"Put her down there, quickly."
Ruby didn't hesitate, carefully laying Weiss' frail form down onto what looked like a stretcher layered with a soft mattress and white sheets. She felt fear clawing at her throat as she tenderly laid Weiss' arms beside her, the heiress limp and unresponsive to Ruby's touch. She kept a tight grip on one of her frail hands, hoping, willing, that her partner would be strong enough to pull through this. The mere sight of Weiss' body: bloody, bruised, pale and not moving in front of her, brought back that stubborn lump in her throat again, a shivering breath sneaking its way into Ruby's lungs.
Winter returned a moment later, her sword gone and a thick black first aid box in her hands. The older woman looked down at her sister with a mixed look that Ruby could only faintly make out. She recognised the fear in her eyes, as she'd been staring at the same emotion in her own reflection a few hours earlier. The specialist carefully undid the cape clasps holding Ruby's cape around Weiss' neck, tugging the bloody fabric from under her and tossing it away.
"Will... she be okay?" Ruby asked hesitantly, her voice small while she watched Winter snap an oxygen mask around Weiss' small face. Winter didn't respond, instead she handed Ruby a bundle of heavy gauze and pointed to Weiss' bleeding chest.
"Put pressure on her wounds, make sure to cover them as much as you can and don't let go unless I tell you to."
Ruby let go of Weiss' limp hand with a small sigh and moved, pressing on the freely open scabs with a tender but firm touch. She could feel the rattled rise and fall of Weiss' chest beneath the palms of her hands. Tears glistened in Ruby's eyes. She couldn't lose Weiss, so she focused on doing her job instead.
"Move to the side," Winter ordered, peeling off the back of a cotton patch bandage. Ruby shuffled awkwardly to her left, feeling Winter's aura brush off her own as she leaned in to cover the biggest area of scar tissue with a cotton bandage. Her aura was closed off, cold. "Stay with me, Weiss. I promise I won't let you die."
Weiss shifted faintly to the sound of her sister's voice. Ruby wouldn't even have noticed if she wasn't still holding the clump of gauze to her chest.
Winter stood back, mindlessly wiping blood her hands off onto her pristine white coat as she paced to the other side of the bed. Ruby watched her wipe something from her eyes, a frown settling on her face, before looking back down to Weiss' face. That's when she noticed her own hands were smeared in blood- wait, so was her dress. She hadn't even noticed it until now-
"What did they do to my sister?" Winter asked, her voice cracking, fully drawing Ruby's attention back to her. She shook her head.
"I- I don't know."
"Then who is responsible?" Her voice was a growl, as if she was threatening Torchwick's very existence before even knowing it was him.
"Roman" Ruby mumbled. "Torchwick. That girl was there too." Ruby was too. She let Weiss get caught in the first place...
"Neopolitan." Winter snarled, looking up from what seemed to be Weiss' vitals on her scroll. Her fingers were white with the viscous force of her grip, her striking blue eyes locked on her own sword she'd rested not too far away. "Bastards- I'll have them executed by my own hand if it's the last thing I do-"
"They're gone." Ruby said, looking down to Weiss as her breathing started to grow shallower, but stabler. Ruby reached down for her cape and laid it over Weiss' bruised, shivering body like a blanket. She used the back of her hand to wipe tears from her own eyes. "They escaped when the Grimm broke free."
"Then I'll have them hunted like pigs-" Winter growled, watching as Ruby tenderly brushed her knuckles off Weiss' soft cheek. She took a heavy breath. "Weiss needs emergency assistance. Where is the rest of your team?"
"Still inside." Ruby gestured to the crumbling, burning laboratory. "Fighting Grimm."
"Why are you not providing aid?" Winter prodded.
Ruby laughed weakly, holding her pained shoulder close to her body. Yang and Blake could handle themselves in a situation like this, especially with the help of CFVY, Qrow, and Glynda. Ruby would only be a burden. She couldn't even hold Crescent Rose anymore, and her right eye was starting to swell from the bloody slice beneath it. "I'd only hold them back. I can't even hold my weapon right now."
