A/N: I have no idea how stuff with the Make-A-Wish Foundation actually works, so bear with me as I bullshit my way through this chapter.
This is my longest chapter yet. Uh, sorry about that. It wasn't supposed to be this long.
Song suggestions: Something I Need by OneRepublic, Meteor Shower by Owl City, Confused by SafetySuit, Fine, Great by Modern Baseball, Not In Love (radio version) by Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith, X&Y by Coldplay, and A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me" by Fall Out Boy.
Öyleyse iki mezar kaz, çünkü öldüğün—
Rook's eyes snapped open and he slammed his fist down on his alarm to silence it, shooting up in bed. Wide awake and feeling more energized than he had been in days, Rook grabbed his badge and began to set things into motion.
He didn't know much about charities on Earth, but opening a browser connected to the normal internet (not the extranet) let him type in "children's charities around Christmas" and that was exceedingly helpful. Before long, Rook had a promising list that he'd narrowed down to a few. He sympathized with the mission statements of charities like Operation Christmas Child or Toys For Tots, but he thought that Ben might like to do something in person. So, ultimately, Rook settled on Make-A-Wish Foundation.
There was contact information listed on their website so, twenty minutes after he woke up, Rook typed his information in and sent it off to the local chapter, explaining that Ben 10 wanted to volunteer. He was sure that some child would have asked to meet him, although Rook was anxious nonetheless. He was hoping that Ben wouldn't be upset about this. But why would he be? All Ben ever did was help people.
With that done, Rook got up and showered. He opened his dresser when he finally remembered that the clothes he'd purchased the day before were gone. Right. He grimaced. Well, he still had time. He could go buy them again.
He had to wait until six in the morning when he knew that Magister Tennyson would be awake and wandering about. Again, he granted Rook's request for time off, and again, Rook wasted no time in heading to the same store as before.
That time, Rook tried a different outfit. A green turtleneck that reminded him of Ben's eyes and long, brown pants. He got a pair of fur-lined boots too, barely sparing the time to look at price tags. He selected the same woman as before when he got to the checkout and, though she managed a smile, without any flowers this time around she didn't bother trying to start up a conversation with him.
Once dressed and back in the driver's seat of the Proto-TRUK, Rook checked the time. Only ten minutes after six. He held back a groan. Maybe he could wake Ben up early? He bit his lip, considering it as he tapped his fingers against the wheel impatiently. It wouldn't be that rude, would it? Maybe Rook could wait long enough to grab a smoothie for Ben, to soften the blow.
He was still debating it ten minutes later when he got an email. He was surprised to find that it was from the director of their local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter, a woman named Jolie Ardebit. She seemed incredibly enthusiastic about Ben 10 being on board, saying something about him being underage a reason why she never contacted him before. Rook didn't read that part — he focused more on the link she sent him. Clicking on it brought up a page filled with the smiling faces of children in hospital beds or the arms of their parents. Next to their photos were blurbs of information; their names and ages and what they were diagnosed with. There were so many… And according to Ms. Ardebit, all of them wanted to spend a day with Ben 10.
Well, that was as good an excuse to wake Ben up as any.
Rook shot her off an email thanking her for her quick cooperation and promising to tell her when Ben had made a choice. Before he could do that, though, Rook had to tell Ben what he'd been signed up for while he was sleeping.
When he arrived at Ben's house, Rook parked the TRUK and took in the home forlornly. Even though he'd known what to expect, Rook hated to see that the decorations were gone. They'd been beautiful, and they'd made Ben so happy… Rook sighed. Maybe they could redo them when or if the days ever stopped looping. At least nothing could take away Rook's memory of the smile on Ben's face.
He got out of the TRUK and knocked on the front door without hesitation. Unlike the last time he'd been at the Tennyson household before the crack of dawn, Rook felt completely at ease. There was a smile on his face. It was going to be another good day, he could feel it.
He had to knock a few more times but, eventually, the light in the living room was flicked on. Rook rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet impatient but, after a few more seconds of holding his breath, Carl swung the front door open.
"Rook?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing here? It's six in the morning. Ben's shift with you doesn't start for another hour."
Nodding, Rook had to bite back the rude urge to shoulder Carl out of the way to get into the house. "We have the day off, actually," he explained. "I have a surprise for Ben, and it is best given to him sooner rather than later. May I see him?"
