Hi!
Sorry for the huge delay, but the good news is that I have a few more chapters written (or at least almost written)
Once again, thank you to my awesome beta - drownedbyyourstandards (myrishswamp or wetwasteofagirl on tumblr).
ENJOY!
Eddard "Ned" Stark
"Ned... Ned..." Ned heard a voice call. He turned a few times, but the voice persisted. "Ned, you need to get up."
"Dad… what's going on?" Ned said sleepily, opening his eyes. "It's…" he said, trying to read the clock.
"I know, son," his father said, sitting on the bed. "But I got a call. Can you get dressed really quickly?"
"Yes, I think so," Ned said, rubbing his eyes.
"Okay, meet me downstairs. I need to get dressed too." Ned said, getting up; his father was still in his pyjamas too.
"Don't turn on the lights, please."
"Okay, son."
"Dad, is anything serious?"
"Just get dressed, son."
"Is Brandon…"
"He's in his bed, Ned. Just get dressed."
Ned was still worried. If Brandon was in his room… but Ned hadn't asked about Lyanna – what if it was her? Ned knew his father would tell him when he got dressed. Ned took his jeans from the end of the bed, and looked for a sweater in his wardrobe. He finally found something that didn't feel bad.
"Dad," he said, leaving his room, his eyes still semi-closed because of the light in the hall.
"In here, son. Do you want something to eat?"
"No, thanks. What happened?"
"I'll tell you in the car. Or maybe you can sleep for a bit… Maybe that's better."
Dad wrote down a note for his siblings, Ned read over it. It said to call his cell phone when they woke up, confirming that him and Ned would still be gone in the morning.
"Dad, please just tell me what's going on?"
"Maybe you should sleep for a bit in the car."
"Dad, I won't be able to. I'm stressing about what's going on."
"Okay, son. If you think that's better. But we should start going. We still have a long way to go."
"Where are we going?"
"King's Landing."
Ned listened to his father's answer and tried to figure out, what could be in King's Landing at this time of the night. Maybe it wasn't bad. They could be picking up someone from the airport – like Mom's family. With the time difference between here and England, maybe they could get in this late. But his father didn't look happy, though this could be because he had barely met Mom's relatives when she was alive.
Ned walked to the car, and got into the passenger seat. He could see his father's hands trembling.
"Do you want me to drive?" Ned asked.
"No."
"You don't seem okay, Dad."
"Ned…" his father started, turning on the car and backing away from the front of their house. They had left the street before he continued to speak. "Ned, I got a phone call tonight, I picked up on the third call, and I wish I had picked it up earlier."
"Who called, Dad?"
"It was from the King's Landing Hospital."
"But you said Brandon was home. Is it Lyanna? I thought she didn't go out yesterday."
"It's not them."
"Benjen?! He's home, right?!"
"Your siblings are okay. It's not them." Dad took another deep breath. "They were calling on behalf of Renly – he asked them to call."
"Renly?!"
"Did you talk to Robert tonight?"
"No. I had my phone turned off when I was with Catelyn. I had a bunch of missed calls, and I tried calling him back and I texted him, but I got no answer." Ned was confused by this, like he had been about Robert's calls; he knew Robert had the date with Catelyn's friend last night.
"Did you see the news?"
"Yes, we caught it after the movie. The accident was awful."
"Robert's parents were on that plane."
"Are his parents…?" Ned started. He needed to get to King's Landing, he needed to be there for Robert, right now. It was already bad enough that he hadn't picked up his phone earlier – he should have been there, and he had been closer then.
"I didn't get a call because of his parents, Ned," his father said, not letting him know if Mr and Mrs Baratheon were alive or not. "Robert had a drug overdose last night, Ned. They found him quickly enough, and took him to the hospital, but there was still no news about his state when I got the call."
"Robert is…" Ned couldn't believe it. He had missed a lot of calls from Robert. If he had picked up, Robert could still be here. "Do you think he will be okay?"
"I don't know, Ned. I hope so…"
"Is it my fault, Dad? He called me a million times and I didn't pick up."
"Hey… it's not your fault. Robert just needs you to be there now, in case he wakes up." In case he wakes up, his father said, not when he wakes up. What if he didn't wake up? Ned couldn't imagine a world without him, and he didn't want to imagine or live in that world.
"What can I do to help him, Dad?" Ned whispered. He really didn't want to cry right now.
"I don't know, Ned. Let's just go to the hospital," his father said, turning back to the road.
Ned turned his eyes to the window. They were still in the North and the roads here were awful – it would take them a while to get out of the North, and only then could they have a smooth ride. Ned feared that something would happen to Robert while he was in the car.
