find it locked. It was to be expected but usually Sonic always forget to close the door, which was always concerning on its own. He simply warped inside.

He looked around. Directly to his right was an open area, with a couch and a large TV on a cabinet. A plush carpet was on the floor and various plants decorated the space. He doubted he would find Sonic's health insurance information here.

He looked to his left, seeing an open door a few steps ahead, he peeked inside. It was a bedroom. He walked further in, passing by an opening in the wall, leading to a door in the back. He ignored when he eyed the very obvious "toilet" sign on the door. He peeked into the next room. Dining and cooking room. No luck.

His room *must* be one of the two left then. One door was open, light blue light pouring from the opening, he threw a glance and identified it as the bathroom. He opened the last door only to be met with an absolute mess of a room. Vests and trinkets littered the floor, bed unmade, desk even worse.

He's.. He's never finding that health insurance information.

He reached for his quills and rummaged through them, getting his phone out and quickly searching for Tails' number. Tails was the one to give him his number after numerous visits to their place. He said it was for "educational" purposes because Shadow was so "knowledgeable", but he half doubted it was just to give his number to Sonic who had been harassing him for it for a while now.

The call connected and he waited. Tails answered on the third ring. "Shadow?"

"I don't have much time to waste, do you know where Sonic's health insurance info is?"

"Wait- Sonic's what??"

"Health insurance information?"

"Uuuuh. Hold on one second." He heard rummaging on the other side of the line. "Oh, yeah! He should have a card somewhere!"

Shadow stared at the room. "Al-right. I think I'll be here for a while."

"Wh- Oh. What do you need it for, anyways?"

"Sonic is in the hospital."

"*Sonic is what!?*" Shadow moved the phone away from his ear and closed his eyes. "What happened?? Is it because of that giant praying mantis robot thing??? Oooooh, ooh nooooo, I told him to be careful!! But he wouldn't listen! Shadow-"

"Tails." He said firmly.

There was a pause. ".. Sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologise about." He scratched at his scalp. "He's... Fine. I got him to the hospital. He should be in the emergency unit."

"... Can you.. Can you keep me updated? I lost signal a bit into the fight against the robot and I couldn't help him. I- I feel like it's my fault, if I-"

"Tails, it's not your fault. It's no one's."

He heard discreet sobbing on the line and sighed deeply. "I'll keep you updated with everything."

"Thanks Shadow." Shadow was about to reply when Miles cut him to it, "And also for bringing him to the hospital. Keep me updated!" Tails forced a bit of spring to his tone before hanging up.

Shadow stared at the screen. Somehow it felt like he had just failed at something.

Alright. He inhaled sharply, stashed his phone away and resolved his mind on the mission at hand : Finding Sonic's health insurance card.

He thought he would never find it, or never get out of the absolute mess that is Sonic's room, but he finally caught a glimpse of a green card in one of his desk drawers. He clawed at it and dislodged the tiny plastic sheet from between two books and took a look at it. Sure enough, it was the right thing. He warped back to the hospital, scaring the poor lady at the desk.

"Hi. I'm here for Sonic, I was asked to retrieve his health insurance card to fill out a form."

The secretary nodded along and fixed her glasses, looking down her monitor and tapping something on her keyboard.

"Sonic. He's currently in the emergency unit, he should be in surgery. Here's the form. You can sit down back there and fill it on the table if you feel more comfortable." She pointed somewhere behind to his right and he followed the direction.

He thanked her with a slight bow of his head and marched to the little place secluded and away from prying eyes. There was a tall, vibrant plant in the corner.

He sat down, laid the paper in front of him along with the pen and allowed himself a moment to recompose. He bent over, arms crossed on his legs and exhaled loudly. He had barely been able to take a break to process everything that's happened.

He focused on breathing. Around him he could hear multiple people walking back and forth. Otherwise the corridor was mainly empty and silent, except for the AC unit he could hear a few feet away. The static white noise calmed his senses. He could feel the faint breeze it created.

He straightened and focused intently on the paper in front of him. Basic information. He knew most of it by osmosis anyways. The rest was on his health insurance card.

The only part that was posing a problem was the caregiver section. He didn't know of any family member aside from Tails, and for multiple obvious reasons, he couldn't list Tails as his caregiver. He decided to leave this section empty for the time being.

He got up and walked up to the front desk, handing the form to the secretary. She took it without a word and gave him a reassuring smile. Maybe his anxiety was showing? Or maybe all personnel is required to be amiable.

"If you want to wait for him, I can give you his floor and room number and you can wait in the corresponding waiting unit."

"I'd like that, yes."

"Alright, let me have a look." A silent stretched as the secretary tapped on her keyboard. Shadow looked away and to his right. Long hallways stretched far. "He's on the third floor, room 32. Here is a visitor access key, for the elevator." She handed him a thin piece of plastic, which he took without a word. He bowed lightly and turned left.

He had seen a sign indicating an elevator right there. He clicked on the button and waited for it, crossing his arms. Stepping inside, he eyed the panel before clicking on the number 3, scanning his card.

The elevator began its ascension accompanied with a soft jazzy tune.
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He felt... Weightless. He also felt really itchy. There was an itch somewhere on his back and he couldn't reach it and it was making him go crazy.

He couldn't open his eyes, they were far too heavy.

He thinks.. He thinks he keeps fading in and out of consciousness but he can't be sure.

He opened his eyes to someone fixing something on his hand.

Next time someone was tinkering with a machine somewhere above his head. He was so sleepy. He decided it wouldn't hurt to close his eyes just a bit.

When he woke up, he felt nauseous. Incredibly so. And he was *itchy*.

Sonic blearily opened his eyes and looked around in a daze. "Wh- wuh?"

"Good morning. Can you hear me?"

Sonic slowly blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. He slowly nodded, feeling heavy and.. Off.

"You just woke up from surgery. You are in the post anesthesia care unit. You were asleep for a few hours."

The nurse started talking again, "Nurses will monitor you as you stay in the post anesthesia care unit, then you'll be moved to the intensive care unit."

He barely paid any attention. He felt groggy and sleepy and the world was swaying a bit.

"Uh-" He looked around. There was a window there. "What.. Happened to me?"

"You broke your spine in an accident. We have inserted metallic rods and screws to keep your spine in place but you might never walk again."

You might never walk again.

It was like someone punched him in the guts. Sonic looked at the doctor with widened eyes.

*You might never walk again.*

**Never walk again.**

"No.." He muttered, voice wavering, staring at nothing in particular.

