Depression

"How long do you think he's going to stay like that?" Kevin whispered, glancing over to the hallway. Rook had taken notice that Ben hadn't left in his room in a long time and went to investigate. Gwen however shrugged dejectedly to her boyfriend's question: Would her cousin ever recover? Would he ever get over it?

Gwen couldn't help but feel sorry for her cousin. It wasn't exactly his fault and it hadn't been any of the medics' fault. There was just nothing to do to save him from the inevitable. She should of counted it happening eventually but it had never sprung in her head. She was too busy marveling in the works of his hero deeds to ever realize that anyone could of thought of this plan and ended it right there. Even Vilgax wasn't smart enough to end it like that.

She heard sobs from the other room and whispers from Rook but as much as she wanted to intrude into his room, it was just against her mindset. Ben and Rook needed each other to get over this. She wasn't the one to intervene.

She could still remember the horror stricken face Ben had done when he had woke up in the hospital. He had screamed and hyperventilated for hours, completely devastated. The nurses had come and gave him a shot, forcing him to relax under the influence of the drugs. Gwen couldn't blame her cousin.

It was even harder to explain what had happened to him, when every little detail set him off. How did they do it? Where was it? Why?

Rook had been there to help her cousin through his tragic time, comforting him every second he could to ease Ben's pain. Not that it would help but it gave her some sort of reassurance. Maybe Ben would eventually forget about what had happened? Maybe he'd be better without it?

Who was she kidding? Nothing was more valuable then.. an arm.

"How is he?"

".. Several infections growing around his arm... rapidly spreading all over... need to stop or else will infect the rest of his body and he'll die.."

"Prep for surgery."

Ben was barely conscious as he heard the voices of the people around him. It took him a while to piece the words together and by the time he understood what they were saying, a new sentence would spring on him. There was a constant ringing in his ears which he began to grow a migraine from. He felt his body shaking on a stretcher and he lightly traced the fabric on it. He felt... light.. no.. more like-numb. He wasn't sure what was happening but he felt a little afraid to slip back into the darkness in the back of his head.

Blinding light hit his pupil and on instinct he flinched. He paused and then gazed into the sky, only for a face to be shoved in the picture. The person held a flash light into his eyes and pulled down his mask on his face. "Blown pupils. Heart rate extremely high. We need to get started now."

He wasn't sure what going on but before he knew it, something stabbed into his shoulder and his other arm. He whimpered but he was still able to see what was going on. He could see them covering his entire body except for his lower arm and pull out scalpels. Before he could even open his mouth, the scalpel plunged into his skin, leaving a trace of red blood.

He wanted to scream. Tell them to stop. He could still feel the pain in his arm after they started the first incision and it felt unbearable. He could feel tears streaming down his face and he knew he was crying. He knew they wouldn't stop.

Before he knew it, the drugs took over his vision and he disappeared from the world.

But he knew he was still alive. He could still feel the pain in his left arm.

Gwen sat in the basic plastic chairs in the waiting room, trying desperately to rid herself of the image she had saw in her head. She hadn't been there when it happened but she could replay the visions Grandpa Max and Rook kept thinking about in their minds. It was.. horrendous.

They had been fighting a new alien. Them and the rest of the Plumbers. Tanks were settled, surrounding it in a circle. Ben had a confident smile on his face as he activated the omnitrix, ready to fight the creature.

And it had went as it usual did. Ben fought the best he could, taking advantage of every opening the creature gave him and fighting back. He was careful to dodge the monster's talons, to avoid getting punctured. Rook and Max assisted him, along with the back up Plumbers behind them. They weren't repaired for the omnitrix's countdown as Ben had the alien in a headlock. He rode it like a cowboy, his hands tightly against the alien's neck. But a second later, he transformed back and the alien knew it was his moment to strike.

He jumped high, lifting Ben from his neck and falling back down. The teen's eyes went wide in panic and his hands went out to try and prep himself for his violent landing. But just as he was 10 feet from the floor, the monster roared and attempted to grab Ben, only for his talon to miss his body completely and pierce Ben's left arm. He cried out in pain and landed on the ground, rolling to til he stopped.

