Perfect Tommy held the glass to the window, shining the sunlight through the thick glass. Intensified through the glass, the beam of light hit the paper obn the table at the foot of his bed.
The paper discolored slightly, then began to smoke. And, then, burst into flames.
"Woe! Damn!" Tommy hissed dropping the glass. He reached for the table, but it was out of reach. "Oh, damn, damn." he mumbled as the fire began to spread. He grabbed the pitcher of water from his night stand, and, taring off the lid, threw the water at the table. Most of it hit and extinguished the flames, but some survived and began to consume the table.
"Damn,damn, damn."
The door opened and Tommy glanced up to see Rwahide, Reno, Pecos, Big Norse, and Billy Travers walked in.
"Hey, guys!" Tommy greeted. He tried to ignore the fire, hoping no one would notice. "Come to rescue me, eh? Let's go! Ready when you are! Anyone seen my clothes?" He looked around at everything except the fire.
Almost sounding bored, Big Norse pointed and annouced "Fire."
Rawhide sighed that sigh usually reserved for the "Idiot little brother" stunts. He walked up to the table and patted the flames out. "Why am I not surprised?" he mumbled.
"Gee, how did that happen?" Perfect Tommy tried to sound innocent.... and failed.
To answer his question, Pecos picked up a glass from the floor. She handed it to him before shoving him over and laying back on the bed beside him.
Perfect Tommy eyed the glass. "Oh... yea." He frowned.
Suddenly the Cavaliers, for the exception of Rawhide, pounced on the bad, pushing and jabbing and ruffling Perfect Tommy, offering thier good wishes and such.
"Hey! I thought I was going to get to sign a cast!" Big Norse complained, eyeing the brace that ran half way up Tommy's theigh down to his ankle.
Tommy shrugged. He waved at the end of the bad where Rawhide had discovered his chart hanging and was now flipping through it. "If I could of reached the damn thing, I'd have all the answers for you."
rawhide flipped through the pages, everyone's eyes turning expectently to him. He smiled and looked over the top of the chart at his friend. "Who wants to know all Perfect Tommy's imperfections?"
Hands were thrown into the air, some eagerly threw up both hands.
Perfect Tommy dived for the chart, but his leg protested. "OUCH!" he cried out.
"Hey! Hey! You're going to tare out the stiches!" New Jersey repermanded as he walked into the room, his long white lab coat giving him an all important look. He snatched the chart from Rawhide, flashing him his most dissaproving glare. Then he sniffed the air. "Someone been smoking in here?" he accused.
The room erupted in giggles.
Deciding to ignore them, Jersey pushed his way to the bed. He eyed Pecos who snuggled into Tommy's side. "Does Reno know about this?" he wondered with a smirk, glancing up at the dark young man who stood on the other side of the bed.
Reno shrugged. "I'll beat him up later."
Pecos giggled, reaching over Tommy to swat at the man she loved.
"Anyway..." Perfect Tommy snatched the chart from the doctor. His eyes scanned it, then he frowned. "Surgery?"
"We had to put a pin in your knee to repair the damage." Jersey explained. "No big deal. An hour or two worth of work, another couple of days in the hosptial, or, if you prefer, the infirmary back home, and a cast for a few months."
Big Norse clapped her hands with glee. "A cast!"
"I don't remember any surgery." Tommy mumbled.
New Jersey shrugged. "Well, we generally prefer folks to be unconcious when we slice them open. You know, the screaming can be distracting. All sorts of things get left behind." He looked up at Reno, simply because he was handiest, and held his hands apart to indicate a large size. "Once forgot a sponge... "
"What?!" Perfect Tommy's hand snatched Jersey's lab coat and dragged him close until he was nearly lying over top of Pecos. "What?!" he repeated in a growl.
Gingerly, Pecos reached up and untangled Perfect Tommy's fingers, releasing the doctor. "He was joking, love." she said gently.
New Jersey just grinned, stepping a safe distance away from the bed, pleased that he had finally pulled one over on the infamously mischief Perfect Tommy. Paid him back for thinking he wouldn't have noticed the burnt table.
There was a knock on the door and Peggy Banzai and her husband stepped. "Presents from afar." Peggy sang. "Well, as afar as the receptionest's desk." she shrugged, indicating Buckaroo who was carring a basket and a long rose box. "Oh, but these are from Mrs Johnson." Peggy continued setting a plate of the girl's famouse sticky buns on Tommy's lap, before leaning over a kissing him on the cheak. Resting her forehead against his for a moment, she flashed him a beautiful, warm smile. "Good to your eyes open."
"Good to have my eyes open." Perfect Tommy answered, throwing Jersey one more meaningful glare.
"Hey, buddy." Buckaroo greeted. He smiled, but there was reserveation in the expression. "How ya feeling?" he asked as Rawhide stepped over to join him at the door.
Tommy held up a finger. "I have a slight concusion... and a pin in my knee."
Buckaroo's smile turned into a grin. "Indeed." He shook his head. His young friend was going to be fine. On to other matters. He handed a paper to Rawhide.
"You know," Peggy spoke up again, drawing attention away from thier commanders, "there's this nurse down the hall bragging that she's been assigned to give.... now, how did she put it?... give the `ever so gorgouse' Perfect Tommy a spounge bath."
Tommy grinned. "Redhead or brunet?"
"Blond."
"Blond?" He frowned, trying to recall all the nurses he'd harrased over the last 2 days.
"Maggie." Jersey supplied, grinning. This was just getting better and better.
A look of horror crossed Tommy's face. "Maggie? Big, mean, spits nails Maggie the Bull?"
Jersey nodded. Again the room burst into fits of giggles.
"Listen up folks!" Rawhide interupted, his seriose tone ending all fun. "Possible trouble."
Buckaroo stepped up to the foot of the bed and locked eyes with Perfect Tommy. "Lady Oran de Nathair has escaped custody."
Tommy sat upright, nearly pushing Pecos off the bed. "What? The witch is loose?" He paled noticebly.
Buckaroo held up a hand to calm him. "We have people on it. She won't get far." he assured.
"Like hell!" Tommy snapped. He might have spent the least amount of actual time with the woman, but he had seen the most of her. And it terrofied him that such a creature was out, loose, and probaly pissed.
Buckaroo stepped to the side of the bed. He set a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll get her!" he promised. "Don't worry about it!"
Perfect Tommy leaned back again. He still wasn't happy, but at least he didn't look, broken knee and all, like he would jump up and run from the room. He might hide under the bed, but.... that was Perfect Tommy.