It took Carl a few seconds to process, practically asleep on his feet, but then he nodded and stepped back. "Sure, yeah. As long as you two—" He muffled a yawn. "—keep it quiet. I'm going to try and get some more sleep before I have to get up for work."
Once invited in, Rook made a beeline for Ben's room. He forgot for a second that he wasn't supposed to know where it was, but he didn't think that Carl noticed that little incongruity.
Hand on the doorknob, Rook took a deep breath and carefully pushed it open. Light from the hall leaked into Ben's bedroom, illuminating his feet and tracing up his body as Rook pushed it open fully. He'd been in a hurry before but, at the sight that greeted him, Rook paused to smile.
Ben was sleeping with his blankets kicked down around his feet in a tangle, arms and legs bent at angles that couldn't be comfortable. His shirt was riding up, and his shorts were bunched up, too. (Rook wasn't sure why he noticed and he promptly directed his gaze away from the exposed skin of Ben's abdomen, finding it rude to stare.) Laying on his front, Ben had his head tilted toward the door just enough for Rook to see his lips parting softly around every breath. A strand of hair was stuck to Ben's cheek and the corner of his mouth. Rook had the strangest urge to push it back into place.
Closing the door behind him, Rook approached the side of the bed. He carefully reached to put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Ben?" Rook whispered. "I know it is early, but—"
Rook didn't get to finish. With a speed that surprised him, Ben's hand suddenly snapped up and grabbed his wrist before Rook's fingers could make contact. The eyes that had been shut tight before were wide open, staring up at him with pupils so big that they blocked out the green of his irises.
Blearily, Rook was just glad that Ben hadn't slammed down on the Omnitrix instead.
"Oh." It took a few seconds, but Ben finally seemed to process that it was Rook standing above him and not… well, whichever villain Ben had been expecting. His grip loosened and Ben pushed himself up with a sort of grogginess that betrayed how fast his reflexes had been just a moment ago. "Rook. Dude, you shouldn't sneak up on me when I'm sleeping. What're you even doing here, it's like—" He squinted at his alarm clock. "—six-thirty in the morning? Ugh, you're killing me here." Ben dragged a hand down his face, rubbing away the dried spit on his cheek, and fixed Rook with a tired glare. "Did you need something?"
It took Rook a moment to gather his thoughts. He hated to hear Ben making references to death or dying. Rook almost wanted to snap that, no, he most certainly was not killing Ben and Rook would die before he ever let someone get close enough to try. But he was quick to remember himself and managed a smile instead of a shout. "I had some good news to share with you, actually, if you will pardon the early hour."
Ben just stared at him, still glaring without heat. After a few seconds, he sighed, giving in. "Fine, whatever. Just—" He waved toward the bedroom door. "Turn on the light and take a seat, I guess." He yawned. "This couldn't've waited until the sun was up, at least?"
He moved to do as Ben instructed, flicking on the bedroom light and grabbing Ben's desk chair to sit down at. Rook pulled out his Plumbers' badge and opened the email he'd been sent, handing it to Ben for him to look at. "I got us today off duty," he said conversationally, "and I know you do not get to do charity work as often as you would like, so I signed you up with something called the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their director seemed very pleased to have you onboard and immediately sent me a list of children that have requested to meet you."
The bleary eyes and muffled yawns were long gone. Ben was sitting up straight, eyes wide as he scrolled through the list of kids they'd been given. A part of Rook was still worried that Ben wouldn't like that he'd done this without asking first, but that worry was for nothing.
"Rook, you… you went and set all of this up? For me?" Ben glanced between Rook and the email, his expression unreadable. His hand was trembling. "I… I honestly don't even know what to say. It never occurred to me that I could just— ask."
He said nothing, staring at Ben patiently. No, Rook was beginning to suspect that Ben was never going to just ask for what he wanted. But Ben was honest and Rook didn't mind popping the question. He wondered how many more days they would have to loop until Ben ran out of things that they'd yet to do. At that point, Rook supposed that he was going to have to start getting creative.
"Okay. Um, wow. I guess I should probably shower and get dressed." Ben got out of bed, passing Rook's badge back to him absently. "That's a lot of choices…" He muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, but he was smiling.
Standing up, Rook put the desk chair back and risked setting a hand on Ben's shoulder. That time, he wasn't stopped. "We can visit several in one day," Rook suggested. "And there will always be other days, Ben." Well, not really. But if next Thursday Ben wanted to visit different children, Rook would gladly go along with him.