"Are they going to call you if anything changes?"
"The nurse didn't say anything about that. They found our home number in the yellow pages after Renly gave her my name."
"Ohhh…" Ned said, taking his phone out of his pocket and looking for Stannis' number. He made the call. The phone was disconnected, but Ned still left a voice mail, asking him to call back or send a message with updates on Robert. He didn't put it down after the call, but looked at the missing calls – Robert had called him so many times, and Ned hadn't picked up even once. He had failed. He could have just turned on his phone after the movie, and then he would have picked up, and Robert wouldn't have had an OD.
Ned still didn't know what he took. His friend didn't do hard drugs – he just smoked weed. Ned knew Brandon did coke with Ashara a few times; maybe Robert did that too. But a hard drug, alone, enough to overdose – it worried Ned. Maybe Robert would actually do something now – stop drinking as much, and smoking, and go out less. His parents would request it probably. He knew his mother was worried, but Ned wasn't even sure what state his parents were in after the accident.
Do you have the number of the girl Robert went out with? Ned texted Catelyn. Maybe the girl would have some information about Robert and what happened.
"Ned," his father called, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Do you need anything?"
Ned didn't answer him; he just kept looking at his phone, hoping that Catelyn would answer, only then remembering that it was the middle of the night and she was sleeping. He could call her and wake her up…
"Should I call Catelyn to ask her for Robert's date's phone number? It may help."
"We should get to the hospital first. She probably knows nothing. Let Catelyn sleep." He listened to his father, so he put his phone in his pocket again, and laid his head against the window. He alternated between looking at the road and the clock. The time went slowly, slower than he wanted. They spent more than half of the time just in the north, and when they entered the Riverlands region, the roads were much better.
The sound of the radio filled the car as they approached the city after hours of travelling. His father had to stop to look for directions to the hospital, which was hard at this time of night. But they finally found someone who helped them to the hospital.
After they parked the car, Ned didn't wait for his father. He just left the car and quickly walked into the hospital.
"Hey, sorry. You called my father about Robert Baratheon," he said to the man behind the front counter.
"Stark, right. Rickard Stark."
"Yes," his father said, coming into the building and resting his hand on his son's shoulder.
"Robert Baratheon is on the third floor, room 326."
Ned made it to the elevator with his dad, and rode until they reached the floor. When they found the room, Ned took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Inside, the two youngest Baratheon brothers turned their head to him.
"Ned," Renly called.
"How is he?"
"He hasn't woken up. The doctor doesn't know when he will," Renly answered. "You can sit with us."
Ned took another look at his father, who sat outside.
"I'll be here if you need anything," his father told him.
Ned took his seat next to Renly, resting his hand on Robert's leg.
"The accident… your parents?" Ned asked them, and this time Stannis spoke for the first time.
"They died. Our father in the crash, and mother on the operation table. Your friend was irresponsible as always, and left us alone after the news, to go out drinking as always," Stannis said firmly.
"Stannis, please…" Renly said, looking down at the floor and playing with the sheet.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Ned said. He would miss them too. He came over so often to their house; their parents had become like family to him and his siblings too.
"Thank you, Ned," Renly said, pulling his legs up to his chair.
"Don't do that," Stannis said, but Renly ignored him, and kept hugging his legs.
"Do you think he will wake up?" Renly asked Ned, and he turned to look at Robert, who had an IV connected to his arm. Ned felt scared, but he was the oldest one.
"I really hope so, Renly. I know he's trying to wake up – he wouldn't leave you, especially after what happened."
"You know that's not true, right? He doesn't care about us. He has been depressed since your sister broke up with him."
"This was not Lyanna's fault, Stannis," Ned told him. But Ned knew part of it was right. Robert had been drinking much more since Lyanna broke up with him, but it wasn't his sister's fault. But it could be his. If he had picked up the phone, he would have stopped him. "And Robert does care for you," Ned said, turning to Renly – the kid needed this today. "Both of you."
"Thanks, Ned," Renly said, pulling back again, hugging his legs, and letting his head fall to the side, before picking it up again. Renly's eyes were almost closed too, and then they would open again, still fighting sleep.
"You can sleep for a bit, Renly," Ned suggested.
"But something could happen."
"Your brother and I are okay. We would wake you up."
"Stannis should sleep too…"
"I don't need to sleep. Someone needs to be responsible here."
"You can sleep, Stannis. I'll still be here, and I would wake you both."
"There's no need for that."
Ned didn't push Stannis anymore, and just turned to Renly.
"Okay, but you can sleep; as you see, there will be two of us awake. Do you want me to ask the nurse to bring a cot into the room?"
