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These past few weeks had been painfully long for Eugene.
It wasn’t just an illusion, either. They had been working nonstop, at school during the day and at the Underworld Office at night. Sure, their body was resting, but they hadn’t had a mental break, and it was taking a toll on them.
It was a little after noon, and during their lunch period. However, Eugene had no energy to eat or even think. They just walked with their new friends around the building, with Luke on their left and Joy and Oliver on their right, the latter being closer. They knew Joy was the one speaking, and could hear the words, but they could not even begin to process them. It was all a blur. Sounds floated into the air and around Eugene.
That’s when the symptoms kicked in. Their vision blurred, ears ringing, as they stumbled forward. They reached forward to catch themself, but their arms grabbed onto air as their body was caught by Luke and Oliver. Eugene had detached again…
The panic rolled in. They left their body in school! Unwillingly! Without River smacking them into sleep! And they still felt terrible! Still, through their slightly-blurred vision, they saw Joy running away from the others, presumably to find someone.
Eugene stood there as their exhausted brain attempted to piece together the puzzle, but then the words started to piece together.
The first thing they understood was from Luke. “Eugene? We got you. Joy’s getting the nurse.” Then, he lowered his voice. “Shit… I knew something was off, too.”
Then, Oliver spoke. “It’s alright, dude. They’ll be fine. I’m worried too, but all we can do is make sure they get to the nurse, ya’ know?”
“Yeah, I guess-” At the same moment as Eugene, Luke noticed Joy and the nurse standing near them, the nurse pushing a small chair with wheels that wasn’t quite like a classroom but was far from a wheelchair.
“I’ll take them. Do you three have a class to head to?”
Joy looked at the other two while the nurse placed Eugene’s body into the chair.
“We just have lunch now. All of us.”
The nurse said something about them staying with Eugene, but only for a few minutes. Next thing Eugene knew, they were in the nurse’s office.
Even their spirit was worn-out. They couldn’t fully zone into the conversations (past a few snippets of sentences) that were occurring around their body, which was now placed onto one of the office beds. They laid on their body, and let their eyes close. Maybe this would all be over when they woke up.
The last words they heard were “...they’ll be okay, Luke.”
~~~
Eugene slept soundly. As they weighed back into their body, they did not stir in their sleep. It was as if the entire world had stopped for them.
While Oliver and Joy decided to head back to lunch, saying they would check back in before class, Luke didn’t budge. He simply grabbed a bag of chips from his schoolbag and ate a few. It wasn’t like he had much of an appetite after seeing his friend pass out, especially because he felt… different towards them.
It was safe to say that Luke was devastated seeing his crush lying still on the bed. The one whose life he saved. The one who saved his life. The one who risked it all for those two kids. The one who appeared in his dream.
Still, all he could do was watch and think until Joy and Oliver made their way back to the office. While hesitant to go, Luke couldn’t possibly risk skipping class that day, and so he left with his two friends before class started. Eugene remained asleep on the bed, breathing steady.
~~~
Their eyes were heavy when they tried to open them, like weights pressing down into their head. While they got them open, nothing was clear, more so than usual. Not only were their eyes worn, but they did not feel their glasses on their face. However, the voice around them was clear.
“You’re awake, dear. How are you feeling?”
Eugene tried to sit up, but the nurse quickly told him to remain lying down to avoid fainting again.
“I tried to call your parents, but I didn’t get an answer, I apologize.”
What else did Eugene expect? They didn’t remember the last time they felt genuine care from their parents. If only Boss and River and Joan and Hayden were their real family, not just their coworkers…
Eugene had many thoughts flooding through their mind, and could articulate none other than the very prevalent feelings of exhaustion and guilt for having worried or burdened their friends. It was sickening. Or was that the fainting that made them nauseous?
“How lo… long?” Eugene asked, their usually shaky voice amplified.
“You were out for about thirty minutes. Lunch is over, and your friends are in class. In addition, Eugene, it seems you did not exactly faint in the medical sense as you were out for more than a few minutes. It seems you were so tired you somehow fell whilst standing, or your brain was extremely low on energy. Still, the experience was likely very disorienting, so you may show some of the symptoms associated with post-syncope. Syncope being the term for fainting, of course!”
Eugene nodded throughout, struggling to follow along with the wall of words that came from the nurse. All they got was that they fell asleep while standing or something. Maybe they needed to talk to Boss about this later…
“In other words, you need to rest more, dear. If you have a job, you may want to request a short mental health break. You’re a minor, so you should be granted it without too much hassle. I can also write a note to your teachers, if needed.”
Eugene stayed in the office for the rest of the days even when their body started to recover. After the last class of the day ended, their three friends, Luke, Oliver, and Joy came to visit them in the room, bringing many questions and worries along with them. Even all of the convincing in the world couldn’t get rid of what had happened, Eugene found.
“We were so worried. At least you’re okay…” said Joy, carrying a paper that was presumably make-up work. “We tried to convince the teacher to not give you the work, but she just said she would give you an extension or something.”
“Don’t worry, dude. I’ll give you the answers.” Oliver piped in, smirking.
“Says you, Mr. 32-percent-on-vocab-test.” Joy teased.
“This is science, not English!”
Luke set himself on the bed, where Eugene was now sitting up. “Anyway, Eugene… we got you. Just let us know if you need anything. We’re here for you, after all.”
“Thank…thank you g…guys. Means a lot…”
While the teens usually walked or rode bikes home, today, Oliver’s dad was able and willing to pick them up given the circumstances, albeit a bit later than preferable.
~~~
To be loved is to be seen, and while Eugene once hated being seen, they could no longer feel anything but love for being loved.