Chapter Five: Sick Chiro

Over the weeks Chiro began to improve spectacularly. His speech had enhanced; he could now say Obbo (Otto.), Mr. Hans Gibson, Parks (He had trouble saying Sprx.), robot, train, yes, no, I, feel, good, bad, milk, water, and ugie monkey. That is what he called Mandarin and we all agreed he was an ugie monkey.

My name is Mr. Hans Gibson, but please call me Gibson. Not Mister, Not Hans, just Gibson. I am the scientist of the Monkey Team and might be fourth in command.

"Hey Dr. Brainstrain!" Sprx shouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" I asked. "Stop calling me that! It is very rude!"

"Wasn't today your day to watch the kid?" he asked. "I've got battle practice and I can't go until you get down here and watching him!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back. "I'll be down there in exactly 25.6 seconds!" "That's still too slow!" he shouted but didn't say anything else. I put away my experiment and went down the blue elevator.

There Sprx stood, completely oblivious to the action taking place behind him. "Finally!" Sprx said. "I thought you'd never come down."

"Well I was coming down." I said sharply. "And I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him." I pointed at Chiro just as he disappeared into the vent.

Sprx gave out a surprised shriek and tried to grab Chiro before he could get to far, but it was to late. By the time Sprx got to the vent Chiro was gone. "Chiro!" Sprx shouted.

"Don't waste your breath." I said. "He won't come back willingly. We have to find him."

"But that was the outdoor vent!" Sprx whined. "What if the fans are running?"

"The fans are not running." I said. "But if Chiro falls out the vents he'll land in the blueberry bushes in the pouring rain."

As if to prove my point a roar of thunder was heard. Than a high scream echoed through the storm. I knew he had fell and was in the bushes.

I grabbed my umbrella and ran into the ran. The chances of Chiro not being somewhat injured was one to three thousand seven hundred eighty-nine. Sparks joined me a minute later, by the blueberry bushes. "He's not here." I said simply. He was not in the bushes and I had heard him fall.

"Well," Sprx said. "are we just going to stand here like idiots or find the kid?"

"Find Chiro of course." I said.

We searched the area for hours. I looked under every bush, rock, and log while Sprx looked over by the river. "He couldn't have got to far." I said. "It is technically impossible."

"Found him!" Sprx shouted.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"The old tree!" He shouted back. I ran to the tree at full velocity.

Sprx had not lied. In his arms laid a small, shivering bundle that I barely recognized as Chiro. He had been out in the rain for five hours and it was quite obvious to see. His clothes where ripped to shreds and he was covered in mud. Not only was there mud but there was blood and scratches on every millimeter of his body. "Lets get him to Med. Bay." I said. "ASAP."

"Agreed." Sprx said. We ran as fast as we could to the Super Robot, Chiro moaning the whole way.

We went straight to Med. Bay and I started doing a evaluation of Chiro. Sprx sat in the chair that I kept in Med. Bay. "What happened to battle practice?" I asked.

"To wet." he said. "I thought the rain would let up but it never did so I guess it's a no go today."

I continued the evaluation in silence. Chiro's temperature was 103.2 degrees Fahrenheit and he was coughing up mucus. He was shivering uncontrollably and was gasping for every breath.

"Showing the exact symptoms." I muttered under my breath. "I'm going to have to do a x-ray."

I carried him over to the x-ray and did a scan of Chiro's chest. I gasped at what I saw. "What is it Brainstrain?" Sprx asked.

"Pneumonia." I whispered.

"Pneu-what?" Sprx asked.

"Pneumonia!" I shouted. "The inflammation of the lungs! It only happens when there are foreign objects in the lungs and fluids enter! It can prove fatal if not treated!"

"Well," Sprx said. "what do we do!"

"We take him to the hospital." I said, calming myself down. " I don't have the medication to take care of him. We'll just have to trust the humans."

"What about the others?" Sprx asked. "You know what Nova's gonna do when she finds out! Don't even get me started on how much Otto's gonna freak and Antauri is so unpredictable! We don't even know what he's gonna do to us!"

"We have no choice!" I shouted. "Unless you want Chiro to die I suggest you get over your fear and start up the Fist Rocket Three!"

Sprx left without a word. I began to wash off the mud and blood from Chiro's body and put him in some new clothes. I had just finished rapping Chiro in a blanket when I heard Sprx say, "Nova, calm down!"

I ran out into the Command Center and saw Sprx against the wall. Nova looked like a enraged bull. "Clam down!" she shouted. "Calm down! You tell me that Chiro has pneumonia and you expect me to calm down! Well you've got another thing coming Sparky!"

"Nova!" I shouted. "Don't hurt him!"

Nova turned around and looked straight at me. "How?" she asked.

"Outdoor vent." I said. "Fell out and it took us five hours to find him."

Nova's eyes softened and she turned back to Sprx. "Get him to the hospital." Nova said. "Now."

Sprx ran towards me and took Chiro. He took the red elevator up and in moments we heard the Fist Rocket Three take off. "Tell me everything." Nova growled.

I sighed and started the story. I began with Sprx saying he had battle practice and me doing an experiment. Next I told her how Chiro managed to get into the vent and how we had spent five hours looking for him. Finally I told about the evaluation and Chiro's pneumonia. "It looked like it was in the right lung." I said.

"Is he going to be okay?" Nova asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know." I said. "It's a possibility but he could die. It's only a possibility."

We spent the next hour going over the good and bad times with Chiro. It made the burden lighter on our hearts. Then Otto and Antauri came home and we spent another hour telling them about Chiro's pneumonia.

It was just like Sprx said. Otto began to cry and voice his concerns and Antauri stayed quiet and unpredictable. Sprx came home moments later. "What did the doctor say?" Nova asked.

"Nothing much." Sprx said. "He said that he was going to keep Chiro over night and run some tests."

"When's Chiro comin' home?" Otto asked.

"Doctor didn't say." Sprx said. "I just had to write him a note since he couldn't understand monkey."

"What did you write?" Antauri asked.

"Okay, I'll be back Wednesday." Sprx said. "That's two days from now. I figured that the doctor would have Chiro ready to come home by then."

"Only if it's not severe." I said. "If it is it might be weeks or months before Chiro comes home."

Once the words were out we stayed silent for a while. I think that we were letting the knowledge of not seeing Chiro for a while sink in.