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"Aloe, I think I need your help with my succulents. One of them just grew a really long flower and I don't think it means well."
"You're right, that sounds exactly like a death bloom. If you want your plant to survive we have to act quickly."
Aloe put down her blueprints with a smile and got up to see Cyborg, but immediately fell on the ground. She confusedly stared at the floor for a little while before trying to get up again, with no success. The pain she felt in her hips was intense, it reminded her of an electric shock or a cramp after a day of intense physical labor. She sighed as she allowed her body to rest and admitted her defeat. She knew exactly what this pain was, and sadly there was no fighting it.
"Aloe ? Are you coming ?"
"Sorry Cyborg, I'm having a little bit of trouble here. I'll rest for a bit and I'll come as soon as I can."
Cyborg walked in Aloe's lab only to gasp when they found her on the ground.
"What happened ?! Are you alright ?!"
"It's ... Nothing much, I swear. I'm good. I just need to lay down for a bit."
"What's going on ?"
"It's my leg that's working up, it does that sometimes ... Nothing alarming. I'll probably go back to normal soon enough."
"Do you ... Need help to get back up ?"
"That would be appreciated."
Cyborg took Aloe's hand to help her get back on her chair, but the poor cookie screamed the second she tried to get herself back up and fell on the ground.
"I'm getting you in bed."
"What ? No ... That won't be necessary. I'm fine."
"You ? Fine ? Seriously, did you hear that scream or not ? You're everything but fine. I'm getting you in bed, like it or not."
"O-okay..."
Cyborg gently scooped their girlfriend in their arms, flinching when they saw that she was sensible at everything touched her legs. It was hard to imagine what she was going through, but it was easy to see that she was in a lot of pain. Cyborg carefully walked towards their bedroom, unable to get their eyes off of Aloe. They finally put her down on their bed and gently ruffled her hair before walking out of the room.
"Stay here, don't move. I'm coming back as soon as I can."
Aloe smiled until her beloved was out of sight, immediately stopped the second they were out of their vision. Phantom pains were usually nasty, but this was so much worse than usual. She guessed that there was no particular reason for that, except her body telling her that something must be done about her leg ... Or at least her lack of leg. These crisis were becoming a little rarer with time and her getting used to her body, but once they were back, they sure were powerful. Her mind was flooded by this pain, she could only focus on it and nothing else in the room. She couldn't even think of an efficient way to let her feelings out except biting the sheets and clawing them with her nails in random bursts of frustration and despair. She was trying to fight off the tears but ... They happened. Tears don't always come, but it helps. It's weird to think that you would fight back against something that helps so much to let out your pain, but it's rare to understand how nice does it feel to cry unless you're actually doing it. She lets go of the sheets, her body slowly becomes less and less tense and begins to feel cloudy, out of touch. She feels herself like trapped in some sort of blur, where she can only feel herself on the bed and visualize where the pain is like a glowing red zone you would see in a schematized version of a body you would see in a school. She's so out of it that she doesn't realize that cyborg came back to the room and is now looking at her, unsure of what to do. They approach her, lay down down on the bed, call her name but nothing works. It's hard to get out of that bubble once you're in. You want to forget your pain, but by doing so you also forget everything else. It's only when two arms wrap around her chest that she finally snaps out of it and looks around to see that she wasn't alone anymore.
"My sweetheart, I don't know what can I do for you ... I just want you to know that I love you very much ..."
Aloe feels a little worse at first. The reason why she hid her pain in the first place was mostly because she did not want them to be like this. People don't know what to do when they see others in pain and can't help through medication or simply by listening to their problems. They're confused, and the ones in pain are just as confused. It's frustrating. It's not like you don't want help, it's just that you don't know what they could do. But Cyborg can do something. It's little and maybe it won't help the pain. But it'll help overall.
"Can you stay with me on the bed ? I don't want to be alone."
"I promise I'll stay, I won't leave until you allow me to !"
"It's okay ... No need to get that far. Just be by my side for a moment. I want to be able to feel you near."
"Anything else ?"
"No. It's good. There's nothing you can do. You can talk to me if you want. I like listening to your voice. It reminds me even more that I'm not alone."
"Okay ... I'm here. I swear I won't leave."
"Thank you."
Aloe brought her beloved's arm closer to her heart and closed her eyes with a smile. It's not much. Most people wouldn't notice a difference
But it helps