MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

38: Daddy

JOES POV

I handed the live stream to Beth and ran as fast as I could to Davids cubical. Surgeons were rushing round. David was on the floor wheezing and coughing up blood.
What have I done? What on earth can I do? This is all my fault. I have to just keep his audience happy if it's the last thing I do.

I walked back towards my cubical with my hands pressing my temples in stress and frustration with myself.
"Wait do you know what he's saying." A nurse walked over to my and grabbed my shoulder.
"Who? What?" I ran back over to David.
"I- I want Dad.. I want my dad." He said while coughing up his own blood and gargling, chocking, crying though his eyes were closed.
"Dad... His dad.. I don't know, I haven't seen his dad in a long while."
"We are going to operate on him, he has a bleed very near his brain."
I nodded with fear and stress. Looking back at David, covered in blood, sweat and tears. I felt like the worst person in the world.

I walked back to my cubical where the kids were preparing to leave.
"You alright Stamps?" Beth asked me, the love of my life, she kept everything positive when in reality it was the opposite.
"Y..yeah I am."
I looked over at one kid, "is he okay?" He whispered.
I shook my head no, self loathing.

***

DAVIDS POV

I opened my eyes. It was quite dark, but light enough to see most of what was around me.
I felt somewhat better, but sore all the same.
I took of my mask full of all sorts of gases I was breathing.
I heard a voice, "creepers.. Spiders? Oh and cave spiders I remember them-"
"Joe?" I rubbed my eyes and sat up,
"Oh my god are you okay?" He looked at me like I had just died, there was about a metre between us.
"Y-yeh I'm fine, who were you talking to?" I asked,
"The live stream."
"What time is it?"
"It's about half three in the mor-"
"Wait- did you say your talking to a live stream?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Y-yeh you said about having a 24 hour stream, we are about 10 hours through it."
"Joe, you just had a heart attack don't you just want to go to sleep?"
"Well you just had an operation, which, in my opinion was a lot worse."
"I what?" Did I hear him wrong?
"You just had an operation, you have stitches on the side of your face." Joe pointed at my face then handed me his phone where I looked at my stitches in the camera,
"What- I can't show my kids this, I look horrible- what was wrong with me?" I handed Joe back his phone.
"You had an internal bleeding, I saw you." I felt nervous after that,
"Well that sucks." I muttered.
"Dave.. Sorry guys I'm gonna have to pause the stream." Joe paused the stream then showed me that it was paused. This meant business.
"What?" I asked.
"David.. When you were, y'know, being sick and stuff. You said something about your dad and that you wanted him."
I put my hand over my mouth and leaned back against the head of my bed.
"M- maybe I should just go to bed."
"Dave!" Joe looked me in the eyes, "is he.. Is he dead?"
I looked at him in the eyes. A tear streamed from my face.
I told him everything.
"M-mum says that he was taken by the seekers, and that means that there is a 99% chance he was killed by them."
Joes jaw dropped slightly. He looked sympathetic but now he understood.
"I.. I do miss him, Joe. It's just my mum and me now." I said, Wiping my tears away.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." He said,
I sniffed, "no- no.. But we should see about getting California for Finnball."
Joe hushed me then lifted his duvet to reveal Beth lying under the covers fast asleep cuddling Joe.

I felt so sleepy, the gas I was taking was not oxygen.
"stamps can you do everything in your power to keep me awake."
"Why- do you want to stay awake?"
"Yes! But some sort of drug is trying to make me sleep."
"Alright," he put the phone down with the live stream being held and walked over to me.
"I'm scared of taking any of these away from you." He said looking at the tubes with all sorts of gases.
"Well this ones morphine, you can keep that- this one is umm.. Some sort of.. Let me give it a sniff."
He went as close to the tube as possible and sniffed it,
"Oh god I think that's the one that's making you tired."
"If you're sure." I said.
"I'm not sure I want to do this, Squid." He said looking into my eyes.
"Come on, it'll be alright."
"Yeh but if it isn't I'll never forgive myself."
I asked him what tube it was and then I switched it off myself and put my mask back on. The results didn't work immediately but after a while it was okay.
"Y'alright?" Joe asked, I took my mask off every time we spoke.
"Yeh, what about you? Are you not exhausted?"
"Yeh.. But I'll stay up for this." He said,
"Wanna un-pause the stream?" I asked. With that he started streaming again.
I put my mask back on, Beth had moved over slightly and started to pull off the covers.
"Here you can sit on my bed for a while."I said. I moved over to give him some room and he put the camera on selfie mode.
"So.." He began,
"Did Nicole come back?"
"She came back for a bit but she wasn't allowed to see you."
"Well that's a surprise- were the kids okay?"
"Well.. They got a bit tearful. They wanted you to come home."
I tutted and though sympathetically.
"Must miss their dad now." He said,
"Yeh.. I do to." I murmured. Joe put his arm around my neck and looked at me.
"How can we brighten this atmosphere?" Joe asked, I shrugged my shoulders and looked through the comments on the live stream one of them made me laugh, the laughing gas made my laugh last longer. I took my mask off.
"G-guys?" I was Beth.
"Your up, hi hon." Joe said walking over to her.
"You still streaming?" She asked,
"Yep," Joe replied,
"Sorry Stamps did I push you off the bed?" She laughed,
"Yep!" He laughed.