Winter's eyes flickered to Ruby's shoulder, where her hand was gently massaging some of the pain away. She had some aura left, but not nearly enough to heal whatever damage she had done. She could only keep the pain at bay. Winter hummed, stepping closer and kneeling to take a closer look at Ruby's shoulder. Ruby flushed, a surprised look in her eyes as Winter explored her shoulder, her touch strangely familiar to Weiss'. She squeezed-
"OW-" Ruby yelped, tugging herself away from Winter as white hot agony shot through her, "Ow-ow-ow-owww."
"You've torn your labrum." Winter explained flatly.
"Is that bad?" Ruby asked, holding her own shoulder protectively. Winter stood back up, nodding to the watching pilot before turning back to Ruby. The reaper heard the ship's engines start up.
"You might require further surgery to fix it." She said, straightening her posture and wrapping her hands behind her back as she turned and headed back to the airship's cockpit. "I recommend you avoid moving your shoulder, lest you make it worse. There's a sling in the first aid equipment. Use it."
"Wait, what about my team?" Ruby asked as the airship got louder, the engines getting louder as they powered up fully, "We're just gonna… leave them behind?
"Are any of your other team members injured?" Winter asked.
Ruby frowned, "Not-"
"Then we are leaving. We don't have time to wait for them." Her voice was stern, demanding. Winter looked back at Weiss, a concerned look slipping past her guarded expression for only a moment. "Weiss is in a critical condition, and you are incapable of battle. The longer we wait, the less time we have to save her."
Ruby's heart pained with guil. She looked back at Weiss, watching the frail rise and fall of her chest, the faint fogging of the oxygen mask over her face as Weiss' parted, bloody lips took in and let out breath. Her ghostly skin was a blinding contrast to her usual flawless complexion against the bright red of her own blood. Winter was right, they didn't have enough time to wait. Ruby had already caused enough damage. She took a tight breath, reaching for her muddy scroll in her pocket. "I'll- I'll let them know."
"Good." Winter said, nodding to the open first aid kit as she turned back to the cockpit. "Call if anything happens to Weiss, Miss Rose."
Ruby glanced to the first aid box, finally becoming aware of the painful grinding sensation that accompanied every move of her shoulder. She winced, reaching for the sling and awkwardly unwrapping it with one hand. A few minutes of fiddling around with her free hand and using her teeth for leverage, and she had the sling on and around her neck.
Ruby let out a sigh of frustration as she moved her injured arm into the sling and relaxed it, the deep throbbing in her shoulder growing more and more prominent as adrenaline slowly fizzled out of her. Here she was, leader of an unauthorized mission, injured, out of battle with a… ripped… shoulder thing, while her team and the team she dragged into this tried to fix her mess.
Another deep sigh left her as she sat down beside Weiss, eyes lingering on her unresponsive partner for a moment before looking down to the scroll in her hand. She was shaking, the background picture of Weiss and her at Ruby's birthday staring back at her. Ruby was grinning widely, arm wrapped around Weiss' neck as she pulled her into a hug. Weiss was smiling back shyly, eyes watching Ruby.
Drip. Drip.
Ruby took a shuddering breath, resting her eyes in her hand as tears fell from them. This wasn't fair, none of this was. Weiss didn't deserve to be here, dying. Her team didn't deserve to be here, suffering for her mistakes, team CFVY didn't deserve to be here, no doubt getting in trouble for Ruby's mistakes. They should've waited, they should've just done as they were told and left it to the huntsmen-
What if Glynda and Qrow hadn't gotten there in time?
Ruby took a deep breath, pinching the tears from her eyes. Okay Ruby. Just- breathe. You can get through this. You've gotten over worse.
"What do I do, Weiss?" she hummed, looking up to her partner and grabbing her hand hoping for a response, but none came. "Normally you yell at me or- or call me a dunce until I come up with a plan on what to do- but.. but now you're.. And it's all my fault."
She stopped, taking a breath to collect her scattered thoughts.
"Again with the promises you can't keep, Red? I thought you learned your lesson last time."
