SHOPPING
#4 of Stephan Glazer
COLLEGE DAYS.
Day Two.
SHOPPING.
By
Stephan Glazer.
27thDecember 2318
8:45am
Stephan and Sunrise walked arm in arm through the mall, looking at the shops and writing down what they would need plus the cost. New mattresses and pillows plus doonas. Chair and a desk for Stephan to sit at to do his homework. Cleaning products. Toilet paper. Food, especially food, lots of it, as they are feeding for 3, 3 being Stephan and Sunrise, as chakats have a healthy appetite.
An alarm clock radio for both of them, coz Stephan was sick and tired of the annoying sound his clock makes. A phone for the apartment, so they can call family and friends.
A television set, so they can relax and watch the tube. Curtains for the windows.
Sunrise suggested buying a replicator, so that they didn't have to buy food so often, but that plan was crushed before they could finalise it.
$200,000 for a new replicator. Stephan didn't have enough left over after renting the apartment and paying for the utilities.
"Sorry hun, looks like we lucked out on that one." He said, rubbing hir shoulders as shi pouted.
Sitting down for brunch, they went through the list and added up the total cost.
Mattresses x 2 $1,600
Pillows and doonas: $50.00
Chair and desk: $2000
Cleaning products: $40.00
Food: $100
Alarm clocks: $500
Vid-phone: $3,000
Television set: $4,500
Curtains: $300
Total: $12,090
"How much do you have left Stephan?" Sunrise asked, going through the list, and whistled at the cost.
"Close to $180,000 or so, but I wanna keep that in reserve, for emergencies. You never know what might crop up." He said, starting to eat his meal. Noticing that shi was just looking at hir meal without touching it, he asked what was wrong.
Sighing heavily, shi looked his in his eyes.
"I feel like a freeloader, and I can't ever pay you back the money that you spent on me." Shi said, looking down at hir hand paws, which was fidgeting.
Stephan stopped eating and placed his fork down on the plate, then lifted hir muzzle to his face. He saw tears trickling down hir face.
"Listen, you are my friend, and friends are supposed to help each out. And I like being with you and seeing you happy. If you're worried about paying me back, then lets come to an arrangement." He said, stroking hir cheeks softly.
"What kind of arrangement?" shi asked, curious.
"Well, how about you pay me back with your services." He asked, rubbing hir shoulders softly.
Hir reaction was not what he expected, shi slapped his hand from hir shoulder and stood up, almost knocking him back. Snarling with fury, shi bared hir teeth and grabbed his shirt with rage.
"CREEP, WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR? AN EASY FUCK? IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT, THEN GO FIND A STREET WHORE!" and with that comment, shi snarled and stormed off, knocking a few empty chairs along the way.
Stunned, Stephan just sat and watched his friend and possibly his first partner, walked off. Hir tail twitching and slapping unfortunate patrons as shi passed.
"What was that all about?" he said quietly, running through the conversation in his head. "pay me back with your services." "your services" Oh crap! He thought, did shi really think that I wanted sex from hir to pay back the debt?
Getting up suddenly, leaving the unfinished food behind, Stephan ran after the chakat, which was not hard to locate, as yelps and cries from unfortunate patrons who had the misfortune of getting in hir way, were pushed or slapped.
Reaching hir, he grabbed hir arm to stop hir, and as he turned hir around, a blinding white light flashed right in his face, causing him to go blind. Stumbling in shock, he fell over some chairs then he ran into something that cracked and gave way, then he had a sense of falling, which ended abruptly with a sickening crunch, then nothingness. Darkness and no sound. The last thing he remembered hearing was Sunrise's voice screaming out. "STEPHAN.. NOO!"
"stephan?" whispered a voice.
Pain, excruciating pain.
"ugh" Stephan groaned.
"Please, say something." That same voice, feminine and somehow familiar.
Stephan tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't see anything.
"Stephan? Are you awake?"
"ngh ye..ah." he replied, wincing in pain as it jolted up his arm and legs.
"Oh thank the maker." The voice said again, then a wet muzzle kissed him on the lips.
"Ooow." He mumbled.
"Sorry hun." Said the voice again.
"Who are you?" he asked, touching the muzzle that kissed him moments before.
"It's Sunrise."
"Oh, nice name. What are you?" he asked, touching hir ears softly.
