"She stopped breathing!" Roan announced as he hurried over to the setup on the table. Blood ran trails down Mal's dangling arm and dripped carelessly from her fingertips, leaving a trail across the floor that they knew would forever stain it. Jay helped guide the unconscious girl to the floor, his heart jumping into his throat at the sticky wetness that immediately coated his hands. Evie and Carlos dropped next to them and Evie immediately put her ear to Mal's unmoving chest.
"Shit!" Evie cried as she tried to reign in the emotions that threatened to run away from her. In fact, everyone was fighting to do the same thing. If they panicked, then they would be no use to Mal right now. The stomach churning stench of blood had never bothered her before, but when it was coating her best friend, she wanted to vomit. No sounds were coming from Mal's lungs and alarm coursed through her. Having no other choice, she tilted the girl's head back and the taste of her best friend's blood coated her lips as she desperately tried to breathe life back into her. It lasted entirely too long, but eventually, a shudder went through Mal's body as she finally took a breath on her own.
Her breathing started to come more normally after a few moments, and then it started to come entirely too fast as the pain from her injuries caused her to start to hyperventilate. And if it wasn't bad already, Mal's green eyes flew open and stared around wildly, taking in the hands that were all over her and pressing into her wounds. She started to move, igniting the pain in her body to a new level as those same hands fought to hold her down.
"Mal, stop!" Carlos yelled as he wrestled with the arm that had hit him across the face. He grabbed it and pinned it to the floor, placing pressure back on her shoulder that was refusing to stop bleeding.
"It's us, you're safe!" Evie tried, but her words were not reaching her. She had no idea how Mal had this much strength in her state. "Dahlia!" she yelled, switching tactics, "grab the brown bag off the table and bring it to me." As Dahlia did as she was told, she jerked her head at Uma to come and take her place. She ripped open the bag that was handed to her, still dusty at having been hidden in the wall, and dug through the bottles until she found the one she wanted.
"Where the hell did you get morphine?" Uma asked as she couldn't believe her eyes. Stuff like that was extremely rare on the Isle. People killed eachother for that kind of stuff.
Evie glanced at her and offered her a sheepish smile as she worked. "Cruella," she answered. "Carlos paid for it harshly, but…"
"She's crazy," Carlos finished with a shudder as he remembered that night. "I convinced her it was all in her head that she even had it in the first place."
"I don't think so," Dahlia argued as she fought to keep Mal still, eyeballing the syringe that Evie now had drawn up. "She said not to ever use any of that shit on her," she pleaded in vain as Jay gave her a sad smile. She then looked to Roan for help, but then connected the dots that this was what he had meant when he has said 'last resort.' He ignored her as he pressed into a gash on Mal's leg.
Evie just shot her a glare, and then dropped back to the floor and fought for control of the arm that was now pitifully trying to push her away. She managed to empty the liquid into the crook of Mal's arm, and then moments later the girl's movements stilled and her eyes became a little more focused. Her green eyes darted around the room for a few moments as she realized the she was back in a safe place, and Evie had the sense to clear the crowding. "Uma, Dahlia, Roan…we can handle it from here," she said as she read the emotions coming from Mal. She didn't want Mal to panic with so many people in the room.
"No," Uma argued, already emotionally invested in this, "I'm not…"
"You are welcome to stay downstairs," Jay said in a dangerous tone, "or we can send you an update at your ship when we have one." The invitation was more like an order, and Uma was about to argue before realizing that she wouldn't win here. Jay held his body rigidly while Roan was coiled to back him up. Even Dahlia had adjusted her position to jump in if she needed to. She had overstayed her welcome.
"I'll be at my ship," she growled, shooting Mal a respectful nod as she retreated. She knew the girl didn't see it; she was too busy fighting the darkness that threatened to bring her back into unconsciousness.
Dahlia and Roan followed her out, and the rest were left in the room to continue staunching the bleeding and tending to all of the wounds littering Mal's small frame. "What the hell did she do to you?" Jay asked as he grabbed Mal's arm, nodding for Carlos to hold her shoulder down so that they could pop it back into place. He looked to Mal in warning, but she already knew it was coming. Her breathing sped back up as Jay counted down from three, and then a moan followed by a broken cry slipped past her lips. "Im sorry, Im sorry," Jay cried out as he clenched his fist in regret before gently prodding the injury to ensure that it had gone back in correctly.
"Fuck you," Mal whispered hoarsley as she tried to bite back the bile rising into her throat, but a round of coughing seized control of her body as blood sprayed from her lips. She couldn't stop the cry of pain that followed no matter how hard she tried as the movements jarred her abused form. She rolled over onto her side as even more pain gripped her body, but she needed to get the blood out of her lungs that were slowly trying to drown her.
"Shit, Mal!" Jay yelled in alarm when he caught a glimpse of the gashes crisscrossing her back, the pale skin dyed a mixture of red and purple as the blood seemed to mix into the bruising. He held her still as he motioned for Carlos to hand him the scissors that he had used to cut her jeans away, and then cut what remained of her undershirt away from her body, leaving her in her blood stained bra and underwear. It looked awful, but upon closer inspection, it could wait until they got some of her other injuries under control. With one hand he grabbed a towel and placed it under her before gently rolling her back and flinching at the sharp cry that came from his friend. His eyes raked over her, taking inventory of the injuries but not quite figuring out where to start. He may be her second, but it was Evie and Carlos that had the most experience in this area. He let Evie take control, and he just did as she said.
