Well, this turned out longer than expected.

"Good morning," Wu called as Garmadon entered the courtyard.

"Bah! I don't know why you insist on waking everyone up at the crack of dawn each morning, or why you have to be so chipper about it," Garmadon grumbled.

"You're the one who insists we fight Chen as soon as possible. The earlier everyone gets up, the more training can be done. The more we train, the sooner we can attack."

"Chen's not going to wake up before noon. His army will be more active at night while we sleep!"

"So we attack in the morning and catch him off guard. Besides, Father always said-"

"It is too dang early for you to be spouting off Father's nonsense."

"It's not nonsense!"

"It is before noon."

Wu was about to argue back but caught himself when he saw the girls walk out. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

"Hello. Where are the guys?"

"Dunno," Libby yawned.

"They probably decided it's too early to be up," Garmadon muttered under his breath.

Wu glared at his brother. A moment later, the guys arrived. They all were sweaty and looked tired. Ice in particular looked to be in bad shape as he collapsed on the ground.

"What happened to you?" Garmadon asked.

"Ray is sick. He turned our room into a freaking sauna! One of you needs to go talk to him, like, now," Hermes explained.

Garmadon had his arms crossed and Wu didn't want to argue with him in front of everyone.

"I'll go if you can get everyone warmed up," Wu offered.

"Absolutely. We'll start with my favorite position: the corpse pose. Everybody lie down!"

Wu sighed and headed inside. He noticed the hallway outside of the bedrooms was warmer than the rest of the monastery. As soon as he opened the door to the guys' room, a wall of heat hit him. He had to pause before he could enter.

"Ray?"

"Huh." Ray was sitting on his bed, leaning against the support beam for the top bunk. His eyes were closed and his hair was a mess. He also had a blanket around his shoulders.

"Are you cold?" Wu asked as he opened the window.

Ray slowly nodded. As he shivered, the room got hotter.

"Okay. Go ahead and lie down. I'll be right back."

"No, I'm fine. I can train." Ray stood up and grabbed the support beam.

"Ray, you obviously do not feel well. You need to rest. Get back in bed while I look for the thermometer. That's an order."

Ray yawned and did as he was told.

As Wu searched for the thermometer, he wondered if taking Ray's temperature was even worth it. He assumed Ray's body temperature was the same as anyone else's body temperature, but he didn't know for sure. Even if it was the same, Ray could stand high temperatures and Wu didn't know at what temperature Ray would start to feel ill. He found the thermometer and returned to find Ray still awake, but lying on his bed.

"Ray, sit up for me please."

Ray groaned but sat up.

"Open."

"What is that?" Ray mumbled.

"The thermometer. It goes under your tongue. Open."

Ray stared at the thermometer.

"Ray, open. Now."

Ray obliged and Wu stuck the thermometer in. In less than thirty seconds, the red liquid reached the end of the thermometer.

"Uh, yes. Go back to sleep, Ray. I'll be by later to check on you. Keep the window open."

"I can train," Ray yawned.

"No, you're not. Now get back into bed before I chain you to the bed."

Ray nodded and climbed under the covers. Wu quietly closed the door behind him and ran to the courtyard. The guys were all asleep and the girls were sitting in a circle, quietly talking amongst themselves. Wu walked over to Garmadon, who was softly snoring.

"Garmadon!" Wu gently kicked his brother in the ribs.

"Huh? Oh. Uh, good job everyone! You can sit up and stretch your arms now. Ice, you alive over there?" Garmadon asked as the rest of the guys slowly sat up.

Ice gave a thumbs up but didn't sit up.

"Ray not coming?" Garmadon asked.

"No. He maxed out the thermometer." Wu handed it to Garmadon.

"He maxed it out? I didn't know that was even possible."

"Unless we have one that goes much higher, we won't be able to get an accurate read until he's better."

"Okay."

"I'll take over now."

"You sure? I can finish."

Wu looked around. The guys were still half-asleep and the girls were whispering amongst themselves.

"I'm sure."

Maya felt bad for Ray. Wu told him to stay on the couch in the living room in an attempt to keep the bedroom clean and so Ray could at least heat the whole monastery. However, Ray kept insisting he was well enough to participate and no one could convince him otherwise. Wu even threatened to tie him to the couch with vengestone chains if he didn't rest.