"No… I can sleep in the chair."
"Okay," Ned agreed as Renly found a comfortable position to sleep in. He ended up lying his head on Ned's lap.
With Renly asleep, there was nothing to do but look at Robert lying on the bed. Ned tried to reach for his information at the end of the bed, but he couldn't without waking up Renly.
"Can you pass me Robert's information?"
"We're not supposed to read that," Stannis answered.
"I just want to know what's going on," he whispered.
"You can ask," Stannis said strongly, and Ned waited for him to say something else.
"So can you tell me anything about Robert's state?"
"No. There isn't any news about it. They pumped his stomach, and now we have to wait until he wakes up," Stannis said. "You know he tried to call you, right? Right after we got the news about Mother and Father. Where were you? He has told me enough times that you're a better brother than I."
"I was on a date with Catelyn – I had turned off my phone," he admitted. "And I know I should have been there, Stannis… and Robert does care for you."
Stannis didn't even give indication that he heard what Ned had said, and continued doing nothing. And Ned laid back, his hand was on Renly's arm (much like he did with Benjen when he fell asleep). Renly looked a lot like young Robert, when he first met him, even if Robert had been younger then than Renly was now.
Ned asked himself again how it had come to this. How did jolly, brave and energetic Robert end up in a hospital bed? How did it end with Robert alone, and Ned with a girl? The world had turned around and Ned couldn't process it, not anymore.
Ned didn't sleep properly that night, drifting in and out of nightmares. He would wake up to Robert screaming, only to open his eyes and still find him quietly sleeping. Stannis must not have slept either; every time Ned opened his eyes, he could see Stannis' dark blue eyes. He was properly awoken when his father came into the room.
"Your brother just called me," his father told him, and looking at the clock, Ned knew that a call this early could only be Benjen. "He's going to wake up Brandon and Lyanna to bring them here."
"You've been outside this entire time."
"I have," he said, resting his hand on Ned's shoulder.
"I'm really sorry for your loss, Stannis. Your parents were great people. Anything my family can do, don't be afraid to ask."
"Thank you," he said, shaking Rickard's hand. "Now that you're awake, I'll go get something to eat, and use the bathroom." Stannis stood and left the room after that.
"Do you want anything to eat?" his father asked, taking Stannis' seat.
"Do you think he will wake up?" Ned asked, ignoring his father's question
"I certainly wished this was as easy to fix as his scratches, or the bruises. But he's a strong boy, Ned, he will wake up."
"Did any doctors come by?"
"No, but I can go ask."
"Thank you, Dad."
"Food?"
"Not now." His father left after that. And Ned sat with Renly, since the other Baratheon brother was still gone.
His father stopped by a few minutes later, telling him that they wouldn't talk to a non-family member, and that they would need an adult Baratheon family member or social services was coming.
It was one hour before Stannis came back. He was wearing his jacket. Ned hadn't even noticed him taking it.
"Where's your father?"
"I don't know. He should be outside, but if not probably in the cafeteria or the bathroom."
"I need to talk to him."
"Just wait, he should be back soon."
"How do you know he will be back soon if you don't know where he went?"
"I suppose he will be back soon. He would have warned me if he planned to take longer."
"Okay," he said, sitting down back on his chair, and standing up immediately moments after when Ned's father came in, with food for Ned and Renly.
"Sir, can I speak with you?"
"Of course. About what?" But Stannis didn't answer until they were outside, and they stayed there for a while.
It was while he still waited that his phone rang, telling him he had a new message. He was able to get it from his pocket without waking up Renly, and saw that the new message was from Catelyn.
I do. Why do you need it?
Forget I asked, Cat. Talk to you tomorrow
Are you okay? He could tell she was getting worried, but he didn't want her to.
Of course. Just tired. Talk tomorrow. He turned off his phone, thinking he couldn't talk to her anymore without feeling guilty. He did not blame her, she had let no one down, but Ned had because he had been with her.
Ned opened one of the sandwiches Dad had left, and the yogurt too, and started eating, letting a few crumbs fall into Renly's hair. The kid was still sleeping, but he moved more now, and once in awhile Ned would think he was finally waking up. But that didn't happen until mid-morning, when the rest of the Stark siblings entered the room.
Ned heard running outside the room, and when it stopped he looked up and saw Lyanna frozen by the door, tears quickly coming to her eyes. And instead of going to Robert, she went to Ned first, yelling.
"Why didn't you wake me up?! Why wasn't I here earlier?"
"What's your relation to Robert? I see here his brothers, and his best friend," Stannis stated. Lyanna ignored him, and moved towards Robert. She sat on his bed, held her forehead and whispered something. And at the same time, Renly finally sat up, awoken by Lyanna's yells.
