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After the death of CORE!Frisk and the surrender of X! and Fell! Alphys, the Omega Timeline was liberated and took a couple of years to form itself back together under a new leadership and republic. Error and Ink could return and find that their home and belongings survived the catastrophe. After settling back in, Error and Ink lived life like they usually did before CORE!Frisk came into power.
Long ago, Error and Ink came up with a compromise after fighting for over Forty years. They called it "The Compromise". After developing a friendship, Error offered to give Ink a SOUL in exchange for "Joining" the Star Sanses. When Ink said yes, Error glitched him a SOUL into existance. Many years later and after developing their friendship into a relationship, they moved into their own home. After the war, Error and Ink could settle back in and things could go back to normal.
Normal things were for a long while. Going through AUs to see which ones needed to be deleted, making tapestries and beautiful things together and Error cooking up some dinner almost every night. Ink fluttered around the home, cheerful and always ready for the next day. Even though Error sometimes had enough with Ink, he still loved the inkblot. That day was their usual day. Ink and Error walked through AUs, deciding which ones to delete and which ones to keep. Ink stumbled across an AU called "GoldfishTale". It was a small island in the middle of nowhere. When Ink looked in the water, he saw legions of goldfish crackers swimming underwater. He laughed and said, "ERROR! We're keeping this!"
Error was not amused. He said, "NO! We're not keeping this stupid, piece of shit AU! It's just crackers swimming in water!"
"But they taste good!"
"INK, THOSE CRACKERS TASTE LIKE FUCKING SHIT!"
Ink reluctantly let Error delete the AU and moved on to the next one. After a few rounds of sorting through and deleting AUs, both Error and Ink decided it was time for a break. They both opened a portal to Outertale where they met with Nightmare and Killer. All four sat down and enjoyed the stars in the night sky. Outertale!Sans landed on the ground and came to say hello. All four noticed that Outer had bags under his eyes and was sniffling. Ink waved as Outer picked up the inkblot and hugged him. Ink returned the hug as he let go and Outer coughed in Ink's face. Error took off his sandal and threw it straight in Outer's face. Nightmare, Killer and Ink laughed as Error cussed out Outer. When Outer tried to hug Error, Error used his strings to pull him away. Outer ran into Killer and shared a chuckle with him. Error rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
Both Error and Ink went home first, settling in like they usually did. Everything seemed to be just fine as Error and Ink went to bed and got into their pyjamas.
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Ink and Error woke up the next day ready to sort through AUs. Another AU Error and Ink came across was a white void with bags of goldfish crackers all over the floor. Ink picked one up and ate one of the crackers from the bag. Error slapped the bag out of Ink's hands and said, "No! You're not eating that!"
Ink huffed and let Error delete the AU. Ink hopped into the doodle sphere and sorted through the pages, looking for the branch that had all the weird goldfish cracker AUs. When they were eventually found, Error destroyed them all for good measure, leaving more space in the multiverse for more meaningful things. Ink plucked one more goldfish cracker he found of the floor and ate it. Error looked at Ink and said, "You fucking idiot." Ink just giggled and went back home with Error. The diswasher was a stink bomb and had not been cleaned in years after malfunctioning. Ink put on an apron, got some cleaning supplies and went into the dishwasher to actually scrub it clean. When he opened it, Error could smell the dishwasher from the living room.
Error asked Ink, "Why did you open that thing!? It stinks in here!"
Ink said, "That's why I'm cleaning it!"
Error smiled and got up to wipe down the kitchen counters. He looked in the fridge for spoiled food to throw out as Ink scrubbed away. Ink looked more tired than usual, not talking his head off like he usually did. Ink just silently sat there, scraping off gunk and built up grime in the dishwasher. He didn't even ask what Error was doing. His face was deadpan, not even a smirk or laugh when Error said, "Hey, what's up?"
Ink said, "Uhh... Just cleaning this thing."
Back when Ink didn't have a SOUL, this was how he acted when he didn't drink any of his paints for an extended period of time. Except now, he has a SOUL and doesn't need paints to feel. It was so odd to Error, almost making him feel concerned. Error decided not to think about it, assuming Ink was just being stubborn or finicky. Error just left to clean up a few small paint spills in Ink's painting studio. Error was a bit salty about cleaning up paint spills for Ink, but didn't mind it as much and did it almost in return for Ink cleaning up the dishwasher. Three hours later, Ink finally finished cleaning up the dishwasher. He got up and put away the cleaning supplies, taking off the apron and hugging Error. Error returned the hug and made some lunch. He cooked up his favourite dish, mushroom risotto. Thankfully, Ink wasn't a very picky eater and would chow down on just about anything.
