A Tall and Small Collection | S2

True Colors Revealed pt. 1

Rey was a jumble of emotions for the next few days. After going to Theo's apartment and finding him on the ground shaking and obviously not feeling well, he and Hero had no choice but to call emergency services.

It was the first time Rey had ever used a phone as an actual phone. He knew how to play games and work different apps, but actually dialing a number and talking to a human on the other end was a whole new experience.

Plus! He had technically broken a sacred Borrower rule without actually breaking it - talking to humans. Granted, the operator didn't know that he was a Borrower, so it made for a fine line to walk. Still, it meant that Theo was safe in the hospital getting the treatment he needed.

Theo's phone had gone off a few times, and Ashlynn handled all of the logistics in getting care for Theo's little sister, Bella, as well as getting in touch with Theo when the time came.

Just like when Ashlynn had to talk to Sam and Eliza, making references to knowing about the Borrowers and ensuring that the secret stayed safe was a bit of a trick. Still, they managed without incident and Theo was scheduled to come home within a week or so. He was feeling so good that he actually wanted to talk to Rey over the phone, which Ashlynn happily obliged.

"So, they say it was called sepsis?" asked Rey as he sat in front of the phone and listened to Theo, who was on speaker phone.

"Yeah. Apparently one of the bottles had been festering for a while, and when I got cut with it, I ended up getting a nasty infection. I didn't even feel it because I don't have feeling in my legs. I just knew I was cut. Next thing I knew I was feeling so sick and tired on the ground. You saved me, dude," said Theo. Rey beamed and shrugged even though Theo couldn't see him.

"Well, I was just trying to help. It was a bit of a trick getting you to stay awake and everything," replied Rey. "I can't wait to see you when you get back, and you definitely need to meet Ashlynn."

"Yeah, I sure do. Tell her thanks again for helping with Bells and all that. Seriously, I owe you all one," said Theo.

"Don't think twice about it. Happy to help," stated Rey cheerfully. He glanced over and saw Ashlynn gesturing that lunch was ready, which unfortunately was the signal for him to jump off of the phone. "Hey, I see it's time for lunch here. Get some rest and let me know when you're going to be back, okay?"

"Will do!"

The line cut out and Rey pushed himself up, stretching as big as he could before walking over to the edge of the counter.

"Sorry I ran a little late," he said as Ashlynn rounded the corner to the kitchen and held out her hand for him to ascend.

"Not at all. I'm sorry to cut it short. Theo seems like a great friend," smiled Ashlynn. Keeping her hand level, she made sure Rey was stable before spinning around and sitting down at the kitchen table where everyone else was waiting. They made their own sandwiches and talked about next steps for moving from the apartment into the house Ashlynn had taken them to go see.

"Right now, the house is pending an inspection, so hopefully they don't find termites, water damage, or anything wrong with the foundation, roof, or HVAC system," said Ashlynn. Almost all of those words went right over Rey's head, so he just nodded and listened as Soren asked for further explanation. "Basically, if there's something wrong with the house, we can get a better price because we have to fix it ourselves."

"Ah," said Soren as he handed Mayzie a much smaller version of his own sandwich, which she happily chewed on as she bounced up and down. "That's a good thing. So, what do we need to do? Anything?"

"Well, at the moment, we can consolidate everything we need into boxes and start labeling them," said Ashlynn, already processing everything she needed to prepare for the move.