A visit

Star Sapphire walked into the hospital. She gave a slight nod to the security guard, a different one than the one who escorted her the night prior, and headed down the hallway. Today, in order to make herself presentable, she prettied herself up. She had her mane curled and styled, with streaks of pink in it. She had a flower tucked in her mane, behind her mane.

Star Sapphire carried with her some cupcakes she baked for Shadow. Not being much of a baker, however, she managed to burn half of them. She walked into Shadow's room and smiled.

"Hey Shadow, are you feeling better today?" Star Sapphire said, placing the cupcakes on the bedside table. "I made you some cupcakes, but I'm not sure you would want to eat them, I'm not much of a baker." she said, blushing slightly. "So, how is it going?" She asked.

Shadow Zephyr laid awake in his hospital bed, the O2 mask was still over his muzzle and his bandages were just changed as he seemed to still look out of it as the monitors continued to beep to his vitals.

He smelled something as he turned to see Star Sapphire coming into the room with a tray of baked goods that looked to be cupcakes and saw some of them slightly over-done as she placed them on the table next to him.

"I'm doing a little better Star...thank you." He said as he managed a smile and turned to her a little more taking care to not move his wings too much, "Hehe the thought is what counts...I could teach you a little more when I get out of here if you wanted eventually...I'm certain they will be better than what they have been trying to give me." He said with a light chuckle to her. "I'm glad you came to see me Star....I appreciate it."

Star Sapphire smiled. "Think nothing of it. I'm just doing what anypony would do." She answered, taking a seat. Star brushed a hoof through her mane. She hoped she looked nice, she did not want Shadow to think she was a slob. "Well thank you for the offer." Star Sapphire said, "But I don't really bake a lot." She took a long look at Shadow, trying to gather up what exactly happened to him. "So, anything you wanna talk about?" She asked.

"Heh I'd like to think so Star.....by the way...you look nice today..just took my eyes a minute to see better through all this medication coursing through me." He said smiling at her as he looked her over as she sat down next to him, "It's not that hard I can show you a few things I learned over the years.......................like what per say?"

Star Sapphire blushed. "Why thank you." She said, brushing her mane aside with her hoof, and looking away slightly. She was not used to receiving compliments, the majority of her time was spent with patients who only talked about themselves. "Well, tell me about yourself." She said.

Shadow Zephyr could not move over anymore than he already had, his wing was placed in a cast and he was unable to move, less he aggravated the wounds his bandages were covering as he tried to keep his head where he could see her without craning too much and place more strain on his neck as he tried to keep his breathing even with the assistance of the breathing mask over his muzzle before he tried to talk again. "You're quite welcome Star."

He was surprised at her question as to why she wanted to know about him, what is because of her being a doctor of the mind, to make small talk while she visited,..or perhaps a different reason, regardless to him at this point it did not care, he was glad to have someone to talk to since he had been alone for the most part ever since that terrible day. "What do you wish to know...I'll try to answer any question you ask as best I can while I'm like this...but before you do, could I trouble you for one of those tasty looking cupcakes you made, I'd get it myself,....but uh..I'm certain you can see I'm kinda not overly capable of doing so at this moment." He said with a lightly pained chuckle and gentle smile.

Star Sapphire nodded. She levitated a cupcake off of the plate and placed it next to Shadow. "If you need any help, just tell me." She said. "And if they don't taste very good, just tell me. I won't be insulted." Star giggled.

"Well, let us start simple. Where do you come from? Were you always in Canterlot?" she asked.

Shadow Zephyr watched her as she levitated the cupcake came over by him and set it by him as he tried to remove the O2 mask and moved to where he got the cupcake and started eating it as he moved back on the bed where it was not such a strain on him taking a couple minutes after eating it and adjusting the mask as best he could before talking.

"Well alright then...hmm well I was born in Cloudsdale, but not long after we moved to Canterlot for family reasons, been in Canterlot ever since home wise."

Star leaned back slightly in her chair. "You sure you don't need help with that?" She asked. She watched as Shadow finished off the cupcake. "Well, aren't you dedicated to a task?" She said, and giggled slightly.

"Born in Cloudsdale eh? I have always wanted to go there. Never can, obviously, but still, a girl can dream, can't she?" Star said, giggling a bit more. She looked towards Shadow, thinking about how horrible it must be to have that mask on him. "I would die if I was in that position." She thought, and shuttered slightly.

Shadow blushed a little at first to her comment, "Well what can I say...I guess im determined at times hehe...it was pretty good too by the way..just needs a little something more...just can't put my hoof on it at this time." He listened to her talking as he lay back trying to keep his breathing steady as his heart-rate spiked a little with slightly abnormal rhythms on the monitors.

"Indeed you can...perhaps one day I can take you there..................I thought like that at one time as well." Shadow told her as he laid back with a slight groan.

Star Sapphire looked worriedly at Shadow. "Are you OK?" She asked, hearing him groan. She started to get very nervous. What if his condition is getting worse? What if he drops dead right there in front of her? What if he confesses a undying love for her before kicking the bucket? "Do you want me to get your doctor sweetie?" She asked. Star had called him sweetie mostly out of friendship. Still though, Star could not help but feel some affection for the pegasus, admiring his personality and toughness. "I'll go get help if you need it."

