After rushing their friend to the Medical Bay everyone waited in the hallway, anxious to find out what was wrong with her. As some of the best N-Tek doctors examined her, outside the ones who were taking it the hardest were Shock and Berto.
"Why are they taking so long?" Shock asked as he watched Berto pace the floor completely oblivious to everyone else. As the minutes dragged on Berto continued to pace, every so often looking towards the door and wanting to go inside but he knew he had to stay where he was. So he paced as his friends looked on, everyone feeling helpless. After what seemed like an eternity one of the doctors finally emerged and everyone looked up.
"Is she going to be okay?" Berto asked the moment the doctor walked into the hallway.
"Jessie has a linear fracture in her skull." Doctor Alexander told them and they looked on shocked.
"How did it happen?" Berto asked and the doctor sighed before he answered the young scientist.
"From what we can tell it was caused by a heavy blow to her forehead. We're still not sure how though." He told them and Berto frowned at him.
"It must have been from her battle with Metal Elementor. Then why didn't anyone notice she was hurt until now? If she had a fracture from that battle why wasn't she in pain?" He asked but then he realized something. "She did complain about her head hurting and I didn't take any notice."
"Plus she did break the alarm because it was causing her pain. That was a while after the battle though." Shock pointed out as Berto looked on, feeling awful that he laughed at his friend when she was hurt. In the silence that followed Doctor Alexander looked at each of Jessie's friends, noticing that they all looked worried. When Berto finally looked up from staring at the floor he spoke directly to the doctor.
"Can I see her?" He asked and Doctor Alexander frowned, getting ready to say no until he took a good look at Berto's face and saw the pain etched into his face and he softened. When he gave Berto a nod the scientist gave him a grateful smile. After entering the room Berto was shaken to find Jessie lying still on a bed, an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth and as he walked over he noticed that he couldn't hear her breathing. For a moment he panicked as he rushed to her side until he saw the mask fog up and he had to sit on a bed opposite to keep from falling over. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Berto stared at his friend as she lay there and as he sat there he was soon joined by Shock who had gotten tired of waiting outside and had snuck past the doctor.
"How is she?" Shock asked and Berto jumped as the Ultralink flew over. "It's just me." He added as Berto stared at him.
"She's unconscious." Berto said and Shock resisted the urge the roll his eye. Well obviously, he thought to himself but decided not to say anything. "I know that's pretty obvious." He said as he fiddled with his wrist computer and Shock sighed before hovering between Jessie's bed and the one now occupied by Berto.
"Look I know you're worried about her but you need to calm down. Right now there isn't anything we can do except wait for her to get better but I know she'll be alright." Shock told him and Berto closed his eyes for a moment. "Are you okay?' He asked Berto who lifted his head and when he opened his eyes Shock could see the pain there. Sighing he looked at Jessie who remained motionless. Together they stayed by her side.
Hours went by and soon Berto began to doze off only to wake up when his chin bumped his chest. Rubbing his eyes he sat straighter and looked over at his friend, hoping that maybe she was awake. But when he found her in the same condition he frowned before sitting back and wondering what he could do to help her and, as he did, he noticed that she didn't have the black and silver ring he'd made for her. Puzzled he looked around the room until his eyes settled on the table a few feet away that had something shining on it. With a smile he jumped down and walked over to it, instantly finding the ring. Walking back to his friend he knelt and gently fastened the chain around her neck so that the ring lay between her collarbone and her chest. As he stood Shock flew over and watched his two friends, both as silent as each other. Finally Berto spoke and Shock could hear the sadness in his voice.
"I should have listened to Jessie when she said that she was in pain but I laughed. How could I do something so cruel?" He said and Shock placed his arm on his friend's shoulder who looked up at him.
"Once again will you stop putting all the blame on yourself? I laughed at her too. Besides we didn't know she had a head fracture then. I'm an Ultralink and you're the chief scientist. We're not doctors okay?" Shock pointed out and eventually Berto nodded. "Besides when she wakes up we can apologize then for not taking her seriously. Maybe you can take her out on a date or something to make it up to her." He suggested and Berto brightened at that idea.
