June 13, 2016
Silverton, OR; 8:02 am
The sound of birds chirping was barely audible over the rhythmic beeping of a monitor. Gwen opened her eyes and saw various machines hooked up to her. There were IVs pumping fluids into her system and a monitor showing her heart rate. The Beeping began to pick up as she grew anxious. She looked around, needing to find something to bring her security.
Having been used to sleeping in the bottom bunk, Gwen would decorate the space to how she saw fit. She put in a little lamp for late-night reading, replaced the old itchy sheets with a soft new set, and would hide her diary and snacks behind a laser pistol in the wall's hidden compartment. The wooden shelf above her was littered with stickers she had collected during their trips. Some had peeled off or had been torn, but a few were taped down. Her eyes focused on a sticker of a dog and a cat. She got it for donating to an animal shelter in Denver. It was her favorite of the whole bunch, not for the sticker itself, but for what laid behind it. If she were to raise her hand to it, she was sure she could still feel the hole hidden behind it. The beeping slowed back down to a normal pace.
The sound of the side door opening pulled her out of her daze."You're finally awake, pumpkin." She struggled to turn her head, barely able to see her grandfather in the doorway. "Don't try to move; your body is still weak." Max pulled a bowl of grey slop that made her stomach turn. "You haven't eaten in days. It may not look appetizing, but it has all the nutrients you need right now." He brought a spoonful to her mouth and gave her a pleading look. After some reluctance, she allowed him to feed her. She struggled to swallow and started choking. Max rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water and a straw. "I'm sorry, we'll take it slow." After clearing her throat, Max gave her a smaller amount.
They got halfway through the bowl when Gwen knew she couldn't eat anymore. Her stomach felt like it had shrunk three sizes, but she drank as much water as she could muster. Feeling so weak made her want to cry, but she was determined to push through it. "What happened?" Her throat felt like sandpaper as she spoke. Max told her everything that happened since he found her unconscious. She had been out for over a week. She felt like something important had happened, but her head hurt every time she tried to pull the memory to the surface. Exhaustion took over her, and she felt her consciousness fade away.
"Readings are stable; there appear to be no signs of permanent damage." Jeremiah began to put away his supplies. "I still think you should have taken her to a hospital."
"What happened to her?" Max asked, ignoring his old colleague's suggestion. "I need you to be honest with me."
"I can't say." He sighed. "Her body had been put into some kind of stasis. All internal functions had been reduced to preserve her vitality; I've never seen anything like it. But it came at a cost," Max braced himself, "her mana has been completely drained. If she were to tap back into it in her current state, she could cause long-lasting effects or even permanent damage to her core."
"So what do you suggest?"
"What I suggest is for you to take her to a goddamn hospital so she can get proper treatment!" The doctor was not trying to hide his irritation towards the old plumber. Unzipping his bag, he pulled out a syringe filled with a thick, almost pearlescent liquid. "That's artificial mana. It's worth more than both our lives, so you best take care of it."
"I can't accept this-"
"You can and you will, Tennyson! If she uses even the tiniest bit of mana before she recovers, she will enter a state of shock. Inject the mana into the bloodstream. It should help to stabilize her."
The two men stood in silence, leaving only the soft beeps from the various machines in their place. Max finally held out his hand to take the syringe. If this was the only way to save her, then he shouldn't hesitate. He failed to protect her in Chicago; he won't let it happen again. The image of two boys crying made their way into his head, and he felt the guilt of so many broken promises. "Maybe this will be the one I keep." Max thought to himself.
Finished packing, Jeremiah opens the door to leave. "I've done all I can. I trust you'll keep your end of the deal."
"I already have Ben working on it." Hundreds of miles away, a combination of Grey Matter and Upgrade were removing all records of the good doctor from every server on and off the globe. By nightfall, he will officially be off the grid.
"And the paper trail?"
"I'll take care of it personally once I return to Homebase." It would be impossible to get rid of everything, but he can still make it difficult for anyone else trying to look for him.
"Thank you, Max." The two shook hands. "I'll be back in the morning to check on her. If there are any changes, make sure to contact me." After saying their goodbyes, Max went back inside and waited for his grandson to return.
The sun had long since set when Gwen awoke. The kitchen light peaked through the doorway, barely illuminating her surroundings. She turned her head and saw a dark fluff of brown hair lying on the edge of her bed. She struggled to lift her arm but managed to reach for it. At some point, Ben started caring about his looks and would style his hair every morning with gel to keep it in place. Running her fingers through this unkempt mane brought her back to her childhood.