Tears fell freely down Ruby's face as she sobbed, guilt crushing her beneath its heavy weight.
.
.
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BIG SIS 3 (ONLINE)
COOKIE MONSTER 16:53
'Weiss' big sis is bringing us to Vale Regional Hospital. She said we dont have time to wait for you. Sorry ;('
BIG SIS 3 16:59
'No worriez sis! Make sure your gf is safe'
COOKIE MONSTER 18:52
'Weiss is in emergency surgery. I'm in Room 653. Will give details when you get here'
BIG SIS 3 19:36
'Just leaving Beacon. Glynda isn't happy with us. Be there soon'
.
.
.
Yang jogged through the main doors of Vale's Regional Hospital as they opened up, Blake tailing close behind her. The two of them were covered in caked mud and stank of smoke, their hair frazzled from their long hours of fighting Grimm hordes. Several people parted out of the way at the sight of the two clearly battle worn huntresses, murmuring quietly as they left. They got some suspicious glances from other patients too, clearly surprised at the sudden appearance of dirty and scuffed huntresses. A child gasping in awe and pulled at their parents arm, whispering 'Look, look!' to which Blake waved shyly to the young girl.
"Hi, uh-" Yang took a breath, steadying her breathing as she reached the reception desk. "Ruby Rose? She said she was in room 65-something?"
The receptionist looked just as surprised as anyone else who'd seen them, her nose scrunching slightly. She put on a pair of glasses, "Are you a guardian?"
"We're her teammates. We're huntresses-in-training from Beacon." Yang explained hurriedly, her fingers turning white as she gripped the edge of the counter with them. "I'm Ruby's sister. Her father is in Patch."
"And her mother?"
"Dead."
"Oh, I apologise." The blonde girl looked back to her screen, before lifting up a tablet beside her. It had Ruby's credentials on it, as well as a whole bunch of other medical stuff Yang wasn't interested in, like her blood type and her aura strength. The receptionist handed out a digital pen, "Considering you're her only family present at the moment, I'll need you to sign this form, confirming you are her sister. Payment has been covered by the Atlesian army, so you need not worry about the second line."
Yang took the pen and began scribbling down quickly. Blake looked past her blonde partner. "The army covered it?"
The receptionist looked down behind the chestnut desk, searching a screen for an answer to Blake's question. "Yes, it says here that 'all funds for the hospitalization and care of Miss W. Schnee and Miss R. Rose will be covered by the Atlesian Army'. Was this a mistake?"
"No! No, not at all. Just a little surprising." Blake replied as Yang handed the tablet back.
The blonde woman took the device back, checking the signature. Then, she turned back to the monitor beside her. "Ruby Rose… She's in Room 653. Physiotherapy ward, sixth floor."
Yang and Blake crossed glances.
"Thank you." Yang muttered, turning and heading towards the nearest elevator.
"She was hurt and she never told us-" Yang grumbled as she walked through the halls. "Why wouldn't she tell us?"
"Her priority was Weiss." Blake said. "She wasn't thinking straight."
"I don't think Ruby can think straight." Yang joked in an attempt to lighten the suffocating atmosphere between them, only earning a disapproving glare from her partner. "Too soon, gotcha." Blake's soft laugh made her heart tighten, her own smile blooming on her face.
She glanced back at her scroll, to the chat log between her and her sister. "Do you think she's okay?"
"Weiss?"
"Yeah."
Blake's ears folded down, a worried look in her eyes. "I don't know..." she said with a shake of her head. "She didn't look like she was... and Ruby's cloak..."
"I know what you mean." Yang sighed, looking up as they finally found an elevator "I thought I'd break her when I had to break that anklet off. She felt really light, y'know, lighter than usual. There was no aura there either." She pressed the call button to call the elevator.
"Knowing the White Fang, she probably hasn't eaten anything all week- Her aura's probably been trying to save her from starvation, not exterior attacks." Blake's ears fell back under her bow, "I'm surprised they didn't kill her straight away."