"Okay but you have to help." Berto said and Shock stared at him.
"Hey it was my suggestion so you need to figure out the details." Shock shot back and Berto raised an eyebrow at the Ultralink who stared right on back. Without warning Berto started to laugh and after a moment Shock joined in too. As their laughter subsided Shock asked what they should do and Berto shrugged before he put a hand to his forehead suddenly feeling dizzy. The moment Shock noticed the change in his face he began to push Berto's shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Berto asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright I'm a little dizzy." He finally admitted and after a little more pushing from the Ultralink he walked over and sat on the bed opposite Jessie. "Maybe I should rest. But what if Jessie wakes up?" He yawned and Shock agreed to wake him if there was any change in her condition. Thanking him Berto lay down on the bed and moved his hand behind his head as he got comfortable. Pretty soon his eyes closed and his breathing became shallow as he dozed off. More tired than he'd let Shock think Berto didn't wake up until sometime later the next morning and that was only because he could hear someone mumbling.
"Could you be quiet? I'm trying to sleep." Berto muttered turning over but when the noise persisted he grumbled something under his breath and sat up. "Can't a guy get a moment's rest?" He grumbled and that's when he found the source of the noise. On the bed beside him he realized that Jessie's head moved and as he focused his attention on her, she muttered something. Not sure what she was attempting to say he jumped down and moved so that he was standing beside her. Again he couldn't understand until he almost kicked himself when he figured out that her voice was muffled by the oxygen mask. Reaching over he carefully removed it from her mouth and leaned in. "Did you say something Jessie?" He whispered and was taken by complete surprise when her eyes opened and he found myself being stared at by a set of chocolate-brown eyes.
"You…woke me…up." I muttered and as he continued at stare at me I frowned slightly. "I'm not…the only who…talks in their sleep." I told him and a long moment passed before he finally smiled down at me. Then he surprised me by leaning down and hugging me. "Not that…I mind but…you're cutting off…my air supply." I coughed and he relaxed his grip enough so I could breathe properly again. "That's better." I told him.
"Oh right sorry." Berto replied and I managed a laugh. "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad. My head still hurts but I'll live." I told him and he tried to grin but I could see something was wrong. "Is something bothering you? You look kind of sad."
"I'm sorry I didn't take you seriously before. You were in pain and I laughed at you." Berto answered and I gave him a look before I wrapped an arm around his neck and attempted to pull him into a hug. Apparently too weak I groaned in frustration and Berto grinned before leaning down, having worked out what I wanted.
"That's better." I said as I hugged him and I heard him chuckle. "So what's wrong with me exactly?" Eventually standing Berto took my hand as he explained what I'd missed since I passed out.
"You collapsed and we rushed you to the Medical Bay. Several of the doctors here examined you and then Doctor Alexander told us that you had a Linear fracture to your skull." Berto told me and when I raised an eyebrow in confusion he chuckled. "It's basically a small fracture. Nothing serious but you did pass out so you're in here to rest until the fracture heals on its own."
"That's a relief. You had me worried when you said 'fracture'. How did it happen?" I asked him and as he mentioned the battle with Metal Elementor I groaned and he instantly asked if I was okay. "I'm fine. I just remembered that fight and I did get hit by his mace so that explains a lot. Thanks for taking care of me."
"I really didn't do anything." Berto said and I squeezed his hand. "Well maybe a little. I'm glad you're okay."
"You and me both. Oh and sorry I blew up the alarm." I told him and it took him a few seconds to work out what I meant before he laughed. "I really don't know why I did that."
"I think the alarm was making your headache worse because you kept wincing and you had your hands pressed against your head." Berto replied and I smiled at him. "I really should have realized something was off." Sighing I sat up and Berto's eyes went wide. Noting the worried expression on his face I raised an eyebrow.
