Shadow arrived at the park in no time and parked his car in a close but hidden place. He got out and went to the bridge Sonic told him about. It was still raining so he had to be careful going down under the bridge. It was kinda dark since there's no sunlight but Shadow can see in front of him without any problems.
"Sonic? It's me Shadow" He tried to keep his voice low to avoid drawing any attention. It was silent for a couple minutes before Shadow finally heard Sonic's voice. "I-I'm over here..." Shadow slowly started walking further under the bridge looking for him. "Are you able to see in front of you even if it's dark down here?" "Yeah...I can..." Shadow noticed by his voice he sounded tired and possibly in pain. He wasn't sure what Sonic's condition was until he finally saw Sonic for the first time in a year and he was speechless.
The first thing he noticed is that Sonic is covered in cuts and bruises. He's wearing a hoodie and sweatpants that's covered in his own blood. His fur was a mess, dark circles under his eyes, and he looked underweight. It broke Shadow's heart realizing Sonic has been through hell this last year. Sonic looked up at him with what seemed like fear in his eyes. "Can you walk? And please don't lie to me Sonic. I can tell you're in pain and I want to help." Sonic knew it was better to tell him the truth and keep it that way. "I-if I'm being honest Shads...i-it hurts to walk especially without support."
Shadow grabs Sonic's backpack for him and holds his hand out to him. "Take your time and go slow." Sonic nods his head and takes Shadow's hands starting to pull himself up feeling tense. He started feeling his legs shaking so he quickly wraps his arms around Shadow's neck. On instinct he quickly wraps his arms around Sonic's waist. "I-I'm sorry..." Shadow noticed tears forming when he apologized. "Sonic you don't need to be worry. I've been worried about you every single day hoping I wasn't too late. Now that I found you I don't want to lose you again." Sonic had a light pink blush on his muzzle from his response.
Shadow picks him up bridal style knowing it's too much for him to even stand. "My car is hidden so nobody will see us." Shadow starts walking back out from under the bridge. Luckily for them it stopped raining long enough for them to get into the car. Once they got settled in Shadow's car he texted Richard to let him know that he found Sonic. After he sends the text and starts the car he looks to see Sonic looking out the window. "You can rest if you want. I'm going to take back roads to avoid any attention so it'll be a bit before we get home." Sonic didn't respond and Shadow wasn't going to push it understanding that he needs time.
As he was getting ready to drive he felt Sonic wanting to hold his hand which he accepted. They interlock their fingers gently squeezing each others hand. A few minutes into the car ride Shadow started hearing soft breathing. He looked at Sonic and saw he fell asleep. Seeing that mad him smile and have a small blush. "He's still just as cute as ever. I won't let anything happen to you again. I love you too much to see you hurt." The rest of the car ride was silent since Sonic was sleeping the whole time. Shadow didn't mind knowing he needed it and enjoyed listening to his soft breathing.