Chapter Twenty Eight – Another World: Five

Derek saw the smile on Amy's face as she was wheeled out of the operating room and felt as if his life was the one they'd saved and not hers.

"You worrywort," Amy said fondly, but didn't continue. Once she would've followed up her accusation with a line like "I told you I'd be fine," or "I still have too much to do to kick the bucket right now." That she didn't do so now was telling.

"I'll worry if I want to," he told her defensively. "A few warts are worth the expense."

He settled into step beside her bed as the nurse continued to push Amy down towards long term care, but he could already tell she'd likely be sent home this afternoon. After ten or eleven visits, he'd gotten a feel for the conditions a doctor would be comfortable discharging her under. Right now she was smiling, and happy. Awake, and more than anything impatient to be out of the bed. Eighty years old was still eighty years old though.

She sighed dramatically. "Stabilized again. Home again for three more weeks darling? Sound good?"

"It's a date," he replied. "I wish you'd just quit this awful job though. Working only one week per month, losing more than you earn, and you always leave with less Blood. Don't even get me started on the benefits."

"You mixed your metaphors. I was going with the joke that this was a monthly date. I think you could've gotten more mileage there," she said teasingly.

"Oh but you haven't opened the benefits package yet. Plenty of good humor in there," Derek said with a brittle grin that was more effort to keep up than he expected.

She paused as if to ponder the notion and then nodded. "Agreed. There are a few. The sponge baths are nice and the food is free. Technically. The escort service is top notch though."

The nurse pushing her along, a girl in her mid thirties with a black bob-cut smirked at the pair of them. "Thank you Missus Shaw."

"Don't mention it, Francine, and for the last time please call me Amy?" she asked as they arrived in their newest short term home. The room was a small five by six foot area with medical posters and paraphernalia decorating the walls. Derek felt like he'd seen and read every last one of them at least twice during his times spent here.

Francine left with a quick, "Of course, Missus Shaw," that infuriated Amy. It raised the mood a little but once the two of them were left alone, Derek couldn't help but frown in frustration and worry. Amy looked back at him, but he continued to let his frown linger.

"Oh stop looking at me like that. I made it one more time," she demanded softly.

"They don't think you'll make it another though," he replied, all levity gone from his voice.

"They've said that six times now," she said assuredly, though even he could hear the slight waver in her voice. Still she plowed on. "If it's my time then it's my time. I'm ready and each time these good folks pull me back from the brink it's less inheritance for Alevia."

Derek was about to speak but she met him with her eyes and continued before he could.

"Honestly, Derek, next time I collapse I'm considering asking you to just let me go," she said.

"I'm not going to do that!" He burst out, incensed. "How am I supposed to tell Alevia you're gone after that, huh? 'Oh, sorry, your mom decided she was done with all that 'living' nonsense. Here's a fruit cake?'"

"I don't suspect she'd care much, Derek," Amy said with a sigh.

"She'd care," he insisted. "She would definitely still care. If we told her I bet she'd come visit."

"Told her what? That I got out of the hospital again? She came the first time and you saw what happened," she said, rubbing her forehead dejectedly.

"Honey, that was over two years ago. Things weren't... quite so serious then," he reasoned.

"They felt more serious then than they do now. Another heart failure? Another resuscitation. Another damn Coronary Bypass or a fake heart valve or... Derek we can't keep doing this," she pleaded.

"Because of the inheritance? It might've skipped your notice but I don't think Alevia needs it," Derek replied sourly.

"Of course I noticed!" she hissed.

"So why the drama!?" He replied, annoyed. "Why not deplete our savings to nothing! I'd do it. I am doing it. Even if it's all we have it's worth it for just another minute of time with you. Amy... if... when you go, I'm not going to be far behind. You've got to know that."

"Well then we won't be separated very long, will we?" she insisted, but there was a fondness in her words. An old fondness for words spoken before but still enjoyed anyway.

Derek groaned. Arguing with his wife was never worth it. She always found some way to twist his words into a sensible argument for herself while leaving him speechless. She hadn't actually demanded he stop paying for her surgery's or anything so drastic as that yet but every time she woke back up she seemed a little less happy about it. About returning to her aging body and her weak heart. He couldn't blame her.

"How is Gell?" Amy asked suddenly.

He blinked, startled by the abrupt topic change.

"Gell? Uh... she's... fine I assume? I haven't spoken with her," he said.

She quirked an annoyed eyebrow. "I've been unconscious for two days and you haven't even spoken with her? What will she think! She's probably worried sick! You oaf! Go home and tell her that we're okay!"

He blinked. Oaf. He hadn't heard that one in a while. "Hey, I had more important things on my mind. Did you expect me to just leave while you were in the hospital, possibly dying?"

"Yes!" She insisted.

He goggled, shaking his head at his wife's ridiculousness. "I... you...!"

"Oh, yes I'm fine, I'm fine! Now go!" She said with a pointed finger towards the door.

He growled. "Fine, fine, I'm going!"

He got up out of his chair and hobbled to the corner where he'd just hung his coat before stepping towards the open door. He turned back and smiled at her. She beamed back.

"I love you," he said, meaning it every bit as much the day he'd proposed.

"I love you too, you thoughtless sap. Now go tell Gell we're sorry for worrying her. Let her know I'll be there to see her as soon as I can, alright?"

He rolled his eyes but smiled at the woman. He left with a wave and a grin.

A nurse entered as he left and on his way out he heard his wife say, "Good god I wish they had Neurosyncs in here. I would kill to log in right now. It's too bad we didn't have ten more years for those things to become hospital mandated technology."

He shook his head, amused at the idea of old folks like he and his wife requiring video games. That said, she had a point. Feeling young again, even if their bodies weren't, was worth all the problems Tread the Sky had. If the hospitals hadn't yet realized the medical implications of virtual IBUProfen, then they certainly would soon. Hell, could they use Tread the Sky in place of Anesthesia? Probably not, but the implications were huge.

He hailed a cab, and got in shortly. Amy was right, and he probably owed Gell an apology for not even sending her a message to let her know they were... well. Okay. He pulled out his cellphone and flipped to the gamer-ads, looking for new tips and tricks to advance his carpenter level. Unfortunately, a large pop-up icon was blocking the view. Normally he would just exit out of those, but today he paused.

Blizzard was releasing Diablo 7 for Neurosync.

He frowned. He wouldn't be able to play that. It was definitely going to be too action packed for Amy's heart, though he remembered countless hours in his childhood spent on three, and later four in college. Instead of pleasure at the statement, he worried. Tread the Sky was... good for what it was. A first game on a new console, a new type of console that had not permeated day to day life yet. On the one hand, Blizzard had a habit of bringing thousands of new fans to wherever they produced their games. On the other hand, their game would definitely steal from Tread the Sky's playerbase.

What would happen to Gell if Tread the Sky became just another one of the countless MMO's that no one played anymore?

He shivered. He didn't know how, but he swore he wouldn't let that happen.

Somehow.