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Cole punched the last criminal in the face, downing him in one. He cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the situation. He and Lloyd were on patrol, rounding up some street thugs they had found robbing a small store.
"Cole?"
He turned, Lloyd's voice sounded very small behind him. Cole looked at him; he was pale and clutching his side.
"I-I don't feel so good."
Lloyd's knees gave out, and he crumpled to the ground. Cole felt his heart stop as he sprinted over to where Lloyd lay sprawled on the ground, pulling off his hood, knees hitting the dirt but not caring about the pain.
He grabbed Lloyd's shoulder, shaking him slightly. He was awake, eyes wide with terror as he shook in Cole's arms; hands limply wrapped around his middle. The boy let out a sharp wheeze, before breaking out into a violent coughing fit. Red droplets splattered onto the floor. Cole froze, searching up and down Lloyd's body for the source of the injury, but finding nothing.
He suddenly went limp, eyes rolling back in his head and breathing becoming more jagged.
"Lloyd! Lloyd! Wake up." Cole cried, hands shaking as he hovered over him, unsure of what to do. Fumbling with his hood, he flipped it back up, and scrambled for the com.
"H-hello, anyone, do you copy?" He pressed the button frantically, refreshing the connection, "Anyone—please—we-we need help."
He turned Lloyd on to his side, placing him in the recovery position, checking his pulse. It was weak, but there. Something was definitely wrong with his breathing though; it dragged awfully, sound wet and crackly, and even unconscious he never seemed to manage a full breath.
Cole's com crackled to life, and Zane's voice filtered through, "Cole? We are on route to your location, what happened?
He let out a shuddering breath, shoulder dipping in relief.
"I-I don't know. We were fighting, stopping a theft at a store—easy stuff—we were done with the fight, and Lloyd called my name before just collapsing," He took another breath, "He was coughing blood b-but he's—he's not hurt anywhere. I can't—I can't—"
"Breathe Cole," Zane said calmly over the com, "We are almost there. Is Lloyd awake?"
"N-no. He was after he collapsed but then he passed out," Cole looked down at the green clad form in front of him, "His breathing sounds real wrong Zane."
Roaring sounded from outside the little shop. Cole looked up and saw the Bounty hovering above the street, Zane and Kai descending down ropes. They ran over, Zane kneeling over Lloyd and beginning to examine him. Kai dropped next to Cole, pulling him into a side hug as they both waited for the nindroids instructions; Cole's hands still shaking.
"I believe he has a collapsed lung due to broken ribs," Zane turned to look at Cole, "Did he get struck in the chest at all during the fight."
"I dunno—I couldn't see him for most of it."
Zane nodded and motioned for Kai to help him lift Lloyd. The three of them quickly transported him back to the bounty, Zane and Kai disappearing into the med bay. Cole stood still in the hall, unsure what to do. Zane would patch Lloyd up, as he always did. Kai was there to keep him calm and make sure Lloyd knew he was safe.
He leant back against the wall, breathing heavily as he tried to get his hands to stop shaking. Staring down at the wall, he didn't notice someone approaching until there was a hand on his shoulder.
Jumping slightly, he looked up at Nya who was crouched in front of him. When did he sit down?
"Hey—you okay?"
He nodded shakily, unsure if he could speak. He continued to take carefully measured breaths as Nya shifted to sit beside him. She leant slightly into him, grounding him to the present.
"He'll be okay." She said, nodding slightly. Cole wondered if she was reassuring herself as much as him. "Zane will make sure he's okay."
That was where they stayed, silently sitting vigil outside the med bay, staring at the old wooden door. Cole didn't know how much time passed before it creaked open, and Kai stepped out.
He looked down at them, tired eyes meeting theirs, pulling the door behind him until just a crack remained.
"Uh—Zane says he's okay," He started, unsure of his words. "He's still unconscious, Zane gave him something so that he'll stay like that for a while, but you can come and see him."
The red ninja nodded vacantly before wandering off down the corridor. Cole stared at the door for a moment, until Nya moved next to him, snapping him out of his stupor.
Slowly, they pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lloyd lay on the cot in the middle of the room, eyes closed and face relaxed in sleep. He was covered by a blanket, but a tube snaked out from near his chest. Zane was off to the side, washing his hands and disposing of any used supplies.
Nya walked over to Lloyd, brushing his blonde hair out of his face. Someone, Kai probably, had cleaned the blood from around his mouth. He always looked so young when he was asleep, reminding Cole of the little kid that had come to live on the Bounty all those years ago. He had been in this bed far too many times since then.
Zane moved to stand next to Cole and spoke quietly, "It appears he received a blow to the chest—possibly from a dull sword or a particularly hard kick—that broke his ribs. One of them punctured his lung, I expect due to his continued movement after the incident. He has a pneumothorax but will recover from that in a few days. His ribs will take longer to heal." He paused for a moment before asking, "You are uninjured?"
The nindroid bumped his shoulder against Cole at his answering nod, before turning and leaving the room. Cole took a few shaky steps towards Lloyd, settling into the chair beside him. Nya looked at him across the unconscious boy, seemingly also remembering just how young he was.
Cole settled back, content to wait for Lloyd to wake up. He wasn't going anywhere.