"Chill babe. I'm fine though I'm not going to be fighting anyone until my head heals. That's for sure." I told him as I rubbed the side of my aching head avoiding my forehead where it hurt the most. "Oh and for the record you didn't injure me, Metal Elementor did so stop acting like this fracture's your fault okay?" When he didn't answer I continued to stare at him until he finally nodded. "Great so now what?" I asked him and he gave me a puzzled look. "Do I have to stay here or what?"
"You have to stay here." Berto told me and he laughed after I sulked, not wanting to just sit around and do nothing. "Don't give me that look. You're still recovering and you need time to heal."
"Yeah but what do I do in the meantime? It's so boring in here." I complained and he smiled at me before he ducked into the hallway for a moment. As I sat there, thinking he had left me on my own, I heard the sounds of running footsteps and that's when Furbo came racing in. Laughing I watched as he flew over to me and landed on the bed before jumping up and licking my face. Seconds later I was joined by Steel and Shock who exchanged a look of shock at seeing me awake.
"You're alright!" Shock shouted as Furbo proceeded to fly around the room and I cringed as my headache flared up. "Oh geeze. Sorry Jessie." He added and I managed to plant a smile on my face despite the constant pain in my head.
"It's fine Shock. I just need to wait until the injury heals itself then we'll be back kicking bad guy butt." I grinned and he laughed as he flew over to me. "As soon as I get the all clear." I added as Berto returned to my side. As I moved over Berto sat beside me on the bed and I smiled as he took my hand.
"Maybe we should give you two a few minutes." Shock suggested and as he went to leave Steel asked why before he suddenly nodded and they followed Furbo outside. Once they were gone I stared after them puzzled why they left.
"That was strange. Why did they leave like that?" I asked before I felt Berto wrap his arms around my waist and I giggled. "Okay now I understand." I smiled as I leaned back and rested my head on his chest. As I did I felt him kiss my check and I sighed, feeling better. Soon my eyes began to close and as I started falling asleep I heard him laugh as he held me tighter.
Sometime later I stirred awake and as I opened my eyes, still half asleep, I found myself face to face with Berto. For some reason he was now lying next to me, fast asleep and as I watched him I couldn't help noting how peaceful he looked. As I continued to stare at him, he moved closer to me until our noses were almost touching. Trying not to giggle at him I lay there and after a few short minutes I began to fall asleep again. As my eyes closed I didn't see Berto reach over and take my hand.
"You were right. They look pretty cute together." I heard someone say and even with my eyes closed I figured out that it was Max's mom Molly. Suddenly there was a flash of light and I groaned before I moved closer to Berto, not wanting to wake up and I heard someone laugh. "Aww now that is even cuter." Probably Molly again I thought to myself as I lay there refusing to budge. Of course then someone started prodding my shoulder and with an annoyed sigh I opened my eyes to find Molly and Shock looking down at us.
"Hello." I mumbled as I lay there. As Shock flew over to hover in front of me, Berto snuggled closer and ended up almost burying his head in my chest. "And hello to you too." I added as I couldn't help blushing. It didn't help that Molly and Shock saw the funny side of it and started laughing.
"Now that is pretty funny." Shock said and I stared at him until he shrugged. "You should see the photo we took." The second I heard that my eyes went wide and I tried to sit up before Berto made a noise in his throat and I was torn between staying put and moving, which would wake him. In the end I chose to glare at Shock. "What's wrong now?" He asked me and I finally gave up, rubbing my eyes.
"How's your head?" Molly asked me as Shock hovered just out of reach of me.
"It still aches but it doesn't hurt as much now." I replied as I looked at Berto currently using me as a pillow. Wouldn't be the first time, I thought to myself as I lay there. Thankfully he soon moved enough so I could sit up without waking him and as I did I heard footsteps. "Company's coming." I said and we all looked towards the door as Max and Steel walked in.