"Good morning, Renly."
"How is he?"
"The same," Ned let him know. "You have food there if you want."
"Bathroom first."
"Yeah, me too." Ned stood with Renly and they left the room to use the bathroom. Ned noticed Benjen and Brandon coming into the hall.
They found the bathroom, and they did what they needed to do quickly enough, and after washing their hands, they went back to the room.
Renly immediately went to pick up his food, but Ned looked at the picture. Lyanna didn't seem to have moved, except for her hand, which was holding Robert's very tightly. Brandon stood behind her, his hand on her back, and Benjen had now moved to sit next to Renly, both of them quietly talking.
"Ned," Brandon called, looking at him at the door, and Ned made a sign to follow him outside. "I'm so sorry, Ned. I can't imagine what you're going through," Brandon told him.
"I didn't pick up the phone last night when he called me."
"It's not your fault, Ned. You need to know that," Brandon said.
"I wanted to talk to you about something else, actually." Brandon nodded. "He overdosed last night, and it's not like he had very contacts in that type of world. And I know you sometimes do stuff – did you ever give him the number?"
"I did."
"Can you give him a call? Ask him what Robert bought, and stuff like that."
"I'm not supposed to ask those questions. He's not supposed to talk about other clients, and with an overdose involved…"
"Just try, please. I can give you money to pay him if you need."
"Okay. But I can't promise anything."
"I understand. Thank you, Brandon," he said, giving his brother a quick hug before leaving him alone to make the call.
Back in the room, nobody had moved Lyanna away from Robert, and Stannis still looked at her disapprovingly, but never said anything else. His father had left again, and Ned saw him calling numbers on a long list. Benjen still sat with Renly, and it was obvious that they were making each other feel better.
"Did you eat anything before leaving the house, Benjen?"
"I did. But neither Lya nor Brandon ate anything – wait… Brandon took a yogurt, but he's probably still hungry."
"I'll go pick up some food for them," he told his brother, before eyeing his sister. Benjen nodded, getting the message that he should look after her.
So in the cafeteria he got two sandwiches, two sodas, and at the vending machines he got two bags of chips and three chocolate bars – that should be enough to hold them for a while, he thought. Back in the room, he traded looks with Brandon as he gave him the food, and Brandon shook his head and whispered.
"He couldn't tell me anything. He didn't even confirm if he was the seller or not. Sorry, Ned, I really tried."
"I understand. It was a long shot. But still, thanks…" Ned thanked him, and leaned onto the arm of the chair Brandon was on. "How is she?"
"She hasn't moved. She's just been there whispering things to him. Stannis seems a bit pissed about her staying here."
"I know. But I don't want to move her yet. You know she will move away when she's ready."
"Or she will get hungry in the meantime and leave the bed." Ned hoped that it would happen sometime soon.
It didn't happen soon, but it did happen about an hour later; she got out of the bed, after kissing Robert's forehead, and whispering something else in his ear.
"I heard you had food," she said, finally acknowledging the other people in the room and rubbing her bloodshot eyes. Ned pointed to where he had left it; there was only a sandwich that Ned had been able to save from Brandon and a half empty bottle of water. She opened the bottle and sat down next to Renly took a gulp and a bite of the sandwich. "I haven't seen you in a long time," she told him.
"I know. You never come over anymore."
"Sorry, kiddo. Your brother and I…"
"I know… adult stuff..." he complained, and Lyanna pulled him closer, ruffling his hair, making Renly laugh.
"Ohhh… where are your parents?" she asked, looking around. Ned had thought his father had told Benjen; Ned looked at his father and the other people in the room. "What's going on?" Lyanna asked, noticing the looks everyone was trading. Nobody was brave enough to speak, until Stannis spoke.
"They both died last night in the plane accident."
"Mr and Mrs B…" she whispered, standing up. "Really?! I'm so sorry…" she whispered again, leaving the room. Ned followed her, but didn't step closer, as he saw her taking her phone from her pocket and dialling a number. "Rhae, it's me." He heard her say. "Can you come to the hospital?" Another silence. "No, I'm okay, I promise. I just really need you right now," she said, holding the tears in. "Thank you."
She turned off the phone and turned back to the room, and noticing Ned, she ran to him, once again crying.
"I'm so sorry, Ned… It's my fault."
"Hey, it's not your fault, Lya. Sure, he was sad and heartbroken, but you didn't inject the drugs into him."
"But I…" Ned picked up her head, so she looked at him.
"Not your fault, Lya. Do you understand – NOT YOUR FAULT?" he said carefully, highlighting every word – she needed to understand this.