"You're right." The smile that Ben gave him was positively beaming. "And thanks so much for this, Rook. I don't even remember the last time that we talked about doing charity work. I can't believe that you remembered." And before Rook could fully appreciate the look that Ben was giving him, there were arms wrapped around his torso and Ben's hair was tickling his chin.
It was on impulse that Rook automatically returned the hug, but it was completely his own choice to grab fistfuls of Ben's shirt and squeeze him tighter. Rook ducked his head like he was trying to fold them together and he wondered, distantly, if Ben thought that he was behaving unusually. He didn't care. The hug lasted for longer than was probably necessary, and Ben only yanked back when Rook's lips accidentally brushed the top of his ear.
"Thanks," Ben managed, reaching up to touch his ear before remembering himself and forcing his hand back down. His face was burning and Rook wondered if that was a good or a bad sign. "Um, nice outfit, by the way. I'm just going to— uh, grab some clothes. And go shower. Yeah. We'll talk about this more when I get back."
Rook frowned, watching Ben tear through his drawers to grab the same black-and-green shirt and brown cargo pants that he wore every day. "Ben, is something wrong?" It didn't seem like Ben was upset, exactly. More like flustered. But why?
The sound of his name made Ben stiffen, clothes bundled under one arm and halfway to his bedroom door. He turned around to face Rook, holding one hand up placatingly. "What? No, of course not! This is a really cool thing you're doing," he babbled, slowly backing up to the door. "And I'm super excited about it. Just chill out here while I'm showering. I'll only be a minute or two, promise—" Ben backed into his door, jamming the doorknob into his spine with a wince. At that point, he didn't bother saying anything more. He yanked open the door and shut it behind him perhaps just a little bit harder than necessary. Rook listened and, a few seconds after, he heard the bathroom door shut, too.
Huh. Well, that was odd.
He shrugged it off. Ben was probably still tired. Rook glanced around Ben's now empty bedroom and considered waiting the ten or so minutes it would take for Ben to finish his shower, then thought better of it. He left the room and padded quietly down the hall and to the kitchen.
There, Rook flicked the light on and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he noticed that there wasn't a vase of white roses on the table. They'd just been store-bought flowers that Rook saw and grabbed on a whim, but… He remembered Ben clutching them and fussing over them in the vase and couldn't help the pleasant twist of his heart.
Since he'd made waffles with Ben the day before, Rook went about opening cabinets and grabbing what he needed. The waffle iron, a mixing bowl, a whisk… He knew what all the ingredients were, although Rook was still a little unclear on the amount he needed. He gave it his best shot regardless, trying to remember what Ben had told him about the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons. Rook just considered it a victory when he mixed everything together and all of the ingredients didn't overflow.
And, hey, if Rook got it wrong then he could always try again in the morning. Maybe he'd stop by the store and bring chocolate chips since Ben mentioned liking those with his waffles. But there were strawberries in the fridge, and Ben seemed to think that they went together, so Rook settled on that for the time being.
He had two waffles made and browned perfectly in the waffle iron by the time that Rook heard the bathroom door open. It didn't take Ben much longer to realize that Rook wasn't in his room and come wandering out in search of him.
It was only when Rook heard Ben's footsteps stop outside of the kitchen that he let himself look up, barely holding back a grin. And it struck Rook how… domestic the setting was. The sun was beginning to rise, just enough to light up the living room with faint blues and greys. It framed Ben's face, illuminating the surprise in his eyes and making him look softer than he actually was. Rook was the one cooking breakfast and he could see that Ben's hair was still damp from his shower, could still faintly smell Ben's shampoo lingering.
He was struck by the thought that, one day, he wanted to wake up next to Ben in the morning. And that was immediately followed by Rook remembering, painfully, that he would never be able to.
His tongue felt swollen and heavy in his throat, but Rook managed, "I made breakfast. You like waffles, yes?"
"Uh, yeah." Ben walked over to him and took the plate that Rook had been stacking the waffles onto. "I didn't know that you knew how to make them, though. Thanks." His smile turned reminiscent. "Man, you know, the best waffles are hotel waffles. I just drowned that shit with whipped cream and chocolate syrup when I was a kid. Best part of traveling was the hotel breakfasts in the morning."