"Hey, babe, you feeling any better?" Maya asked when she brought Ray some soup for dinner.

"Eh. I still say I could've trained." Ray slowly sat up.

"Well, you really didn't miss much. Garmadon tried to do Sunrise Stretches this morning and he ended up falling asleep. He and Wu have been going at it all day."

"Wow. How's Ice?"

"He's fine. He's just being overdramatic. So, how are you radiating heat? Nothing like this happens when I get sick."

"I honestly don't know. I'm not doing anything."

"You have to be doing something. I've been here for two minutes and I'm sweating."

Ray shrugged and ate his soup.

The next afternoon, Ray was even worse. He was breathing harder and he mumbled when he spoke. When Maya brought him some more soup, he looked past her.

"Ray?" Maya set the soup down on the coffee table. She instinctively put the back of her hand on his forehead but gasped and quickly pulled it back as soon as she touched him. She used her powers to run cool water over the red mark on her hand. Ray slowly opened his eyes.

"Ray?" Maya asked again.

Ray groaned and turned towards the bathrooms.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"Hurts to… to get there," Ray mumbled.

"It hurts? Where does it hurt?"

"Leg."

Maya noticed he had his right leg propped up on a pillow. She carefully lifted his pants leg and gasped. He had a cut on the side of his calf, and even though he had wrapped it in a bandage, she could see pus leaking out from under the bandage and the surrounding area was red and swollen.

"Wu! Garmadon! Anybody! Get in here!"

"What is it?" Wu asked as he came into the room.

Maya stood up and pointed at Ray's leg.

"Garmadon!" Wu called.

"What do you want?" Garmadon came in from the kitchen, and the elemental masters trickled in behind him.

"We need to get him to a hospital."

"He's too hot to touch." Maya showed them her hand.

"How did this happen?" Wu asked as he tried to examine Ray's leg.

"He cut himself during training a few days ago, but he told me he was alright," Garmadon said.

"Obviously he isn't. Ray, can you sit up for me?"

Ray moaned and pulled the blanket closer.

"Well, how do you propose we get him down the mountain?" Garmadon asked.

Wu looked around. Everyone was staring at him.

"Maya, can you and Ice cool him down?" Wu asked.

"Ice has his head out the bedroom window because he can't stand the heat," Hermes said.

Maya tried to pour water over Ray with her powers, but it evaporated before it reached his body.

"Hermes, get Ice in here. Brother, come with me." Wu dragged Garmadon towards their bedrooms.

Ice protested as Hermes plopped him down in front of Ray, but he did try to use his powers to try and cool Ray down. The heat melted the ice, but the mist landed on Ray, who groaned when he felt the cold.

"It's okay," Maya whispered.

Wu and Garmadon returned with some fabric.

"Hermes, come here," Wu said.

"Why? What is that?" Hermes asked.

"It's kevlar. Stick out your arms."

"Why?"

"We only have enough for one person and you're the only one who can carry him by yourself," Garmadon said.

"Where did you get that?" Libby asked.

"Our father liked to be prepared for any situation," Wu explained as he and Garmadon wrapped Hermes in the chartreuse fabric.

A few minutes later, everyone except for Ice, Libby, and Cara made their way down the mountain. Ray tried to protest, but he quickly wore himself out and resigned to Hermes carrying him. It was slow going down, but an ambulance was already waiting for them at the bottom. The EMTs would only allow one person to ride, so Wu went with them to the hospital.

Only Hermes and Maya decided to walk the hour and a half to the hospital while everyone else went back up to the monastery. When they arrived, Wu was flipping through an old magazine. They ran over to him.

"How is he?" Maya asked.

"It's not good. The cut on his leg is badly infected and he has developed sepsis. They have him on a strong fever reducer and some antibiotics, but there is a real chance he won't make it through the night," Wu explained.

"Can I see him?"

"No. I think they might still be doing some tests. They said they'll tell us when he can have visitors."

"Why didn't he tell anyone when his leg wasn't healing?" Hermes asked.

"I wish I knew," Wu admitted.