"But…"
"No buts, Lya…" he said, and she hugged him closer.
"Thank you."
They went back to Robert's room. Lyanna sat on Brandon, and Ned on his chair's arm. Father was talking to Stannis, so they listened in on the conversation.
"You have a few family members on your mother's side who said they could take turns with you. But there was a better answer. The professor in Oldtown said he could take you – Cressen, you didn't mention the family relation."
"He was either my mom or father's godfather, not sure."
"Okay – that would be a good option. You like him?"
"He's good – responsible and educated." Father nodded at that and continued, while Ned looked at Renly, and the boy shrugged his shoulders at the name Cressen.
"He offered to move to your house, but he can't do it until mid-February. He has a break from school then."
"Okay. What should we do until then? Do we need to contact child services?" Stannis asked.
"I thought you could stay with us. We have extra rooms and beds in our house," Dad offered.
"If it isn't too much of a bother."
"Of course, it isn't. Like I said, we would do anything for your family."
"Thank you," Stannis said, shaking Father's hand.
"Yes, thank you, sir," Renly said from where he was sitting with Benjen.
"You can sleep in my room," Benjen suggested. And Ned knew that they would just spend the night talking more than sleeping.
They all stayed in the room, even when the nurse came in to tell them that there shouldn't be seven people in a hospital room. They did shifts when it was lunch time, and other times when someone was hungry – Dad would pick up some snacks.
Lyanna left for about one hour too, during mid-afternoon. When she came back, she looked a bit better, more at peace, (and smelling like Rhaegar). Ned didn't particularly like Lyanna coming from Rhaegar with Robert lying on the bed, but he said nothing.
"Why aren't you calling Catelyn?" she asked when she came in and sat close to him.
"I turned off my phone."
"Stupid, she's worried. You didn't even tell her about Robert."
"I don't want to talk about it," Ned admitted, and Lyanna slapped him over the head.
"You call her before you go to bed or you're in trouble," she threatened.
Ned took notice of her threat, so while he didn't think he was ready to talk to her, he made every intention to text her tonight.
It was 6 pm when another nurse came in and said that visiting hours were almost over, and that they could only let two people stay. The nurse looked at both Baratheon siblings when he said this.
"I'm not staying," Stannis said. "I should go to school tomorrow. Trying to go on as normal. I also have to start arranging the funerals."
"I can do that," Father offered.
"I'll do it," Stannis said, standing up. "You can stay, Renly."
"I will."
"Do you want to stay, Ned? I was already going to suggest that you came here tomorrow morning – you can miss one day of classes."
"Really?! Can I come too?" Brandon asked.
"No."
"And me?" Lyanna asked.
"And I," Stannis muttered, correcting her.
"No. Only Ned is staying – you two, three are going to school," Father gave the final word. "So are you staying, Ned?"
"Yes, I will stay with Renly."
"Okay. Good. You're coming with us tonight, Stannis. Would you prefer to go get some of your clothes at home? Or do you think you can use Ned's for tomorrow? Your sizes don't differ that much."
"That would be acceptable."
It was 6.30 pm when they finally left. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Lyanna made Ned promise to call Catelyn before the night ended. And of course, that they would call if Robert's state changed.
Renly and Ned were now alone in the room with Robert. A nurse came in and offered them a cot (he couldn't get them too); each of them sat on each side. Ned left to get food for them, and they both ate in peace, with Robert still sleeping, but it wasn't for long.
Robert first opened his eyes a few minutes after they had finished eating. He didn't speak, but he moved his hand, and called to both boys' attention.
"Robert!" Ned exclaimed, immediately touching the button that called for the nurse.
"Brother!" Robert tried to answer, but wasn't able to.
"His throat may be a bit dry," the nurse said, coming in with a cup of water, and trying to feed it to Robert, who took it carefully. "How do you feel, Robert?" she asked. "You've got a full house during most of the day."
"Better," he answered, with a hoarse voice still. "What happened?"
"Do you want me to explain, or you can do it?" she asked, turning to Ned. "Patients usually prefer hearing these things from family and friends."
"I can do it. Will the cops…"
"Tomorrow morning. He should rest a bit more today. I'll bring some food for him," the nurse finished, before leaving.
"You overdosed last night, Robert."
"After we heard about Mom and Dad," Renly said. "Do you remember?" Robert nodded, sadly.
"I'm sorry I didn't pick up the phone," Ned admitted, and Robert reached for his hand.
"Not your fault," Robert told him, like Ned had told Lyanna much earlier. "My fault. I'm sorry… Sorry, Renly…" And Renly took the moment to hug his brother, disconnecting his IV without meaning to.
