"There was one small scare during surgery when Daniel's heart stopped...Recovering nicely, really...Beyond the obvious, no further problems should..."

The bright lights above my head blurred. I blinked, and slowly everything began to move into focus. Details of my surroundings began to rush to me, as happens when one is in a new environment.

It was warm, a little too much so for me to be comfortable. Made slightly better by the fact that I was wearing only a cotton gown. The smell of the place was fruity, but with a bitter ting like the fruit was only a perfume, to cover up whatever smell was beneath. I had to guess that I was in some sort of hospital.

The room I was in was devoid of other people, so I assumed the voices I had heard had been in passing. Since my town was small, with only one hospital, I assumed that "Daniel" was Dan. If this were true, it would explain the last detail to come to me: The colors had returned.

Not having a beating heart meant death, generally speaking. This could explain why the colors had gone, and if it had happened during surgery, their return. Dan was still alive, presumably somewhere in this building.

The real question was, where?

Pushing back the blankets, I stepped from my bed. Night had fallen outside, but thankfully the lights in the hallway were still on.

Before I could even venture out, two men turned the corner. One, in full scrubs, seemed to be showing the other (dressed in a suit and holding a clipboard) around the building. "Don't get many cases here," he was saying, "But crashes are big things. They can ruin a life. Mr. Howell, he's the one we saw in room three back there, he may never..."

They passed, voices fading.

I jogged down the hall, trying not to feel self-conscious in my flimsy outfit. Room three was only a few halls down, but the journey still included multiple encounters that made my pulse beat even faster. I didn't know what would happen if anyone caught me out in that hall, but I wasn't willing to take the risk.

Dan's room had only a single bed, a thin mattress set on a silver frame. It was walled in by beeping machines, showing different numbers and words that held no meaning to me. The only thing I cared about in the room was Dan, and as soon as I set my eyes on him everything else just faded into the background.

His eyes glowed with mirth at me, in my blue gown that was only loosely tied in the back. "So you came. Pj stopped by a few hours ago; he explained what happened. He was pretty upset about the whole thing. He's usually a chill guy."

"Yeah, I understand." I sat down in the plastic chair that someone had left beside his bed. "I'm not mad. To be completely honest, I was about to blow my top by then too. I'm glad he did it first, that way I don't have to apologize to anyone."

He snorted. "Please. All you would be able to do is give them a small bruise. Then you'd freak out over doing just that."

"Not true," I complained lightly. "I'm a tough guy, honestly!"

"I'm pretty sure nothing could drive you to violence. Even in the apocalypse, you'd probably say sorry after you killed a zombie."

"They're people too!" I squeezed his hand, "I really missed you Dan. It may have only been a week, but it felt like a lifetime. Not knowing whether or not you would even wake up-" My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and forced a smile. "But you're okay, and that's all that matters now. And from now on, I'm going to make sure you never so much as stub your toe again. Which means no more science. Or roads." Dan chuckled, and I kissed him. "You'll just stay inside, safe, where I know I'll never lose you again."

"Jeez, Phil," he laughed again, a sound I had been terrified I'd never hear again, "I love you, too."