Okay, after a few days off, Cop has returned with the next chapter of Silver Wing, for everyone's enjoyment. Well, everyone except for Beast Boy, anyway. This chapter is much less action-packed than the others, but it's important. In fact, there isn't a whole lot of action for a few more chapters, but they're slightly more interesting than this one. There are parts of this chapter that I really like, but others were insanely hard to write, and I've gotten them to a point that I'm about as satisfied as I'm going to be.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do not like Starfire. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I just don't like her. So, because of that, she isn't going to play a very large (or smart) part in this story. However, I actually made myself like her in this chapter, so anyone that especially likes Starfire, this is about the high point of my kindness towards her. Of course, she's not losing any limbs, so I guess I'm not too bad to her after all.
Another note--this in not a romance. It is not a BBRae, and it is not a RobStar. Definately not a RobStar. There is once section that is a little RobStar-y, but it's not a romance. It's just a very good friend, supportive type of moment. That's about as far as I go--just really close friendship--with anyone in this story.
Once again, disclaimer—I do not own the Teen Titans. As sad as that makes me, I don't own them, and probably never will. I also took some liberties with making up a bunch of medical stuff again—mainly Beast Boy's temperature. I know the human brain, like fries at 106 or 107 degrees, or something like that, but I've made Beast Boy's much higher, because I think the whole turning into animals thing could affect that. So…that was my executive decision as author of this story. Oh, and all degrees are in Fahrenheit, in case anyone is confused.
Now, to respond to my loverly reviewers.
lovex3spell – Yep, gore is what I do best. I'm very glad you think my story is original…I hate being like everyone else. Thanks for yet another wonderful review, and I hope this chapter is as enjoyable (and less gory) than the rest.
teentitansrock! – His right arm was cut off, but he also was cut/sliced by the sword in his left side. Sorry if I confused you. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this new chapter.
They-Call-Me-Orange – Wow, your name is really cool, because orange is my most favorite color. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story so far. This is by far the most intense thing that I've ever written, and I'm glad people appreciate that.
Sharon – It's okay if you don't review every chapter, I'm just glad to hear from you every now and again. I hope you enjoy this one, too.
Koriat – Wow, three reviews, all in a row. That definitely makes this job easier. That thing about your dream is kind of weird…and I'm not sure who Ed Elrich is, but I have the entire story written except the last chapter, so I guess you'll have to see if things turn out that way. You're the second person to mention this, so now I feel kinda bad for not knowing who he is…but oh well.
Finally, here's the next installment of Silver Wing. Enjoy!
Silver Wing
Chapter Four: Blaming
Time seemed to drag by for the Titans that night. Raven left the med bayonly once, and that was when Cyborg forced her to go upstairs and change into something less wet and bloody. She also took the time to heal her own minor injuries before returning. When she came back she hoped to find at least some change, but Beast Boy was exactly the way she'd left him.
By two in the morning, things had gotten worse. Beast Boy's temperature had continued to rise, and now chills were racking his body.
"He's at 121 degrees," Cyborg reported, sighing. "We don't even know if that's safe."
"No, we don't," Raven agreed, "but I'm guessing it's not." She was trying to get Beast Boy to take some water, and was having a bit of trouble. Finally she managed to get a little bit down his throat, and decided to not push him any further.
"He started shaking at 119º," Cyborg pointed out. "That must have been when the fever got bad."
"And it doesn't seem to be getting any better." Raven frowned, and gently laid the back of her hand against Beast Boy's forehead. "He's getting warmer every second."
"So…what do we do?" Cyborg asked, sitting down on the empty bed opposite Beast Boy.
"Maybe he would have been better off at a hospital," Raven said halfheartedly.
"What can they do for him that we can't?" Cyborg questioned. "Those doctors, they'd have no idea of what to do with BB. Really, Rae, I think he's better off here…with you."
Raven looked up at him in surprise. "What?"
"Seriously," Cyborg said, standing up. "I can work all this machinery, and tell you what it means. But Raven, you can help him—you've already saved his life tonight. If you hadn't found him when you did, and started healing him like that-"
"I know," Raven cut him off. She paused and took a deep breath, not quite ready to think about what-ifs. "He saved my life, too, when we fought Slade," she went on. "I was corned, and Slade was about ready to slice me in half, but Beast Boy stopped him. But I lost track of Slade, and he put me out."
"And BB led him away from you," Cyborg finished gently. "He called us after you got hurt—told us where to find you."
"This is my fault," Raven said quietly. "I let my guard down for a second, and left him to deal with Slade alone, and look what happened."
"This is Slade's fault, not yours, Raven," Cyborg said firmly. "I don't want you thinking otherwise."
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"How could I let this happen?" Robin asked himself for the hundredth time that night. It was after two a.m., and he and Starfire were in the living room, and had been since they'd gotten home and Raven had expressly forbidden them from coming anywhere near the med bay. But after all of the sitting and worrying, and pacing on Robin's part, it seemed more like a waiting room.
