Amnesia and Star Child

“Rob!” Someone slapped his face.
Rob mumbled and sat up, blinking - for a moment he thought he was still at the hotel, but then he remembered they were back on the bus.
Rob blearily looked at the person who had hit him.
“C’mon fucktard - it’s nearly one - you’ve slept all morning!” Phoenix grinned.
“Shurrup.” Rob muttered, getting down off the bunk bed and walking through to the kitchen.
“Heh - same to you!” Phoenix called after him and went back to the den.
Rob however, didn’t hear him, thoughts of what should be prepared to eat had crossed his mind and he had already begun pulling random ingredients out of the cupboards.
He hesitated and wondered whether he should eat something from the refrigerator, but the thought was quickly set aside as images of a Gado Gado dish and other such meals got the better of him.
Now... What to make...
Duck in Orange Sauce? Hmm... Chinese-Style Broccoli Salad sounded good - or how about Seafood Laksa?
Rob smiled to himself and stared at the wealth of ingredients he had collected.
“I know...” He muttered at last.
Honey-Braised Vegetables with Bean Curd was on the menu.
Rob laboured over these preparations, having no trouble getting around despite his ever increasing beer gut or the fact it made him waddle a bit like a duck, a fact of course, he kept relatively well disguised from the others.
Baggy clothes really did work wonders.
The aroma of the Asian dish soon brought Joe out of the den, looking curious and certainly hungry.
“Whatcha making?” He asked, looking over the steaming vegetables.
Rob hit him with the spatula.
“My lunch - go on - go - out with you - out!” Rob waved the spatula around like a rampant mother, and eventually - with a loud ‘crack!’ - Joe got the message.
“Gee Rob - don’t have to get violent about it...” Joe pulled a face indignantly and wandered back to the den with a slightly smarting rear.
Rob snorted victoriously and then went back to cooking, left to prepare his meal in peace.
When it was finished, he organised a sizable portion on a plate and sat down at the table, contently rearranging the objects on the tabletop before eating.
While he ate, his other hand absentmindedly slipped under his jacket and shirt to his belly where he rested it, feeling the heartbeat within.
There was movement, and Rob smiled.
In time...
Rob mused momentarily about why he thought that, before shrugging and moving on to other things, like contemplating what he’d do after eating.
Maybe he’d clean up and... Yes, then just go back to bed.
He had been very tired lately.

~*~*~

Leila sat cross legged, reading a book on the bed in her room at the Inn, though she was finding it really hard to focus.
She had been spending the last three hours convincing herself that she had been dreaming and that dear old Nona Alda - bless her soul - had finally lost the plot.
However, there was still a part of her mind that kept nagging her, convincing her that she was lying to herself.
But it defied logic... None of that could’ve happened... Could it?
There was a click - and the door opened.
Leila whipped her head around to see who was entering - but saw no one.
“Hello?” Leila called.
She uncrossed her legs and edged towards the corner of the bed.
A floorboard creaked eerily close.
“Anyone there...?” She trailed off meekly.
“Leila!” A misshapen creature suddenly appeared just inches from her face - Leila squealed and jumped.
“Rosie! You - I - I...” Leila blinked.
“Come.” The two metre tall alien motioned with her hand for her to follow and started back to the door.
Leila stared and didn’t move.
The beast noticed this and rolled its eyes in a spookily human way, then waddled back and took hold of Leila’s hand.
“Mike wants to talk to you.” Rosie said and led Leila towards the door.
“Mike what -?”
“Just come.”
“Hang on - what -”
“Just shut up and follow!”
Leila struggled against the monster’s grip and reached for her music box, only just managing to grab it off the table before Rosie’s strength won over and dragged her out of the room.
“Where are we going?” Leila asked.
Rosie, now invisible, was sighing in disbelief.
Humans! What an oddity!
“What did you mean by Mike -”
“You humans ask amazing number of questions...”
“Yeah but -”
“Can’t you just be still?”
“Yeah but -”
“Shut up!”
Leila opened her mouth to try and ask the question again but Rosie had pulled her out into broad daylight, and somehow she thought it would be better for her if she didn’t keep babbling to something that was invisible.
“Get in the car and go.” Rosie ordered calmly.
“What?”
“Oh for love of Mike!”
“Ro -”
The driver’s door to Leila’s rented car was wrenched open and she was pushed into the seat.
“Just drive!” Rosie barked.
“Okay.” Leila started the car and shut the door before speeding off towards the hospital in the centre of town.
After that it was just a blur - arriving at the hospital, asking to see Mike - and all of a sudden here she was - standing at the door.
Leila took a deep breath and tried to sort out the rapid succession of events.
It still didn’t make any sense.
She took another deep breath and counted to five before opening the door and tentatively peeking in.
“Hello?” She called meekly.