Human names:
.
Brainstorm = Bladen
Perceptor = Percy
Chromedome = Chiron
Rewind = Remus
.
Bladen slammed the truck door and turned around. A long walk away was a small stretch of sand and beyond was the ocean. Calm today, and at low tide now. It was unusually sunny for Scotland, even in the summer. He had plenty of time to explore. And relax too, he supposed. Still, it didn't seem right not to be productive somehow, even on vacation.
He inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh, letting the sound of the waves soak into him. The air tasted of salt and the stink of ecological productivity. Things lived and died here every day. The same could be said for any place on Earth, but it was particularly obvious at the beach.
After a few more moments of stillness, he skipped onwards until he tripped, barely catching his balance. He zig-zagged slowly over to the nearest tide pool, bent over, and consumed every detail he could see. He tried to imagine how the ocean had eroded the rocks over time to leave them so rough and jagged. He was glad to be wearing sturdy sandals.
Bladen murmured observations and stray thoughts to himself as he roamed around.
After a few strides, he stopped, staring wide-eyed into a small crater in the ground, likely carved by an old pool. There was a large smear of bright blood in it. He swore.
His eyebrows drew together and his hand reached into his trousers pocket. No phone. He spun around, carefully scanning the shoreline. He scowled and hopped into the dip to get a better look at the blood. "Looks pretty fr-" he began to speak aloud, but cut himself off and glanced around before returning his attention to the blood.
Looks pretty fresh, he continued in his head. Hasn't dried up much at all. There's a fair bit, but no animal remains… Did somebody hide a body out here? This place is supposed to be secluded, but I'm here, so… He hummed and bit the inside of his cheek. His hand hovered over the blood, tracing its path. There was a sharp piece of rock at one end, jutting out from the side of the crater like a gigantic thorn. Maybe someone cut their foot, he thought. But then, where are they now?
The blood was smeared in a broad line, and off to one side of it there seemed to be part of a distorted red hand print. Bladen stood up and stumbled in the direction that the smear pointed in. It led out of the crater in the direction of the shore. There was nothing for a few strides, but then there was a steady trail of blood. Still bright red, and not the dull brown of old blood.
As he followed the trail he frantically tried to imagine what had happened. He paced along with one arm wrapped around himself and a fist pressed against his mouth. The blood was usually smeared, with drips appearing only intermittently. He looked more closely and saw more partial handprints. The total amount of blood was way too much for a simple cut. Bladen grimaced and put his hands to the sides of his head. His breathing sped up.
"Holy shit."
He rubbed his cheeks with his knuckles and trotted along the trail as quickly as he dared. It led directly toward the ocean before veering abruptly to the left and ending at a large tide pool. He couldn't see any discoloration in the water, but…
Bladen swore quietly and shook his head before jogging around the pool. The trail didn't continue anywhere else. He made another circuit around the pool, leaning down to peer into it. It was one of the deeper pools, and one side was shadowy where the rock hung out over the water. He only saw the animals and plants that one would expect to see in a tide pool.
Bladen ran his hands through the sides of his curly pompadour and shifted his weight. He took a deep breath. He looked around, turning in a circle until he faced the pool again.
"Fuck."
He sat down and removed his sandals. He stood and quickly shucked off his vest and shirt. He unbuckled his trousers and threw them to the ground, stepping out and kicking them aside. He stood stiffly in his boxers and stretched the tension out of his shoulders before crouching by the pool. He put his legs in and pushed off the edge to drop fully into the tide pool, eyes closed.
His toes brushed the bottom, and he let himself sink down until he could push off. He surfaced and treaded water, swiping water from his eyes before opening them. He still couldn't see under the shadowed bit of the pool. He took a deep breath and ducked under the water, hesitantly opening his eyes and swimming down towards the shadows. He had to squint against the pain of the salt water in his eyes. It was blurry under the water, but as he got closer to the overhang he saw a long shape.
Don't be a dead body don't be a dead body please don't be a dead body—
It came into focus and he made out arms, a head, eyes that were staring at right at him- And he startled so badly that he lost all coordination. He splashed back up to the surface and took a few gulping breaths before diving back down and going right up to the hopefully-not-dead body.
This time the body was the one to startle, and it swam rapidly away from him. Bladen kept his composure, but only barely.
It wasn't human. With that huge scaled tail and fins, it was obviously a merperson. Why the hell a merperson was alone on land was unclear, but they were definitely the source of the blood. They held their left side with one hand. Their movements were alarmingly stiff, especially for a people known for such grace.
