Sleepless - A BFB Grimdark

Part Five - Doctor

Taco threw the doors open. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her chest rose and fell from the frantic sprint across the field to the small building Golf Ball has set up next to her lab. Golf Ball yelped, nearly dropping the stack of papers she held atop her head. Golf Ball glared at Taco, adjusting her glasses with a scrunch of her nose.

"Could you not slam the door, please? I have enough noise to deal with right now," Golf Ball muttered. Taco didn't seem to care as she walked in, letting the door close on its own.

"How is she?" Taco asked.

"Hm?"

"Book, Gaty told me what happened last night. Is Book okay?" Taco breathed, her voice airy from her run. Golf Ball slid the stack of papers from her head and onto a nearby desk. Taco noticed that they were all newspapers, and the desk was covered in a strange, sticky substance. A bowl filled with the liquid sat next to the papers.

"Book is...alive," Golf Ball said, chewing on her lip. "Saw came to get me in the middle of the night, they had to corral her in order to help her hobble over here," She grabbed a newspaper and began shredding it by holding the paper down and tearing it with her teeth. "It took us approximately an hour and a half to get all the glass out of her, not including how long it took to restrain her,"

"Restrain?" Taco asked. "What do you mean? She came here on her own will, right?"

"Right, but to make sure her leg's connected properly, we have to restrain her," Golf Ball finished tearing up the paper and dunked the strips into the bowl, letting them soak as she moved to the next paper. "She began thrashing, I think she thought we were going to hurt her," At this, Taco blinked.

"...If I can ask, do you know what happened?" Taco rubbed her hands together. She recalled how sickly Book looked just a day ago. How'd she get so bad so fast?

"Sleep deprivation from the looks of it," Golf Ball's voice was monotone and plain as if she were describing a chore. "We had to watch her overnight to make sure she didn't escape, and she didn't sleep a wink," Another cluster of paper was dunked into the bowl. "That, and we've been told she ingested some form of hyper-potent caffeine," At this, Taco grit her teeth.

"Pencil," She muttered. Golf Ball nodded.

"She told you too?" Golf Ball asked. Taco nodded, her face screwed in an expression of irritation.

"She's lucky I don't knock her nose clean off again," Taco grumbled.

"Please don't, I'm wasting enough glue as is here. I don't want to have to waste more on Pencil," Golf Ball said. Just then, the door opened, and Tennis Ball stepped out, his glasses crooked and his face worried. "TB, is everything alright in there?" She asked. "I have the reattachment fluids ready,"

"You can call it paper-mache, you know," Tennis Ball smiled and rolled his eyes, but his expression still betrayed worry. "As for the patient, she's settled down, but won't stop staring at the ceiling," He rubbed the back of his leg. "I'm a little worried she's gonna try and blind herself, heh," With a sigh, Tennis Ball came over and took the bowl, carefully balancing it on his head.

"I-Is she taking visitors?" Taco finally spoke up again. Tennis Ball looked back with pursed lips.

"I'm...afraid not," His gaze was shifty. He was hiding something. "She's in some sort of daze, I don't wanna risk you getting hurt, especially with your past with her," He winced. Taco glanced at the ground. Even though the two made up, she had to admit there was still some tension in the air. With that, Tennis Ball disappeared through the door again. Golf Ball looked to Taco and shrugged.