Shadow could see the worry on Star's face as he shifted a bit shaking his head. "No no it's ok...really, I'll be fine.....if it starts getting bad..I'll let you know." He then laid back down like he was before when she came in. "Could I trouble you for a drink of water though..just need a little something on my throat and to help wash down that cupcake." She could probably see the look of pain on his face, but he was telling her the truth as well in every word he spoke.

Star Sapphire nodded. She quickly grabbed a glass of water for Shadow. "Were my cupcakes too dry? I'm sorry, but I'm not much of a baker." she said, her smile fading. She contemplated getting a doctor for Shadow. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know. I am a doctor after all." She said, her smile returning.

"No they were fine Star, not dry at all...the water is more for me since I have not had anything to drink period all day." Shadow said as he watched her get him some water and he remove the breathing mask as best he could so that Star could give him the water since he was only able to move his right hoof with the left one bandaged up.

"I will let you know..for now the cupcakes and your company are all I need right now, I'm sorry you have to see me messed up like this if anything, I'm sure I must look a fright." Shadow coughed slightly as he waited on the water which made his heart speed up a little but it would settle down in a moment.

"Well, thats good." Star said, a little bit relived. "I was worried my cupcakes may have killed you." She said, and giggled slightly. She placed the water next to Shadow. "And you don't look too bad. I have seen worse." She said. Star Sapphire then blushed slightly. "To be honest, you are rather handsome." She said, bring to lift the pegasus' spirits up. "A little compliment here and there will do him good." She thought.

Shadow tried to chuckle a little as he heard her joke. "Hehe not likely, the stuff they try to give me here is more likely to do that." He then took the water and drank it down as best he could then placed the cup aside. "Well I will not doubt that in your line of profession...you are just lucky as you are seeing me now and not when I originally got these wounds."

Shadow blushed with a slight look of embarrassed surprise on his face as he smiled softly with a blush hidden under his fur. "Me handsome?!...well uh...thank you Star...but I doubt I'm any better looking than most ponies."

Star Sapphire smiled. "On the contrary, I think you are quite handsome." Star said. "Um, ah, not that I'm trying to put the moves on you or anything." She quickly said, to clear up any thoughts that might be floating around. Star may like relationships, but she was not a loose mare. She smiled awkwardly, and blushed slightly.

Shadow nodded in understanding, it may have hurt him a bit, but he knew better, and if she was at least his friend, then that would help him more than anything. "I understand Star...it's ok, I understand."

Shadow looked away a bit before he rose in the bed and started coughing hard, and small specks of blood started showing from him coughing as his heart on the monitor started going nuts and he placed a hoof on his chest struggling to breathe. "Ngh! my chest!" He starts coughing again. "Star...help me please."

Star Sapphire jumped to her hooves. "Oh! Oh my Celestia!" She poked her head out of the door. "Help!" She yelled, "Somepony help! Anypony help!" She returned to her room. "Don't you die on me." She ordered Shadow, staring at him with intensity and fire in her eyes.

"Nngghh it hurts...buck it all...stop hurting." Shadow mumbled as he tried to breathe with his eyes closed tight in pain with tears starting to fall as his hoof stayed on his chest and he placed the breathing mask back on his face while the monitor beeped wildly.

Hearing the alarm from the EKG and Star's cry for help the doctor on duty and two nurse ponies rushed inside and looked at Shadow and the monitor as a nurse places a ear to his chest and listens, "Doctor his heart is out of control, sounds like one of his arteries ruptured." "Not good..hurry and give him an anesthetic we will have to work in here and now." "At once doctor." The room Shadow was in was prepared for emergency surgery as his bed was laid back and one of the nurses injected him to put him to sleep while the other nurse and doctor prepared to operate on him...they knew Star was in there, but now it was her choice what she did...stay or leave.

Star could not stay and watch this gruesome scene. She just simply could not handle it. She did not want to see Shadow in pain. "I'll be in the lobby." She said quietly, and left. She took a seat in the library. Star Sapphire picked up the newspaper that was next to her. She read an article about some bandit group that was cropping up nearby. She was only half paying attention, more worried about Shadow and what was going on.

"Understood Miss Sapphire..someone will update you soon." A nurse said as she nodded to Star and led her out to the lobby, back in the main room the doctor and the other nurses were beginning work on Shadow's heart after he was put to sleep, his main artery leading to his heart was indeed ruptured as some of his past injuries were catching up with him, blood was everywhere as the doctor and nurses worked frantically to save his life as his heart started to beat out of rhythm. "Suction hurry I can't get to the artery with all the blood...sew it up now."

Star put the newspaper aside. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Oh, what is going on?" She thought, closing her eyes and putting her head back. "How did I get involved in this? Hopefully Shadow is ok." She then decided to rest, and drifted off on the chair.

After about an hour the doctor and nurses were successful as a report was sent to Shadow's doctor and one of the nurses walked out to where Star was dozing off and lightly tapped her. "Dr. Sapphire...wake up please."

Star's eyes fluttered open. She yawned and stretched her forelegs. "Yes, what is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. She looked up at the clock. "Only an hour had passed. "Is Shadow ok?" she asked.