Because thats what friends are for...

Makarn broke into a grin when he saw Ecco there...
"Holy shit, your here, I thought I would have run around half this bloody hospital to find you."
He turned his attention over to Volk and gazed at his wounds.
"Shit mate, you look happy, all wrapped up there... hows it going?"

Ecco smiled warmly when Makarn popped his head in, but was rather surprised--what was he doing here? Rubbing her injured and itching foot tenderly against the unbandaged foot to itch it, she shifted in her chair--her butt was starting to go numb after so long in the seat.

"Yea he'll be happy until they take away his pain meds--then he'll feel all those bumps, bruises, etc. that he got. He probably won't be so happy then" she jokes.

after waiting for 5 minutes and 3 attempts he stops trying to call shimo and calls volk's cell "dammit what ever volk better pick up" he whispers when shimo wouldn't pick up

Makarn grabed a chair and pulled it over to Ecco and Volk, and lounged in it the knocking against his ribs lessening.
"Hmm how bad are the battle wounds? You had me in a bloody flap when you went off in the ambulence"

Looking over at Makarn, he slowly remembers Shimo talking of him,
"Makarn, right? I guess it's good man. Okay, scratch that, lets go with excruciating pain. Yeah, that's bout right. But at least I can't feel anything. How it goes for you, giant hallucination monster?"
Volk looks at a giant muffin, which slowly turns into the nurse. She looks at him with disdain and hate.
"... okay, besides that, I have some good news for you all. That 'Shimo' you've all been asking for has arrived here a couple of hours ago. Once we get an all clear from the doctor, we'll file some paper work, and get him transferred in here,"
Under her breath,
"As long as their both here, I don't have to deal with them twice as much,"
Volk's ears go erect and a smile grows on his face,
"Shimo's okay?! Thank you giant muffin, I love you,"
Volk motions for the nurse to come over, and she obliges. Volk gives her a one armed hug, then tries take a bite out of her, at which point she storms out of the room.
"I'm getting too old for this shit..."

Pixel sat on the room's couch and sipped his hot chocolate quietly in the good silence of reunion.

Makarn head was taking some time to process what the nurse had said...
"Volk...she just said Shimo," he's quavering voice threatening to fail him.
"What the fuck happened with all this?" he said, his voice still quiet and deceptivly calm.

Ecco recognized that eerily calm tone out of Makarn. Sipping at the glass of cool water she'd wheedled out of the muffin-nurse, she shifted in her seat, trying to relieve the numbness in her backside. Otherwise though, she remained quiet, especially since she didn't know what all had happened before she found the wreck.

Figuring she'd better say something though, she leans in, laying her hand on Makarn's lower arm gently.

"Perhaps now isn't the best time--you're upset and stressed, and our drugged up friend here probably isn't in the best condition to talk about a big wreck either, but not for the same reason as you. For now, perhaps we should just be thankful we're all here, we're all okay--more or less--and we're in good hands."

Makarn flinched at the contact, "Ecco, I heard her say Shimo, Shimo is not a common name and it happens to be my flat mate's name who also is one of my best friends since highschool... the fact that he isn't here is making me think he is down the the morgue... Volk is still in out of it with his drugs so I can't ask him, and if you wont say I'll run down that nurse out there and get it from her..." His voice was steady and carfuly with the words he chose...his pupils where madly dialating...

Tightening her grip on his arm to keep him in reality, Ecco answered gently.

"He's not in the morgue. The nurse who was just in here said after the doctor OK's it, they'll transfer him into this room. They wouldn't put a dead body in a useful bed."

Stroking his arm to calm him, since she didn't like his growing anxiety, she used her free arm to try and wheel a bit closer. Unfortunately, she forgot about the other axle, so her bandaged foot smacked painfully against the side of Volk's bed, eliciting a blue streak of words from the bat's mouth. It was so rare to hear her cuss like that she even surprised herself.

Her eyes widened as her hand flew up to cover her mouth, the blush on her cheeks creeping up to even tinge her ears.

Jumping up at her shout, Makarn saw her as she smacked her foot, almost going to hold it and pet it better Makarn thought better of it and instead put an arm around Ecco and patted her head sympathetically. "Look I'm sorry I'm so fucking bent out of shape, far to much crap has happened today and; well... I guess I shouldn't whine as I'm far from being the person in the most pain here, I really don't have a right to open my gob... Rather Ironic isn't it..the happiest happens to be the most beat up and the most wound up and loudest is someone completely unhurt...I'll shut up now...I just hope like fuck Shimo come back in one bloody piece..."

Getting the "this user is not in service" message, he throws his phone across the street and bikes home.

