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It wasnt supposed to end this way.
The words ringed in my head.
Supposed to be a normal day
I was at my house in the bedroom, gasping for air since everything seemed like too much.
Last week was the chaos city and mushroom kingdoms conference. A meeting between two very powerful cities, determined on fighting two different emenies that had teamed up to bring endless destruction.
It had actually been a fun night with sonic and his gang. Mario, my brother, couldn't make it, as he was also a doctor, who worked late into the night often as a result of many surgeries. Many nights alone I felt lonely. But they were there. Sonic and his gang often made a place for me to feel accepted when I needed it.
Late that night, we parted ways as the event ended. Despite much worry from them if I was going to be ok going home on my own with it being late at night.(mostly Evan) I reassured them id be ok. How wrong I was.
Bowser JR had ambushed me out of nowhere, litterly, as he had a bob-omb that exploded and the projectile hit me under the ribs. It hurt like hell. I was in shock the first two secounds, unable to register what happened, intill I realized. I gasped for air, as my lungs felt like they were being squished alive.
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The Bobomb was a bullet. It was in under my ribs, creating a gaping wound that bled so much I nearly passed out at home trying to bandage it in the bathroom with old bandages I found in the kicthen cabinets. After I wrapped it up, I took out my phone and went to contacts. Call Mario. Was my first thought. He'd know what to do. He was a brilliant surgeon, and I was a brilliant mess. I needed his voice comforting me, telling me it was going to be fine.
I called him and he picked up, static radiating through the speaker from the chaos of the hospital in the background.
"I can't talk Lu! Middle of another surgery, mrs.henderson, again, insisted she ate a goomba that had a yoshi fruit- jeez im pretty sure she's faking it." He sighed.
"Okay, bro, I won't keep you from it. See you later."
I hung up, I just couldn't burden him durning a surgery with my issue. He was actually saving people that mattered. I thought I could just tough it out. But i knew deep down, it wasnt the case.
I just needed a friend to talk to. So I called Poppy. She's with sonic and his gang. Poppy was always a great friend to me, as she knew what it felt like to feel scared,alone,misunderstood, and worthless. She struggled with her own anxiety too. Just like me.
"Luigi?"
"You busy Poppy?"
"No, but if you count marathoning 2ne1s live performances, than yes."
"Oh ok-''
"No no luigi! I can talk! What's wrong? You good?"
I told her what happened.
"Don't be suprised when evan says I told you so. Its inevitable. Don't avoid it. It will find you."
It felt like she was trying to make me laugh. I chuckled a bit.
"But real talk, probably go see an actual doctor. Like say, your brother?"
"He was busy I can tough it out, it would be too much for him to worry about."
"Oh Luigi, he just wants you to be okay! Please dont pull a michael."
I groaned. Pulling a Michael met hiding injuries so youre loved ones didn't worry, even if they were life threatening. It had been named after their friend, Michael, who always did that.
"I can't belive you call it that."
"No im serious! Do i need to put Evan on the phone?!"
"No its fine im just going to sleep now."
"Good. You should get some rest, weeg. I'm going to bed too night."
"Good night."
I drifted off, despite my pain.
However, over the next week, everything got worse. My messages to mario every single time I called him were more unsettling, as my voice declined.
Day 2: " Hey mario, so something happened after that meeting the other night, a run in with bowser junior. No big deal. Im fine."
Day 3:"hey just feeling tierd! Hung out with sonic, tails, poppy, eleanore, and Knuckles today. And well, a normal day in chaos city. Sharknadoes, robots capturing people, its fine."
Day 4:" hey so I woke up with a little fever today but im fine. Just the flu."
Day 5:"bro, haven't seen you in forever. Please- I just wanna talk. Its not fine."
Day 6:"mario...It hurts... I'll confess i got hit at the boswer Jr run in with a bob-omb and the shards are in my skin under my ribs.....mario. "
By day 7, I knew this was it. I had a critically high fever, couldn't eat anything or sleep, I had been threatened by shadow from sonics gang that he would literally drag me up there. Evan too, and he was pissed!
The wound was a purplish color, with the shards creating a deep black jagged hole. The smell was awful, green pus was on the bandages. I was in sweat, looking very pale and weak, with my muscles unable to move.
Desperately, I called Mario. Left one more message.
Day 7: "please...im....sorry....its bad....it hurts, so swollen...ugh...."
Then i called poppy and she picked up
"Luigi i know about it. Evan told everyone."
"I know....need...one...last person....talk...too...on the verge of death...tell them all I said sorry...tell him I said sorry..."
"Oh my god"
I heard panicked breathing. Poppy's anxiety and OCD must of kicked in. I felt gulity as she worries about everything.
"It...ok....poppy....breathe..."
