Chapter Text
"Standby."
"Right... standby.... yeah.. standby..." Our nurse muttered from the end of the damp hallway.
The nervous man squeezed the life out of the handle on his little green med-kit with impossibly sweaty, tight hands. Fiddling clumsily with his stethoscope, he took a deep, useless breath and allowed his mind to race once more in the low light-
"No- no big deal! Nothing to be scared of, it's probably just a kid in there.. yeah... yeah! I can take that! A kid! what's the worst that could happen? What's... oh no. bad question. There could be a corpse in that room or something! I cant pronounce death can I? do I have that authority?? I haven't been on that course yet! No, wait, no, there's no death, sweep was just in there yesterday... It might be just fine, well.. as long as they- their not like insane or something I suppose. I never really know what to do when I'm being cussed out by crazy sick people. Oh golly what happens then?? Do I have to give them one of those psych-ward butt tranquilizers?? I-I DEFFINITELY haven't been on that course yet! I- how does one even...? How could that possibly help? Why do they do that??? I don't-"
"Reflex? Refleeeeex? earth to Reflex?" It was like he blinked and Baldi was there.
Startled, Reflex came back down to earth and focused his gaze from the floor to the door at the end of the hallway, noticing that the light was flickering a little.
"You look a little funny, friend!" Baldi gestured towards Reflex, and placed a hand on the doctor's upper arm.
Eyes circling back to Baldi, Reflex responded- "O-ohh me? no, I, uhm... You don't think anything wild is going to come outta that room, do you?..."
"Well, aren't you enthusiaaaastic!" Baldi chuckled.
"Look, all we know right now is what Sweep has told us, it seems to be a character of some sort in there who can talk and interact and spell... Or at least that's what I've gathered from his ramblings... What I'm trying to say is- if the little guy was threatening, Sweep's brain would've categorised that as important information to tell us. We will be fine, okay? I think you might be building this up to be far bigger than it is. I know, wow, a kid that can spell?? Amaaaaazing! Huge! but most importantly, non-threatening."
With an exasperated smile, Baldi turned to looked back up the stairwell, wondering how much longer aforementioned Gotta Sweep would be with the keys. The hairless man mentally cursed himself for not fighting for an exact meeting time, as it proved that 'after school' was actually far too wide of a timeframe for any efficient gathering to start. Wondering when the bleeding broom would show face was a tiring task of monotony. Especially since Baldi came so early and prepared!
Baldi arrived first of course, straight after his last class. He must've been the first user of those decrepit stairs in decades, he thought, while making his way carefully down the crooked contraption, and feeling for a light switch by stroking the archaic wallpaper in front of him. The corridor was illuminated, and his torch was tossed. With the accomplishment of the lit room, another kind of lightbulb appeared over his head. I should go get reflex!- the idea read. having a medic on hand just in case might be useful, who knows what state the life form behind that door might be in? Sweep isn't the most perceptive broom out there... They could need a plaster! I agree! Go geddem lad.
Back up the crumbling, cobweb ridden, collapsing stairwell he went, and though the hallways into the nurse's office he arrived. The nurse, extracted from his practice, then accompanied Baldi carefully back down the flight of rickety stairs, and there they were. Waiting.
Presently, Baldi was wondering- if he stared at the unloved staircase hard enough, would it magic sweep there?
And Reflex was wondering- if he had enough plasters for a broken leg.
Their absent minds dribbled on, until a certain green flash tore the silence.
"LOOKS LIKE IT'S SWEEPIN TIME!!!"
"GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP-"
"Sweep! Finaaaaally! Do you have your keys?"
"GOTTA- oH. OH YEAH SURE." Enough was said, and sweep spun rapidly in a circle, forcing the keys up his long thin handle and into the air, where they were caught by the doctor. heyyyyy, nice reflexes!
"great! alright, I'll unlock the door but you go in first sweep, do your thing and I'll scope out what happens, ok?"
"Gotta clean clean clean?" Baldi said with a tone dripping in uncertainty, and an arm gesture akin to a pirate's. Unsure how much more socialising he had left in him, and unsure of how on earth to connect with the broom, Baldi looked to his co-worker. "Reflex, keys please."
Brooms can nod btw. Sweep did that. Visualise it. It's weird. Anyways, Baldi did his smiling, as usual, and then Reflex did some of that weirding everyone out he likes to do, as he passed the keys.
"Uhm, what do- what do you exactly need me to do? at this moment in time, like now?" The clay man bumbled.
With stifled frustration, the teacher replied- "Just stand by, like I told you earlier."
"Right, yeah sorry, standby... standby."
And with that, the key finally made its way to the door,
and the bald hands to the handle.