Beta: Jefardi

Falling Down

Chapter Four

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Jaune?"

Ren didn't mean to sound skeptical as he pushed the rickety, old wheelchair into the small hospital room, but it was kind of hard not to be. "It's only been three days since your accident. No one will blame you if-"

"No! I'm getting out of this damn room today if it kills me." Jaune huffed with indignation, crossing both arms and giving Ren a stern glare that left no room for arguments. "It's been way too long since I've breathed in actual fresh air. And I want to eat in the actual cafeteria. Not some garbage they scoop to me on a tray."

"The hospital food is actually quite hygienic. It's packed with all kinds of-" Ren stopped mid-sentence as Jaune's glare became slightly more pronounced. He gave a tired sigh. "Very well. But try not to overindulge. We don't want to upset the schedule you've managed to create for your bowel and bladder relief."

Jaune's face twisted in a complicated expression. He was clearly displeased with the situation, whether at himself for still not regaining control over his lower extremities or otherwise, Ren couldn't tell. "Fine." He sighed with resigned defeat. "I won't go overboard with the food. Just please get me out of here."

Ren gave a short but pleased smile. "You're the boss."

At those words, the strange frown disappeared from Jaune's face like they had never even been there, replaced instead by a cocky grin. "You got that right! Speaking of which, you brought what I asked for, right?"

"Indeed." Ren pulled off the small backpack he brought with him, unzipping it to pull out a set of Jaune's standard clothing.

"Sweet. No more hospital gown for me." Jaune threw the hospital blanket off his body with a gusto and rotated his hips. The frown returned when his legs didn't automatically go with them. Another frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he placed both hands around the calf of right leg. With a small heave he flipped the leg over the side of the hospital bed. Then he repeated the process with the other, allowing both legs to dangle over the edge.

"You took your pain medication already, right?" Ren asked quickly, taking notice of the detached IV bag that sat unused next to his bed. Jaune had switched to taking pills yesterday and so far they seemed to be doing that job. Ren just wished Jaune wasn't in such a rush to get through this, like he was trying to prove a point.

"Yes, mom!" He drawled sarcastically, a bit more bite than usually present in his leader's voice. Ren didn't note this observation aloud, this time or the times previous. However, it was becoming a habit lately of Jaune's as he was more apt to lash out then previously. For now with all things considered, it was probably better to just let it slide.

He placed the neatly folded clothes down next to Jaune as he undid the straps around the back of the hospital gown. Ren then turned around to give Jaune his privacy as the whole thing came undone and he pulled it off. The shuffling of clothes reached his ears as Jaune set about dressing himself.

After several short seconds, silence reigned. Then a small grunt of frustration, followed quickly by another one. It was only after a couple more that Ren raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "...What?" Jaune asked despite surely already knowing what was coming, if the humiliation in his voice wasn't enough of a giveaway.

"Would you… like help?" He still had yet to turn around, trying to maintain what little of Jaune's dignity that he could, not that it was to much avail.

"No." Jaune deadpanned quickly, and Ren was almost prepared to let it end at just that. "But it doesn't look like I got much choice. Just try not to laugh?"

"I won't." Ren meant that too as he turned around and faced his leader. The blonde was adorned with his favorite hoodie, but everything the waist down was still completely bare. With an embarrassed tint in his cheeks, Jaune held up a pair of white underwear.

"I can't get my legs up high enough while holding my underwear at the same time." He grumbled, almost inaudibly. It probably would've been easier for Jaune if he had kept his legs up on the bed instead of leaving them to dangle. Ren would mention that to him later, though.

"I've got it." He stepped forward, grabbing the underwear and crouching down in front of the blonde. He slid them over his ankles and pulled them halfway up the calves before Jaune grabbed them and continued to slip them on. As he did, Ren grabbed the jeans in preparation to do it once more.

"Hey Ren, I need you to level with me. Be honest." Ren stopped hard, nearly dropping the pants as wide, magenta eyes looked up into serious blue.

"Y-you have to ask it now?" As in, immediately after just helping you put your underwear on now?

Jaune's eyebrows furrowed and he gave a resolute nod. "I need to know. I can't wait any longer." The complete and utter no-nonsense way in which he said those words left Ren speechless and the only thing he could do in response was nod. "Is… Pyrrha mad at me?"

"Oh!" Ren let a breath he didn't know he was holding as relief washed over him. "That's all you wanted to know." He seriously felt like he might fall over as all the muscles in his body relaxed.