"You cannot blame yourself for what happened tonight, Robin," Starfire said gently.
Robin shook his head sadly. "I should have known that was a trap—I should have kept everyone together. I…I failed him, Star." Robin's voice faltered on the last sentence. He took a seat beside Starfire and buried his face in his hands.
Starfireput one hand on his shoulder."You did nothing of the sort. You are a good leader, Robin, and you acted no differently than you always do—using your best judgment."
"Well, this time my best wasn't good enough," Robin responded, standing up and beginning to pace again. "And now there's nothing I can even do to help him," he continued angrily. "Beast Boy's dying in there, and I can't do anything about it."
"We can have faith in our friends," Starfire explained. "Faith in Raven and Cyborg's ability to heal him, and faith in Beast Boy's will to live. I do not doubt that he will fight to survive—he has a strong spirit."
"I guess you're right," Robin said quietly. He sat down beside Starfire. "That doesn't make this any easier, though."
"I know," Starfire said sympathetically.
"I just don't understand," Robin said suddenly as he started to stand and pace around again. Starfire reached out a hand to stop him from getting up and wearing another groove in the floor. Robin went on talking anyway. "I mean, what was Slade's plan? Why would he come after Beast Boy? And…and why would he have a sword? He's never been armed before—why start now?"
"Perhaps he hoped that eliminating one of us would tear the team apart," Starfire suggested.
"Then would it have mattered to him which of us he got alone?" Robin mused. "Or would he just take the first person he could corner?" Robin paused and frowned. "No," he said finally, "no, he didn't plan to kill anyone."
"Why do you say that?" Starfire asked.
"If he wanted Beast Boy dead, he would be," Robin said grimly. "We wouldn't have found him alive—Slade doesn't leave jobs half finished. But that still doesn't explain…" He seemed to search for the right words. "If he was just going to leave Beast Boy to die…then why…?" Another pause. "Slade didn't cut off his arm on accident," Robin said finally.
"Slade is a villain, and villains do terrible things," Starfire pointed out. "But Beast Boy's arm…it will grow back, correct?"
Robin looked at her, puzzled. "No, Star, it won't," he told her. "Uhm…would yours?"
"No," Starfire said quickly. "But as he is green with pointed ears, I merely assumed he could regenerate limbs." A look of terror suddenly spread across her face. "I did not realize…oh, poor friend Beast Boy! This is far more terrible than I had thought."
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Another three hours passed, and Beast Boy's health was steadily declining. Raven had managed to completely stop the bleeding in all of his wounds, including his arm, but his fever had continued to rise. It was now somewhere around 125 degrees. His entire body was shaking, and sometime around four in the morning he had developed a dreadful cough that led to him getting so sick that it took thirty minutes to clean him up, change his bandages, and move him to another bed.
Raven was now in the chair beside his bed, holding his hot green hand. He was still burning up and shaking, but he was only coughing weakly every few minutes, not constantly like before. Raven had even managed to coax Beast Boy into taking a few more sips of water. She did it carefully, to avoid another coughing fit that could harm him further.
Cyborg was at the screen again, only this time his expression wasn't as stormy.
"There hasn't been any change for half an hour," he reported, "which seems like a good thing. He isn't getting better, but…"
"As long as he isn't any worse, it's all right," Raven said with a sigh.
A soft moan suddenly escaped the lips of the still form on the hospital bed, and his friends were instantly at his side.
"Beast Boy?" Raven asked tentatively. "Beast Boy, can you hear me?" Beast Boy didn't respond, but he did slightly turn his head towards Raven, which she took as an extremely good sign. He whispered something, but it was too mumbled for Raven to make out.
"What did he say?" Cyborg asked, his voice a whisper.
Raven leaned in a little closer to listen. What she heard, however, startled her, and she pulled back.
"Terra," she told Cyborg. "He said Terra. I think he's dreaming."
Cyborg frowned, thinking. "Well, I guess that at least means his in there, even if he doesn't know it yet." He was hesitant to voice his question, but Raven sensed it and answered even though he never asked it out loud.
"I don't think anyone has good dreams about Terra," she murmured.
TBC
Whoever gets the green-pointy eared-growing back arm plug gets cookies from me. Virtual cookies of course, but you can imagine the taste, right? And just in case anyone asks, no, Beast Boy is not awake yet. He was just very close to waking, just for a moment.
Okay, I think I've mentioned this before, but I do have the entire story written except the last little bit, but I still have to rework some parts and edit and all of that, not to mention type it all, so while I probably won't update every single day, I definitely hope (and plan) to get this all posted before I leave for Editor Camp at BSU in the end of July. Then I'm going to Panama City Beach, Florida, for the first week of August, and then hopefully I can start posting the sequel. Yes, sequel—I have at least three stories planned right now. But that's way in the future…we're only on chapter four out of twelve.
Please review, you have no idea how happyit makes me that people actually care about what I write.
Child of a Pineapple, aka Cop