"This is all a theory as you have yet to begin your recovery, but I have to warn you in the case that it happens, since it is a common occurrence with this type of injury."

He felt like he couldn't breathe. He also felt like sleeping.

What.. What do you mean, never walk again.. ??

The nurse left. He was alone. He stared in front of him without looking. He closed his eyes. He felt like the world was moving after what felt like a second and then it was still again.
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Shadow had sat down on one of the chairs near the door to room 32. It was a small cubic space with a large glass wall at eye level when on your feet.

A man had approached him and had sat down in front of him.

"We have admitted Sonic into our emergency unit. He is currently undergoing surgery to stabilise his spine. When he wakes up, he'll most likely fall into spinal shock, which should start to alleviate in about a day with the recovery of reflexes. We will need to monitor him for the time being and will warn you and Sonic at every step of his recovery." The man straightened a pack of papers, tapping it against the table sat between them.

"What- What happened to him?" Shadow played with a tuft of fur on his thigh.

"He has a spinal cord injury. It was a traumatic injury from what I gathered. Thankfully it is incomplete, which greatly improves his chances of recovery towards an autonomous life."

"I see." Shadow lowered his head.

"You did extremely well. You brought him before any further damage could happen."

Shadow remained silent but he raised his head to look back at the man. He was smiling calmly at him, putting the papers back on the table.

The man picked a sheet from the stack, "We gave you a document to fill, since Sonic couldn't fill it himself and you said you could fill it for him, do you remember?" Shadow nodded. "I see that you did not fill out the section for caregivers. Does he not have family?"

"Not that I know of. He has a younger brother but he is currently away and unavailable."

"I see. Could you fulfill that role?"

Shadow opened his mouth to deny, but he closed it and gave it some thoughts. Technically he *could*, but that didn't mean he *wanted to*.

He thought back on the battle, seeing his battered form, how he got enraged at the sight and how the only thought that occupied his mind was to *obliterate that wretched robot.* How limp he was when he picked him up, how lifeless. Dying. *Dying.*

"Yes."

The man seemed to take a pause.

"Are you ready to take on that responsibility? It's a heavy one to carry alone and you'll need the strenght for two person."

"Yes. My job gives me possibilities to stay with him."

"Alright. I'll need you to fill out this form then."

A paper was pushed towards him with a pen. He took the latter and slowly wrote down his informations. He clicked the pen, put it back down on the desk and pushed the paper back to the man.

The man pushed his glasses back before taking the sheet. "You'll be warned whenever there is an update on Sonic's status."

With that, the man smiled and nodded at him, got up and left.
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Shadow couldn't help the light bouncing of his foot. He had put his head in his right hand, letting the other one dangle between his legs, moving to the rhythm of his leg.

He saw a man different from the one he talked to a few hours ago exit a room and take a few steps before spotting him sat down. The man approached him.

"Are you Shadow?"

Shadow nodded.

"I'm the surgeon who operated on Sonic. The surgery is done and went perfectly well. We secured his spine and he should be waking up in the post anesthesia care unit soon." The surgeon explained, his tone methodical but reassuring.

"When can I see him?"

"As soon as he is moved to the intensive care unit, you should be able to visit him, which should be a couple of hours from now. We'll keep you updated. Do you have any question?"

Shadow thought about it for a moment, looking away.

"Is his case severe?"

"He has an incomplete SCI, but we would need further tests to fully assess his condition. In his case, he may be able to regain his independence and body autonomy, or he may never be able to walk again."

"I see." Shadow looked at the wall facing him.

He hoped for the former, he caught himself thinking, as the surgeon bowed lightly and stepped away. His leg went back to bouncing up and down and he waited.

Roughly an hour or so later, a nurse approached him, asking him if everything was okay -she shouldn't be asking him this-. She told him that there was a cafeteria available to relatives who stayed at the hospital while their loved one was being taken care of and insisted he at least gets something from one of the vending machine.

He got bottled coffee.
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It wasn't long until another nurse approached him to keep him updated on Sonic's vitals and situation. He had been moved to the intensive care unit and Shadow could go see him.

A heavy sigh left his mouth as he walked through the corridors of the huge unit where Sonic had been admitted to.

A vast majority of the walls were deprived of any color other than white or off white, and free of any decors.

He stood before the room 32 for a few minutes before knocking and entering. When he laid eyes upon Sonic, he quickly realised that something was wrong.

He approached and Sonic seemed to not even realise he was there, he observed his expression, eyes blown wide and looking somewhere far, hands closed tight, grabbing a fist full of fabric.

"*Sonic.* Come back on earth, calm down."

Shadow's voice did little to calm him down.

"Sonic."

"It hurts. Why does it hurt."

"Where does it hurt?"

"My back." A whine escaped him.

"Where?"

"Lower- back." The pain made it hard to take whole breaths. "And my legs.. Shadow, I can't move."

He heard a hum from Shadow, who threw a glance at the liquid slowly dripping through the tube. Maybe the pain killers were starting to wear off?

"Shadow." Sonic turned his head to look Shadow in the eyes, "I feel like shit."

Shadow fought back a snort.

Sonic took in a breath, "Shadow. Shadow what the hell happened." Shadow could guess the anxiety in his glare.

"You went through surgery."

"What??" Sonic looked at him blankly.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Did they not tell you?"

"Uuuuuh... Maybe? I don't- remember, actually. I don't remember- The hospital?"

"That's probably the sedatives." Shadow went to sit down on one of the two chairs near a small cubic table under the TV.

"Huh. Funny thing.. These.. Things. Hm"

Shadow could see he was exhausted. "Hm." There was a pause, "You should try to sleep."

"Sleep? Sleep?? In this state?? You think I'll be able to fall asleep?? I can't move my legs, I have tubes coming out of everywhere, I have a needle up my private parts so I don't piss myself and I can't even get up to take a shit!"

"They told me it's only for a few days until the spinal shock wears off. And it's not a *needle*, it's a catheter." Shadow corrected, crossing his arms.

Sonic made gestures with his hands to immitate Shadow talking, making faces. Shadow sighed at the sight. Right. The sedatives.

"What are you even doing here anyways?" Sonic's gaze was now fixed on him.

"Take a guess as to who had to drag you to the hospital because you couldn't be a bit more careful during your mission."

Confusion painted his face before recognition made his eyebrows go up.

"You took care of that giant praying mantis robot thing?"

"Yes." He thought back about bruised hands, green liquid squelshing under his boot and trickling down his fingers, tasting it on his tongue.