Rook didn't understand what Ben was talking about, but that was alright. It was nice enough to just hear Ben's voice. He hummed noncommittally. "We can discuss our options for the charity over breakfast. Knowing you, you will not reach a decision easily." How could he? Ben had to pick one child who was sick or dying — just one. It didn't matter that he could visit others later, it was hard enough for Ben to accept that he couldn't be in hundreds of places at once.
The reminder tempered Ben's smile and Rook mentally chastised himself for that. Stupid of him to say that… But they couldn't avoid today's plans forever and Rook knew that they'd end up talking about it sooner or later.
"Good point. Can I see your badge again?" Ben held out his hand expectantly. Rook handed over his badge without hesitation and Ben took his plate of waffles over to the counter. He dug around in the fridge and came back with a container of strawberries.
Thinking about fruit, Rook couldn't help but send a weak glare toward the innocent bowl of fruit on the counter. There was an apple perched just on top, like every other morning. Rook had to fight the childish urge to throw it into the street.
While Rook cooked the last of the batter into waffles, Ben leaned over the counter and ate with one hand, alternating between the waffles and strawberries as his Omnitrix hand flicked through the list. By the time Rook had finished cooking and set everything in the sink, it was nearing seven. Rook was sort of glad that time was passing so slowly, now that he was spending it with Ben.
"So," he said casually as he copied Ben's position, "have you made any decision yet?" The fact that Ben hadn't made any comments was a little troubling to Rook. He hoped that his decision for this charity work wasn't too disheartening, although he understood that scrolling through biographies about sick and dying children was hardly a fun pastime.
"Hm?" Ben looked over at Rook. There was a bit of waffle hanging off the end of his fork that he'd left hanging there for a solid minute already. He didn't seem to realize that he was supposed to be eating. "No, not really. This sort of seems like… something I can't just decide." Ben set his fork down next to his half-eaten breakfast with a clatter and leaned away from the counter. "Maybe I should just try closing my eyes and picking randomly."
"Why not?" Rook agreed immediately.
He snatched his badge back from Ben with deft fingers and double-checked the number. The list that Ms. Jolie Ardebit had sent him contained every option in the state, so Rook filtered it to be just the ones in Bellwood. From several hundred, they dropped down to only seventeen. So he opened a random number generator in a browser next to it and couldn't help but chuckle.
"What is it?" The distraction had gotten Ben to remember his waffles and he questioned Rook with one eyebrow arched and his mouth full.
"Ten," Rook reported, faintly amused. Of course it was the number ten. He returned to the list and scrolled down to the tenth face that peered back at him and started reading. "Gabriel Robinson. He is eight years old and was hospitalized with Reye's syndrome a month ago." Rook frowned. "I have never heard of that disease."
Ben swallowed hard around his mouthful of waffles before shaking his head. "Me neither. Hold on." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and, Rook assumed, started looking into the disease. Rook was proven correct when, a minute later, Ben informed him, "Says here that it can sometimes occur in kids who've had the chickenpox or flu. They're not 100% on what causes it…" He trailed off as he scrolled before picking back up. "It's really rare, though. It causes brain and liver damage. It's fatal if it goes untreated."
Rook made a sympathetic noise. He felt bad for the child, having to go through that for a month now. He wondered what was keeping that child hanging on, why he was still fighting so hard not to die. It couldn't just be fear. That had never stopped people from dying in hospitals before. And more importantly, why wasn't he better yet? Did the disease take that long to heal? Rook was under the impression that children generally bounced back faster than adults.
"I will send a reply letting Ms. Ardebit know that we have made our choice," Rook said quietly. Ben was engrossed in reading more about Reye's syndrome, so Rook grabbed his plate of food and dumped out what Ben hadn't finished. "I think that we will still have a few hours to wait until we can meet Gabriel at the hospital where he is staying. What do you want to do until then, Ben?"
There was a laugh without humor and Rook looked up to see that Ben was still staring at his phone. "Dude, we were just talking about a kid dying. Do you expect me to want to go hang out and play Sumo Slammers like nothing's wrong?"
That was more or less what Rook expected. Ben cared so much, too much for his own good. Rook smiled and made it at least somewhat genuine. "People die every day, Ben. You have always been able to engage in your hobbies before."
Another laugh from Ben, just as unhappy as the first one but louder now. "I guess you have a point." He put his phone away and rubbed his eyes hard. "I'm a goddamn hypocrite, aren't I, Rook?" Ben asked.
