CW: medical setting, mention of blood, unsafe decisions taken regarding medical treatment.
Caretaker didn't want to wait for Medic to finish speaking. The healthcare professional was declaring the patient's condition upon arrival and the condition they should be in at that moment, after an emergency care session while unconscious. Caretaker followed them, as they didn't know the way to Whumpee's room, but they weren't paying attention to the words. No matter what the doctor said, they would only be certain of Whumpee's condition after they laid eyes on them.
The doctor hurried down the corridor, forced to quicken their pace to match Caretaker's speed. They reached the room, and the scene was already visible through the glass window, but the emotions only surfaced when they opened the door.
The hospital bed had disheveled sheets, but no body lay upon it. The IV line beside the bed was hanging loosely, the needle exposed, and a small, but still frightening, amount of blood oozed from the metal tip. The patient who should have been resting on the disheveled bed, with the IV strapped to their arm, was on the other side of the room, frantically putting on a blood-stained shirt and stuffing their belongings into a dirty, slightly torn bag. Their eyes widened as they saw the two people enter. The shock lasted a second before they continued to prepare to leave.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Caretaker confronted them.
"Lie back down, Whumpee. Now," commanded the doctor, who rushed to remove the bloody IV line from the floor.
However, Whumpee did not obey. The needle puncture in their arm was stopped with their shirt sleeve.
Caretaker tried to stop them from reaching the door, but Whumpee stood firm, despite their pale complexion against the backdrop of dozens of wounds scattered across their body.
“No, Whumpee, you're injured. And you can't go until the police arrive—"
“I'm not going to press charges."
Caretaker's eyes widened, looking at Whumpee as if they'd heard the most absurd sentence in the world.
"But, Whumpee... What Whumper did to you has to..."
"No. Nothing happened. Forget all about it."
Medic tried to convince the patient to stay, appealing to their medical authority, but Whumpee had already passed Caretaker who, shocked, was unable to stop them from opening the door.
"I want to forget it myself."