"I'm a chakat, oh dear, please don't tell me you have amnesia?" shi cried, holding his hand firmly.
"Maybe, I don't remember what happened before waking up here." He said.
"Umm, you had an accident and fell from the first floor of the mall and landed on the escalators." Shi said, sorrow in hir voice.
"Yeah, that might... ouch.. explain my soreness, but, why can't I see?"
"I'm sorry to say, that was my fault." Shi replied, and Stephan could hear the guilt and shame in hir voice.
"What happened? What did you do?"
"Umm well... I used my ability on you." Shi said, rubbing his hands softly.
"What ability?" he asked, feeling his hands feeling better from the soft attentive touch. Inside, he tried not to laugh.
"Ohh hunni. You really can't remember me, can you?" shi wailed, resting hir head on his chest and started crying.
"Of course I remember you sweety, I remember going shopping, picking items to buy, the brunch, you getting upset at me asking for a massage for all the wonderful things I did for you, then you blinding me... and of course your sexy tail, which, at the moment is going up my pant legs again." He giggled, stroking hir ears softly, which left his hands as shi sat up in surprise.
"What? You? Massage? Were you pretending all this time?" shi snarled, snatching hir hand back.
"Of course hun. But, damn do I hurt." He groaned again.
"Well Good. Serves you right for making me worry so." Shi said, a little annoyance in hir voice.
"Consider us even then." He said.
"Even? How are we even?" shi asked, slapping hir tail on the floor.
"For putting me in.. um... where are we?" he asked, feeling the bed under him and the pillows, then he took a sniff.
"Am I in the hospital?"
"Yes, your legs are plastered, fractured, your left arm is also fractured in 2 places. You have a slight swelling on the skull. And your right arm is bruised. The doctors say that you'll be in here for at least.... 3 months." Shi said, hir voice low and quivering with sorrow.
"3 MONTHS?" Stephan wailed, choking back his tears. "I can't be here for 3 months, I'll miss the start of college, and I haven't even registered for my classes yet." Tears had started welling up in his eyes at the thought of missing 3 months of schooling.
Just then, the doctor came in and asked Stephan how he was feeling.
"I feel like fucking shit doc." He groaned, the aches and pains and the slight throbbing in his head had create a migraine.
"Well, that's to be expected." He replied, taking Stephan's pulse and placing a thermometer in his mouth. "You had a nasty fall, and from what I can gather, all contributed by you, Shir Sunrise." He said.
"Yes doctor, sorry doctor." Shi replied in a sullen voice.
"I should think so, next time, refrain from using your ability, if you can help it." he said, taking the thermometer from Stephan's mouth.
"Yes doctor, well, I'm going to get something to eat, I'm starved. I'll be back in 10 minutes sweety." Shi said, kissing Stephan on the forehead and left.
"Umm doc?" Stephan asked, once the door had closed.
"Yes?" he asked, testing the bruising on the right arm.
"Isn't there something you can do that'll speed up the healing process? Coz I really can't afford to be stuck in here for 3 months." Stephan asked, wincing at the pain from the doctors touching.
"Well, there is, but it's very complicated, and very expensive." He replied, shining the light into Stephan's irises, which showed no reaction.
"Really? How much?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his heart.
"I don't think you can afford it.." the doctor said, then was interrupted.
"Try me." Stephan said, with a firm voice.
Sighing, the doctor told him.
"$150,000" he said, expecting Stephan to slump down in his bed in defeat.
"Is that all?" Stephan exclaimed, his heart rate increasing. "How long until you can book me in?
"What? You've got that amount?" the doctor asked, surprise.
"Well, after buying what we need, yeah, I think so." Stephan said, then he became worried. "Where's my personal effects?" he asked, a twinge of panic set in. If the cred chip was lost during the fall, or stolen, then the whole plan was fucked.
"Um we have them safely secured in the patients safe, sir. Would you like me to find out if your money is safe?" he asked.
"Yes please." Stephan said, hoping that it was recovered after the fall and handed in with his belongings.
The doctor left the room, and Stephan had to wait 5 agonising minutes before he returned.
"Ok, wallet, keys, and mobile phone, sadly broken.." the doctor said.
"Oh great..." Stephan groaned. "Anything else?"
"Umm 4 condoms and a credstick." The doctor replied.