Each time Mal's eyes fluttered closed as she came close to unconsciousness, she was jerked back into the cruel world as they poked and prodded at her wounds. "Jay, hold pressure into her shoulder. I think it's a knife wound but I need you to do that while I try to manage the one in her stomach." Evie's hands shook as she pulled the cloth away from the worst wound they had found in her middle to get a closer look. Blood rushed around the stab wound, and she quickly pressed the cloth back into it as she gathered her thoughts at what she saw glinting back at her...the blade had snapped off and was still in there. She was no surgeon and she had no idea what to do. This couldn't wait and it was going to hurt like hell, but she had to try. If it was made of what she thought it was, it could be a death sentence the longer it was stuck in there. "Carlos, can you close the one on her leg?" she asked, needing a moment to think.
"Yes ma'am" he said, and she found that he was already working on it.
Right, she thought as she looked at Mal, meeting her eyes and tears springing to them when she realized just how much her friend was fighting not to be screaming in agony. Mal was gritting her teeth as she lied there helpless, lips quivering as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and mixed with the blood on her face. When Mal tore her gaze away from hers, she knew she was close to losing it. "Let me give you some more morphine…"
"N-No."
It was such a shaky but firm 'no,' but Evie realized that she knew the blade was still in there. The crew came before her and Evie knew how she felt about wasting their supplies on her. "Mal, this is going to hurt…"
Carlos then cocked his head at the girls. "What-"
"J-J-Jay…" Mal tried pitifully as her teeth chattered while her entire body shook, she was finally starting to go into shock.
"I got it, Mal," he said as he cut his eyes between her and Evie. "I'll make sure she doesn't give you anymore." He threw a pack of sutures over to Evie, who dumped it onto Mal's chest to prepare for what was to come next.
"Fine," Evie said as she reached over and grabbed some alcohol, "but you can't hate me for doing this to you." Mal gave a nervous laugh as Evie drenched her hands in the liquid, but the grip Evie felt on her leg tightened as she made eye contact with the boys to warn them about what was coming next as she held the bottle ready to pour over the wound.
"Oh god," Carlos realized when Evie peeled back the cloth again for just a moment. "The blade is still in there?!"
Evie hesitated for just a moment, because she noticed the needle slipping from the girl's arm as Jay tossed it to the side. Mal didn't notice it, and Evie met his eyes with a thankful nod. Mal didn't say anything about him giving her more morphine.
A moment later to give the drugs some time to kick in, they stopped what they were doing and held her down, allowing her to bite on a twisted cloth to muffle the scream that was going to rip itself from her throat in the next moment. When it did, Carlos gagged not at the sight of Evie's fingers digging into the wound, but at the sounds coming from Mal that shook him to his core.
The pain in Mal's middle went from searing pain, straight to blinding agony faster than she could blink. Her throat felt as it it were bleeding as the scream clawed its way through her vocal chords, but she didn't care about that as much as the white hot torture her friends were putting her though. Actually, she couldn't care about anything except for making the pain stop. She thrashed as the pain grew, and just when it was at its peak, it finally pulled her under its curse and blackness washed over her like a rogue wave.
Evie felt sick as she pulled the blade from Mal, and released a tiny, "no," when she realized what it was made of. "It's iron…" she muttered, throwing the old, chipped blade to the side and quickly pressing the cloth back into the wound before setting herself to cleaning and stitching it closed. She was hoping and praying that she got it all, but there was no telling based on how damaged the blade had been. Even the tiniest piece left behind would poison the fae girl. She was so thankful that she had passed out, because she didn't think she would be able to stand the sounds of absolute agony that would have been coming from her.
A harsh realization hit Evie as she worked to close the stab wound. Mal was so pale, much more than usual. Her eyes kept flitting to her friend's face and both of the boys realized that something was up. It was Carlos though who voiced her fears.
"She's lost too much blood, hasn't she?" he asked as he finished up a line of stitches. He was all too aware of the blood coating them all, as well as the floor and pile of discarded clothes.
Instead of answering the obvious, she tried recollecting on one of the science class lessons they all took in some of the first weeks in Auradon. "Do you guys remember the biology class on blood typing we took? You two were in a different class, but I think Mal was A- if I remember correctly, which sucks because that really doesn't leave her with a lot of options." Evie was breathless as she tried to get it all out. "I'm not a match, but I'm praying that one of you is and was paying attention that day."
"I think I was B+," Carlos answered, "but I'm not sure and I don't remember what matches with what. Was it opposites attract?" he asked, a little hopeful.
"No, Carlos," Evie groaned in frustration, "it does not unless it comes to dating. God, am I the only one who paid attention in that class?" Tears brimmed her eyes as she wiped at a bead of blood that escaped her sutures, hands shaking as she shuddered in fear of what could happen to her.
Jay caught her attention when he leaned over to the table and grabbed the tubing that would have been used to save Mal's life, and shoved it towards her. "I remember that class well, because Lonnie and I were lab partners and she was so excited that we matched. We were both A- which means that I hope you know how to do this because I have no idea."
"Seriously?" Carlos muttered in disbelief when Evie began ripping the contents of the package open. "You of all people paid attention in a science class?"
"Are you absolutely sure, Jay?" Evie asked as she grabbed his arm and wiped alcohol at its crease. "Because if you aren't, you won't be the one saving her."
"I'm sure, Eve's," he said with a reassuring smile before it slipped into a frown. "Are you sure about hers though?"
Evie didnt answer for a moment, but then gave a shaky yes. "She was bored the whole time so I mostly did the lab for the both of us. I'm positive that she's A- and two A- match. Besides, we really don't have a choice because she needs this." In the end, Evie got the blood flowing from Jay and into Mal, giving her the chance she needed to survive the attack on her life.
"I think we pretty much got it all," Carlos said as he wrapped a gash on her arm. She was still coated in blood, but most of the wounds that needed stitching or covering had been tended to.