"Oi!" he called. And then he had to surface, because he'd just expelled his breath again. He swam closer to the merperson but made sure to keep a few meters between them.
"Hey, hey! You alright, mate?"
The merperson moved closer to the surface and poked its head up. It was covered in tiny black scales and had fins on the sides of its head instead of ears. It looked about his age, late twenties or so.
"Is there anyone else on the beach?" he demanded. His proper English accent made him sound like a BBC documentary narrator. Quite different from Bladen's vaguely-Irish brogue.
Bladen treaded water and tilted his head. "What? No, it's completely empty. Why?"
The merperson looked around nervously but couldn't see much beyond the edge of the pool. He explained hurriedly. "This beach gets raided by poachers sometimes—both merpeople and humans—and the group that works this region is said to have ties to the organ market. A few tourists have gone missing already. This is a secluded spot, but it's attractive to people for exactly that reason."
"You're kidding."
The merperson levelled a grave look at him. "You can check the local news."
"Yikes." Bladen put the pieces together. "So you heard my truck and hid in here."
"Exactly. I can handle a merperson, but humans have the advantage on land." The merperson grabbed the edge of the pool. "Speaking of humans—what's your name?"
"Bladen."
"I'm Percy. Now if you don't mind, I'd appreciate if you could help me out. I got cut on a rock earlier and the saltwater here stings like hell. Stopped the bleeding pretty quickly though, I'll give it that." He had a decent façade of calm, but Bladen could see the tension in his jaw and the way his hands clenched and loosened on the rocks.
"God, yeah, shit." Bladen scrambled out of the tide pool. "I saw that. Awful thing, looked like a bloody knife."
"Felt like it," Percy retorted. "Alright, here we go. Mind the cut, will you? It's just started to close up." Percy pulled himself up, leaning hard on his right side.
Bladen crouched nearby and held his arms out.
Percy moved his left arm to cover Bladen's, grasping his forearm. His tail thrashed up and down in the water, pushing him up as he tried to pull himself out of the water and up onto the rock.
Bladen braced himself and grabbed his other arm, pulling him up over the lip of the tide pool. He weighed a ton.
Percy gasped and hissed a curse. His grip on Bladen's arms slackened for a second before tightening again. His face contorted in pain.
Bladen breathed out a distracted apology, extended his legs, and heaved upwards and backwards. His left foot slipped and shot forward, throwing them both down onto the rocks.
Percy hissed through gritted teeth and clawed at the ground with his webbed hands, simultaneously trying to turn on his back and keep from being dragged back in the pool by the weight of his massive tail.
Bladen got up and took his arms, twisting him onto his back and pulling him further out of the pool. When he flipped onto his back, Bladen got a good look at the cause of his agony. A deep gash in his left side, now open and weeping blood. It began at the bottom of his rib cage and stretched past his navel.
Bladen released his grip and started pacing frantically, his hands held up to the sides of his face. He rasped expletives.
Percy pressed his palms into his wound and pulled his tailfin out of the tide pool, curling it to the side and shifting the rest of his body to lie completely flat on the ground. He tried to breathe using only his upper chest to lessen the strain on his wound, but he started hyperventilating instead. He took a deep breath to try to even out his breathing pattern, but it was cut short as he exhaled in an anguished wail.
Bladen dropped to the ground next to him. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, oh my god. What can I do? What should I—How—Oh god."
Bladen leaned over him, hands reaching and mapping but never touching. Percy's eyes opened and locked with his.
Bladen stilled, pulling his hands away. "Don't worry, it's okay. I'm going to, um. Get something to help stop the bleeding, alright? I'll be right back." Bladen rushed away. Percy watched him go around to the other side of the pool and bend down to gather some things in his arms.
He trotted back over and dropped his clothes on the ground next to Percy, then pulled his teal shirt from it and wrapped it up into a roll. He shuffled closer. "Here. This should help keep it in. I mean, stop the bleeding."
Percy took hissing breaths through his clenched teeth. He deftly removed his bloody hands from the wound, took the roll of fabric, and pressed it against his cut. He craned his neck, looking to make sure he covered the length of the cut. It was fine. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes. "'M not sure if this is better or worse," he mumbled.
Bladen hovered, reluctant to judge either way. What's done was done. "I can help." he offered. He mimed a pressing motion.
Percy let out a ragged exhale. "Please."
Bladen's hands lay firmly over his own.
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Percy's breathing eventually began to even out. He flexed his hands and pulled them out from under Bladen's.
