All in all, leaving the Manse was far less of an event than entering had been.
The old clock in the atrium said it was about 3pm, so with Pokémon Pushing Power™ they had a chance of making it to the city before midnight. Hailey might not like relying on others to push her, but the promise of not having to sleep in the chair again was a persuasive.
So they left the Manse, Pomona floating behind, pushing, while Gem walked beside, hands behind her head. Like so many things in the past few days it was weird, but once they hit the city they'd all go their own way. It only made sense to travel together for now.
None of the other ghosts came to see them off, they were all still pre-gaming for some big night out. They probably already forgotten Hailey existed as well, but still, it had been interesting that they'd seemed to have an easier time seeing her. That had been unexpected.
"So, how do you, like, live at a hospital anyway? Do they have an apartment you stay in when you're not out?" Gem was the first to break the quiet, after they'd been walking in silence for several minutes.
"What, no, they don't have hospital apartments, it's just a normal room." Even knowing Gem was chatty Hailey still found herself caught off guard by the question.
"So you have to go through the whole building anytime you go out? That sounds like a pain in the ass."
"I mean, it would be, but I don't… I can't… go out, that's not a thing I do."
Gem almost stopped in her tracks at that, covering up the stumble with a little hop. "Huh? What do you mean? You're out here."
"Not supposed to be, technically I'm on the run, sorta." Gem actually did trip at that, mostly cause she's started walking backward though.
"Can you be only somewhat on the run? I thought it was a fairly binary state." Pomona's calm voice drifted in from behind, not slowed at all in her pace, or was it flight? Floating, she floated.
"I mean, I'm not a wanted criminal or anything." Did Gem make a disappointed noise when she said that, or was she just pulling herself up? "In a… legal sense I suppose, I could emancipate myself anytime I wanted, just some paperwork. But…"
For a moment no one said a word, but eventually Pomona reached a hand forward, and gently rubbed Hailey's shoulder. Well, story time it was then, she thought.
"Ok, so technically I could, but practically? No. I'm a ward of Sinnoh, of the state. There aren't many of us. That means the government pays for my lodging, my food, technically my education to even if that's a joke. Point is, if I left, that all goes away. I don't know about you two, but I don't have any money, never had, can't exactly work a job in my condition."
"I have some stored away, from my work and enticement payments." Pomona stated simply.
Gem simply shrugged, "Same really. Government doesn't, ah, know I'm in country, so I don't get those. Haven't had cash in months."
"You don't need to eat though." Hailey shot back.
"Sure enjoy it though, and beds, real beds. Beats sleeping on a pile of leaves anytime, especially if there's a cute girl in em."
"Well I can't help you there, never had a Dex either, and all my other ID is back at the hospital, couldn't get a room at any Center."
"So, you cannot leave because you have nowhere to stay, am I understanding that right?" The implication in Pomona's question was obvious, but Hailey wasn't going to dig it out. Storytime only went so far.
"Nope, I could apply for some kind of assistance, probably. Maybe live in a tiny apartment, share home, subsist on whatever was on sale at the grocery store, though I'd have to learn to cook first. But that's a complete non-starter, even if I left, they'd just be pulling me back on a stretcher inside a day or two. If they found me in time."
"So, that… episode. They happen a lot?"
It only just occurred to Hailey that both of them had actually seen one of her fits, which explained why Gem was looking at her with actual concern. Pomona probably was to, at least, if she actually changed her expression.
"All the time." Hailey tried to be blasé about it, but that never worked well, even with new nurses. Something always crept into her voice. "Used to be a several a day thing when I was a kid. They'd hold me down so I didn't thrash as much, try hydro therapy to calm my muscles, put me on a ventilator after, wasn't anything they could actually do to prevent em. Got less common as I got older, particularly once I hit my 20's, but that's the only mercy. They only thing they could figure out was that physical exertion made things worse, so stuck in bed it was."
"They couldn't find anything?"
"Wait, you're 20?!"
Hailey snorted. Gem was fairly blunt when she wasn't crashing out, while Pomona still just seemed to be concerned about her. It was a good thing these two weren't on a team, she couldn't see that going well.
