Flare sat on his bed, various books and video games strewn across the unused portion. It had been a couple months since the incident now, and today was the ram's appointed visiting day for the shire. Today was going to be special though; the stallion had decided that perhaps the sheep would like a gift to keep his spirits up as fall was quickly turning to winter.

Getting up with a heavy sigh, the horse grabbed his bag, and made for downstairs so he could make some coffee before going back to the hospital to spend another several hours by the ram's side.

All the nurses knew him by name now. Apparantly he was the only one to have any interest in the patient; the hospital had been unable to find any relatives or friends of the black sheep. It struck Flare that this meant the ram really was completely alone in the world, and made him want to keep visiting all the more. Someday, hopefully, the sheep would wake up from his coma, and Flare hoped that he'd be there to help if it happened.

Being at Zeryx's side made the horse realize he was pretty lonely too; although he hadn't ever considered taking his own life out of a sense of rejection. In a way, he felt like Zeryx was a kindred spirit. Flare's mood fell low when he realized that he might never get to say that to the ram, either.

"Where did I go wrong?" the shire mused to himself, climbing out of the car with his little present for the ram wrapped up in a brown bag. "When did I decide isolating myself was the right path? Even if I live my life well, having nobody around to see it or share it with makes it just as meaningless. And yet, it feels like having people around just gets in the way."

The shire's hoofbeats clopped on the tile of the hospital floor, making the halls echo with the empty sound. The sheep wasn't in any danger any more, but still hooked to the machines. Flare nodded to the leonine doctor as he entered the room to find Zeryx as he had been; plugged in to several machines keeping him alive, slumbering and yet never waking up.

"Good evening, Mr. Starfire. You're a good man, watching over him like you have been. I'm sure he appreciates it." The lion smiled gently, patting the stallion on the shoulder and then exiting, quietly closing the door behind him to leave the two alone.

"Zeryx..." Flare trailed off. "I've been thinking.... I must be a lot like you. Seeking friends, and not finding myself capable of the task. Not once has anything about me ever seemed normal. Was it that way for you too? Is that why you jumped? I wish I could understand what it meant to be like everyone else. To be liked by everyone else..."

The soft whirr and woosh of the machines were the only reply. Flare shook his head. Being with the ram gave him lots of time to reflect on his own failures; perhaps too much so. Opening the bag, the white horse took out what he had brought; a gorgeous knitted blue scarf, with black and white tips. "Here, Zeryx. I brought you a present to help you get better. It meant a lot to me when a friend of mine gave it to me; maybe we can be friends, too."

Flare wrapped the soft length of the scarf around the ram's near-lifeless hands. They seemed almost to clutch the fabric, but Flare figured it was just a trick of his mind. The ram was off in his own world, now; perhaps that is exactly what he had wanted, after all. Sitting back down, Flare felt a little silly. But he felt that small glimmer of hope he kept for the ram shine just a little brighter this evening. Leaning back, the equine managed a soft smile, content to keep his new friend company and staying by his side for another night.