Chapter 13: Exhaustion

A/N: Oh god, another horrendously long wait. And a shorter chapter to go with it... once again, writer's block hit, and hit HARD. Like a meteor strike.

And I'd found a new game I'd taken a liking to.

I really wish I could prevent things like this from happening... I used to be able to juggle multiple stories at once and now I can barely keep a single damn one going... how'd this even happen? *sigh*

Well... even with all that, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

It didn't take long for the two directors to come back, and Conductor grinned more wide than I could've thought possible.

"Eh... this one's for fever..." He muttered, tossing me a bottle of medicinal tablets; "... and this one's for nausea, pain, and something else I can't remember." He tossed another.

I took the time to examine them both.

They were exactly what he said they were, although I didn't recognize any of the ingredients. Well, different universe, different compounds. They supposedly worked on both birds and humans, too.

"This should work," I said, "You two are a lifesaver. Thank you."

"Anything for our stars," DJ Grooves, "We'll let you get to caring for her now."

A thought popped into my head.

"Before you go... these medicines don't have any side effects, right?" I asked.

"Nope! Not even when used together!" Conductor answered, "They're a very well-known brand, they wouldn't let any side effects go without a fight!"

"If you say so," I muttered, "Again, thank you so much."

Conductor nodded and DJ Grooves waved it off.

"Now we'll be leaving," DJ Grooves joked, "Bye, darling."

The two left, leaving me alone in the main hub again.

Now... a decision had to be made...

Would it be better to wake her up so I could give her the medicine? Or let her sleep?

Hmmm...

Giving her the medicine now would help ease the symptoms quicker... but letting her sleep would help her build energy... which would help her get better quicker.

Well, when I put it that way, the answer seemed obvious.

Let her sleep. She'd need it. She could take her medicine when she woke up.

I sat down in the captain's chair and looked out toward the planet.

It was getting late, and I knew I'd need to get some sleep as well, but I couldn't go to sleep now.

She needed me. What if her symptoms suddenly became life-threatening and I needed to take her to the hospital? She'd be too weak to even call for help... she'd be dying as I was having a freaking nap.

I shook my head. Absolutely not.

... Granted, her illness suddenly becoming life-threatening over the course of a night seemed a very slim chance, but...

Yesterday she was bouncing around, smile on her face, laughing... just being her typical, innocent, adorable self.

And now today, out of nowhere, sick enough that she has to stay in bed. How?! Where'd she even get it from?!

I shook my head. She was a kid, kids get sick. I supposed it was just a part of life and part of growing up.

Didn't make it any less sad, nor unfair, though...

My eyes snapped open.

Where was I? What happened? I was just-

I groaned loudly as the realization sank in.

I went and did the one damn thing I told myself not to do.

Well, I needed to check on the kid right away. Who knew how long I'd been out for...

So, mentally kicking myself, I got up and meandered over to the kid's room.

I stepped inside and turned on the light, praying that it wouldn't wake her up.

As the light flooded in, I looked at her, and-

She looked like an absolute mess.

She was already awake, she was noticeably more pale, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot.

"Kid?" I asked.

She just groaned and weakly moved.

She began to cough again, devolving into a horrible fit. When she finished, she clutched her throat and let out a whimper of pain.

I walked over to her bedside in horror.

"Well... it's no use asking if you're okay, now..." I said, feeling her forehead again. It was piping hot. "I should've given you this as soon as I had the chance. I will be right back.

I ran to the kitchen and got her a glass of water, bringing it right back.

I then took out the bottles Conductor gave me and read them further, counted out the correct amounts of both medicines for a child, then motioned them toward her.

She groaned and shook her head.

...

"Kid, don't make this difficult. You have a horrible fever, and these medicines will help with that and your other symptoms," I declared, "You will take these pills. One way or another."

"B-but..." She mumbled.

"No 'buts'. A fever could kill you if left unchecked, and I don't want to see you get rushed into emergency," I stated, "I won't be taking 'no' for an answer."

"But I don't know if I can keep them down," She protested.

"At least try. I'll find a bucket in case you can't, but this medicine will help your nausea as well," I argued.

She was silent and unmoving for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. I put the tablets in her hand.

"Can you hold the glass yourself?" I asked her.

She shook her head in a 'no', then put the pills in her mouth.

I slowly brought the glass of water closer, and she drank them down before lightly pushing the glass away. I set it down on her nightstand and sighed.

"I'll be right back," I said.

I quickly combed the ship for a decently sized bucket. Fortunately, there was one in the engine room.

I ran back to the bedroom and set it down beside her.

"Do you feel queasy?" I asked.

"Not yet..." She grumbled.

"Well, even if and when you do, try to keep it down until you're absolutely sure you can't," I responded, "Otherwise I'm going to look for a hospital and take you there immediately."

"And they'll poke me with needles..." She said bleakly, "I hate needles."