Stephan let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, so, when can you schedule me in for the medical procedure?" he asked, impatiently.
"Not until your eyesight has recovered, we don't wanna risk further complications until then." The doctor replied, checking Stephan's blood pressure and then his head injury.
"Can you do something about the migraine, it's killing me." Stephan moaned.
"Sure, a mild dose of pain killers, it won't take it away completely, but it'll ease the pain. Now, get some rest, I'll let Sunrise stay for 10 more minutes, then shi needs to go home too, shi's exhausted." He replied.
"How long has shi been by side?" Stephan asked.
"Ever since the accident, shi never left your side, except for when he set and plastered your broken limbs, then shi wouldn't leave your bedside. It's now almost 2am."
"What? Over 12 hours?" Stephan asked with disbelief.
"No, over 24 hours Stephan, shi's been by your side for a day and a half." The doctor replied. "You have some special friend there, but also think it was out of guilt that shi stayed. You've got to get some rest, so please make hir go home. Shi can visit later this morning and check up on you. Then we can schedule you in for tomorrow morning, so sadly you'll be here for another 24 hours..."
"That's ok doc.. Um.. just one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Don't mention anything about the procedure until it is successful to Sunrise, I want it to be a surprise, ok?" Stephan said, smiling.
"Um, sure." He replied, giving a chuckle, as Sunrise walked in.
"What's so funny?" shi asked, carrying a large bowl of soup.
"Oh, it's private joke between doctor and patient." He replied.
"Oh, ok. Well, if you would kindly excuse us, we would like to be alone." Shi said, looking at the doctor with a stern glare. Instead of arguing and upsetting the felinetaur, the doctor simply nodded and left, but added before closing the door.
"You have 15 minutes Shir Sunrise, then you must leave. Hospital Policy I'm afraid."
"Hump. Screw that, I'm staying by your side until your well enough to leave." Shi said, then opened the chicken soup and proceeded to feed Stephan.
"Ouch" he cried at the burning liquid on his cracked lips.
"Oops, so sorry." Shi said, ears flat on hir head. Then shi grabbed a straw and placed it in the bowl and placed it in his mouth. "There, just sip it slow, it's hot, so take it easy." Shi said, softly stroking his hair.
Stephan slowly drank the liquid, it was hot, but soon it cooled down after 20-25 sips. Then he was greedily gulping the meal. Once it was finished, he said thanks.
"You're welcome." Shi smiled, and kissed his forehead gently, careful of the bump.
"You are so special." He said, "and I'm so sorry for upsetting you." He added.
"Don't be, I'm the one who should really apologise, it was my damn chakamil heritage that caused this mess, now look at you. Laid up in bed for 3 months, and going to miss your tutelage." Shi growled.
Stephan reached out and softly stroked hir head, scritching hir ears and rubbing hir neck and shoulders, making hir purr.
"Don't feel so bad hun, accidents happen, and..." he thought for a moment then let out a sigh. "I might not be here for 3 months anyway?" he said, resigning to breaking his silence.
"What ever do you mean?" shi asked, lifting hir head to look at his ebony face and closed eyes.
"I mean, there is a procedure to speed up the healing of bones and injuries, so I can walk out of here in 24 hours, after it's completed." He said, "but the cost is expensive."
"How expensive?" shi asked, excited in hearing that he could walk out sooner and attend college as well be with hir, in public, as well as in private. But nervous about the cost, already he had spent too much on account of hir.
"$150,000." He said, waiting for hir response.
"Wow, that is a lot." Shi said, shocked by the amount. Then hir next comment surprised even him.
"Do it hun, what ever the cost, do the procedure so you can leave the hospital and go to college, and walk with me. I need you.. I miss you." Shi said, almost crying.
Stephan just smiled, then nodded.
"I'll do it, on one condition." He said firmly.
"Name it." shi said, giving a huge yawn.
"Go home and get some rest, you are exhausted. You can visit me later today, deal?" he said, ruffling hir head hair.
"Deal." Shi murmured, just as the doctor walked in. He watched hir give Stephan a firm kisslick on his mouth, which he returned, then shi petted his head before leaving.
"Sleep dreams my love." Shi said, before closing the door.
"See you soon hun." Stephan smiled, before the wariness and warmth of the soup lulled him to sleep, dreaming of running with Sunrise in a park together.
To Be Continued......