Meadowood Infirmary: Just a Check-Up

A frown quickly overtook her lips. "Rats... I was hoping you might've been over the hump by now."

Inviting herself into the room, Sally set the tray on the nearby table and selected only the canteen. The princess then made her way to Sonic's bed and sat at the edge, unscrewing the cap. "At least have something to drink, okay? You need to stay hydrated." Once the cap was removed, Sally lifted Sonic's head several inches and held the brim to his mouth.

"Don't be silly," the princess replied in a reassuring tone. "No one has any control over getting sick. Even you get out of your element every once in a while."

Replacing the cap to the canteen, Sally cast the container aside and climbed over the ailing hedgehog to the other side of the bed, propping herself up on his unused pillows and gently massaging the back of his shoulders. "The village just had a meeting about the poison. So far it looks like we've still got a chance; there's only one reported victim, and if we're lucky she's not beyond help."

"Nah," Sally comforted. "The only symptom associated with the poison is fatigue. You probably just caught a random bug." Settling down further, the princess cuddled up against the hedgehog, careful to mind his quills, and wrapped an arm around his middle. "I'm going to work on the mission plans tonight after I meet with a few people. Leading a team I'm so unfamiliar with is going to be strange... I'm hoping that Mr. Hedge will help me."

"Robert Hedge is the actual leader of this group. The boy we met earlier was just goofing around." With Sonic having rotated onto his back, Sally adjusted accordingly and nuzzled her forehead into his ear. "And what a relief, too. That chameleon is such a nuisance, but Mr. Hedge is very cordial. I like him a lot."

And that was all it took for an incredibly smug and amused grin to spread across the squirrelmunk's face. "Why, Sonic Hedgehog, are you... jealous?"

She really did feel bad for him. Honestly and truly, she did. And yet, she could not contain the entertained titter. "Relax, before you make yourself even sicker," Sally smirked. "Besides, you know you don't have anything to worry about. Why should a fellow blue hedgehog that happens to also be mature, patient, responsible, charming, and handsome make you feel threatened?"

"Well good." Still snickering, Sally planted a kiss on Sonic's forehead. "Because he shouldn't."

"For now, your part is to get lots of rest and fluids. There's not a lot else beyond that which you can do, anyway." The squirrelmunk pushed herself upright and popped the joints in her spine. "And speaking of that plan, I really need to be getting to work on it." Sally released a long breath and leaned back against the bed's headboard. "I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night tonight."

"Even if I believed that, I'd still prefer that you didn't go, Sonic. For all we know, you feeling better at that moment could be the eye of the hurricane, and the last thing any of us would need is you getting ill again while in enemy territory." Sally whispily ran her fingertips through the hedgehog's quills. "Just trust me, okay? If the doctor clears you while we still have work to do, I'll gladly give you a job. But until then, will you please just rest up so you can recover?"

The princess smirked, and batted her eyes deliberately at her bedridden boyfriend. "I always need you." Sally then leaned over toward Sonic's lips... and kissed him on the cheek.

Hey, he'd been throwing up.

"HEY!!" Sally exclaimed and recoiled. While her first instinct was to pummel the lame hedgehog, the squirrelmunk's level head won over, and in the end she just let out a less-than-amused chuckle. "I swear, if I hadn't already made you drink that water... You'd be having greater health problems than a queasy stomach right now." Nonetheless, the princess rewarded Sonic with a second kiss and settled her head on his chest.

"Who says I'm not?" she replied without opening her eyes.

"Mmmmm," Sally hummed, her voice becoming quieter, "it's fine. I'm just... taking a quick break. I'll get up in a minute."

Whatever will she'd once had to follow through with her intentions quickly degenerated in the wake of Sonic's embrace. Sally opened her eyes in an attempt to stay awake, but could only get them up to half-mast. I can't go to sleep, she scolded herself with a long exhale. I have to meet with the volunteers in an hour...

But Sonic was just so warm and comfortable!

The princess blinked sluggishly. One the other hand, she had been considering taking a nap after the meeting, before Espio had crossed her path again. Now was an especially exquisite opportunity for exactly that. But would it be irresponsible of her to sleep when there were so many plans to be made? Then again, she was most likely going to be up working for the majority of the night, and she wouldn't be all that efficient if she didn't get some rest. Being more alert made for better plans. And the entire reason she'd decided to meet with the others in an hour instead of immediately was so anyone who needed to could take some personal time for whatever preparations they might need. Why couldn't she do the same?

I'm the princess. I don't have the luxury of relaxing on the job, she continued to snip at herself. And yet despite her self-chastising, the squirrelmunk still failed to rise.