Return To The Machine

Chapter 44

Parker's eyes fluttered open feeling the change in the atmosphere. He blinked a few times seeing the room before him. Where... Where am I? He thought as he glanced around. He saw color everywhere this time. This was a real hospital. Quickly he sat up without thinking and felt the sheer pain in his head. He paused trying to take it easy. A nurse walked inside and he couldn't believe it was someone real. "Oh! You're awake! That's good news! Just in time too, I brought your lunch in case!" she replied, wheeling a cart in.

"You really took a hard impact, didn't you? I'm shocked that you and those other victims are alive without hardly any injury! How do you feel?" she asked, using her stethoscope to check his vitals. Parker coughed but nodded his head. "I feel fine, to be honest. What happened?!" he cried.

The nurse looked at him baffled. "Um, were you not involved in a building collapse at the old Joey Drew Studios? It happened just last night! Not to mention that the police and your parents reported you missing a little over two months ago! Everyone in the town knows!" the nurse exclaimed. Parker laid back in bed surprised. The last thing he remembered was seeing Bendy disappear and being covered by all his friends who stood together as the building collapsed.

Thinking about it made him panic. "Where is everyone?!" he exclaimed, trying to get out of bed. "Woah, hang on! You're still hurt!" she exclaimed, trying to put him back. Parker fought back, wanting to get up out of bed. "Are they here?! Are they okay?!" he cried, tears coming down his face. "I need help!" the nurse shouted, getting others through a call button. Some came in to sedate him in order for him to relax. He fell asleep in his bed once more, unable to fight back against the medicine.

A couple of hours went by before he woke up again. When he did, he was faced with his mom and dad. They didn't notice he was awake right away. Parker sat up again before they stood up to look at him. "Oh my goodness! Parker!" his mother cried. She wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. His father followed, putting him in a lock of hugs. Parker slightly jolted before facing them face to face. "What were you thinking?! You could've died! Don't ever wander off like that again!" his father snapped.

Surprised but not objecting to the hug, Parker returned the feeling, settling down. They retracted to see him calm but with a smile on his face. "Ever since you disappeared... We couldn't stop thinking about one of the last things you said to us. That we'd regret shutting ourselves in the office and not spending time with you... Too bad it took you disappearing for almost two months for us to realize it. We're sorry kiddo. Seriously. Hudson missed you terribly." his father went on, ruffling his son's hair. Parker chuckled and sighed. "I'm sorry too... I was just... lonely if you can even call it that." he replied. His mother smiled and put a to-go cup in front of him.

"We figured you needed something other than hospital cuisine." she told him, putting a straw next to it. Parker was confused and popped off the lid. It was a strawberry milkshake. Immediately he used his straw to slurp it down as quickly as he could. He placed it to the side after getting a slight brain freeze. "Where is everyone else? What happened to the other people? No one ever told me anything!" he questioned them. "From what we've heard they're all doing just fine. All of them were stunned and confused though so they were waiting for them to recover from the shock. But I've heard a lot of them want to meet up with each other again. Hopefully, you'll be able to catch up with them again!" his father explained briefly.

Deciding he still needed to recover, they left Parker be, taking turns looking over him or having conversations about how he was doing. But there was only one thing on Parker's mind. His friends.

...

Managing to escape the hospital staff and his parents and snuck to the cafeteria hoping to get his hands on something more tasty. As he found an area that held food out in the open, he heard a slight commotion. "The choice of accommodations is embarrassing. How is anyone supposed to enjoy a place like this!" Sammy exclaimed. Parker recognized his voice and his eyes widened. "Oh c'mon Sammy, it's not terrible! Compared to... you know. Look at you. I can actually see your face." Alice, or rather, Susie commented, touching his face. He blushed while grumbling. "Whatever." he replied gruffly. Parker then rushed in their direction.