Ink solemnly stared at the food, unsure wether to eat it or not. Error looked over at Ink and said, "You going to eat it or not?" Ink immediately started eating and finished his food very quickly. When they were finished with lunch, they sat down on the couch to watch some Undernovelia. A load of ink was building up in Ink's stomach above where digested food would be. Ink felt the urge to puke out the Ink that was building up, so he opened a portal and ran to Outertale. He threw up a large load of the black substance and collapsed onto the floor. Ink got back up and opened a portal back to his home. He rinsed out his mouth with a glass of water in the kitchen and went back to the couch to watch some more TV.
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When it was dinnertime and Error made some mac & cheese, Ink didn't look excited. He looked like he was dreading something. Error gave Ink a good sized portion and sat down to eat. Ink forced himself to eat despite not wanting to, having a small feeling of nausea. Error thought something was wrong, but didn't want to ask or help Ink. He had the feeling that Ink wanted attention or was just acting stubborn. He let him be and both of them went to bed as they usually did. That morning, Ink slept in for a couple of hours when he was the first one to get up. When Ink realized that he might be sick, he didn't want to get in trouble or for Error to get mad. When Ink got up, he smiled and waved to Error. Something about Ink's smile felt forced to Error. The glitch knew something was up. During breakfast, Ink ate and turned his head away from Error. He gagged, but continued to eat.
Ink continued to do chores and ignored the nausea that was slowly building up over the past few hours. When he was taking with Error, he felt another load of ink coming up his throat. He covered his mouth with one hand and ran through a portal to the antivoid to upchuck even more ink. This time, Error saw and noticed that Ink wasn't even in any emotional distress. Something struck him as odd, so he asked Ink, "Are you okay?"
Ink said, "Yeah, I'm fine." Error couldn't tell if Ink was lying or not, so he brushed it off and went along with his day as usual. Before lunch, Error and Ink watched some more TV. Ink went to sleep only a few minutes after he sat down on the couch. Error was going to push Ink away until he felt something hot in Ink's forehead. He thought it might be a fever, but Ink said he was fine. He had to be wanting attention, right? Nothing made sense, and Error was determined to get to the bottom of this. Right before lunch, Ink layed down on the couch and almost refused to get up. After being called over three times, Ink finally got up and sat at the counter. He ate very slowly, only finishing half of the meal before giving up and not being able to eat any more food.
Error put the leftovers in the fridge and saw Ink dusting behind the TV. Ink had that same deadpan expression and almost wore a frown. When he saw Error, he hid behind the TV and kept cleaning. When Error tried to look at Ink's pale face, he squeezed himself behind the TV. The inkblot clearly didn't want attention. Error left Ink alone and watched him from afar. When Ink saw Error leave, he tried to discreetly cough into his scarf. Ink's meaty coughs were heard by Error who had his arms crossed and a face of suspicion. Ink kept cleaning and put the duster away when he was finished. He walked to the couch and layed down, peeking to see where Error was. When Ink saw Error leave, he clutched his stomach with both arms and groaned.
He thought he was able to hide what was going on with him just fine until he heard Error walking into the room and peeking over. The moment Ink saw Error, he yelped and fell onto the floor. He hid under the couch, not wanting Error to see him. Error said, "Ink, quit hiding your sorry ass under there. I can see you." Ink refused to come out, so Error lifted up the couch and used his strings to pull Ink out. Usually, Ink would run away, but Ink didn't have the energy to fight back. Ink tried running away, but he was too tired and weak to be teleporting around or opening portals. Ink teleported a few feet away, but tripped on his foot and had his SOUL grabbed by Error's strings. There was no running away or fighting now.
Error hung Ink a few feet off the ground and asked him, "Ink, why the hell are you coughing and hiding from me?"
Ink said, "Error, I'm fine!"
"You sure don't look fine!"
Ink was backed into a corner. He didn't know where to go or what to do. Error knew this and asked, "Ink, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Ink responded, "I said I'm FINE!"
Error wasn't having it. He took the back of his hand and put it on Ink's forehead. Ink immediately pulled away, but Error could already tell Ink had a fever. Ink was out of options. All he could do was pray that Error would let him go. Error asked Ink, "...Are you sick?"
Ink shook his head. Error had a feeling Ink wasn't telling the truth. Error said, "Tell me you're not sick."
