Chapter 113: What's The Matter With Henry?

It had been a week since Emily had come to Sodor. Although most of the engine drivers on Sodor had grown to like her, Gordon still thought she was too inexperienced and would only cause confusion and delay.

"I'm all for Women in the workplace, but not if they make more work for us cleaning up their mistakes."

Emily took it all in stride, however, and chose to ignore Gordon's remarks. She had also grown closer to Thomas, but soon it would be time for her to work on her own.

"You're doing great, Emily. Pretty soon you'll be so good at this you won't even need me."
"Thanks, Thomas, but I will miss working with you."

"Don't worry, we'll all be here to help you."

On early morning, the engine drivers were waiting outside the sheds for the daily work meeting. Sir Topham Hatt arrived shortly.

"Henry, James, Emily, and Thomas. The coaling plant has a big order for the mainland to complete by supper. You will need to bring the trucks to Brendam Docks to be loaded onto the ship. The trains will be heavy, so you must be very careful."

"Yes sir!"

As they got ready to leave, however, Emily noticed Henry was not looking well. His skin was pale, and he was sweating heavily.

"Henry, are you alright? You don't look to well."

"Huh? Oh hello, Emily. I didn't even notice you. Yes, I'm fine. Allergies are probably acting up."

"You don't look alright, Henry. You-"

"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. The run to the coaling plant will do me some good, give me some fresh air."

And with that he drove crossly out of the sheds, leaving Thomas and Emily speechless.

"I hope Henry will be alright."

"Me too, Emily. Me too."

A half hour later, the four of them reached the coaling plant. Long lines of coal trucks filled the yard.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us today."

"You can say that again."

Just then, James walked over to them.

"Hey, have you guys taken a good look at Henry? I think something's wrong with him."

"Now that you mention it, he has been looking rather pale."

"And he has been sweating more than usual. I think he might be sick."

"I agree, but when I tried talking to him about it he snapped at me. I'm worried he might be seriously ill."

Just then, they heard a banging noise. They turned to see Henry coupling his engine up to a long line of trucks, looking paler than before. They exchanged nervous looks before walking over to him.

"Uh, Henry, I don't think you should be taking so many trucks. Here, let us help."

"Don't worry, James, I've got this. My engine has taken a lot more trucks than this before."

"Yeah, but you're not looking that great. Here, let me-"

"I'M FINE! Will YOU STOP WORRYING SO MUCH AND JUST LET ME DO MY WORK!"
With that he stormed off in a huff, leaving his friends in a daze.

"Henry's heading for trouble, I just know it."

After collecting their trucks, the three of them decided to follow Henry closely. Although the journey went well at first, they soon noticed the train moving slower and slower until it came to a complete stop just outside of Wellsworth station. The three watched in horror as Henry stumbled out of the cab and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

In a flurry, the three ran into action. Emily began to perform CPR on Henry, James climbed into the cab to shut off steam, and Thomas dialed emergency services.

"9-9-9, what's your emergency?"

"We have an unconscious engine driver at Wellsworth Station. We need an Ambulance fast."

"Alright, just keep calm. An ambulance is on its way. Just try to keep the person stable."

"Alright, thank you."

An ambulance was at the scene within 5 minutes. In a hurry, paramedics had him in a gurney and on his way to Wellsworth Hospital, with Thomas and Emily riding along.

It was a few hours before the doctor came out to speak to them. By then, Sir Topham Hatt had been made aware of the problem and was waiting as well.

"I'm afraid dear Henry is suffering from Appendicitis. He's lucky you three acted so fast, otherwise it could've been far worse."

"Will he be alright, doctor?"

"He'll be fine, but his Appendix will need to be removed. After that, it'll be a long time before he's ready to go back to work. He's awake now, if you'd like to see him."

The three entered the room anxiously. Henry lay in bed, hooked up to machines and IV drips. He smiled wearily when he saw them.

"Hey guys."

"Henry, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

"I thought it was nothing. Guess I was wrong. Sorry for snapping at you two, Thomas and Emily. Tell James that, please?"

"We will, Henry, and apology accepted. Just get some rest."

With that, the three exited the room, leaving Henry to sleep.

"Gordon will have to do Henry's work until he's recovered."

"I'm sure he'll love that."

"Maybe not, but he's the only one whose engine can handle the workload. James shall handle the express as a reward for his work today. I'm proud of all of you. You each shall have two days off, and your engines will receive new paint. Well done."

Thomas and Emily beamed proudly.