"27, actually. I know, I know, practically an old hag."
She laughed it off while Gem sputtered, was better than getting angry every time someone thought she was 14 or something. "And no, not really. Best they told me I'm the only person with this particular condition, they didn't even name it after me. It acts like nerve damage or a nervous system disorder, but isn't like other ones on file. There was no accident that damaged my spinal cord, no known family conditions, nope, because Arceus hates me my nerves just don't fire right. Don't reach my legs at all hardly ever, prone to spasming and losing connection in the rest. The body is supposed to do a lot on automatic, like breathing, but that relies on the roads not being ripped to shit."
Pausing for breath, Hailey tried not to gulp it down. She rarely went into anything close to the full story with people anymore, they could just read her file, but it wouldn't be great to trigger a fit while talking about it. Pomona stepped in to give her a breather.
"Quite the good luck that you managed to make it to the Meadows without incident then."
"I never said that." Hailey rubbed her throat, it was starting to get a bit sore. Prolonged conversation wasn't something she was used to. "Nearly got trapped in the Ravaged Path when I couldn't get up a few bloody stairs, so I decided to try a side tunnel. Ended up with a wheel stuck, in the dark, totally alone except for some Zubat who couldn't even tell I was there." She still had to shake her head at that one, almost died in a cave less than 12 hours out of Carita’s sight. Speaking of…
"Actually, if you do end up meeting Carita, don't mention that last part. It would make her even more over-protective, not to mention smug."
"Areceus, she sounds like such a huuuuuge bitch. Just give me the word and I'll Spark her lights out."
"Gem, I appreciate it, but seriously, don't even try, Carita can fold some tournament teams in half by herself, I don't want to imagine what she'd do to you."
"Pssh, I'm too pretty to hit, my charms are irresistible."
"Folded in half, backward." No need to mention that more than a few Mon had been more than happy to hit her, right in the pretty face, just this morning. Still, Gem wasn't really showing it, Pokémon durability for you. Hailey could only see hints of her bruises if she looked close, at least until Gem noticed her looking. She put some fingers under her chin and flashed a smile, fluttering her eyelashes. Message received, don't tease the Minun.
Quickly turning away, Hailey tried to focus on her surroundings again.
They were out of the dense underbrush that had surrounded the Manse once again, among the towering woods. They made her think of Thảo actually, though these trees put even her to shame. Brigit and Thảo, maybe she should try to look them up when she was back at the hospital, write them a letter. Thank them for helping her, and Thảo for the food. Apologize for the deception, and leaving so suddenly. Would give her something to do.
Thinking of going back… it honestly made her relieved. She was exhausted, had spent years of built up effort, and it had left her drained. Would she even have the strength to get into it with Carita?
Carita. Would she shoot over ASAP as soon as Hailey called from the Eterna Center? That would be like her, but then again, she might have work to do. She'd never met them, but she knew Carita had other patients, other duties. Maybe she'd wait until the morning, tell the PokéCenter nurses to put her in a room (and probably lock it).
That would be nice, another new experience, a capstone to her little adventure.
Sleep sounded good actually, she'd gotten up pretty early, by her standards at least, and the day had been full of… emotion.
Pomona would keep pushing her, five minutes couldn't hurt right?
They'd started to run into more people as they'd neared the forest edge.
Hikers, picnickers, even some trainers. None of them payed attention to the little group. Hailey on her own might have gotten some attention, at least from the humans, and the Trainers might have been interested in someone like Pomona. Not her though, while she might have bragged about what a bombshell she was if anyone had brought it up out loud, in the safety of her own mind she could be honest, it was still raw.
So Gem just walked alongside the wheelchair, in silence for now.
It was actually funny how no one was saying anything. Even if there were no actual bonds, why would anyone else assume otherwise? They were clearly just some partners, out on a walk, taking their tired human home. As fake as it was, it made her feel more normal that she had in ages.
"Bet you they all think we fucked her unconscious." Even as she laughed she was mentally slapping herself. She didn't even really know these two, so why the jokes?
"I wouldn't be surprised. I doubt Hailey here could stand up to much 'direct' affection, at least at first." Gem found herself double taking at that.