Ink said, "I'm not sick."
Error said, "Don't lie to me! If you lie one more time, you're going to be in big trouble!"
Ink nodded and muttered while avoiding eye contact, "I... I don't feel good..."
Error set Ink back on the couch and put the back of his hand on Ink's forehead. It was indeed a fever, and a very high one. Error wasn't sure the exact temperature, but he could tell it wasn't some laughing matter. He wanted to laugh at Ink so badly, but was too concerned to turn this into a joke. Ink tried to laugh it off, but ended up coughing instead. Ink asked, "A-Am I in trouble...?"
Error said, "Ink, why the hell would you be in trouble for getting sick? Did Outer cough in your face?"
Ink said, "Outer hugged me and... Coughed at me..."
Error said, "No, you're not in trouble this time. It's not your fault."
Ink nodded and clutched his stomach again and whimpered. Error didn't want to give Ink any attention, so he said, "Come on. Get yourself to bed." Ink didn't get up for some reason, so Error repeated what he said. Ink still didn't comply. Tears were in his eyes and he covered his mouth with one hand. He gagged and swallowed what he was about to upchuck. Error noticed that Ink had been repeatedly swallowing. The glitch knew it was Ink swallowing the Ink he was about to throw up.
Error was losing his patience quickly and said, "What the fuck are you waiting for? Get up!"
Ink said, "I... I need to throw up..."
Error said, "So, go get up and puke!"
Ink said, "I'm not gonna make it..."
Error sighed and said, "Don't expect me to do this, alright?"
Ink nodded as he was gently picked up by Error and taken to the bathtub in their shared master bathroom. Error rested Ink on the edge of the tub and said, "Quit swallowing. It's going to make it worse." Soon, Ink puked out a massive load of Ink building up in his stomach. Three minutes of vomiting later, Error was about to help Ink up until he started throwing up what he previously ate. Error immediately sat beside Ink and rubbed his back in circles, holding up his head to keep him from choking on his vomit. When Ink was done throwing up and heaving dry, he started crying from the bad stomachache he was getting. Error didn't blame Ink, as he'd never seen him ever throw up before. All the times Error, Nightmare, Dream or Ink had gotten sick, never have they thrown up what they had eaten. Ink was in pain and terrified, so Error left to get Ink's favourite black blanket.
He was swaddled in the black blanket as Error rinsed out Ink's mouth with a cup of water. Error stroked the back of Ink's head. When he realized how much he was pampering Ink, Error got a bit suspicious. he asked him, "What's the matter?"
Ink whimpered, "My tummy hurts!" and fell into a coughing fit. Error knew that voice. It was the way Ink spoke when he was in pain or distress. Error carried Ink and his black blanket to bed. Error propped himself up slightly and rested Ink's head on his upper right chest. He stroked Ink's head hushed him a couple of times. Knowing that this wasn't Ink's fault at all, he got mad at Outer instead of Ink. He didn't want to see Ink suffer for no reason, especially when it wasn't his fault at all.
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Ink seemed to just have a bad stomach bug. The next few hours proved to be even worse. Ink shivered and ran out of breath. Error panicked, not knowing if Ink was just playing around with him or genuinely in distress. Error said, "Ink, this isn't funny anymore..." Ink kept coughing and crying, not able to say anything from choking on his tears. Ink's breathing only got worse and he just wouldn't stop crying. Error swaddled Ink in his black blanket to keep him warm and stroked his head, trying to ease the worsening pain that Ink felt. His stomach only hurt more and more, and Ink didn't want Errror to leave. When Error got up to leave and get a thermometer usually used for cooking since that was the only thing they had, Ink had a whimper to his crying. Error tried to be as quick as possible, knowing that Ink was in unbearable pain.
When he returned, he hopped back into bed and stroked Ink's head, cradling him until his crying slowed down. Error put in the thermometer and let Ink close his mouth. After a few minutes, Error took it out and saw a temperature of 106˚. Error was not sure what to do anymore. Ink said, "I want Ruru..." out of pain, fear and desparation. Error's heart melted. He gave Ink a kiss on the forehead and unwrapped Ink from the black blanket. Error layed down with Ink and let him cough and cry into his shoulder. For some strange reason, Ink wasn't vomiting any ink from the intense distress he was in, something that concerned Error even more. Error was literally waiting for Ink to stop his act and say that he was messing with Error. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon,
Error came to terms with the fact that Ink was genuinely in pain and terrible condition. Ink stopped crying out of pure exhaustion and looked panicked. He looked at Error with a face of fear and despair. Error left Ink in bed and dug through his dresser to look for a pair of pyjamas that would likely be more comfortable than what he was currently wearing. Ink soon cried himself to sleep, leaving Error terrified and relieved. They couldn't die, so it was a good thing that Ink could get some rest and have a short escape from the intense pain he was going through. Error picked out some highlighter yellow pyjamas that were incredibly comfortable, thin and soft. They might not keep Ink warm, but they could keep him cormfortable throughout the fiasco. Error looked at his stuffed unicorn at the top of his dresser. Error grabbed it and contemplated giving it to Ink.