Slowly light began to fade back into his world, Shimo looked over to his left and saw a man in a white coat staring at a board with papers on it, he slowly walked over to the bottom of his bed, resting the board on a clip at the back, looking up his eyes caught Shimo's, "Good to see your up, weren't sure if you'd ever open those eye's. Guess we can move you into your buddies room now that your alert." Shimo let out a wide smile and proceed to say, "Hello Mr. White Coat, where did your clones run off to?" A smile shot across the doctors face. "I'll go call Nurse Hunny Dale to come get you, she seems to have had plenty of experience with you boys." He walked off with a slight chuckle in his voice. Moments later a voice came from behind him. "Hello Shimo I'm Nurse Hunny Dale." Shimo's head shot back, "Are you a hunny flavored muffin?" The nurse let out a large sigh "Yeah you two are one in the same. Come on dumb ass." Suddenly Shimo's bed jerked and began to move, he was spun around and pushed through the doors leading out into the hall, looking up he read the sign above the door way, "Emergency Room" moving down the hall he notices a large silver door with numbers running along the top, "Where are we going hunny muffin?" the nurse's head towered over him "To Volk's room." A large smile grew across Shimo's face as she pushed a button next to the silver doors, after waiting a little while the doors opened and the muffin lady wheeled Shimo into the small metal room, pushing another button on the wall the doors closed and the metal room began to vibrate, coming to an abrupt stop the doors began to open wheeled outside Shimo noticed that everything looked different. "Where did you get that magical teleporter hunny muffin lady?" With that his bed began to move even faster down the new hallway before making a hard left into a room, "Here you go Shimo this is Volk's room." Slowly he made his way over to the other bed where Volk lay, as the nurse left Shimo shouted after her "Don't forget you have to tell me where you got that magic teleporter hunny muffin lady." Looking over at Volk his smile grew ear to ear. "I like the muffin lady she's nice, Oh oh Volk I almost for got to mention!! That's a sweet race car!!! But the wheels are a little small man...."

Volk suddenly awoke from his drug induced trance enough to see that Shimo had been rolled into his room as promised by the muffin in a nurse hat. Happiness grew on his face that hasn't been seen in years. The bandages, and braces, the blood, it all meant nothing. He was speechless for a moment. The memory of the crash pushed to the back of his mind. He then got a thought into his head, which flew out of his mouth,
"Yeah, but it's got no power under the hood."
Soon his little drugged out mind was filled with so many questions and thoughts that he had to ask a sting of useless babel,
"Where were you?! What happened?! I like muffin nurse too, she's smexy. How bad are you?! If you were a pie how much would you weigh? I was so worried about you man. Oh god, what have I done. No! No! Shimo's here, I'm gonna be okay!"
Tears almost coming out of his eyes. Then a smile on his face, looking at all the people around him. He didn't want to upset everyone when Shimo comes back. He looks over at his buddy and composes himself,
"Hey man, you okay?"

Attempting to sit up Shimo fell to his back, "Well other then the strange stiffness in my body, pretty good, I mean I think muffin lady has the hots for me, some one better let her know I'm taken." Looking up to the ceiling the smile that was on his face grew into a frown. "Does she know yet?" Lifting his hand to his forhead he was suddenly surprised by a large thud, looking over at his arm he noticed the entire thing was coated in a hard white substance, moving it in closer he began to naw on it.

"Easy Shimo," Pixel said from his seat, "we dont want any more injuries to add to the list." Pixel took another sip of his hot chocolate.

Ecco chuckled, then caught a large yawn, cover her mouth with one hand until it was over.

"Ooooh man...I hope no one minds--but I think I'm gonna go grab a nap in my own bed. It's right next door..."

She chuckled softly, figuring they'd need a chance to get caught up, and rest--herself included. It'd been a busy day!

Makarns heart twisted in both relief and pain as he saw Shimo enter the room... He was under alittle shock and when it wore off he quickly went to Shimo... "Bloody hell mate! Christ you had me worried...and you still bloody do you crazy bastard..."
Makarn mentaly winced as he looked at Shimos wounds.
"You look really screwed ah the moment Shimo... hmm and you arn't crying in pain so looked like your just as fucked up on drugs like Volk here..."
Hearing Eccos yawn Makarn turned around... "Hmm yeah Ecco you go rest... I'll drop by later ok? Hmm want me to wheel you around to your room?"

"Nah, nah--you stay with your pals...This isn't my first time in one of these" she chuckles, backing herself up and turning around with a bit more finesse than she'd had earlier.

Wheeling herself to the door, the muscles in her upper arms and shoulders standing out a bit each time she pushed down on the wheel, she wrestled the oversize door open.

"Now be nice--and just relax, okay? Everyone is here, more or less in one piece, and on the mend. So be happy--and no arguments, or I'm coming back over!" she playfully threatened.

After working herself out into the hall, she leaned in and pulled the door closed behind her, before wheeling into her room and lifting herself carefully onto her bed, laying back with a sigh of happiness.

Many weeks pass for the duo in the hospital. Cuts are healed, skin is graphed, nurses are hit on, with no avail. Visits from friends and family come and go. Soon they can walk with assistance, then on their own. Volk gets more healthy than Shimo faster, and thus is released a full week before him.

