The A Team

Chapter Twenty

Trigger warning: seizure and death
Hey guys! I just published the first two parts (a prologue and chapter one) of my new Hermitcraft fantasy/fanfic. It's called The Unseen Beauty of the Ungrateful. I would be super appreciative if you would consider checking it out and let me know what you think.
Enjoy!

"Mumbo... do you want me to set up a cot?"

Mumbo lifted his head from where it was resting in his arms and squinted up at Stress.

They had managed to crawl through the tunnels leading out of the corporation's territory - Cleo had kept her word. Doc had convinced them that going back to the bunker would be a bad idea as it would probably be where they would come searching first, and thus Stress had led them to the closest healers compound, only about 10 miles west of the bunker.

Mumbo had carried Grian the entire time, even refusing to let him go when they reached the hospital.

"Mumbo we need to take care of him" Stress had softly explained. "I'll be there the whole time and you can stay with him when we're done"

After several minutes of Stress's soothing encouragement, Mumbo had reluctantly lowered Grian onto the small hospital bed and watched while he was wheeled away.

Once he was back and placed in a private room, Mumbo had refused to leave his side, pulling up a chair next to the bed, talking to the unconscious avian during the day, and sleeping with his head lowered onto the bed railing at night.

Now, he struggled to blink the sleep from his eyes as he tried to work the crick out of his neck.

"Mumbo?"

"No I'm ok thank you. I would prefer to be next to him when he wakes up" he said as politely as he could muster. Stress and several others had been coming in and out for the last couple days, trying to get him to leave and lay down properly. He always refused.

Stress sighed as Mumbo heard the clattering of a tray on the table next to him. He looked up to see False and Iskall.

"Eat" False said.

Iskall gave him an encouraging smile, while False had her hands on her hips, the look on her face daring him to defy her.

She relaxed only when he had picked up the bowl and began to shovel the porridge into his mouth. Truly, he was starving.

"How is he doing?" Iskall asked Stress, walking to the opposite side of the bed to look at Grian up close.

"He's ok for now" Stress said. "He had a couple broken ribs and his ulna was fractured, but those seem to be healing properly. The more worrying injuries are the ones on his back and legs, but so far we haven't seen any signs of sepsis and his fever is beginning to go down. Hopefully he'll wake up soon"

"And if he doesn't?" Mumbo heard himself croak out.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. Silence closed in around them for several minutes before Stress sighed again.

"Look we need to talk about X"

Mumbo felt his stomach clench up immediately in guilt as his hands gripped the bowl more tightly.

"How is he doing?" False asked.

"He's not going to last much longer" Stress said, a slight waver in her voice.  "Mumbo are you sure you don't want to come see him before... he goes?"

"I..."

Mumbo couldn't. He just couldn't. How as he supposed to have known that Xisuma had been drugged? How was he supposed to have known that the letters being sent to X every day were coated in mercury and a cocktail of other substances? How could he have been... so awful.