If Ink were to throw up on it, ink or actual vomit, Error knew how to clean it off without damaging the stuffie. Ink was far too weak to swallow or talk. He woke up in a trance, not knowing where he was or who was there. Error undressed Ink with the snap of a finger and put the pyjamas on Ink manually. Error usually wouldn't be happy about this if not for the fact that the situation was so dire. Right when Ink tried to scream, "I don't wanna die!" Error knew it was time to call X!Aplys and Scientist!Sans about Ink's condition. Ink genuinely thought he was dying, sobbing nonstop. Error tried to calm Ink down, but he was inconsolable. Error had enough and took out his phone and dialed up Sci. Sci was sleeping at home, but saw Error calling and decided to pick up.
He said, "Error...? What's going on- Is that Ink...?" He could hear Ink crying in the background as Error tried to soothe him one more time.
After Error failed to console Ink one more time, he finally said, "Excuse me, he's feeling awful! He hasn't stopped crying for the past two hours!"
Sci was confused, "D-Did he hurt himself?"
Error replied, "No, he has a fever of 106-"
Sci said, "106!? What else is happening!?"
Error looked over Ink again and said, "He's shivering, coughing... He- Ink, can you hear me!?"
Ink had a hard time breathing. Error was terrified, putting the phone aside and cooing to Ink, "Shhh... You're not gonna die... Ruru is here...", in spite of knowing Ink couldn't be consoled. It didn't do much, but Ink relaxed after hearing those words.
Sci said, "Error! Are you there?"
Error said, "Shit!- I'm still here! He's shaking and... He's... He's not responding!" Ink wasn't responding to a thing Error was saying, like he couldn't even hear Error anymore. Ink soon stopped crying and only let out a few coughs. His breathing was raspy and he couldn't say much anymore.
Sci said, "Get him to the hospital. Right now. I'll be right there."
Error hung up the phone and opened a portal to the Omega Timeline's refurbished hospital. Error left his stuffed unicorn at home and carried Ink swaddled in his black blanket to the Urgent Care. Sci greeted Error and immediately brought Ink to a seperate room in the ICU to prevent Ink from catching anything from somebody else. Sci said, "You're in luck. Guardians like Ink, Error, Nightmare and Dream can't spread what they catch." Error knew this from the time he got sick and somehow didn't spread it to Nightmare or his gang. Ink was set down on the bed as his blood pressure was measured by Sci. X!Alphys rushed into the room and saw how terrible Ink's condition was. His oxygen levels were measured with a finger clamp as well. Since they were so low, Ink had to be put on ventilation. Before Error could get spooked and crash, he was sent back home. Even though Error wanted to stay next to Ink, he had to go home before he could crash or pass out.
When Error opened a portal back to their home and hopped into bed for the night, he slept with his unicorn plushie, hugging it like he usually did when he slept with Ink. He hoped Ink wouldn't have to spend an eternity suffering because of the stupid decision of one individual.
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In the ICU, X!Aplhys and Sci were working on stabilizing Ink's condition. Since there was no danger of anything spreading from Ink so somebody else, the both of them felt safe taking a sample of Ink's saliva and handing it to Swap!Undyne to test it for any bacteria. The two didn't want to stress out Error even more than they had to, so they both had to figure out what to do. They couldn't ask Ink, since he was crying and struggling to breathe. His oxygen was going down by the hour, so they brought in a ventilator and stuck a tube directly into his trachea. It was a guessing game of which medicines and chemicals would work on guardians, since they were immune to poisons and toxins. This also had the downside of making them immune to many medicines that were needed for dire situations like these. Sci knew painkillers wouldn't work, but he could dry using a medication to increase blood pressure. Ink's blood pressure was taken by his upper arm and it was dangerously low. Sci covered Ink's upper body in his black blanket and exposed his feet.
