Ben's room [Ellis Island, Enderverse, Wednesday afternoon, Fandom time]

[momslilassassin]

Ben finally got his hand extracted from Ender's (he hadn't really been trying that hard while Alai had been visiting), and left the room to give Val (and Alai, sigh, grumble, whatever) some time to spend with Ender as well.

Ben went for a walk, got lost four times, found some food and a shower and finally made his way back to his room.

He sat down in an uncomfortable chair on the theory that if he sat on the bed he'd fall asleep for a week, and began making some long-delayed calls back to Fandom.

With his luck, time had sped up there, he'd been gone for a month, and Karla was after his head...

[OOC: If you think he called you, he did!]

Comments

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Ben," Tony greeted him, closing program he'd been working on.

[momslilassassin]

"Hey," Ben replied, sounding exhausted. "Tell me I haven't missed graduation or anything."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"...you haven't missed graduation. How long has it been there?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben rubbed his eyes. "I don't a few days? Maybe a week? I haven't gotten a lot of sleep."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Tony sat up straighter, frowning into the phone. Because that helped. "What's wrong?"

[momslilassassin]

"Ender's in the clinic," Ben said. "It didn't look great for a while."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Okay, you really need to start at the beginning."

[momslilassassin]

Ben closed his eyes and decided that was a bad idea if Tony wasn't interested in listening to him snore for a few hours. He opened them up again and began talking: "I got a call from Val at some unholy time in the morning on Tuesday--she and Ender had left Parents' Weekend and were supposed to be spending time on Eros but the portal got screwed up and they ended up in their universe but at some other time."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Which is a wonderful place to be, I hear," Tony replied, rubbing his forehead.

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, it's astral," Ben said. "Sorry that I forgot to pick up a postcard. She told me that she was worried he was going to do something stupid, then ran off without disconnecting our phone call. I spent the next few hours screaming at Portalocity and got to...wherever the hell they were...in time to watch some giant kid come pretty close to kicking Ender permanently brain damaged."

His voice shook slightly on that final part.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Jesus," Tony muttered. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Ask another silly question, Tony! It'll help so!

[momslilassassin]

"Oh, I don't have a scratch on me," Ben said with a humorless laugh, "and as for what happened, well, Ender's been pretty drugged up and Val's been so distracted I haven't wanted to ask."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Did you-- are you guys coming back?"

[glacial_queen]

"Ben, you missed carving butter sculptures in Madrox's class," Karla bitched as soon as she picked up the phone. "If you skipped, I will be the angriest Karla ever. You are supposed to let me know in advance so I can skip with you!"

They could have had ice cream!

[momslilassassin]

"Butter sculptures?" Ben repeated. "Seriously?"

[glacial_queen]

"Would I lie about that?" Karla demanded. "Honestly, could I have made that up?"

[momslilassassin]

"Possibly, but it seems like a weird thing for you to have made up," Ben admitted. "So it's only Wednesday there?"

[glacial_queen]

Hello instant suspicions. "Why?" she asked flatly. "Where are you?"

[momslilassassin]

"Um. Ender's universe?" Ben replied.

He was starting out small.

[glacial_queen]

Karla was very glad that Ben couldn't read emotions over the phone. It meant no one else needed to notice that flare of irrational jealousy over being excluded. Again.

"Oh?" she asked, trying to sound neutral. "Visiting for awhile?"

[momslilassassin]

"Not exactly," Ben said. "I got a call from Val on Tuesday in Fandom--several days ago here now--that Ender was going to do something stupid. I got here just in time to see how right she was and I've spent the last bit of time in the clinic with him hoping he'd wake up."

He sounded wiped out.

[glacial_queen]

The jealousy was beaten into submission by concern and a little bit of fear.

"Wake up?!" she asked. "What happened? Has he yet? Should I catch a portal?"

Sure, Ben had mentioned a clinic, but--Karla. Healer.

[momslilassassin]

"He's awake," Ben assured her quickly. "The IF is monitoring every breath he takes, and have the security here just about as tight as an I've ever seen."

Even if it didn't stop Alai from waltzing in.

"I think we'll be heading back to Fandom soon, and he will just have to suck up you fixing him the rest of the way."

Ben was preparing to throw an epic hissy fit if Ender was going to be stubborn.

[glacial_queen]

"Damn right he is," Karla said, setting her jaw. "Especially since it sounds like he's barely making it back home as it is."

If he really fussed about it, Karla would just knock him out and then heal the rest of him before fixing that second concussion.

"Do I even want to know the list of injuries?"

[momslilassassin]

"Head to toe or serious to less so?" Ben asked, rubbing at his eyes.