"Cool. That was one nasty pest. Made me take quite the tumble."

""Quite the tumble" is the understatement of the year, Sonic." He deadpanned.

"Huh. Maybe." He looked dazed, ready to fall asleep at any moment. Shadow understood when he was not needed anymore, so he prepared to leave.

"I'll leave you be, my job here is done."

"Wait! Wait wait you're just gonna leave like that?"

Shadow turned his head to look back at Sonic. "Yes? I brought you here, I made sure I filled all the necessary papers, I stayed until you were conscious and made sure to see you myself to assess of your state. My business here is done."

"Can't you- can't you at least show some- I dunno... Worry? Don't you worry about lil ol' me?"

Shadow squinted at him. "Why are you trying to make me stay." He enunciated each word clearly.

"..." Sonic looked out the window, playing with his fingers. "Listen- Hospitals give me the creeps, I can't move and I feel like I'm going to go ballistic at any second, please stay?"

Shadow considered it for a while. His thoughtful hum turned into a grumble and he visibly sagged. That was going to be something for his future self to regret, but he decided to stay for the time being.

"Thanks Shads! I knew you were nice." Sonic offered him a wobbly smile and an even wobblier thumbs up, to which Shadow rolled his eyes.

Shadow sat down at the small table and crossed his arms.

"I think- I think I'm gonna be sick." Was all Sonic could mutter before he promptly and simply threw up on the floor.
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It took quite a bit for a nurse to be available and arrive to clean the mess, and he felt a bit out of place standing there doing nothing, so he remained close to the window and away from the scene, observing silently. The nurse then went to check Sonic's vitals since she was there. Sonic was too busy being embarrassed and apologizing profusely for the mess, to which the nurse replied that all was okay.

"Thankfully, none of of the vomit got on your sheets so we won't have to move you to change them." She smiled at Sonic, who seemed like he was still a bit dazzed. "You should be off the anti inflammatory drugs coming tomorrow. Do you have any question or concern?"

Sonic hummed, thinking. "How- How do I go to the bathroom."

"For now it is not recommended to move you. You have an indwelling catheter inserted into your bladder for the time being; it will be removed once we establish that it is okay for you to start getting in a wheelchair."

"I see."

"Concerning bowels, you should start getting bowel movement when you get up and moving again. By that time you should be able to get to the bathroom." She smiled at him.

Shadow didn't like seeing Sonic so somber. It... Didn't suit him.

The nurse took one last look at the monitors then signaled she was leaving and left the two hedgehogs alone.

Sonic let out a dry laugh. "I feel kind of pathetic. Things that were never taken into consideration suddenly feel like insurmountable tasks. Going to the bathroom now is going to be *such a hassle* just because I *wouldn't listen.*"

Shadow blinked the surprise away. "Sonic."

"No." Sonic held up one hand, signalling him to keep it to himself.

He obliged. His hands fell back to his side. He moved to the chair and sat back down, offering his silent company until he had to leave. Sonic didn't talk for the rest of the time, he fell asleep soon after and Shadow didnt find it in himself to leave without a warning, so he stayed, mindlessly scrolling on his phone. Rouge was concerned about his disappearance, to which he just said "Sonic" and that was about it.
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Shadow left at the end of the first day, agreeing to keep in touch the moment Sonic could find his phone. Shadow had told him he needed to talk to Tails first anyways, and somehow that made Sonic stress out more than learning about the possibility that he would never walk again. He watched as ebony quills exited through the door and began fidgeting with his fingers.

Not too long after, maybe about an hour or so, a nurse came to give him his first meal since he awoke from surgery, and he was so starved that he didn't even care if the mush he was given tasted horrible.

Nurses would check on him every half an hour or so and would come to change his urinary drainage bag every two or three hours. It made it quite difficult to relax or sleep, really, since they almost always woke him while trying to change the bag, even though he knew they were doing their best not to jostle him.

The worst was probably the constant beeping of the machines surrounding him, keeping him alert and accytely aware that all of *him* was being closely monitored and displayed for the world to see.

Then there was the moments when they had to roll him so he didn't get pressure sores. They had to move him this way and that to relieve pressure, sometimes he'd wake up to someone exercising his arms and legs to avoid stiff joints. They told him it would last until he was capable of doing those exercises on his own, which they would teach him later on. He was restless and eager to regain a sense of control over his body.

Somewhere in the night, a nurse arrived to give him a bedpan to relieve himself. It all felt really uncomfortable and gross but it's not like he had much of a choice. He felt incredibly vulnerable. Anyone could enter and just- Attack him. The nurses kept reassuring him, telling him it was their job, and he felt a bit better.

Somewhere along the third day, nurses visited him to talk to him about what was happening to him, what type of injury he sustained, to check vitals and take blood samples. They clearly enunciated that they couldn't make a prognosis until they had conducted the necessary examinations.

A doctor later came to examine him, he explained it was to assess a complete neurological examination to diagnose the severity of his injury. He tested his muscle strength, his ability to feel touch on his paralysed limbs and his reaction to a pinprick. They also took multiple scans of his spine, moving him from one room to the other, and then he was left alone again with his own thoughts.

Nurses didn't visit as often, as one explained to him that he was stable and didn't require as intense a surveillance as other patients in the ICU anymore. She added that it wouldn't be far before they discharged him to a rehabilitation center.

Shadow visited that day. He brought his phone, which Sonic eagerly took and immediately turned on. Shadow had charged it fully and he was thankful for it, but he instantly paled when he saw the absolute beast that were the dozens of messages Tails had sent him over the days. Shadow must have picked up on it because he snickered and patted his shoulder.

Shadow had stayed the majority of the afternoon at his side, watching some crappy TV show or bantering about stupid things.

On the fourth day, the catheter linked to his bladder had been removed -he could still feel the intrusive sensation as if they were still doing it-, and the nurse briefly explained to him what bladder and bowel management might look like, showing him different types of catheter, telling him about different techniques to handle bowel movements and the such.

It was all because a few systems that should have been operated on their own have now shut down due to the injury he sustained. She took his vitals before exiting the room.

He was looking out the window. Someone had put his bed in a seated position. It was just slightly more comfortable.

He heard a knock at the door and a cow mobian entered. She had beautiful, vibrant curly hair the same color as her spots and curly fur all over her body.

"Good morning Sonic. I'm Reglisse, your healthcare provider. Every patient is given one when they are admitted into the ICU. I heard you've already been told a few things?" She had a calm tone, which soothed him only slightly.