Sci hoped that by injecting it through the foot, it wouldn't be as stressful for Ink. After Swap!Undyne brought the sample to the lab, she found a horse plushie. She gave it to Ink before X!Aplhys made the injection. Ink didn't even have the strength to grip onto it, so X!Alphys helped by putting Ink's arm over the stuffed animal. Sci finally put the needle in Ink's foot and injected some vasodepressors. After the injection, Ink's blood pressure was taken an hour later and it went back up to normal levels. Ink finally perked up a bit, still weak from the infection. Once his blood pressire was stable, they checked his pulse and breathing. His SOUL was beating way too fast and his breathing way too shallow. Once the lab results came in, the infection was confirmed to be caused by E. Coli. Sci was just glad Error got Ink professional medical care before the Sepsis case could get worse.
When Sci took a blood sample from Ink's foot to test for white blood cell count, Ink whimpered and choked a sob. X!Alphys ran to the elevator to go to the children's area of the hospital to look for a throw blanket and stuffed animal. She found a black and white polka dot throw blanket and a stuffed aligator. She came back to Ink's room and gave him the blanket and stuffie. Ink seemed to want the horse plushie the most, holding into it for dear life. Since sedatives wouldn't work, Sci gave Ink a few milligrams of melatonin. It would hopefully make him sleepy enough to doze off and have an escape from the pain he was going through. His entire body ached badly, almost like he was hit by a car going at full speed. When the results from the blood test came in, Ink's white blood cell count was abnormally high.
X!Alphys said, "Oh shoot, that's sepsis!"
Sci immediately ordered a round of antibiotics and more oxygen to make sure Ink wouldn't run out of air. Sci also inserted a feedign tube through Ink's nasal cavity into his stomach to give him water and other things after his condition is stabilized. Once Ink had been given the antibiotics through routine injections, Sci took turns with X!Alphys monitoring Ink and adminsetering antibiotics. The first day was a complete fiasco for Error and the rest of the people at the hospital. Even worse, more patients were coming in with the same symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Sci and X!Alphys walked back to their respective offices and left care of Ink up to Fell!Alphys, who was taken out of her holding room at the XGaster Memorial Base and had a chain put on her foor. Swap!Alphys accompanied her, and since she was the second smartest mind in the multiverse ahead of Classic!Alphys, she was fit for dealing with Ink.
Unfortunately, Fell!Alphys had been convicted for her war crimes and sentenced to routine imprisonment for acting up. She was sent to her holding cell for throwing a chair at a human child that looked similar to Chara. Ink was completely helpless and in pain, perfect for a little dose of revenge. When Swap!Alphys left, Fell!Alphys ripped out the ventilation device, threw Ink onto the floor and kicked him in the face multiple times. When Swap!Alphys returned, she said, "HEY! YOU QUIT THAT RIGHT NOW!" and dragged Fell!Alphys out of the room. When X!Alphys returned to check up on Ink and saw Fell!Alphys screaming on the ground like a toddler being dragged away by the foot, she yelped and hid behind a potted plant.
After she had seen what Fell!Alphys had done, she notified Sci who would never let her anywhere in the hospital unsupervised ever again. Ink had a bruise on his head from where he had been repeatedly kicked. It turned out that Fell!Alphys intentionally threw him off the bed and made his head hit the bedside table hard. The table sitting beside the bed was made of metal, which could've gave him a concussion if she slammed him into the table hard enough. Now, XAlphys had to rule out a concussion. She called over a member of the hospital staff to gently lift up Ink and put him back into bed. Sci came back on the scene to see what had happened to Ink's head. Sci put the breathing tube back in Ink's throat and tucked him in with his large black blanket, leaving his foot exposed. After another injection of antibiotics, Sci had to figure out if Ink had a concussion or not.
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Ink had a bruise on the side of his head where Fell!Alphys whammed him against the side of the metal table. Fell!Alphys was a lot stronger than the average Alphys, a third as strong as Swap!Alphys. Fell!Alphys put some serious strength into that throw. The IV on Ink's foot came out and there were marks on his feet. XAlphys could easily tell that Ink was grabbed by the feet and his body swung into the solid metal bedside table at full speed. His nose was cracked and bruised from the injury and fall. Fell!Alphys knew what she was doing, and she caused Ink a lot of damage and even more pain. Ink began sobbing, choking on the pipe in his trachea. He was clearly in even more pain, so Sci an X!Alphys put a cold compress on the bruise. Error would be pissed to hear that Ink got hurt, so Sci and XAlphys decided to stay silent at the moment.