Jaune quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Of course that's what I want to know. It's been three days and she hasn't come to see me once. You and Nora haven't mentioned her either. I've been trying to figure out what's been going on but nothing makes sense except her being mad at me. What the heck did you think I was going to ask?"

"Just… nevermind." Honestly, he had been too scared to even try and guess what Jaune could've asked. "Pyrrha's not mad at you… I don't think."

"You sure?" He had just said he wasn't sure, hadn't he? "I mean, maybe she's angry that I took such an insane risk and tried to fight Banesaw guy by myself? Or you don't think she might be upset at me for hooking up with Ruby, do you?"

"Jaune, I don't think it's any of that." Ren placed a hand on Jaune's still bare knee in an effort to calm him. "You did the best you could in the situation you were put in. Pyrrha doesn't doubt that for a minute, nor would she be angry about it. And there's no way she would be mad about you and Ruby. Don't you remember how it was Pyrrha who convinced you to ask her to the dance? She's also the one that arranged all that weapon practice between the two of you. I'm sure Pyrrha's thrilled you two finally figured it out."

"What is it then?" Jaune threw his hands in the air, yet Ren could only share in his frustration.

"I wish I knew…" He shook his head, not sure how else to answer. "She seemed really out of it and confused the last time I saw her… she wasn't herself, that's for sure. Ever since she's been avoiding me and Nora. I know she's still somewhere here on campus, but frankly speaking, I don't think she'll open up to either of us. The one she's most likely to open up to… is you."

Jaune gave a slow nod as he seemed to turn Ren's words around in his head. "Well, in order to do that I'll have to find her first." That was certainly easier said than done. Ren honestly couldn't predict how Pyrrha was going to react if she saw him in a wheelchair either.

Yet right now it didn't feel like they had much choice but to try. "Leave finding her to me and Nora. We'll text you once we know where she's at."

"Thanks, Ren. I can always count on you." The two men shared a small smile. It wasn't much, but Jaune being able to at least move around again had to be good for their team.

"Now can you hurry up and help me put my pants on?"

"Greetings, Miss Rose." Ruby gave a small start at the headmaster's voice, having not heard his approach at all.

She turned away from the door to Jaune's private room to see Ozpin only about five steps away, cane held suspended in the air. She eyed the man wearily. While she had at once held Ozpin in high esteem, finding his position and the very air about him absolutely stunning, recent events had begun to make her question all that.

"I heard Mister Arc is finally going to get out of his room today. He must certainly be looking forward to that." Ozpin stood next to Ruby, turning his body towards the door across from them and placing the bottom of his cane against the tiled ground with a soft click.

"I would be too given what he's been through." Ruby repeated the line Yang had told her to say if she met any of the staff who inquired about Jaune. His treatment the first night of his stay had been horrifying and made Ruby tremble with rage just thinking about it.

The nurse who had been assigned to his room had never once come to check on him. His IV bag was never refilled and his body hadn't even been properly equipped, leaving him without certain necessities such as a catheter. Jaune had been so embarrassed the next day he couldn't even look at Ruby, despite how she urged that not only wasn't it his fault, but it was perfectly understandable. She didn't think anything less of him.

"We are still looking into the… 'incident' regarding Mister Arc's first night stay in our medical facility." Ruby kind of wished Yang had given her a stronger word to replace 'incident' with. That was far too mild a way to put it. "The nurse on duty that night had checked in, even been with the doctor immediately after surgery." Ozpin continued in a neutral tone. "However, after the doctor left she was never seen again. She is still missing."

"Wait… what?" This was the first Ruby had heard of this. "What do you mean "missing"? Did she not tell anyone where she was going?"

"That's just it. The doctor recalls her being unnaturally mute the whole time he was in her presence. At the time, he had just assumed it was in sympathy for Mister Arc, but now we believe there may be more to this than originally thought. Either way, rest assured, we are looking into the cause of this malpractice. No one should have had to suffer more than Mister Arc already had."

Ruby twisted her heel against the tile, face scrunching in a pout. She hadn't known all of that. Was the nurse okay? What if someone had done something to her to get back at Jaune? It wouldn't be completely absurd a thought, especially considering he was partially responsible for screwing up someone's plans. Even so. "You still didn't have to say all that about him having to give up on his dreams." There was also the fact that no one from her team had seen Pyrrha since Blake and Weiss had left his office, but she didn't bring that up.

"You're right." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "However, while what I said may have been uncalled for, I do want to stress the possibility that Mister Arc's career may be at an end." Ruby sucked in a breath to rebut him before he continued. "There will be a panel to decide this before the end of the week. It is unfortunately not only up to me, or Mister Arc would be fast-tracked to the most optimal help he could receive."

