Transgender Jay : A Ninjago Story

45 - Lungs

It was insane, how quickly the evening's pace had changed.

Only half an hour ago, Jay had stumbled back onto the Bounty, shaking head to toe, and now here he was. Stood in the medical room, Zane in front of him, telling him that he may be suffering from lung damage.

"... wh... what?"

Jay was beyond words. Maybe if he had been slightly expecting the news, he would have braced himself for it. Known what to say. Had at least a sentence or two prepared.

Yet all he could muster was a weak 'what'. A request of clarification, and nothing more.

He stared blankly at the nindroid, hoping deep inside that he would burst out laughing at any second and announce it was all one big joke.

Alas, Zane's funny switch was off.

The seriousness in his metallic eyes was contagious.

"I am sorry Jay. I cannot put it any plainer than I already have. There is a high possibility that you have suffered a level of lung damage."

Jay shrugged his shoulders, still unable to conjure anything to say.

It has occasionally crossed his mind that perhaps he was wearing his binder for too long, and yes, he had been getting a bit out of breath lately, but... they couldn't be all that serious, right?

Though, not the binder part. Jay knew as a fact how dangerous and damaging it could be to wear it for more than 6 hours a day.

He had been wearing it for days on end. That couldn't have done anything good.

"... I apologise to have to ask this, but, would it be ok for me to perform a chest scan? I would be able to find out many more details and possibly figure out what is wrong." Zane stated, leaning a little bit closer.

Jay nodded numbly, kicking back his feet to be able to lie down on the medical bed.

Zane stood next to him.

"You are going to be alright Jay. I promise you."

"... how can you be sure?"

He didn't answer that one, looking away and preparing his scanner for the task. There was nothing except the clicking from various switches and nodes for a good minute.

Then, a quiet whirring started up.

It was ready.

"Relax, and do not move. It could effect the results if you do."

"... ok."

Jay didn't know what to do as he scanned, so he simply looked around the ceiling. It was relatively plain, an abandoned spiderwebs in one corner. The paint was chipping off one patch, and in another, there was a clear patch of damp, pinpointed by the splintering wood.

Zane's scan flashed up and down Jay's chest multiple times. A periodic hum and the cold blue light almost made him feel like he was in a real hospital room.

A faint smell of antiseptic chemicals. Quiet, yet always noisy.

Lonely.

Scary.

It felt like it carried on forever, though at last, there was a click, and Zane gave him a smile.

"Alright. All done. You may sit up now."

Jay did as he said, and clasped his hands together, readying himself for whatever news he would receive.

Zane analysed the information, piece by piece, placing it all together to create a clear idea of the issue.