Chapter 25: Time to Regroup

"UO!!!!!!" Nami screamed, tears streaming down her face.

I didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say. Yuri bent down and checked for a pulse. After a bit of searching, she finally said, "He's still alive. His pulse is weak, but he's still alive. We need to get him to a doctor, now."

Nami didn't seem to hear her. She was still wailing in agony. I didn't blame her. If I had seen my mom hurt like that, I would probably react like Nami did. Mari bent down and slapped Nami in the face.

"Mari! Why did-" Yuri started to say.

"Shut up," Mari replied before turning to Nami, who had stopped crying and was looking at Mari numbly, unconsciously rubbing her red cheek. "Didn't you hear Yuri! He's still alive, but we need to get him to a doctor right away! He'll die if we just sit here and cry about it! Let's get a move on!"

Nami stared at her for a moment before nodding. Without saying a word, she picked up Uo's body and started swimming for the big doors. We followed, not knowing what to say. Nami led us out of the palace, back to the meeting spot. Everyone else was already there, waiting for us. Nami kept swimming, not stopping to explain.

"Uo's been severely hurt. He needs a doctor right away," I quickly explained, following Nami.

The girls followed, taking in the grim reality of the situation. Finally, Nami stopped in front of a white building. She quickly knocked on the door. After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing a merman in a white lab coat. He motioned for us to come in, not saying a word. Once we were inside, he had Nami lay Uo down on a stretcher. Some nurse merpeople came and wheeled Uo into the operating room.

"Is he going to make it?" I asked, hoping for the best.

"It's hard to tell right now. I need to inspect his wound before I can give you a proper answer," the doctor replied before leaving us in the waiting area.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, the doctor finally re-emerged from the operating room. Nami jumped up from her seat and swam over to him. I could tell she was on the verge of tears since she feared the worst. Finally, the doctor smiled.

"He's going to be just fine. It will take him a while to recover since he lost a lot of blood, but soon he'll be able to return home, as good as new."

Nami squealed with delight. The girls and I got up and cheered. I couldn't believe he was going to be ok. I had feared that he wouldn't make it. I could feel relief radiating off of the others as well.

"Doctor! The patient has regained consciousness! He has asked to see everyone," a nurse exclaimed, swimming out of the hallway.

"Alright, you all can go in as long as you promise to stay quiet and leave when I come back in to give him another dose. Do we have a deal?" the doctor asked, looking at all of us.

"I promise!" Nami exclaimed, giddy from hearing her brother would survive.

The rest of us nodded so the doctor led us to Uo's hospital room. When Uo saw us, he smiled and gave us a little wave. Nami swam over to him and hugged him. The rest of us followed and gathered around his bed.

"I need to tell you all what happened. It's kind of a lot to take in," Uo said, suddenly serious.

Once we were all comfortable and quiet, Uo started to tell his story.