Bladen raised his eyebrow at him but let his hands go and continued pressing.
Percy gingerly moved his arms around, dispelling the stiffness that had set in without aggravating his injury. He hummed in dismay at the blood caked on his hands. He pressed his palms against his eyes and took deep breaths.
Bladen watched Percy as he cautiously adjusted his arms, as if every movement pulled strings that tugged on his wound. He looked down at his own hands, where his light shirt was growing dark. He watched the blood spread through the threads, saturating the material. "I think," he said softly, "I think it's slowing down?"
Percy lifted his hands off his face and looked at him. "Mm?"
Bladen smiled weakly. He gestured with his head to the wound. "I think the bleeding is slowing down," he said.
Percy slowly brought his hands back down to his wound. "I suppose that's an improvement," he mumbled.
They were silent for minute. Percy huffed. "I was looking for a corrugated crab."
Bladen blinked. "Beg pardon?"
"When I got cut. You saw the crater, right? Well, I didn't. I came out here looking for corrugated crabs. They're extremely rare, but yesterday's storm set the perfect conditions for them to wash up onto the rocks here, if there are any. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I'm a biologist, you see."
Bladen nodded. "I get it. I'm a chemist, myself."
"Oh, go figure. So, I was dragging myself all over the beach when finally, I saw one! Just a few meters ahead of me. It noticed me and started running away, so I chased after it as fast as I could. Blasted thing disappeared, and I didn't notice the crater's edge until too late. I launched over the lip and slid down, and that damned rock was right there. I fell right on top of it and it just sliced…" Percy's hands pressed over his eyes again and he let out a shaky sigh.
"That's awful," Bladen murmured. He thought about saying sorry, as people often did in such situations, but it didn't feel right. "Do you want to take over here?" He shifted his legs under himself and flexed one of his hands. He looked at Percy expectantly and wiggled his elbows. Percy snorted and moved his hands to cover Bladen's. "Ok, now I'm just going to..." Bladen trailed off as he pulled his hands out from under Percy's, leaving him to press on the shirt.
He stood up and pressed his palm to his head as a small wave of dizziness washed over him. He stared at his bloody hands before shrugging and wiping them off on his boxers. He finally let his hands rest on his hips as he paced back and forth, frowning. After a few seconds, he crouched to look at Percy and the soaked shirt he held. He looked at his face, noting that his eyes followed his movements without any noticeable lag. His left leg jittered up and down, and he covered his mouth with one hand.
"Okay. Alright. Okay. I've got a plan. Mostly." He looked Percy in the eye. "First, I'm going to give you my vest and trousers to soak up more blood." He reached over to where he'd dropped the rest of his clothes and pulled the items over, holding them up into Percy's line of sight. "I'm pretty sure that's one of the things you're supposed to do. Just put more absorbent stuff on top, don't take the shirt off."
"Sounds right," Percy said. His eyes crinkled with pain.
Bladen fished a set of keys and a few salt tablets from his trousers pocket before folding it up. He folded his vest up as well, and shaped both garments into a bundle that would cover Percy's cut. He held them out to Percy, who accepted them with a grateful hum.
"Good. Great." Bladen clapped a hand to his knee and stood up. "Major milestone here; first part of the plan is complete. Great job." He gave Percy a wide grin.
Percy rolled his eyes and gave him a halfhearted grin in return. "Now what?"
"Second part of the plan: I'm going to get us some help. I left my phone in the car, so I've got to go get it. I'll be gone for a while, and then I'll come right back. Promise." He shoved his feet into his sandals and set off.
"Wait!" Percy yelled.
"I'll be quick!" Bladen yelled back.
Bladen picked up the pace and started jogging, careful not to lose his footing on the uneven rock. He glanced up at his truck, then back at Percy. "He'll be fine," he huffed to himself. "It's just a few minutes."
Past the rocks, he ran across the field between him and the gravel road where his car sat. His keys and salt tablets were gripped tightly in one fist. He slowed too late and smacked against the car. He fumbled his keys into the lock. He yanked the door open and threw the salt tablets into the cup holder.
Bladen hopped into the driver's seat and reached over to open the glove box. He snatched his smartphone from the pile of mustard packets and plastic utensils. He unlocked it and tapped the first contact in his video call history. He unwrapped a salt tablet, popped it into his mouth and chewed it. The lingering dizziness subsided.
His leg bounced as he listened to the tone on his phone. "Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up already…" He'd started digging under the car seats and inside the glove compartment when the ringing stopped.
