Abby was extremely flustered as she walked away from Fran’s house, Jim’s tiny body cradled in her hand.  She was very upset with Fran, but at the same time, sad and worried about poor Jim.  She looked down at him, tears in her eyes, as she walked down the street.  She knew he had not expected so much to happen in one day, especially something so dangerous and scary. 

The poor guy had just wanted to get a job and meet some new friends, but he’d nearly gotten himself killed, thanks to Fran’s jealousy.  As she watched his shivering body, she wished he would say something to her.  As far as she could tell, he was alright, savor injuries and bruises around his body, but he didn’t even seem to realize what was going on.  It was as if the shock of that blow to the watch had killed his awareness. 

As she continued to walk, she started to think about what she could do with him.  He needed medical attention and Abby was, in no way, a doctor.  She could think of a few places where he might be able to get some help, but she was hesitant to go to some of them.  In the city itself, there were 2 hospitals for smaller folks like Jim and there was an Infirmary on campus.  The hospitals would probably be the best option for Jim, but having a Large delivering a beaten and bruised Minor to a hospital in the city may not have been the best idea.

She took a deep breath as she exited the Large District and headed back towards the edge of the city as she contemplated what to do with him.  She knew he needed immediate medical attention, but also didn’t want to create a huge incident on the news that would attract the attention of all the Anti-Large activists.  Figuring it was the only way to accomplish both goals, she decided to head back towards the University.  She lived there, so she knew there was staff at the place 24/7.  She’d be able to take him to the Infirmary and stay with him while he healed up.

After she’d made it about halfway back to the University, Abby felt something moving in her hand.  She stopped moving and peered down at Jim, realizing that he’d turned his head and was looking up towards her.  She looked down at him, seeing the tears running down his own face, hurting from the pain of his injuries.  The two stared at one another for a few moments.

Jim had been out of it, physically for quite some time.  Although he could see and hear everything that was going on after he’d been slammed into the watch, his body wouldn’t let him move.  He had received a lot of pain during the impact, which had broken his arm.  Tying that with the broken leg and a host of pains he’d received when Fran had gripped him in her grasp, he was one hurt person.  At this point, he’d finally mustered up the strength to move and he called up towards Abby.

“A-Abby?”

Abby looked down at Jim, taking in his one word and letting out a big smile.  The realization that he was okay had finally settled into her mind.  Although she thought he’d be okay before now, this confirmed it.  She’d had a little voice in the back of her head all this time, whispering the possibility that he might not have been alright.  As she smiled she softly whispered down to him.  “Jim…you’re okay.  You’re…really okay!”

Jim looked up at Abby, smiling back towards his friend.  He was, indeed, alright, and he was as amazed as she was that he’d come out of that house in one piece.  He was sure Fran aimed to kill him at that last action with her hand.  He thought a lot about what they’d just gone through, but got distracted when he saw a tear slowly rolling down Abby’s cheek.  The tear soon fell and hit her palm, right next to him.  Small droplets of water splashed around him as it hit and he called up to her again, in regard to that very tear.

“Abby?  Why…why are you crying?”

Abby stared down towards her little friend for a moment, contemplating what she could possibly say to his question.  There were many reasons that she’d teared up:  Fran’s behavior, him being okay, the pain in her hand, and many other reasons.  When she’d finally made her response, however, she decided to tell him the reason pertaining to him.

“Jim…I’m just…happy that you’re okay” she said, grinning down towards him.  “I thought…I thought I’d lost another friend, just like years ago…”

Abby wasn’t exactly lying when she told him that she thought she had lost him, just as she’d lost her friends many years ago outside the city.  Although that wasn’t the first thing on her mind at the moment, she’d thought about it as she’d made her way from campus to Fran’s house.  Jim had made a huge impact on her from the moment they began talking with one another.  When she’d talked with him, she almost had felt like those three friends were still around, in the form of Jim.

Jim smiled up towards Abby after hearing her answer for why she’d been crying.  It felt nice that Abby was so caring and gentle.  He’d been in such a rough time with Fran and the unaware Emily that he’d nearly forgotten how careful Abby had been around him.  He tried to nod his head towards her, but it sent a stream of pain through his body.  “Thank yo-AHH!”

As Jim’s head came back down, Abby realized that he was in a lot of pain and this was no time to be standing around the city, not doing anything.  The man was hurt and needed to get checked out to make sure that blow hadn’t started any internal bleeding or anything else that could threaten his life.  She quickly spoke down to him, telling him of the matter.

“Shhh, don’t talk, Jim.  You’re hurt, badly, and you need help.  I’m going to take you back to campus and let you stay in the Infirmary.  They’ll be able to fix you up in no time and all that pain you’re feeling will be gone.  Is that okay?”

Jim stared up into Abby’s face as she told him she was going to take him back to campus.  He wasn’t really big on the idea of being at the school where some of these problems happened, but he decided there really wasn’t much other choice.  He began to call up to Abby, agreeing to her suggestion but had a request for her.

“O..Okay, Abby.  We can go back there, but can I…ask you a favor?” he asked, coughing as he spoke, the pain spreading through his neck and lungs.

Abby tilted her head a little, confused as to what this ‘favor’ Jim was thinking about could be.  It must have been important to him for mentioning it in the conversation.  He’d been coughing as he talked, so he could likely only afford to speak what was most important to speak.  Respecting his question, she replied to him.  “Of course, Jim.  What is it?”

“When we get there…will you…stay with me?  I…I don’t want to be in a hospital room, all alone…”

Abby smiled at his request.  Little did he know that was Abby’s plan all along.  After everything that had happened to Jim when she wasn’t around that day, there was no way she was going to leave him alone, even for a second.  She felt like she needed to watch over him during this entire ordeal, and that she’d need to be careful of what he did in the future, to avoid further incidents. 

“Of course I’ll stay with you.  That’s what friends are for.  Now, hang on for a few minutes while we make our way back to campus.”

She smiled and looked up for a moment, looking to see where, exactly, she was.  She could see the campus off in the distance and began to walk towards it…