"I have never met someone who is not," Rook said without hesitation. He didn't think that Ben was using the word "hypocrite" correctly in their current context, but he knew that arguing semantics wasn't what Ben needed at the moment. He understood the intent, and that was the important part. "Do you want to play Sumo Slammers?"
Ben shot him a tired, grateful look. A sort of weariness was etched onto his face that Rook had only seen once before, when he'd burst onto Khyber's hunting reserve and found Ben at the end of his rope. A few more minutes and he would have been dead. Ben looked like Rook had just saved him all over again. "Yeah," he agreed, as if it was treason to admit it. "Yeah, Rook. Let's play Sumo Slammers."
So Rook sent the email confirming their choice to Ms. Ardebit while Ben got his game set up. Sandra joined them not long after, and she seemed excited that Ben was getting to take some time off work and do something that he enjoyed. While she made herself a smoothie and Carl showered, Ben hunted down the fabled Sumo Slammers game that he'd yet to play and got his console dusted off. By the time his parents had both left for work, Rook had all of their plans in order.
"We will meet Ms. Ardebit at Saint Roch's Hospital at eleven-thirty," Rook informed Ben as he took a seat on the couch. "Gabriel's mother, Aresa Robinson, will also be there. She is unmarried and Gabriel is her only child."
He wasn't sure if Ben had heard him. He had the game loaded, but was staring at his phone again. "Says here that late stages of Reye's syndrome can cause hallucinations or coma." He hesitated. "What if we get to the hospital room and he's not even awake, or who doesn't know who I am? Then what?" Ben stared at him questioningly.
Rook wasn't sure what to say. Ben was supposed to be the one with all the answers, who never hesitated when the situation got difficult. If anyone was going to know what to do, Rook would have assumed that it would be him.
He picked his next words carefully. "I would… assume that we would attempt to talk to him anyway. If he is in a coma, then talking would still be beneficial. Several reports make the claim that individuals in a coma can still hear what is happening around them," Rook said.
Ben hummed. "Yeah. I guess you're right." There was a tone in his voice that Rook couldn't place, but then Ben had put his phone away and the opportunity to ask slipped away. "Let's play. Here." He tossed a second remote at Rook, who caught it reflexively.
The second time playing Sumo Slammers 5: Back With A Vengeance went much like the first time for Rook. He picked up the base controls quickly, having already learned them, but didn't try to play seriously. Ben was good enough to carry their team on his own most of the time. Mostly, Rook just stuck to reviving him if he died or getting a few hits in against a boss.
They'd managed to plow through three stages of the game by the time it was time to leave. Rook had wanted to leave earlier to grab lunch, but Ben declined with a shake of the head and a dismissive, "I'm not hungry." So Rook didn't push.
It was a fifteen minute drive to the hospital and Ben was quiet for most of the ride. Rook would have dragged him into a conversation anyway to try and cheer him up, but Ben didn't seem upset. Just thoughtful. The urge to ask what was on Ben's mind was strong, though Rook ignored it. He could remember a time when getting a quiet car ride out of Ben was all he cared about some days, and Rook wondered when that had changed. He wanted to understand what Ben was thinking about, he wanted to split open what made Ben who he was and know everything about him. He wanted all of it — even the ugly parts.
When had that happened? After Ben died, or had Rook been going that direction anyway and Ben's death had just helped him realize a few things? He didn't know. He decided that it wasn't important.
They arrived at Saint Roch's Hospital at eleven-thirty exactly and Rook parked the TRUK toward the back. Thankfully, no one bothered them on the way in or while they lingered in the lobby. Ben tended to get swarmed with fans almost anywhere he went, but even though they got a few stares and whispers, no one had the audacity to try asking for an autograph in the middle of the hospital.
"Ben Tennyson?" A woman's voice got their attention and Ben looked up from where he was sitting with his chin propped up on her palm. She had brown hair with red, fading dye that she'd pulled back into a bun, and blue eyes. As she stuck out her hand to shake, Ben got to his feet. "Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I'm Jolie Ardebit. You're here to visit Gabriel Robinson, right?"
"Yeah, we are. And no problem. I've been meaning to get more into charity work anyway," Ben said with an easy smile. He dropped her hand and gestured to Rook, who had similarly stood. "This is my partner, Rook Blonko. It's not a problem if he tags along, is it?"
