Nya POV: I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but the next thing I know is that Zane and Lloyd were talking. A part of me wanted to keep sleeping, but I knew they were talking about Kai. Groggily, I pushed myself up and stretched. Zane noticed me and gestured to me. He looked a little worried, and my heart started to race a little from what could be wrong.
I quietly got up and walked over to him. I whispered, "What's wrong? Is Kai okay?"
"He's stable at the moment. His infection is not spreading, and he is responding to the medication."
I sighed in relief and looked over at Lloyd. He was messing around on his phone, but he looked a little upset. It was a look that I recognized very well. Someone told him to do something that he wasn't very good at, nothing. I gave Zane a look to let us be alone, and he nodded slightly.
"I'll check on the others and be right back." He gently said, and once he closed the door, I turned to Lloyd.
He knew that I was staring at him and was visibly nervous, but he didn't look up at me.
"So, are you okay?" I asked, and he shrugged a little.
"I'll be fine, but Zane is going into overprotective mode." he said, putting down his phone. He tried to say it in a playful tone, but he couldn't hide his eyes.
The stress and anxiety were very clear in them, and it didn't help that he was moving carefully with his ribs. This is definitely the reason that he was told to rest. He couldn't be more like Kai in that way if he tried.
"Good thing that you're here, and we can make sure that you really are." I said, and he tried to glare at me.
"Kai is the one that needs it, not me." He stated, but I crossed my arms at him.
"And you know how Kai would be upset if we didn't help you too." I countered.
He blinked at me, and then he groaned before saying, "I wish you were wrong."
"Well, I'm not. So tell me how much they hurt." I said, walking closer to him.
He rolled his eyes a little, but he told me, "On a scale of one to ten, they're at a two for pain. If we're talking about an annoyance level, then it's an eight."
At least that was so bad. "Okay, I'll let Zane know once he gets back. Until then, can you tell me why your stress levels are through the roof?"
He flinched from that question and mumbled, "I think that is obvious."
"I'm just making sure there isn't anything else. But you're right." I pulled up a chair and waited for him to talk.
He got the message sighed before saying, "I just hate this, Nya. I hate it every time anyone is in here. I feel so useless because I don't know anything other than basic first aid. Besides, this happened because he pushed me out of the way. I know that it wasn't my fault, but why can't there be another way where no one had to be hurt?"
"I wish there was a way too." I said, glancing at Kai.
He was still asleep and was wheezing a little. It was a hard sight, and I completely understand Lloyd's feelings right now.
"It also doesn't help that Kai is so willing to jump into the line of fire. I wish that he wouldn't do that so much, too." he added, and I nodded immediately.
"I agree, but that's not something we can change easily. The best we can do is try and keep each other safe. That's what Kai does." I said.
He nodded, but I wasn't sure if he was convinced or not. But pushing it won't help him anyway.
So we sat there in silence, watching over the wheezing Kai. Thanks to Zane, he didn't sound as bad as before, though the idea of an infection still worried me. I just hope that the meds continue to work and he can start feeling better soon.
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Zane POV: It wasn't hard to find Cole and Jay. They were both training on the deck. Most likely, they are trying to work through their own stress. But from how they were fighting, I could tell that their hearts weren't into it.
Once Cole saw me, he immediately stopped and asked, "Zane, is everything okay? How's Kai and Lloyd?"
"And please have some good news. I don't think I can take any more bad news." Jay added, very nervously fidgeting with his nunchucks.
"Kai is doing better now, and Lloyd is going to take today to get some rest." I explained, walking over to him.
"I thought Lloyd was doing fine?" Jay asked, getting more anxious.
"He is, but his stress is high at the moment. He needs to relax before anything else." I simply said, and they both shared a look.
"We jumped the gun when we asked him to do that, then. I should've realized." Cole said, clearly upset with himself.
"He needed to rest either way. Same with his concern for Kai and his situation right now. It would have happened eventually. We happened to catch him early." I reassured him.
He smiled a little and said, "You have a point."
"Yeah, but I'm a little worried about Nya, too. She's probably stressed out just as much. She just hides it like Kai, and I don't want her to end up on the third bed." Jay said, still nervous but also determined with his words.
"I have been watching her as well. She is perfectly fine at the moment with expected concerns. She's also getting plenty of sleep and food. There's nothing to worry about." I said, and he looked relieved to hear that.
"Okay then. What about Kai's infection? Has that gotten better?" Jay asked, putting his weapon away.
"It is slow, but the infection has not spread and is responding to the medication. With a few more days, it should be nearly gone." I estimated. Kai was always a fast healer, and I have little to no doubt about my prediction. He isn't patient for anything less.
"Well, when they both get better, we need to have a game day. I think we all deserve it." Cole suggested, patting both of our backs. That perked Jay up quickly.
"I'm definitely in." He said loudly, and I nodded as well. Because Cole was right and it would give the two something to look forward to.
But, unfortunately, I knew how long it was going to be before we were able to do that.