It was almost seven the next morning when a nurse told them they could see him. The trio followed her to Ray's ICU unit. There were two fans in the room blowing cool air on him, two large ice packs were on either side of him, his leg was wrapped and propped up, and he had multiple IV lines attached to him.

"He's sedated, so he's not going to wake up anytime soon." The nurse closed the door almost all the way shut behind her.

Maya sat down in the chair by the bed and slowly took his hand. He was still warm to the touch, but he wasn't burning her.

"Oh, Ray. I'm going to kill you if you survive this," Maya whispered.

It took a week before Ray started to improve and another week before he started to feel like his old self. As soon as the infection in his leg was under control, the doctors stitched the gash up. Shortly thereafter they moved him out of ICU and into a regular room, which meant the others could visit him for longer periods of time. Maya would've lived at the hospital if she had been allowed. As it was, she only came by after lunch and stayed until about eight. Most days she was accompanied by some combination of Wu and the other Elemental Masters.

One day, before lunch, Hermes came by himself to visit.

"Where's Maya and Wu?" Ray asked.

"Wu went to go find another elemental master, and Maya got roped into babysitting Cara. How are you doing today?"

"They won't let me out of here."

"Well, you did nearly die."

"But I feel fine now."

"Ray…"

"No, it's true. My leg doesn't hurt anymore and I feel perfectly fine."

"You said that before and ended up in the ICU on death's door," Hermes argued back.

"But it's true this time. I'm fine. Honest."

"Why did you even let it get so bad in the first place? Why not just tell us you weren't feeling good? It's okay to take a sick day."

"... I was fired for missing work," Ray said softly.

"Your blacksmithing job in Ninjago City?"

Ray nodded.

"How many days did you miss?" Hermes asked.

"One."

"One? How long did you work there?"

"Almost two years."

"And in those two years, how many days did you miss?"

"Just the one."

"Were you late all the time? Did you like to leave early?"

"No. I went in early and stayed late every single day."

"Why did you miss work that day?"

"My mom died."

"What? He fired you because… How old were you when this happened?"

"Fourteen. It was the only job I could get."

"You were twelve when you started working? That's illegal. You have to be thirteen to get a job."

"He paid me under the table. I needed the money."

"Well, I'd say you were lucky you got out when you did. I want to say what he did was illegal but I'm not sure. Your boss really fired you for missing one day of work?"

Ray nodded.

"Dang."

"I think my boss was cheating me out of my wages, but I could never prove it."

"And that's why, for better or for worse, unions exist."

Ray tried to roll over as best he could with his leg still propped up.

"Now what's wrong?" Hermes asked.

"I'm tired of being stuck here. And I don't know how I'm supposed to pay for this. I don't exactly have a savings account set up."

"I thought Wu was going to pay for it."

"Is he?"

"I dunno. Did you ask him?"

"I don't want to ask him. I'm tired of always going to him for things. Besides, he just bought me new shoes."

"Because your old shoes were four sizes too small and falling apart at the seams!"

Ray looked away.

"Oh, don't give me that. You have to be willing to ask people for help. You just said you can't afford this."

"Hermes, it's embarrassing to constantly have to beg for money. I want to be able to pay for my own things. I want to be able to walk into a store and get what I need without having to worry if I'll have enough money. I want to be able to afford to live like a normal person for once in my life."

A nurse came in and stuck a thermometer in Ray's mouth, ending the argument. She tisked when she saw the results.

"Still a hundred and ten." The nurse shook her head.

"I feel fine. Why can't I leave?" Ray argued.

"I told you I can't release you until your temperature drops ten more degrees. Most people can't survive a constant temperature of a hundred and ten, and those who do are usually in a coma. I don't know how you're awake right now."

"Are you aware he's the Master of Fire?" Hermes asked.

"The what?"

"Master of Fire. He can make fire with his bare hands."

"That's impossible."

"Ray, show her some fire."

Ray snapped his fingers and lit his thumb on fire. The nurse jumped back. He then opened his hand to prove he wasn't hiding anything as the fire spread to the rest of his hand.

"How do you know his core temperature isn't supposed to be a hundred ten?" Hermes asked.