"Ohhh… I…" he said holding the IV. At that moment another nurse came in, and connected it again.
"Don't worry about it, boy. Just be more careful next time. Your brother shouldn't need it much longer," he told Renly, before putting a tray in front of Robert. "Robert, you can try to eat now."
"Sure, I'm hungry."
"He never had any problem eating," Ned said. And Robert started eating – it was mostly soft foods, that wouldn't hurt his throat or stomach.
"Okay, you finish eating. And then you must still be tired, so you should sleep a bit more. Tomorrow will be a long day for you."
Robert ate in silence, and his mind seemed to be working, probably wondering about tomorrow and what awaited him. The nurse came in to take his tray and told Robert that he should sleep. Robert was honestly tired, so it wasn't hard for him to fall asleep, but before he asked.
"You'll be here in the morning, right?"
"Of course. We're spending the night here, and we'll be here in the morning."
Robert closed his eyes, and Renly did the same soon after, taking the cot, but Ned was still awake. He found a good position in his chair, and turned on his phone again. Lyanna had been right. He had multiple missed calls from Catelyn, and some text messages (she did know about Robert). He still didn't know what to say to her, so he didn't call her, but texted her instead.
Robert is okay. I'm sorry I didn't call, he texted, and a few seconds after that he texted again. I was stupid.
After this message he realized he forgot to call his family and Stannis, so he called home. It was past bed time, but Father still picked up the phone.
"Stark house. Rickard speaking."
"Hi, Dad. Just wanted to let you know that Robert woke up."
"How was he?"
"Okay. He has a notion that he shouldn't have done this, and he ate and everything. He's now asleep again."
"Ahhh… that must be good. I'll tell your siblings and Stannis if any of them is still awake."
"Do that. The police are coming tomorrow. Do you think he needs a lawyer or anything?"
"No, I don't think so. But we'll see. Just call me if you think it would be advised."
"Okay. Thank you, Dad. And good night."
"Sleep well, son."
Ending the call, Ned found his place on the chair again, to get ready to sleep for a bit, but there was an alert for a new message in his phone, so he opened it.
Don't be stupid again. Kiss Robert for me. We'll talk tomorrow
He did not kiss Robert for her, but he patted his hand, and told him that Catelyn sent her love, before closing his eyes for a restless sleep.
Like the previous night, he didn't fully sleep, closing his eyes here and there, but the sounds in the hospital kept him awake, and also the fear of Robert getting worse. Ned fully woke up and got up at 6 am. Knowing how both Baratheon brothers liked to sleep late, he took his time to go to the bathroom and buy some food at the cafeteria and vending machines, before going back to his room.
He ate in peace, leaving the rest for Renly, and waited for them to wake up. The nurse stopped by a few times, asking if the patient was awake yet. It was a new nurse, he hadn't seen her over the weekend. She warned him if he didn't wake up soon, she would have to wake him up – the police were coming soon.
"You have thirty minutes," she said, before leaving the room. Ned waited twenty minutes before waking up Robert.
"Robert, wake up," Ned said, shaking him a bit.
"Ned… what's going on?" he said, opening his eyes.
"You're in the hospital, don't you rememb…"
"I do. Sorry, forgot for a few seconds."
"How did you sleep?"
"Okay, I guess. But I'm kind of hungry right now."
"The police are coming. Do you want to eat before they get here?"
"Nah… I think I can wait. They won't take long, right? Will I be in trouble?"
"I don't know," Ned answered honestly; he had no idea what they wanted with him. "I should wake up your brother. We must leave before the cops are here."
"Okay. Thanks for staying, and looking after him," Robert thanked him.
"No problem. Just worry about getting back on your feet," Ned said, standing up and going to the cot where Renly was sleeping. "Renly… you need to wake up."
"Mom, just a few more seconds…"
Ned laughed before remembering that he could never get his mom's honest answer to that anymore.
"It's Ned, Renly. Wake up," he said, shaking him again. Renly opened his eyes, and looked up at them.
"Ned… what time is it?"
"Time to wake up, little brother," Robert said from the bed.
"Robert!" he exclaimed, getting up and running to his brother. "You're still awake. I thought it had been a dream."
"Nahh… I'm up, kid. But you need to go with Ned, now."
"Ohhh… okay," he said, leaving Robert.
"Do you want to go to the cafeteria to eat? I bought food, but we can eat that later."
"Cafeteria sounds okay," Renly said. "Bye, Robert. We'll be back in a few."
"I'll be here, kid. Ned." Ned left the room with Renly, and noticed the cops already outside.