Jay shattered the peace when he pointed out one last thing. "We can't forget about her back."
"Shit," Evie mumbled under her breath as she gave Mal another look over. "I don't know if we should do that right now. Her body has already been through too much and shes in shock."
Jay gently rolled Mal over a bit, and then sighed as he reached for more sutures, being mindful of the tubing in their arms that connected them. "We have to. A few of them are too deep and still bleeding. They will get infected if we don't at least try."
"Well," Carlos said as he examined the situation, "we can't have her laying on her front. There's too much damage there, and not to mention the fact that she's been coughing up blood. I'm afraid her lungs will collapse if we put more unnecessary strain on them."
"Well someone will just have to hold her!" Evie said in a fake, cheerful voice. She was having such a hard time keeping it all together as the smell of blood was starting to get to her. "As long as she stays asleep, we should be fine!"
"Evie," Jay called calmly as he reached out and grabbed her arm. "It's going to be okay. We found her and she is getting help."
Tears started to fall from her eyes, and Carlos moved closer to her and leaned into her for comfort. "She's out right now, so she isn't feeling a thing. She's getting blood and when we are done with her back, we are going to get her in bed and then go from there. Everything is under control and she is going to be fine."
She blew out a shaky breath and then wiped her face on her shoulder. "I know," she managed. "It just sucks that Maleficent would do something like this to her own daughter; again."
"It does suck," Jay continued as he shifted to hold Mal, "but it happened. We always get through it, and tonight is no different."
Figuring out what to do, Carlos and Evie gently helped to situate Mal around Jay so that he was holding her in his lap, exposing her back so that Evie could tend to the criss crossing violence that marked her there. Mal was straddling Jay's lap to keep her comfortable as he rested his back into the couch, and her head rested into the crook of his neck. Her hands were limp between them, but Jay elected to not say a word to Evie and Carlos when those same hands twisted into his shirt at his chest about halfway through. He whispered tiny words of encouragement to her between each flinch, and snaked his hand into one of hers. He felt her tears running down his neck as he did his best to secretly calm the injured girl, not wanting to call attention to her that she didn't want. He didn't mind the nails digging into his palm, and her silent cries of pain filled his Isle hardened heart with sorrow.
It took a while to get it all but when they were done, he still held her as they cleaned up her back and some around them as well. In this time, Mal had managed to either pass out again or fall asleep. Carlos muttered something about being glad she wasn't awake for any of that, and Jay hummed absentmindedly in agreement as he rubbed his thumb soothingly over the top of the hand that was in his still.
"I need to get her cleaned up before we get her in bed," Evie announced as she got up painfully and rummaged in one of the drawers. Each shirt she pulled out, she frowned in frustration. "Jay, I need one of your shirts I think. All of hers are a little too tight and I don't want them rubbing on everything."
"Bottom drawer," he mouthed, making sure Mal was asleep before whispering to Carlos. "Go get Dahlia to help Evie if she's still here." It had been hours since Mal was brought to them, and even then it was late into the night. The light wasn't peeking into the room yet, but he knew it had to be only a few hours away.
"You know she will be," Evie said as she dropped back down to their level and brushed some of Mal's hair behind her ear. She noticed fresh trails carved into her blood covered face, starting from her eyes and she looked at Jay in alarm. "Has she been awake?"
He looked at her sheepishly and Evie bit her quivering lip. "You should have said something."
"She's okay," he assured. "She woke up about halfway through, but she's asleep now."
Instead of responding, Evie busied herself with pulling the tubing from both of their arms and letting out a shaky breath here and there to ward off the crying fit she was so ready to release.
A slight commotion at the door got their attention when Dahlia rushed in after Carlos. "Is she okay?" the girl asked, no longer covered in blood from when they found her and rushed her back to the safehouse.
"For now," Evie admitted, still hurt by the entire situation. "Can you help me get her cleaned up?"
Dahlia nodded to her and kneeled next to Jay, helping to untangle Mal and allowing her to lean on her while Jay slid away and then with a regretful last glance, he left the room with Carlos. As gently and delicately as possible, the girls washed the blood away from Mal's body and cringed every time a spot wouldn't remove itself, revealing it to be yet another bruise or scrape marring her skin. Deep purples covered Mal's battered body, and Evie could make out boot prints, hand prints, what she thought were taser marks and who knew what else. The taser marks confused her as she cleaned the burned skin, wondering how such a thing had gotten on the Isle. It was Dahlia who concluded that it was left over from the Beastmasters who were in charge of the wild animals, back when they were caged. She then felt broken ribs and collarbone, noticed her purple and swollen shoulder from the dislocation, stab wounds to her other shoulder, leg, and most definitely the worst one in her stomach. She saw the cuts on her face, on the bridge of her nose, her lip, temple, and cheek; all outlined or nested in yet more deep purples. The old scar on her throat had been split back open and hidden beneath bandages, and they discovered a head wound as they washed the blood from her hair when the water ran a sickly crimson. Her back now matched Jay's, figuring it to have been a whip that caused such damage, although they didn't know what had made the marks so much deeper to the point of stitches. Mal's knuckles were raw and red, one of them broken from refusing to go down without a fight. Evie realized that she had been shackled with yet more iron as she slathered on antiseptic around the bleeding and burned wrists. The cut on her hand told her that she had used the pin she had inserted under her skin in case she was ever captured, and she regretted rolling her eyes at the girl when she had walked in on her after she had done it all those years ago; right after yet another attempt on her life from Maleficent. After finally washing the final traces of blood from her skin, the girls touched up and added more bandages before sliding on fresh underwear and Jay's large gray tee shirt, covering only some of the heartbreaking sights beneath the fabric.