"Yeah. About my spine and the fact I'd have to relearn how to walk and train my bladder and bowel or something."

"Exactly. You might encounter something called neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction, which means that your body can't properly eliminate waste. That's due to the severed neurons, which should send information to your brain, but can't due to the nature of your injury.

"In this case what is of utmost importance to us and you is to restore your bodily autonomy. The first step is recovering bladder and bowel control. In terms of bowel movements, your injury is lower on your spine, which means you would get stool incontinence, but since it is incomplete, it should give your muscles a bit more strength and fewer your bowel issues.

"You will be assigned a bowel program, which consist in going to the bathroom and emptying your bowel at a regular basis to train your bowel to empty itself on a routine.

"Never hesitate to ask again if you've forgotten anything on how to do things, we'd be glad to help make your stay here more comfortable and less stressful for you."

That was a bit too much information but he guessed he could make do. The nurse seemed nice and patient, making sure he integrated the information she gave him. He nodded along a few times.

"Maintaining bowel function is really important; if not taken care of properly, it could lead to many additional health complications.

"When it comes to neurogenic bladder, since your injury is lower on the spine, your likelyhood of having a flaccid bladder is greatly heightened, which means that your bladder muscles don't contract and keep the urine in, which can lead to various issues. This is why you'll also have a bladder program."

Program this, program that, does he also have a program for sleeping??

"To empty your bladder, you'll have to use a catheter." She grabbed for something on the table. It was a long, thin transparent tube thing. "This is inserted in the urethra and to the bladder. Generally it is linked to a bag that collects the urine, but it can also be emptied directly into the toilet. You'll have to empty your bladder on a regular basis, usually every four to six hours. There are different catheters depending on what makes you more comfortable; some come pre-lubricated, some have different tips."

She must have seen he was slightly put off by all this because she looked apologetic.

"We've been keeping track of your vitals and you show great results! I have my entire faith in you to make a satisfying recovery."

"What.. What does satisfying even mean in my case." He looked down at himself, at the multiple tubes going in and out of him. His ear flickered behind him to the beeping machine keeping track of his heart and other vitals.

The nurse took one of the chairs and placed it to sit close to the bed.

"I know it may seem impossible and I can understand how mentally exhausting and painful it can and will be, but I have seen numerous spinal cord injuries survivors walk again in the many years I've been working here." She smiled calmly at him.

Sonic silently met her eyes.

"Do you have any questions?" She asked.

He pondered for a while, trying to remember what she just told him. "Uuuhm-... Sorry, what exactly is a bowel or bladder program?"

"These programs are recurring times set specifically to suit your needs at which you'll empty either your bladder or your bowel to regain control over your body. Paired with an adequate diet with good intake of water and fibers, and strength exercises targetting the pelvic floor, it'll maximise your recovery chances."

"Okay. Got it. I think."

"If you have question don't hesitate to call for us, alright? Do you remember where the button to call for a nurse is?"

He pointed to a button behind his right shoulder.

"Good. Now we'll set your programs, alright?"
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Following his interaction with Reglisse, he got anxious and began overthinking tiny details. What if it hurts? What if it gets stuck? Or if he can't get it to his bladder? What if he has a problem? What if he can't get a bowel movement?

The next hour a physician came to roll him on his side, on his belly, and to exercise his legs and arms, slowly stretching the muscles and putting the unused joints in movement. He was taught basic bed exercises he can do on his own in the morning or anytime he feels like it. He was glad he got to have that bit of body autonomy.

They still woke him up every hour or so anyways.

The fifth day, a bit after his meal, he was given a wheelchair. A foldable one. A nurse lowered his bed with the click of a button to make it easier for him. She instructed him every step of the way, how to position his legs correctly, swing one over and onto the feet pedal, how to keep his balance as he pushed with one hand onto the arm rest. His arms would shake under the effort and he let himself fall onto the chair with a loud groan.

She then casually told him that he'd have to self catheterize to empty his bladder. Right now.

She showed him a pre-lubricated catheter in a sterile bag and held it out for him. She reminded him how to use it and he just.. Nodded along as she talked.

Well at least this way he could get to the bathroom on his own!

Which he did.

Only to stop in front of the toilet seat.

He looked down at the catheter sitting innocently in his lap. He suddenly felt squeamish.

He positioned himself closer to the edge of the seat. Reaching for the sink, he carefully washed his hands like instructed. He inhaled deeply and exhaled through his mouth.

"Hey, it's fine, I'm sure it's just a piece of cake." He said to himself.

It was in fact, not as much of a piece of cake as he thought. It felt.. Really uncomfortable. It took him a good 5 minutes to convince himself to grab the damn thing, and 5 more minutes to properly execute the movement. It's not something he was looking forward to, and he had to do this *four to six times a day?!* He couldn't begin to imagine how much time he'd spend in the bathroom per day.

He flushed the toilet and properly washed the catheter before putting it aside in its box. He felt drained of energy. The nurse was waiting for him behind the door with a patient smile once he got out.

She proposed to help him get back in bed but he decided to try on his own.

In the end she had to help him up.
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Shadow visited him on the sixth day, having told him by messages that he'd be free for a few hours. He arrived right as Sonic was done with his evening meal, holding a little bag in his hands. That also meant he'd have to go to the bathroom, which was an unfortunate timing.

"Tails wanted me to give you this, he would've shipped it directly to you but it was too much of a hassle. I had to get it verified by a nurse though."

Shadow pushed the bag in front of Sonic, who eagerly took it and opened it. Instantly, he beamed at the sight and took out something from it. Shadow recognised it as some delicacies he must be very fond of because Sonic hummed in contentment at the taste.

"Thanks for being the delivery boy, Shads, I don't know what I'd do without you." Sonic kept his gaze on the box and carefully closed the lid, putting it aside on the table next to his bed, straining his arm a bit to reach it.

"Bit of an awkward moment but I've gotta go to the bathroom. Usually I can get on my wheelchair alone by now but do you mind watching just in case anything happens?"

Shadow wordlessly nodded and stood by, acutely watching over Sonic. He was afraid he'd hurt himself moving on his own so early but a nurse had told him that he was showing great signs of recovery already, which was a sort of miracle on its own. He guessed he wasn't that surprised since it involved *Sonic* of all people.

Thankfully, nothing bad happened and Sonic got in his wheelchair and began awkwardly rolling to the door a few paces away. He was uncomfortable in the wheelchair, having never had to use one until now, and was greatly inexperienced in term of how to maneuver around one.

