Aching

The near-suffering begins

Jax doubled over in pain, clutching his abdomen. His face contorted in agony as he struggled to stand up straight. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he grimaced in discomfort. "I think I just caught a bad case of the flu," Jax groaned weakly.

Despite his best efforts, Jax couldn't shake off the persistent nausea and sharp pains. The pain intensified, causing Jax to gasp for breath and break out into a cold sweat. "Maybe I just need some rest," Jax mumbled, trying to convince himself it was nothing serious. Each movement sent waves of pain through Jax's body, making him wince with every step.

"I swear, if Caine interrupts my rest time one more time, I will snap!" Jax thought to himself. He could feel his stomach churning, his head spinning, and his chest tightening. As he lay there, feeling increasingly ill, Jax realized that something was very wrong. His breathing became labored and shallow, his heart pounding rapidly against his chest wall. "This isn't right," he muttered, barely audible to himself.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea swept over Jax like a tidal wave crashing onto shore. He lurched forward, retching. Luckily, he had a trash can nearby, as long as Pomni didn't walk in (even though it was 2 in the morning). He vomited uncontrollably, silently trying to refrain from crying. It felt like someone was punching him from inside his stomach, each wave of pain more intense than the last. Jax began to wonder if this was really just the flu or if something far more sinister was happening to him.

The pain continued to worsen, radiating throughout Jax's entire body. He tried to sit up, but it only made the pain worse. Waves of intense cramping that made him double over in agony returned, each wave growing stronger.

"Jax...? What are you doing?" a familiar-sounding voice asked.

Jax stood up, despite how difficult it was. "Oh, h-hi, Pomni. What are you doing up?"

"I heard you vomiting, and I wanted to check on you. Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Pomni asked.

Jax smiled at her concern, even though he knew she would be disappointed by what he needed to tell her. "No, I'm fine, I just caught a bug," he lied.

Pomni nodded sympathetically. "That sounds awful. I hope it passes quickly. If you need anything, let me know."

As soon as she left, Jax collapsed back down on his bed. He was relieved that nobody else seemed to notice his condition, but also worried about the severity of whatever was going on.

It wasn't until the next day.

**

"Hey, Ragatha," Pomni said.

Ragatha turned around, "Yes, Pomni?"

"Jax has been acting strange lately. Do you have any idea why?"

Ragatha shrugged. "He seems perfectly healthy to me," she replied.

Pomni frowned. "Well, at 3am yesterday, I heard him vomiting, and when I came in to check on him, he sounded a bit weak. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong, so I figured it must not be too serious. But now he's still sick and won't answer my calls. Something must be seriously wrong."

Ragatha nodded thoughtfully. "You might be right. Maybe we should ask Caine for help?"

Kinger and Zooble entered the room, noticing what was going on.

"Hey, guys," Zooble said. "What's going on?"

"Oh, just the fact that Jax isn't feeling very well," Pomni explained.

Zooble frowned. "That's no good. I guess we should go see if he's okay."

As they were about to go over there, Jax's scream pierced the air, a raw expression of his suffering. They all ran towards Jax's room, fearing the worst.

They burst into his room, only to find him writhing in pain. His skin was pale and clammy, and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. His eyes were squeezed tight, and he seemed to be in great pain.

"Jax, what's wrong?" Zooble cried, rushing to his side.

Jax clenched his teeth together, fighting against the urge to scream again. "I don't know," he managed between ragged breaths. "It hurts so badly..."

Zooble rolled their eyes sarcastically. "Okay, let's see if he's just being dramatic."

"I don't think he's being dramatic..." Pomni nervously said.

Gangle took off her comedy mask and approached Jax cautiously, "Jax, what's going on?" she asked softly.

Jax stared up at her, his eyes filled with terror. "I-I don't know... it started last night. I woke up feeling nauseous and weak, but I thought it was just the flu. But then the pain... it keeps getting worse. It feels like someone is stabbing me from the inside out."

Gangle gently placed her hand on his shoulder, offering comfort amidst his anguish. "We'll figure it out, Jax," she reassured him, even though she doubted it herself.

Caine walked in and saw everyone around Jax. "What happened?" he asked.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to explain what they were seeing without freaking him out. Finally, Pomni spoke up. "Jax has been throwing up since last night. We think he might have food poisoning."

Caine sighed. "Let me take a look at him."

Jax nodded weakly. Gangle moved aside to give him space, and Caine knelt beside Jax. He pressed his hands lightly against Jax's abdomen, searching for signs of illness. Jax winced at the touch, but he held still as Caine examined him.

After a few moments, Caine sat back on his heels and looked at everybody. "It's apparently appendicitis."

"Appendicitis?!" Zooble exclaimed.

"Oh, my God-" Ragatha gasped.

"Damn-" Gangle and Kinger looked at each other.

Pomni's eyes widened in horror before everything went black. Fortunately, she at least managed to sit down before she hit the ground unco- nope. Nevermind.

"I'll just call 9-1-1," Zooble rolled her eyes as she called the ambulance.