Very slowly, Aldin became aware of his surroundings. He couldn’t smell anything as his nose felt like someone had stuffed large acorns up it. However, his hearing seemed to work alright. From the sounds around him, he figured he must be in a hospital room. Slowly, he opened his eyes and quickly blinked them multiple times against the brightness.

“Someone get Dr. Hanter. He’s coming around.”

His mouth and throat were extremely dry. He couldn’t even rasp out a request for water. Someone must have known he would want some for they gently raised his muzzle with their paw and with an eye dropper, dripped cool, refreshing water into his mouth. He tried to lap at it greedily.

“Easy, take it slow, Embassador. I don’t want you to choke on it.”

He looked about without moving his head. His eyes couldn’t quite focus. He did recognize the next voice.

“I’m glad you’ve pulled through the worst of it,” Dr. Hanter spoke, while checking his vitals. “Take it slow and easy. You’ve still got a long road to recovery.”

Aldin tried to speak, but the rabbit hushed him. “Save it. Concentrate on recovery. The nurse here will continue to give you water slowly. Once you show you can lap it on your own, she’ll give you a dish.”

Aldin weakly wigwagged his tail to indicate he understood.

“I don’t want to overwhelm you with details, Embassador. However, I also know it’ll gnaw at you if I don’t give you a basic summary of what happened. Briefly, your luck ran out. That wild cousin who bit you gave you what we consider a head cold. It nearly killed you, possibly proving your story some didn’t believe when you first arrived that you aren’t from our world. It is fortunate for you that you found Dr. Gowandle and brought her back with you. Amazingly, you’re the same blood type. We gave you a transfusion of her blood and your body accepted her antibodies as your own, enabling you to fight off the virus. But it was touch and go for a while.”

Aldin briefly raised his head off the nurse’s paw and nodded. He then lowered it and continued to accept water a few drops at a time.

“You’ve been unconscious for four days. How much longer you are here will depend on how quickly you recover. Wag your tail up and down once if you want visitors right off. I will allow them, but only if you don’t try and talk back to them at the moment. Oh, and if your incisors seem extra sharp, it’s because we had a dentist drop by yesterday and filed them down. I’m amazed how much they had grown in just a few days.”

That might explain the gritty feeling in my mouth, Aldin thought to himself as he lifted his tail up and down once. He couldn’t recall a time when he felt so weak. He continued to suck at the drops of water trickled into his mouth.

Dr. Hanter peaked out the door and nodded. “Remember, don’t try to make him talk. 25 ceclicks at most. He needs more rest,” he warned Aophril and Orlan as they entered.

“Yes, Doctor. We understand,” Orlan responded.

Aophril sat on a cushion out of the nurse’s way, but where Aldin could see her. Orlan stood behind her with a forepaw on her shoulder. He gentle squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

“You had us so worried,” Aophril started. “But we’re not the only ones worried, so we won’t stay long and will pass the word along. We’re just happy to see you’re on the mend.” She brushed a tear away from her eye.

Aldin flicked his tail as he was in no condition to talk and knew if he tried, Dr. Hanter would get on his case. The nurse moved a dish of water under his muzzle. He slowly, but steadily lapped at it. The coolness of it seemed to quickly sooth his dry throat.

“Take care, Aldin. We haven’t rented out your room yet,” Orlan added with a gigglechitter. “It’ll be waiting for you when you are discharged.”

After the two left. Aldin looked to his nurse and moved his mouth away from the dish to indicate he had enough for the moment. He vaguely registered the tubes in his arm as he curled back-up and allowed sleep to retake him.