Chapter Text
Chase Randall had a bad habit.
It wasn't smoking, or swearing, while he did have a bit of a swearing problem it wasn't completely unmanageable. He went through the usual stint of biting his nails whenever he got the chance, but somehow stopped. But Chase's biggest problem involved his complete lack of focus. He quite literally had the attention span of a gnat. And if anything shiny happened to be in his proximity? Chase's mind was gone.
Pretty butterfly flying by Chase's face?
Chase would be mesmerized.
The wafting smell of french fries reaching Chase's nose?
He would have a sudden craving for french fries and think nonstop about them until he got some.
This unfortunately got Chase into quite a bit of trouble.
And today was definitely no different.
For once, Chase had been minding his own business while out on his lunch break. He made it a habit of leaving his workplace for lunch, because fresh air was always a plus. The bench just outside of his workplace was a spot he frequented on nice days, and today Chase sat perched on top of it. He had been watching the people walk by, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen but it was enough to peak his interest. Typical businessmen sauntered by while chatting away on their phones. A pair of women quickly sped by as they were afraid of running into a long line at the cafe around the corner.
Lifting a can of Monster to his lips, Chase sighed. He only had three more hours of work left that day and all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and take a nap. Eventually this energy drink would kick in, but probably not before Chase fell asleep on the bench.
A soft mew caught the brunette's attention and turning towards the sound he saw a small kitten. Where did it come from, he wasn't sure. But it was definitely lost and quickly making a beeline for the busy street directly in front of Chase.
"Oh shit. No no no!" Chase nearly knocked his Monster over on it's side, not really caring about it at this point. It was the last thing running through his mind.
The squeaky little noises coming from the kitten only seemed to get louder when Chase flew after it. The last thing he wanted to see was a poor defenseless kitten get squished by a truck right before his eyes. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had the ability to try and stop it from happening in the first place.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The small kitten had made his way into the busy street and Chase felt his legs move faster. The last thing Chase remembered as he managed to catch the kitten in his arms were the shouts and screams as his entire mind went black.
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"He risked his life for a kitten."
The voices were loud. Loud and obnoxious while Chase wanted nothing more than to stay asleep. Whoever they were, a male and female also occupied the space Chase was in.
"A kitten? Seriously? He doesn't exactly look the type to--"
The second voice was definitely louder than the first. And it made Chase's head feel like it was about to split apart.
"But he's cute. Come on. Him rescuing a kitten? Major points right there."
"He got hit by a truck and somehow you're standing there calling him cute. Is someone's physical appearance aesthetically pleasing to you? Even when they're unconscious in a hospital bed?"
All Chase heard was the female's laughter and something that sounded like a slap on a shoulder.
"Oh crap. My patient in 306 is requesting my assistance. Hello bedpan cleaning, I have not missed you."
Wait a minute.
Patient? Hospital bed?
Chase was slowly beginning to come to his senses as he woke up. The pair of voices from earlier had been replaced by the sound of near constant beeps coming from every direction. The last thing the brunette remembered was latching onto a kitten before it could be run over by an oncoming truck. His brain was cloudy, it felt like he'd been asleep for a full week. All Chase wanted to do was go right back to sleep and ignore whatever was going on around him.
That's when he heard someone shuffle to his right. Something brushed up against his arm, causing deep brown eyes to slowly flutter open.
As his eyes began to regain focus, Chase was beginning to put the pieces of this ever confusing puzzle together. Apparently the New Zealander had gotten his wish and was propped up comfortably in bed. But the bed he was in was not his own, which was terribly unfortunate. The cluster of balloons on a nearby table and flowers on just about every available surface cued Chase in to where he was.
Chase Randall landed himself in the hospital for saving a kitten from certain doom.
At least, he was sure he'd saved the kitten. There was no nearby visible evidence proving that the kitten was safe. Making a mental note to question somebody about the whereabouts of said kitten caused Chase to groan.
That groan clearly caught somebody's attention, because Chase wasn't alone in his room.
"You're awake." The unfamiliar male voice spoke softly as Chase turned his head to find a nurse standing over a nearby monitor.
Awake. Was Chase really awake? Or was he dreaming? He couldn't be in the hospital. There was absolutely no way. Somebody was playing a cruel joke on him, spiked his Monster when he wasn't paying any attention.
The nurse must've noted Chase's look of confusion and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I'm sure everything will come back to you soon."
Eyebrows furrowed into even more confusion, Chase tried to sit up but felt a twinge of pain tear through his chest.
"Whoa, whoa! I wouldn't try that again if I were you." Unfamiliar hands pressed lightly against his chest, guiding Chase back down against the pillow that had been tucked in behind him. It wasn't until then when Chase really began to notice his surroundings. His right leg was propped up and covered in a white cast.
"You were in an accident." The nurse began as he reached behind him and picked up a clipboard. "Rescued a kitten from inevitable doom." He began leafing through the papers on the clipboard, eyes avoiding Chase's. "Broken leg, a few broken ribs and a slew of cuts and bruises. Took quite the tumble with a truck."
Tumble with a truck?
"I'd say you're quite the hero." The nurse said as he closed the packet of papers on the clipboard and looked down at his watch. "Since you've finally woken up, I'll go get the doctor. She'll want to know you're awake."
Just as the nurse made his way to the door, Chase managed to open his mouth and say, "Thank you--?"
"Riley. My name's Riley."
Riley gave Chase a faint smile before exiting through the door, no doubt making his way down the hall to alert the doctor that Chase regained consciousness.
The last thing Chase took note of were the green Crocs Riley had on his feet.