"I think we're done here," Evie concluded, careful not to touch the girl now that Mal was clean, but she was now the one covered in her best friend's blood. "Can you get Jay and Carlos to move her into the bed?" she asked, hiding her eyes that she knew were starting to leak.
"Sure thing," Dahlia promised as she started to slip from the room. "I'll be downstairs if you all need anything. Try and get some sleep too. You all haven't gotten much since you got here 3 days ago."
Three days ago? No wonder she felt so dead tired. Everything was happening back to back and they haven't caught a break yet. And three days? That meant that they were due back in Auradon Sunday morning; and today was Wednesday. How were they going to manage that with Mal in her condition? If the royals discovered what had happened to them, they were not going to believe who did it and blame gang violence, booting them from Auradon and ruining any chance they had in freeing the Isle from the villains' grasp. The evidence of the clashes with the VK gangs were everywhere; and no one would believe that they were just doing the things they had to do just to survive. It was none of their faults that they were in this situation; the VKs were innocent.
Evie jumped when a touch to her shoulder jolted her from her thoughts. She didn't hear Jay and Carlos return. "We got her, Eve's," Carlos said as he pushed her towards the door. "Go get cleaned up and get something to eat." She shot her eyes back over to Mal and saw that Jay was gathering her into his arms, most likely to put her in the bed. The boys had cleaned themselves up and even showered. She shuddered at the thought of the freezing water washing the carnage from her own skin, but she sighed and trusted the boys to take care of Mal until she got back.
There were a bunch of Dragons still in the safehouse when Evie made it to the second level. Most of them were fast asleep on the various couches and mats, but the worry evident on their faces told them that they cared deeply for Mal. The ones still awake gave her a sympathetic nod, but she ignored them on her way to the bathroom. She didn't know if she would be able to handle meeting their gazes after all she had been through. When she walked into the small bathroom, she threw her clean clothes into a bundle on the floor and turned on the tap to the shower. Just as she was about to strip her clothes off, she groaned in frustration when she realized that she wouldn't be able to shower due to her stitches.
Nevertheless, she let the cold water run as she instead gripped the sink and fought not to look into the mirror. Her chest heaved as the emotions built to a point that she could no longer keep them in and she collapsed onto the floor with a gut-wrenching cry. Why did their lives have to be like this? Why were they subjected to all of the tortures and horrors of the world when not even a few miles away, the kids that were her exact same age were living so happy and carefree. And why in the world would a parent want to hurt their child? A child that they raised, and gave them life. Why?
It really didn't matter why, because at that moment, there was no answer to her questions. They were alone in this world, save for their crew who also found themselves asking 'why' just like her. It would take a miracle for them to get to wake up one day and not have to fear for their lives, or for the lives of those they cared about.
It took everything she had to get back on her feet and strip her bloodied clothes off. Still, she refused to look in the mirror as she wiped off not only Mal's blood, but also her own that had seeped from her stitches. She had to squeeze her eyes shut as she cleaned that one spot on her ribs, just going through the motions until she thought it was clean enough before hurriedly slapping on another clean bandage. As she leaned over the tub and washed the carnage from the night from her hair, she realized that she should have done that first as her stitches pulled and bled some more. She wouldn't redress them though because they had burned through too many of their supplies already.
From start to finish, she was only in there for less than 30 minutes. She wanted to get back up to Mal and get into their warm bed as the frigid water had her shivering. Hoping that Jay wouldn't mind, she had grabbed another one of his shirts and pulled it on before slipping on the rest of her clothing, cringing each time she moved and her muscles burned. She gathered up her belongings, and paused at the mirror once more, still not daring to look at her reflection as she used to a dozen or more times a day. One peek is all she wanted, but the throbbing at the cut on her forehead told her not to do it. The cut on her lip told her not to do it. The dark circles under her eyes, hair tied messily onto the top of her head, and the bruising that she just knew littering her skin told her she was imperfect. No, imperfect wasn't the word she was referring to. With how she looked right now and the scars that would never be able to be hidden beneath her clothing...she would never be the fairest of them all ever again. She didn't need a mirror to tell her how her heart felt.
Everyone was in bed when Evie got back to the room. She squeezed in gently between Mal and Carlos, savoring the warmth they emitted as tiredness washed over her. They were all wishing for their heated rooms and warm showers back in Auradon. Here, it was cold showers and bundling together to stay warm. Mal was violently shivering from the cold and shock, and all they could do to keep warm was crawl into bed with her and share their body heat.
Later that morning when light began to scarcely shine through the window, it seemed as if things were just like it was before Auradon; and then reality hit. Fear gripped the dragons each time they looked at Mal. It seemed as if death was just hovering around her, waiting to take her away from them. They wouldnt let it though. All day, they stuck to her side and tried their hardest to slip her pain relief and antibiotics. Mal wasnt even aware of where she was; in fact, she never even opened her eyes at them. The crew knew she hadnt given up and that she was fighting because it was just who she was. By the end of the night, they were terrified to fall asleep for fear that they would miss something that Mal needed. They all were climbed into bed with her once again, and jumped at the tiniest of sounds coming from the injured girl.
In the end, It didn't take long for them to fall asleep from the exhaustion, but it was Jay who woke later to ragged breathing and tiny gasps for air coming from Mal. As gently as he could, he turned over to see her finally awake in the early morning light, staring at the ceiling and trying desperately to be still as she struggled through the pain and tightness in her chest. Evie on her other side with Carlos on the end remained in a deep sleep, but he knew the girl was suffering. "Can't sleep?" he whispered sarcastically, hoping to make Mal smile. A restrained cough shook her body and she sucked in a tiny bit of oxygen before holding it, and then shakily releasing it. This was her attempt to keep her body as still as possible to keep the waves of pain at bay. A small tear slipped from the corner of her eye as she focused on her task and remained staring at the ceiling, and Jay knew that he had to do something. "What can I do?" he asked, rolling into a sitting position and freezing when he noticed the blue tinge on Mal's split, quivering lips. "Mal?" he asked, a little more worried now that he knew she wasnt getting enough oxygen.