"Hello? Bladen?" said the voice on the other side of the call. Bladen held the phone in front of his face. On the screen was a gaunt face with a frizzy gray mustache. The voice on the other end gasped.
"Chiron!" Bladen yelled. "Don't want to freak you out, but I need your help as a medical professional. But first, where's the first aid kit in this car?"
"You're filthy! First aid k—are you okay!? It should be in the passenger side door, in that bottom thing where extra napkins go. Is that blood!? Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine, I need you for—" He looked in the side of the door, the checked the other door. "Chiron, it's not here. Where else might the kit be?"
"Under the seats?"
"Nope."
Chiron grumbled and the perspective on the phone changed as he stood and walked into a different room. "Remus?" he called, "Where'd we put the first aid kit? Bladen needs it. It's in the car, isn't it?"
"What?" a different voice answered him. "No, it's in the kitchen cabinet. Is he alright?"
"He says he is, but he isn't wearing any clothes and he's covered in blood!"
"And?" said Remus.
"Oi! Chiron!" Bladen yelled at the phone in his hand. "Calm down and listen."
"I'm listening, Bladen." Chiron looked directly into the camera, eyes squinted in concern.
Bladen could hear Remus in the background, whispering, "Would you please sit down so I can see?"
"Okay. I have to head back to the beach soon," Bladen said, "and I'll explain everything in a bit, but right now I need to know if there's anything in this car that can be used to help a merperson with his side slashed open."
Chiron's eyes widened, and he held a hand up to his mouth. The back of a couch came into view on the phone screen as he sat down, and Remus scooted into frame, winding an arm around Chiron's neck and resting his head on his shoulder.
Chiron let his breath out in a quiet hiss. "Okay. There's a huge blanket in the pocket behind the driver's seat. There might be some water bottles there too, but I'm not sure. I think that's it."
"Thanks," Bladen replied. He pulled out the blanket and folded it into a sack. He threw in a whole pack of salt tablets along with the loose ones. He put the two water bottles and flashlight he found into it and left the car, not bothering to lock it.
He trotted back towards the beach, slower now that he had to carry things. On his way he explained what he had found on the beach and how he'd helped Percy.
He took a few more steps in silence. "Hope he's still okay," he mumbled.
"We'll help, Bladen. Any way we can," Chiron said.
"Yeah," Remus agreed. "Should I… call someone? There's got to be somebody around who's more qualified than us, right? I mean I know we're pretty much alone out here, but…"
"Thanks mate. Yeah, see if you can find anything."
"Bladen," Chiron started, his voice taking on a brisk but calm tone. "I need you to answer as best you can. What symptoms was he showing?"
"Uhh, pain?" Bladen said. "And trouble breathing for a bit, but he got it under control. Looked like it hurt to breathe though. And move. A ton of blood? Oh, and he was conscious and alert when I left him."
"Okay. Bladen, do you know how long ago he was injured?"
"When I ran across it the blood was still mostly wet. It'd be, maybe twenty minutes ago? Ten? I'm not sure."
"That's alright Bladen. Can you estimate how much blood he's lost?"
"Ah, hm." Bladen went quiet for a few seconds. "More than a liter, I'd say. Maybe two, possibly even three. I wouldn't rule out three and a half, especially if he's been bleeding for longer than I think. Percentage-wise I have no idea. With the tail, he's a lot bigger than any human."
Chiron was silent.
It was few more seconds before Bladen noticed. "Chiron? Chiron. Tell me he's going to be okay. Please."
Remus swore almost inaudibly.
Chiron sighed. "How much would you estimate he weighed?"
"Easily twice as much as you do, maybe three times." Bladen answered tersely. "Chiron—"
"Then he might be okay. That, plus his condition when you left, leads me to believe that he'll be fine if he gets help, which we're doing," Chiron said. "Which you've already done."
Bladen took a deep breath and released it gradually. "Good. Yes. Right." He kept running, eyes darting over the ground in front of him and back up to Percy, who he could see more clearly now. "Hey! I'm coming! I got stuff!"
Percy didn't respond. Bladen swore breathlessly and strained to run faster on the uneven ground. He skidded to a stop next to Percy, who moved his head at the sound of his approach.
"Oh, thank goodness you're alive," Bladen said in a rush of breath. "Okay. Hey, are you okay? You—"
He leaned over with his hands on his knees and got a good look at Percy while he caught his breath and let his thudding heart slow down.