"Like I said, it's impossible for someone to survive with a fever this high. And we're going to have to do more tests if it doesn't come down soon. I'm ignoring the whole fire thing for right now." The nurse jotted down some notes on her clipboard.

"What if he just leaves?"

"We are not releasing him yet."

"Okay. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Ray asked as Hermes stood up.

"To get a second opinion and a lawyer."

"Lawyer? Wait!" The nurse ran after Hermes.

Ray sat in his bed for a while, not sure what to do. He eventually decided to take a nap once it became clear Hermes wasn't coming back anytime soon. A few hours later, he woke up when he heard Hermes yelling at someone in the hallway. A moment later, Hermes dragged Ice and Garmadon into the room, followed by a doctor, a guy in a suit, and two security officers. While Hermes continued to yell at the security officers and the doctor, Ice, Garmadon, and the guy in the suit made their way over to Ray.

"Ray?" Ice asked.

"Yes?"

"How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"If you went home, do you think you would continue to feel fine?"

"Yes."

"And if you don't, you'll tell someone?"

"Yes."

"His temperature is still dangerously high and we do not recommend a discharge at this time," Suit Guy said.

"But you can't keep him here against his will," Ice pointed out.

"His insurance won't pay for anything if he leaves against medical advice."

"No. Insurance will never deny a claim because someone leaves a hospital AMA. That's one of the biggest lies you people tell patients. Now, insurance can deny claims for other reasons, but leaving AMA is not one of them."

"I don't have insurance," Ray meekly said.

"That's different. And you and I are going to sit down and discuss finances later. But for right now, if you want to leave, you can."

"I want to leave."

"Your temperature is dangerously high. It has been dangerously high the whole time you've been here. He has sustained a temperature of a hundred and ten for over a week now. For his own safety, we cannot release him." The doctor grabbed Ray's chart and flipped through it.

"He's the Master of Fire. I'm no doctor, but it's possible for his body temperature to be set differently. I know my body temperature stays around ninety," Ice argued.

"Ninety? How are you not hypothermic?" The doctor reached for a thermometer.

"Lay a finger on me and I will sue this hospital for everything it's worth."

"Listen to the lawyer," Hermes argued.

"Lawyer?" The suit guy took a step back.

"Horatio DiNapoli, attorney, CPA, and Master of Ice. Here's my card."

"What, no doctorate?" Garmadon joked.

"Actually, I do have a doctorate in law, but it would just be pretentious to call myself Dr. Horatio DiNapoli, attorney, CPA, and Master of Ice. Now, are you going to release him or not?"

"... Fine. I'll draw up the papers." The suit guy and the doctor left, but the security guards stayed close to Hermes.

A while later, a nurse came and helped Ray into a wheelchair. As she wheeled him down the hall, she spouted off exercises for him to do to strengthen his leg, but he wasn't paying attention. When they finally reached the front desk, someone handed him a thick stack of papers.

"What are you doing?" Ice asked as Ray took the pen the nurse gave him.

"Getting out of here?"

"Never sign anything without reading it first. You have no idea how much I hate it when people do that."

Ray looked at the stack of at least fifty pages and looked back at Ice. Ice groaned and took the stack while Hermes and Garmadon sat down in the waiting area. It took over an hour, but Ice interpreted the legalese for Ray and even got five hundred bucks knocked off the price. Eventually, Ice gave Ray permission to start signing and initialing the documents. He was careful to hold the pen the way Maya had taught him.

"Garmadon?"

They turned and saw Garmadon and Hermes asleep in chairs. Ice tapped him on the shoulder until he woke up.

"Huh?" Garmadon jolted awake.

"I'm not paying for this."

Garmadon sighed and took out his checkbook.

"Kid, you're expensive," Garmadon said as he ripped out the check.

With that, Ray stood up and practically ran out of the hospital. He wasn't even thinking about the hour and a half walk back to the mountain, or the climb up to the monastery.

"I'm going to start charging you every time you throw me into one of these situations, Hermes. And my rates aren't cheap!" Ice said as they followed Ray.

"Oh come on. You don't do pro bono work?" Hermes argued.

"I'll do pro bono for Ray."

"Ray's not going to ask you for anything ever."

"Exactly."