He closed the door behind him and maneuvered to the toilet seat. He had been instructed to empty his bowel in the morning and before going to sleep, to see exactly where he was in term of bowel movement and what would suit him best, so he stuck to the rules. He didn't want to create more problems for himself.

He had had to get himself comfortable with the idea of filth as soon as yesterday evening, but it was still a work in progress.

He took his gloves off and put a new one on one hand, grabbing the lube and applying it on one finger. He stared at his hands for a bit, mouth contorting in a frown. What had happened to him.. He was reduced to- to- a.. Disabled... Guy.

He never imagined it would happen to *him* but he has been playing with his life for so long that it shouldn't really surprise him in all honesty.

He sighed and did the deed as instructed.

When he exited the bathroom after thoroughly washing his hands and putting his gloves back on, Shadow was still patiently waiting, sat at the table and watching through the window. Shadow perked up when he heard the lock click and returned his attention to his blue counterpart. "All good?"

"All good." Sonic replied.

There was a beat of silence as Sonic looked at nothing, he seemed deep in thought. Shadow looked back outside, seeing the sun starting to lower on the horizon. It cast warm light on the walls and on Sonic's face as he looked back at his counterpart.

Both fell into a comfortable silence. Sonic played with his fingers in his lap and raised his head to meet Shadow's eyes. Shadow saw that he looked concerned.

Sonic reached out for Shadow, as if he could grab his forearm, but he was just slightly too far away, "Please stay, I don't think I'll be able to be on my own for this."

Shadow stared at him, taken aback. He immediately knew Sonic didn't mean only today, but in general, through every step of his recovery.

His first thought was "why me?" Then he remembered that all of Sonic's friends we're away on their own adventures and concluded that it must be because he was his only solution. His second thought was "absolutely not". He wouldn't be able to handle the idiot for that much time.

But Shadow looked at Sonic, really looked. The trembling in his outstretched fingers, clawing for something unreachable, grasping at unattainable hopes. The crease in his eyebrows and the anxiety he could read in his body language and expression.

He sighed softly, shoulders lowering, and softly murmured, "Okay."
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Time had passed with tranquility, the days flying by without any of them realising. Soon enough Sonic had been able to regain a semblance of control over his own body by closely following his programs and adjusting them to his needs and by being taught a multitude of different stretches so he could keep his body in shape as much as possible on his own.

Soon enough, he didn't need to be monitored as closely as a few days after his surgery and soon enough Reglisse came to him to discuss rehabilitation centers.

He was admitted in a well known spinal cord injury rehabilitation center not too far away from the hospital and he was given a room.

Today was his first day there and he was starting to stress out about some minuscule things he knows he shouldn't worry about. After all, he was now way more comfortable with all the filthy and nasty his own body produces, thing that he never had to consider before his injury, and didn't dread bathrooms as much.

It was still greatly uncomfortable but it was manageable.

He threw a glance at his turned off phone. Shadow and he had agreed to meet up at the rehab center for his first day and he couldn't do anything else but wait now.
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He was late.

He glanced at the red light and tapped a finger againsts the handle, frustrated. This light has been red for *forever.*

Finally, it turned green and he sped through the road as soon it changed, easily passing by cars and getting honked at every now and then due to his reckless driving.

He quickly glanced at the oncoming road sign and slowed down to prepare his turn, turning his blinkers on. As soon he could, he traversed the road and sped up along the bumpy rural road.

The rehab center was a bit of a secluded place, he guesses to give the inpatients as much tranquility as possible. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the secluded nature of the place.

Parking his vehicle, he hopped off and kicked the stand to keep it upright, marching towards the entrance.

Upon arriving at the reception, though, he had a bit of an issue..

"What?? I'm his referred caregiver, of course I have access."

He knew he shouldn't get this worked up about it, because in the end it meant nothing to him, but it pissed him the hell off proper.

The receptionist looked at him like she would a misbehaving child. "Access is permitted only to verified personnel and family members, I'm sorry but I cannot let you trespass if you do not have the right papers."

He felt a growl trapped in the back of his throat. Exhaling slowly, he turned around and marched towards the exit. He was simply going to get his papers and show it to this unhelpful receptionist, then.

He quickly exited and beelined for his motorcycle. He had promised he would visit Sonic the first day he was admitted to the rehabilitation center, Sonic had told him he was feeling antsy and anxious in the hospital environment, so he'd feel wrong for being late.

Rummaging in the storage compartment of his vehicle, he found what he was looking for and returned to the entrance where he knew the receptionist to be.

"Here." He said while putting the papers down in front of her.

She looked at him, examined the papers, and looked properly annoyed. She granted him access, giving him a badge so he could more easily visit and ignored him as he walked away. He was content with it and slightly satisfied that he got to shut her up.

On the way, he had to ask where Sonic was exactly because he got lost in the hallways. He passed numerous people, who saluted him, to which he replied back to with a curt nod as a way to at least be polite. He was redirected towards the secondary wing, to the room 37, and he quickly marched towards it.

He paused when he found himself in front of it, though. He didn't really know why, but he felt a pressure on his shoulders, something that twisted his stomach uncomfortably and made him feel like he was free falling through the sky.

He knocked thrice on the door and took hold of the door knob when he heard someone reply back, telling him to come in. It sounded strained.

Sonic was fighting for dear life with his t-shirt, seemingly having gotten stuck in it, somehow. "I know I was told I shouldn't move too much on my own for now and ask for help but it was starting to get a bit ridiculous because I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself but I seem to have found myself in a bit of a situation and I'd like some help pretty pretty please?"

He also didn't realize it was Shadow and not a nurse.

When no one replied to him, he fought harder against his restraint until he could peek an eye above the collar and his confused expression morphed into delight, "Shadow! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon!"

Shadow sniffed, amusement faint on his face. "You asked."

"Yeah, I know, but I was expecting you to ignore me and, you know.. Be avoidant as usual." Sonic made a vague gesture with his hand to the best of his ability.

Shadow sighed and approached, helping Sonic to put the shirt on properly. "It's not *avoidant*, it's tactical."

"Huh uh. Tactical to ignore a friend." Sonic squirmed in place. He wouldn't stop moving. Thankfully, with one hard shove, Shadow pushed the shirt down and it went to its normal place.

"Thanks Shad!" He said with an upbeat tone, patting himself down with a satisfied smile on his face. He really seemed to be quite happy Shadow was here. And that made him-

Happy. For some reason.