On the day Volk was scheduled for release, Ecco returned to the hospital where she'd been spending the majority of her spare time for the last while.

Her own injuries had healed over completely, save for a pale, twisting line on the bottom her foot.

Waving to nurses and doctors who'd been part of Volk and Shimo's extended recovery time, she laughed, rebuffing a particularly flirtateous male nurse before practically dancing down the hospital hall, humming snatches of "Insence and Peppermints".

Pausing outside Volk's door, she knocked--not wanting to barge in on him if he were getting examined or dressed--doing a small little dance as she waited for permission to enter, drawing an equal mix of odd glances and smiles from the staff and other patients.

Volk sat in his room, looking out the window. The first day in a few weeks that it had been sunny, and he eagerly anticipated the doctor giving him his release note. His fur had started to grow back, although he still looked patchy and rough looking. Shimo had since been moved to another room, the two had been a constant sore in the hospice workers. He had been a little lonely, an occasional visit from a friend, family member, what have you. Now it was the final stretch, where he could go back to live his life.
The knock on the door startled him, he jumped and turned around,
"Yes, come in,"
Seeing that Ecco had come to see him made him excited,
"Have you seen the doctor yet? I was gonna head up and see Shimo if the doctor was gonna be slow like usual,"

Shimo had been extremely lonely since Volk had been moved to another
room. Life seemed so different for him now, his body left riddled with
scars. Grim memories of his struggle. Today was the day Volk would be
going back home, although happy for his best friend Shimo stood in
front of the bathroom mirror, Letting out a sigh he reached his had up
to a large scar across his eye. A small tear rolled down his cheek as
he brushed a strand of his hair in front of it. Ever since he'd been
able to walk and leave his room he wore a turtle neck to hide the scars
on his arms and neck. Letting out another sigh he turned and walked out
the door to his bed. After laying back down in his bed Shimo reaches up
and pushes the call button. A few minute's pass before the nurse walks
in........... Looking up at the nurse Shimo lets out a big smile. "Hey
there sugar tits!!!! Why don't you and me spend some "Quality time""
Looking back at him the nurse snaps back. "Ha like you could ever get
me........ Looking the way you do and all." Giving a slight glance to
his face she looked down towards the floor, realizing the mistake she
had made her face begins to turn red. Snapping back up to apologize she
was interrupted by Shimo with a slight whisper. "Um, could you get me. A
glass of water......" A smile rolled across the nurse's face.
Fluttering her eyes she said in a soft gentle tone "Of course I can
sweet heart." Turning to leave Shimo could see a slight tear role down
her cheek. As she left Shimo fell to his back a stared at the ceiling,
as he stared a slight tear rolled from his eye. Slamming his eyes shut
he turned his thoughts to Volk coming to visit him before he left,
after a few minutes of thought he reached over and grabbed his blanket,
reaching it up to his face he whipped away the tears. As he sat up he
watched as the nurse strolled back in and set the water on his table,
the nurse turned swiftly and rushed out the door. Shimo reached over
and picked up the glass with his right hand, he brought it down in
front of him and stared into the water. Staring into the water Shimo
watched as the water sloshed in the cup, letting out a sigh Shimo
whispered. "Never use to shake like that."

Ever since he found out what had happened to Shimo, he had only visited once. Not knowing if he had wanted him there, as Shimo was distracted and didn't even notice him come and go. He decides he would visit his old friend, as today was the day Volk would get out of the hospital, and Iron was sure Shimo would be lonely in the days coming. As he pulls into the parking lot checking the time on his watch, he mutters, "I have 10 minutes before visiting hours, I think I'll pick him up something to eat" Doing a u-turn he speeds off to the McDonald's, after grabbing food he heads back to the hospital. Getting there, just as visiting hours started, he signs in and heads up with one big bag and one smaller one. He knocks on the door hoping he was awake.

Ecco wandered in, happy to see him more or less packed. Folding a few things that either had eluded his ability or had been forgotten about, she tucked them into his bags and zipped them shut, stacking them on the table near the door.

"Well I saw him in the other wing, talking to the nurse he's always trying to bag" she answered with a chuckle, heading over with a brush to smooth the still-patchy fur into a semblence of order.

"Man, you look so much better--but we gotta make ya look good. Everyone's gonna want pictures today" she quipped, more or less covering the more easily fixed bald patches with a few deft strokes.

"Let's leave him a note--that way he can find us if he comes to check you out" she smiles, pulling a notepad and a purple pen--complete with a dangling peace-sign--from her well-worn messenger bag.

Scribbling a quick, but mostly legible note, she informed the doctor they'd be in Shimo's room if he needed them, then tacked it to the noteboard beside Volk's bed.

With a jingle of keychains and some belly-dancer bells that adorned her bag, she tucked her writing supplies away, holding out her arm to Volk.

"Ready?"