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Whumpee wrapped the bandages around their torso. It was a bit of a messy job, but it would do the trick to hide the gash from Caretaker a little longer. Whumpee was going to tell them eventually, but they were under a lot of pressure right now and they didn’t need to worry about Whumpee on top of everything else.

“Whumpee, I’m home!” Caretaker called.

Whumpee went to go see Caretaker, but as they took the first step, a dizzy spell hit them and they nearly stumbled. That was odd. Shrugging, Whumpee regained their composure and went down the stairs to see Caretaker.

“Hey!” Whumpee greeted cheerfully.

Caretaker smiled and pulled Whumpee in for a hug. Whumpee tried to hide their wince when Caretaker touched their side.

“Are you feeling okay?” Caretaker asked with a frown, “you’re kind of warm.”

“I feel fine,” Whumpee lied, “you’re probably just cold. Come eat something and you’ll warm right up.”

Whumpee pulled away from Caretaker and started to lead the way into the kitchen. Halfway there though, Whumpee was hit with another dizzy spell. They put their hand on the wall for support.

“Whumpee?”

“’M fine,” Whumpee slurred, “jus’ a dizzy spell.”

As Whumpee spoke, their knees buckled.

“Whumpee!”

Caretaker caught Whumpee from behind and turned them around to face them.

“What’s going on?” Caretaker demanded.

Whumpee watched through blurry vision as Caretaker put a hand to their head.

“Whumpee, you’re burning up!”

“Mm,” Whumpee acknowledged.

Caretaker guided Whumpee over to the couch and laid them down on it. As they did so, the hem of Whumpee’s shirt rose just enough to reveal bloody bandages underneath. Caretaker’s eyes widened.

“Whumpee, what is this?” Caretaker breathed.

“Don’ worry about it, it’s jus’ a scratch.”

Caretaker pulled back the bandages, exposing the wound underneath to cold air. Whumpee shivered a little, though they weren’t sure if it was from the cold in the room or the fever.

“Whumpee, this is infected,” Caretaker said, “we need to get you to a hospital.”

Whumpee’s tired eyes went wide. They propped themselves up on their elbows.

“N-no,” Whumpee protested, “I-I’m fine-”

Caretaker didn’t listen. They helped Whumpee to their feet and grabbed their car keys.

“Caretaker…”

“I don’t wanna hear it,” Caretaker said, “we’re taking you to the hospital and that’s that.”

Caretaker guided Whumpee to the car and helped them into the front seat. They buckled their seatbelt for them and ran over to the driver’s side.

…

“Definitely an infection,” the doctor said, snapping on latex gloves, “I’m going to have to medicate it.”

Whumpee cowered on the hospital bed. Caretaker took their hand and squeezed it gently.

“Do we have to?” they asked pitifully.

“If left untreated, your infection could spread to the rest of your body,” the doctor informed them gently, “don’t worry, I’ll administer a topical anesthetic first. You won’t feel a thing.”

The doctor brought over a needle filled with clear liquid. They lifted Whumpee’s hospital gown and injected it into their side. Tears sprung into Whumpee’s eyes, and they cried out in pain.

“That’s it, Whumpee,” Caretaker said quickly, “the worst is over, it’s okay.”

The pain in Whumpee’s side continued to fade until a faint numbness spread throughout it. The doctor worked quickly to clean out the wound and stitch it up.

“I’m going to have to put you on antibiotics,” they said, “to be safe. I’ll have a nurse insert an IV.”

With that, the doctor left the hospital room, leaving Whumpee alone with Caretaker. Whumpee turned to face them and almost recoiled when they saw Caretaker’s armor-piercing glare.

“You are so lucky the infection hadn’t spread yet,” Caretaker scolded, “do you know what I would’ve done if you’d have gotten sepsis!?”

“I’m sorry,” Whumpee said in a small voice, “I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“Whumpee,” Caretaker scoffed, “I’m your partner! You’re supposed to bother me with this kind of stuff!”

At that moment, the nurse entered the room with IV equipment.

“Hello there,” she said warmly, “I’m here to insert your IV.”

Whumpee gulped. Caretaker’s face immediately softened. They ran their thumb across Whumpee’s knuckles soothingly.

“It’ll be okay,” Caretaker said, “just a quick little pinch.”

“Yep,” the nurse said, “and then you’ll start to feel better.”

Whumpee looked away as the nurse inserted the needle into the crook of their elbow. They winced and fought back tears as they felt the pinch. Then, it was over.

“Good job, Whumpee,” Caretaker said, “good job.”

“Someone will be back to check on you in a few hours,” the nurse said, walking to the door.

The nurse left the room, closing the door behind her. Whumpee looked at Caretaker again.

“Are you still mad?” Whumpee asked.

“No,” Caretaker sighed, “I can’t stay mad at you. I was just scared, that’s all.”

Whumpee squeezed Caretaker’s hand.

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Whumpee said.

Caretaker reached over and hugged Whumpee. Whumpee leaned into Caretaker’s embrace. Soon, they’d be well again, they’d get to go home, and never try to hide something like this from Caretaker again.

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