Chapter 6
Sportacus smashed through the locked door and scooped Stephanie up.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"Better now, but I think my arm is broken." Stephanie answered.
"We'll get you to a hospital." Pixel chimed in.
From outward appearances, Stephanie looked a mess. Her pink hair was plastered to her head. She was covered from head to toe in dirt and filth. Her left arm looked like a limp noodle. There were holes in her tights and one of her shoes was missing. But on the inside she was beaming because Sportacus and Pixel had saved her.
Back at Town Hall the power came on and rescue workers were helping restore the phone lines. Everyone was pitching in to cleanup. The water level was now ankle deep and being mopped toward drainage ditches. The Mayor was so busy making sure everything was running smoothly, he didn't realize Stephanie wasn't back yet.
The kids however were nervous and wondered what was going on. They hadn't heard from Sportacus or Pixel either.
Then Ziggy said "Do you hear that?"
"Yeah, that sounds like Sportacus' airship!" Trixie exclaimed.
They looked to the sky and there was the airship. Sportacus came down from it and rushed over to the Mayor.
"Mayor, I need to talk to you!" Sportacus called out.
"Oh, Sportacus you're back. Where is Stephanie and Pixel?" the Mayor asked.
"That's what I want to talk to you about." Sportacus said. He then proceeded to tell the Mayor the whole story. The Mayor had a blank look on his face while Sportacus explained the whole incident in the abandoned industrial section of town. Sportacus finished by telling him that he flew Stephanie and Pixel to the capital and got Stephanie help at the hospital there. Pixel, he explained, was staying with her until he could bring the Mayor there. Sportacus said that the rescue workers could take care of the rest of the cleanup and he would take the Mayor to the hospital. The Mayor agreed and the two got into the airship and headed for the capital.
The nurses had cleaned Stephanie up, and she and Pixel listened to the doctor explain about how he was going to put her cast on.
"Can I have a pink cast?" asked Stephanie.
"Of course you can." the doctor answered.
"Will it hurt her to put the cast on?" Pixel inquired.
"There will be a little discomfort. You can hold her right hand if you want." the doctor offered.
Pixel sheepishly looked at Stephanie and asked, "Would that be ok, Stephanie?"
"I'd like that." was her reply.
Just then one of the nurses came over to the doctor and asked to speak with him privately. The doctor excused himself and asked the nurse what was up. She replied that Sportacus and Stephanie's uncle were here. The doctor said that was good and he'd talk to them after he set Stephanie's arm. He went back in and asked Stephanie to do the best she could to lift her wrist. She tried real hard but the doctor had to do most of it. She squeezed Pixel's hand and he squeezed back. Pixel said "Don't look at what he's doing, look at me." He smiled and she smiled back.
"There all done." the doctor said.
"You're done already?" Stephanie asked.
"Really, really." was the doctor's reply.
"Wow. That wasn't so bad." Stephanie smiled.
"Ok. Let's get you back to your room. You need some rest and besides there are some people here to see you." The doctor smiled back. The nurses took Stephanie and Pixel back to Stephanie's room and the doctor met with Sportacus and the Mayor.
"How is she?" Sportacus asked.
"Well, her left wrist was fractured and mostly just a few bumps and bruises. However, because she bumped her head I think it is best to keep her overnight and have her take a CAT scan." The doctor answered.
"Why does she need that?" these were the first words Mayor Meanswell spoke since getting on Sportacus' airship.
"It's just a precaution, to make sure she doesn't have a concussion or any other head trauma." the doctor said.
"How long will she be in her cast?" Sportacus inquired.
"About six to eight weeks. That is standard procedure. Someone will have to bring her back for X-rays and possible removal of her cast. However there is something else I wish to discuss with you." the doctor replied.
"What is it?" both the Mayor and Sportacus asked at the same time.
"The nurses found this while helping Stephanie clean up." he showed them an envelope. "Do you know what this is?" it was the doctor's turn to ask the questions.
"No. I don't but may I see it more closely?" Sportacus inquired.
The doctor handed him the envelope and Sportacus looked at it.
The envelope was plain with the exception of a number nine on the front. Something struck Sportacus as odd because that nine looked familiar. Then he went as white as a sheet.
"What's wrong?" the doctor asked. Sportacus said nothing and dropped the letter. The Mayor picked it up and looked at it.
The Mayor, too, was shocked at what he saw. The doctor sat in total confusion as both Sportacus and the Mayor sat there with their mouths hanging open.
"Would someone please explain this?" the doctor asked.
"This message is from Number 9. He is my predecessor and once protector of LazyTown. The Mayor has told me that only he and Robbie Rotten remember him." Sportacus finally spilled.
"So why does he make you so upset? He sounds like a good guy." the doctor said.
"One day he just disappeared. After many attempts to contact him failed, he was declared MIA. No one has seen or heard from him in about ten years." the Mayor explained.
Quickly changing the subject Sportacus asked, "Can we talk to Stephanie?"
The doctor said yes and Sportacus left in a hurry. The Mayor however asked the doctor to stay.
"I will further explain the situation." the Mayor clarified. The doctor sat and listened intently to the Mayor.
"Number 9 protected LazyTown as Sportacus does today. However there is one difference between the two. I believe that Number 9 left for a certain reason and that Sportacus' original reason for coming here is part of it. One day about ten years ago the owner of Rubber Bath Toys Incorporated was touring his buildings. There were eleven buildings and he had just finished touring ten of them. As he approached the last building, the ground shook. Number 9 raced around town saving people from falling debris. Finally after the tremors stopped everyone realized that the owner was missing. Number 9's crystal went off and he left. For the next three days everyone searched for the owner and Number 9. Then Number 9 appeared and he was carrying the owner of Rubber Bath Toys Incorporated's body. He had been too late to save the owner for the eleventh building had collapsed on top of the man. Number 9 never said another word. He got into his airship and left. No trace of him has ever been found until today." the Mayor finished.
"So why did Sportacus react like that?" the doctor asked still a little confused.
"In the letter is what made him upset." The Mayor showed the doctor the letter. The doctor read it and soon realized what was going on. The letter read:
"To whom it may concern:
I have saved this young lady. My return to LazyTown may have caused problems with your new hero, I'm sorry. I hope that the benevolent people of LazyTown can forgive my trespassing. It will be the last time. My failure shouldn't get in your way. I have shamed LazyTown, my wife, my son, and myself.
I beg your forgiveness,
Number 9"
"Who are his wife and son?" the doctor asked after soaking it all in.
"I don't know who his wife is but I have a sneaking suspicion that Sportacus isn't Number 10 for no reason." the Mayor replied.