Okay everyone, this is a loooong chapter (but not the last!) I hope it all makes sense, of course, I'm editing as I go. Anyway, I can't believe the response this has gotten, thank you all soooo much! Enjoy chapter 10! (Slight edits have happened...)
"Everyone is to do exactly as I say," announced Dr Kai Yin. "Tenzin, you and the other benders are to keep any effects of Bolin's bending at bay, you are not to interfere with the procedure itself, am I clear?"
"Yes," came the solid reply from everyone.
"Then let's begin."
The nurses went to Bolin and began removing drug lines and tubes, even his surgery bandages, exposing the neat rows of dark stitches that snaked together and held his still-raw wounds closed. The only device they left was a single monitor, clipped to his finger, to read his vitals and temperature. The last thing to go was the oxygen mask and tube, and immediately Bolin was gasping, small blips chirping from the monitor. Mako fought the urge to step forward. Bolin was lifted from the bed, his limbs as limp as a rag doll, and lowered into the waterbending pool. Immediately, the waterbenders set about making it glow a beautiful, shimmering blue. It seemed to steady Bolin's breathing but only slightly, and there was a calm silence before Dr Kai Yin began again.
"We have to keep his lungs clear while Jinora and the Avatar enter the spirit world. This will require bending the fluid out of his lungs as it happens." One of the waterbenders answered.
"We're on it," she said, and made a delicate motion with her hand that drew a trickle of sickly green fluid out of Bolin's mouth and deposited it into a metal basin.
Dr Kai Yin turned to the girls. "Alright. He is as stable as he can be."
"Be careful," said Tenzin. Jinora nodded.
"Don't worry," she said, and she looked at Mako. "We'll bring him back."
Mako remained motionless. Korra and Jinora sat crosslegged on either side of Bolin's head, his face hovering above the water, black hair swirling around it. They closed their eyes and soon they were obviously in the spirit world, their bodies perfectly still husks void of a soul.
"What now?" asked Mako.
"We wait," said the doctor.
And wait they did. The benders kept the water glowing, and lapping against Bolin's body in soft waves. Every now and then, fluid was pulled from within, and Mako could smell the foulness of it from where he was standing. Jinora and Korra had not moved in some time. Dr Kai Yin continued giving instructions in a soft but firm voice, and Mako was surprised at how calm and quiet it all was.
Mako had lost track of time when he first heard it. A small groan, almost undetectable, escaped his brother's lips. He looked up, and saw that Bolin's eyebrows had become knit with a tense expression, as had Jinora and Korra's. He shot a look at the doctor, who raised his hand. A bit of this was to be expected, and Bolin was doing relatively well so far. Mako watched Bolin, and didn't take his eyes off him. Suddenly, Bolin made another painful grimace. It came as a jolt to Mako's senses when he heard Tenzin shout.
"There!" he pointed to the corner of the room. A tiny amount of molten rock seeped through a small crack. Amara and Zhoki quickly dispelled it, but Mako could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
"It's alright," said Dr Kai Yin, "just keep it at bay. It's just a small amount. As soon as they secure his spirit we can move in and stop the bending process." More lava crept through the crack, a fine line glistening as it swirled to Bolin. Tenzin blew jets of air to provide ice for Amara, and Zhoki kept moving rocks to form caps. Mako sent a few small bolts of lightning to give the rocks Zhoki was moving some form of shield against the hot earth.
"Nnnn..." Bolin began to toss his head. A waterbender pulled out more fluid, but the lava stream was getting stronger. Zhoki ran out of rock tablets she had brought to stop the flow, and soon had to take small chunks from through the walls and the floor. Jinora and Korra sat perfectly still as the tile floor began to crack and little pieces of earth came to the bender's aid.
For several minutes they sustained this, but time was not on their side. The moniter Bolin was attached to began to beep faster, and nurses read the numbers back as they began to fluctuate. Bolin was coughing and trembling. It seemed the drugs were beginning to wear off.
"Bolin?" he called.
"..anhh..." Bolin struggled further. Mako dodged one of Zhoki's flying rocks and a blast of Amara's water before stepping towards the pool. The doctor grabbed his wrist. Mako stopped, but called his brother again.
"Bolin?"
"AAAA-!" Bolin was beginning to scream. Jinora was motionless but her face was gripped with concentration. Korra was sweating. Her arms began to vibrate and her eyebrows drew in closer. Suddenly, Bolin let out a sharp yelp and Korra violently jerked back into the physical plane. She jumped up and ran to Tenzin, whose wind blew her hair back as he tried to seal away more lava.