If it wasn't up to Ozpin, who was it then? Ruby supposed she just didn't understand how everything worked behind the scenes. Hearing that Ozpin was on Jaune's side did give her some reassurance, however. It also made her feel guilty for having been so mad at him before.

"No one wants to see Mister Arc one day on his feet again more than myself. I saw something special in him, much like I did with you, Miss Rose. To see him have to quit, it would be a great loss to the Hunter community and all of Remnant. This is why I asked for you to continue believing in him. There is truly a remarkable bond you two share… one that could give birth to even a miracle."

"..." Ruby didn't even know what to say. She had so many things prepared for when she next saw Ozpin, yet everything he said went completely against all her expectations. Silver eyes turned to the boots on her feet, hands gripping at the black skirt tightly. "...Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground and turned to walk away. "While I had intended to pass this all on to him myself, might I ask that you do so for me? I think perhaps he will find it more comforting to hear from his cute girlfriend."

"Y-yes!" Ruby nodded quickly, face turning a deep shade of red. She still wasn't used to being called Jaune's girlfriend, and every time she heard that word it made her heart flutter. Fortunately for her, Ozpin didn't turn around to see how flustering an effect his words had and was already strolling down the hallway. Just as he turned the corner, the door in front of her clicked open.

Thud

"Ow!" Jaune grunted after crashing the side of his wheelchair into the doorframe. Ren stood behind him, looking like he was nurturing an impending headache.

"I will push it for you, Jaune. There's no need to do it yourself." He attempted to grab the handles on the back of Jaune's chair only to have them swatted away.

"I got it, I got it." He insisted, backing the chair up and turning it slightly. He then gave the wheels another push, propelling it forward...

Thud

...and hitting the frame once again. "Don't you say a word." Jaune pointed back at Ren, whose mouth was tucked in a thin line.

"Let me help!" Ruby dashed forward, seemingly startling both men.

"Ruby!" Jaune attempted to roll his chair backwards but was too slow as she grab either side of the armrests, rotating the chair ever so slightly.

"There you go." She grinned brightly, and before she skipped back to make room for him to go through, she placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"...Thanks." Jaune mumbled almost too quietly to hear, face turned down and staring at the space between his feet. He rotated the wheels, this time making it past the door without issue.

"I hope you don't mind that I came to see you?" Ruby pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, looking down at Jaune hopefully with a quivering smile on her lips. "I just figured… maybe, I could push you around today? Let you build up your strength? I'll go as slow or as fast as you want. And anywhere you want! Just say the word." Her gaze shot up and made contact with Ren's magenta eyes for a brief second. He looked hesitant, clearly unsure how Jaune would react.

Ren was probably the one who had spent the most time with Jaune these past few days, able to offer him assistance from one guy to another, something Ruby wasn't quite capable of. So he was the one most accustomed to the changes in Jaune's mannerisms, however slight. One of those being his inflated stubborn streak.

"That sounds… fun." Jaune finally relented, causing both of the other teens to release a breath neither knew they'd been holding. He certainly didn't sound as enthusiastic as she would've hoped, but at least he was still willing to let her do something to help him. Which was more than she could've hoped.

"Yay!" Ruby skipped around to behind his chair and grabbed both of the handles. "Where do you wanna go first?"

"Well…" Jaune put a finger to his chin and seemed to think about it for a second. "I could kill for a real breakfast, now that I think about it." His response caused Ruby to giggle. He'd wanted nothing more than to have Beacon's rather luxurious cafeteria food since he'd woken up. A fact he didn't let anyone forget.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Ruby gave a mock salute and began to push, only to meet some slight resistance as Jaune clamped down on the wheels. She looked down at him curiously, only to find his gaze instead locked on Ren.

"You'll let me know as soon as you find her, right?" He without a doubt was asking about Pyrrha. Ruby couldn't understand why she would abandon him now of all times. She might have even been angry about her sudden disappearance, but if she had learned anything after that small talk with Ozpin, it was to try and get the whole story first.

Ren pulled out his scroll and held it in the air for emphasis. "I have your speed dial ready in case I even so much as catch a glimpse of her."

"And when you do, I'll have us there before you can even blink." Ruby puffed out her chest with confidence. Pyrrha wouldn't have even the smallest chance of getting away. She took her speed as a point of pride, after all.

"You two are the best." Jaune nodded appreciatively before sending Ruby an apologetic look. "Sorry, we can go now." Ruby didn't need to be told twice and this time pushed the chair without resistance. Ren stayed behind, in order to give the two of them time alone together or because he had a little more business in Jaune's room, she didn't know. She appreciated being able to spend some time with just the two of them either way.

