To the Hospital

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

Coffee Bean was pacing the doorway in slight distress, watching their husband pack his clothes in a large floral bag. It was unusual to see this barista in such a panicked state, but who could blame them. Many of the library regulars, cafe regulars, and even some neighbors had disappeared quite completely, all without a trace. It was enough to send panic right through the poor mess that was Coffee, to the point that even getting the mail was a hassle for Lima to handle without Coffee's paranoid breakdowns.

"I'm more than sure about this. The bank needs blood, I have blood to give, I'll be okay." Lima confidently uttered, neatly tucking his clothes back inside the bag to ensure they wouldn't fall out during the walk.

Coffee only seemed to get more frazzled, they didn't enjoy the thought of their husband trudging off into the evening alone with the sun setting. Though the thought shook them to their very core, Coffee gripped onto Lima's free hand just before he could grab the doorknob.

"If you are heading out their while there's an abductor on the loose, then I'm coming with you!"

Lima stared in bewilderment; Coffee had not left the house since the abductions started and barely seemed capable of going on such a trip. Nevertheless, with a bit of reassurance, Lima took Coffee's hand and led them outside for their trip to the Burrowgatory Hill Hospital.

The hospital was a few blocks away from home, so the trip that should be roughly twenty minutes felt like a lifetime. Coffee stumbled forward right up against Lima, nearly tripping the poor bun as he trudged forward. It didn't bother him initially, but after being tripped five times in one minute, Lima stopped dead in his tracks.

"How about you carry the clothing bag, might help calm your nerves if you play with the strap." Lima calmly suggested, holding the bag out for Coffee to take. They carefully took the bag, rubbing the strap of the bag before looking up at their husband, who's eyes went a lot softer than they usually are. With their nerves slightly more calmed, the two continued onward.

The pair passed by several storefronts all shut down for numerous reasons. Some had no shopkeeper to open up, some were too afraid to open up thinking they would be stolen from inside their shops, and some couldn't open since their suppliers went missing or were too paranoid to deliver. No matter the reason, it was spooky seeing a once bustling night scene reduced to only a few open storefronts and a small handful of buns who mostly clamored to the sides of buildings. It was a fairly sad reality.

Coffee gazed at one of the storefronts, a jewelry store that was closed due to the missing owner. Their worried expression only seemed to worsen, seeing how the sale signs grew dusty and how the once lit cases and displays went dark. They were not a huge jewelry person but imagining their own shops ending up in such states, buns not knowing where you could be, it sent an unruly shiver down their spine.

The hospital was just coming into view before Coffee freaked out and pulled Lima into an open shop, a small grocery store that mostly had prepackaged goods in stock at the moment. Lima stumbled back, nearly screaming in surprise and annoyance. "Coffee, what the hell are you doing?!"

"I-I thought I saw someone, in the shadows! We're not safe-"

Lima shushed the shaking bun, rubbing their back as he took a look outside. There were no shady, shadowy figures outside, none that he could see anyways. Just shops barely lit or unopened.

"There's no one outside, my love. Just in your head, I promise you that." Lima gazed at Coffee, his face very nonchalant about the whole situation they were in as the poor bun could barely gather themselves from the figure they saw in the corner of their eye. It took a minute and buying one bag of gummy beets to finally calm Coffee to a point they could finish the walk to the hospital.

Lima guided Coffee down the road towards the hospital, rubbing their hooved hand as they munched on the goodies. It tasted like heaven when they were so jittery and scared beforehand, to the point they didn't even notice they both reached the hospital unscathed. Lima took the bag from Coffee, double checking to see that all his clothes were still inside for him to change. The two carefully made their way inside, Coffee breathing a sigh of relief. There was no shadowy figure waiting for them outside, they were safe in the bright hospital light. At least, that's what they had been told.