The question seemed more cursory to Rook than anything else. Even if she said no, he was going to follow Ben. There wasn't anywhere Ben could go that Rook wouldn't follow, and there was no one in the universe that could keep him from trying.
"No, no problem at all!" Ms. Ardebit's smile was tight at the corners, but genuine enough. "Follow me, I'll show you to Gabriel's room. His mother should already be there. I let her know that you were coming and she insisted on being in attendance."
"That's fine," Ben said with a smile as they began to walk. "It's cool that she cares so much. I wouldn't want a stranger around my sick kid, either."
They went up to the third floor and found themselves in a waiting room with children's decorations and toys. Ms. Ardebit led them away from the pastel colors and happy music playing over the intercom to enter a set of double doors and down a hallway. It was more like what Rook had expected a hospital to be based on what he'd seen on human TVs. The floor was tiled, the walls were white, and there were muted paintings of flowers sometimes but the decor was otherwise kept to a minimum. They passed a few doctors and nurses who didn't acknowledge them. Some of the doors to rooms were open, some were closed. Rook saw patients with three or four visitors, laughing, and others with the lights off and no hint that anyone had been in their room since they'd been wheeled into the hospital. Some of them were sleeping so soundly that they looked dead, save for the steady beeping of heart monitors that seemed to carry down the hall.
"Here we are," Ms. Ardebit said in a soft voice when they'd finally stopped. The room's door was shut and the blinds were closed over the window. "Do you need me to come in with you? Gabriel's mom, Aresa, can be… stubborn."
Ben shook his head with an easy smile. "No, thank you. We'll be fine." He shook Ms. Ardebit's hand again. "Thanks for arranging this."
"My pleasure." Ms. Ardebit shook Rook's hand as well before taking a step back. "I look forward to working with you in the future."
As her heels clicked down the hall, signaling her departure, Ben took a deep breath and set his hand on the door handle. "Alright. Let's do this," he said to himself, and pushed the door open.
The room looked like every other room Rook had seen on the way there: a small door that led to a bathroom, and an uncomfortable-looking bed that was across from a television hooked to the wall. There was a place to sit near the window and a side table that had a half-eaten lunch on it. The walls were barren, but there were a few toys on the bed and a tablet plugged in to charge near the bed.
Potential complications with Reye's syndrome aside, the child on the bed was undoubtedly happy to see them. The contrast was stark and unnerving, Rook noticed — the child had dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. It made his tiny body stand out even more against the white, white, white of the hospital room. There was an IV attached to his arm and several other tubes and machines that Rook didn't know the purpose of were connected to him as well.
"You're Ben 10," Gabe said in a breathless, ragged voice. In his hands, he was clutching one of the Ben 10 comics that Rook remembered were a limited edition at Mr. Smoothies. Now that Rook was looking closer, he noticed that a lot of the toys were themed around Ben's aliens. "Oh, wow, I— I've always wanted to meet you. You're my hero!" He had to cough when he raised his voice and Rook noticed Ben's smile tighten at the corners.
Regardless, Ben crossed the room, dragging a chair with him from where it'd been against the wall. He twisted it around and sat down to straddle it at Gabe's bedside, his smile easier now as Gabe sat up. "It's great to meet you, too. I hear you're my number one fan." Ben wagged his eyebrows playfully.
While they engrossed themselves in conversation, Rook turned his eyes away from the sight to look at Ms. Robinson. She was a short, put-together looking woman who was occupying the chair near the window. She watched Ben interact with her son blankly, before sensing Rook's eyes on her and turning to him instead. There was a flash of distaste in her eyes.
Ah. She didn't like aliens. That was the problem — not that she didn't trust a charity group to not bring a predator near her sick child, but that she didn't want an alien and alien technology near her son.
Well, Rook shrugged it off. If she wanted to watch, that was fine. She hadn't said a word so, if she wasn't being rude, then he wasn't going to be, either. Following Ben's lead, Rook grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the bedside. He sat in it correctly, unlike his partner.
"You know Rook, my partner, don't you?" Ben asked. He had his chin propped on his hands, holding himself so casually that Rook wouldn't have noticed the tense set to Ben's shoulder if he hadn't been looking for it.
"Yeah, your weapon is so cool!" Gabe seemed disappointed that Rook didn't have the Proto-Tool on him, but he turned to Ben and regained his cheer when he said, "Can you turn into an alien? My favorite is XLR8!"