Rook and Max paused for a second, hoping for the teen to get back to his feet. When it was clearly visible that he couldn't, they both charged towards him. Rook shot the monster in the face, forcing him away. Max turned Ben from his side onto his back and stared in horror at what occurred. There was a large hole in Ben's lower arm, bleeding profusely. Max gripped the teen's shoulders and shook him.

"Ben! Can you hear me? Please answer!" Max begged. The teen's eyes twitched in response and he sighed in relief. Ben was still alive.. worse for wear but still alive. He glanced over to his crew, who looked confused on what to do. "I need medics now!"

A group of four medics arrived by Max's side, holding boxes of medical supplies. The man set down his grandson and they quickly hopped to work. They muttered to themselves before realizing this was a bigger job then they had anticipated. They hurried to retrieve a stretcher and carefully placed Ben on top. He hadn't mumbled a word since he had been sent to the ground and it worried Max to no end.

He clenched his fists and shouted commands to his crew. "Hurry up and get that thing contained! Patelliday, I trust you've got this entire operation in order. I need to accompany my grandson to the hospital."

The fish alien nodded. "Got it! Don't worry about us; go worry about Ben."

Max nodded and took off after the medics, who had started wheeling the teen inside a medium sized tank. It was small enough to drive around the streets of Bellwood but large enough to fit them all. They all huddled inside around Ben and Max grabbed his cold hand once he was settled in. The tank busted onto the road and hurried to the Bellwood Hospital.

Max was happy to know the hospital had gladly accepted the help from any aliens and even worked with the Plumber medics when people were hurt severely. At the time, he wasn't prepared for what the hospital would mean to him in the future. Now he was glad he had supported the decision.

His phone felt heavy in his pocket and remembered he needed to contact Ben's parents along with Gwen and Kevin. They would want to know the news about Ben. He dialed in Gwen first and pulled it up to his ear. A second later and..

"Grandpa? This is a surprise.. Usually I call you to tell you what's happened in college an-"

"Sorry sweety but this isn't a friendly call. Ben's been hurt pretty bad and I just wanted to tell you and Kevin first."

"Ben?" A brief pause. "What happened? Where is he?"

He glanced over to his grandson's expressionless face. He was more pale than usual and his skin was starting to clam up. Every so often, his face would scrunch up in pain and Max felt utterly useless to help him.

"He's.. He's with me. He's not doing to good.. I'm not even sure what happened myself. He was attacked by some new alien that we're still unfamiliar with. It stabbed him in his lower left arm and we're driving to the hospital now." He explained softly.

"Lower left arm?.. You can't mean his omnitrix arm.. can you?" She asked with fear.

"I'm afraid so, pumpkin. How his arm looks like, I don't even know if he'll ever be able to use it again."

"No.."

"I would appreciate it if both you and Kevin hurried here. We.. especially Ben, need your support." He finished.

Gwen swallowed. "Sure, we'll be there as soon as possible."

And then the line snapped.

The truck ran over a large bump, that shook it violently including the passengers. Ben slightly rose from the bed and fell back down. Before Max could comfort him, the teen sucked in air through his teeth, whimpering in pain. The man was completely stumped on what to do to assist his grandson. Touching him would only cause him more harm and he didn't want to make him anymore uncomfortable.

He decided to just hold Ben's hand, whispering words of encouragement. Hopefully the tank would be able to get there as quickly as they could.

As soon as they arrived, the medics wasted no time darting to the ER. They left Max behind, which he hurried to follow after. The double doors clicked shut and a doctor stopped him before he could bust himself into the emergency ward.

"Sorry but you aren't allowed back here. I know you're worrying for the well being of your grandson, but I assure you, doing that will not cause him to get any better. You need to allow for the doctors assisting him to do what they can." He explained softly before pointing to the waiting room. "You can wait out here until news arrives on his condition."

Max reluctantly nodded and obeyed his orders, turning around towards the waiting room. To his fortune it was completely empty, which was enough space for Ben's parents, Gwen and Kevin, and other Plumbers to arrive. Hopefully they would show up soon.