"Ohh you're not. You—You're crying. Oh."
Percy had opened his eyes a bit and was looking at Bladen. He'd been in the sun long enough that most of the water from the tide pool had evaporated off his scales, but tear tracks sparkled on the sides of his scrunched-up face.
"Ohh It's okay, it's fine…" Bladen soothed. He dropped his bundle and set his phone on it.
"I'm—No. It's not, it's too much. I'm gonna die. I'm not ready." Percy's speech was broken up by short, quick breaths. "Such a stupid thing, to get impaled following a bloody crab." His voice erratically swung up and down in pitch. As he blinked, fresh teardrops ran down his face and along the edges of the fins on the side of his head. "I never even—No. No. I don't want to go. I don't!"
Bladen lowered himself to his knees. "Easy Percy, it's okay, we're gonna help you out. It's okay to be scared or worried or—or any number of emotions, really. Can't say this is fantastic situation you're in, but we're gonna help make it better, alright?"
He shuffled a bit closer and surveyed the scene. Percy had stayed exactly where he'd left him. More blood had soaked into the bundle of clothes gripped tightly to his wound, but there were still dry spots. Percy's elbows trembled, likely from pressing his hands down for so long. His breathing rate had increased, and he was tense all over.
"Alright, looks like the blood flow has stopped, or at least slowed down a whole lot. That's good. Um."
Percy sobbed.
"The pulse, Bladen!" Chiron's voice called from the phone atop the blanket bundle. "Check his pulse already!"
Percy flinched at the new voice but relaxed marginally when he saw that Bladen's phone was the source.
"Right!" Bladen said. "But where? Neck, wrist? And what's it supposed to feel like? The cardiovascular system's different, isn't it?" Bladen glanced at Percy, hoping he might know, but he shook his head.
"I know it, but I'm drawing a blank."
Chiron groaned. "Hold on, Remus is looking it up. If I remember right, it should be similar enough for us to find some way to help. Get anything yet?" His question was directed at Remus.
"Yeah, one sec. Okay, got it," Remus said. "Internet says wrist. Should be a firm, steady pulse, comparable to that of a healthy human, maybe a bit slower. So maybe feel your own pulse so you have a comparison. Just consider that you've been running."
"That and the fact that my normal blood pressure's not exactly what you'd call healthy," Bladen said.
"Oh right, yeah," Remus said. "Listen, just estimate, okay?"
Percy watched Bladen take his pulse. Bladen stuck his tongue out as he calculated the heart rate and compared it to human norms. He sighed.
"It's fast and weak," he reported. "It almost matches mine in speed, and mine's too fast to begin with." He frowned at Percy. "And you're really cold. Are you usually this cold?"
"No." Percy closed his eyes. Bladen thought he looked more resentful than resigned. "I knew it."
"Now, hang on," Chiron said. "Just because you've lost blood doesn't mean you're going to die. Take my word as a neurosurgeon." He paused. "I'm Chiron, by the way. My husband here is Remus. Not that introductions are terrifically important right now."
"Suppose you already know I'm Percy," he droned. "And no offense, but I beg to differ. I feel very much like a person who's about to die."
"Everyone shut up!" Remus hollered over the open line. "I called nine-nine-nine and they just picked up. Hello?"
Everyone stopped talking. Remus's voice carried faintly over the video call. He started off quiet. He was silent when he listened to emergency services on the other side. He shouted his response. He went quiet again before cutting off the call with a loud curse.
He took over Chiron's phone and addressed everyone. "The closest medical center was forced to fire all their expert medical personnel a month ago and they're still rehiring. The most they can treat right now is a cold. The nearest center that could actually help us just had an electrical fire yesterday, so they're closed until further notice. And the nearest underwater facility is three hours away."
Percy sighed. Bladen gaped. Chiron threw something across the room.
"That's too long!" Chiron bellowed. "I'm coming down there. I'm the only one of us who knows how to properly clean and stitch a wound like that."
Bladen snatched his phone off the blanket. "But I have your truck! And the boat can't make it out here, it's too shallow!"
"Then I'll beach the damn thing and run the rest of the way! I don't care!"
"Neurosurgeon or not, I doubt he has the equipment with him," Percy mumbled. He looked intrigued though, which Bladen counted as an improvement.
Remus sighed. "Oh, he does."
"Alright," Chiron said. Bladen and Percy could hear objects clattering against each other as he gathered his things. "We'll be down in a jiffy. Bladen, keep the pressure on and keep Percy warm no matter what. Figure out a way to elevate his tail; we need blood in the torso more than the extremities right now. Have you got any salt tablets?"
