Shiro went and sat with Pidge, hoping she didn't hate him when she woke up.
The first thing she registered upon waking was the fact that her throat burned.
Shiro stood up. "Hey you." He grabbed some water Allura had set out for her. "You might want this." Pidge stared at it, uncomprehendingly, for a long time. "Pidge?" Shiro watched her. "How you feeling?"
"Like I swallowed a knife," she said after a long moment, her voice certainly sounding like she had, raspy and quiet.
"Sip some water." He held the cup towards her. "Knives aren't easy to swallow."
Pidge reached for the cup, then noticed her bandaged hand. She started to pick at the bandage, dropping her focus from the water.
"Hey, I worked hard on that." Shiro took her hand. "Get a drink, please."
Pidge took the glass from Shiro, drank the water and dropped the glass on the floor, where it shattered.
"Woah… Pidge…" He jumped up to start cleaning up the glass.
"Crap," she muttered. "Sorry, Shiro…"
"It's alright. Not hard to clean up, just… you okay?"
"I think I'm gonna throw up," she managed to tell him.
He quickly grabbed a bucket and moved it over to her, then went and got a plastic cup of water for her to sip when she was done.
Pidge gladly accepted the water, washing the taste of bile out of her mouth. This time, she set the cup on the table next to her bed, her hand shaking.
Shiro took the bucket and went to clean it out. "How's your head?"
Pidge coughed painfully then relaxed into the pillows. "Also feels like it got stabbed," she said.
"Alright then." He brought her a clean bucket. "I'll see if there's any food goo that's easy on your stomach and throat, just for when you feel hungry."
Pidge nodded and curled up on her side, closing her eyes tight.
Shiro left and found some things he thought might help, then returned and put his hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember much of what happened?"
She nodded, not opening her eyes. Shiro could see tears glistening on her nose and cheeks.
He grabbed a handkerchief and wiped them away. "I'm here, Pidge. You're not alone."
She shook her head, refusing to say anything.
"It's okay to feel like this, but I'd like to support you."
"Why?" She asked, her voice small.
"Because you're the closest thing to family I have."
She sniffed. "I'm sorry, Shiro…"
"It's alright. You still said some pretty insightful things while yelling at me."
"Like what? Because everything I remember was really hurtful and unfair."
"I'm not here for you enough. I don't focus enough on everyone individually. And that you're smarter and more observant than I give you credit for."
"Is my lion okay?" She asked, almost as if she hadn't heard him. "Did I hurt anyone?"
"Your lion is fine. You just… hurt our ears a little." She looked thoroughly confused. "You screamed a lot. It's why your throat hurts." He rubbed her shoulder.
"You promise I didn't hurt anyone?"
"Just words, Pidge." He poked her forehead. "We'll be okay."
"Don't lie to me to make me feel better, Shiro."
"Pidge, you said hurtful things. As far as I know only to me. Possibly to Keith. But… I'm right here. Talking to you. Not mad."
Pidge lifted her arm up and pointed at the bandage. "I didn't stay away from hurting people," she said. "And the things I said to you… they were worse than anything…"
"And yet I'm not going to argue with you. I'll… work at the root of what you told me. I'm not here enough for you, that's for certain."
"Did I hurt Keith?"
"No," Shiro said. "I don't think so. But… Pidge, how did you become infected?"
She shook her head. "I don't know," she confessed.
"That's the part that scares me the most." He held her hand. "I don't want to think about how it spread to you."
"Did the antidote work?"
"It did. He's doing better. It's slow, but he's getting better. And how are you feeling? Still feel like yelling at me?"
"I don't know what I feel like, Shiro. Except maybe an asshole."
"That's alright. I feel like that a lot, too." He smiled. "When you're better, I'll help you work on whatever you need to get information on where Matt and your Dad are. And every time we deal with the Galra, I'll help you get software where it needs to go so we can try and track them down."
"I wanted to go find them," she said. "That's why I took the green lion… But then… I just… couldn't."
"Who were your friends? The ones you went to?"
"I met them awhile back when the Green Lion stranded me there… I don't know why I went back… I figured… maybe they would listen."
"I'm glad you had friends to go back to. And statues of us for some reason." He winked.
"I got lonely the last time I was there. And I didn't want you to follow me. I didn't know you'd find them."
"I'm not good at following orders when I think the orders are bad."