"Tenzin, I'm so sorry!" She yelled over the wind.
"What is it, Korra?"
"I was with Jinora in the spirit world...we found Bolin...he was completely tangled in spirit vines, but they were black! They were attacking him. We tried to fend them off, but the spirit energy was too powerful. I-I wasn't strong enough..." Korra slammed her hand against the wall, frustrated with her still-weak Avatar spirit. There was a rumble from the wall.
"That wasn't me!" said Korra.
"It's Bolin!" said one of the benders. The nurse repeated his vitals to the doctor.
"103. 103.5. Heart beat is erratic."
"Get more fluid out."
"We are but it keeps building up faster and faster."
"The walls!" cried Amara. They were cracking, rumbling as Bolin bent the earth. The room shook like thunder. Ever more lava seeped out, it was only getting faster and stronger.
"Jinora is still in there!" bellowed Tenzin. "She can do it, we just have to keep the bending in check!"
Everyone nodded. Dr Kai Yin grabbed a syringe and jabbed it into Bolin's shoulder. "It's not a painkiller, but this should steady his heart," he said.
"Korra, help the others stop the lava. Mako, stand next to Jinora and keep her and the waterbenders safe!" said Tenzin, forcing some lava to stop in it's tracks with a powerful blast of icy wind. Mako ran to Jinora's side, deflecting the pieces of tile and cement that flew off the walls and floor with bursts of flame. Bolin was bending at about a quarter of his usual strength, and the more the drugs wore off, the more powerful the attacks became. He was writhing in the tub, holding his stomach and splashing. Mako knew he was afraid, but his focus remained on keeping the healers and Jinora, his brother's best hope for survival, safe.
"Keep going!" said one of the waterbenders.
The team worked in a flurry of earth, air, water, and fire to stem the tide of Bolin's lava. The room vibrated and deep rumbles told them the earthbenders' abilities were gaining strength. Lava began to drop from the ceiling. Amara sent water but it was starting to get so hot in the room it was mostly just evaporating. Cracks were forming in the floor, which Zhoki rushed to fill. A jet of water barely missed Jinora, and Mako blasted it out of the way, as well as breaking up the bits of rubble from the ceiling that threatened to strike the waterbenders. Zhoki ran to the doctor, who was holding Bolin's head as still as possible in the water so the bender could pull fluid-and some of the water he had inhaled-from his lungs.
"Doctor, I'm running out of earth to bend to protect us and the patient," she panted. "If I keep this up soon the structure of the room will be compromised and it could cave in on us."
"Just a little longer!" shouted Mako, burning a piece of falling rubble to a crisp. Bolin screamed and a stream of lava shot from a crack in the wall. Amara and Tenzin went to stop it, but they barely managed to contain it. The ceiling gave a violent tremor as Bolin squirmed. Dr Kai Yin shot Mako a look, but Mako pleaded with his eyes.
Jinora's face tightened, and she sweated with exertion. Bolin, it seemed, had nothing left in his system to protect him from the pain. Droplets of blood began to leak out into the glowing water, which was getting dirty with ash and debris.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGH!" Bolin let out a final scream before going completely limp. The last of his medication had worn off. Nothing was stopping his bending. Massive cracks formed in the walls, and lava streams trickled down them in blistering waterfalls. The team kept bending, but a piece of rock flew out and struck one of the waterbenders in the leg. He yelped with pain and crumpled, clutching his wound. The other bender kept going, but the water was weaker now.
"Enough!" bellowed Dr Kai Yin. "We have to end this!"
"No!" cried Mako.
"Fever at 106. Heart is stopping," called the nurse.
"I can't risk my staff, and Bolin is past the point of no return. We have to go. Now." Dr Kai Yin helped the injured waterbender to stand.
"Please! PLEASE!" Mako begged, as Korra took up the healer's position.
"There's still a chance," yelled Tenzin over the noise, and gestured towards his daughter. "She can do this, I know she can!"
Part of the ceiling, weakened, collapsed loudly, raining dirt and debris and flecks of lava down on the group. Mako covered Jinora with his body. Her face was still determined, her teeth clenched. Mako shot a look to his brother. Bolin was dirty, bleeding, and obviously the last of life was leaving him. Another showering of dirt landed on their heads. Dr Kai Yin ordered the other bender to stop water treatment, and the nurse began counting down Bolin's rapidly descending numbers.
