I meant to post this earlier... my bad

TW: fainting, mention of low weight, ambulance/hospitals, feeling numb/out of touch


anhedonia- An inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable.

Previously…

There was no way to put this lightly. George looked horrible. Well, he was still good-looking, but he looked sick and incredibly run-down. Wilbur couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his lips from the sight of his friend. George's skin was pale; even more than usual, and he had deep purple bags under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His hair was wild and knotted, greasy from neglect. His gaze was dull, maybe even unseeing. He barely seemed to acknowledge Wilbur's presence, which was odd for the normally excitable brunette.

"George?" Wilbur asked nervously, frowning. George didn't respond, he didn't even flinch when Wilbur waved a hand in front of his face. "George? Hello?" He stepped closer to George, barely reacting in time when the brunette's eyes rolled back into his skull and his body crumpled. Wilbur caught George, easily supporting his weight as he stood in shock.

What could be wrong with him?

3rd Person P.O.V.

Wilbur gently brought George down to the ground, resting the unconscious boy's head in his lap. With his hands freed, Wilbur quickly called Dream, brushing a hand over George's forehead.

"Wilbur?"

"DREAM!" Wilbur practically yelled, gritting his teeth with fear. "It's George, he- he's not okay! You were right, he's- he's really bad!"

"What do you mean? In what way? What's happening?!" Dream asked worriedly.

"He collapsed, Dream, he just fell and- and I barely caught him and…" Wilbur took a shaky breath, panic setting in to his voice. "...he's really sick. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"He fainted?" Dream gasped.

"Mhm." Wilbur nodded fervently, even though Dream couldn't see him. "He looks really sick too. Like, um…" He paused, gulping. "He looks dead."

"Wil…" Dream's tone held warning. "What do you mean…?"

"Like," Wilbur let out a shaky breath. "He's pale. Too pale. And… frail?" He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Dream… when I caught him, it was really easy to hold him up… he's really light, he's definitely lost weight."

"Oh god…" Dream paused, and the distant click of a mouse could be heard. "That's it, I'm buying a ticket to London."

"That's great, but what do I do? George is-" Wilbur's words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them down. "George could be dying, Dream, what do I do? I'm not- I'm not trained for this, I can't help him!"

"Uh, um, uh," Dream stuttered, uncharacteristic of the blond. "You gotta- um- call 911! Or 999? Or whatever it is there, call them!"

"Right, I'll call 999."

"Wait! Does George have his phone with him? You could call from his phone and I can stay on the line!" Dream exclaimed nervously.

"Smart!" Wilbur snapped his fingers, easily finding George's phone and calling 999.

"What is your emergency?"

"My friend collapsed, he isn't waking up and he looks really sick." Wilbur explained the situation as best he could, Dream occasionally providing extra details that he had noticed. Eventually, Wilbur could hear sirens in the distance, so he thanked the 999 operator and hung up. Dream was still on speakerphone, and when the sirens got loud enough, he could hear them too.

"Wil?" The blond spoke up, a quiver in his voice.

"Yeah, Dream?"

"Do you think- do you think he'll be okay?" Dream's voice shook, breaking on the last syllable.

"I…" Wilbur was at a loss, watching helplessly as George was loaded into the back of the ambulance. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"Oh," Dream responded simply.

"Yeah." Both of them were in a state of shock, horrified by the state George had been in. Dream thought it was bad, but he hadn't expected this level of danger. He thought George was just feeling unwell. But this? It was so much worse, and he and Wilbur didn't even know what was wrong with George in the first place. It could be anything.

"Um…" Dream was at a loss. "I… I should go. I need to pack for- for my flight." Wilbur nodded numbly, standing up and leaving George's front porch.

"And I should get to the hospital…" He sighed, starting his walk up the sidewalk. "I… I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Despite the situation, Dream couldn't help but let out a quick laugh at that. It wasn't even funny, but he couldn't feel anything right now. "I'll, uh, I'll see you soon, Wil."

"Yeah… see you," Wilbur mumbled. He hung up, trudging up the street to a busier section. He could hail a cab from there.


Wilbur sighed, paying the driver as he stepped out of the taxi. He was outside the hospital now, where George was. Wilbur hesitated. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to go inside. Sure, George was in there, but he had just been taken in. Wilbur probably wouldn't be allowed to see him yet.

Still… he was here. And George would need some support from his friends, surely? He could hang out here for a while… at least until sundown.

Wilbur slowly walked into the hospital, looking around. He had only been here once before, many years ago. He didn't really know where he was going. Luckily, he spotted a sign, following the directions to get to the waiting room.

The waiting room was fairly quiet, only a few people occupying the space. Wilbur found a chair in the corner, making himself comfortable. He might be here for a while.


I already have more chapters written (since I keep forgetting to post things) so look out for those sometime soon