Chapter 37

Into The Belly Of The Beast

Following Gwen's advice, Kel drew her shields down around her as tightly as she could.

As they settled around her, she felt for a moment as if her head was stuffed with cotton. She felt as if she had been hit by a wave of pressure as she entered the hospital. Her shields flared briefly in her inner sight and she quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. Seeing nothing amiss, she smiled to the Otter Nurse behind the reception desk, on her way to the bank of elevators. Passing the gift shop, Kel was struck with inspiration...ducking in a moment, she came out with a cute cuddly-soft stuffed bunny plush in a gift bag. She held it between her paws, and as the elevator doors closed, she was blowing on the plush; its tiny glass eyes just held the glint of a green glow...

"Knock-Knock, Any Bunny home?" Kel asked, walking through the door of room 420.

Cassy looked up, she seemed sad. "Oh, hi Kel..." Her voice sounded flat.

"Hey Kiddo, what's wrong, feeling blue?" The bunny nodded.

"Wellll, I brought you something..." the Vixen cooed.

"Really?" Cassy perked up.

"TA-DAH!!!" Kel said, and with a flourish pulled the bunny plush from the bag.

"AAAwwwww, It's CUTE!" Cassy purred, taking it and giving the plushie a cuddle. To Kel's second sight, the healing energy was infusing the injured bunny, flowing to the site of her injury. "Cass honey..." Kel started. " I really wis--_would_like to help you, if I could..."

Cassy looked at her friend. "Well, just having you here helps...and this cute Plushie _really_makes me feel better."

"So, you don't mind me trying to help you with the healing process?" Kel hedged.

"I don't know what you can do_in that respect. After all, I'm the one who got _shot...but I'd welcome any good wishes you'd care to send my way." Cassy said with a smile.

=Bingo!= Kel thought. "Well, I'll do what I can to help make you feel better, that plush told me to ask you to cuddle it as much as possible." Kel said with a nod of sincerity.

"Really?" Cassy asked, holding the plush bunny between her paws at arms' length.

"Well, okay Mr. Bunny. Wow, You've got green eyes!" Cassy cooed as she resumed her cuddle. As they talked, Kel slowly fed energy to her friend to aid in her healing. It was excruciating having to hold back, she knew with one session Cassy could walk out of here. But that thought was tempered with the knowledge of what may happen as a result.

"How are you doing, really?" Kel asked, touching Cassy's arm.

"Well, like you said, a little down. Being here all alone with nothing to do..." Cassy sighed. "Mikey comes by every day and sits with me, and that's nice--but I really can't do anything for him when I'm stuck in here and--" Cassy looked almost pleading. "I really missSEX, ya know? With Mikey it's so different, I can't get enough of that guy." She paused, looking down at herself somewhat dejectedly.

"He won't even let me give him a _paw-job!_My _poor_sweetie..." She smiled ruefully.

"Well, look on the bright side Cass--when you get outta here, you can make up for lost time." Kel offered.

"Don't you _know_it!" Cassy chuckled evilly. "By the time I'm done with him,_that_ferret's gonna be _walkin'_funny!" The look in her eyes told Kelso she _wasn't_joking.

"How's My Snuggle Bunny today? Oh, Hi Kel."

"Sweet Love!" Cassy beamed. "Give your lady some Lovin!" she said holding out her arms to him.

"Sorry hon, not 'til you're healed up--but how about a kiss?" Mike replied, kissing and hugging her. Kel noticed the increased tempo of the monitoring devices. Mike broke the kiss.

"Hey now, slow down love, we don't want a repeat of what happened _last_time."

Cassy gave him a sour face. "Spoil-Sport." She groused.

"Whaaaaat?" Kel asked curiously with a big grin

"Oh No_thing..."_Cassy grinned innocently. Mike blushed.

Kel looked between the two of them. "Uh, right." she said raising an eyebrow. Mike blushed harder... Cassy grinned evilly. "Like I said...he wont even let me..." Her paw caressed the front of Mike's slacks, causing him to jump back.

"CASSY!!" Mike blurted as she giggled.

"Well, it's true!" she said in her own defense.

"Well--yeah, but..."Mike looked around nervously, seeing the plushie, he tried to change the subject. "Hey, cute plushie! From you, Kel?"

"Uh-huh," Kel nodded. "I thought it might help lift her spirits and help get her out of here sooner."

"Hey, anything that'll get my honey bunny outta here as soon as possible is fine by me." Mike beamed at his beloved bunny.

COOL!_Kel thought, _I got his permission too!

"Okay--how about we all hold paws, and try and focus on helping her heal" Kel said.

"Sounds good to me!" Cassy grinned. With a nod from Mike, Kel moved to the opposite side of the bed, taking Mike's paw in one of hers and Cassy's in the other,

"Okay, what do we do now?" Mike said taking Cassy's paw in his and giving it a squeeze. "Think of this as kind of like laying on of paws," Kel said. Mike nodded. "Just draw upon your love for her and see it helping her to heal..." Kel fed healing energy into the circuit.

"Ooh, I feel all tingly!' Cassy giggled. After about ten minutes Kel asked Cassy how she was feeling.

"Better! I don't hurt as much, and I feel all warm and tingly where I was shot!" Cassy grinned. She seemed in much better spirits, looking less drawn.

"That was neat, I could almost_feel it." Mike added. "Kinda like the love I have for you flowed into you, and you _are_looking better honey. Maybe this stuff really works. My Grandma once told me about Faith healing. She said that with_Love, all things were possible...maybe she was right." Cassy gave him such a loving look.