Rook didn't take long to get there. After the creature had been contained, he was the first to depart from the mayhem they had left behind. His biggest concern was Ben after all. The teen was a foolish human sometimes but he had a good heart inside.

He found Max resting his head in his lap, sniffling and grunting. He wasn't sure whether the elder man was angry or sad but he knew it was revolving around Ben.

"How is he?" Rook said, breaking the tense silence.

Max looked up, his eyes red and puffy. "I.. I don't know. A doctor told me to wait here until news about him showed up. I.."

The Revonnahgander sighed and sat beside his boss/mentor, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ben will be fine. He is a very stubborn young man and I am sure he will not let this minor setback stop him from being a hero."

The man sniffled, wiping his eye of tears. "Thank you Rook. I'm glad I picked you to be Ben's partner. You've proved me right, time and again, on why you're one of the best Plumbers I've ever recruited and that you'd be a perfect match for my grandson."

"No problem Magister. I am also glad you chose me to protect over Ben. I would sacrifice my life to protect him." Rook added.

Max placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an appreciative smile. Seconds later, Ben's parents busted in, looking worried and frenzied.

Sandra was the first one to break the silence. "Where's Benjamin? Is he?"

The elder man nodded. "He's still inside Sandra. It'll be a while til he gets out.. he wasn't looking too good when he was rushed into the ER."

"ER?" The women paled drastically. She stepped back, hugging her husband hard. "Oh Carl.. our baby boy's.."

"He'll be fine." He whispered back, stroking her hair affectionately. He led her to the other plastic chairs on the other side of the wall and mumbled words of strength that Ben would indeed be fine."

It was barely 30 minutes before Kevin and herself arrived on the scene, to see the stressed faces of their family members they'd thought they never see. Gwen held onto Kevin tightly before the doctors arrived.

He was sweaty all over. His forehead looked like it had been wiped away but fresh sweat replaced the old ones. Bags were clearly visible underneath his eyes and his back hunched as if he had been standing for hours. He held a brown clipboard in one hand with a single piece of paper clipped to it. He glanced at the six guests with strain and sighed. "You're with Mr. Tennyson, correct?"

Everyone perked up at the mention of Ben's last name. Sandra held onto her husband in a inhuman death grip, clearly upset about the news that the doctor would bring.

Carl nodded. "Yes.. is he okay?"

The man looked away. "He's alive.. but barely. There was a rapid infection in his left arm, spreading like no other infection or virus I or any of the other doctors have seen before. Clearly, even with all the alien technology we've been provided with, this is one of the most dangerous things we've ever seen. Our only option left was to either let him die.. or cut off his arm."

Everyone either gasped or froze in shock. There was no way they actually had came to the decision to cut off Ben's arm. His omnitrix arm.

"And what did you exactly do?" Kevin asked dumbly. Everyone knew the answer to that question. It wasn't hard to guess.

"We were forced to do it. We didn't cut off his entire arm, only his forearm however. The omnitrix has been removed from.. his asundered arm and has been cleaned off. If you'd like it now, we'd be happy to return it as soon as possible." The doctor mumbled. "However, Benjamin has lost too much blood during the operation and we've reverted to transfusing blood into him. His.. stump.. has been checked for any viruses and has turned out positive. He'll be fine in a week.. though I don't know how he'll be mentally."

Max nodded slowly. "Thank you doctor."

"I'm sorry. You can see him in a couple hours.. he still needs to go through a couple more tests to check to make sure he's stable enough. A nurse will arrive to tell you when you can see him." He bowed his head and walked out the door.

Everyone huddled together closer than before, fully realizing what their number one concern was.

How was Ben suppose to return to normal if he couldn't use the omnitrix? He couldn't even activate the watch! But each of them knew Ben was going to take this terribly. How was he going to keep being a hero?

Before they realized it, an hour passed and a nurse arrived to tell them that Ben was ready to be seen. She was kind enough to lead the way towards Ben's temporary room and apologized for what had occurred to him during surgery.

