Safety in The Form Of a Knight (Madeleine x Espresso)

13. Hospital... Again

The two cookies sat in the cafe, drinking their coffee and talking.

Espresso admitted it was nice to hang out with Latte. He was still worried though, his nightmare had put him on edge. He wondered if he could even concentrate when he got home to work. He hoped he could, he couldn't waste any more time... He took a sip of the coffee. It tasted good. Not as good as he made it, but acceptable.

Latte clasped her hands together. "So... You and Madeleine, huh?"

Espresso almost spit out his coffee. He had not expected her to say that. How did she know?? He cleared his throat. "I...I'm sorry?"

She laughed. "I saw Madeleine Cookie in your house when I came over! You were pretty tense when you answered the door, and Madeleine was blushing SUPER hard... I put two and two together." She smirked and looked at him, entwining her fingers. "Did he.... You know..?"

He couldn't believe this. "N-No! Latte, are you out of your mind?!? Me, with the strong, handsome, and super popular commander??" He folded his arms and cleared his throat. "We were simply having a talk."

"Are you sure? You did take a second to answer the door.." She gasped. "I bet I.. interrupted something important~ Did get to see his-"

"LATTE!" Espresso stood up, slamming his hands on the table. He looked around, embarrassed. Every cookie in the cafe was staring at him.

Blushing furiously, he quickly sat back down. "Nothing... that serious happened..." he whispered. "He's just.. really nice and kind.." "And a good kisser..." He thought to himself. It was true, but he could never tell that to Latte. She wouldn't let him forget that. Ever.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Listen, I just want to know if you guys are a thing.. or just friends."

"Well... We're... A bit more than friends... he's super nice, and he's handsome... We.. We kissed... And I guess I like him a bit..." He looked up at her. "We're not dating though. I'm not sure he's ready for that. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that..."

Latte smiled and thought for a second. "Didn't you hate him? I swear I remember you disliking him when we first moved here. You found him annoying."

Espresso laughed. "I've certainly gotten the chance to get to know him a bit more.."

The cafe doors flung open. A cookie ran into the shop, appearing to be looking for something. He rushed up to someone, Espresso recognized as one of the healers from the hospital, who was drinking something alone at a table.

Everyone turned to see what the sudden commotion was.

He frantically spoke to the healer, out of breath, "We need your help at the hospital! Cookies were sent out to attack the cake monsters outside the village, but the cakes were too strong. All the cookies in the team are severely hurt!"

Alarmed, the healer set his cup down and quickly followed the other out the door. Nervous murmurs filled the cafe.

Espresso took another sip of his coffee. "How unfortunate. I hope the healers can help them."

Latte turned to Espresso. She looked worried. Very worried.

He hesitantly set his coffee down on the table. "Are you okay Latte?"

"Oh, God... Espresso... E-Early this morning, when I was walking to your house, I passed Madeleine Cookie and Gingerbrave.." She began to fidget with her fingers. "They were coming from your house. He said he was asked to help... f-fight some cake hounds..."

Espresso's eyes widened. No. Oh no. He stood up, trembling.

"E-Espresso..?"

No... This couldn't be happening... What if Madeleine was hurt?!

Or worse.

Without thinking, he rushed out of the cafe. He heard Latte call out to him before the door slammed shut behind him.

Espresso ran towards the hospital as fast as he possibly could. The cool air whipped past his face, stinging his eyes.

He worried he might not make it in time. What if he was too late? What if he couldn't say goodbye?

He had already lost Mocha, one of the only people in his life who cared about him.

He couldn't bear to think he might lose another.

Gasping for air, he bolted through the main part of town, where most of the shops were. Cookies flooded the streets, making it hard to maneuver through the crowd. Tears were blurring up his eyes, he could barely see.

Angry shouts came from the people he nearly ran into. He didn't care. He needed to get to the hospital.

He needed to see Madeleine.

Out of breath, lungs burning, he reached the hospital's entrance. Not taking a moment to rest, he threw the doors open and ran inside. Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Can I help you?" A young, female cookie at the front desk was looking at him.

Espresso ran up to her, still gasping for air, tears streaming down his face. "Is- Is Madeleine Cookie h-here?! I... I need to see him. P-Please..." He could barely stand up. He was so scared he.. wouldn't get to see him again.

She picked up a stack of papers and stared at them for a moment. "Couldn't this lady speed things up!?" He thought to himself.

She looked back up at him. "Yes he's here," she said "However, the healers are currently working on him, so you can't visit him at the moment."

He felt his body tense up. Madeleine was hurt. "B-But I need to see him!"

"I'm sorry sir, you're not allowed to see anyone while the healers are working on them." Said the mean lady. Espresso didn't like her very much.

"I-Is he okay?!? I need to know! How badly is he hurt?!"

"Sir, please calm down. You're going to scare-"

"I DON'T CARE!!" Espresso sobbed as he fell to his knees, shaking. He needed to see him. He needed to make sure his Madeleine was safe...

The hospital door opened behind him, and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He quickly turned his head to see Latte sitting on the floor beside him, looking very worried. "Is... Is he here..?"

Espresso opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He jerked away from her reach and curled up into a ball, tears still streaming down his face.

He closed his eyes tightly — he wanted this nightmare to be over. He wanted Madeleine back by his side.

Latte stood up. "Hey, it'll be okay, Espresso. We can wait until they're done with him. I promise, he'll be fine."

He looked up at her and she smiled a reassuring smile. He sighed. What would happen to Madeleine was completely out of his control now, all he could do was wait for the healers to finish healing him.

He hoped Madeleine would be okay...

Espresso stood up and Latte led him to the chairs in the waiting room. They sat down together. "The healers know what they're doing. Trust me, he'll be okay."

He nodded slowly. She was right. The healers did know what they were doing. It'll all be alright, Madeleine will be healed, and they'll go home together...

He couldn't wait to see him again.