"H-hurts," she breathed as she let out another restrained cough that forced its way through her broken ribs and out of her aching lungs, held it, and then released it yet again in a broken breath.
He narrowed his eyes in understanding and got up, cringing when his bare feet touched the frigid floor. He shuffled over to the table still cluttered with medical supplies and rummaged in the brown bag until he found the pain meds and antibiotics that he had swiped in Auradon. He made his way back over to Mal and prepared to grab her. "Come here," he said gently as he pulled the covers away from her and flung them over the still sleeping Evie and Carlos.
"N-no," Mal growled at the sight of the pills before releasing even more coughs that she fought to unsuccessfully this time to squash down. She tried pushing him away but Jay continued in his quest.
He did his best to grab her beneath her legs and shoulders, hoisting her into his arms as she choked on a sharp cry, carrying her around to the end of the bed. "Do you really want to try fighting me right now?" he asked as she bit her lip to keep from crying out again. He kicked a pillow over and sat on it as he adjusted Mal as he did the other night, taking the strain off of her back and middle, as well as giving her lungs a break from the pressure. "Take these," he offered as he pushed the pills to her lips to which he knew she would refuse.
"No," she argued through gritted teeth, not knowing that they had been giving them to her every few hours anyways, and Jay sighed in frustration.
"Why do you have to be such a bitch?" he asked, angry at the girl for refusing help. "If you dont at least take the antibiotic, you could die, Mal. What would Ember do then? Who would protect her from your mother better than you?"
Mal's emotions were all over the place as the pain was making it hard to control them. She knew what Jay was saying made sense, but she also didn't want to take from her crew. "Antibiotics o-only then," she groaned as she shivered from the cold, wincing as her clothing pulled at her stitches from the movement.
He offered her one of the pills, and then smiled as she accepted the water he put to her lips. She sputtered and coughed more as the pain from swallowing aggravated her throat, raw from screaming in agony before they found her as Jay brushed her hair from her face in concern. Finally she got it down and then wanted nothing more than to lean into Jay's chest and get some sleep. Already her breathing had improved at having the pressure off of it, and her body weight was no longer pressing into the cuts in her back.
"Oops," Jay said mischievously before waving the second pill in her face. "I think I gave you the wrong one. This one is the antibiotic, and that one must have been the painkiller."
"You're such a dick," Mal slurred, her energy zapped and no longer feeling the urge to argue. She allowed him to give it to her and she and got it down a little easier than the previous one before collapsing into Jay with a content sigh.
Jay smiled in triumph, reaching behind him and dragging a heavy blanket off of the bed while hoping not to wake Evie and Carlos, and then wrapped it around him and Mal. He could hear her breathing a little better, and he delicately wrapped his arms around her to try and keep her warm. Despite the goosebumps and shivering she was exhibiting, she radiated warmth and it was a little concerning. He only hoped he could get her to stay on the antibiotics.
"You h-have to bring them home today," he heard mumbled into his chest. At first he was confused, and then he realized that she was talking about Ember and Kenzi.
"Are you sure, Mal? We still don't know the situation with Maleficent and the Huns. She could be waiting for this; for us to bring them out in the open."
Mal shuffled against him as she turned her head so he could hear her better. She unexpectedly released another small cough before swallowing it down, twisting her hands back into the fabric of his shirt in a pain reflex. "And what happens when s-she finds them and we aren't there?" she managed hoarsely as her chest heaved from the effort of talking. "They are safer with us...and we are br-bringing them to Auradon."
Her words got softer and more quiet as they trailed off, and Jay couldn't quite believe his ears. "Auradon? How the hell are we going to manage that?"
Mal let out a little laugh as Jay felt her hands loosening around his shirt. "We hide them."
"Seriously? I don't think…" he started, but stopped when Mal became more of a deadweight against him. "Mal?" He tried in concern, but she didn't answer; she had fallen asleep. He let his mind wander a bit until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He really needed to check in with Roan and Dahlia to see what they had learned in Hun territory. With a sigh, he checked Mal's breathing one last time and then allowed himself to drift back into a much needed sleep.
Later, the light had grown stronger in the room and Carlos was the first to officially wake for the day. The warmth beside him told him that Evie was still asleep, so he gently rolled from the cozy bed and grimaced as the cold room chilled him to his bones. He looked back one last time to check on Mal, but was startled to see that neither she nor Jay were in the bed anymore, and alarm coursed through him. He was about to run for the door when he noticed the shapes at the end of the bed, wrapped in blankets and sleeping soundly. His sigh of relief must have been louder than he thought because Jay's eyes flew open in the next instant, and he busied himself with checking over Mal who was still wrapped around him. "Is she okay?" he whispered in concern before dropping next to the bundled pair.
Jay jumped in surprise at his presence, but then pieced together that it wasn't Mal who had made that breathy sound. "Carlos you scared the shit out of me," he admitted before pulling the blankets around him and Mal even tighter. He sighed himself before resting his cheek against Mal's head, grateful that she was still asleep. "We had a rough night. I woke up and she couldn't breathe; her lips were blue. She was in so much pain that I actually was able to get her to take some medicine."
"Mal?" Carlos asked in disbelief. "Mal took medicine willingly?" He wanted to laugh at the thought, but he stopped himself because for her to do that was not a good sign. Carlos then scooted closer to try and get a look at her. Her face was nestled against Jay's shoulder and her hands were gripping the fabric of his shirt for dear life. A sheen of sweat glistened back at him but at least her lips weren't blue anymore like Jay had said.