"Well, Good afternoon, Miss Bhunny." a large striped cat in a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck said as he entered the room.

"Oh, I didn't know you had visitors?"

"Hey Doc!" Cassy sounded much more upbeat. " Yeah, This is Mike, my fiancé, and this is Kel, a friend and co worker, we were wiping down tables when some ass hole broke in tryin' ta rob the place and I got shot."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Dr. Feliss, Miss Bhunny has been assigned to me, as resident specialist on internal trauma recovery, and if you don't mind, I need to examine my patient," he said, smiling warmly.

"Sure thing Doc" Kel said, as Mike moved aside giving the doctor room to work.

"Thank you Sir. This won't take long, will it, Miss Bhunny?"

"nuh-uh." Cassy smiled at the handsome feline doctor. He began taking her temperature, checking the readouts on the monitoring equipment, and then he spooled out a paper readout from the EKG, signed and dated it and stuck it in her file. "Now then, let's have a look at the reason you're here, shall we?" He smiled at the grinning bunny as he gently palpated the area around her injury.

"Any tenderness, or pain?" he asked; he had a very gentle touch.

"Nope." Cassy said with a grin.

"Good, well it looks like you are starting to heal nicely; having friends around helps." he said, glancing at her visitors.

"Dr. Feliss," Kel asked. "In your opinion, what are the benefits of things like positive thinking and faith healing?"

"Well..." The Doctor paused. "As _part_of a comprehensive treatment package, it certainly can do no harm, and I have seen it help some furs recover faster, Are you considering adding it?" Dr. Feliss looked directly at Kel with a measuring gaze.

"Um, Yes sir..." Kel nodded.

"Well, if Miss Bhunny wants to give it a try to augment_her treatment here, while she is in recovery, I say yes...b_ut," He cautioned. "_No_candles or incense, there is oxygen in use."

"Okay, Thank you, Doctor Feliss!" Kel smiled radiantly. _ 'YES! Three for three! We'll have you outta here in a week!' _she thought.

"Sure thing, Miss?" "Oh, Kel--Kel Vixxen, with two Xs" Kel offered.

"Thank you, Miss Vixxen...unlike some stodgy furs in my profession, I feel that there is a place for alternative treatments, IF_they are incorporated into _approved_standards of recovery and convalescence. Good afternoon, I must get back to my rounds. Good luck Miss Vixxen, at least it shall do no _harm." Dr Feliss left the room.

"Well.That_went well," Kel beamed then looked at Cassy... "Now _don't_push yourself Cassy. Take the time you _need, and we will have you out of here before you know it, okay?"

"But I wanna_be home with _Mikey," Cassy pouted. "Not stuck here with no sex!" She made another grab for Mike, causing him to yelp and jump back again.

"Honey_Bunny! PLEASE!I'm having a hard enough time with _Mr. Bone without_you_giving him any ideas!" "Mike went pale then blushed realizing what he'd just said in front of Kel.

"MR. BONE?" Kel grinned, an eyebrow arched.

"Oh_Gods_, I didn't just say that, _did_I?" Mike moaned.

"I just LOVE_Mr. _Bone! Can he come out and_play?_" Cassy chortled.

"NO!" Mike said, glaring at Cassy--aghast at where this was going.

Cassy stuck out her lower lip, "Humph! _You're_no fun." She pouted, crossing her arms over her ample chest. Kel couldn't help but giggle just a bit.

"Well, look on the bright side, Mike. At least she's feeling well enough to be frisky."

"Yeah, I know. It's just...she needs her rest. Not getting all hot and bothered." Mike said reluctantly. "I just don't want anything to happen to you, Beloved."

"I know love." Cassy smiled at her beloved patting his paw. "I just can't_get _enough_of you, and being stuck here, is--_Lonely._Besides, I miss not being able to cuddle with you when I sleep, we fit so well _together..."

Sensing that Kel wanted to discuss something with her, Cassy turned to Mike, giving him one of her sweetest smiles, "Mikey, could you do me a _BIG_favor..."

"Anything for you, my love...but some things will have to wait tell we get you home." he said with a wink

"Could you run down and get Kel a soda, please?" Cassy winked.

"Bwah?OH, gotcha. Be back in a bit love!" Mike got up and left the girls alone. Once Cassy was sure he was out of earshot, she turned to Kel.

"Okay, fess up, what's going on Kel? I'm feeling a world of a lot better,what ARE you doing?"

'Perceptive little bunny,' Kel thought.

"Um..." Kel looked around, certain that they were alone. "I _want_to _help_you get _outta_here, as soon as possible. And...um...I think I've figured out a way to do that." Kel hedged. The look in Cassy's eyes told her she wasn't buying it.

"Did Gwen teach you healing magic or something?" Cassy asked directly. Kel's eyes went wide and she spun around. "_What?_Is there a sign on me somewhere?"

"No." Cassy leaned back. " It's just--you seem different_from the last time you were here. And I _know_you have been spending a lot of time with Gwen after "_that night" and when she told us _why_she got that premonition, I just put two and two together."

"How do _you_feel about all of this Cass?" Kel asked.

"Honestly,_anything_that will get me home again is _fine_with me. It means a lot to me that you would be willing to help me out..." she paused, pensive.

"We will talk more, once you're outta here, K?." Kel put a paw on Cassy's shoulder.

"Thanks Kel..." Cassy put a paw on Kel's shoulder.

"Survivors." Kel whispered.

"Survivors." Cassy nodded, squeezing her shoulder with her paw.

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