"Okay so- I was told you would have needed to be there anyways because they've gotta talk to us about schedules and such." Sonic continued.

"Guessed so. I did say I would be here on your first day, though." Shadow took a step back and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I know."

It wasn't long before a nurse came knocking at the door. She expressed that she was pleased to see Shadow, since they had to fill out quite a few papers to finalize Sonic's admission, so they got to it immediately and moved to an office.

The nurse invited Shadow to sit down as Sonic stopped his wheelchair next to the white, plastic chair where Shadow sat down onto.

The nurse crossed her hands on the table, "Alright. I'm pleased to see you both today. It was important for me to meet you because there is important information I need to communicate to you both." She grabbed for papers on the side of the desk and presented them to the two hedgehogs.

"Before Sonic got admitted, he was examined by a spinal cord injury doctor to assess of the severity of his condition so we could better understand the level of care he would need. During his stay at the center, we'll be able to determine a specific rehabilitation plan and work towards accomplishing goals throughout his stay at the center. Our goal is to make it so that Sonic can go back to living a fulfilling life in society and regaining the highest level of function and independence possible."

She instructed Sonic to write down his informations on the paper before they got to the goals section.

Sonic shook the pen in his hand, "What do I write here?"

"What are your goals? What do you expect from our rehabilitation center?"

Sonic hummed, deep in thought, and began scribbling down on the paper. It took him a bit of stopping, thinking, writing and repeat but finally, he pushed the paper back towards the nurse, casting a quick glance in Shadow's direction.

"Alright." She quickly looked over the papers, straightening them on the desk, "Shadow, are you aware that there is patient-family housing available here at our center?"

Shadow nodded. He had read it online yesterday when he checked where Sonic would be admitted. Just to be extra sure everything was safe.

"Is it something that you would consider?" She asked.

"Yes. If possible."

She smiled calmly at him, "Sonic is lucky to have you watching over him like you do." Somehow he felt warm now. "We will discuss housing matters later today before I have to leave you two.

Maybe you've already been told, but the major steps of spinal cord recovery are acute care, which is directly after the injury and extends throughout your stay at the hospital, sub-acute, which is here at a rehabilitation center, and chronic, which is the long-term care. During your stay at the center, you will be offered multiple devices that will aid in both making you regain strength and control, and introduce you to the multiple devices that you could have access to once you leave the center."

Shadow crossed his arms and intently listened to what she explained. Time passed calmly and he found himself keenly interested in what the nurse was talking about. The clock was ticking somewhere behind him and a nice breeze coming from the barely open window was playing with the fur of his face.

Next they were given little pamphlets containing all the information they could ask for, including the available activities to build a schedule for Sonic.

They worked on that for a while, Shadow remaining idle, occupying himself with his own thoughts as Sonic pointed at various activities on the papers and as the nurse explained to him what it consisted of before he exclaimed that he'd love to participate in this one, and then it repeated until his schedule was packed full.

Not long after, the nurse invited them to follow her to the patient-family housing section, which was only a few ways behind the main building, outside. The whole way he was fascinated by how accessible everything was. Of course, it was to be expected from a spinal cord rehabilitation center that dealt with people with limited mobility, but he never really thought about it until the day it was plainly put in front of him.

He remained close to Sonic as they descended a soft incline and began to walk or roll on a well maintained dirt road with cream colored pebbles.

Once they reached the multiple little houses dotting the camp-like area, the nurse took keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. She opened the door and turned to them, letting them enter first. Shadow threw a glance at Sonic, who was expectantly looking at him. He groaned half heartedly and stepped through the frame.

He looked around as Sonic rolled inside, the frame of the door wide enough to fit his wheelchair and then some.

The nurse started speaking again, "This will be the place you will be staying at. You can accommodate yourselves to this place for the duration of your stay here, so I encourage you to bring familiar items to make your stay more comfortable."

Once again Sonic looked at Shadow with what could be called "big soaking puppy eyes". He guessed it'll be his duty to bring both his and Sonic's stuff here. He didn't mind it honestly. He's been to his and Tail's place so many times that he basically knew where everything was by heart at this point.

He marked a mental note to himself to warn Rouge and Omega that he'll be away for a bit longer.

The nurse had left, but not before telling them that a nurse will greet them tomorrow morning at 9am to properly introduce them to the place and to answer all their questions if they had any, leaving the two looking around and examining their new temporary residence.

"Shadow, look at how big this place is!!" He threw his arms in the air, looking ecstatic.

He spun around to better scan his surroundings. They were in the living room that also acted as a dining room and kitchen. There was a large sofa with a table with enough space between it and the sofa for Sonic to roll between to their left. The kitchen area was located to their right, complimented with a fridge, dishwasher, oven and microwave. He went to open one of the many cabinets above the sink and long counter and found them unsurprisingly empty. He preferred it this way.

Sonic had already moved to the bedroom. "Uh. Shadow?"

"Yeah?" He inspected the induction plate.

"There's only one bed."

His finger stopped inches away from the plate.
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After they were done examining their new home, Shadow had proposed to immediately go get their things and get food since they weren't sure if they would be accepted at the cafeteria at such a late hour.

It took them a few hours to settle down and a few warping trips to get everything, but finally, Shadow had cooked something simple to satiate their hunger and they both positioned themselves at the table.

It was without surprise that both had agreed one would have to sleep on the sofa, and Shadow said it would be him without a moment of hesitation. Sonic apologised about it but Shadow told him it was ridiculous and he didn't need to apologise for being unwell.

He had remained watching over Sonic as he slowly got in bed, making sure he wouldn't fall, then went to sleep himself.

Their day started early in the morning, they had had to get up a few hours before the time they were requested to be ready at in order for Sonic to properly get ready.

They heard a knock at the door and Shadow hurriedly got up and greeted the nurse that was there. She introduced herself as Katia, one of the rehab nurses.

Sonic's intensive rehabilitation started soon after.

His schedule consisted of three hours of recreational activity in the morning and two hours of strength activity in the evening after a meal he'd take either at his inpatient housing or at the cafeteria. There would be plenty of breaks between some activities so he had holes in his schedule from time to time.

His first exercise was a recreational activity; gardening, but it didn't mean it wasn't a physical activity. He suspected that it would be the opposite.

Shadow proposed to walk with him and then leave him be but Sonic had half a mind to ask him to stay, if not just to keep him company, but he wasn't sure if it was permitted in the first place. When he went to ask though, the nurse told him Shadow could stay during his activities, which only slightly soothed his unease.

