At the Pole, the medical yetis worked desperately to fix up the Winter Spirit. Tooth was always nearby, her wings flickering nervously.
Jack was in bad shape, to put it mildly. The burns on his pale frame were angry and cruel; merely breathing on them caused him extreme pain, and forced him to curl in on himself. He had several bones that needed to be reset, and an IV was shoved into both his arms to rehydrate him. He was unconscious, except for the times a yeti accidently aggravated one of his burns. Then his eyes would fly open, revealing his pain, and a wail of agony ripped his raw throat to shreds.
Tooth was always there to comfort and sooth him when this happened, speaking softly and stroking his hair-the only part of him untouched by Summer's wrath, she noticed with a flare of fury-telling him it was going to be alright, that he was safe now.
"Go back to sleep Sweet Tooth." She smiled after one particular nasty episode. He looked back at her with swollen eyes, his mouth open to say something but she knew his throat wasn't up to it, so she shushed him by placing a finger to his lips.
He looked frightened when she recommended he sleep some more, and she searched the room for Pitch's Nightmares. Seeing none, Tooth reassured the boy that nothing was going to disturb his rest, but Jack refused to slip back into the void of unconsciousness.
"Why not, Sweet Tooth?" she asked, stroking his silver locks reassuringly.
He didn't answer, but made it clear that he didn't want to go under by writhing and scratching at the bedsheets, moaning and wimpering.
"Please talk to me, Jack." Tooth pleaded "Why don't you want to go to sleep?"
He gathered what strength he had and fought through the intense pain throbbing in his throat to do as Tooth said, his poor voice crackled and wheezed as he forced words out of his tortured throat. "No...N...o..sl...p. No! Won' way uh..."
It took Tooth a few minutes to interpret what the winter spirit had said, but her eyes went wide then clouded with intense rage.
"NORTH!" she hollered "BUNNY! SANDY come NOW!"
The door burst open and the three stood ready for battle. Tooth calmed them down with a look, and then burst into tears. Bunny held her, and she reported sorrowfully, a hint of anger lacing her tone.
"Jack refuses to sleep. He's terrified that if he closes his eyes...he won't wake up again."
North hung his head "Was afraid of this happening."
Bunny nodded "Sheila, we've been talking. Frostbite's staff...it's more than a conduit. If it gets broken enough times...he will die. Summer was very close to killing him. I have a hunch that if I hadn't kicked her when I did...Jack would be dead right now. As it stands, he still has a chance...but if he sleeps too long, it'll be the end of 'im. He's that broken. Being exposed to the cruel heat a Summer, bein' beat up, and almost left to burn in the sun...then getting' his staff broke almost to the killing point...the kid is scared. That fear is an instinct, and he knows that sleepin' ain't the answer. Not anymore."
"But he NEEDS his rest!" Tooth protested "He's in more pain awake than he is when he's sleeping. He needs some rest!" As she spoke, she noticed the blue eyes clouded with terror as they tried desperately to stay open.
Bunny grimaced "If he shows any more terror, he'll draw out Pitch."
A scornful laugh was his only answer, and Tooth snarled at the Nightmare King, clearly not in the best of moods. "Too late for that Bunny. Pitch has been here for over twenty minutes. I didn't say anything because so far he hasn't done anything besides stand in the shadows."
"I came because his fear drew me, not because I chose to come!" Pitch sneered from his shadow. "I would prefer him not keeping me here actually, although to be honest I am enjoying the view."
Since the Nightmare King was not outright attacking them, and seemed as eager to leave as they were to get rid of him, the Guardians chose to ignore him and return their focus to Jack.
Pitch however marveled at the youngest Guardian's state of fear at the moment. It was powerful, but at the same time, instinctual. He pondered at this more. Jack Frost, as far as he knew, had many fears. Fire, Drowning, being cooped up, the usual fears surrounding isolation and freedom, and ironicly, a fear of being encased in ice...all were the top of the list for Frost. But to fear death? This was strange indeed. The boy had an annoying aversion to that fear, even when he was staring it in the face. "So why do you tremble at the possibility now, Frost?" he mumbled intrigued "Or is it not death itself you fear?"
He had little time to ponder this newest development, for Jack's whimpers soon were forced silent as a yeti sedated him. Pitch fed off the surge of terror the boy released before passing out, then the Nightmare King was rudely shoved out by the lack of the thing that kept him out of his hole.
Tooth wept softly and hugged the sleeping boy, her anger still growing. She stood up and Baby Tooth took her place, the tiny fairy snuggling in Jack's hair, and the Queen of the Tooth Fairies gave one last look at Jack before stepping out, where North, Bunny, and Sandy waited.
"I'm going to find her." She growled to them. Bunny smiled knowingly, and even North nodded his approval. Sandy put his fist in his hand and had a question mark above his head. Tooth shook her head but smiled at him
"Not this time Sandy. This is a lady's affair. You can have a chat after I and Summer conclude our business." She took one last look at the infirmary. Bunny put a paw on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
"Go on sheila. We'll take care of Frostbite."
She hugged him "Thank you Bunny."
"Give her a few for me, sheila!" he encouraged as Tooth flew off in search of Summer.