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Sonny awoke slowly.
Everything was foggy and too bright all at once. He could hear the steady hum of machinery surrounding him, cut through with a stubborn beeping that didn’t seem to stop. The last thing he remembered was being trapped amongst the strange colors with Kira. Where was he now?
Slowly, he attempted to open his eyes, but was blinded by a bright fluorescent light. His body was shocked into a sudden awareness and was overcome with a dull pain emanating from his face. He couldn’t help, but quietly groaned to himself, as he forced his eyes back shut in an attempt to go back to the safety of sleep and hopefully back to Kira’s colorful world.
“Sonny? Sonny, are you awake?” A familiar voice called out from the darkness.
Without responding or opening his eyes, Sonny tried to reach up and feel the damage done to his face. With this amount of pain something would definitely be broken. Though he quickly halted his movements after realizing that his hand was also radiating a sharp pain.
“Sonny? Don’t try to move too much. You’ve hurt yourself pretty badly there,” the voice spoke again.
After another moment, Sonny cautiously opened his eyes again. The harsh light had subsided a bit, most likely dimming along with the shock of everything. He quickly glanced around his unknown surroundings, and was surprised to see that he appeared to be laying in a hospital bed.
“There he is!”
Sonny turned to his left, the quick movement bringing on the flash of a migraine behind his eyes. When the world finally stopped spinning, he was able to make out that the familiar voice was none other than his dear friend and business partner, Danny McGuire, who was sitting in a flimsy hospital chair next to his bed. He was still wearing his new outfit, though it appeared a bit more wrinkled than he remembered.
“Danny? What happened?” Sonny quietly groaned out.
“Well it sounds like you had a bit of a roller skating accident, kid,” Danny replied with a slight, tired smile. “The doctors said you have a nasty concussion. You also mangled your nose badly and even have a fairly severe wrist sprain. What were you thinking skating head first directly into that wall? You could have really gotten yourself hurt!”
“I just -- I don’t know, Danny,” Sonny replied, everything suddenly coming back to him. “ I just - it sounds stupid, but I thought I saw Kira in that painting along the boardwalk. I just had to see her again, and you’re not going to believe me, but I swear I did! I woke up in some colorful universe and she was there! I swear it Danny, I swear!”
“I believe you kid. I do,” Danny spoke quietly. “Back in my day, when I got left behind by my gal, I would have tried anything to get her back. But you’ve got to promise me that you won’t do anything so reckless again! I care about you quite a lot, kid. You’ve got me back on my feet and out in the world. Plus we’ve put so much work into Xanadu, you’ve gotta stick around and help me run the place.”
Sonny nodded at his dear friend, a wide smile creeping across his face regardless of the pain that might happen as a result. “I’ll stick around, I promise.”
“Good,” Danny looked back at him with an equally wide smile. “Besides, I’ll definitely need someone who understands modern music better than I do! I guess you are right, jazz just isn't as popular as it used to be.”
“But wait! Danny, what about Xanadu? Wasn’t tonight supposed to be opening night?” Sonny blurted out. “You shouldn’t have to miss the big party, just to be in this cramped hospital room with me!”
“Sonny, I care so much more about you, than any old club,” Danny smiled, his eyes sparkling with the charm of a leading man from the golden age of Hollywood. “I’m sure there will be other big nights in our future. Besides, what’s the point of celebrating if you’re not there by my side, partner.”