"Maybe the Fang changed their ways? From murderers to… scientists?" Yang tried, stepping into the elevator as it opened.
"The White Fang were never this cruel. They were never murderers. Ada- Their leader wasn't- back when I was in the White Fang, they never would've done this. This isn't the White Fang I grew up around. They used to be kind, peaceful." Blake continued, the sadness in her voice clawing a painful wound across Yang's heart. "They're not all bad people, they're just.. confused…"
"Well," Yang cooed before she curled an arm around her feline partner, a warm smile on her face, "It doesn't matter who you were, Blake, as long as you keep moving forward. I don't care that you were a," she lowered her voice, "I don't care that you were one of them, because what matters is who you've become. If we were judged on our past, I'm pretty sure I'd be wanted in, like, 2 towns."
"I can't run from it forever." Blake huffed. Yang squeezed her tighter, before patting her head right between Blake's feline ears.
"Well, whenever it does catch up, if it does ever catch up, I'll be right there to help. Promise."
Blake stared at Yang in surprise for a long moment, a frail purr sounding from the depths of her throat as Yang's fingers brushed off the fabric touching her ears. Yang's eyes widened suddenly at the new sound, a hearty laugh escaping her as Blake turned red. The faunus scrambled back and out of Yang's embrace, face flushed. "Sorry! I didn't mean to do that! It just happens sometimes!"
"Uh-huh. If you had an ear fetish you should've just told me." Yang teased, resting her hands on her hips. Blake's face went a shade darker. "I'm only teasing, but I like your purr, Blakey. You should do it more." Yang said, sticking
out her tongue as the doors to the sixth floor opened. Blake flushed, her bow twitching again.
The hall was a purple theme, with lavender painted walls and the word 'PHYSIOTHERAPY' plastered to the wall in big bold letters. There were a few empty beds lining the halls, with hand rails and arrows painted on the floor leading to separate areas. There were a few nurses dotted around, some helping patients walk and others alone.
"Cheery." Yang said, looking at the door numbers as they passed them.
"Yeah" Blake said back, looking around curiously. A young Faunus wobbled past on crutches, balancing weakly on one leg. He smiled at Blake as she let him pass, his own similar feline ears pointing up. Blake smiled back, trying to ignore the SDC brand on his forearm.
"650.. 652.. Here it is." Yang said, stopping by one of the many uniform white doors. She pressed her hand to it, knocking a few times before pushing the door open. "Ruby?"
.
.
Ruby looked up from her bed as Yang pushed the door open, a nervous look in her eyes. Ruby forced a smile at her, "Heya, Yang."
She sat up slowly, wincing at the uncomfortable stiffness in her shoulder as she moved. The numbing block the doctors had placed under it slipped down slightly, much to Ruby's frustration. She grumbled, reaching around to try and push it up, "Stupid- magic-"
"Here, let me," Yang said, jogging to Ruby's bedside. Ruby huffed slightly as Yang moved the squishy foam block back behind Ruby's shoulder, allowing the leader to lean back into her bed again. Yang leaned back slightly in a laugh once the block was secure, "Jeez, you look rough. What happened? Your face..."
"Uh, I tore something in my shoulder when the roof collapsed." Ruby explained, scratching the back of her head with her good arm. "I kinda made it worse by ignoring it, but I'm fine. I already had surgery to fix it so- oh! And the doctors said my face will probably scar a little but at least Weiss and I-"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Yang waved her arms, overwhelmed, "You were in surgery?!" Yang bellowed, loud.
"Yang, we're in a hospital!" Blake said sharply. "Lower your voice."
"Sorry!" Yang glanced back at Blake, before returning to her sister. "You were in surgery?" she whispered harshly. Ruby giggled, catching a piece of loose hair and tucking it behind her ear.
"Yeah, but I'm okay! I was in and out in an hour. ...They gave me aura boosters and some really, really strong painkillers. Like, I'm pretty sure I'm kinda high off them, oh, and this block! It's like magic, it makes the pain go away just by lying against it. The doctors said I should be able to start training again in two weeks if everything heals okay."
