The only source of light in the room, apart from the ICU machines, was that of a small television screen. On it was a nonsensical movie in which Thropes ran around like scared kids in a forest getting themselves killed. It was stupid, but it was amusing.
Veeyel had picked the film, since he was unable to bring any of the traditional movie time snacks. Eltea had overcompensated, bringing not just sugar-coated chocolate buttons as always, but also small sausages, buttered popped corn, miniature dough snacks and two large fizzy lemonitsas. Normally Veeyel, in his bed-ridden state, wouldn’t be able to eat such rich food, but the other day, his medics had given him the all clear when it came to food. He needed to put on weight anyway. More importantly, that morning, he had taken his first tentative steps in over a year.
“This film is so stupid!” Eltea grinned as one Thrope ran head first into a wood-chipping machine. Veeyel nodded in agreement as he reached for some chocolates.
The only thing spoiling their evening was the constant beeping of Veeyel’s medical equipment. He was still hooked on a drip, a head scanner and a heart monitor. Despite his progress, Veeyel’s internal organs were still playing up. His heart beat in particular was irregular, due to brain damage affecting important hormones. Right now though, none of this mattered. Veeyel was enjoying himself.
In the movie, one of the characters now had a head injury. Eltea glanced at Veeyel, not sure what his reaction would be. She breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t really react at all and laughed heartily soon after, when a Thrope managed to shoot itself in the foot while failing to comprehend the situation around it.
A particularly loud beep from the medical machinery distracted them both. Eltea paused the film to see what the problem was, checking each machine one at a time.
“Am I alright?” Veeyel asked. Despite the time he had spent there, he still couldn’t differentiate between all the different beeps and alarms. Probably some sort of short term memory loss, but Veeyel couldn’t remember what the medics had called it.
Eltea sat back down next to him. “You’re fine. Nothing major, I just need to change your drip.”
“Can it wait until the end of the film?”
Eltea checked to see how much time it had left. Forty three minutes. “Sure. It can wait.”
They turned the film back on, but Veeyel’s mood had dropped. He hated anything to do with the drips. But the film quickly cheered him back up. All sorts of silly antics involving stupid Thropes getting killed put a smile back on his face.
Eltea though found herself watching Veeyel more than the movie. She felt sorry for him. He had no real friends or relatives and had spent most of his time alone while he recovered.
The film slowly ended, with the unlikely hero getting the mate and its buddy recovering in hospital, with the wrong severed finger being stitched on. As the credits rolled, Veeyel sighed, knowing what was coming next. Eltea decided to distract him with some conversation as she got up and got to work, changing the drip.
“So what did you think?”
“It was silly but enjoyable. Shame they kept on judging the hero based on his looks…” Veeyel winced. “But at least it all turned out for the best. What did you think?”
Eltea shrugged. “It was alright. I prefer Cassid movies but I find them all pretty unrelatable. You know?”
Veeyel nodded. Eltea finished up and sat back down next to him.
“I feel like there is something you want to say…”
“Pardon?” Veeyel seemed confused. Then again, he was often confused.
“You want to say something to me?”
Veeyel thought to himself for a moment before realising what Eltea was going on about. He laughed nervously. “Aha… I think I gave the wrong message. I really like you and I’d like for us to be friends, even if I get back on my feet and leave this place…”
“Of course we’ll still be friends!” Eltea reassured the solemn Rethan. “Of course!”
Veeyel smiled slightly. “Thank you. There… There is more I want to ask, but now is not the time…”
Eltea smiled too as she put an arm around Veeyel. “Everything will be alright…”
Something beeped, interrupting Eltea. Veeyel was surpised to find it wasn’t him beeping. Eltea glanced at her communicator.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll be back later, alright?”
Veeyel sighed. “Sure. Take care.”
“You too!” Eltea shouted as she rushed out, taking her equipment with her.