Pidge's face darkened. "But I get in trouble when I do the same thing…"
"You gotta figure out how to disobey. It's the downside of being a teenager. Lots to figure out."
"I got thrown in a room by myself and yelled at when I disobeyed your stupid orders."
"Katie… I… was locked up for a year." He looked away from her. "I was scared. Terrified. And there's a difference between ordering you as the leader of Voltron, and begging you as a friend. But it's a fine line and hard to see sometimes. Especially if I tell you I'm ordering you when I'm actually begging." He laughed. "Well, that made a lot of nonsense."
"You don't want me on the team anymore," Pidge said, her voice small.
"I don't want a sick Pidge on the team. The real Pidge, though, is integral. More necessary than I am."
Pidge shook her head. "All that stuff did was make me act how I really am."
"No, it made you act on your fears and self doubt. I need you as part of Voltron, Pidge. Please don't leave."
"It reminded me that I'm not supposed to be here," she told him, almost like she hadn't heard him.
"Pidge… there is no creature in the universe more suited to pilot the green lion than you."
"But I'm not good for Voltron. You said it yourself, Shiro. There's no trust. And with no trust… no Voltron."
"So we build trust again." He ruffled her hair. "We practice. We did that on our own, now we practice together."
"I need to apologize to Keith… to everyone…"
"So does Keith. And so do I. We'll make this work. And we'll be stronger for it."
"I'm sorry, Shiro."
He smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your illness in time."
"I should've been more careful," Pidge said. "I had a feeling something was up… So I was going to put aside a little blood for you to test while I stayed in my lion. I even told Green not to let me go anywhere… But then… when I pressed the knife to my wrist… I just wanted to…" She sniffed, her voice choking off.
"Shh. It's fine. I don't need an explanation." He pulled her into a hug. "If you ever feel like that again, please come to me."
"It wasn't me, Shiro. I don't ever… do anything like that… That was when I really knew something was wrong. But I didn't try to stop it."
"It was because of the poison. It's not your fault, Pidge. Though… do you hate it when I call you Katie?"
Pidge looked startled. "Why would you think that?"
"You asked me not to call you that." He shrugged. "Wasn't sure if it was the poison or you just not liking that I use your name."
Pidge slumped a little, energy draining out of her. Energy she didn't even seem to have. "I don't even remember that."
"Then, which do you prefer?"
"It doesn't matter to me, Shiro. Pidge is my alias, but Katie is my name. Matt… knows Pidge. He knows Katie. But Keith, Lance and Hunk don't know Katie."
"And I know both. In Voltron I call you Pidge to avoid confusion. But… as my adoptive sister, you're Katie."
"I know… I'm sorry, Shiro… I really am."
"Don't be." He stood up and gave her a long tight hug. "You're amazing."
"I'm not."
"The Green Lion wouldn't choose someone that wasn't amazing."
"Yeah, it would. It only chose me because it had no other options."
"Why don't you ask the Green Lion why it picked you?" He rubbed her back.
"Been there, tried that. No response."
"Then let's go together. Black and Green. We'll work it out."
"I want to talk to Keith," Pidge said, sudden, barely concealed anger in her voice.
"…Um… alright. I'll go get him." He stood up, heading out to get Keith. Pidge relaxed into the pillows, closing her eyes.
Shiro knocked on Keith's door. "Hey… Pidge is asking for you." Keith didn't respond. "Come on, Keith." He went to open the door, frowning when he found it locked. He unlocked it and went inside. "Keith?"
Keith was laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, unmoving.
He went and sat next to him. "Keith, are you alright? Pidge wants to see you?" Keith offered no answer. "Keith… are you alright?"
Keith's eyes were firmly locked on the ceiling.
Shiro looked him over. "Is something wrong? Keith I need… blink? Please." Keith did not move. Shiro checked for a pulse and breathing, then picked him up. More hospital time for everyone. Upon picking him up, he found that Keith was completely limp, like he was unconscious. His eyes didn't move or even flicker.
Shiro closed his eyes and hurried to the hospital. "Allura I need help. Keith is unconscious."
He laid Keith down in the bed just a few down from Pidge, who didn't move when they entered. She was curled up under her blankets, asleep.
Shiro grabbed a chair and sat between them. Allura rushed in and started looking Keith over.
