"Ruby? Ruby. Listen to me. Focus on my voice."

Ruby shook her head, and looked at Velvet. "What did you find out?"

"Enough to know what's really happening when you lose your focus like that," Velvet said. "Which is why I'm here. May I come in?"

Ruby backed away from the doorway, and let the doctor in. She had a feeling of dread. She didn't know entirely what was going to come of this call, but she was all but certain that she would finally learn what was wrong with her body. No matter what Velvet had to say, her logic reasoned that it would, at the very least, provide some clarity.

Velvet felt uncomfortable about the situation. She'd been a doctor for a number of years now, and delivered all manner of diagnoses, but she was still young; there was still a part of her that hated being the bearer of bad news. She'd seen strong, hardened men break down in tears when they found out about their wife's terminal cancer. She'd seen the face of a mother turn ghostly-white when she told them about her child's disease. She hated the feeling that formed in the pit of her gut, especially because she knew that she had to keep soldiering on as a calloused professional with her "advice" when all she wanted was to offer a shoulder to cry on. She didn't necessarily think that Ruby would burst into tears, but again, she still hated the sick heaviness coiling inside her being.

Ruby sat down on her bed, and patted the spot next to her. "You can sit down if you want to."

"Thank you," Velvet said and sat down. "Tell me, before I begin, why didn't you come to see me as soon as Miss Schnee brought you on?"

"... I was busy. We hit the ground running from day one. I would have come sooner than later though."

"But you didn't. I had to run a blood test that might never have happened. So, you knew something was wrong, but you chose to hide it. From who? Blake and Yang and Miss Schnee? Why would you do that?"

"What can I say that will sound like the right answer? Because I don't know."

Velvet looked at her dubiously. The one time she actually tried to ask questions, and she was being sullenly shot down. She decided to move ahead with her routine. "Your affliction is an extremely rare disease. It is called Guillren's Disease. Nosebleeds, migraines, dizziness, blackouts. Impairing of rational thought. I assume that you have experienced all of these at some stage."

Ruby nodded slowly. "How rare is it?"

"I've been able to find four other cases in history. The first, a man for whom the disease was named, died 80 years ago. It is so rare that no known cure exists for it."

"Why?"

"Because it's been tried, and it failed. And now, research labs don't want to risk investing ridiculous amounts of money for a cure to a disease that only a handful of people have ever had. Not when cancer and the like are so prevalent.

"As I said, I found four cases besides yourself, and that the first died eight decades ago. His death was an immediate result of complications that arose after he had brain surgery. The second was also operated on, but died a few years post-surgery. The other two were not given surgery, but managed to live more-or-less normal lives for about 20 years after the diagnoses, when they, too, died suddenly; the last of these cases died 10 years ago. It would appear that they all experienced the symptoms at their most severe during the first six months of having it, after which the severity lessened while the symptoms remained prevalent nevertheless. It is unknown if their sudden deaths were a direct result of the disease, though it is probable."

"If this disease is so rare, then how did you find out so much about it?"

Velvet waved her files. "A couple of the presiding doctors kept tabs. Patients left journals. Legacy."

"Go on, then."

"I won't weigh you down with the finer points of brain chemistry, but basically that's how it begins, as a minor imbalance. It is theorized that if this imbalance were to be corrected with medical procedure, such as invasive surgery, that it would stop the imbalance from developing into Guillren's, and it would kill the disease before it were to start. But I say theorized because there's never been an opportunity to act on the theory. The disease develops dramatically and quickly, and in every case prior to this one, the patients only noticed that something was wrong after the disease had already developed. I'm afraid the same has happened here, to you. These next months will be incredibly difficult for you, Ruby. There will be pain.

"There are a few things I can immediately do for you. I'll give you copies of the files and journals and books I found. I believe it's better that you have an idea of what you're facing. Secondly, I strongly recommend that you stop going into the field for Miss Schnee, or whatever you do out there." Ruby opened her mouth to object, but Velvet raised her hand, and continued, "If what you people are doing is serious enough for Guillren's to be an issue, I cannot allow you to risk their safety or your own by having an unfortunately-timed blackout or something like that. Finally, as a subsequence, I request that you take up residence in the medical bay. I'll keep you there for observation until we can drop you off at a care facility."

Ruby had to reluctantly agree. The last thing she wanted was to put Weiss's life at risk during a mission, and if the symptoms were only going to get worse before they got better, then she had to make the executive decision to take herself out of the equation. "Okay," she said. "Who can I tell?"

"That is entirely up to you, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to tell those you work with."

Ruby chewed her lip. "I'll tell Weiss first. In private."

"If that is your decision."

"I want you to be there when I tell her, as well."

Velvet tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it ended up feeling forced and wan. "Of course." She stood, and after an awkward moment, exited the quarters.

Ruby dabbed at her nostrils with a tissue, and it came away with blotches of red. She laid her head in her hands and sniffed.

I kept this chapter deliberately short, because I feel that it was far too momentous a point to cram with 4 other scenes. Also, Guillren's (pronounced "GHEE-ren's") Disease is completely fictional. Just think I should point that out.

... Truly Yours, Kalico.