Bladen gasped. "Yes! Should I put them in the water bottles?"
"No, it's better if he chews them. Pour the water over his gills periodically. It'll keep him hydrated more effectively. I know it's freshwater, but it's the best we've got right now, and the salt tablets should make up for it."
"Roger." Bladen nodded.
"Okay, that's all for now. Remus and I are just boarding, so we should be there in half an hour. Percy?"
Bladen held the phone out so Percy could see. "Yes?"
Chiron spoke with kind authority. "Focus on staying alive, awake, and calm. It makes a real difference. This isn't the end, kid. You've got to fight for it, but you've got lots of life ahead of you. Latch onto it, and don't let it go."
Percy's eyes started welling up again. "Okay," he croaked.
Chiron nodded and ended the call.
Bladen gave Percy a salt tablet to chew. He gathered some loose rocks and gently propped up his tail.
Percy kept up the pressure on his cut and watched Bladen pensively. He insisted on watering his gills himself, despite his shaky hands. Flaps on the sides of his rib cage flexed open and the water was absorbed into the bright red flesh inside.
Bladen capped the bottle for him and set it aside for later. He threw the blanket over Percy. It only covered the top third of him, leaving most of his tail out. "How comfortable are you with touch?"
"You want to share body heat," Percy guessed flatly. "I'm not exactly the touchy-feely sort, but I think I can make an exception, given the circumstances."
"Brilliant. For the record, I am absolutely the touchy-feely sort." Bladen arranged their supplies so that they were within reach, then sat down and scooted under the blanket with Percy. His leg pressed against Percy's tail and his arm squished against his uninjured side.
Percy stiffened at first, but slowly settled down. He leaned into Bladen's hot skin. The heavy blanket did a good job at trapping their body heat.
"My head hurts," Percy muttered after a few minutes. "And I'm exhausted. Would you please pinch me if I start to doze off? I don't want to risk it."
"Of course," Bladen murmured. "How's the pain?"
"Still awful, but duller somehow. It's probably a bad sign, but at least I can breathe without feeling like my chest is wrapped in barbed wire."
"Ouch. Sounds like a fair trade to me."
The two of them fell silent for some time, absorbing the sunlight and shared warmth. After a while Bladen splashed more water on Percy's gills and gave him a few salt tablets.
After they settled back down, Bladen looked over at Percy, his voice soft and serious. "I'm glad I found you."
Percy returned his gaze. "Me too. Even if…" He swallowed. "You know." He looked away, then sharply turned back. "Don't start talking about the future and how things are going to be perfect from here on. I hate that. When that happens in movies or books, the person always dies. I hate it."
Bladen let out a startled laugh. "I won't! I wasn't going to do that anyway. It feels disrespectful."
Percy hummed in agreement and closed his eyes.
Bladen inhaled sharply.
"Calm down, I'm still awake," Percy snapped. He yawned. "Well, if this all goes pear-shaped at least I won't have to deal with recovery. I've heard it's a royal pain."
"Rubbish," Bladen said. "People our age can't think like that. Recovery sucks, but it's worth it. Besides, you get flowers and chocolate and stuff. I got this fruit bouquet-thing after I got my appendix out and it was absolutely delicious."
Percy grinned weakly. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad."
He grew pensive again after a while and turned to Bladen, eyes barely open. "You've done so much to help me, and we're not even sure if… Why?"
Bladen blinked slowly at him. "You needed help, mate, why else?"
Percy looked back up to the sky. "When you came back, I wasn't sure if you were real or just a hallucination at first. And when I thought for sure there was nothing we could do, you and your friends insisted on trying anyway."
Bladen gazed intensely at him. "Tough things happen no matter what. The only way to get through life is to fight for every second you can get. Sometimes people need help with that, and that's okay."
Percy gave him a thoughtful glance and small nod. For the next ten minutes, the two of them murmured comments on the clouds to each other to stay awake. Percy's answers gradually got shorter until he was only humming noncommittally to whatever Bladen said. Bladen pinched his face whenever he took too long to respond.
Percy was fading, and Bladen hated not being able to do more.
A soft buzz grew to a roar as a motorboat launched into the shore and slid across the beach. Two voices yelled in the distance, one in victory, the other in panic.
Bladen smiled and tapped at Percy's shoulder. "They're here."
Percy's eyes remained shut. His breaths were shallow but steady. "Thank you."