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It was just a small scrape.
The cause was really so stupid. Sonic had gone for one of his daily runs, just like normal, and had taken the same path he’d used for weeks. It had rained during the night so the ground was a bit muddy and the forest smelled like earth. It was actually quite pleasant.
He’d run in the mud before, plenty of times. He just had to be more careful how he stepped than when it was dry ground. It shouldn’t have been an issue.
Until he was distracted by running past a small bear. It startled him enough to lose concentration on his running. His foot caught on a root and he went tumbling down the hill. Everything was a blur until he rolled to a stop, covered in mud and leaves. His arm and side stung sharply. Sonic grumbled in irritation and flicked the mud off his hands, then tried to swipe it off his fur.
When that didn’t work, he climbed back up the hill and ran to the nearest lake. He crouched in the rocky shallows and splashed water over himself to clear away the mud. It took a while, but eventually, the water dripping from his body ran clear.
He got a better look at the cut on his arm and side. They were both small, about two to three inches long, and an irritated red. But if they’d been bleeding, it had stopped, and he’d cleaned the fur around it with the lake water.
So he went back on his run and didn’t think anything of it. He’d long-dried off before he returned to Tom and Maddie’s house.
His fur hid the cuts, so Tom and Maddie didn’t know. And he wasn’t about to tell them, either. They were just small scrapes; he didn’t need to ask them for help when they were already giving him so much. He didn’t want to seem greedy.
The next day, he felt a little stiff and achy from the cut on his side, and the one on his arm twinged with pain when he lifted his arm. But that was normal. It was just his body reminding him that he’d gotten hurt.
The day after, he woke up late.
It wasn’t too unusual for him to wake up close to noon. He loved to rest and his body needed it from all the energy he spent during the day. So he didn’t really think anything of it. Tom and Maddie didn’t mention anything, either; they just teased him about being a sleepyhead. But when he normally perked up during the day, this time he was groggy throughout. He tried to hide it from Tom and Maddie, and for the most part he succeeded. His run was slower than normal and he fell asleep halfway through his favorite movie.
On the third morning after he got the cuts, Sonic realized something was wrong.
Not only did he sleep late—when he woke up, still exhausted, he felt awful. Hot and cold at the same time, and his side throbbed, and he was nauseous.
Apparently he’d slept so late that it caught Maddie’s attention. She knocked on the door as warning, then entered his room. “Sonic?” She asked quietly. “You awake?”
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled, not moving from under the blankets.
Maddie frowned as she approached him. His eyes hurt as he watched her kneel next to his bed.
She placed the back of her hand against his forehead. Sonic instinctively flinched away—he still wasn’t quite used to touch—and Maddie studied him as she withdrew. “You’re burning up, Sonic,” she told him. “How long have you felt bad?”
The hedgehog mumbled something incomprehensible, then coughed. “Yes’day, I guess,” he slurred. That’s when he started to feel off. He wasn’t used to being this tired.
Maddie hummed under her breath, then gently pulled back his blankets. Sonic whimpered in protest and tried to reach for them, but when it aggravated the cut on his side, he fell back with a gasp. It immediately drew Maddie’s attention, and it wasn’t long before she found the wound.
He really hadn’t thought it was that big of a deal. But when Maddie sucked in a breath, his concern grew. “When did this happen?” She demanded, suddenly worried.
“Couple days,” Sonic muttered. “Jus’ a small scrape.”
“It’s infected, Sonic,” Maddie deadpanned. He felt her fingers gently touch the skin around the cut and he hissed when the pain flared. “It’s hot and inflamed. You need antibiotics.”
His ears flattened at the growing worry in her voice. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Thought it’d be fine.”
Maddie took a deep breath, then sighed. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.” She patted his shoulder right next to his other cut, and at his flinch, she frowned. “Another one?”
He nodded tiredly and shivered.
“C’mon, kid,” Maddie urged. She stood and offered her hand. “Let’s get you to my office.”
Uh-oh. That must mean it was worse than she let on. If he had to go to her vet’s office, it meant she needed something specialized.
Guilt flooded him as he dragged himself out of the bed and took Maddie’s hand. He’d tried to avoid worrying the humans so he didn’t overstep his welcome. But it seemed that he just made it worse.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asked as soon as they made it downstairs. Sonic had to rely heavily on Maddie to stay steady on his feet. His head felt like it was filled with cotton and he couldn’t see properly.
“Sonic’s sick,” Maddie replied. “He has some cuts that got infected. I’m taking him to the office for some antibiotics.”
Tom suddenly appeared in Sonic’s vision, kneeling down in front of him. Embarrassed and ashamed, the hedgehog dropped his gaze. But instead of criticizing him, Tom only offered a sympathetic smile. “Hope you feel better soon, kid,” he said.
“Thanks,” Sonic whispered.
When they headed outside and to the truck, Maddie helped Sonic strap in, since his fingers refused to work properly. He leaned against the door and tried to stay awake for the short drive into town.
Luckily for him, the office was closed—it was Sunday, the one day they didn’t open so the staff could take a break. Maddie guided Sonic through the darkened hallways and into one of the patient rooms.
“Go ’head and sit,” Maddie told him. He gratefully fell into the nearest chair. “I’ll be right back with the stuff you need.”
She disappeared back into the hall and Sonic pulled his legs close to his body so he could preserve body heat. The office was air-conditioned which did not help his cold flashes. At least it was empty and quiet.
It must’ve only been a couple of minutes until Maddie returned, but it felt like longer. She fussed with something next to him, then asked for his uninjured arm. He offered it, wary, and she explained that she had to stick a needle into his arm to deliver IV antibiotics, which should help him start to feel better. He hesitated and she waited patiently.
But it sounded better than how he currently felt. He looked away as Maddie did her thing, but it was over quickly.
Maddie then began to treat the cuts. She carefully cleaned the angry red scrapes, and while Sonic tried to suppress his pained flinching, he couldn’t stop all of them. Maddie apologized each time but it only made him guiltier.
After cleaning, the vet dabbed some antibiotic ointment onto the cuts, then wrapped them in bandages. It didn’t take long for the hot throbbing to reduce to almost nothing. Sonic sighed in relief as the pain finally started to subside.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. He still couldn’t meet her gaze.
“You’re welcome.” Maddie knelt in front of him and reached out, but stopped just shy of his hand. “Listen, bud. We’re not upset. You’re not in trouble. But if this happens again, you can’t hide it from me.”
He nodded once and fidgeted with his hands. “I just didn’t want to seem needy,” he replied dully. “It was just a little scrape.”
Maddie managed a small smile. “I know. It’s not ‘needy’ to get treatment, even if it just seems small.” She gestured to his side. “Even a little thing can become a problem if it’s not treated right.”
“Okay,” Sonic whispered. “Promise.”
Maddie’s smile grew and she patted his knee. “Good. For now, just rest. You can sleep off the infection.”
Well, that wouldn’t be hard. Sonic was already fighting to keep his eyes open. But the permission was comforting. So he curled up smaller in the chair, careful because of the IV in his arm, and let himself relax.
He didn’t hear Maddie leave, but suddenly she was back, draping a blanket over his body. He mumbled another ‘thanks’ and it wasn’t long before he drifted off.
In the future, he definitely would tell them about any cuts or scrapes he got. It wasn’t worth this sickness.