The Infirmary was the busiest it had ever been.

People were getting carted in—sometimes carried if what they were suffering from was bad enough. The Medical Team—Sherry, Samhien, and Mary—had their hands full doing triage and getting materials around to everyone who needed them. Eliza was laid on her side on her bed, looking like she was simply sleeping. The curtain around Jane's bed was drawn, and Argus and Tygan were inside. Their hands were quick, but steady, locating and extracting the chip that had led to this situation in the first place. They looked understaffed...

... so Jax figured it was a good thing when the Mystics streamed in. Of course, they made a beeline for his bed first, many misty-eyed, some already having cried. He couldn't keep up with the pleading and thankful, breathless whispers that he was alive. Maria was the one to help stop the overload—but clearly she was one of the people who thought Jax had died for certain, as she leaned down and wrapped him in a tight hug. "M-my Chosen, Jax, y-you're alright, you're safe..."

Jax hugged her back. He was exhausted, his chest and where his legs now ended ached, and his head was still pulsing. "Get the word out that the Holy Father has lived once again by the grace of the Commander," he began. "And... you all should likely help the Infirmary staff. They need the extra hands, it would seem."

Some of the Mystics still reached over to place hands on him, psionics sparking. Maria guided them and he could feel his pain ease, his headache letting up. His exhaustion remained, but it was a welcome boon. They dispersed after, trying to dry their eyes as they did. Maria leaned down. "Are you sure, my Chosen? I could stay by your side."

"Maria, please." He placed his hands over hers. "I will not deny I am in need. But when my siblings arrive, they will be enough. You, with your healing psionics... There are others that need you more right now. Go to them."

Maria smiled, palming at one of her eyes. "I... I will. You've come so far, my... no. Jax. Still, have you need of me, I will be at your side in an instant."

"Thank you."

Maria nodded, departing from his side and moving to ask Sherry where she would be the most help. Speaking of his siblings... that ache in Jax's chest hadn't really let up, and it had that disconnect to it. Mordenna had taken a hard blow from Fal-Mai. He hoped his brittle brother was alright.

Prospects weren't looking good, however. The door opened again, and it was Fal-Mai and Mordenna on the other side. Fal-Mai was practically carrying Mordenna, and she looked like she was in a miserable state too. Head hanging, Mordenna was limped over to his bed. Fal-Mai laid him down as gingerly as she could, but Jax could see him wince as he settled on the bed. She likely would've stayed by him, were Maria not directed over to them by Sherry. Maria quickly ushered Fal-Mai to lay down on the last bed, softly assuring her they'd see to Mordenna. Sherry rushed over. "Mordenna, can you hear me?"

"Yeah..." Mordenna's voice was far too strained. His chest barely rose and fell, even beyond his armor. "I... I can't catch... my breath. I think—one of my lungs..." He hissed a curse, eyebrows knit together. "My ribs... need an x-ray..."

Sherry looked worried for a second, but in an instant the hesitation was gone. "Save your breath, I'll get one started." She gently moved his legs more on the bed—not gently enough. Mordenna's subsequent gasp was strangled as she moved his right leg. It looked slightly more swollen underneath the fabric than the other. "Son of a—I'm sorry, hang in there, Mordenna." She drew the glass and metal covering over the bed, tapping at the monitor. "Samhien! Code orange!"

Samhien was at the other side of the room, looking like he was extracting shrapnel from Clint's shoulder. He nodded, told one of the Mystics to take over for him as he finished up, then strode over. "What are we looking at?"

"Shortness of breath and pain with it, swollen leg, pain on touching it." Sherry finished up with the monitor. "—I'm guessing a broken rib into a punctured lung, as well as a broken leg. He might have other fractures. Need an x-ray to find out the extent, but we're likely gonna need to open him up."

"I'm going to see what Maria can do," Samhien said, washing his hands in the sink. "We have a few yellow tags on the beds, go see them. Maria!"

Maria had successfully convinced Fal-Mai to lay down, and was using her psionics. She looked up. "Yes?"

"Priority is on Mordenna right now, we've got triage going and he's the one orange tag we haven't seen to. No reds, thankfully. Get him healed up, I will assess Fal-Mai."