"I don't know how much sleep she got since then," Jay whispered as he looked at the light filtering from the boarded window. "I know she wasn't sleeping because every time she coughed I could feel her tense up right before. Her breathing has been unstable but I think she drifted off about an hour and a half ago. She's got a fever."
Carlos was at a loss. "And how much sleep did you get?"
"I'm fine," he responded. "She's more comfortable this way; she can breathe better. How is Evie?" Mal's position against him was preventing him from looking back to see her.
"She's still out," he said as he looked at the other girl wrapped up in blankets. "She had a long few days too. She's probably going to be out for a few more hours."
"Yeah," Jay agreed, "none of us have gotten much rest since we got here. And speaking of rest, I'm clearly not getting any more for the day so I've got to get going."
Carlos lifted his eyebrow in confusion when Jay began to shuffle around. How he didn't disturb Mal was a mystery, because he shimmied out from beneath her and gestured for Carlos to get into the nest of blankets. "Where are you going?" he asked, opening his arms after sliding in as Jay carefully leaned Mal into them before wrapping the warm blanket back around the pair.
"Mal wants me to get the girls. I'm going out with a team to bring them home," he said as he stretched his joints before freezing for a moment. "Don't tell Evie if she wakes up. I don't want her worrying herself into a fit."
"Is that really the best idea?" Carlos asked in disbelief.
"Of course it is," Jay admitted, although he skirted the real question. "Do you want to watch Evie pace back and forth until we get back? She would wear a hole into the floor." He really didn't like the idea of moving the girls now, but if Mal thought it was a good idea, then he would go along with it.
"That's not what I meant, Jay," Carlos said as his eyes flew to Mal who had shuddered from a chill.
Jay sighed. "I know. Mal thinks that they are safer with us and I do agree with her. I'm just wary about moving them now. What if Maleficent is waiting for it?"
"She's been waiting for it for a year," he said. "Maybe moving them when she thinks we wouldn't dare is actually the perfect time."
"You might be right," Jay confessed as he walked quietly to the table and fished out some more medicine. He then rummaged around in the first aid kit and found the packet of electrolytes he was after. "Try and give her this," he asked as he made it back to their side and dumped the powder into the water bottle from last night. "She most likely will fight you, but tell her I'm not letting Ember up here if she doesn't take the antibiotic and the pain medicine."
"Jay be careful," Carlos warned. He didn't know if he could take anymore suffering from his crew. This has already been one of the bloodiest weeks of their lives between the constant battles and tortures. Difficult drop day, fights between the Huns, Mal being taken and tortured, Evie being taken and marred, and then watching as Mal practically bled out in front of them. And they still werent out of the woods yet.
"We'll be fine, 'Los," Jay assured him as he pulled on a sweatshirt. "Besides, I think you will be the one in the most danger when you tell Mal to take those pills."
Carlos snorted in laughter but then cringed when Mal's hand twisted into his shirt this time. He felt her body tense against him so he stilled his movements.
Jay gave him a sad smile, but the gleam in his eye told him 'good luck.' Mal was awake.
The Isle had long since awoken as Jay and his crew stuck to the back alleys on the way to the Tremaines. He sent a patrol towards pirate territory to throw off anyone watching them, and hoped that was distraction enough. He hated to send Roan and Luna that way, but he needed a strong leader to be the face of the distraction. Jay had with him Dahlia, Red, and Maddox, and he hoped that the four of them would be enough to get the girls safely back to the safehouse.
As they scouted the Tremaine household for potential enemies, they found none. That didn't mean that Jay wasn't going to treat the situation any differently. They skirted the buildings surrounding the household and made their way onto the roof of the house next to the salon. The outrageous sign and decor lining the front of the Curl up and Dye salon was enough to shield them as they went down the ladder. One by one they went, landing silently on the salon roof and crawling to the house it connected to. Of course the window was locked, but they forced their way in and relaxed slightly as they found themselves in one of the storage rooms.
It was Dizzy who discovered them first as they were creeping through the house on edge for any danger. "What'cha doing?" she said cheerfully, startling the crew who immediately went on the defensive. In a matter of seconds, they recognized her and relaxed. Her hair was pulled into her usual sloppy buns and her large glasses framed her excited eyes.
"Are we okay here?" Jay asked her as his eyes flitted down the hallway filled with doors that could be hiding danger.
"Of course," the young girl said with a huge smile on her face, trying to peek around them for a glimpse of Evie who was not with them. When she discovered only the four, her face fell but she grabbed Dahlia's hand and pulled her down the hallway towards the living room. "Why are you on this level? I thought you usually dropped off downstairs?"
Dahlia had grown close to the girl just as Evie had because of the drop offs, and telling her that they were here to take the girls would crush her. She elected to keep quiet, because when they emerged in the living room, they found Lady Tremaine and Anastasia, a startled look on their faces.
"Excuse me?" Lady Tremaine asked in alarm as the four warily followed Dizzy into the open space. She was holding Ember, who seemed to be fighting her sleep in the old woman's arms.
The moment the toddler laid eyes on Jay, she grinned wildly, fighting to get down from the old womans arms and ran to him. Jay immediately scooped her up and hugged her close. He hadn't realized how much he actually missed the toddler. Ember had most definitely grown since the last time he had seen her. Her hair was longer and was more purple than her usual rose gold color; almost a soft mulberry now. Most people would think that the crazy hair colors of the Isle was the result of dyes, but it was actually a side effect of being a magic carrier. The suppressed magic under the barrier had no other way to present itself except in the form of biological cues. Mal always said that she was afraid of what her daughter might possess. Ember's eyes though were nothing like Mal's bright green. Instead, they were an otherworldly shade of light lavender. They had never come across another being with purple eyes but it just made the little girl extra special.