When they stepped into the room, they first noticed how better looking Ben was. He was a little paler, but had gained back some color. His shaggy hair was combed nicely, so that it didn't cover his face entirely. He wore one of the hideous standard hospital gowns, his old torn clothes folded nicely on the table beside him. But the first thing that looked off, was the lack of a bump underneath the covers.

Nobody dared to pull off the covers to reveal the extensive damage and no one wanted to. Ben would and should be the first one to see what had happened to him. Whenever he woke up..

There was a bag of blood, saline and other unknown liquids hooked to Ben's other arm along with a working heart monitor.

The room didn't have many seats to hold everyone so they quickly split it up. Carl, Sandra, and Max would each take one, surrounding Ben's bed, and Kevin and Gwen would share one together. Rook didn't feel like sitting down and instead settled for the wall, angling himself so he wouldn't be able to see Ben out of the corner of his eye.

It's not that he didn't want to see him, but the image of his partner hospitalized terrified him. He could still remember everything and it horrified him to no end. He should have intervened in the fight, he should have stopped Ben from fighting in the first place. He should have done something.

But he didn't.

He wasn't sure why. Maybe he trusted Ben's fighting tactics too much. Maybe he trusted that everything would turn out okay like always.

Ben always won. So why didn't he this time?

Before he knew it, he could feel tears running down his furry cheeks. He touched it tightly and stared at it like a novelty. He.. He never cried. Not since he was a child! Why was he acting this way? Did he care for his partner more than he originally thought? No.. he couldn't have.

Ben was his friend. Nothing more! He liked Rayona!

Rook, who was unable to stop the massive thoughts in his head, covered his face with his arms and silently wept into his arms.

That was how things went for three days until finally Ben showed signs of giving life. He started breathing stronger and now didn't require the assistance of IVs. The most amazing thing he had done while unconscious was moving his head around, along with his twitchy eyes.

And then to their surprise, his eyes opened, revealing dulled, drowsy green orbs. It took a couple minutes for him to regain his senses and by the time he did, everyone had gathered around him excitedly.

Sandra grabbed his hand, holding it in a firm grip. "Ben? Are you feeling alright?"

Ben's eyes traveled to her face, studying her hard before softly nodding. He tried to open his mouth to answer but didn't seem to make out any words from his throat. He swallowed hard and glanced at everyone else curiously.

She gripped his hand tighter. "Ben.. I don't know if you entirely understand but something bad happened while the doctors were treating you sweety. We.. we had no say in the matter but if we had to pick, we would have done it anyway."

The teen frowned for a second. ".. What happened?" He managed to rasp.

Tears fell down her cheeks and she kissed him gently. She used one hand to point to his other arm before retreating back. "I'm sorry."

His eyes widened for a second and he paused. Nothing happened and he snatched his hand away from his mother, pulling down the covers. What awaited him, sickened him to no end.

There was.. nothing. No fingers. No hand. No wrist. Nothing. The omnitrix was clearly gone from.. his wrist. All that was left was a wrapping of thick bandages around the end of his arm. He didn't even have to open the bandages to know that his forearm was gone.

He shot up from his bed in absolute shock. He choked on a sob and covered his mouth, in an attempt to hide his cries of pain. But it was useless to even try, as tears streamed down his cheeks profusely.

His worst nightmare had come true.

His arm had been cut off.

Ben had never felt so useless in his life. Never.

And now without an arm to support him, he was weak. He didn't even have the omnitrix anymore. What good was he anymore?

He glanced over to the unattached omnitrix on his desk, which he was given back when he checked out from the hospital a couple weeks ago by his grandfather. He had said nobody was more worthy to have it other than Ben himself but Ben didn't feel like he deserved it. Why should he have it anyway? It was a weapon. He didn't want to keep it as a souvenir.. it would only cause him more guilt in the matter.

But he had kept it nonetheless by Max's orders.

He had began to isolate himself in his room soon after he arrived home. He had began to grow thin, constantly rejecting food brought from everyone his mother persuaded. He would occasionally drink whatever they brought but mostly denied it. She had began to get worried for her son's health. Who wouldn't?

