The assembly in the dining hall broke up and Matthew sighed. "What's wrong?" Nora asked.
"I just thought this would go differently," Matthew said. "I thought everyone would see if we explained it, but I guess I was wrong."
"They're not all going to accept it," Nora said.
"I know," he coughed. Fatigue stretched under his eyes, he hadn't slept well in weeks and his injuries burned.
"Come on, let's get you back to the med bay," Nora said. She swung her arm around his shoulders and guided him back down the hallway. When they entered the glowing white med bay Nora led him to the closest bed where he collapsed, his chest heaving. A man that Matthew had never seen before came into the room and went over to Matthew.
"What's going on with you?" he asked.
"Who are you?" Matthew asked, his eyes started clouding and he couldn't focus on anything.
"My name is Doctor Mancha," the man replied.
"Where's Nurse Felton?" Nora sked.
"She's on her break right now," Doctor Mancha replied. "I run the med bay here."
"I thought it was just Nurse Felton," Matthew slurred, he felt dizzy.
"Who do you think removed your bullets?" Doctor Mancha asked with a laugh. "It was me by the way, in case you didn't get that." His face turned serious again, "now what's happening, what do you need?"
Nora turned on Doctor Mancha, "you claim you're a Doctor yet you don't know what's wrong with him!"
Doctor Mancha held up his hands, "If he doesn't tell me what's going on in his body I can't help. I can guess what's happening but I could be wrong."
Matthew coughed, "I feel dizzy...and...." He couldn't finish his sentence, the backs of his eyes seared in pain, his vision cut out like the flick of a switch and he faded from the waking world.
****
The beeping of a machine snapped Matthew awake. His stomach felt raw and pain cut through him every time he breathed. Nurse Felton and Doctor Mancha whispered nearby and Matthew tried to speak but his voice refused to cooperate. Nurse Felton finally noticed he was awake and rushed over to him.
"Matthew, you nearly didn't make it! I was so worried!" Nurse Felton exclaimed.
Matthew found his voice but it came out hoarse and barely used, "what's wrong with me this time?"
"You were bleeding internally, we had to give you stiches regardless of damage that could be done, we can deal with the problems that might arise from it."
"Problems?" Matthew asked.
"Don't worry about it, you need to rest and build back your blood supply," Nurse Felton said.
"She's right, there's only so much we can do for you, you have to do the rest," Doctor Mancha said.
Matthew realized there was a steady drip of blood coming from above him. He tilted his head to see a blood bag streaming red liquid into his arm. Matthew tried to settle down in his hard med bay bed but he couldn't move without nearly opening his mouth to scream.
Finally, he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep, and for once in his life since his time in The Secret Truth, he didn't have nightmares.
