Slugterra: The New Shane

Chapter 21: A (Slow) Road to Recovery

Apologies, this wasn't as long as some other chapters, and maybe not as exciting. But I wanted it as I start to transition into the next part of the story ^-^

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Alana's POV

I was recovering from the incident very slowly, it seemed. It reminded me a lot like when the gang first rescued me, that while ago when I had rescued Isis. I had to stay laying down after I had almost fallen down the stairs. Only my slugs kept me total company- the rest of the gang still had distress calls and other things to do. So, the evening after I had come back to the hideout, I was pretty glad when I felt Eli tap my shoulder.

"We talked to some Healers," he said. "They said having Doc and Isis go ahead and Heal your eyes should work. But after doing nothing and not eating for the past couple days, they said you should rest for a little while." My expression must have given away my extremely annoyed feelings, because Eli laughed. "Just tomorrow. Then you can be up and about, and we can do something to celebrate your birthday," he said as he sat down on the couch next to me. "Sorry you had to spend it like that."

I gave a small smile, not bothering to try and look in his direction. Instead, I just placidly stared ahead.

"It's okay," I finally said with a shrug. "I've spent the last couple birthdays alone, so it least that changed." After I said this, I could practically feel him frowning. But he didn't say anything.

He had been doing that a lot, I noticed. I was being a bit... unemotional, I suppose. I wasn't complaining about resting, like I normally would have. I was being a little more quiet. Just being different. I could tell he was wondering about it, and so were Kord, Sam and Trixie (I heard Pronto blatantly say that he didn't miss my complaining). Even now that I was able to eat, I didn't seem to hungry, although the pizza we'd had last night was great.

In all honesty, I think I knew the reason for my change in behavior, and it seemed so incredibly stupid that I just didn't say anything. It was just the insanity of the past couple days. Being held by Blakk, being blind, and then there was my escape. I had almost gone with Twist, thinking that he was Eli. I mean, Eli had come to the rescue. He'd talked about his deal, the one he had with Will, giving me a way to know that he was the real Eli. But still, the thought that I could be locked in the basement of the Citadel or something was nerve wrecking. There had already been a close call, where the gang could have gone to the Citadel to rescue me instead of the building I had actually been in. I wasn't used to being the one who had needed saving, I was used to being the hero. And I definitely preferred being the hero.

A nudge on my side brought me back from my thoughts. I sat up.

"What was that?" I asked. "Sorry, I kinda zoned out." Eli sighed and repeated himself.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," he said, sounding concerned. "Anyways, I asked if you were ready for Doc and Isis to get working on your eyes?"

"Ohh," I said, my face turning a little warm. "Yeah, I'm ready."

I layed down on the couch and felt a cool and slightly wet cloth put over my eyes.

"Okay, Isis and Doc will be on your shoulders. The Healers said it'll take at least a couple of hours, and you should keep that cloth on all night, just to be safe," Sam instructed. I was kinda glad she was still here, although we had talked this morning. As soon as I was back on my feet, she would be leaving for her new home down in Gateway Cavern. I had apologized multiple times for her having to go into hiding, but she brushed it off, insisting that it was no big deal.

I felt two slugs jump on my shoulders. I could tell the one on my left was Isis, and I knew the one on my right wasn't Ash, so it must be Doc. Even being blind, I could just... tell that it wasn't Ash. Another slug was rubbing against my hand. That was Ash. He chirped reassuring, then jumped up on my stomach and curled up. His way of saying that everything would be fine, and he would stay with me while I was Healing. I felt a sudden cool sensation- Doc and Isis had started to Heal me. I gently stroked Ash down his back, smiling as he gave a sound that almost sounded like a pure. I heard Eli laugh.