The Life of a Ranger, Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction

Chapter 16

  Halt enters with everyone else to see Errol lying in bed with the pillow over his head. A muffled voice came from the pillow. As they came closer, Halt begins to understand the voice. "I don't want so much attention! Leave me alone! There's nothing to see here. I just want to get back to practicing." Halt sits down next to him. "Errol, you are not practicing in that condition! You need rest." "Halt?" Errol lifts his head and groans. "Great. Now even the famous Ranger Halt can see me like this." Halt growls. "Errol, take that pillow off your head. What are you trying to do, suffocate yourself?" "No, but that doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Halt flips the pillow up and off the bed. Errol sits up, agitated. "Halt! Why d- Ouch! Ow!" Sharp pain rips throughout his torso at the same time as the room suddenly swims. Errol collapses back on the bed, clutching his chest. Will looks at the doctor in panic. "What happened? Is he alright? Did he hurt his ribs?" The doctor raises his hand to stop the flow of questions. "He's fine. He has several broken ribs. It's going to take him a while before he's back on his feet." Alyss leans forward. "What are his injuries, Doctor?" Good Alyss. She always thinks of important questions. And she uses them one at a time. The doctor motions for them to enter another room. He turns back to Errol. "Here, drink this." He hands a mug to him. Errol sniffs it and makes a face. "Do I have to?" At the man's nod, he tips the mug back and drains it. The doctor leaves him. "That was sleeping medicine. He needs rest." He takes a seat and waves his hand to the other chairs. "Go on. Take a seat." Everyone sits. "Why do we have to talk in here, Doctor?" Horace asks. The doctor shakes his head. "What do they teach you people about first aid? It's been known that if you talk about a casualty's injuries in front of the casualty, then if they hear you, they might freak out and go in shock. That just makes everything worse." "What is shock like?" Asks Evanlyn. "Terrible. Oh, yes, it's a terrible state for them. They become unresponsive and,eventually, if nothing is done, their whole body just shuts down. The only thing you can do is comfort them and hope that they'll snap out of it. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be an injury to put them in that state. If they even come close to death or suffering, they can go into shock. Well, anyway, we came here to discuss that young man's injuries." Everyone leans forward to hear. "He's in a serious state. Besides his ribs, the cut on his arm is deep, and he has a major concussion. I'm surprised he hasn't lost his memory! That guy's lucky to escape with his skull intact. Do you have any idea who done this?" Everyone shakes their heads until Alyss remembered something. "Wait! I have an idea. Errol will confirm it when he wakes up. We passed some boys on the way to Errol who were carrying some unconscious friends." Will looks up in surprise. "We did?" Alyss nods. "Yes. You were too busy worrying about Errol to notice." Halt glares at Will. "Will, that's not like you. You're trained to notice stuff like that." Will hangs his head. "Sorry, Halt. I know I should have noticed. I was just anxious. But why would the boys beat Errol up?" Halt rubs his chin and turns to Alyss. "Was the boy in the lead blonde?" Alyss nods. "Around your height? Thick and sturdy? With blue eyes and dark skin?" Alyss nods at all that. "Yes! Do you know him?" "Eh, you could say that. I watched Errol a lot like I did with Will. The boy's name is Timothy. He's a bully and a coward. He would beat Errol up a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if it was him. He had a gang that would help him. Why is Harvest Day the day where wards get beat up?" He directs the last sentence at Will. He shrugs. "When will the drug wear off?" He asks the doctor. "In the next hour or so. It varies on the patient." They sit back. "I guess we'll just have to wait then."