"And your face?"
Ruby laughed nervously, reaching up to brush the cotton patch plastered tight against her face with the back of her hand, "Only a few stitches. I'm okay sis, promise."
Yang's bottom lip quivered slightly before she pounced on Ruby, wrapping her arms around Ruby's head and pulling it into her chest as she let out a pent up sigh, "Thank the gods, it's nothing too serious. When Glynda told us you we're in hospital I-"
"Yang-" Ruby protested, trying to wriggle free from her sister's painfully crushing hug. "The shoulder- it still hurts-"
Yang let go immediately, bolting back with her arms in the air as if she'd just scalded her sister. "Oh, shit, sorry!"
Ruby's eyes widened as a gasp broke from her. "You swore!"
Blake laughed quietly at the two siblings' antics, seated on the opposite side of the bed. It was good to see Ruby's bubbly spirit back. She really was the spirit of the team, and without her playful innocence team RWBY just felt empty, a husk of it's past self. Her smile faltered, the missing member of their team nagging at the front of Blake's mind like a thorn. "Is there any news on...?"
Ruby's giggles died out suddenly, like a flame in water. Her eyes widened briefly before growing dark and foggy, the playful spark that had been there only seconds before, snuffed out. She shook her head silently, before adding: "Her... her heart had stopped by the time we landed…"
Horror crossed both of her teammates' faces, while Ruby just stared down at her hands balling the sheets in her grip. "I... Winter told me they managed to help her before... but…" Ruby sighed, grinding the palm of her hand into her tired eyes with a sniff. "I didn't even get to see her. I've been stuck in this room since we got here. I-I don't even know if Weiss managed to..." A shaky breath. "Pull through."
After a long pause, Yang shuffled closer to her sister, slightly perturbed at the defeat that laced Ruby's words. Yang was hoping that the last few days hadn't completely shattered her younger sister's spirit. "Hey, she's in good hands." Yang managed to croak out, unsure how to even respond. "She'll be okay… I hope."
"Are you okay, Ruby?" Blake asked. "I can't even imagine how this must feel for you."
Ruby huffed quietly. "I'm tired, and sore." She took a breath, straightening herself again. "But I'm fine."
Ruby was lying again. She hadn't felt this bad since her mother had died. When she had found out that her mom was gone and not returning, she'd locked herself in her room in Patch and cried for days straight. Yang had been forced to sleep in the spare bedroom, and only ever allowed herself into Ruby's room to deliver some dinner, which was left uneaten for days. It was only when Yang returned on the 6th day, to Ruby almost skin and bones, clad in the same pajamas as the day the news came, that Yang finally did manage to snap her out of it. It took weeks for Ruby to get used to the newly present emptiness in their home, the lack of sweet smelling baked goods and the quietness that haunted the now lifeless halls. She knew that Weiss wasn't dead, or at least, she wasn't the last time Winter had given her updates.
But that was before Weiss went in to get some of the Dust in her system removed. The lack of updates scared Ruby, but what was worse than the unknown, was the terrifying, crushing guilt that claimed Ruby's soul like long thorned tendrils. She hadn't understood much of what the doctors had said when they jumped out of the airship with Weiss, but what she could hear was enough for her to think on in the crippling, lonely silence of her hospital room.
Chronic Dust poisoning.
Ruby had looked up the term on her scroll once she'd woken up from her own surgery. From what she managed to gather, it was a relatively rare occurrence. Usually, people who were hurt by Dust in some way either died on the spot, or were rushed fast enough to a hospital to only suffer mild poisoning. Chronic poisoning meant one thing. If Weiss did survive her injuries, and made a recovery, she'd still only have a few months at most to live before the Dust in her blood killed her. There was supposedly no cure, only the ability to slow it down.
But, if Roman Torchwick had poisoned Weiss like that, he had to know the cure. Maybe, at least, one of the scientists that were taking part in it did. Ruby swore on her own life, she would find a way to cure Weiss. If she didn't...
