Special treatment
It was on that day I entered the Special circumstances ward for treatment concerning my broken leg, a result of a climbing accident, it was also that day I met the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.
I was escorted to my room (The plaster on my right leg and crutches in both arms slowly my gaint to an inelegant hobble), number 216, the assistant kindly carrying my travel bags for me. Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the black jackal, seated upon a much smaller travel bag, travelling light it seemed. I was instantly entranced. The second thing I noticed was the absence of furniture, save a typical hospital dresser, and a couple of average plastic white chairs, namely, I noticed the lack of beds. I assumed they were going to handle that sooner or later, so I concerned myself with the first observation, my lovely roommate.
Wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and appearing rather anxious, I squatted as well as I could, and talked.
We introduced ourselves, myself as Samuel, herself as Rebecca. We discussed our positions as roommates, and our reasons for being here. Aparantley, she had some internal problem, which I didn't understand, but nodded along to anyway, and I told her how I broke my leg, both sharing a good natured laugh.
Her anxiety never left her completely, I wondered what she was waiting for, but said nothing, so as not to seem rude.
After becoming aquainted, some attendants quietly wheeled in a covered trolley, and informed me that they needed some time alone with Rebecca, and to help set up our room. We nodded our temporary farewells, leaving, and being shut out almost instantly. A little confused by these events, I took the time to explore my surroundings.
I met other patients, exchanged names and ailments, eventually coming to rest on the balcony of the second story.
I relaxed in the cool breeze, watching the clouds drift by, until an attendent confirmed my identity, and informed me I could return to our room. I nodded my thanks, and hobbled my way back, rather anxious to meet with Rebecca again.
I was met by surprise, the attendants standing by their covered trolley, a black air mattress the size of a double bed set up where Rebecca was when I left her.
My heart sank when I thought she'd been moved to another room, leaving me alone, until I noticed a few more things about the mattress...
Despite looking she'd swallowed an inflatable raft, her body bloated and rectangular, puffy paws sticking out at her four corners, a sausage like tail sticking out dead straight at her rear, and her slightly puffy, swollen cheeked head at the other, the 'air mattress' WAS my Room mate!
She wriggled slightly, and grunted as she tried to grin when she realised I'd noticed.
The attendents explained that sometimes, when a pair of patients end up in the same room, and part lack of equipment part strange whim, one of the two would be inflated like a mattress to serve as a bed for the other, in this case, I'd be sleeping on her. In Rebeccas' case, her treatment would be easier to complete with her blown up.
While she adjusted to her swollen form, she'd be unable to talk, but after some time, she'd be able to. I was informed that while she was surprisingly tough, that I was to be careful with her. I agreed, not wanting to harm her, moreso in such a vulnerable state. They offered their regards, and left us alone.
I grinned at her, my roommate, my bed, Rebecca. She made a muffled purring noise as I scritched her ears. I climbed up on her inflated bulk, carefully navigating my plastered leg, finding her comfortable as well as gorgeous, ballooned or not. She'd packed light because she wasn't going to be doing much beside serving me as a piece of inflatable furniture. Her baggage was gone, stashed in the dresser, so I dismounted her, and began to unpack.
As I shuffled through my gear, I pricked my ears, picking up a quiet rumbling noise. Turning around and half expecting her to have deflated, I noticed she'd instead gone to sleep, guess swallowing that much air was pretty exhausting. By the time I finished unpacking, I was pretty tired myself.
The attendents had left the trolley, which carried pillows, and blankets, to help furnish the bulging jackal.
I mounted a pair of pillows just behind her head, and after changing for bed, carried a blanket as I carefully climbed back on her, and pulling the blanket over myself and her, joined my bed in sleep.
I woke up to a voice. Looking around the room for its source, I found nothing, remember just what was beneath me, leaning down over the front of the mattress, greeted by Rebecca's head, sticking out of the bloated bulk of her body. She looked up as well as she could, commenting with a grin what a heavy sleeper I was. I replied with a pun concerning her light sleeping, she wagged her her head in disgust, smirking weakly. She told me I could adjust her position, with the aid of a small hand pump/vacuum on the trolley left behind, if I wanted to. I wanted to, so I climbed down, and retrieved the device, gently nuzzling before plugging her mouth with the nozzle, her back and shoulders raising up like a pillow of sorts. After carefully extracting the device, she then told me I wasn't supposed to move her around, or bounce on her, unless I wanted her to deflate, or even pop, she added with a sort of grim humour.
Laying on her back again, I asked why she'd decided to fill in for the furniture during her stay, and if it hurt. It was mainly for a laugh, she told me, and it made operating inside her much easier, in regards to the pain, it didn't hurt, it mostly felt strange. Having your body blown up like a balloon, arms and legs feeling numb (demonstrated with a rather weak wriggling of her plumped out paws), was like being full, very very full, but without the nausea. Besides, she joked, it let her sleep with guys like me, even if she was the bed. My heart skipped for a moment, was that a sign she liked me?
Ah well, we both had time on our paws, I'd at least get her number, and try and keep in touch at the end of this.
I spent the rest of the day playing with her (At her approval), poking and rubbing her stretched sides and back, (I could feel her vibrate as she hummed with the feeling), I made her a little bigger, a little smaller with the pump/vacuum (I could hear her hiss slightly, and ripple as she stretched, or emptied), I pressed her ballooned extremities inside her bloated form (She made popping noises as her paws shloomped back out, or yelped as her head popped out)
I spent hours playing with her as a living balloon animal, the only time I wasn't was during my rehabilitation sessions, meals, cleaning up myself, and getting out every now and then to keep myself at least a little exercised.
Rebecca was attended to when I went out for meals, I was never around to see her cleaned and fed, though I doubt I'd have been allowed even if I wanted to.
We talked a lot, as was the deal with her serving as my bed, my final session coincided with her operation time, so we'd agreed to meet outside the room just before we both left the hospital, whoever arrived first would 'win' a small bet we'd had.
The days rolled by, more or less the same, but both of us growing closer, more friendlier, I was sure it was love, though part of me feared it was more a 'captive audience' relationship, where we'd come out as friends, nothing more, but I wanted it to be mutual...
Our day came, I hugged her head (the only part small enough to hug), and wished her luck, while she simply wished me luck as well, unable to return the hug.
A pair of attendants came to take her away, looping a great black belt across her torso, compressing her hands into her body, and doing the same with her feet. An even greater belt looped around her length, compressing her head and tail, turning my jackal air bed into a black parcel, like a huge furry christmas present.
They tipped her on to her side, and carefully navigated her to the operating theatre, I watched them carry my Rebecca away, containing my emotions before hobbling off to my own final session.
With my cast off, bearing a single crutch, a slight limp and a successful rehab, I returned to the room, I waited for Rebecca, squatting on my bag. I became scared she'd been and gone, left without me. The door entered, my heart rising, then falling as I saw an attendant enter instead of my black beauty. My despair turned to wonder as he handed me a neatly folded black garment. Flipping it, and letting it unfold, I gazed in awe as I saw Rebecca, completely flat, creased from the folding, her eyes closed as if asleep. I looked back at the attendant, confused.
He explained her operation had been a success, but she'd requested to be reinflated by me, her small bag handed to me, along with the pump/vacuum.
I smiled, and thanked him, carefully refolding my flat Rebecca, stashing her in her own bag for now.
I entered the hospital with a broken leg, and one bag. I left the hospital with a healing leg, two bags, and the girl of my dreams.