"We're going down to the cafeteria for awhile. Do you know how long the police will take?" Ned asked the nurse, the same one that had come to the room earlier.
"Not sure, but I think the doctors want to talk to him too. So maybe take one hour, just to be safe."
"If something happens…"
"We'll call immediately," she promised him.
Ned took Renly to the cafeteria and they stayed there for a while. The room had quite a few people: not so many doctors or nurses, but more people like him. Ned ordered toast and a bottle of chocolate milk for Renly, and they took their places together at the table.
Mid-meal, someone approached Renly. It was an older woman staying at the hospital for her son and daughter-in-law. She had noticed Renly and his brothers the previous night while they all waited for news about the accident.
"I'm sorry about your parents, son."
"Thank you," Renly said.
"We wish the best for your son and daughter-in-law," Ned added.
"They've always been strong." The lady left after that, and Renly went back to eating his breakfast.
"What do you think can happen to Robert now?"
"I don't know. We will see… but nothing too bad I'm sure." Ned wasn't that sure, but he didn't want to worry Renly even more.
While they dragged out breakfast the most they could, after half an hour none of them could stand being in the cafeteria anymore, so they went for a bit of air outside. They didn't go very far away from the hospital; they just walked the grounds so they could stretch their legs, and look at the sky.
It had been a bit over 50 minutes when they decided to go back inside the hospital. They already knew the way to the room, so they moved freely without having to ask for directions until they got closer to the room and asked the nurse if the room was free to enter.
"Yes, the doctor and cops already talked to him."
"Has he eaten?"
"Yes. I took out his IV already – he seems to be hydrated now."
"Thank you," Ned said, before entering the room. Robert was still in bed, laying against the wall, with a few flyers in his hands. "So how did it go?"
"Good news. I'll be able to pee alone soon – they are taking out the caterer and the bags and stuff."
"And the cops?" Renly asked.
"They asked a few questions. But I'll probably only have to pay a fine or do some community work."
"So nothing too bad…" Ned tried to reassure him, and Robert nodded. "And those flyers…"
"Renly, would you mind waiting a bit outside while I talk to Ned? It's nothing bad, I just want to discuss it with him first, I'll talk to you right after." Renly looked down, nodded sadly, and moved out of the room, to sit in the chairs outside.
"What's going on?" Ned asked, and Robert motioned for him to sit closer and gave him the flyers. Ned looked down and saw they were mostly for rehab centers.
"After the police were here. The doctors came and they brought a shrink with them. Since I had an overdose, they had to check on my background and stuff. I totally didn't mean to kill myself; I was trying to numb the pain, and since I never did that before – I messed up the doses."
"Okay – I'm really sorry I didn't…"
"Not your fault. Don't worry," Robert told him again. "We talked a bit more. While we totally reached the conclusion I'm not addicted to drugs, drinking was another thing. I've not been that good these past months, and this was just the final straw."
"But you're young…"
"It doesn't mean that it's forever. But like, they advised me to stop for awhile, and that it would be better to check in into one of these things."
"You want to do this?"
"You know, Mom and Dad would want this. I know they are… were worried about me and the drinking. Mom sometimes took the bottles out of my room, but I always got new ones."
"You need to do this for yourself."
"I am. And since I have the money it would be good to do this with professional help. I would be doing a 20 days plan in the institution, and then AA. I still need to talk to the school, to see if I can do it and not lose a year."
"I'll bring you notes and stuff, and you can study in your free time. And then Catelyn and I can catch you up in anything else you need."
"Thanks." Ned quickly hugged Robert after that. "You should call Renly back in. I need to tell him the news."
Robert told him about his plans to register for rehab, and Renly took it rather well.
"Where are you staying? Can we go visit you?"
"Sure, I think I have the right to visitations. I'm thinking Oldtown, it's the best place in Westeros, and I don't really wanna leave the state."
"Please don't. Oldtown is good. Professor Cressen lives there."
"Cressen?"
"Ohhh…" Renly said, realizing nobody had told him. "He's coming to look after us. Ned's father and Stannis called a few family members, and he was the only one that could, even if it's just in February."
"Where are you staying until then?"
"With Ned," Renly said smiling.
"So my brothers get to live with the Starks and I don't," Robert complained. "You'll do good there," he told Renly. "Your father, as my honorary guardian, should inform the school, shouldn't he?"
"Professor Cressen probably has to give the final conformation, but they will trust my dad. And there will be paperwork to handle too, about your guardian."
Ned took out his phone to text his father about this new information and to call the school; Father immediately promised to do that, and gave his best wishes for Robert's treatment and for him not to worry about this side of things.