"I am ordering this operation over," said Dr Kai Yin.
"No!" said Korra, keeping the water glowing brightly. "I won't give up!" Tenzin, a gash on his cheek, kept trying to stem the flow, and Zhoki was supporting the roof.
"Mako, I'm sorry but it's over," Dr Kai Yin turned to pull his injured staff member to safety. Mako felt so torn. He knew what he was saying was true...the others were risking their lives. But how could he stop? How could he leave Bolin? He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Amara. There were tears in her eyes.
"Mako, you have to let him go."
Let him go.
Let them go.
Let your parents go.
Let Bolin go.
"NO!" Mako screamed so hard his vocal chords nearly snapped. "I WON'T LET HIM GO!"
He leapt into the water, waist deep, and held his brother. Mako cradled his drooping head, and pressed his forehead to Bolin's.
"Jinora, Jinora, keep going!" he begged, his eyes closed tight, tears streaming out of them. "Get him back...Bolin...come back to me! It's me, Mako! I love you! Please, you can't leave me, little bro. Keep fighting! You're so strong. Stronger than I've ever been! I'm sorry, Bolin, so so sorry for ever pushing you away! Come back, Bolin, or I'll never forgive you! Bolin, COME BAAAACK!"
There was a huge surge, like an earthquake, that sent the water in the pool sloshing everywhere, and the others falling to their knees. It was deafening, but followed by silence and stillness. The lava cooled and hardened, and the pool water stopped emanating light. The room was dark, dank, and dirty. When everything had settled, Mako was still clutching Bolin, the pool half empty, staring at his unresponsive figure with horror in his eyes. No. It couldn't be true. Bolin couldn't be gone. Tenzin ran to Jinora. She had been knocked out of the lotus position, and was having difficulty waking up. Tenzin called to her, and she stirred softly, but was struggling to come to.
Mako shook Bolin by the shoulders, and patted his cheek.
"Please, Bo, please wake up, please wake up, WAKE UP GOD DAMN IT!"
Nothing happened.
Bolin was gone.
"No...no no no BOLIN NOOOOO!" Mako pulled Bolin close to him and buried his face deep into his shoulder, and sobbed. His body wracked with aching cries and his screams tore his throat. Korra buried her face in her hands, and even Amara, Zhoki, and the waterbenders wiped their eyes. Dr Kai Yin looked grave.
In Tenzin's arms, Jinora's eyes opened slowly. She looked up at her father. "Dad?"
"Oh Jinora," Tenzin wrapped his arms around her and wept.
"Dad, it's okay," she said softly. Tenzin kissed the top of her head.
"I know, my love. You did everything you could, I am proud of you," Tenzin's voice trembled.
"No, Dad," said Jinora more firmly, pushing out of his grip ever so slightly. "It's okay." She pointed to the pool. Mako still sobbed, inconsolable, into Bolin's shoulder. He was crying so hard, he didn't hear the faint beep of the monitor. One of the nurses clapped her hand to her mouth, and Korra stared in shock.
"Bolin...Bolin...no..." Mako continued to sob. As he wrapped his arms impossibly tightly around his brother's battered frame, he felt something.
Bolin stirred.
"BOLIN?!" Mako sat up and held his brother in view. Bolin's eyes were open. They were fever-bright and exhausted, but they focused on Mako.
"M...mako..." he croaked, smiling faintly. Mako's jaw dropped. Bolin's eyes darted around the ravaged room.
"W...what...what'd I miss?" he asked innocently. Bolin's voice was raw and shaken, but it was there. He smiled as he slipped into unconsciousness again, but he was breathing. Mako could barely see past all the tears spilling out of his amber eyes. Dr Kai Yin pushed past him with the nurses, and hauled Bolin out of the pool. They pulled the stretcher out from where it lay buried under some earth and placed Bolin onto it. A nurse grabbed some syringes from the medical cart, at least the ones that had escaped damage, and they began wheeling him up the hall as Dr Kai Yin gave orders. Korra and Zhoki helped the injured waterbender. Tenzin and Jinora and Amara pulled Mako out of the pool, but he was too overwhelmed to stand. He knelt on the floor, his arms entangled with theirs, as he cried openly and without shame. Tears of joy. Tears of unbelievable, unbridled joy.