He looked past Lady Tremaine and saw Kenzi in Anastasia's arms, and offered her a thankful smile as she came closer. Her hair was a little bit longer as well, and it was the color of midnight blue. It's hard to tell what color her eyes will be as they were still baby blue, but they were so clear that Evie was adamant that they would stay that color. The blue to the baby's hair was an indicator that she carried magic as well, but there was no clue as to what it could possibly be since Evie's was still buried. On the Isle, Evie was extremely gifted at making potions. In Auradon though, those potions packed such a punch that they were sure she had some sort of witch abilities like her mother. It would take some time and experimentation to find out for sure.
Anastasia wasn't sure who she should be talking to, because she looked uncertainly at Dahlia who nodded towards Jay.
"You must be Jay," the woman said with a kind smile. "I assume you are here for the girls. Where are Mal and Evie?" she asked as her eyes wandered behind them.
"They couldn't make it," he told her as Lady Tremaine drifted closer than he liked.
"Is…" the old woman started in concern before slipping a mask over her worried face and straightening her posture, "are Mal and Evie okay? I've heard rumors."
Dizzy, who was clinging to Dahlia cocked her head in question. "What rumors?" she asked as her cheerful face fell.
"Dizzy go to your room," Lady Tremaine ordered.
"But granny!" she wailed before a sharp snap from the woman sent her away in a slump.
The Dragon crew jumped at the snap, but Dizzy did not, telling them that Tremaine indeed was not what the stories had made her out to be. Something had changed in the woman since being on the Isle. That much was true when they saw her delicately cradling Mal's feisty child in her arms the moment they had walked into the room.
As soon as Dizzy was gone, Jay told them a bit of what was going on. "Evie is fine, and Mal is alive...barely," he started, but then said nothing else. He didn't really know what to say.
"I knew it," Tremaine said as her hand flew towards her forehead. "I knew that bitch was going to try something and I did nothing about it."
"Mother!" Anastasia chastised as shock and amusement took over her gentle features.
"Did nothing?" Jay asked. "You saved us all. You gave us a way out and protected these kids with your life. You lied to Maleficent for us. What do you mean 'you did nothing?'"
With a sigh, she walked back over to the couch and sat, immediately causing the rest of the Dragons to relax more into the room. "I could have done more; I should have done more."
"Mother," Anastasia said to her, "you did everything you could."
"Dizzy came to me and said she heard something on the streets," the woman explained. "I almost did nothing, but I sent Anastasia and Dizzy away with the children only hours before Maleficent showed up. I'm so glad I did, because this could have turned out drastically different."
"Is there anything else you can tell us about what Maleficent may be up to?" Jay asked, already briefed on what Dahlia had overheard from the meeting in Hun territory.
Lady Tremaine scoffed but then relaxed when she noticed how the toddler clung to Jay. She was beginning to cry, most likely because she associated him with her mother, who was not there. That child was loved and was nothing like Maleficent in any way. "No, but I can try and find out. I didn't want to risk overstepping in case she suspected something."
Dahlia stepped up then and reached for Kenzi in Anastasia's arms. Jay got the hint that they needed to get going. The quicker they got them back home, the safer that they would be. "Don't do anything that will get you killed," Jay warned. "Mal almost died this time, and she's her daughter."
Lady Tremaine nodded before sauntering back over to them. She brushed her hand over Ember's hair, and then did the same to Kenzi. "Take care of them. We are here for whenever you need."
Jay was shocked. Never in a million years did he think that this angry woman would ever say such a thing or act as she did. Were there others on this Isle worth redemption?
Again, they did not use the door they usually did. They went back to the storage room to sneak out the way they came, but hid the girls before they slipped through the window. Dahlia and Jay both had on oversized sweatshirts, a normal thing for kids of the Isle to wear this time of year...if they had access to such a thing. Kenzi was sound asleep as Red helped situate the baby into the sling around Dahlia's neck. The baby nestled in, and then was hidden by the sweatshirt she pulled over herself. A similar thing was done for Ember, but the child elected to wrap her little arms around Jay as much as she could before disappearing under the clothing. Jay had told her that there was danger, and the tiny girl knew to stay still and quiet. It was something Mal had drilled into her over and over until she got it without fighting back.
The way back to the safehouse was slow going as they made absolutely sure that they were not followed. They stuck to secret paths and made it back without a hitch. A huge sigh of relief sounded as they closed the door behind them, enclosing them back in their safespace. Walking back up to the center level, Jay was surprised to see that Evie was there speaking with some of their crew. When she saw him, he watched her eyes scan them over for any signs of injury, and then finished up with whatever she was talking about. He moved towards her and she met him by the green couch with a roll to her eyes.
"And where have you been? You know Mal needs us more than ever," she chastised, oblivious to the fact that he went out to get the babies.
Tiny hands squeezed even tighter around him when Ember heard Evie's voice, and he couldn't help it but say, "incolumem," with a wicked smile on his face. Hearing her signal, Ember released her tiny hands and shimmied down Jay, little feet thumping onto the wooden floorboards as she looked up at Evie, a giant grin plastered across her rosy cheeks.
"Eebie!" she yelled as the name turned into a delighted giggle.