Ruby let out a raggedy breath, chasing away the dark, threatening thoughts from her mind. She met Yang's eyes, trying to shake off the pure worry that filled them. "What happened after we left?"
"In short?" Yang asked as she leaned back, getting a nod from Ruby. "Well, we kicked some Grimm butt, but the fire ended up going out of control so we had to retreat out of there. Some of the Grimm escaped, I think, so they're sending out some huntsmen to round them up and kill them. Pretty sure Ironwood's robots rounded up the scientists."
"What about team CFVY? And Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.
"We all went back to Beacon to be lectured by Glynda and Ozpin." said Blake. "Our teams have been banned from doing missions for the foreseeable future, and your uncle wasn't even invited to our rescue party. He just showed up according to Glynda."
Ruby frowned, throwing her arm in the air uselessly. "Aw man…"
"But hey, Professor Ozpin congratulated us on a semi- successful mission, and we weren't expelled!... Yet..." Yang said, a smile on her face. "Maybe we can convince old Oz to lessen our sentence."
"Maybe, but I doubt we'll be going on missions for a long time…" Blake nodded to Ruby's shoulder. "Half of our team is out of commission, for who knows how long."
"And the White Fang?" Ruby pitched again.
"Arrested, mostly." Yang sat back in her chair, arms folded comfortably over her chest. "Any who escaped unscathed, at least. Ironwood's bots did that. I'm pretty sure I broke that one guy's face."
"The police are going to search the remains of the fire after it's fully out." Blake finished. "Maybe they can find out what kind of experiments they were carrying out at the facility."
"Did… Were they doing anything to Weiss?" Yang asked tentatively. Ruby frowned.
"The scientist who led us to Weiss mentioned something..." Ruby narrowed her eyes, the images of blue ice shielding them from the army of White Fang that they were facing coming to her mind again. "And there was… this strange thing that happened, but… I don't know. It could've been anything."
"What happened?" Yang prodded, curious. Ruby sat back into her bed, a long sigh escaping her.
"Honestly? I don't even know. Coco was there, she can probably explain it better than I can." Ruby practically sank into the pillow as she leaned back. "Weiss- She did... something… Actually, I don't even know if it was her. It could've just been a well timed accident… but there was no Dust even near us so how could-"
Yang glanced to Blake, who shuffled closer. "You're not making a lot of sense, Ruby."
"Yea, sis. You're being kinda cryptic." Yang added. Ruby chuckled awkwardly, rubbing at her neck where a phantom pain resided.
"It just sounds crazy when I say it out loud." Ruby groaned as she shifted against her sore shoulder, "But I don't actually know what happened."
"What do you think happened?" Yang asked, concerned.
"Well-"
A knock interrupted Ruby's voice, shushing her as the door to her room was pushed open. Yang and Blake tensed instinctually, their muscles bunching beneath their clothes as the urge to protect surged in them. On the other side was a very tired looking Winter Schnee, a look of surprise on her face as she was met with two clearly startled huntresses.
"Oh, Winter!" Ruby greeted, sitting up a little too quickly. She hissed in surprise as hot pain shot through her, her hand rushing to hold her shoulder. "Ow."
"Good to see you are already in recovery, Miss Rose," Winter said, closing the door behind her quietly. She still hadn't changed out of her uniform, of which the once clear white and blue fabric was now soaked with dried blood.
"You're Weiss' sister?" Yang asked, relaxing slightly into her seat. Winter looked to her, and then to Blake. Yang tensed again as her eyes flickered to Blake's bow.
"That is correct. I'm assuming you are the missing members of team RWBY?" Winter asked, locking her hands behind her back and standing up straight. Ruby straightened herself too, albeit clumsily.
"Yang, Blake, this is Winter." She replied, introducing the two. "She's Weiss' big sister."
"Pleasure to meet you both." Winter nodded her head curtly, her eyes growing clouded. "I would've preferred it to be under better circumstances, however."
"Any news on Weiss?" Blake asked, speaking her team's thoughts aloud. Winter sighed in response, her shoulders sagging as her straight stance crumpled. No matter how tough she tried to appear, there were still some things that broke through her emotional barrier.