Ben always sat on his bed, curled up in the corner. The blankets wrapped around his body and he always continued to stare at his stubbed arm. Everyone that came always saw that same position and didn't bother to try and talk to Ben, knowing he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't change.

But only one person constantly visited Ben everyday and tried to make conversation: Rook.

Even against all the negative things his parents and everyone else had said on making him talk, Rook ignored them and tried to explain his day, everyday. Ben never appeared to listen and sometimes he felt like giving up. But he knew it was wrong. Ben was his partner. The teen always used to cheer him up, it was only fair he did the same.

It was going to be another day with Rook again and Ben felt like he was hitting his lowest point. The thoughts of suicide popped up in his head and he felt like it wouldn't matter anymore. He didn't have anymore ties.

That's when he waited for his parents to go out to the supermarket. Rook would be coming shortly so it was the perfect chance to try. He sprinted towards the kitchen, quickly searching the drawers for knifes. For some reason, the knifes weren't in their original location, leaving him suspicious towards his parents. Did they suspect him of maybe committing suicide?

But no matter, he found the knifes eventually, high in the cupboards. He carefully grabbed the biggest knife his parents owned and climbed down from the counter.

He heard an engine arrive in driveway and he instantly recognized it as Rook's. No he couldn't be here this fast! But by the time he regained his senses, Rook was already unlocking the front door. There was no way he could walk past Rook without making him suspicious. He hadn't been out of his room for weeks!

He decided to hide himself in the pantry, the knife in his grip. He left the door slightly open, so he would be able to see the outside, in case Rook came. If he did, Ben would be forced to flee.

"Ben?" Rook called from his room. He returned back into the living room and scratched his head. Where would he be? He hadn't left his room in forever and he only ever visited the bathroom. Maybe he went to get food from the kitchen? The Revonnahgander made his way to the kitchen, only to see it empty of any people.

The cupboard however was still opened.

Rook frowned and climbed up, investigating on why it would be open. To his surprise, all the knifes in the household were kept there. He didn't have to guess too hard to understand why they were being kept there. Rook glanced around and hurried back to the ground. He found the pantry slightly opened and frowned.

Ben's breathing hitched when he realized Rook was making his way here. The knife forgotten, he dashed out of the pantry, heading towards the only safe haven he knew of.

The alien was scared out of his skin when he saw Ben rush out, clearly afraid of him. Rook glanced at the floor and paled, when he saw a large butcher knife on the ground. He glanced to the hallway. "Ben!"

The teen slammed the door shut, locking it with hurry. He jumped into bed, wrapping his entire body with the thick blanket.

A knock on the door. "Ben? Please open up or else."

Silence.

"You leave me no choice."

The door was unlocked a second later and Rook glanced at him with worry. He sighed. "Please Ben, we're only trying to help you."

"Then why didn't you bring the knife I had on the floor?" Ben sobbed and turned away. "Killing myself would make me happy. It would be the most helpful thing you could do for me."

Rook could feel devastation consume his emotions. He had been right.. Ben had been trying to commit suicide and he had shown up before he could attempt it.

The alien slowly crept towards him, feeling the sobs become louder. Before he knew it, he was sitting on the side of Ben's bed, watching as he continued to cry.

"Ben."

"Why did this have to happen to me?" He mumbled, unaware of Rook's presence beside him. He curled up tighter. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Ben."

"Why won't all the pain go away?"

A second later, something warm pressed against his lips and the teen ceased his mumbling. His eyes opened to see what was touching him and he was shocked to see it Rook. He seemed to be trying to much emotion as he could into the kiss and was succeeding as he felt himself relax against his partner's touch.

They parted ways seconds later and Ben had his mouth agape. "What.. Rook."

The Revonnahgander sighed. "If you want to commit suicide, I will not be the one to stop you. I just want you to be happy and if ending your life does just that, then I will not stand in your way. I just wanted you to be aware of my feelings before you left."

Ben touched his lips lightly with his fingers, glancing up at Rook, whom got up. He left but returned back with the large knife he had previously dropped in the pantry. He opened up Ben's hand and placed the knife in his palm, retreating away slowly.