Surprise and shock took over the princess as she immediately reached down with a wince for the little girl who was desperately trying to climb her way into her arms. "Em!" Where did you come from?" she voiced, tears brimming her eyes as they left Ember's and searched for her own daughters. As little arms squeezed around her neck, she watched as Dahlia pulled off her sweatshirt with a smile, revealing Kenzi to be beneath it in her sling. With a laugh, she planted a huge kiss on Ember's forehead before Jay took her back. She reached for Kenzi and immediately broke down happily. "Oh my baby girl," she cried, accidently waking the baby with dozens of kisses, but she didn't care.
"I'll give you two a moment," Jay said sarcastically as he backed away from the group with Ember. Evie of course didn't hear him as she reconnected with her daughter, but he knew that Mal wanted to see her own as well. "Em', I'm going to go check on mommy first, okay?" he told the little purple haired girl. Dahlia heard him and turned away from Evie, ready to watch her until he came back. "Stay with Aunt Dahli a few minutes for me, please?"
Ember pouted. She didn't want to wait to see her mother, and her quivering lip told Jay that she was about to cry. He thought that she was about to break down, but when she held her little hand towards him with her pinky jutting out, he did what any sane person would do and pinky promised that he would be back soon. Pinky promises were Ember's thing. She loved them and believed in them wholeheartedly. It made Jay laugh as her tiny finger wrapped around his, and his laugh caused the girl to crack a smile in response. Dahlia grabbed the girl and blew raspberries into her tummy, causing the girl to giggle uncontrollably.
Jay didn't want to bring Ember up just yet; he had to check on Mal and make sure she was okay and up to having the 2 year old running around. After sneaking up the stairs, he peeked into the room and saw that Mal and Carlos were actually having a conversation. Well, Carlos was doing most of the talking but Mal was at least hanging onto his words and occasionally responding. He had hoped they would have gotten more sleep, but he was only gone for a few hours anyways.
"Hey," Jay called from the doorway before slinking in. The relief he saw melt from Mal's features served to melt some of his anxieties away, and he was pleased to see that some of the water was missing from the water bottle.
"She tried to bite my head off," Carlos admitted with a stern expression when Jay plopped down beside them, "but she took her meds after I told her about your threat."
"How are you feeling?" he asked the girl who had not moved much since he left her with Carlos. He knew she was about to lie, but at least she looked a little stronger than earlier. The dark circles around her eyes told him that she was exhausted and she was still radiating heat from a fever. The bruising that he could see looked deeper and worse than before, and her bandages needed changing again. He thought that could wait until she at least saw Ember. What was worrying him was the blue tinge that seemed to creep back into the Dragon leader's lips as her chest heaved every now and again.
"Fine," she whispered hoarsely as she bit back a cough. Her throat was on fire but she had to admit that she was feeling better after taking the medicine. Jay would have most definitely stuck to his word about not letting Ember see her if she didn't take it. He knew exactly how to manipulate her. "How did it go?" she asked.
Jay could see her tired eyes raking over him, looking for any signs of injury or struggle during their mission. When she couldn't find any, she seemed to relax more into Carlos as her eyes drifted to the door. "Are you sure you are okay for us to bring her up here? She's a little clingy after seeing us; she didn't want me to let her go."
"Jay please," Mal seemed to beg. It was taking everything she had to pour her energy in to see her daughter.
"Fine," he said a little grudgingly as she struggled to get a deep breath in. "How was Evie this morning?"
"She's tired." Mal said breathlessly as her eyes darkened. Jay could tell that Carlos had told her about what happened with the Evil Queen. "Go get Em' please," she said as her tone switched to annoyance.
That was the kind of fire he wanted to hear from her. "As you wish, my liege," Jay said with a bow. He took the stairs down two at a time until he made it to the second floor. He found Ember with Dahlia, and didn't even make it halfway across the room before the tiny girl was reaching out of Dahlia's arm towards Jay. "There's my big girl!" he said as Ember started to cry in frustration. Dahlia let her go and Jay couldn't help but smile as the little arms wrapped around his neck once again.
"Want momma," Ember cried into Jay as she squirmed to be put down. She was gesturing wildly towards the stairs, knowing where it led since she had spent all of her life in this safehouse.
"Yeah I know, Em'" Jay said as he nodded to Evie that he was headed back upstairs. When the girl nodded back, he hugged Ember tighter and made his way back to the loft. "I need you to listen to me," he told her as he took a seat about halfway up. Ember fidgeted as she sat on his knee, but she looked at Jay with those gorgeous eyes that always got him to give her whatever she wanted. "Your mommy got hurt, so I need you to be very gentle with her, okay?" he told her. He could see her little mind working as she squinted her eyes in concentration before they lit up again. When she made her little fingers into horns and placed them on her head, Jay couldn't help but feel immense guilt for how much this innocent child had witnessed on the Isle. "Yeah, you little smarty pants," he teased as he tickled her tummy, "the scary horned lady hurt your mommy. Who told you about the scary lady?"
Ember gave a little smile before turning shy, revealing the name that had Jay shaking his head. "'Izzy."
Dizzy, of course, he thought, grinning at how Ember pronounced her name.
Every kid on the Isle was talked to and fed bits of the truth instead of hiding it. They couldn't protect themselves if they didn't know what was going on. It made them stronger in the end.
"Mommy okay?" Ember asked as she squirmed to get out of his grip and make the rest of the trip up herself. The worry in her eyes almost broke his heart.
"Hey, hey," Jay warned as he fought to wrangle the child, "I mean it Em'. You have to be very careful with Mommy, Aunt Evie too, okay?" Jay had the girl by the hand as she was trying to drag him the rest of the way. A halfhearted "otay," came from her as he let her continue the rest of the way up herself. It was slow going, but the more she wore herself out the easier it would be to get her down for a nap which she was long past due for. At the top, she paused and waited for Jay to open the door. He leaned down one more time, just to make sure she got it. "Be quiet, and be careful little dragon."