Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 56: The Awakening

Nya felt a stab of pity for Lloyd. He was watching with anxious eyes as his mother, alongside Ronin, was wheeled away on a transport stretcher down the hall by a couple of nurses. Nya saw Lloyd's eyes follow the backs of the nurses pushing the stretchers until they had vanished, at which point he heaved a low sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

With Nya, Lloyd, Zane, Wu, Cole, Liana, Eagle Talon, Little Leaf, and Matilda filling up the corridor, the hospital seemed more crowded than ever. Everyone had known that the amount of people might cause some difficulties, but none had wanted to stay aboard the Destiny's Bounty while Misako and Ronin were transported to the emergency room and Jay was checked upon. Thus they all came, and they quickly explained the situation to the doctors at hand. It didn't take long for the Dark Sleep victims to be loaded onto the stretchers and wheeled away. They were told that their friends would be well taken care of.

How could they tell the doctors that nothing in their medical powers could be done for these patients?

It wasn't very long before Dr. Wesley appeared, walking briskly toward them in his long white lab coat and thick glasses. He stopped and disapprovingly surveyed the amount of visitors together in the waiting room. "We can't let you all in, I'm afraid."

"None of us are going anywhere," Matilda retorted sharply. "This is a matter concerning all of us."

Dr. Wesley scowled in annoyance, but to Nya's surprise, he didn't argue. He simply moved on as if no one had said anything. "Well, ninja... I'm afraid we're still working on what the cause of this sudden loss of strength is."

"It's not the cause that matters," Matilda said. "It's what you can do about it. But of course you can't." She added almost sneeringly, "None of your disgusting pills can do anything for them. You ought to have figured that out by now."

"Matilda, please," Liana muttered, sitting beside the witch. "Now's not the time."

Matilda shrugged—making the hat upon her head bounce—and sat back, wearing a mix of a scowl and a disdainful smirk on her face. "Very well."

"You have no idea how to help them? None at all?" Lloyd pressed.

Wesley sighed. "Look, we're doing all we can. We're going to start giving them food and water, as soon as they're settled into their cots. We're going to have them with young Mr. Walker, who—"

"Could we see Jay?" Nya interrupted.

Dr. Wesley glanced at the rest of the group with misgivings. "All of you?"

"Yes. Please."

Wesley sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "His parents are with him right now..."

"Good," Lloyd responded firmly. "They deserve to know what's happening to Jay, and we're the only ones who can tell them that."

Wesley scowled and opened his mouth, but once more Matilda spoke up. "Now, surely, good doctor, you cannot deny the parents of this poor boy an explanation from his friends about what happened? Explain away the mysterious malady you're facing with all the scientific mumbo-jumbo you want, but you can't deny young people wanting to see their sick friend—" At this she glanced at Nya and smirked. "Or deny one lover from another."

Nya cast her a quick glare.

"All right, all right!" Wesley groaned. "Fine. But... all of you?" He looked skeptically at Liana, Eagle Talon, and Little Leaf.

"Yes." Matilda stood up. "Let's go."

The sight of the large, motley group going down the hall attracted no small amount of curious stares. Nya felt herself flush under the gazes of doctors and nurses, but Matilda didn't seem perturbed. Talon and Leaf, on the other hand, looked uneasy enough trapped and surrounded by strange humans, and being stared at was not helping. Talon cast the onlookers hostile glares, and some doctors glanced away uneasily.