"NOT IF YOU CANT IM CALLING YOUR BROTHER NOW!"
She hung up.
I felt relived she would call mario. I needed help at this point. If it wasnt for her at the moment, I would of been a goner in just hours.
Mario then called a couple minutes later.
"I'm sorry....." I gasped.
"Weegee? you sound awful...poppy called me... said something about you having some injury....then i played the messages im the one who should be sorry. I'm stopping by. DONT MOVE."
Those last 2 words were in his no BS tone. I waited by my door for him, keeping it unlocked.
Mario knocked and I pushed the door open.
"Oh my god-"
I collapsed into his arms and everything went black. Last thing I saw was his worried expression.
"LUIGI!"
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I woke up and realized I was in a brightly lit white room. The scent of antiseptic was in the air and I heard a consistent beep noise. Machines were all around me. I had no shirt on
Its the O.R
"Oh thank god." A familiar voice said.
I wasnt sure who it belonged to at first. Someone squeezed my hand.
Sure enough, it was mario. Completely dressed in blue surgical scrubs, his regular hat replaced with a surgeon cap, his voice muffled by a blue mask that concealed the bottom half of his face. I saw the worry in his eyes. A twinge of gulit hit me. How was he keeping it together? My own brother...
"I'm so sorry." I cried, barely above a whisper.
"Me too. I should of listened the first day but I was so busy and you nearly died....." he trailed off."But you really shouldn't of waited that long to tell me. This is serious!"
My chest ached with gulit. "You were busy that first day and I didn't want to burden you."
"Oh Weegee, you will NEVER be a burden to me. Id drop anything for you. No matter how busy I am, don't be afraid to insist on it, especially when this happens." He pointed to the wound under my ribs, which had started to turn black and the bandage from earlier had fallen off. It was a dirty mess. I bit my lip, trying to hold back gasps of pain as he probed the wound. It was hard, but this is my older brother. Id trust him with the world. I trusted him with my own darn life. That motivation helped me bite back the pain.
"Well the good news is if Poppy hadnt called, you'd probably would of dead in just hours. I only say that because this is septic...." Mario went quiet for a secound "It was pretty much systemic." His voice a mix of firm professionalism and gentle scolding.
"She saved me" I croaked. My feverish mind was spinning. I wondered then what would happen if she hadnt called. In that moment, I was thankful that I had a friend like Poppy.
"Yeah, I knew something was wrong because of your last voice mail and then Poppy called and said that you got hurt and you were probably dying. I knew right away."
Mario put on blue gloves. "We have to take it out as soon as possible. Then flush the wound."He murmured quietly to a group of toads in scrubs, who nodded and got prepared.
"Get an IV and aggressive antibiotics started." He said to a nurse that was standing nearby.
I felt multiple pricks in my arm, and everything started to fade.Last thing i saw was mario's face, his fear replaced by a professional stoicism, I wanted to say i trust you, but I couldn't and so I said it by squeezing his hand 3 times spefically. Its what id always do since we were kids when I was unable to tell him the words out loud. Mario knew what I met and squeezed my hand back, with both of us knowing that our bond will endure this crisis. And then the whole world faded to black....
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I'd fade in and out of consciousness, hearing snippets of the medical chatter in the room.
"He's septic. We have to move fast."
Was one thing I heard from mario. Then I faded back into darkness.
Then i heard more chatter.
"Scapel"
"Forceps"
"Retractor"
"Its deeper than we thought."
"Doctor, his heart rate is dropping."
It felt like forever when I went back into unconsciousness. I was pulled out again by a firm tugging sensation. Mario was trying to remove the shards.
"Youre doing great, weegee. I got you. You'll be ok." His voice was reassuring enough to pull me back to sleep.
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I opened my eyes to a white room, with me laying against a fresh white linoleum sheet. I was in a hospital bed and mario was alsleep in the chair next to me.
"Hey, Mario." I said.
He immediately woke up.
"You're awake. Oh Weegee, you almost died, everybody was worried." I heard his voice crack.
"I'm so sorry." I wanted to cry.
He came closer. And i saw his eyes . They were bloodshot and red. I felt even more gulit.
"Promise me that this will never happen again." He said.
"Of course." I took his hand and squeezed it tightly.
Mario smiled.
"Good. Now im taking the week off to take care of you."
"But your patients-"
"They can wait . You're the only one that matters right now."
"Thank you. For everything." I felt touched I had a brother like Mario.
"Always. Now get some rest. When you wake up, we have to decide what gift we're going to send Poppy as a thank you."
I squeezed his hand, feeling safe that he was there. As I drifted off the sleep, everything was so peaceful, the beeping of the machines almost like a lullaby. My big brother had saved me. Everything was OK now.