They arrived at the front desk and were greeted by a kind nurse who immediately proposed to accompany them to his activity. On the way she gave him his schedule on paper and he stuffed it between his legs for lack of a better place.

Arriving at the area of his activity, they told him Shadow could stay if he desired, to which Sonic gave him the usual big eyed stare. Shadow sighed and looked away, crossing his arms, but stayed nonetheless.

"Hi! You're the new guy?" A voice exclaimed.

Sonic looked in the direction of the voice and met eyes with a young looking wolf mobian. They had beautiful brown fur of varying tones.

Sonic blinked before registering the question, "Oh! Yeah! I'm Sonic." He pointed a thumb at his chest.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Opal!" They smiled at him in greeting then looked at Shadow, "What's your name?"

"Shadow."

"Nice to meet you Shadow!"

Shadow nodded in answer and Sonic smiled at the sight. He couldn't help but find him endearing in a strange way.

Opal invited them to follow them to the rest of the group, both mobians rolling side by side.

"Have you had your injury for a while? Because I stayed in the hospital for foreveeeer before coming here to the rehab center." Opal started.

"Yeah? Honestly it all felt like it was all happening so fast to me, I was at the ICU then I was here. I didn't really register things happening around me all that much. Maybe it was because of all the drugs I was on."

"Maybe! I'm glad you didn't suffer too much from the loneliness at least. Shadow was with you?"

"Yeah! And whenever he wasn't there he would send me messages so I wasn't alone. I had my friends message me too."

"Luckyyyyy, I'm glad you have people like that in your life." Opal smiled to themselves. They had reached the rest of the group.

A nurse presented herself to them and asked to do a round of names so everyone could get to know each other. She asked them to talk about their emotions of today at the same time. Sonic calmly observed the mobians and humans present, trying to commit their name to memory so he wouldn't have to ask them later. When it was his turn he wasn't really sure of what to say.

"Hi! I'm Sonic! Nice to meet you all. Uuuhm- I'm feeling okay? I mean, I feel fine, but I'm also a bit uneasy?"

The nurse smiled at him, "It's okay to feel this way, you just arrived. Do you have any apprehension?"

"I mean-" he scratched at his head, "I guess? But I have my friend with me so it helps." He pointed behind him at Shadow. Shadow shifted foot.

Shadow was invited to present himself too, just like another woman who was with her partner. He kept it short and concise.

Their activity began soon after everyone got to talk a bit about themselves and so they got to work.

The previous groups had already planted some flowers and vegetables along the last few weeks or months and so they were sort of out of space, but the nurse told them that it was now the right time to plant a new kind of vegetables, which they would do today.

Working in the dirt was somehow cathartic. You didn't have to care about getting dirty, which you would inevitably become anyways. He lightly touched the petals of a pretty red flower. Some of its pollen stuck to his gloves. Behind him Shadow sneezed. "Bless you!"

And without him noticing, an hour and a half had passed and they were all invited to go to their next activity.

He was exhausted. It had been uncharacteristically taxing on him and at first he was surprised by it but then he remembered that he had been stuck in bed for weeks. He mourned the loss of freedom and the feeling of strong wind against his quills.

"You okay?", the cristaline voice of Opal brought him out of his mind.

"Yeah, just grieving my loss of motor abilities, you know, the usual." He light heartedly said.

"Aw. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about but thank you, I appreciate it." He gave them a beaming smile.

"What's your next activity?" They asked.

He turned to Shadow who slightly jolted at the brisk movement then handed Sonic his schedule.

He quickly scanned it and found what he was looking for, "Yoga apparently."

"Ooooh, I love this one! Some people think you can't do yoga anymore with a spinal cord injury but you still can! And if you have limited mobility they either help you or make you use exercise bands!" They seemed rather enthusiastic about it.

"Seems like you're the yoga pro." He smiled at them.

They excitedly clapped their hands. "Yeah!" They turned to him, "I'm off to art and craft, see you later!!"

"Cya Opal!" He said.

That was quite an incredible begining of his hospitalization, already meeting great people.

Shadow was following him like his- well, like his shadow and they both entered the building again and headed for the front desk.

"Hi! I have yoga but I don't know I'm which room it is?" He said.

"Oh, it's in room 12." The receptionist smiled at him and pointed him in the general direction. Sonic thanked him and they went to search for the correct room.

"Hey, Shadow." He wasn't looking at him.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for being with me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Shadow remained silent for a while. "No problem." He couldn't bring himself to tell him that he was also happy to be here, with him. Rouge was going to laugh at his face for that one.
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Today was aquatic exercises. He was properly unconfortable.

He could have simply not chosen it but the nurse told him how effective it was and how easy on the body it was, being that there was the buoyancy of the water to lift some of the strain from the joints.

So there he was in his wheelchair staring at the blue water.

"You can move to the lift whenever you feel comfortable." The nurse smiled calmly at him.

He looked at her then back at the water, sharply inhaled and moved closer to the elevator-like contraption that would lower him into the cold liquid. He pushed on his arms to lift himself and slowly and carefully moved to the seat. It was lowered soon after and water slowly began to inch its way up his ankles, his knees and hips, his abdomen. He was starting to feel ill. The water wasn't cold so surprisingly.

Two nurses entered the water with him and encouraged him to relax. He found it difficult to relax in this situation but he would try for their sake. He didn't want to cause them more issues.

He was put in an upright position and a nurse went to retrieve a pool plank to give him while another was securing a waist float on him. On his right he had a metallic guardrail. He felt only slightly better.

Halfway through their exercises he felt increasingly uncomfortable.

He's gonna drown. He's gonna fall under the water and drown and no one will save him.

He froze and tightly gripped the plank as fear seized him, he didn't want to move anymore, he just wanted out. He was uncomfortable in water before he lost control of his legs but now that he couldn't move them an inch it was absolutely terrifying.

There was a splash of water somewhere nearby.

"Sonic. Sonic!"

He snapped out of his stupor and looked at Shadow with wide eyes. "I wanna get out."

Shadow looked at the nurse than back at Sonic, "If I'm here can you continue a little bit?"

"I- I don't know.."

"Here, look.", He moved to his side and put his hands under his armpits, keeping him afloat, "I can stay here by your side and I'll get you whenever you call for me."

"Okay.."

And so he stayed all the way throughout the rest of the exercises. By the end, the nurses thanked him profusely for his help and they went to get themselves dried.