"Is this too fast? Or too slow?" Ruby peeked down, trying to look over the top of Jaune's head to get a glimpse of his face. Both hands lay crossed in his lap and thumbs twiddled intermediately as she pushed.

"This is fine." Jaune sounded normal at least when he said that. She honestly still didn't know much about what Jaune felt about his current condition. Was he angry? Was he in pain? Most times he seemed to be like his same old, goofy self, which was comforting. She just couldn't help but wonder if most of that was an act? And if it was, did he only do it because he wanted to appear strong as her boyfriend? Ruby wouldn't know unless she asked him, but she had no idea how to even broach the subject.

"Ruby, look out." Jaune didn't quite shout that in a panic, but the word choice was enough for Ruby to stop hard, violently jolting Jaune in the seat and causing his head to whip forward before flailing back.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just got lost in thought!" Ruby quickly began sputtering out apologies as she checked Jaune over to make sure he wasn't in pain, before glancing to see what she almost ran into.

Or in this case: Who.

"Hey Ruby!" Emerald Sustrai held up a single hand and gave a bright smile in greeting. If she was at all upset that Ruby had nearly just collided Jaune into her, she did an excellent job not showing it.

"Em!" Ruby greeted back excitedly before tilting her head and quirking a lone eyebrow. "What... are you doing here?" She and Jaune were still in the hospital wing. And as far as she knew none of Emerald's teammates had been injured during the attack the other day. And seeing as she was from Mistral, she didn't likely know anyone else who was in here.

"I actually came looking for you." Emerald pointed right at Ruby, earning a look of surprise.

"Me?" Ruby parroted, pointing up at her own face.

"Yep. I came to say farewell." Emerald's bright smile dimmed. She reached one hand around her back, grabbing her other arm with it. "I had a lot of fun here at Beacon. I'm going to miss you."

"Oh that's right." Ruby's own surprise gave way to melancholy. "That's today, huh?"

"What's going on now?" Jaune looked between the two girls in confusion. Ruby didn't even realize that Jaune hadn't been filled in on what was going on with the rest of Vale following that attack on the Amity Coliseum.

"They canceled the tournament." Emerald stated bluntly. "After what that maniac did to you and the panic it almost caused, the council of Vale decided things were too dangerous to keep going. All of us from the other schools are being sent home."

"..." Jaune opened and closed his mouth, but it didn't look like he was going to be able to find the words to say.

"I'll miss you, Em. Maybe we'll see each other at the next one?" So Ruby quickly interjected. She was sad to have to see so many people leave. But there would always be another tournament and next time it would be them that got to travel to another school.

"I look forward to it." Emerald gave an exaggerated wink before turning back around and walking the way she came. Ruby waited for her to get a fair distance away before she once again began to push Jaune's chair, this time careful to keep an eye on her surroundings.

"Is this… my fault?" It took Ruby several seconds to realize it was Jaune that said that. At first, she almost thought she had imagined the words. When she looked down at him, however, she found his blue eyes gazing up at her, inquiring for an answer.

"What do you mean?"

"The tournament." He specified. "Is it being canceled because I wasn't able to stop Banesaw? Because I was too weak to do anything?"

"N-no! Why would you think that?" Ruby slowed to a stop, looking down at Jaune in disbelief.

"What am I supposed to think?" Jaune ran a hand through his blond hair and then down the side of his face, voice beginning to fill with heat. "That guy kicked my ass and everyone panicked. They probably thought we were all about to be murdered execution style and I only ended up making him look like even more of a badass."

"The people had already started to panic before you could do anything." Ruby placed both hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly in an effort to convey to him how much she meant what she was saying. "Jaune… you were the only one to get back up after he broke in there. The only one in a group that had Pyrrha Nikos in it. It's because of what you did that things didn't get worse."

Jaune continued to hold her gaze, almost like he was looking for some kind of crack in her defense. Some reason to not believe what she was telling him. His shoulders shook and breathing was erratic. Ruby didn't pull back from him in the slightest, determined to be his pillar of support. This was why she confessed to Jaune in the first place. So she could be the one to help him through this.

Finally, his breathing came back under control and he slowly began to nod. "Okay… alright." He spoke in a breathless whisper, as if he had just run a marathon. One of his hands found hers and he squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, Ruby. I don't… I don't know what I would do without you. Especially since I don't have Pyrrha right now."