The nurse came in a few moments after, asking if she could take a few of the wires, including the catheter and the bags.
"Do you want to leave?"
"They can stay," Robert answered.
"Okay, just go to the other side of Robert." They moved. "This may hurt." She started pulling something, and Ned could tell it hurt by Robert's face, even though he was trying to distract himself.
"So you like what you see?" Robert asked, grinning.
"Kid, I'm very happily married. With two kids and one kid on the way."
"You're pregnant?!" Renly exclaimed excited. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"We don't know yet."
"Do you have any preference?" Ned asked
"We have two boys already, so a girl would be good, but we wouldn't mind a boy either."
"Ohhh… two boys – you don't seem old enough to have two kids," Robert commented, Ned prepared to knock him on the leg, but the nurse stopped him.
"Don't do that. Keep it for later," she said. "My husband and I married early and we have two beautiful boys."
"Can I feel your belly?" Renly asked.
"Good move," Robert said, winking, while Renly blushed.
"You can just after I finish with your brother." She continued working on Robert under the sheet. She quickly finished and put everything away, including her gloves. "You should try the bathroom now."
"I'll help," Ned offered, and helped Robert stand while Renly touched the nurse's belly.
"I can't feel much."
"It's still too small. Willas and Garlan say the same – those are my kids."
"Funny names. How big will your belly get?"
She showed him the size using her hands. Renly asked something else after that, but Ned had already left the room.
Ned helped Robert into the bathroom, but once there, Robert made sure to do the rest alone without any major problems; and when they moved back into the room, Renly was already alone in there waiting.
Robert got back into the bed, and they sat around, they continued talking and laughing. Ned felt like Robert wanted to get some conversation in before going to the rehab center.
The psychiatrist that had been with Robert before came in and took some information so he could sign in into rehab. He chose the Oldtown place and agreed to leave tomorrow.
Renly and Ned left them alone, so they could get more food. They took it up with the rest they already had, and ate with Robert and his hospital food.
"Robert, it seems you have another visitor," the nurse said, coming into the room. "She's not the same girl as yesterday, according to the other people on the floor. How many girls do you have?" she asked smiling.
"Just a friend of his," a very familiar voice said. And Catelyn entered the room. "Hi, everybody!"
"How are you feeling?" Catelyn asked Robert, kissing him on the cheek.
"Better. Have you met my youngest brother? Renly, Catelyn."
"Ned's girlfriend," Renly said.
"I guess the word about me got around," she said laughing and hugging the youngest kid before finally going to Ned.
"Hi."
"Hi. I'm sorry about yesterday," he apologized.
"We will talk about that later," she said, sitting on the arm of his chair and kissing the top of his head. "I brought my notes from class."
"Thanks. But shouldn't you be in class?"
"The teacher excused us, and I talked to Varys about skipping the paper today."
"So people know about my problem?"
"Yeah, but you may be upstaged."
"What upstages an overdose?"
"Elia and Jaime started dating."
"What?! Elia Martell and Jaime Lannister!" Robert exclaimed.
"Yeah. So you see why people are not paying as much attention to you. But a few people are coming over – Lyanna is arranging a group."
"I don't… Can you ask Lyanna not to come?" Robert asked.
"Are you sure?" Ned asked. The way she was yesterday, she was really hurting. She would want to see him breathing and alive.
"Yeah. If I need to heal, I should do it properly. I don't blame your sister, but she's one of the causes I'm hurting."
"Okay, I'll text Lyanna," Catelyn said taking out her phone. "Healing? What do you mean?"
"I'm going to rehab for twenty days. For alcohol, not drugs. Ned promised that you would help me catch up if needed."
"I will," Catelyn smiled. "Are you coming to class tomorrow?"
"Mid-morning. I'll see Robert off first."
"Okay," she said smiling, before softly dropping into Ned's lap and pointing to her legs and Robert's bed.
"Sure," he nodded; and she put her legs on top of his bed.
"So Renly, how's school going?" Catelyn asked, and the youngest Baratheon brother started speaking.
They stayed like that for a while. Renly was doing most of the speaking, but everyone seemed happy about that. Catelyn felt good and safe in his arms, and Robert smiled.
Soon it would be time for the rest of the Starks to arrive, and the friends to come as well; Catelyn could stay no longer, so she said goodbye to everyone, kissing Ned on the lips, and hugging Robert, who whispered something to her. Ned didn't know what he said, only that it ended with:
"Look after him. He has the tendency to worry."
Also if you are still sad about Cassana and Steffon's deaths last chapter, and want to cheer up - you can check out my Cassana/Steffon rom-com: Stormlanders in King's Landing. Enjoy!