Chapter 14: His Fourth Wall

Error's POV
      The pain. Oh stars how he wished it would go away. All effort to stay aware of his surroundings vanished as Ink picked him up. He shut his eyes, which were welling with tears.
      It felt like seconds passing by in Ink's arms, before shouting was heard throughout a room that most certainly could carry an echo, and Error was lifted onto a bed.

Ink's POV
      The nurses hefted Error up onto a gurney. Ink couldn't believe it. He had known of the glitch's more frequent contractions, but did this seriously just happen?
      The artist rushed after them, fear digging it's rough, jagged nails into his soul. The door leading into the ER slammed shut in front of him.
     
•••

      Ink was shouting at the monster at the front desk.
      "I want to be in there with him!"
      "I ask again. Are you, or are you not related to him?"
      Tears bubbled in his eye sockets.
      "No, but I'm his friend! Let me see him,"
      The woman shook her head, "Then I'm sorry, but you may not see him."
      Ink could see how hard she was trying to keep her cool. Maybe, if he tries hard enough, Ink could infuriate the receptionist so he could see Error.
      A slam echoed through the lobby making Ink jump in surprise. Heads turned and even the small child whom of which had been throwing a fit silenced. Feeling the empty eeriness begin to fall on awkward, rather than eventful, the skeleton who had just barged through spoke in the smallest amount of 90s slang that Ink was almost sure it wasn't Fresh.
      "Where's my bro??"
      The woman Ink had been fighting with smiled and asked, "And who might you be?"
      Fresh stared, confused for a moment, before hastily responding,
      "I'm Error's bro. Could ya tell me what room he's in?"
      The receptionist nodded and pointed down the hall.
      "Tell them who you are. Room 417A," he smiled at her, then stole a quick glance at Ink, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder.
      "It's alright, Ink. You stay here. Don't worry yourself," he said, gave the artist's shoulder a friendly squeeze, and turned and ran down the hall.
      His body was tense, and for the briefest of moments, Ink had considered staying in the lobby.

Fresh's POV
      It was coming. He knew it had been. What would come to pass? Who will they be? Will Fresh remain in the picture? Or will Error decide Fresh wasn't adequate as an uncle?
      With immense amounts of effort, Fresh reached out and wrapped on the door. A nurse peered out. His large bunny ears hung down in a fearful manner, and when his words leapt, they more sounded like a chameleon hissing viciously at its predator. This of course, was to the extent that chameleons don't at all seem or appear frightening when they're mad or protecting themselves. Well, to what we percieve. And this poor monster was a mirror image, and then some. Dark circles painted just beneath his squinty eyes, and his brow furrowed.
      "Yes? What do you-" a loud, violent scream came out from inside.
      "My bro. He's inside," Fresh responded, anxiety showing in his distressed features. The nurse jumped when someone shouted a name... Or something.
      "BAE! GET IN HERE AND HELP US!" Cried the voice from inside. It was a female, despite it being actually quite husky.
      The nurse in front of Fresh blushed and waved a hand for Fresh to come in. He followed the monster into the room and the volume, Fresh was sure, went from one to a hundred in less than a heartbeat. Screaming rattled the room, and glitchy as the skeleton would expect, but, impossibly, it felt just that much more excruciating to hear. His skull emptied of anything intelligible, and the nurse from before ushered him to a bench beside the window, outlooking a candle lit cavern.
      Fresh concentrated on scrutinizing his surroundings instead.
      The entrance to the ER was bedecked with paper rolls and strips of crinkled streamers hanging off the ends. He was positive they were called wind socks, and they came in a variety of shades from red, to the entire rainbow, along the steel framework. 
      The wallpaper and flooring was far more crude. With beige all around, and the surface beneath his feet being cold stone tiles, Fresh was sure he would have a heart attack if he stayed there much longer.
      Stark draperies blinded an iota of the opaque window and thin strands of crochet fabrics lay over the pale green cushion that Fresh sat on. The paper-like cloth separating him and Error, as well as the other inhabitants hung from a ceramic bar lining several inches from the shadowed ceiling.
      Reaching one of his hands out, Fresh peered just a bit inside. He instantly regretted it.
      Error was sitting up in the bed, panting like a dog, arms pulled taut by three nurses. The small bunny resembling nurse had a needle at least a foot, if not longer, steered straight toward's the patient's spine. The tip began digging itself into his brother, and the screaming grew louder. Error's skull lashed backwards, and the doctor, a fox with ravishing red teeth snarled at the other nurses.
      "RESTRAIN HIM. PLEASE. IT'S WHAT HE ASKED FOR." Her voice was a terrifying growl, that made Fresh's stomach clench. He knew what was happening. He wasn't quite sure what the specific name was, but they were inducing him with stabilizers. So he wouldn't feel as great a pain as without any medication. This meant Error had asked to lessen the pain.
      Blue strings shot out of his fingers, lashing out at anything in their path. Which, thankfully, wasn't anything important. They left savage gashes in the hospital curtains, as well as knocking a pile of clean bedpans to the tiles below, leaving obstacles for the occupants.
      Fresh jerked his head away from his brother, and turned to the window.
      The glows in the cavern's ceiling, was charming and pleasant. He could picture standing in a field of lime green, glowing flowers, with empty emotions chewing out his soul. That sounded nice. But instead, he was stuck in this universe with his brother pregnant and having... Feelings. Oh stars how this twisted imagination played out. He couldn't believe he'd agreed to this.
      A powerful knocking against the door sounded. Fresh heard the doctor curse, then send the same timid rabbit to see what it was. The moment the nurse answered, scurrying occurred and Ink appeared, shoving past the respondent. Fresh couldn't help, but smile. Of course Ink had decided to follow him. Although it was a bit outlandish. Even for something like this. Clearly, Error meant a lot to Ink. Maybe... A little more than he was letting on.
      Hopefully. Hopefully... Dream was right...

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