"Look who's up." Max said as he joined his mom and Shock beside the bed. "And who isn't." He added grinning as he looked at Berto still completely obvious to everything.
"So how's the head?" Steel asked me and I told him what I said before to Molly and Shock. "That's good to know. You did get slammed pretty hard though you do have a pretty hard head."
"Maybe but I'd appreciate it if people didn't use it like it was a punching bag." I replied as I stretched my limbs. "Because ending up in the Medical Bay's becoming a habit of me." Sitting there I heard Berto mumble something unintelligible and I took a moment or two to stare down at him. "Huh?"
"Callate." He muttered and I giggled as he tried unsuccessfully to bury his face in the bed. Eventually he raised his head and sighed before sitting up. "Since I'm not going to get any peace now I might as well make myself useful."
"Oh quit complaining." I told him as I playfully nudged him in the arm. "I was up before you and I have a head injury."
"Usted es hilarante." Berto said and I giggled as he climbed off the bed. "And when did we gain an audience?" He asked and that was all it took to make me burst out laughing. Blinking he stared at me as I laughed and then looked at our friends. "Is she okay?" Once my laughter had subsided I had the hiccups and Berto couldn't help grinning at me, apparently happy he had the last laugh on me.
"Its…hic...not funny." I complained after Molly, Max and Steel had left. Now with Berto and Shock for company I was sorely regretting being nice and not waking him earlier. "I was nice…hic... to you and…hic…everything." Still grinning at me Berto chuckled when I crossed my arms against my chest and sat back, annoyed at him. Of course it was all an act but it seemed to fool him because he sighed before moving closer. "Could have…hic…woken you up…hic…but I didn't." I added as he sat beside me and I rested my head on his shoulder. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders he smiled down at me as I smiled, still hiccupping but I was enjoying being so close to him so I soon forgot about how annoying my hiccups were. "Maybe…hic…I can forgive you." I said after a few minutes and he chuckled as Shock rolled his eye at the both of us. When my eyelids started to close before I started awake Berto asked if I wanted to rest and I shook my head. Unconvinced Berto used his free hand to massage my shoulder and I frowned knowing what he was trying to do. Resisting I stayed awake until he sat up and started rubbing my neck with both his hands. Soon my eyes began to close again but I refused to sleep, determined to have the upper hand, and he sighed clearly not sure what to do next. Unfortunately for me Shock decided to help as he could see that I needed more time to rest and recover from my injuries because he grabbed my phone from the table. After a couple of seconds of fiddling with it he pressed a button and music started to play. I raised an eyebrow at the Ultralink, puzzled, until I heard the song and I realized that it was a slow song that I liked. How he knew I liked that song was a mystery. As I listened Berto resumed rubbing my neck and the music combined with his massage made me drowsy.
"You two…are ganging…up…on me." I mumbled as I fought to stay awake. "Not…fair." I added as my head began to drop towards my chest. Seeing this Berto increased the pace of his fingers and eventually my eyes closed and I fell forward. Catching me in time Berto was amused to find me sound asleep and he carefully lay me down on the bed. Completely unaware I shifted slightly getting comfortable as Shock and Berto looked on amused.
"That is one stubborn woman I'm dating." Berto remarked after they left me to get some more rest. "Not that I'm complaining mind you."
"Uh huh. Before I forget I heard that C.Y.T.R.O was almost a match for Metal Elementor." Shock said and Berto raised an eyebrow at him. "The almost part came from Max." He added as Berto eyed him for a moment. With a nod they headed for his lab and as Berto explained that he'd only managed to beat up the Ultralink because he was ticked at it for hurting his friend. "But you did beat him up for a while anyway. That is pretty impressive."
