Visiting post for Autor

[guppy_sandhu]

Because someone took a twenty foot tumble off a flying carpet, Autor has been in overnight for head injury observation.

Feel free to come pester him when he wakes up. Or draw on his face while he sleeps, whatever works.

Comments

[is_the_motion]

When he wakes up, there is a thermos flask of soup next to his bed, and a Bonnie fixing the coffee machine.

[herr_bookman]

He wakes up slowly, groggily. He hasn't had this much sleep in a chunk in a while and he feels it in the sluggish way his muscles move, and his parched throat.

"Bonnie?" he croaks, eyes open but tousled head still on the pillow. "Hi."

[is_the_motion]

"Hey Autor." Small smile. It's good to see him awake. "You get run over by a truck or somethin'?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor laughs softly, shaking his head. "No. I... I fell off my flying carpet. It wasn't too bright, really, but there it is," he says quickly. "How are you?"

[is_the_motion]

"You ain't careful, I'm gonna knit you a seatbelt." Bonnie says, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine, kinda freaked ter hear one of my boys got another broken bone."

She plumps his pillow because this is what people do.

"When'd you last eat?"

[herr_bookman]

Thankfully Enzo has explained to him what a seatbelt is, so there's no need to tread old ground. Autor smiles a little, nodding meekly. "I'd appreciate that, though I don't know how well it'd work. And I'm sorry to worry you." He's not about to deny that he's one of her boys. Not now.

At her question, the boy glances away, at the wall. "Oh, um, let's see," he murmurs. The truth is, he's going on four days now, which is why he's dizzy and pale and has trembling hands, and probably couldn't stand right now. Her asking about it reminds him of his stomach, and he finds to his chagrin that he's ravenous.

The boy looks back to her. "A while. It's been a little while."

[is_the_motion]

"Hm."

Well at least that's not as much a lie as she thought he was about to come out with when he looked at that wall.

She pours him a cup of the home made soup and oh look, there's some home baked crusty bread rolls.

"Is this a work thing or a diet and fitness thing or what?"

[herr_bookman]

"Any fitness routine that ends up with me in the infirmary is a pretty awful one," Autor says, with a breathless chuckle. He sits up, propping himself on his good elbow first, and carefully positions his other arm in his lap.

"You spoil me, Bonnie. Thank you. You don't have to," Autor says, and snatches a roll to cram in his mouth.

[is_the_motion]

"I ain't spoilin' you." Bonnie says, breaking her own bread roll. "Bringin' you food is perfectly normal."

Beat.

"And yer a grown up, you don't got ter tell me if you did somethin' stupid." she adds.

[herr_bookman]

Bonnie has just become one of Autor's favorite people. Thinking about this fact gives him enough time to choke down the roll and reach for another.

"Bonnie," he starts, unsure of what to say, but wanting to express his gratitude. "Thank you. That means a lot to me. I stayed up for three days due to a reason which I'll keep to myself, and fell asleep on the carpet. It... I was stupid to fly afterwards. This won't happen again."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie listens seriously, and nods.

"Well thanks fer tellin' me." she says. "If you do got to do it again, do you want anyone ter stay with you?"

He doesn't have to promise her not to do it again.

[herr_bookman]

He smiles a little, impressed that she picked up on the nuance in his language--primarily promising that flying afterwards won't happen again, not the staying up--and shakes his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but it's something I need to do by myself," he says, inclining his head. He bites into half the roll; he'll eat all of them if she lets him. "Plus I really don't want to subject anyone else to that." Except for possibly one person, if they agree. "Did you bake these rolls yourself? They're delicious."

[is_the_motion]

"I did." Bonnie accepts the subject change this time. "And yer welcome. Tastes better with company."

[herr_bookman]

"I'll have to get the recipe from you," Autor says, finishing the second roll and reaching for a third. He's lucky the rolls are good--he'd probably eat a stone, but that they're soft and delicious just makes all of him happy, and not just his stomach.

"What kind of soup is that?" he asks, between bites.

[is_the_motion]

"Leek and potato." Bonnie says. "You like it?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor grins at her, eyes bright. "I haven't tried it yet. But potatoes are some of my favorite things, and leeks are always good, so it should be great."

He tries getting the spoon to his mouth with his left hand, which proves awkward. His right hand is dominant, and busted, so he finds he has to maneuver with the left. He slurps, accidentally, but brightens when he finally does taste some of the soup. "It's really good, Bonnie, thank you."

[is_the_motion]

"Do you want a straw?"

She's not feeding him. Not unless he breaks both his arms.

This is not an invitation from her to break both his arms.

[herr_bookman]

"A straw would probably work much better than a spoon," Autor admits, sheepish. "Thank you."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie goes over to the coffee machine and finds a straw that seems to be used for some sort of iced coffee, which she brings back.

The coffee machine is in notably better shape than when Guppy was trying to fix it.

"Here."

[herr_bookman]

"Thanks again," Autor says, still sheepish, and takes the straw, which he uses to mash up some potatoes before drinking them down. He doesn't breathe again until he's consumed the soup entirely.

"Huh, that was much easier. But embarrassing. On the whole, breaking an arm was a terrible idea," Autor says, furrowing his brow. "Also I expected the pain to be sharper, and less throbbing."

[is_the_motion]

"Yeah, well lucky it weren't yer neck." Bonnie says.

[herr_bookman]

Autor smiles a little. "Very true," he says, amused with the macabre way she looks on the bright side. "I did end up with a concussion from it"--and here he gently taps the butterfly bandage on his forehead--"so it's entirely possible that it could have been my neck. I'm also lucky they have the technology to fix me so quickly. Were I at home, I'd take weeks to heal."

Of course, were he at home, he wouldn't be flying, but that's neither here nor there.

[is_the_motion]

"Yeah well I doubt they can fix necks, so be careful." Bonnie says, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad yer in one piece."

[herr_bookman]

Autor reaches up with his left hand to pat hers. "Thank you, Bonnie. I am, too. You're right - I was lucky, and I'll not forget that," he says, and then he smiles again. "And thanks for the food, too."

[is_the_motion]

She pecks him on the forehead.

"Get some rest, I'll see you soon."

She leaves him the thermos flask of soup.

"Yer doc went fer a shower, tell him his machine is fixed." she adds as she heads out.