Hearth of Inspiration Part 10

There hadn’t been so many patients at once in the North Palace hospital in nearly fifty years.  Entering patient files was taking every pair of hands that the silvery blue meuloclisp nurse had.  Even then, she still had a stack waiting.  Her amber-irised eye stalks barely looked up as the other nurse plunked a fresh stack of files down.

The lawn sheep sat down to catch his breath.  “That’s another six beds filled.  Geez, Spike Five took a beating.”  Eyeing the diminishing stack beside his co-worker, the sheep added, “I’m just glad the emergency power generators are keeping our systems running.  Wish I knew how you’re keeping up though, Gensetta.  At this rate my lawn will shear itself.”

Gensetta chuckled as she continued typing.  “What can I say, Wilyard?  Having ten arms does have its advantages.”

“You’ve got a dragon coming in!”

As she involuntarily cringed at the typos that the statement caused her to make, Gensetta wished that the ledge which surrounded the nurses’ station could be a sound barrier as well as a working space.  She calmly looked up from her computer work to see Plumwise hanging over the ledge.

“Which one?” Gensetta asked.

“Kloutrel.”

Wilyard turned towards the long stretch of shelf units lining the inner wall and called out, “Rosco!  Come here, boy!”

A whine responded from the shelves.  There was a scrambling sound as viney tendrils pushed off of a wooden surface.  One very large platform dashed out of the lower shelves, nearly pulling his cushion out along with him.  The platform excitedly flew straight over to the nursing station.

Meuloclisp hands reached out and petted him. “Good boy, Rosco.  That’s a good boy!”  Gensetta then pointed towards the entrance.  “Now, go wait by the door.  You’re going to hold a dragon until we can get a bed ready.”

Rosco responded with a bark and rushed over to the entryway.

Shellese slowly floated through the door.  All of her concentration was focused on keeping Kloutrel moving.  Rosco joyfully nudged her.

“Gah!”  The sage’s control wavered as Rosco’s touch surprised her.  Kloutrel withered towards the floor, unable to even stand on her own at this point.  One quick tailfin smack made the platform move back.  Rosco whimpered the pain of a naughty child sulking for attention and apology.  Shellese ignored him as she reclaimed her mental focus and pulled Kloutrel back into the air.

Since the nurses were busy locating an open room and a dragon-sized bed for it,  Plumwise quickly slid over to help.  He reached his trunk up and grabbed one of Rosco’s tendrils, pulling the platform backwards a few inches.  “Come on, Rosco.  Let them in to the hospital.  Come on.”

Several piteous whines accompanied Rosco’s obedience.

“Good boy,” Plumwise praised him.  “Good boy.”

They watched a full dragon gradually float through the entrance.  With Shellese guiding her, Kloutrel was laid on the waiting platform.  Rosco yipped at the sudden weight landing on him.  Such weight was hardly a burden for a platform of his size.  His cry had been more surprise than any discomfort.

At last, the dragon’s weight was off of the sages’ minds.  Shellese and Kioku visibly relaxed.  The mermaid fell against the wall.  Kioku passed right out!  Adroithany grasped her with his mane to keep her from dropping off of his back.

“Do you two need some platforms too?” Wilyard asked as he came over with a room assignment.

“Weh-we’re fine,” Shellese assured him.  “Carrying a dragon takes a lot out of us is all.”

Wilyard looked towards the unconscious fox.

“She just needs some time to regain her energy.  Kioku’s pretty tough.”  Adroithany firmly curled locks of his mane around his fellow sage.

“All right,” Wilyard nodded.  “Please follow me then.  C’mon, Rosco.”

“Arf!” the platform replied as he rose higher into the air and followed Wilyard.

Adroithany trotted along behind them, still holding Kioku on his back.  Shellese floated behind them with Plumwise slithering beside her.

Plumwise leaped into the air as a sudden scream rattled a door frame as well as his auditory senses.  He bunched himself together for a moment while the sound worked its way through his body.  A few deep breaths helped the nerve pounding settle again.

Both he and Shellese peered into the scream’s room of origin.  A doctor and two servalkyries held a third servalkyrie on the bed.  Tears streamed down her face as she gritted her teeth.  She was partially bandaged.  Dark stains were already seeping through them.

“Hang in there, Maya.  We’ve almost got it closed,” the doctor gently told her.

“A servalkyrie always ‘hangs in there’,” was her wheezing snarl.  “Ju-just hurry uuhhuup!”

Maya shook badly as she tried to stay still.  Her companions held her firmly to prevent any uncontrolled thrashing.

Two pairs of wide eyes stared at the scene then at each other.  Shellese and Plumwise quietly moved away from the room.  They rushed to catch up with Adroithany and the nurse.

Each passing room offered a glimpse of beds full of injured and pained creatures.  Moans, sobs and the chatter of worry echoed all around the group.  So many residents would be needing help.  Plumwise mentally sorted out a list of tasks as he followed Rosco and the sages.  Once Kloutrel was settled into a room, he’d get started.

“Plumwise!” a voice literally cried.

He looked into the room that he was currently passing.  Plumwise stopped to speak with the fereglizod crawling towards him.  “Dovely, are you ok?”

A handkerchief dangled from her trunk as she slid up to him.

“No,” she sobbed.  “My father got caught in a blast and the communication system’s down!  I can’t call Lapisgrace or anyone.  I’m so worried about her.  Her egg hasn’t hatched yet and I can’t stand the thought of not knowing what’s going on and Dad’s still unconscious and… and…”

Fresh tears flooded Dovely’s eyes and flowed down her cheekfur.  She clutched her handkerchief more tightly.  Plumwise brought his tail around and patted her neck.  “There, there.  Give Shyred some time.  He’s one of the toughest fereglizods that I’ve ever met.  He’ll pull through.”

“But he’s no spring peripple anymore,” she replied.  “He’s already thirty-eight.  Even worse, tonight was his hue dusk.  Dad was looking so forward to watching it.  It’s not fair!”

“I know,” Plumwise gently rubbed her neck to comfort her.  “Once the sages get Kloutrel into a room, I’ll send them out to each spike.  We’ll get communications going again.  Any fereyllet of Shyred’s would be just as tough as he is.”

That put a smile on Dovely’s tear drenched face.  She wound the handkerchief in her trunk and wiped her eyes.  “His grandllets too.  Scarlet’s quite the pixie when she wants to be.”

“Are she and Galaxy ok?”  Plumwise peered into the room but didn’t see either of them.

“They’re ok.  Scarlet and I were in the food mall when the attack happened.  Galaxy joined us once the all-clear came through.  We went over to check on Dad and found him hurt.  So here I am,” Dovely explained.

Plumwise breathed a sigh of relief.  “Glad to know that some folks escaped injury.  I’ll make sure Spike Seven is assigned first.  I promise to get you word about your sister as quick as I can.  So trunk up, ok?”

Dovely nodded.  She reached her trunk out and embraced Plumwise.  He politely returned the hug.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

The duo parted.  Dovely watched him slide on up the corridor.  Then she turned back into the room to be with her father.

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