Author's Note: Hey everybody! I decided I needed a little break from final essays and stuff, so here's Chapter 7! By now you should know this show is not mine, but the FanFic is. And if you don't know, I must ask you to go sit in the corner for a timeout. Enjoy!
A couple hours later, Numbuhs 1, 2, 4, and 5 sat with Numbuh 362 in the Moonbase cafeteria. The Soopreme Leader had decided that Sector V needed a break from worrying about Numbuh 3, and offered to treat them to some well-deserved pizza. Though the members of Sector V had been starving, they were hesitant to leave in case Numbuh 3 woke up. But then Numbuh 362 made a direct order for Sector V to join her, which left them with no choice in the matter.
They had been enjoying an actual pleasant conversation about one of Sector V's more amusing missions when Numbuh 428, one of the nurses in charge of monitoring Numbuh 3, burst through the cafeteria's double doors. Her eyes frantically darted from table to table until she finally found the operatives she was looking for. She rushed to Sector V's table, startling them as she nearly collapsed on the table from exhaustion – it wasn't an easy run from the hospital wing all the way to the cafeteria.
Once Numbuh 428 caught her breath, she looked at Sector V excitedly. "She's awake! She's asking for you! Now w-"
Sector V didn't need to hear anymore. They darted out of the cafeteria at lightning speed, with Numbuh 362 following closely behind them. Poor Numbuh 428 tried to keep up, without much success.
"W-wait!" she panted. But Sector V was long gone.
In her private hospital room, Numbuh 3 sat propped up in her bed, happily listening to her other nurse, a new graduate called Numbuh 743, excitedly talk about his first few weeks working in the medical field. She much preferred to listen to the younger boy go on and on about how he was already trusted to help out in some of the more intense cases and how he would surely be promoted in no time, rather than talk about the events of her day.
"And last week we were called to the Artic Base when Numbuh 60 licked the wall 'cause he lost a bet! His tongue was stuck to the ice and I was the one that got him unstuck! Boy, was he mad when we got there! He was yelling at the cadets to stop laughing at him, but they couldn't understand him so they just laughed harder! And then the next day-"
Suddenly the little boy was interrupted as Sector V rushed into the room and headed straight for his patient.
"NUMBUH 3!"
Numbuh 3's eyes lit up when she saw her teammates, but before she could say or do anything, she was suddenly enveloped in a massive bear hug by her four best friends, who were all eagerly rambling about how glad they were to see her normal again.
"Are we ever happy to see you!"
"You scared us half to death!"
"They made us wait forever before they told us anything!"
"These guys started to cry a little!"
"We did not!"
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ooooooooooooooow!" Numbuh 3 howled, startling her teammates.
At that moment, Numbuh 428 stumbled into the room, worn out and panting. "I was trying to tell you! She's going to be awfully sore for the next couple of days, so if you would be so kind as to let her go!"
Sector V immediately released the poor girl that was trapped in their arms and offered sheepish apologies. But Numbuh 3 just kept smiling at them.
"How're you doin', girl?" Numbuh 5 asked.
Numbuh 3 shrugged. "I've been worse…?"
Numbuh 1 smirked. "Oh yeah? When?"
Numbuh 3 tried thinking of another time when she was in so much pain, but nothing came to mind. "Okay, fine, I feel like I've been hit by a truck!"
Numbuh 4 chuckled. "Please! I've been hit by a truck before, it's not that bad!"
Numbuh 3 laughed, even though it caused her body to ache. "Fine, it's like ten trucks! And two mini-vans! And a scooter!"
Sector V laughed, and Numbuh 2 had it in his mind that he could make them laugh even harder. "Well, you certainly look a lot better than you did before! I mean, we always knew you were a doll-face, but that was ridiculous!"
Numbuh 2 laughed at his own joke while everyone else in the operation room groaned and made complaints under their breath. Numbuh 5 slapped Numbuh 2 upside the head.
"Owww! What was that for?!"
"Can't you see the poor girl is sore and exhausted?! She doesn't need you goin' and makin' her sick!"
While Numbuh 2 pouted, everyone else in the operating room started cracking up again. Numbuh 3 was so happy to have her friends around her that she laughed so hard until her body aches became too much to bear.
She winced from the pain, and everyone looked at her with concern.
"You okay?" Numbuh 4 asked.
Numbuh 3 gave him a weak smile. "Yeah. I'm just really glad you're all here now. Back at the factory… I didn't think you guys would find me. How'd you do it?"
Numbuh 1 looked at Numbuh 2 suspiciously. "Yeah Numbuh 2… how did we find her?"