"She is... stable." Winter started, watching as relief coursed through the room. "However, she is still gravely injured. There's large amounts of purified Dust in her bloodstream, and if not treated quickly, she won't last to see the Vytal Festival next year."
The relief in the room died. Ruby felt her chest tighten. She'd heard correctly then. Weiss did have Dust poisoning. "Is.. is there any way to treat it?"
Winter hesitated, pressing her lips tightly together. Yang and Blake watched her with a faint look of desperation, and fear. They couldn't lose a member of their team, not after all that they'd gone through to save her.
"She's… We found a large collection of samples in the remains of the fire. We are currently testing each substance with Weiss' blood to see if there is any that can nullify the effects of their… experimenting." Winter took a breath, her shoulders repositioning and straightening themselves again. "I don't believe Torchwick and his associates would have done such horrendous experiments without a cure, especially considering Miss Rose and Miss Adele's testimonies."
"Well, if there's no cure, can't you, I don't know, reverse engineer one or something?" Yang asked.
"No, purified Dust is very volatile." Winter explained. "Any incorrect treatment inside or outside Weiss' body could make it ignite. The blood samples we collected were done so using professional machinery."
"What do you mean volatile?" Yang questioned.
"It'd activate." Blake said, eyes downcast. "It'd kill Weiss within a couple of seconds…"
"Affirmative." Winter sighed. "Now, I'm afraid I must leave for official business. I'll return in a few days to check on my sister. ...She's not expected to wake for a long time, however…."
"Okay." Ruby said, crestfallen. She sank further back into her pillow. "We'll see you soon, then?"
"Yes, I hope so." Winter forced a half smile, reaching back for the door. "I wish you a good recovery, Miss Rose."
"Thank you." Ruby said quietly as the door to the hospital room closed. The silence lingered for an uncomfortable minute. That minute turned to more minutes, then to half an hour.
"Now what..?" Yang asked after a long while, wringing her hands together as everyone was left with their own thoughts.
"Now, we wait." Blake responded, taking a long breath. "Wait, and hope for the best."
Hope? Ruby would have laughed. She was running low on hope.
"Ruby?" Yang's voice broke through her wall of thoughts. She looked up.
"Sorry, I was just thinking..." She squeezed her eyes tightly, taking a breath and refreshing herself with fake energy from her reserve before letting it go with a reluctant sigh. She didn't know if she could face herself and be proud of what she'd done after all of this, considering how she'd been to blame for allowing Weiss to be caught in the first place, but, she had to be happy- or at least appear so. If not for her, for the rest of her team. "It's okay, we'll get through this! We've gotten through worse, right?"
"That's the spirit." Blake hummed, the glow restored to Yang and her eyes. Ruby grinned, swallowing the lump in her throat. She couldn't cry in front of her team. That's not what a good leader did.
"Yeah, uh, hey." Ruby placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm hungry. Did you guys pass a cafeteria on your way up? I'm running off energy bars right now."
"I think so." Yang said, standing from her seat and stretching with a grunt. "Let's go get some grub. You're not you when you're hungry, and man am I starving!"
"Do you need any help, Ruby?" Blake asked as Ruby awkwardly untangled herself from her sheets. The redhead looked up guiltily, testing her feet as she stood back onto them.
"Nope! I'm good, just gotta take this with me." She said, reaching out to grab her IV pole with her free hand. "Let's get going."
whoo, boy that month passed quick-
hi, how's everyone? This chapter ends out ACT 2, which means it's hitaus time again. I got a lot of writing to catch up on, as well as some continuity errors to fix in the first few chapters. I won't set a finite date on when this'll return, but the older chapters will be updates quite a bit, so perhaps reading back over might be in your interest?
Thanks for sticking with me through all this. We're not done for a long time yet, but this's got so much more attention than I ever dreamed and I'm so thankful. I don't even know how to thank you all.
I'll be back soon! If you want to still see art posts and random nonsense my tumblr is xx-whiterose! See you all in a couple of months kiddos, stay safe 3