Ink's breathing was still uneven and the tube in his throat was causing him discomfort, so he was switched to a mouth only ventilator mask. He sobbed from the pain and distress, in a haze from the concussion. His body was so weak, his brain case and brain itself didn't have its natural protective magic shield that allowed skeletons like Ink to shrug off hits to the head and body. He couldn't think properly or orient himself. The horse and aligator plush were able to calm Ink down, but after his head injury he became inconsolable again. Sci tried to administer painkillers, but it didn't work. XAlphys picked up the horse plushie and tried waving it in front of Ink's face. He looked confused and in a haze, staring blankly into the distance while he was crying. Ink thought he was on the brink of death, not ready to say goodbye to Error or his friends.
Everything was just too much for Ink to handle. He couldn't help but break down into tears over what was going on. Sci wanted to get annoyed with Ink's sobbing, but acknowledged that it was a symptom of a serious injury and infection. XAlphys and Sci had a quick discussion and concluded that it was best to let Ink sob and soothe himself while they focused on getting his condition stable. A few hours of routime monitoring and rest later, Ink was given some more melatonin through an injection and cried himself to sleep. Finally, the crying and sobbing was over and Sci and XAlphys could have peace of mind. The rush to stabilize Ink was over and his condition was no longer critical. He had to stay on ventilation for a couple more days for safety and be monitored just in case his concussion got worse. He espeially needed to stay on vasodepressors and antibiotics for a couple more days before he could be sent home.
Error didn't know how to give him antibiotics and a pill was something Ink could possibly choke on since he was too weak to properly swallow. The chaos was over, but Ink wasn't exactly better yet. Sci decided to keep Error out of the situation for the next day to keep Error from getting stressed or crashing.
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Ink felt some of his brain fog going away and he was still weak and unable to swallow. A tube was in his throat and another small one going through his nose. He wasn't crying anymore, but still fearing for his life. He tried swallowing a lump, but couldn't. He still didn't know where he was and in a panic. He tried talking, the pipe in his windpipe stopping him from speaking. He could only make a few sounds and mumbles with the ventilator tube in. Sci and XAlphys didn't notice that Ink was trying to talk to them. He could only imagine where he was. There were machines all around him, he was unable to move very much and the entire place was white and dull. He didn't have any way of getting anybody's attention at all. He stood there in shock and fear, tears coming out of his eyes. Ink slightly trembled, trying to make sense of his situation. XAlphys looked over at Ink and saw him freaking out. Sci quickly walked over to Ink, taking his temperature with a forehead reader. He had just woken up and his vision was blurry. All he saw was something that looked like Sans and a white Alphys.
Sci tried calming Ink down with some head rubs and putting the black blanket back over him. Ink tried to talk again. XAlphys left to get the mouth only breathing mask again and gently took the breathing tube out of Ink's windpipe. She saw Ink's breathing improve, but not exactly stedy yet. She put the mask back on Ink and stepped back. After Ink was tucked in, he said, "Where... Where... am... I...!?"
Sci and XAlphys could easily hear the anguish and panic in Ink's voice. X!Alphys said, "No- You're not going to get hurt! You're somewhere safe, okay...?"
Sci said, "Yeah, I'm Sci and this is XTale Alphys. We're here to help you feel better..." and rubbed Ink's forehead again. They weren't wearing any masks or hazmat suits as not to scare Ink. They just quarrantined themselves to prevent them from getting Ink anymore sick than he already was.
Ink asked, "Where's Ruru...?" Sci was confused until XAlphys mentioned that it was a nickname Ink gave to Error. Sci instantly knew who Ink was talking about.
Sci said, "Error is at home right now. You're safe with us..." and stroked Ink on the forehead one more time. XAlphys put another cold compress onto Ink's bruise and let Sci inject him with more melatonin. Ink freaked out at the sight of the needle, trying to move but failing to shift any of his body parts very much. With the injection, Sci and XAlphys waited an hour. Ink fell right asleep and both scientists could get to work. They picked up Ink and put him on a different bed along with the ventilator. Now that he was asleep, they could give another injection of antibiotics and take him to get an MRI scan. He was placed on a table and was wheeled with the ventilator to the elevator. When they got to the scanning room, Ink was taken off of the ventilator for a moment so he could get a brain scan. Once the scanning was done, hospital staff took Ink back to his room in the ICU and put back into the bed with his stuffies and blankets. XAlphys and Sci took a close look at the scan and found it to be a concussion. Thankfully, it wasn't a brain bleed or bruise.