Chapter Text
“Kasane Teto you have a visitor,” A nurse poked their head into the room and then walked out.
Rei was sitting in the chair next to Teto. Attentively watching her, while the chimera laid in her bed. The two looked towards the entrance, expecting Miku, but instead Mr. Stone came strutting into the room.
“Dad?” Teto squeaked out in surprise.
“Mr. Stone,” Rei also spoke.
“The hospital told me you were up,” he stated gleefully. “Are you ready to get back to your job?” He said to Teto.
She could only stare at him dumbfounded. “What?” The chimera confusingly replied.
“Oh come on Teto,” He said, slightly annoyed and with an eye roll. "You been in here for much longer than needed,”
“Mr. Stone, Teto had only been here for five days. The nurses recommended her to stay here for at least a week or more,” Rei corrected him. The manager shot her a glare, but Rei stayed unmoving, unfazed. She turned to face Teto. “I recommend she stays here for a little longer, Mr. Stone. It would be better for her to improve her ability to perform and will limit the chances of her fainting on stage again,”
“Nonesense!” He spoke up and waved his hands dismissing Rei's words. He then quickly walked over to Teto’s side and grabbed her wrist and pulled up. Teto squeaked in pain and closed her eyes hard as her father pulled her out of bed.
“Dad,” Teto whimpered meekily. She didn’t resist him. She was pulled out of her bed with a harsh yank.
She tried to hold onto the side railing of the bed for support, but as soon as her legs reached the ground, they instantly gave out. Teto fell to the floor hard. She laid on the cold floor, shaking. Teto did not want to, but she couldn’t contain her tears. They fell down from her face and onto the floor. Was it from the pain or her father forcing her to do something she didn’t want to do, she didn’t know.
“Oh stop being a baby!" Her father yelled at her and let go of her wrist. For a moment, Rei caught an odd movement in his leg, like he was winding up for a nasty kick, but it instantly stopped and instead he angrily tapped the floor.
Suddenly the bed alarm went off and a nurse and an assistant came running in.
“Mr. Stone!” The nurse yelled out to him and ran up to Teto. She helped her up and back into the bed.
“Lovely to see you here,” Mr. Stone commented. “I was seeing if my dear daughter would be able to leave now! She seems all well to me! And she has such a packed schedule, I can’t afford for her to get behind.
The nurse didn’t turn to face him. She checked Teto’s wires and placed the blanket back on top of her. She patted Teto on her head to help soothe her from her crying. Then she whipped her head around and glared at the manager.
“Teto here can NOT leave for a while,” The nurse snapped angrily and crossed her arms at the manager. “She needs to be here for at least a week or more. Also, that little attempt you just did to get her moving was beyond unhelpful. Do you not see the IV and the catheter currently connected to her?” The nurse scolded her father.
Teto had never seen anyone ever scold her father. He had always been in more power than everyone around him. But right here, right now, he had nothing. Teto was relieved and so scared by this.
“My daughter has a catheter in?!” The manager yelled at the nurse. She rolled her eyes. “It's perfectly safe for her to have one. Sir, she was out for a few days. How else would you want us to solve that problem? You should have known this if you had watched over her,” The nurse grumbled. “Do we need to call security?” She asked with one of her eyebrows raised.
“No no, No need for that,” He quickly said. “So she needs to be here for a week, correct? Alright, fine by me. I won’t try to stress her out too much,” He slightly glared at Teto before looking back at the nurse.
“Great. Now may I talk to you outside this room,” The nurse said while leading the manager outside and closing the door. The assistant that came in the room stood there until the door was closed and walked over to the patient.
“You two listen, if he tries anything again, click the call button. Ok?” She told the two. Teto sniffed and nodded her head, while Rei gave a thumbs up with a blank face. Which she learned from Teto, earlier in the day. The assistant nodded her head and walked out of the room.
“Is Miss Teto ok?” Rei asked the clearly still upset girl.
“Yeah,” Teto said quietly while looking away from Rei. The robot watched as Teto continued to try to calm herself down.
Rei then got up from her seat and walked over to the bed. She pulled at her blanket and readjusted and tucked Teto back into her bed, which caused Teto to stare at her.
“Thank you,” Teto sniffed. “But you didn’t need to do that,” She added.
“I think I did,” Rei replied with a small but noticeable smile. “From my data I have learned that Miss Teto’s mood seems to get better when someone does something kind or nice to her,”
“I think that’s how anyone would react if you are kind to them,” Teto joked back with a small sad sniffle.
“Is Teto’s father kind to them? Rei asked as she leaned a little towards her.
Teto looked down at her hands while her face started to melt into a sad look again. “I think. I-I,” She paused and more tears started to fall from her face. Rei watched as the sad chimera struggled to answer. “I don’t know,” She mumbled and then broke out crying.
Rei patted Teto’s back and stayed at her side until she was able to calm down. The rest of the day went on more normally, compared to how it started. Her father didn’t come back after the nurses had him come outside the room. Teto joked that he probably was busy. Rei wondered if he was kicked out. For the rest of the day the two sat and watched tv.
