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Normal was different to everyone. Normal to some people was waking up first thing in the morning, working out, having a balanced breakfast and getting started with their day. Normal to other people was working late into the night, under the watchful eyes of the stars, creating and designing until they were exhausted and sleeping until the afternoon. Normal was different to everyone, and that meant that it was entirely fine that Gem’s normal would be concerning to people that weren’t used to bleeding perpetually.
It wasn’t something that had happened after something traumatic, there was no clear cause. She’d just started a period one day, and it had never stopped.
She’d never mentioned it, mostly because even before then she’d never had any kind of problematic symptoms. She was lucky, as far as periods went, even now. Even after hundreds upon hundreds of days of bleeding, she only had cramps on a handful of them. She barely had cravings, she barely had any mood swings, she didn’t have acne. As far as periods went, she knew she could have it an awful lot worse. So she just dealt with it.
It didn’t stop when she jumped between Servers, but it didn’t get worse either. The symptoms didn’t change as she moved from X-Life to Hermitcraft and Empires. Nothing changed as she practised magic, nothing changed as she raised her Woodland Palace from the ground upward.
But one day, it did change, and Gem suddenly found herself almost constantly fatigued.
At some point, the flow of blood had become heavier, and it wasn’t a one-off thing. It happened infrequently over the years, but had never really lasted more than a few hours. Never long enough to become a problem. Never long enough to leave her knees feeling weak and her body heavy. Never long enough for her to sleep for eleven hours yet still need to take naps throughout the day.
Now though it did, and it really put a dampener on Gem’s plans to not mention it. Now that she was feeling the pull of sleep during particularly long meetings with the other Hermits, now that she slept to a more rigid timetable than even Bdubs, now that she found herself using her elytra for even the shortest of distances to travel, she felt the need to say something. But, she didn’t. How could she when on the list of bad side effects she could have, this was all she did have?
It wasn’t as if she was discouraged from speaking up. The Hermits might have been overwhelmingly male, but the other women did and their needs were never belittled. Xisuma was happy to provide pain relief whenever False asked. The Boatem boys did whatever they could to support Pearl. Iskall was always on hand to lend Stress help with her projects when she needed it. Joe was there to help Cleo when mood swings left her feeling vulnerable and never judged her when she was back to her usual self. Gem knew perfectly well that if she said something, someone would help.
But what could they do for her? It wasn’t as if they could stop the bleeding: it had been going on for years now and no matter what she had tried it just wouldn’t stop. And so if they couldn’t help her, it didn’t seem like there was any point in raising the matter. It didn’t seem like something she should worry her friends about if all she needed to do was fit a couple of naps into her day.
That was never going to be a solution that could last forever, though.
Gem wasn’t far from home: she’d gone to her local Pass ‘N’ Gas to collect a few things she didn’t have readily available (the knowledge that most of the diamonds she spent there, she would get back, was always a good incentive to shop with them). She wasn’t going to be more than a few minutes, and once the diamonds were exchanged for books she’d be on her way home and could nap til her heart was content. A yawn left her, and she stretched her arms high above her head. Goodness, sleep couldn’t come soon enough.
Outside, she heard the sounds of diamonds being accepted into hoppers and bottles of enchanting being splashed. Mumbo, most likely, desperate enough to repair a torn elytra or a worn out pickaxe that he’d wandered all this way. She found herself exchanging pleasantries with the man on a number of occasions because of that, but besides polite small talk she’d never really spent a prolonged period of time with the other Hermit.
At least, until now she hadn’t.
Gem felt her legs give way beneath her with little warning, knees buckling and gravity bringing her to the ground with a thud. For a brief moment her vision faded to nothingness, darkness and light-headedness enveloped her, and after what felt like only a few seconds she opened her eyes to find herself on her side on the floor. Evidently, the short time for her had been longer for Mumbo, who was eyeing her with concern and worry from where he knelt beside her.
“Oh, you’re awake, thank goodness!” He exclaimed. “I am not the person to faint around, I have no idea how to-- Sorry, are you okay?”
She’d… Fainted? Gem thought she’d just stumbled. Fainting felt like more than just stumbling, and for Mumbo to be looking at her like that she must have been out for a little while. She nodded ever so slightly, her hair tangling as she moved her head against her arms, and Mumbo let out a breath.
“Right. Good. Like I said, I have no idea how to look after someone that just fainted. Do you want some water? Maybe a golden carrot? I can help you sit up and stay with you if you want, or I can call Xisuma - he’ll probably know better than me.”
“I’m fine.” Gem said, shifting her body to try and push herself upright. Had she always been this heavy, or were her arms really this weak? The more she struggled, the easier it must have been for Mumbo to intervene. His hands slid carefully beneath her shoulders and he helped her to adjust, pulling her upright and leaning her back against a wall, and as he positioned himself opposite her she let her head lean back and her eyes close. “Thanks.” She muttered, aware even now that Mumbo was still looking at her.
