Lucario and Braixen- A Fiery Love Story

Chapter 15- Recovery time

Ricky lay on the hospital bed, his leg indeed being broken. It now had a cast on it, and it was elevated by a small platform hanging from wires suspended from the ceiling. He sighed, bored and annoyed that the injury had occurred. He wondered who that Embor thought he was. He also wondered how the team was doing, the game probably still going on. Not being there to help them during their first away game really disappointed him. He had looked forward and trained hard for that very game, and now he wasn't even able to play or be there. He continued to think about it as he listened to the rhythmic bleeping of machines from other rooms and looked at the wires and diagrams strewn around his room.

Meanwhile, Blaze and Ryan anxiously waited to hear about his condition.
"I hope he's okay... that tackle looked pretty bad."
Blaze said aloud, nervously waiting for any word about him.
"He'll be fine. He's always been tough. I understand your concern though. I'm concerned too. But trust me, he'll be just fine."
Ryan assured her.

Shortly after, an audino approached the two.
"You're here to see Ricky, yes?"
"Yes. That's us."
Blaze quickly replied.
"Well, if you'd like to see him, I can take you to do just that."
Blaze stood up and looked back at Ryan.
"You go ahead and spend some time alone with him. He must be okay- I'll catch up in a few minutes."
Ryan told her.
"Okay. Thank you, Ryan."
Blaze then followed the audino, seeing a light blue curtain drawn and hearing an unmistakable voice on the other side.

"No, Mom. I'm fine... It's just a broken leg. It'll get better... No- Mom, listen- yes, I know that. Just listen for- ugh, yes... yes I know... okay. Fine. I love you too. Bye."
He then put his phone down and sighed. Blaze giggled as he did.

"You know, she's just worried about you."
Blaze opened the curtain with a nervous smile.
"Just like I was."
Ricky smiled casually.
"Blaze. You're here."
He replied happily, laying his head down.
"Yeah... I came to see you. And if you were okay."
She walked to his side and embraced him, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"You didn't think that a broken leg would stop me, did you? I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, babe. I'm gonna be okay."
She was crying slightly, causing him to sit up as best he could. He then smiled softly and gently kissed her on the forehead.
"Trust me. I'll be just fine."
He then began to pet her softly. That seemed to calm her down a little. She sniffled, and stopped crying.
"I hope so... I just hate seeing you like this. When are you leaving?"
She asked.
"The doctors say I can leave today. They told me that not to put too much pressure on it while the bone heals, which it should do all in good time. It's not too badly broken."
He told her.
"There's my X-ray."
He pointed to a screen showing the bone in his leg. It was slightly fractured.
"They're just going to fill in the paperwork and then they can discharge me. I'll be out of here soon."
He told her. Ryan then walked in.
"Hey man. I saw that tackle. Pretty nasty. So, how are you doing?"
"Oh, you're here too. Well, I'll be fine. The bone is only slightly broken, meaning it won't take too long to heal. I won't be playing again for a while though. A few weeks at least."
He told him.
"Wow. It's great to hear that you're not too badly off, but that Embor... it really burns me up how some Pokemon just care so little about others."
Ricky smiled at him.
"It's fine. I'll be fine, and he's just some random jerk who happened to tackle me a little too roughly. I'd rather forget about him."
Ricky replied.
"Ricky, he broke your leg, hospitalised you and took you off the team's starting lineup for several weeks. He's a crook who deserves to be brought to shame."
Ryan told him sternly.
"I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him sooner or later. Either way, just let it go. For me."
Ryan frowned.
"If you say so."
He grumbled.

After Ricky was cleared to leave, he headed to his apartment, or at least he tried to. Blaze insisted he stayed with her, where she could make sure he was alright. She was also adamant about Getting anything he needed whenever he needed it. He appreciated all she was doing for him, and he told her that several times.
"Anything else you need? Anything at all?"
She asked, sitting next to him.
"No, Blaze. I promise you, I'm fine. You haven't eaten anything yourself though. You should really do something about that."
He told her.
"I can't do that. I need to look after you."
She replied.
"Babe, if you went hungry just because I'm injured, I wouldn't forgive myself. You need to eat."
He stroked her cheek.
"For me as well as you."
She held his paw in hers.
"You promise you'll be okay?"
"I'll be right here."
She got up and began to prepare something for herself. She then ate beside him, refusing to leave his side. After she finished, she washed up and then returned to him, again not leaving.

That night, Blaze practically forced him to sleep next to her, using a small table to elevate his leg during the night.
"Thank you again, Blaze. You really didn't have to do all of this, though."
She smiled softly at him.
"I'm not letting you go until you get better. If you need anything during the night, wake me up. Don't be afraid to. I want you to."
She wrapped her arms around him and cuddled into his side. She literally meant what she said. He the wrapped one arm around her. He hoped his leg would remain elevated throughout the night as his girlfriend's body heat kept him warm. She let out a soft murr as she lay next to him. The two then dozed off, Ricky having a slightly less comfortable sleep than Blaze, but still waking up first. He knew that he would have to wake her up to move, so he didn't. He lay still, daydreaming until Blaze began to stir, before her eyes lazily opened and she let out a long yawn.
"Morning, Blaze."
Ricky said to her quietly as she still went through the process of waking up.
"Good... morning, Ricky. Sleep well?"
She asked.
"Not really. It was rather broken."
He told her.
"Aww... poor thing. You want me to let you sleep a little more?"
She asked, Ricky shaking his head.
"I'll be fine. Would you mind helping me get up though, please?"
"Of course!"
She replied quickly, getting up and pulling him gently as he got to his feet before leaning into her slightly while he gained his balance.
"Thank you. That really helped me."
He replied, gripping the crutches he had been given when he left the hospital. As the two left the bedroom, there was a knock at the door.
"I wonder who that is?"
Blaze said as she went to check.
Lucario entered the living room.
"So? Who is it?"
Blaze turned to face him.
"It's Vincent."

Hey guys! Me again. Two chapters in 24 hours. That's better than making you wait for weeks on end! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all on the next one. Until then, Stay awesome!