"Sorry about what happened. Back there." Sonic said, rubbing the towel on the fur of his head and through his quills, "I freaked out. I would've blown out if you hadn't jumped in the pool honestly."

"Hm." Shadow dried his quills carefully, mindful to not break them, whereas he watched Sonic carelessly tear his way through the drying process at such a speed he wouldn't be surprised if he found broken quills all over the floor.

"Let's get back to our place, yeah?" He added.

"Yeah."

The day passed by quite the same as the last few days, and before they knew it it was night time. Shadow was getting ready while Sonic was still in the bathroom, brushing his teeth.

He poked his head through the frame and searched for Shadow. The latter emerged from the bedroom with his own toiletries in his hands.

"Hey.. Shads?"

Shadow hummed loudly from where he was in front of the couch, putting his things down.

Sonic maneuvered so he faced Shadow through the rooms, "Sleep with me tonight..?"

Shadow froze, about to grab his pillow to throw it haphazardly on the couch. He stared at Sonic in disbelief.

"Wait, forget it, that was stup-."

"Okay." He would have said the word came out of his mouth faster than he could stop it but he knew he'd be lying to himself.

Sonic looked at him then beamed, "Sleepover with Shads, aw yeah!!" He pumped his fist up in the sky and rolled back into the bathroom.

That night, they would both settled down in the same bed and woke up in the morning tangled in each other's limbs, Sonic profusely apologising, to which Shadow only laughed, and Sonic, upon hearing that laugh, became only slightly more smitten.
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Today they had woken up yet again all snuggled up in each other's space. At this point they didn't mind at all, it's been a few weeks since this habit has been happening and Shadow surprised himself by thinking that he'd miss it once they'd go their separate ways again. He opened his eyes to the warm orange glow of the morning sun gently hitting his face through the blinds. Sonic was breathing on his chest, moving the soft white fur there.

"Sonic?" He lightly shook his shoulder, he obtained a grumble in response.

Sonic stirred, eyes forced close, nose scrunching up, "Whuh???"

"We have to get up."

"Hmmmmrrmrm- okay.." He rolled on his back and stretched his arms above his head, yawning wide.

Shadow straightened up and pushed the covers away from him, moving to the side of the bed to get down. He glanced at Sonic who was now seated on the edge of the bed and about to move to the wheelchair.

"I'm walking with braces today." He said.

"I know. Feeling okay?" Shadow asked, putting his socks on.

"A bit."

"You've got nothing to worry about, you've got me."

Sonic chuckled, "Yeah. I know."

Their walk to the room was short and curt, they spoke to pass the time and then they were in front of the door.

A nurse greeted them and they joined the rest of the group. Seems like they were slightly late today. It was Sonic's second time doing this specific activity.

The nurses began by asking how they were doing, if everything was alright and all that, then Sonic was pushed up on his feet, asked to remain upright by pushing on the rails on either sides while they put the braces on him, attaching them securely to his ankles and knees. He was wobbly and uncertain and deeply uncomfortable today for some reason. It was so weird to become so foreign with your own body, so uneasy on your own legs, not knowing if you could trust them to stay upright and not let you fall.

He looked for Shadow and Shadow immediately understood, putting a hand over one of his, tightly wrapped around the rail.

"Come on Sonic, I know you can do it, you've done it before."

Shadow held his hand firmly, Sonic holding onto the rail even more tightly, afraid he'd lose his recently acquired and incredibly flimsy balance.

"Yeah maybe but I feel super wobbly today."

"It happens. You're alright. I'll catch you if you start swaying.", he rubbed circles on the back of his hands.

Not we. *I*.

Sonic inhaled deeply and focused on his body, feeling his arms and shoulders, the braces securing both his legs, attached to his knee and ankles, and he relaxed.

A nurse replaced Shadow, the latter giving her a curt nod and taking a few steps back, keenly observing in case Sonic needed support. But he took a few steps as per instructed and Shadow was satisfied to see he was doing just fine.

The first time he had put those braces on and tried to walk almost ended in a disaster but he seemed okay today, even if he says he feels wobblier.

When Sonic realized he was okay and could walk a little, albeit with help from nurses staying by his side, making sure he didn't fall, he became slightly ecstatic.

"Shadow. Shadow I'm walking."

It had seemed like an insurmountable task but he was on his feet!

"You are." There was a smile in his voice and he swelled with affection.

Sonic thought to himself that maybe, maybe he'd get to run again one day, but if he had Shadow by his side then everything would be fine.
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It had been more than a few weeks at this point. They both had fallen into a tranquil habit, comfortable in the mundane of their everyday events and content in each other's company.

Sonic was making incredible progress, if anything that the nurses and doctors said was to be believed, and they were all in awe of his will and perseverance. Shadow half wondered if it was for the chaos energy flowing through him. Another part of him wondered if *he* was also part of why Sonic was making so much progress, be it in a tangible way or not.

He was now way more confident in a wheelchair, able to comfortably use crutches to get around and able to use the braces on his own now. Shadow was genuinely happy for him. He was also disappointed in himself for letting it happen in the first place; he got to the site too late, but he knew it was useless to dwell on the past.

They had discussed future matters only a bit. It was still unsure what would happen of them but one thing was clear : They wouldn't let the other down.

They had settled outside, on the porch of their housing. It was night since long and a cool breeze was ruffling their fur, crickets chirping all around them.

Shadow was looking at the starry sky. Sonic wasn't.

He was looking at Shadow, whose expression was so serene it was almost ethereal. At the sight, a soft smile etched its way on Sonic's face. He felt content. Happy, even, to be here in this moment in his company. To get to share such a peaceful fleeting emotion at his side.

He wanted to spend more nights like this.

Shadow blinked and focused his eyes on the line of buildings in the horizon before moving his gaze to Sonic. Curiosity painted his expression. "What?"

Sonic's shoulders went up and his smile grew. "Nothing."

Shadow looked at him for a few seconds more then lifted his head back to the sky.

Sonic did not once look at the stars above, after all he had one just by his side that was just as breathtaking.

After a while, Shadow seemed restless under the constant stare and looked back at Sonic. There was a beat of silence as both looked at each other, contemplating the other.

Sonic shifted a bit on his chair. "Will-... Will we be okay?" Sonic asked with a small voice.

Shadow smiled.

"I think we'll be fine."

Sonic scooted closer and laid his head on Shadow's shoulder, sighing in contentment, and Shadow put an arm around his shoulders to secure him.

They'll be fine. As long as they have each other they'll be fine.