“I don’t… Gem, I don’t entirely believe you when you say you’re fine. Is there anyone you’d rather was with you right now? I can message them if you don’t want me, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone in this state.”
“No, it’s okay.” Gem took in a deep breath, letting her head drop forward this time and bringing her hands to her temple. “I just need to sleep. It’s fine. I’ll manage.”
There was quiet for a moment, Gem focusing on trying to find the strength her mind and body were missing rather than making conversation. She could hear the anxious tapping of fingers against wood, the slight rustle of Mumbo’s suit signalling that even while sitting on the floor he was unable to remain still, and she eventually opened her eyes again with a little more light in them.
“Does this happen often?” Mumbo asked, and Gem shrugged.
“First time.”
“So why aren’t you more concerned? Fainting… Look, I’m no doctor, I know next to nothing about healthcare except that eating redstone is a fairly poor dietary choice, but I’m pretty sure that fainting isn’t normal. And I’m pretty sure that someone fainting without a history of it is something to be worried about. At least, worried enough to speak to someone about it.”
“I mean, it makes sense.” Gem said, laughing to try and lighten the mood. Mumbo seemed worried, really worried, and if she could show him that she wasn’t worried - and he didn’t need to be - that would be for the better. “I’ve lost enough blood in the last few weeks that I guess it was inevitable. I probably just need to change what I’m eating to compensate.”
“Sorry, did you say you’ve lost enough blood in the last few weeks.” Mumbo repeated, dumbfounded, and Gem grimaced.
“That wasn’t the right thing to say, was it?”
“How have you been losing blood for weeks? Why haven’t you mentioned this to anyone? I’ve got a health potion in my ender chest, and I’m sure someone nearby has proper medical gear--”
“No, Mumbo, it’s fine.” Gem told him. “This is normal, it’s just my period, I’m not bleeding to death.”
“Oh.” Mumbo paused, thinking for a moment, before his eyebrows furrowed together. “You said a few weeks? Pearl’s never had a period that long. Is she okay? Should I be worried about her? Oh, goodness, if you’re fainting because of it I really need to learn how to look after people that faint. We all do. Maybe I should raise it at the next meeting, I don’t want any of you to need medical help that we can’t provide just because we’re oblivious.”
Gem couldn’t help laughing again. Mumbo had hit the nail on the head with being oblivious, but at least he was trying. Even if his concerns and his efforts weren’t quite correct, the sentiment was sweet.
“No, Pearl’s fine.” Gem said cheerfully. “Most women only have a period that lasts for a couple of days, maybe a week. Mine’s just had a bit of a hiccup at some point and it’s gone on for a while longer than most. I can handle it, though. Most of the time. Like I said, I just need to find a new way to balance things and I’ll be right as rain again.”
“That still sounds concerning.” Mumbo replied. “Can I mention it to Xisuma? I won’t if you don’t want me to, this doesn’t have to leave the room, but if it’s only meant to last a couple of days - and if it used to only last a couple of days - maybe there’s something that needs fixing. It might be a really easy fix, something in your code X can just…” He snapped his fingers to make his point. “Even if you’re balancing things, you shouldn’t have to.”
Gem hummed, lowering her head to rest it atop her knees and closing her eyes once again. If Xisuma really could fix it that easily then she would be more than happy for it to be raised, but if it was something more than anyone could deal with quickly then bringing it up was the last thing she wanted to do.
“I just don’t want to bother anyone.” She said quietly, and Mumbo scoffed.
“Sorry, probably shouldn’t laugh at that, but Gem… Bleeding that much isn’t good for you, and I’m fairly certain everyone on the Server knows that. There isn’t a single Hermit that would be bothered by this. We’re a family here, no one wants to think of another Hermit suffering in silence. If we can do anything at all, whether that’s fixing the problem or just helping out with your projects when you don’t have the energy, every single one of us would drop everything in a heartbeat.”
“Alright.” Gem relented, sighing and feeling her shoulders dropping - though if that was from defeat or exhaustion, she wasn’t sure. “You can mention it to Xisuma. After you help me home. I need my bed.”
“I wouldn’t have let you make your own way home after that.” Mumbo laughed nervously. “Would you rather fly, or walk?”
And after a flight home that resembled more of a juggling act between Gem and Mumbo’s rockets, she was finally tucked up in bed and able to get the rest her body so desperately needed. She awoke a few hours later, feeling refreshed enough to go about the rest of her day, with a few messages on her communicator. One from Mumbo, asking her to message him when she woke up so he knew she was safe (she did, replying with her thanks, and he sent a smiley face in return) and a message from Xisuma asking to chat when she had the time. That conversation could wait until later, she decided, and as she swung her legs to the side to climb out of bed she found a small basket full of goodies on the floor beside her. A quick look through found it filled with sanitary products, golden carrots, iDimpy bars and a handful of potions. There was no note attached, but Gem had a feeling she knew who it was from.
Maybe normal wouldn’t change for Gem any time soon, but her friends could help her through her normal. And hey, who was she to turn down a couple of iDimpy bars?