Chapter Text
Pain. That’s what Gwen felt right now. It been there for a while now, coming and going. When she had nothing to distract her, that’s when she felt it.
She’d skipped her lunch, losing her appetite. It had been happening more frequently, having ignored it for about three days now.
But this time the pain was getting worse, this meant it was much harder to hide. ‘You’ll get through it’, ‘it’s not the worse you’ve felt.’ She kept telling herself.
She’d become much more silent, focusing on getting through the pain instead of joining in. Walking and moving around had become much more uncomfortable, feeling a stabbing pain every time she did.
This meant fight became a much more painful task, swinging and constantly on the move. The suffering had become more constant, progressively more unbearable.
It was that pain where you knew it was there, even if it wasn’t causing harm you feel it, sitting at the pit of your stomach.
She’d taken pain killers, they’d worked for a time. They’d been a life saver when she first took them. Everything back to the ways it should be. However, they were soon to be rendered useless by the ever increasing pain.
It was below her stomach, like a constant, full force punch in the gut. Her healing abilities should’ve kicked in by now, yet that didn’t seem to be working.
Gwen was now in the cafeteria, feeling revolted by the smell. Quickly removing herself from the room, the odour to overwhelming for her nostrils.
As if on queue Miguel called for her on her watch, something about a mission or report. Gwen wasn’t really paying much attention, her gut hurt and it hurt bad.
Her brow creased, gritting her teeth, noting to walk slowly to Miguel’s office.
Even when she did, it still hurt. Taking in a sharp intake of breath, she entered his office.
Upon entering she saw him, his moving platform already on the ground. When meeting her gaze, his face had a look of confusion. She’d guessed she must’ve taken longer, obviously, from walking slower.
He didn’t speak about it. Instead speaking about the task at hand. She would’ve listened, in fact she would’ve loved to listen, but a sort of buzzing enter her ear. It soon changing to a high pitched noise, mixing with her heart beat that seemed to be getting faster.
“Gwen? Are you even listening?”
Everything seemed to be getting darker in her peripheral vision, if mixing into different dark tones. The blonde had begun to sweat now, panicking settling in. What’s happening,
“Gwen! I’m talking to you.”
Huh? Sounds were all merging together, nothing was clear. It was like she was underwater, everything muffling.
“Gwen!” A hand fell onto her shoulder, her head snapping up to look at the owner. Miguel’s red eyes looked into her panicked blue ones, irises shaking in their sockets.
Her hands trembled as her knees wobbled, a lump forming in her throat that she couldn’t swallow down. Trying the breathe but no air entering her lungs.
The girl took a step back, before yelling out in pain, doubling over, hands flying to her stomach. Collapsing onto her knees, she curled herself into a ball on the metallic floor. The cool surface, the only good thing she had on her fiery skin.
Miguel’s face went from frustration to shock. The girl crying out in agony, falling to the floor. Swiftly kneeling beside her, he registered everything. The way she protected her gut from being touched, the only this she was protecting.
Eyes tightly shut the girl let out a yelp when being carried. She looked at Miguel, determination written on his face. She would’ve said something, but the shooting pain was now relocating to the right side of her gut.
The last thing she heard was Miguel yelling at her to stay awake, as the smell of antiseptics filled her nostrils.
—————
A constant beeping woke her up. It wasn’t fast, in fact it was quite slow.
It was one continuous sound, it steadily entering her ears at a sustained pace. It getting louder as it continued.
The smell of bleach was still there however not to the full extent it was before.
Opening her eyes to the blinding white light, letting her pupils adjust to the horrid brightness.
When it finally adjusted she took in her surroundings. It was like any normal infirmary room, she’d been there a few times in the past.
The pale white walls crossed with a glossy blue to give it little colour, it still very plain.
A sink in the corner and two chairs for any visitors.
She then looked down at her self and then froze. There were needles in her arm. No, no. She could fell the thin metal moving in her veins, the liquid it was pumping into her leaving the very tip of the cool steel.
Gwens heart rate spiked, breathing picking up. In one swift motion she ripped the needle from her arm, then the ones from her hands. Through out all of this, the machines around her made alarming sounds, if they were human they would be screaming.
Doctors came rushing in at the sound of the alarms, going to the machines as the others tried to restrain her. In her hysterics, Gwen tried pushing the all away, hot tears leaving her eyes.
The door quickly opened again, a familiar face being recognised in her glassy eyes. Miguel. Pushing the doctors out of the way he got to her, Gwen securing herself in his arms.
She had a strong grip on him, inhaling his metallic scent. Her face hiding in the crook of his neck when she felt another liquid in her veins. Gwen slowly pulled away, the doctor removing the needle from her skin.
Her eyes staring at the end of the needle, her blood dripping off of it, the image reflecting off of her eyes. She fell back on her pillow, Miguel looking over her, his eyes full of an emotion she’d never seen on his face before.
It was fear.
——————
Waking up a second time, Gwen sat up with a start, immediately regretting her choice. Being blinded as well as a shooting pain up her side.
A gentle hand pushed her back down again. She turned her head to see Miguel sitting in one of the chairs she’d seen earlier.
Gwen looked up at him, panic still in her eyes.
“You’re okay cariño, no more needles.” He assured her, the blonde relaxing at that.
“Am I dying?” She asked him, head turning to look at him from where she lay. The man didn’t really give an answer, more of a facial expression of frustration.
“We don’t know anything yet, they were running tests but then your machines went haywire.” He explained to her, that being everything he knew of the current events.
What Gwen did see though, was the man’s hands closed in his lap, right leg bouncing with unease.
“Who did you send on the mission?” She asked him, knowing that her being bed ridden wouldn’t be a positive thing for a mission.
“You don’t need to worry about that.” He responded, his mind seeming to be crowded, Gwen soon found out why.
“Why didn’t you tell me, tell anyone for that matter?” Miguel begun, she was expecting it. She’d promised to be more open about her problems, she had been. But old habits die hard she guessed.
Miguel ranted to her, showing his distaste towards her actions, the girl looking down in shame. She knew she was wrong, now she was paying for the consequences.
Through out Miguel’s diatribe, she could feel the pain in her the right side of her gut returning. It was like a creeping feeling. Like that feeling when you believe someone is following you. You turn around and there’s no one there, but they’re hidden in the darkness.
When Miguel noticed her far away gaze, he stopped talking, reaching a hand to cautiously grasp hers. He was never the one to initiate the contact, always remaining still if he was given a hug, only retuning it for a few people.
He traced a thumb over her knuckles, a look of pity replacing his look of anger from before. The latino felt useless in this situation, he couldn’t do anything but sit there. He just sits there and watches Gwens face contort in discomfort.
The blonde looked over at him, giving him a pained look.
“We had to stop the pain killers, we didn’t want to make you panic when waking up again, with the needles.” He answered the question he’d guessed she was asking.
Gwens face then morphed into one of hurt, her eyes rows knitted together as her lips formed a deep frown.
The sound of the door opening caught their attention. A doctor walked in, both looking at then, holding their breaths.
“Your tests have come back, Gwen has appendicitis, an needs surgery as soon as possible.”