Numbuh 2 looked around the room and noticed everyone looking at him suspiciously. He smiled nervously. "Uh... Well, heh-heh…"
Fortunately for him, Numbuh 362 decided that it was as good a time as any to step forward. "Numbuh 3?" she asked gently. "I know it's been a long day for you, but we thought it would be best if you decided what to do about… y'know."
Numbuh 3's face went pale. "Mushi?"
Numbuh 362 nodded slowly, feeling like maybe she picked the wrong time to bring the topic up.
Numbuh 3 looked down. She didn't want to think about Mushi. She had tried her best not to think about Mushi since she woke up.
Numbuh 362 noticed the girl's discomfort. "Why don't we give you some time to think about it? Come on everyone, let's give her some privacy."
Numbuhs 428 and 743 immediately did as they were told. Sector V were hesitant, but they knew that Numbuh 3 had a big decision to make. They made their way to the door.
"Wait! Numbuh 5?"
Numbuh 5 turned back to her bedridden friend. "Yeah, girl?"
"Could you stay? Please?"
Numbuh 5 sighed. She knew where this was headed, and she didn't know if she could be much help. But looking at Numbuh 3's pleading eyes, she knew there was no way she could refuse.
"Sure." she said. She closed the door behind her, giving the rest of her teammates a reassuring nod before locking them out. "What's up?"
Numbuh 3 covered her face with her hands and started to cry. "What am I going to do?!"
Numbuh 5 sat at the foot of the bed, looking at Numbuh 3 with sympathy. She wished she could have done something to comfort her, like give her a hug or even just put her arm around her shoulder, but she was afraid to hurt her again.
"I don't know." Numbuh 5 answered, even though she knew that was not what Numbuh 3 wanted to hear.
Numbuh 3 looked up from her hands, tears streaming down her face. It reminded Numbuh 5 of how she looked back at the doll factory, how hard she cried. But at least she can cry now without that messed up smile, Numbuh 5 thought.
Numbuh 3 sniffed. "What if Cree did this to you? Would you forgive her?"
Numbuh 5 sighed, looking down at the floor. She really didn't like talking about how antagonistic her relationship with Cree had turned, especially with her friends. "Girl, this is totally different than what's happening between me and Cree."
Again, that was not what Numbuh 3 wanted to hear. She knew Numbuh 5 wanted to reconcile with Cree just as much as she had wanted to reconcile with Mushi. She knew that Cree had done some pretty awful things to Numbuh 5 and the rest of the team, but she also knew that Numbuh 5 would readily forgive Cree if she would apologize. But Cree had never captured Numbuh 5 and turn her into a doll before.
"Would you?" she asked again.
Numbuh 5 was quiet for a minute. Not because she didn't know how to answer; she knew. But she was afraid her answer would influence Numbuh 3's decision. Sure, she thought Mushi was really sorry, but she didn't know her as well as Numbuh 3 did. This was Numbuh 3's relationship, and she had to be the one who decided whether or not that relationship was worth saving. Still, her friend deserved an honest answer. "Yeah. I would."
Numbuh 3 nodded. She stared at nothing in particular, giving her decision some serious thought. Numbuh 5 felt weird seeing her friend like this; Numbuh 3 was hardly ever so serious. Feeling awkward, she got up from the bed and headed to the door.
"I'll just… let you think things over then. Come get us if you need anything."
Numbuh 3 didn't even seem to hear her.
Twenty minutes later, Numbuh 3 exited her room. Numbuhs 428 and 743 hurried to their patient's side; she shouldn't have been walking around yet. Her friends looked at her worriedly. Her face gave no indication of what she could be feeling.
"Woah, Numbuh 3, are you sure you should be up?" Numbuh 2 asked.
Numbuh 3 nodded slowly. "Where is she?" she asked Numbuh 362.
The Soopreme Leader looked at the girl incredulously. "Right now?"
Numbuh 3 nodded again.
"Oh… well, she was considered too unpredictable to bring to Moonbase. So she was sent to the Arctic Prison until further notice... Your notice."
"Let's go."
"Now?" her friends asked.
"Oh no you don't, missy!" Numbuh 428 scolded. "You're still far too weak to travel, especially to the Arctic! Now let's get you back in-"
Numbuh 3 cut her off with a glare. She didn't have enough energy to flash Numbuh 428 one of her scary, furious glares, but the expression was cold and steely enough to intimidate the high-ranking and rather stubborn nurse into silence.
With Numbuh 428 too intimidated to protest and Numbuh 743 savvy enough not to question her, Numbuh 3 shifted her gaze to the rest of the group.
"Take me to her. Take me to my sister."
Author's Note: Another chapter over! Only one more to go! I hope to get the final chapter up soon, but final essays take priority. Only a couple more weeks, I CAN DO THIS! Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Comment/Reviews are always appreciated, so feel free to leave one! Have a lovely day!