"Er... if that helps you not vomit, then yes, exactly," I muttered, "Well, try to get some rest, again. This time, I'm waiting right here."

"Won't you get bored?" She asked.

I raised an eyebrow. Was she really worried about me getting bored?

"I think my level of entertainment is the very least of your concerns right now," I stated, "Focus on getting better."

She looked at me. The emotions I saw in her eyes were depressing.

Fear and hopelessness.

"Are you sure I'll get better?" She whimpered.

I lightly ran my fingers through her hair to comfort her.

"I'd bet my life on it, kid," I said, "Now try to get some rest. Your immune system works better when you sleep."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

I went and turned off the lights, then walked over to the window to stare out at the cosmos. I promised her I'd stay in case something happened, and I keep my promises.

I then let my mind wander.

I was startled from my daydreaming when I heard gagging.

I whipped around to look at the kid, who had a look of disgust on her face.

My heart sank.

I quickly ran over to hand her the bucket, quickly looking away from what was about to occur.

All I could do was sit and cringe until she finally stopped.

"... Are you done?" I asked.

"I-I think so," She replied weakly.

I sighed and picked up the bucket.

"I'll be right back..."

I went to empty and wash out the bucket, before returning to her room.

"Well, you know where we're going next," I muttered.

She nodded, then attempted to get out of bed.

The moment she tried standing, her legs collapsed and she fell to the ground, causing her to let out a grunt.

"I should've taken you earlier," I said, walking over and picking her up as gently as I could.

I carried her over to the machine room, peering through the telescope.

Just as I thought...

There was another place we could teleport to with the telescope: the same hospital I stayed at when I was stabbed, what seems like an eternity ago.

I brought us both down and hurried inside.

I looked around for a check-in, and saw an owl sat behind one. Fortunately there was no line-up... although with the kid being this sick I honestly wouldn't have cared.

I approached them quickly, and they noticed us.

"Oh dear... this doesn't look good," They said.

"She's so weak she can't even stand. I tried giving her medicine and she threw it up," I said, "It happened so fast... I don't want to take any chances."

The owl nodded, picking up a phone.

They talked in a hushed voice, so I couldn't hear, but after a few seconds they hung up.

"They'll be over here shortly to take her," They said.

Not even half a minute later, I heard lots of footsteps and turned to see a variety of different birds wearing medical garb rushing down with a stretcher.

As they got close and put her onto the stretcher, I let out a small sigh of relief.

She was in far better hands now.

One of them, a bluejay, motioned for me to follow, and they led us throughout the hospital until we reached emergency. We were put into a room and she was hooked up to a variety of machines.

Then they brought in an IV, and another doctor, a robin, grabbed a needle.

Her already miserable look sank even further.

"I hate needles," She croaked.

"Well, we have to get medicine in you somehow," The robin said, bringing the needle closer to her wrist.

She looked at me, silently asking for help.

"Just close your eyes and... think of better times, alright?" I said, "Take deep breaths. Try to relax."

She took my advice and closed her eyes, slowly adopting a more peaceful look. She visibly relaxed.

I looked away, as I hated needles as well.

A few seconds later, and...

"Alright, it's over," The same bird said, hooking up the IV, "Try not to move your arm too much, alright?"

The kid opened her eyes, relieved.

"I didn't even feel it," She said quietly.

"That's good," I replied.

"Am I gonna get better now?" She asked.

"It should definitely speed up recovery," The bird said, "We're going to be keeping you until you're fully healed, though. We don't know what this is that's making you sick, so we can't take any chances."

She nodded slowly.

"Are you feeling any better?" I asked.

"I don't feel worse, at least," She muttered.

"Well, that's good... I guess," I sighed.

After a few seconds, she then yawned. I knew what that meant, she was getting tired. I was getting tired as well, after such stress and anxiety.

"I guess I should probably leave you to rest," I said.

"Do you really have to?" The kid whined tiredly, "I don't want to be alone..."

I knelt down by her bedside.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll come back tomorrow. I'll spend the whole day with you. If you want, I'll even bring some of our friends to visit," I assured her, "Alright?"

She closed her eyes and sighed, a cough coming along with it.

"You'd better," She mumbled.

I smirked.

"Trust me, I will," I said, walking over to the door, "Good night, kid. Get well soon."

A/N: Oh, dear. It seems like it was worse than they both originally anticipated. But at least she'd be getting the care she needs.

I also wasn't quite sure how to approach this chapter, what with Hat Kid... uh... being sick and getting an intravenous drip hooked up to her, so if it kinda weirded or grossed you out, I apologize. I just couldn't find a more subtle way to go about it, if that makes sense. Next chapter won't have anything like that, I promise.

Well... enough about that, it's review time:

Snow Blizzard: Yes, yes, I know... don't remind me. I remind myself enough. _

Well, that's the chapter, folks. I don't really know what I'm gonna do for the next chapter, either, so it may be a little while again. So sorry, I'll do my best.

See you then.