"This is so strange," he said as she looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Just… why is he limp, Allura? What's going on?"
"I don't know. It may just be an aftereffect of the antidote."
"Then we should watch Pidge incase something happens to her.
"Shiro, I need to know exactly what happened with Keith. How long has he been this way?"
"I don't know. I found him this way when I went to get him so he could talk to Pidge."
"How long?"
"Maybe a few minutes to half an hour?"
"That's not good…"
"I don't know, Allura. I wasn't there when he passed out." He rubbed his forehead. "Why is everything so wrong?"
"I'm worried about some of the ingredients in the antidote…"
"Allura…" Shiro stared at her. "Fix it. Please. Just… fix it."
"I'm working on it, Shiro. It could also be that he's just exhausted… It's normal to fall asleep when you're tired."
"With your eyes open?" Shiro clenched his fists. "Allura… make them better. I need them better."
"I'm working on it'
He nodded. "Ok… thanks." He rubbed Pidge's arm.
She groaned and looked up, sleep evident in the creases from the blankets on her face. "What?" she asked.
"Just rest. I'm worried about some stuff."
"Where's Keith?"
"On my other side. He's not awake."
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know. And I'm worried about you too."
"Sorry, Shiro."
"It's fine. Just a little freaked out and tired myself…" He looked at Allura. "Want to put three fifths of Voltron back into healing pods?"
"Three, Shiro?"
"Me too. I haven't slept or eaten in the better part of two days. I'm not doing well."
"A healing pod won't help that, Shiro. If you're unwell because you haven't eaten, food will fix it."
"Princess… I'm scared. And I can't hide that I'm scared. I… I'll go." He stood up. "I'll try and eat and get some sleep."
"Coran will help me get Keith into a healing pod. But Shiro…"
"Yeah?" He looked at her.
She shook her head. "Never mind," she said. "It's nothing…"
He nodded. "Later, then." He headed out of the room, glancing at Keith and Pidge, then went to his room to curl up and try to sleep. Allura called Coran and together they carried Keith to a healing pod.
Coran looked at her. "Princess, is there something we need to tell Shiro?"
"I'm just worried… what if there is still poison in him? Pidge mentioned that the pods activated it the first time…"
"Will it hurt him to put in more antidote?"
"I don't know…"
"So… we take a chance and use the healing pod. And we can calibrate it to look for the new poison."
"I suppose so… I wonder why all of this is happening…"
"Perhaps it's a test, Princess. To try and bring Voltron closer together. Even Hunk and Lance are getting along with each other more."
"Perhaps. Well… let's get him in and calibrate…"
He nodded. "Yes, Princess." He helped load Keith in and then got to work on calibrating the new poison's information into the healing pod.
"All we can do now is wait… and keep an eye on Pidge."
"Of course. I'll do that so you can rest. It's been a long couple of days."
Allura watched Keith for a moment, then went to rest with her mice. Coran returned to the hospital and sat beside Pidge.
Pidge looked over at Coran. "What's going on?"
"Keith isn't doing well, so we put him back into a healing pod. Shiro isn't doing well so he's locked himself in his room. And you're not doing well so you're here. I think Hunk and Lance are playing what you call basketball."
Pidge didn't seem to listen beyond Coran's first statement. "Keith's not doing well?" She sounded intrigued, rather than worried.
"He was unconscious when Shiro went to get him."
"Do you think it was something in the antidote?"
"We don't know. He could just still be sick. But I recalibrated the healing pod."
Pidge starting to pull herself out of bed. "I should help."
"No, you rest. You need the rest, Shiro needs the rest, Keith needs the rest… well lets just have a resting party."
Pidge shot him a weird look. "Coran… if I can help him…"
"You can help by resting." He smiled.
Pidge glared at him. "Fine," she said. She rolled over, pulling the blanket over her head. The rest of the day passed without any more weird stuff happening, which was fine by everyone.
Shiro managed to get some sleep, then came to check Pidge after a few hours. "Hey."
"Hi," she said, her voice still hoarse.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"Want to sleep some more?" He sat next to her.
"Not particularly," she replied.
"Alright. What would you like to do?"
"I want to help."
"Okay." He took her hand and helped her up. "Let's check on Keith."
They made their way to the healing pod and looked in at Keith. Shiro didn't say much and just did what he could to support Pidge in what she wanted.