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It was cold in the hospital room.
Sam tugged the sleeves of her sweater further down her wrists. Even with Snugooi curled up on her lap, she deeply regretted not wearing her thick sweatpants. For a moment, she wished she could go home and change.
But then the respirator fogged as Auburn took a breath, and she was reminded why she was here.
With a sigh, Sam pulled out her phone. She couldn't leave now, either way. Auburn's mom had only stepped out with the confirmation that someone would be watching her son, and Sam would rather be on the recieving end of an attack from Commander Koal's Tsuboni than leave Auburn all alone here, in this cold, sterile room.
She glanced over at his face. He was pale. Everyone in Neo K was pale, really - only those with jobs in the sunlit top level weren't- but this was new for him. He looked… weak. The thought made Sam squirm a little. He shouldn't look weak. Auburn has always been one of the best in the Garde. Seeing him lying motionless in a hospital bed gave her uncanny feeling.
Beep.
The sound startled Sam out of her thoughts, but it took her a moment to realize why. The heart monitor had been beeping this whole time. Why should it distract her now?
And then she realized. The pattern had been thrown off.
The one irregular beat turned to two as the rhythm of Auburn's heart shifted into something stronger. The machine inflating and deflating with his breaths started moving more steadily, more surely.
Auburn was waking up.
Sam stood up, knocking Snugooi off her lap. It squeaked indignantly as it hit the floor. "Sorry," she whispered, stepping over it to get to Auburn's bedside.
It felt like forever until his eyes cracked open, and when they did, he squeezed them shut just as quickly. That's right, Sam thought, the lights are probably too bright for him. She reached over to the light dial - placed within arm's reach of his bed - and dimmed the light for him. "Auburn?" she said softly. "You there, hun?"
Auburn's eyes fluttered open again. His mouth opened and closed, not a sound coming out. Clumsily, he reached for the mask over his face.
"Here, I'll get that," Sam said. She gently pushed his trembling hand away and carefully removed the respirator. Thinking fast, she also pushed the call button, hoping that a nurse would show up sooner rather than later.
Auburn blearily stared up at her. "…Sam?" he slowly said, his voice hoarse.
Sam visibly relaxed, shoulders dropping in relief. "Hey, Auby," she said. "How're you feeling?"
Auburn's hand moved to his throat. "Thirsty," he muttered.
Sam smiled. "Of course," she said. "You've been out for a while." She went over to the little sink, grabbed a paper cup from the dispenser, and filled it up. By the time she turned around, Snugooi had already climbed up onto the bed and was sitting on Auburn's lap. Auburn's hand was shakily petting its head.
"All right, time to sit up," Sam said. She placed a hand on Auburn's upper back and gently began to push him up. He moved easily with her, wobbling dizzily as he sat up without complaint. She held the little paper cup up to his face and kept it there while he took slow sips.
When Auburn was done, he pushed Sam's hand away with a limp arm. He squinted at her face. "Sam," he mumbled.
"Yeah, hun?" Sam responded.
Auburn, swaying slightly, held his arms out to wordlessly ask for a hug.
Sam gave him a kind smile and immediately obliged. She sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around his torso, careful of the spots where she'd been told he'd gotten stitches. Auburn practically melted into her, arms flopping languidly over her shoulders as he sighed in contentment.
"Sammm," Auburn whined as he pressed his face into Sam's shoulder. Sam chuckled and began gently tracing a hand up and down his back. He must have been loopy from the pain meds they'd put him on, she figured. That was probably for the best. Better like this than in pain.
Sam was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice when Auburn started to cry.
A patch of wetness had suddenly appeared on her shoulder, and Auburn's shoulders quivered with each breath. She quickly pulled away, bracing a hand on one of his shoulders and cupping his face with the other. "Oh, hun, what's wrong?" she asked.
Auburn could only answer with a sob. Big, fat tears cascaded down his face faster than Sam could wipe them away.
"Auburn, honey, what is it?" Sam tried to ask again, but Auburn just wailed louder. Snugooi stood up and pawed at his torso. It chirruped worriedly at him, trying its best to soothe him, but it was in vain. Auburn just wouldn't seem to stop.
Sam started to panic. It's just the drugs, she told herself. He's just out of it. He'll be fine.
But as she held Auburn close, rubbing his shoulders and shushing him softly while medical staff made their way into the room, Sam just couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.