…
“Let's see what's on next,” Teto spoke while holding the tv remote. She flipped through the tv channels for a while. “Ugh!” She grumbled. “They only have old grandma shows on right now!”
“It is probably because it’s late. It doesn’t make much sense to put something on that is exciting, when most viewers are asleep,” Rei explained.
“I guess that makes sense,” Teto replied to Rei’s explanation. “I guess I will put on some family feud until I fall asleep,”
“Family feud?” Rei questioned. “Is it a show about a family's battle? Like to the death?”
“Well umm,” Teto responded. “Families fight to win the grand prize, but like not to the death. Like a gameshow,” She explained.
“I see,” Rei stated and looked up at the tv.
“Do you have a good view of the tv, Rei? Teto asked.
“I don’t, but it’s not that important,” The robot responded.
“Why didn’t you tell me!” Teto yelled at the silly robot. “Here, come over here and sit with me,”
“Can you repeat that again?” Rei quickly responded.
“You've been sitting in that chair for a long time now!” Teto pointed out. “I don’t know much about robots, but that can’t be comfortable. So would you want to lay in bed with me? We could watch the show together.”
“I don’t think the nurse would like that,” Rei remarked.
“If they don’t then they can tell you to move,” Teto explained with a smile. “Come on, the show is about to start!”
“Would this make Miss Teto feel better?” Rei asked.
“What? Oh you mean me? I guess so. I just want you to be comfortable. Also, I think it would be fun to watch the show together,” Teto said.
“If that is what will make you feel better,” Rei replied and sat up.
“Well only if you want to,” Teto spoke up and pointed at her.
“What I want too, but I’m programmed to do what you want,” Rei said back with slight confusion in her voice.
“Ah sorry, I don’t usually get to choose what I want,” Teto replied back while scratching the back of her head. “I guess I’m trying to ask you without you thinking about what I want,”
“Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind watching the show with you. Plus, I could keep a closer watch of you,” Rei said slightly plainly. She walked over to the side of the bed Teto was in. The chimera moved over in the bed, to give the robot girl space to sit down in. Rei sat down in the hospital bed. Teto threw a blanket over her legs and let her lay back.
The show had just gotten through the introduction and theme song. Teto was kinda embarrassed now that she thought about sharing a bed with a robot. Why did she ask? Well it's too late to go back now.
The two watched the show without much conversation between the two, until the commercial break started. Teto sighed and laid back on her back. Rei turned to look at her.
“Sometimes I think being in show business has ruined my perception of any tv!!” Teto joked to Rei.
“Why is that?” Rei asked her as she slightly leaned back in the bed to get a better look at Teto.
“I dunno,” she shrugged. “I think it just exhausts me thinking about it. All the scripts, the filming, the re filming, annoying managers, no breaks,” Teto groaned and slapped her face. “It’s so tiring to think about.”
“Do you find some parts of it fun?” Rei asked her.
Teto paused as if searching for an answer. “I used to have fun. Sometimes I could even imagine having a good day on set. But now, I’m just so exhausted. Of everything! The same days, the same never ending schedules, the same faults,” Teto confessed.
Rei shifted a little as she watched Teto explain. “So why not leave or take a break?” She questioned.
“I can’t leave.” The chimera grumbled. “It’s the only thing I have. I was born into it, or well my father pushed me into it.”
“Maybe it would be worth asking you father about a break,” Rei pointed out.
Teto shook her head quickly to Rei's comment. “No. He wouldn’t. He would only get mad at me. Really mad.”
Rei stared at Teto. Trying to find something to say to that. “Have you asked before?” She asked.
Teto nodded her head slowly to the question. She didn’t look up at Rei. She couldn’t.
“Did it end well?” Rei added to her question.
Teto gritted her teeth and squeezed the blanket next to her. Rei could see her back twist uncomfortably. Like she was reliving an uncomfortable memory. “Teto?” She asked.
“No,” Rei could barely hear Teto's voice.
“What happened?” Rei asked. Teto looked up at her and quickly sat up.
“Nothing important. I was just being dramatic!” She responded. “Oh look, the commercials are over!” Teto pointed at the TV.
Rei guessed that Teto didn’t want to continue this conversation. Something about it made her clearly uncomfortable. She would rather Teto tell her about it willingly, than forcing it. Rei turned to watch the tv.
“Who do you think will win?” Rei asked, moving on with the conversation.
…
After a while the tv show had ended. During it the two bonded with each other by making jokes about the show that they were watching. Eventually though, Teto had gone silent and Rei accidentally got really invested into the show. It wasn’t common for her to be able to watch something like tv. So it was a pleasant experience. So that is why humans liked it so much.
Rei watched as the show ended and the credits started to roll. She was finally able to pull her attention away from the addictive show. She turned to see what Teto was doing.
Rei was shocked to see the little chimera leaning on her shoulder, sound asleep. She let out quiet snores with soft purrs in between.
“Ah, what do I do now?” Rei thought to herself.