"Victor! Victor! Where is he?"
"Luke, I need you to calm down, my friend. Peter Sam is-"
"I need to see him! I have to!" Luke wailed, tears running down his face.
"It'll be alright, Luke- let me handle this." Skarloey assured, firmly but gently.
"Thank you, Skarloey," Victor sighed, feeling a sharp pang in his firebox as he watched Rheneas lead to the sobbing green engine into a corner where the other narrow gauge engines were waiting for news about their friend.
"What's the news on him, Victor?" The Thin Controller spoke up, coming down from Skarloey's cab. "He'll be alright, yes?" He inquired, both calm and worried.
Victor paused, wondering if he should continue. At last, he made a decision.
"He'll be fine, sir." He spoke, evenly, and a chorus of relieved sighs from both the engines and Mr. Percival filled the Steamworks.
"But, you all, Peter Sam is pretty banged up," The Cuban engine continued solemnly. "He'll need a new boiler, new wheels, a new water tank- he's completely busted. While it won't be too bad of a job to fix him physically, the mental scarring of this accident will be
The engines felt drained of emotion upon hearing these words. The Thin Controller's heart sank. Peter Sam was always so vibrant, lively, hard-working. How could this have happened?
For the engines, their 'brother's' life could possibly be changed forever- knowing Peter Sam, this accident could take years to overcome emotionally.
As for their controller, it was like one of his children had been diagnosed with a disease that could take years to cure.
And of course, all seven of them knew this was not the first time Peter Sam had been seriously hurt- why, even after all of these years, the green engine had yet to forget about his accident at the incline.
Even so, Peter Sam was still able to carry on with his work, albeit with difficulty. But the others were worried-what if the effects of this accident were worse?
"When can we see him, Victor?" Rusty asked from the back.
"It'll be a few hours, but I'll make sure you all get to see him before dawn," Victor reassured kindly. "If anything, you're what he needs the most right now." He smiled in an attempt to comfort the other engines. It was feeble, but effective, as the engines smiled back softly.
But the endless anxiety over their friend still lingered in the air like smoke.
...
So sorry for not updating this story! I've been out of ideas on where to go from the last chapter- that and trying to find some inspiration from my own accident- still foggy, but coming together, nonetheless. Hope you enjoyed this update! :D