Chapter 14

Thank the stars

With shaky words Staggy finished his sentence. “…I should be helping. I’m a medic and I’m not healing, but Figra is... dead.” He whispered the last word so quietly that I could barely hear him.

I hadn’t quite registered what Staggy had said. My mind just kept going, racing ahead. “What about Pill? Is he all right?” I realised, as soon as I said it, how senseless I was being. Staggy had just lost a friend, and instead of comforting him, I was being a selfish dick.

“Pill is injured but alive.” He said it with anger and annoyance in every word. “He will be fine thanks to Figra. Ask him what happened.”

Staggy turned away from me. He was crying. I was crying as well. I can’t remember when I started crying i just did. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. When I didn’t say anything, he walked away.

I felt numb and guilty. I would go talk to Pill. I needed to see him. Know he was alive. See him alive.

Staggy was pissed with me, but in that moment, there was nothing I could do. I was in a bad mood, and he was in a bad mood. If we tried to talk it out now, things would only get worse.

I entered the medical tent. I hadn’t quite prepared myself for what I was about to walk in on. The scene in the tent was terrible. It was worse than the battle. Not only was every proper bed occupied, but there were also people laying on the ground with just a blanket to protect them from the floor. There were groans and screams coming from many of the patients. There were medics and friends sitting next to people. Healing and consoling them. It was a horrible sight to see. But I couldn’t help but stand and watch.

There was a commotion from one of the beds. The medic at the person's bedside called out for assistance. No one answered the call. All the medics were busy with other patients. The medic called out again. I couldn’t let this go on.

I rushed to the side of the medic. A young boy was lying on the bed, writhing in pain. He had a bad wound in his abdomen. It was oozing blood slowly.

The medic noticed me and looked at me quizzically.

He looked confused so I asked, “can I assist in anyway?”

He looked me up and down, then said, “Yes. He is delirious and isn’t understanding a word I’m saying. I need you to hold him down so I can stitch up his wound. He wouldn’t stay still, and I don’t want to put him under. It could slow his heart too much. It could kill him. Help is too thin to take that risk.”

I nodded then moved to the head of the bed and placed my hands on his shoulders, pinning the young boy down. He struggled against me, but I was stronger than him. The medic placed his knee on his legs holding them down.

The medic worked quickly and masterfully. He was done in only a few minutes. When he finished, he sat back on his heels and let out a long sigh. He looked completely exhausted. I released the boy. The energy seemed to have seeped out of him. His eyes were closed, and his breathing heavy. It would have been helpful if he had fallen asleep before, but better late than never.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Thank you for your assistance. If you ever need any help please call for me. My name is Me-Ha-Laness.” Me-Ha-Laness gave me a small bow.

“I was glad to help Me-Ha-Laness. I am Fi-Rico.”

“Would you like me to take a look at that cut on your face?”

“I can deal with that later. Do you think you could help me locate a friend of mine? His name is Sa-Pillum.”

“I’m so sorry. I have treated so many people today and I must admit, I have begun to forget names. Just look around for him. I hope you find him. Thank you again for your help.”

And with that, he left heading towards another patient. I began my search for Pill. I located him at the back of the tent. He was lucky enough to have gotten a proper bed.

I hurried to his side. His eyes were closed, and every breath seemed to be hurting him, but he was alive. I didn’t want to wake him, so I quietly sat down on the ground next to his bed. I hugged my knees to my chest, resting my head on them.

I thought he was asleep, but the moment I sat down, he opened his eyes and groaned, “Is that you, Rico?”

“Yes Pill. Thank the stars you’re alive. What happened?”

“Later. It hurts,” he waved his hand dismissively and closed his eyes. “You’re here, so now I can sleep.”

I didn’t quite understand his reasoning, but I could tell he was in enough pain that he wasn’t thinking right. I just sat on the ground, patiently waiting for him to wake up. I silently cried the whole time. That day had been too much for my fragile metal state.

I sat there for hours. I have no idea how long, but it got fully dark outside before Pill even began to stir.

There was movement next to me. I looked over to see Pill struggling to sit up. I quickly helped to sit him up. I moved the pillow around a bit to support him, but one pillow can’t do much. He was pail, and his hair was a mess. His long brown hair matted in many places.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I have been run over multiple times by a cart full of bricks.”

I let out a small laugh at that. Even in his pain, Pill still found a way to crack a joke.

A sudden darkness passed across his face, as though he had just remembered something. “Rico, Figra is dead.”

“It’s okay. I know.”

“It’s not okay! He died to save my sorry ass!”

“Pill, be quiet. You’ll wake people up. This is not the time or place to talk about this. No one blames you for what happened.”

“Staggy does.” He said it quietly, but I was close enough to hear.

“Forget Staggy. For now, it’s just you and me, and right now you need to sleep. I can get a medic to give you something for sleep if you want.”

“I just slept.” But even as he said it, his eyes were dropping, and he yawned.

“Yes, but now it’s night and you're injured.”

“Fine, I’ll sleep.”

And sleep he did. I must have drifted off at some point because, when I opened my eyes, it was light outside. Pill was still sleeping peacefully. I was stiff from sleeping on the ground, so I got up to stretch out a bit.

I left the medical tent. I needed some fresh air. Pill was still sleeping and didn’t look like he would wake up for a little while. The air outside was fresh and cold. The wind gently whipped my face. I took deep breath after deep breath, just filling my lungs with the amazing morning air.

While I was standing outside, the truth of Figras death hit me like a hurricane. A pile of bricks seemed to rest on my shoulders. The weight of the grief was enough to make my knees buckle.

I hadn’t really known Figra, but he was always so nice to me. Yesterday, I had been so senseless to Staggy. He would have been distraught. I sometimes needed to remind myself that I was not the centre of the universe, and other people felt emotions the same way as me. Staggy needed someone to hug. Tell him that he’s okay. Someone who was there for him. In that moment, I resolved to be there for him. To be the shoulder for him to cry on. Staggy had been nothing but kind to me, and now it was my turn to stop being a selfish dick and be there for my new friend.

Friend.