Faervel kept getting worse, but thankfully it was slow so the doctor could have time to figure out what to do.

He didn't seem to be in too much discomfort, so I wasn't too worried either. When he slept, he would seem to get colder, so I started holding his hands while he slept. It seemed to help him warm up when I touched him, so even when he was awake I'd sometimes brush my hands over his or touch his arms. When he was asleep I liked running my hand through his hair too, but he didn't need to know that. His hair was pretty soft though. And he clearly enjoyed me petting his hair, based on the purring.

Elves are very feline creatures. Their vocal cords are built in a way similar to a cat's that lets them purr. The way they use their ears to express emotions is also very cat-like, and they can growl and snarl. They are also generally athletic and pretty flexible, but that does also vary with the Elf and breed of Elf. The type of Elf that Faervel is is generally really flexible and lithe.

That was almost the only way you could tell Faervel was an Elf. Highland Elves — the breed of Elf that has the bright blond hair that Faervel has — are very tall, and usually lanky. Faervel is very short, even for a human, and his body is kind of curvy. Or, it would be if he had been fed properly. His bone structure looked like all of his height was just condensed into a smaller space, and the doctor had said that even if he had been eating properly, he would be very short for an Elf.

I read through Faervel's files that the nurse had gotten me while the Elf was asleep. The file was incomplete, but it gave me enough of an idea of what had happened to him throughout his life. Broken hips and legs, torn rectal muscle, bruised intestines, blunt force wounds, cracked teeth, lacerations. The one I found that made me the most angry was the record of 'long thin lacerations and swelling across the length of patient's back, most likely by whipping'.

'What kind of fucking monster would whip him??' I thought to myself angrily. I looked at Faervel's face; he was making small puffs of breath through his nose while he slept, making his cheeks puff a little bit. He looked so cute and innocent, how could someone hurt this little guy? Though the report made me pissed, I wanted to see if he had scars. He was on his back, so I didn't try to look, but I wanted to know if the fucker that had whipped him had marred his body permanently too. Then I'd have more of a reason to hate whoever did it.

I decided to distract myself from my anger for the time being by listening to the beeping of Faervel's heart monitor. Then I realized that it was slow. I frowned, putting my hand on Faervel's forehead to check his temperature. I swore; he was freezing, and his lips were blue. I got up quickly and grabbed another blanket, putting it on him and then turning up his heated blanket. I waited for a minute to see if it would improve his heart rate, but nothing changed. I pressed the red button on his hospital bed to call the doctor in, then gently gathered him and his blankets in my arms and held him to my body to try to help him warm up.

I could feel his small body shake a little bit occasionally, short breaths leaving his mouth. His skin was tinted grey already, and his ears were down limply. As I said before, Elves express emotions using their ears as well; they are almost never down limply. Unless the Elf you were with was already dead.

'Where is that fucking doctor??' I thought, panicking a little bit more when his monitor slowed down further. I don't know why, but I was really scared. The doctor finally came in, and he immediately could tell why I had pressed the button. He rushed over, having me set Faervel down again.

I stepped aside for him to do what he needed, watching. As soon as I let go of Faervel though, his monitor flatlined. The doctor swore, grabbing the emergency ventilator that they kept in the room. He quickly put the mask over Faervel's mouth and nose, turning it on. He then left the room, leaving me alone with Faervel. He came back with a defibrillator, then looked at me.

"Come here," he said as he pulled the blankets off and unbuttoned the front of Faervel's gown. "Put your hands on his chest, and use the butts of your hands to press on his chest three times. Hurry!" I did as he said, and then he put the handles of the defibrillator on the sides of Faervel's chest. He looked at the monitor, then bent his elbows as a current of electricity went from the defibrillator to the Elf's chest, his small body jerking upward. The doctor took the defibrillator pieces away and I pressed on Faervel's chest again three times. This time I heard and felt a bone in his chest snap when I pressed on it. The doctor put the defibrillator handles on Faervel's chest again, sending another electric current through him to try to jumpstart his heart again.

His body jerked again and he suddenly inhaled deeply, the ventilator helping pump oxygen into his lungs. His heart monitor spiked once before returning to a slow pace. The doctor put the defibrillator away, speaking to me while he checked Faervel's vitals again. "Make sure he stays very warm, and make him feel secure," he told me. I nodded; even though his heart was beating again and his vitals were normal again, I was still scared for him.

The doctor finished checking over him and gently buttoned Faervel's gown up again and covered him with the blankets. He then took the defibrillator and left the room, telling me to call him back if anything else even mildly concerning happens before he comes back for the afternoon check up. As soon as he was gone I sat down again next to Faervel's bed. I gently pet his hair; his skin was still very cold. After a couple minutes he made a quiet whimpering sound, shivering.

"Hey," I said to him, gently putting my hands on his face. I gently sat on his bed, picking him up and holding him in my lap carefully. He shuddered again and curled up closer to my body when I set him on my lap. He shifted so as much of his body was against me as possible, laying his head on my chest. I slid my hands under the blankets and helped him situate himself, and adjusting his gown when it rode up his legs. He was still asleep, I think, and he only seemed focused on cuddling closer to the warmest thing nearby, which would be my body.

I wrapped my arms around him, letting him tuck his head into my neck for warmth. His heart beat slowly started to speed up to normal again, and his skin felt less cold. I laid my head back on the pillows, slowly falling asleep as I get relief wash over me.