"Okay I'll admit that it was something I didn't think I could do. I mean I did design him to serve as backup for Max Steel and because I can't exactly go toe to toe with an Elementor. Or even Extroyer or Dredd for that matter." For the next few minutes Berto was lost in thought and Shock watched the young scientist as they entered the lab before he broke into a smile. "Maybe I can help Jessie a bit more." He told the Ultralink who wondered how exactly before Berto reached his computer and brought up a set of blueprints. As Shock stared at the plans he realized that they were for some sort of new weapon and he smiled to himself.
"Need any help?" Shock asked and Berto gave him a nod before they set to work. It took them the better part of the day before they were happy with the weapon they'd created from scratch.
"There finished." Berto announced as he and Shock gave Jessie's new Turbo weapon the once over.
"That Turbo touch problem was pretty annoying to work around." Shock said as Berto set their newest creation on the table opposite. "Still it's done and it looks pretty amazing. Where did you came up with this idea?"
"Well Max and Steel have the Turbo blaster and so I thought why not make one for Jessie? A long range weapon seemed the perfect choice for her too. Speaking of Jessie I wonder if she's still sleeping?" Knowing this was coming Shock suggested going and checking on her and they left, walking the short distance between rooms. Once they did reach the Medical Bay, however, Jessie wasn't lying where they'd left her and they stood there in surprise. It was at that moment that they heard a familiar voice and when they turned Jessie was standing behind them, a glass held in one hand and a confused expression on her face.
"Why are you guys giving me that look?" I asked and after getting over his surprise Berto frowned at me.
"Why aren't you resting?" He asked me and I pointed out that I woke up thirsty. "You should have asked someone to bring you water." He told me and I frowned back at him.
"I'm more than capable of getting a glass of water. I have a fracture not a loss of brain function." I replied as I brushed past and sat back on the bed. Ignoring him for a moment I took a sip of the water and then I stared at him. "Besides there wasn't anyone here except me and I'm not a telepath." I added giving Berto a grin as Shock laughed. But apparently Berto wasn't convinced I was fine as he walked over and, taking the glass from me and setting it down on the table nearby, stared into my eyes.
"Would you stop that? I appreciate that you care about me but I'm fine." I told him and he stood back crossing his arms against his chest and I fought the urge to hit him in the arm. "You're being stubborn." I pointed out and after a moment of staring at me I noticed the side of his mouth twitch as he tried not to laugh.
"Takes one to know one." He said and I giggled before he uncrossed his arms. "Fine you win. I'm just being overprotective of you." He admitted and I smiled at him. Before I could speak Shock made his usual gagging noise and that made me forget what I wanted to say. Not really wanting to admit it however now that I had gone for a short walk and had a drink of water I rubbed my eyes with a hand as I began to feel sleepy again and without warning I yawned. "Knew it." Berto said with a chuckle and I opened my mouth to protest, as stubborn as ever, but I yawned again and the retort I had come up with died on my lips. This time when Berto stood beside my bed and asked that I lay down I didn't fight. Once I was lying on my back my eyes started to close and I placed a hand behind my head. "Hopefully she'll stay put this time." I heard Berto say as I fell asleep. Because no one entered the Medical Bay for a long while I was able to rest for hours and I found out later that from time to time N-Tek's doctors checked on me and my fracture. Probably still needing to recover from the pain in my head and the obvious injury I received from Metal Elementor I didn't wake even once. Even Steel and Shock were pretty impressed by the fact that I was completely oblivious to everything around me. After going with Berto to check on me Max decided to have some fun with me and somehow convinced Steel to set off a loud beeping noise into my ear. Thinking I'd most likely jump, or better yet fall off the bed, he was shocked when I merely shifted slightly on the bed and stayed asleep. As Berto watched on, bemused, Max tried again and he couldn't believe it when I didn't react. After a few minutes of trying to wake me he gave up and left, probably wondering how someone could sleep through all the noise, and so he didn't see Berto grin. Leaning over he gently brushed his fingers against his friend's cheek and she sighed.
"Now that's how to get a reaction." He told Steel who chuckled. "It works for me anyway." He added before leaving his friend in peace.