Prompt/Summary: It's 1929 in Bristol, UK, during the Great Slump of the economy. It's difficult to keep a job, and even more difficult to obtain one. And life just seems harder when you don't have enough to survive. Even still, Xephos and Lalna refuse to give up.
A/N: This is almost done, actually. I think we have two more chapters to go! And a bonus. =] PS. Follow me on Twitter. [@]SassyRedPanda ~Xyrnys
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Lalna slipped on a face mask as he walked into the hospital, and was instantly greeted by Nanosounds. “How is he doing today?”
“Not good,” she responded sadly. “The paralysis still hasn't moved from his legs, but he's becoming weaker. I'm afraid that it'll start to affect his breathing if we don't get it stabilized.”
“Damn... I swear, we're working as hard as we can.”
“I know you are.”
Lalna narrowed his eyes. “There's something else you're not telling me, isn't there? What's going on, Nano?”
Nanosounds sighed. “I'm not lying about Xephos. He's the healthiest of my patients, believe it or not. But we got a few more people in over the past few days.”
“Who?”
“Nilesy, Sips, Sjin, and Toby.”
“What?” Lalna had just spoken to Lomadia the other day. Wouldn't she have told him that Nilesy had gotten worse? “No way.”
“And that's not the worst.” She shook her head. “Lomadia and Martyn are starting to show symptoms. I've sent them off with masks and some medicine, so I'm hoping I can combat anything before it starts. I just don't know what to do anymore.”
Lalna grasped Nanosound's shoulders. “I'll see if we can speed up the process at all. We're not even sure if we can cure it, but we know we can create something to improve the quality of life. Just, don't give up, okay? I need you to keep your head up, or we'll lose them all.”
“I know. And Honeydew wouldn't have wanted me to give up.” Nano nodded. “You just can't give up either. Xephos is counting on you.”
“Right.” Lalna nodded. “I'm not going to bother him if he's resting today. I'll come back tomorrow, all right? I think I'm gunna put in a few more hours at the lab, see if I can get this going.”
“Okay, Lalna. Be safe.”
“You as well, my lady.”
~.~.~
“Any luck, Lalna?”
Lalna nodded, watching Xephos wheel himself around his room. “We're progressing rapidly. We've started to combat the symptoms on blood samples, but we're not sure how it would work on a human yet.” He smiled. “You seem to be feeling good today.”
Xephos smiled. “Yeah. I only have a little headache today.” He glanced down at his lap. “Nano told me that it's very unlikely for me to re-gain the use of my legs. Is that true?”
“Possibly.” Lalna wouldn't lie to him. “But we're more focused on finding something that allows people to live with polio. I think we'll be able to get even further once we have a basic chemical compound.”
“So I'll just have to use this piece of junk for the rest of my life.” Xephos laughed it off, as if it didn't really bothered him. “That'll make getting around the house interesting. How is the house fairing, anyway?”
“The money I'm making is keeping the house secure,” he responded. “I'm not really home much, but it hasn't fallen apart completely yet. I'm saving the big projects for when you can come home and lecture me.”
Xephos chuckled. “Well, I'm just waiting on you. I hope it'll be soon.”
“Me too.” Lalna ruffled Xeph's hair. He opened his mouth to say something else, but saw Nanosounds coming from the hallway. “Nano, what's up?”
The blue-eyed male noticed something was off right away. “What happened, Nano? What's wrong?” There was no response. “Nano?”
With a deep breath, she said “Martyn's just been admitted.”
“Shit.” Lalna looked at the ground, but knew that Nanosounds wasn't done. “What else, Nano?”
“Nilesy and Toby are dead.”
The scientist felt his heart stop, and he immediately took a seat on Xeph's bed. “Does... Do Lomadia and Martyn know?”
Nanosounds sighed. “Martyn was visiting Toby when his vitals crashed. His body just couldn't handle the sickness anymore. We had to tell Lomadia, and she's just not taking it well.”
“I need to go see her.” Xephos went to wheel himself out, but Nanosounds grabbed the back of his chair. “What are you doing?”
“Let her mourn first. She needs some time to herself.” She shook her head. “And Sjin's not doing too well, either. I'm afraid we're going to lose him.”
Lalna sighed. “Can we at least go see Sjin? Or Sips, at least?”
“Sips won't let anyone see him, but if you want to go see Sjin, I won't stop you.” She nodded to herself. “It's not like he has much time left. Just make him feel comfortable, okay? There's nothing more I can do for him.”
Lalna nodded. “Okay. But I'm going by myself.”
Xephos crossed his arms. “But Lalna-”
“No. You should probably try and relax a bit. You've been wheeling laps all morning.”
“I'm feeling fine, Lalna. I-”
“I'm not changing my mind. There's no need to expose you further. I'll be fine.” Lalna smiled. “Relax, okay? I'll be back in a little while.”
Sjin hadn't even moved since Lalna walked in, and now he could see why Nanosounds was running out of hope. “Sjin, if you can hear me... Hang in there, buddy. I'm so close to making medicine to get you better... Please, Sjin. We've already lost so many...”
“Theres... no reason for me to stay alive...”
Lalna's head perked up at the sound of the raspy, but welcomed, voice. “Sjin?”
“I can't... feel my body anymore...” Sjin rasped. “I can't even eat anything without vomiting it... There's... nothing for me to live for..”
“What about Sips?” Lalna frowned. “He still needs you. When you both get better, you'll be able to-”
“I won't be able to do anything.” As bad as Sjin sounded, he'd never sounded so sure of himself. “Sips... He... He deserves... someone better than me...” He coughed. “He deserves someone... who can hug him back... I'm not getting my body back, Lalna... I... I just know it. No cure can help me now.”
Lalna felt tears prick at his eyes. “But Sjin, he loves you!”
“And... And I love him too.” Sjin's voice started to fade, and his eyes started to slip close.
“No.” Lalna stood up. “Sjin, stay with me. You can't... You can't die yet, Sjin. I'm so close. Please...”
Sjin smiled, though it was weak. “Tell Sips that I love him, okay? And I'll wait for him...”
“Sjin, you can tell him...”
He shook his head. “No... I can't.” Sjin's eyes slipped closed, and suddenly, his life switched to slow-motion. He saw people come in and out of the room, and suddenly, he was pushed out by Nanosounds. She'd said something to him, but he didn't hear it. His ears were buzzing, and he felt like he could faint. But he couldn't.
But something clicked. Even though Xephos was doing well now, he could easily get worse by the day. And until Lalna stepped up his game, any day could be his last. Thinking on his feet, he ran towards Xephos' room, relieved to find him sitting in his wheelchair, staring out the window. “Oh, hey Lalna.” Xephos smiled, but then frowned. “What happened, love?”
Wordlessly, Lalna walked over to him, kneeling down to eye-level, and wrapping him in a hug. “Sjin is dead, Xeph... I watched him die, and...”
“Shh...” Xephos just hugged him back. “It's okay... Shh... You're doing all you can.”
“But what if its not enough, Xeph? I could lose you.”
“Hey, listen. I'm not going anywhere without a fight.” Xeph smiled as Lalna looked up at him. “I've got the best people looking after me right now. I know you can do it. Do it for me, Lalna. Do it for Sjin, and Toby, and Nilesy, and Honeydew.”
Lalna nodded. “I can do this... I'll save you, and everyone else...”