Ruby gave a small smile, leaning down and placing a brief but powerful kiss on Jaune's lips. "I'll always be here for you, Jaune. Even when you're able to walk again, I'm not going anywhere."

"When I'm able to walk again…" Jaune looked distracted as he said that and appeared to mull the words over in his head. "You really think I'll be able to?"

"I know you will." Ruby encouraged, patting his shoulder once more for emphasis before switching her grip back to the handles. "For now, just relax and let me be your legs. That breakfast you want isn't going to eat itself." Jaune gave the smallest ghost of a laugh and when he turned around to face forward, it was with a smile on his face. Even so, it was clear that he was starting to have some doubts.

Which just meant she was going to have to stay optimistic enough for the both of them.

"Cinder. We've got a problem." Emerald was already talking before she completely entered the room, throwing the door open to rush inside.

"Yeah, I'll say." Mercury shoved one of his many pairs of boots into the bag of luggage he had placed on his bed. "We've lost our place to stay. It's going to be pretty hard to pull off any kind of operation in Vale when we're getting deported back to Mistral."

"Mercury, enough of the whining already." Cinder sounded absolutely bored as she gave that order. Even so, the silver-haired man was quick to shut his mouth. Both of them knew better than to go against Cinder, even when she said it in a tone that was almost begging for back-talk. "I already told you. One of Roman's old associate's has… generously agreed to put us up until we finish with our plans."

"We wouldn't need to change locations at all if that stupid animal had actually done its job and killed Pyrrha Nikos discreetly like we hired him to do. But no… He had to go and make a big spectacle. And still fail." Mercury grumbled under his breath, either too quiet for Cinder to hear or she just otherwise ignored him.

Instead, she turned a burning yellow eye on Emerald. "Now what is this problem that's got you so out of sorts?"

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald straightened out automatically. "I thought it was weird that we hadn't heard any news about that Arc kid. It occurred to me that Ozpin might be covering up the news about his death so I went looking… and well, he's alive."

She waited for Cinder to give some kind of response. Whether that be to explode in anger or sit there and fume in silent rage, most things were within the realm of expectation. Instead, Cinder didn't react outwardly at all, instead rhythmically tapping the heel of her shoe against an already packed luggage bag. "I'm aware."

"What?" If Emerald hadn't been staring right into her eyes, she would've had to double-take. She didn't understand at all. That kid had royally messed up their plans, and Cinder did not take setbacks lightly. That was why they had sent that midget, who had been posing as their fourth teammate, to kill him in the first place.

"My decision to have him snuffed out was… rash." Cinder admitted after several moments of thought. "I've perhaps brought unnecessary attention to Neo by having her dispose of that nurse and take her place. She was going to take care of him that night… but that irritating Qrow had posted himself outside his room. He's getting wise, not taking any more chances with possible targets."

"Roman's lackey can just take on another form." Mercury zipped his bag shut. He then plopped onto the ground and spun to face Cinder. "You said it yourself. That kid might be dangerous. He took a direct hit from those SDC weapons and kept going."

"That is indeed what I said and even thought too." Cinder nodded along to what they were saying, but it was clear she knew more than she was letting on. "Let's just say, in light of that setback, I took a look at his transcripts and came to a most… revealing conclusion. The important part of the matter is, he's no threat to us; not before and certainly not now. There's no reason to waste any more valuable resources on him. Especially not when our options have become so much more limited."

"So we're just going to leave him?" Emerald scoffed in disbelief. A single glare from Cinder silenced any other protest she might have had.

"He's beneath us. We're moving on and have much more important things to deal with. Such as getting out of here and to our new home without raising suspicion. Are we clear?" Cinder's tone left no room for argument. Both Emerald and Mercury nodded along, eyes downcast. Emerald didn't like it. However, if Cinder said Jaune Arc wasn't a threat, then she was probably right. What was he going to do anyway?

After all, he was stuck in that chair.

Chapter End

AN: So the evil trio make their big appearance.

All things considered, this was a major setback for them. The story won't focus on them much, but it will check in on them from time to time. Mostly in a way to show how their plans are forced to alter now that they can no longer stay at Beacon and there is no tournament for them to crash. Towards the climax of the story they'll probably become more important. That'll be more to a different plot-line than the one following Jaune and Ruby, however. Their presence this chapter, however, hopefully answers that concern several of you pointed out in the last chapter.

Otherwise, not much else to say. Jaune's out a little earlier than what someone would normally be for this kind of injury, but I'm kind of assuming Aura is working a lot towards dulling his pain and healing everything outside his spine. Ren and Ruby continue to be his support and more on Pyrrha in the next chapter if everything goes as planned.