A Path Through the Woods(A RiaEgg Story)

CHAPTER 6: "Things are Uncertain."

The first thing the receptionist saw when she looked up from her record list was a band of a dozen crewmates stampeding through the sliding doors and rushing over to her desk. At the front of the pack was a young lime crewmate; female, it looked, and wearing a dark red, splotched bandana on her head.

"May I help you?" she asked them.

"Is there a MrEgg here?" the lime crewmate asked frantically.

"Yes, there is; he arrived at the ER exactly 36 minutes ago. Are you friends or family?"

"Uh...Friends. All of us."

"Does he have any immediate family that should know about this?"

"Not any that he has anything to do with, I don't think," Player answered her.

"Okay. We'll have one of the doctors in to tell you about your friend's condition as soon as possible. Just wait in here for a while."

"Understood," TheGentleman nodded grimly.

"Can I get a name?"

"...Ria."

"Alright. Go ahead and have a seat; the doctor will call you when he gets here."

The lime-clad crewmember motioned for the others to follow her over to the waiting room. With them being such a large crowd, they were lucky that there was plenty of seating to go around...And TheGentleman made sure to pick a chair that was as far away from Ria as possible.

Nobody said anything. There was silence between them all the while, and the ambient droning of hospital noises was all around; the indistinct chatter of other patients and medical staff members, the distant whirr of machinery, the scuffs of feet against the tile floor, the droning television up on the wall broadcasting what looked like a game show...Waiting rooms had an odd, uncanny atmosphere about them.

...It was very strangely peaceful, yet it also seemed so tense. Like a calm before the storm of tears some of them were anticipating.

After what felt like an hour, but was really only fifteen minutes according to the clock on the wall above the reception desk, someone else entered the room from one of the hallways.

"Ms. Ria and company?" a deep, raspy voice called out.

The group looked up to see a black crewmate standing at the entrance to one of the halls, wearing a lab coat and holding a clipboard...He wore a small top hat on his head, and his visor was obscured behind a set of thick red goggles and a plague doctor mask.

They all stood up and approached him, Ria at the head of the pack once again.

"Dr. Doktor," he introduced himself. "...I believe you're here for a certain MrEgg."

"Yes," she nodded. "...H-how is he?"

The doctor didn't respond right away. He sighed, then looked at his clipboard again before speaking.

"He's in critical condition," he told them. "The collision was head-on, and with his vehicle being the smaller of the two, he was on the receiving end of most of the damage...By some miracle from above, his head appears to have received the least amount of damage; only a few cuts and bruises lacerations across his face and minimal damage to the neck. We believe he may have been able to slow his vehicle down before he was hit."

"Oh. Well...That sounds hopeful," TheGentleman remarked, to which the doctor sighed again.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet, sir. The amount of damage the rest of his body endured was massive, and...we're still not certain if he'll survive."

"How bad is it?" Veteran inquired. Dr. Doktor looked at his clipboard again, scanning over it as he answered his question.

"Two fractures in the right femur, one in the left, along with prominent bruising, several breaks in his left hand...Seven rib fractures, three of which had punctured his left lung, moderate liver damage, a massive gash on his side...And hypovolemic shock. He'd already lost a dangerous amount of blood by the time the ambulance arrived, and he lost even more on the ride to the Emergency Room and in surgery...It's yet another miracle that he lived long enough to receive a transfusion."

By the time he'd finished recounting MrEgg's injuries, there were a lot of misty eyes and sour faces among the group. Ria and Mother sniffled loudly, Engineer, Captain, Gnome and Dum all shared a tearful group hug, MrCheese hid his visor in his hands as he and TheGentleman leaned against one another, Veteran and Ninja frowned solemnly at one another and shook their heads, and Player hung his head and wrapped his hands around his sides, shuddering as he held back his tears.

"...I'm very sorry that such has become of MrEgg," the doctor told them, his own sadness still visible behind his goggles and mask. "But I will say this; he is a strong fighter. I have seen many people who died before they even made it to the operating table who had injuries barely half as grave as his. If he manages to make it through the night, then that's a good sign."

"D-do you think he will?" Ria asked him.

"Unfortunately, things are uncertain. We will continue to monitor his condition through the night, and any changes that occur will be reported to you as soon as possible...In the mean time, I suggest that you and your friends go home and try to manage some rest. I can imagine that this must be very hard on you all."

"Okay..." she whispered, sniffling again before turning away. "...Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome...He's in good hands."

The lime crewmate gave him one more nod before motioning for the group to follow her out of the waiting room...Unlike the stampede they'd first entered the hospital in, the group now headed out the doors in single-file lines of six, walking back out into the parking lot slowly and quietly...As the sun began to set beneath the horizon, the darkness and uncertainty of the night to come began to wash over them.

...Nobody knew what sunrise would bring, but they could only hope the best while fearing the worst.