Nodding, Maria approached Mordenna's bed as Sherry withdrew the bed covering, hurrying over to the other half of the Infirmary. As Maria's psionics pulsed, Jax pulled himself up. Fal-Mai was watching him with wide, quivering eyes. "Jax..."

She moved to get up. Jax sighed. "Halt." Thankfully, she did. He moved himself to the edge of his bed, lowering the rail. He had an idea, he just hoped he didn't mess up the execution and that his psionics would hold for long enough. He swung what remained of his legs over the edge of the bed, knitting his brow. His psionics slowly coalesced, and two red, psi-construct legs formed where his used to be. He tried accessing the now-old muscle memory of moving them. It took a second, but they began to respond in time. Gripping the bed for support, he carefully pushed himself off. It was slow going, and the feeling of not quite standing was disorienting, but eventually he was standing up, slowly stepping over to Fal-Mai.

Fal-Mai watched as he walked over and sat on her bed, dismissing his psionics. She was quick to hug him, burying her face in his chest. "Brother, I—I watched you die! I thought you were d-dead! I—" She hiccupped, an action that made her whimper in pain. "I thought... I th-thought... and now you're..."

"Shhh." Gingerly—knowing Fal-Mai had been impacted too—he returned the hug. "I know. I... I am just glad I got the two of you out safe."

"That's not—that's n-not how it's supposed to be!" She beat a fist on his chest weakly. "All of us, to the end... I don't w-want to be in a world that d-doesn't have you in it!"

With nothing to add other than "well, I'm here now," Jax figured Fal-Mai just needed a moment. Still, the sentiment she just shared... it hurt. There could have been a world where Eliza had no way to bring him back and his siblings were without a brother forever. But even if he had the chance to go through it again? He'd do the same thing. Better to miss one than miss them all. The heartbreak that would resound with all of them dead... it was better not to think about. He gently rocked Fal-Mai.

"... Jax-Rai." He looked up. Samhien was at the side of the bed, hands clasped together. His face was calm, but there was a note of sadness underneath it. "I need to check her for injuries. It will be just a moment."

As loathe as he was to force Fal-Mai to separate from him, Jax obliged. Fal-Mai herself complied as well, pulling away from him, tears tracing the tattoos on her cheeks. Samhien approached as she straightened, fingers tracing the plasma burns on her armor. For just a moment, Jax could swear he saw a righteous anger pass Samhien's face, but he was sure he was imagining it. "—are you feeling pain anywhere, Fal-Mai? What about before being healed?""

"M-mostly up my back, b-but it is better now." Fal-Mai hiccupped again, wincing. "I ache. I-I took a plasma shot at some point, which feels like it has closed. I am fine. P-please focus on Mordenna..."

Samhien felt over her back before nodding, hand lingering on Fal-Mai's shoulder as he pulled away, coming over to Maria. In a flash, Vix was in the room as well, at her father's side, hiccupping. "D-dad..."

"I'm here," he strained, but thankfully not as much as he did before. The aching in Jax's chest had gone down, and Maria was still working. "I'm here. Your dad's g-gonna... gonna be fine. Just no hugs for the moment, alright...?"

Vix took one of Mordenna's hands, holding it tightly and pressing her forehead against it, trembling. Jax would've watched more if not for Fal-Mai hugging him again. "Don't... d-don't ever do th-that again, please. I couldn't—I can't..."

Jax ran his hand over her head, more careful in hugging her now that he knew where her injuries were. "I... I can't promise what I will do in the moment. But I will try to remember." Still, his gaze wandered to Mordenna again. Maria had pulled away, on the tail end of explaining she'd done what she could without taxing his body. Vix was hiccupping and sobbing, and Mordenna was whispering assurances to her. His heart sank. He needed to be there for both of his siblings, but clearly Mordenna was in a very tenuous state. What to do...

An idea came to him, and he quickly put it in motion. He called to his exhausted psionics again for a simple construct—the psionic claw he always fell back on. It snaked between Maria and Samhien, seeking Mordenna's left hand and holding it. Mordenna blinked, looking over. What he saw was his two siblings, battered and bruised... but there for him. In that room, in that time, sharing pain and companionship. Jax watched Mordenna smile softly, and he returned the expression.

They were beaten, sore, and exhausted. But they were alive.