"Geez, you sound like you're actually going to test her." The laugh that came after was more nervous than nonchalant. What was the Ghost plotting? Even knowing Hailey for only two days Gem could still say that even a Psychic type could easily break her, physically.
"Oh I plan to, eventually." Pomona said, with all the casualness of saying she might grab a candy bar at the Mart after this. "Like I said earlier, I have some money saved, rarely have a use for it actually. Once we hit the city I'll be looking into binding balls."
For someone who could turn invisible, she sure was bold. "Heh, well… you think Hailey will go for it? I mean, you heard what she said about her hospital room, and her doctor…"
"That's up to her of course, but I'm not so convinced she'll be going back, at least not permanently. And as I also said, I'd like to have a word with this Dr. Carita, get her measure."
"Yeah, she must be quite the character, the way Hailey was bigging her up she made her sound like a Drill Sargent Garchomp, or a legendary, but I doubt one of them could stand to hold a job. More likely she's a Blissey with a bad attitude."
Pomona shrugged, which was more emotion than her face have away. "I hope not, that family is terrifying, I hate running into them on the job."
Gem couldn't tell if that was a joke.
"There is one thing I've been wondering though." Yes, she was trying to change the topic, but it had been bothering her. "Why did you steal Hailey's camera anyway? When I was talking with her she seemed really upset by it."
"That… was not my intention." The regret was obvious in Pomona's voice, which made it seem to Gem that she was deliberately emphasizing it. "It has been… quite a long time since I've been close with a human, I had thought, had hoped, she'd have a different reaction. To be honest, I wasn't really thinking at all, at least not with my head. I realized that as soon as I saw her again."
"What were you thinking? Cause last time I checked, humans really don't like things being taken from them."
"Yes, but my job is all about letting go. Anyway, I'd hoped… she'd chase me. You should have seen her Gem, that morning in the Meadows. I thought she was dead, maybe she was, but when she… woke up the struggle, the fight, the life… I wanted to see it again."
It made sense to Gem, kinda, Ghost types were still weird, but still. When Hailey had tried to push them both forward, if only briefly, and when she'd actually bothered to find her…
"And what about you Gem? What will you do once we reach the city?"
"I… guess start trawling the city, maybe some nightclubs, I mean, surely someone wants a electric type with a nice ass, right?"
Pomona just hummed in response.
Exiting the forest was no dramatic thing, it simply slowly faded to brush and grass.
Still, the sun was finally allowed to actually reach the ground, and it's warm beams somewhat roused Hailey. Slowly, gently, she could get used to this.
"How far have we gone?" She said, only barely trying to conceal her yawn.
"Not that far, we have just cleared the tree-line and still have a ways to go before we reach the city." Pomona answered.
"I'll trust Ms. Intangible with that, never been this way before, though I'd totally hang out here. Soft grass, cool ponds, probably a good string of nubile things passing through, not a bad life."
"There are more things to life than sex you know Gem." Hailey said, with absolutely no personal experience to back it up. Still, it felt right to say.
"Like?" And of course Gem had to go and call her bluff.
"Like… food, yeah, every place has it's own specialty, I'm sure Eterna has it's own… thing."
"Ooooh a thing, well, doesn't that just sound delectable, I'll have to order 20 when we get there!" Hailey rolled her head away from Gem's laughter, it was too nice a day to get into it.
Blue sky, fluffy clouds, a cool breeze, shadows passing overhead.
Actually, one of those shadows seemed to be growing, rapidly, to eclipse the sun.
The impact nearly sent them all flying, only the fact that Pomona didn't actually touch the ground let her keep her balance, and hold on the wheelchair.
The figure was occluded by the sun, but the silhouette was unmistakable. Thick thighs, single horn, weird antennae eyebrow things, and rippling lab coat. All Hailey could do was brace.
"Halcyon Wolters you can't hide from me anymore!" The Dragonite’s voice boomed, almost louder than the impact had been.
"Wait, your name is fucking Halcyon now??" Was all Gem could say.
Also, if you want to see a "alternate" version, you can check my FA https://www.furaffinity.net/view/65698810/
and by alternate I mean penis :V