Skipper and Dusty's Father-Son Relationship Stories (All Humanized)

Chapter 14: Hospitalized

    "Dusty?" said a distant voice. "Dusty? Son? Are you awake yet?"

    "Oh, I sure do hope he's okay," said a distant Asian voice from outside. "I was just so worried about him when I saw his condition."

    "Oh, don't worry, he'll be alright, Ishani," added a distant Mexican voice. "He's a fighter. I'm absolutely sure he'll pull through."

    As if on cue, Dusty groaned softly as his eyes slowly opened, squinting at the bright light. Everything was all blurry and bright, but he could make out footsteps coming his way as he saw a figure moving towards him. It didn't take long to see what it was. "D-D-Dad?" he asked in a hoarse tone as his vision soon cleared up. "Wh-Where am I?"

    "Don't worry, kiddo. I'm right here," Skipper said soothingly as he sat next to the bed, patting his face. "You're in a hospital."

    The first thing Dusty noticed was that Skipper looked a little roughed up. "W-What happened?" he asked.

    "Are you were taken away, El Chupacabra and I got into a fight with Ripslinger and his cronies," Skipper explained. "Your friend fights good, but while he delt with Ripslinger, Ned and Zed fought me and got me in a not-so-bad-injuriy mess myself; just a couple of scratches and brushes. It's just been a long time since I was in the Navy."

    As everything came back to him, Dusty looked down at his arm and noticed that it was in a cast. Then, the door to his room opened, causing Dusty to turn his head and see Ishani and El Chu come in. "Thank goodness you're alright," Ishani said with relief in her voice. "You looked like you had gotten through a fight after your crash."

    El Chu agreed. "But at least you're okay, amigo," he said, patting Dusty's shoulder. "Me and Ishani had both agreed to visit your hometown for the off-season-if it's okay with Skipper, that is."

    "It's fine with me," Skipper said simply. Turning to Dusty, he added, "You've been out for a good few days-3 to be exact. That shove from Ripslinger make have knocked you out cold to be like this for that long."

    At that moment, a nurse came in, carrying a clipboard, and went over to Dusty. She checked his engine, broken arm, head, and his legs to see if there were any other serious injuries while writing down stuff on her clipboard. After she was done, she turned to Dusty with a smile. "Good news, Mr. Crophopper. You'll be able to go home first thing in the morning," she said. "Just don't try to fly for at least 2 weeks. Your arm needs some time to rest and recover before you're ready to fly."

    Dusty nodded, happy that he would be going home, but at the same time as the nurse left to attend to other matters, he had a question for Skipper. "Dad? Why did you end up fighting Ripslinger?"

    Skipper sighed, looking at his son right in the eyes. "I just-" he said, only to be interupted by a growl that escaped from his throat. "-wanted to get even. Wanted to let him know that someday, he was gonna pay for this."

    After he said this, he felt like tears were gong to escape from his eyes. Understanding, Ishani gently rubbed his back before turning to Dusty. "Well, at least you'll be back home tomorrow, Dusty. Dusty?"

    But Dusty didn't reply. He was already fast asleep, the visit leaving him tired. Somehow, Skipper knew that it would be a long time before his son would be able to fly again. And until then, he silently promised that he would take care of him.