Laying under a tree drinking a Mr. Smoothie in the spring. Watching the cows graze in the Texas heat. Sneaking into each other's beds to tend to their wounds after an intense night of heroing. So many memories flooded her head as she petted this caricature of the boy she once knew.
He began to move, but Gwen couldn't find the strength to pull her arm back. Turning his head slightly, Ben stared back at her. Gwen's limp body felt paralyzed under his gaze. His green irises, a perfect reflection of her own, bore a hole straight to her core. A second. A minute. An hour. However long it was, to Gwen, it felt like an eternity.
Ben sighed. He carefully removed Gwen's hand from his head and placed it on her chest in one smooth motion. After leaving to go to the kitchen, he returned with a bowl of soup. Gwen didn't try to hide the embarrassment when he brought the spoon up to her lips. After some hesitation, she opened her mouth. The soup wasn't anything to write home about. Generic chicken noodle soup, most likely from a can. But compared to the slop from earlier, this may as well have been a gourmet dish.
The two sat in silence for the remainder of the meal. Gwen couldn't help but take in the boy in front of her. Her Ben was always loud and obnoxious. Not to say he didn't have his good points, but he was always a "man of action," as he liked to put it. That "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality tended to get him into trouble, but it also did him good. Even though this Ben has grown over the years, that "man of action" is still there.
Gwen was feeling much more energized. Ben got up to take the empty bowl to the sink when realization dawned on her. "Ben," she struggled to call out, "I need your help." Ben's face grew serious, making her feel even more embarrassed. "I need help getting to the bathroom.
Confusion. Realization. Uncertainty. These were the faces her cousin was making. Just as she was debating whether she had enough energy to crawl her way to the bathroom, Ben extended his hand out to her with the same serious look from before.
"Easy now," Ben whispered as they approached the bathroom door. "Are you sure you can make it the rest of the way?"
"Yeah," she lied, "I just needed help getting up." Using the walls of the small space to retain her balance, she closed the door and went about her business. She felt so useless. Having to need her family to feed her and help her to the bathroom felt horrible. She didn't even want to think about what they had to do while she was near comatose. "I can't keep being a burden." Gwen whispered under her breath. Feeling dirty, she decided to take a shower.
"Hey, Gwen," Ben called out, "you probably not a good idea to shower while you're so weak. When grandpa gets back, we can talk about getting a hotel room with a bath for you."
Weak, that's what he thought of her. She'll show him. Gwen was now determined to do this on her own. And right on cue, she slipped and bumped her head against the wall. Panic surged within him as Ben forced his way into the bathroom.
"Get out!" Gwen screamed. Before she could process what had happened, a bright pink light flung Ben out of the small room and closed the door, locking her in once again. "Ben-" Gwen quickly covered her mouth and gagged as nausea set in. She's used too much mana, and her body wasn't happy. Her powers were so unstable; she ended up attacking Ben. She could feel her consciousness fading. "Ben... I'm sorry..."
Ben groaned as he pulled himself off the floor. "Gwen…" He could barely hear the sound of coughing behind the sound of running water. He tried to open the door, but something was blocking it. "Gwen!" No response. Not wasting another moment, he activated the Omnitrix and searched for an alien. Slamming down on the dial, he felt his DNA reconstructing. In an instant, his internal temperature dropped below zero.
Quickly, Ben fazed through the door and found his unconscious cousin lying in front of the door. Her body was turning blue, and there was vomit covering the floor. Instantly he regretted his choice but had to act fast. Carrying her limp body over to the bunk, he laid her down on her side before wrapping her in a blanket.
Once he was sure she wouldn't choke, he rushed over to the kitchen and grabbed the syringe Max gave him earlier. Being extra careful on his way back, Ben recalled his medical training. He searched for a blood vein and prepared the needle. Gwen winced from Big Chill's touch, but he couldn't hesitate. Carefully he injected the substance and continued to cover her in blankets to keep her warm.
Once her breathing went down to a regular pace, Ben made sure to clean up the mess they caused. He wasn't sure how he would explain to his grandfather that they already used their one lifeline. From now on, they'll have to be extra careful.
"Ben…" Gwen called out. Now in his original form, he rushed to her side. "Ben… Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He reassured her. "You should be more worried about yourself right now. You're so weak right now. You need to rest."
Gwen couldn't hold back the tears forming. Her weakness has caused them so much trouble. "No more." She thought to herself. From that moment on, Gwen made a vow to become stronger to no longer burden her family. Unbeknownst to her, Ben had made a vow of his own. "I'll protect you," he thought, "no matter the cost."