The teen looked at the knife in his hand he had high hopes about earlier. But now.. he felt nothing. Did he actually want to kill himself anymore?

Making up his mind, he clenched the knife and threw it against the wall, far away from both of them. Rook looked shocked for a second before smiling. He rushed to Ben and gave him a large needed hug, planting another kiss on his lips. "You do not know how happy I am to see you still alive."

The teen gave a half smile. "I'm glad you confessed before.."

Rook hugged him tighter. "I love you so much, Ben."

"Me too fuzzball."

From then on, Ben had slightly improved, eating for the first time in weeks and finally getting out his room other than using the bathroom. He smiled every so often and nearly forgotten about his major accident. Every so often he would be forced back into a depression when certain words or actions triggered his old memories. But each time, he would be guided back, with the help of Rook.

His family and friends had wondered what had brought him back from his dark depression and Rook wasn't afraid to explain what had happened. They had been horrified to realize that Rook would allow Ben to try and kill himself but was extremely glad that he had admitted his affection for Ben before anything serious could happen. He had brought back Ben Tennyson from the pits.

Ben smiled softly. He was thankful for Rook. He had a small flame for him in the beginning but it never blossomed large enough that he would notice.

He was thankful for his actions of near suicide, that caused him to make one of the amazing choices in his life.

He was thankful for Rook for coming everyday to see him, no matter how stupid and ignorant he had been.

He was thankful for meeting Rook.

And as expected, the Revonnahgander knocked on his door softly, opening it anyway. He had gazed at the teen lovingly and sat beside him. He placed his hands on Ben's owns, gazing into his green eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He mumbled weary. "Why?"

"You have not shown up outside in your living room. Gwen, Kevin, your parents, Max, and others are outside having a wonderful time, while you mope in here. What is the matter?" He explained, lifting up Ben's chin so they met eyes. "You can tell me anything, you know."

The teen nodded and failed to hold in a sob. "I know.. I was just.. thinking. About everything that happened since.. you know."

Rook frowned. "What have you been thinking about exactly?"

"The time I almost killed myself and you were luckily to be there at that time before I did." Ben embarrassingly admitted. "If you had shown up a minute later.. I would have.. I just can't get it out of my head that because of you I'm still here."

He smiled softly and captured Ben's lips in a passionate kiss. "There is absolutely nothing you should be worried about. You are here with me and your family. We all want what is best for you and I am pleased to know you spared yourself." He kissed his forehead. "Now stop fretting about the past."

Ben smiled softly, wiping his face of tears, and followed after Rook, hand in hand. They slowly walked into the living room, where Gwen and Kevin were curled up, watching the latest version of a new series. They took notice of Ben and waved towards him. Gwen smiled. "Hey Ben. How are you?"

"Fine." He forced a smile. "What are you guys watching?"

"Some new soap opera Gwen's in love with." Kevin retorted, rolling his eyes. This earned him a slap on his leg and he yelped in pain. Gwen gave him a dark look and he quickly shut his mouth, not wanting any more abuse from his girlfriend.

"Don't listen to Kevin." She muttered. "Do you want to watch Sumo Slammers? I passed it by in the TV guide."

Ben smiled softly. "Sure."

Rook and Ben took the big couch, Rook on the bottom and Ben snuggled on top of his chest. The teen's eyes eventually became drowsy with sleep as he listened to the repetitive heartbeat of his boyfriend. He was indeed lucky to fall in love with someone who cared about his well-being. Someone that cared for him.

Rook was alot of things but amazing was one of the best words to describe him.

A curl on the corner of his lips and he exhaled deeply, succumbing to the scent of his new lover.

Done! This was inspired by ilcielocapovolto's drawing of Ben and Rook when he loses his arm. Was pretty inspiring for me so I had to write a little piece on the both of them.

I'd also like to thank the people on tumblr who helped me reach a milestone of 51 followers! I can't thank you all enough. If you're interested about my tumblr, the info is in my profile.

Thank you all for the continuous support!

~Tortoro15