Lost In Lucidity

Dysphoria

"Are we allowed to go in here now?" I quiz Val as we rush up the med bay stairs.

"I don't care if we are or not. Morgan said Tyler was asking for us, so I think that's clearance enough."

Val hammers on the door with a fist to which we hear footsteps cross over. A dreadfully disheveled Kaphila opens the door, her lips parted slightly as her glazed eyes look us up and down.

"Oh, dear..." she drones lazily, "You two... got here faster than I expected..."

"Hi, Doctor," we barely acknowledge, peering past her into the room. It seems they must have only finished and woken him up a few hours ago. All the surgeons, including Kaphila, are still in their scrubs and cleaning the operation area. Behind them, though, lying in a hospital bed in a sectioned-off corner, we can see a tiny figure. He's mostly obscured by his brother sitting next to him holding his hand, back turned to us. Val and I begin to move in, but Kaphila stops us.

"Wait, you two..." She touches our arms before letting her hand slump back to her side, "You should give them some space... He just woke up about fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh." Val nods, realizing how overly eager we're being, "S-Sorry."

"That's all right." She smiles vacantly before her halfhearted attempt fades away. The poor woman... There's a very good chance that she hasn't slept in days.

Val seems to notice too, "Doctor, you should get some rest now that it's over. You don't look so good..."

Kaphila protests, her eyelids drooping shut for a moment while she tries to think, "I can't. I... I need to stay up and, um... monitor his vitals..."

"Can't the other doctors do that?"

"I-I'm fine. We need t-to all be available for when he... he starts to slip."

Instantly, the relief that graced me for all of ten minutes goes sour in my stomach, "W-Wait, starts to slip? What do you mean? Is he not better?"

Arti draws her gaze away before gesturing with her head for us to follow. She leads us to the far end of the room, "We... we tried, you two...We really did...We repaired all the ruptures and replaced fluids and... He was too broken, though. We got him fixed, and we got him awake, but with the condition he's in now... We don't think his body will hold on for long."

There's an extended, stoic respite where nobody can muster any words. Dr. Kaphila is clearly too tired, and Val and I are in shock. I should have known better than to let my hopes build like that. It all just felt too good to be true. Good things like that don't just happen these days without a catch.

"How... How long?" Val hesitates to ask.

Kaphila shrugs, "We aren't sure. It could be only a few hours; it could be a few days. It just depends on how his body reacts."

"The serum." I swiftly bark, throwing my past caution out the window. It seemed risky at the time, but in the face of hopelessness, it feels like the only answer, "How long would it take the city to deliver it?"

"I'm not sure, Wes. That'd be a question for them. Ultimately, though, that's not our decision..." The doctor trails off, turning her gaze to Morgan. We can't see his face, but it's obvious that he's softly crying. We can see Tyler's now, however.

His visible skin is pale, with large swatches stained black and blue all over his arms and face. God only knows what his torso and legs look like with the scars and stitches that now reside there. Despite all of this, and the immense pain he must be in, he still appears to be smiling tenderly. His eyes, though only halfway open, stare forward at Morgan unwaveringly with pure adoration for his brother, as if nothing else matters than seeing him again. The sight sends a cold, hard blade ripping through my guts, knowing what we now know.