"He's one of my favorites, too! But, uh—" Ben darted his gaze toward Ms. Robinson, questioning, and she gave a single shake of the head. "Not now. Maybe when I leave. I don't want to cause too many problems for the hospital staff." He continued before Gabe could be disappointed. "I was thinking, though… What if I told you the story of the first time I saved the universe? I keep this one a secret, so you've got to promise to keep it between you and me, alright?" Ben held out his hand, pinkie raised.
Rook didn't understand the implication, but Gabe's face lit up as he locked their pinkies together. "Of course!" He nodded hard and quickly stopped with a wince.
If Ben noticed, then he chose not to call attention to it. "Alright, so, this happened when I was ten years old. Way before I was famous. Just a few years older than you, actually. I was fighting Dr. Animo, and…"
The story continued with narration from Ben and wild hand motions. Rook got as comfortable as he could in the hospital seating and enjoyed it. He'd never heard this story in as much detail as Ben was providing and he found it fascinating. In a lot of ways, Ben hadn't changed since he was ten. Still too reckless for his own good and unable to back down, but he was different in a lot of ways, too. Quieter, Rook thought. Aged. He was better at working with others, a better listener, and much more flexible. Ben had adapted well to being a hero and while Rook didn't like the process, he couldn't say that he didn't like the results.
Because he respected Ben more than anyone in the universe. The things he'd done, the person he was, the morals he adhered to… People like Ben were one in a trillion. Rook stared at him with a wistful little smile and couldn't help but think about all the stars that would've had to align, all of the coincidences that would have had to happen, all of the right events to fall into line, in order for Ben to end up in that chair next to him.
It was fate. They had to be. Rook had never believed in souls or destiny, but he thought that he might learn to. The universe couldn't do something so perfect by accident.
At some point during the story, Rook shot a glance over at Ms. Robinson. She was paying attention to Ben's recount but looked much more skeptical than entertained. At some point, she went to the bathroom, and Rook barely noticed. The starry-eyed wonder on her child's face was far more welcome.
It wasn't clear to Rook when things started going wrong. Ben had gotten to the part of the story about his run in with Vilgax on Tetrax's ship, and Gabe had held his breath with anticipation, gripping his Ben 10 comic book so hard that his hands were shaking. His grip loosened, eventually, but the shaking didn't stop. And his face looked flushed, beads of sweat appearing at his hairline. His breathing had yet to even out. The heart monitor was getting faster and faster.
"Are you okay?" Ben paused his story to ask, and he didn't get an answer.
Gabe's eyelashes fluttered closed and Rook darted forward in time to catch him before his body crumpled forward in on itself.
And just as quickly, his hands were being pushed away. Ms. Robinson was cradling her son instead, one knee on the bed, one arm around him, and the other hand already jamming the button to call for a nurse. "What did you do?" She snapped, the first words she'd said to either of them since they arrived.
"Nothing!" Ben was on his feet, eyes wide. His hands were twitching for the Omnitrix, his default in tense situations, but nothing he could do would make him a medical expert. "It looks like— Shit, he stopped breathing!"
Not entirely. There were little rises and falls of the chest, a scratching noise from barely-parted lips that Rook took to be ragged breaths. He knew CPR, but he hesitated. For one, that was just to keep the heart beating, not help with blocked airflow. And for another, Rook had a vivid memory of snapping Ben's ribs the last time that he'd attempted to do that. If he tried to perform CPR on an eight-year-old, it could do a lot more damage than a fracture.
He didn't have to make that choice. In seconds, there was a doctor and two nurses in the room. One of the nurses ushered them out of the room without asking for permission, despite the protests of Ben and Ms. Robinson. The door slammed behind them, muffling the words that the medical professionals were shouting. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.
Angry, Ms. Robinson whirled on Ben with a glare that could kill. "What did you do?" She repeated. "He was fine until you two showed up!"
"Fine?" Ben clearly had a lot of pent up anger about this too, because he wasn't backing down. "He's been in the hospital for a month! It doesn't take that long to cure Reye's syndrome! So, clearly, whatever's wrong with him isn't fine."
The only reason that it didn't escalate was because there was the sound of someone clearing their throat next to them. The three of them turned to see a second doctor approaching, crossing the last few steps to stop in front of Ms. Robinson. "As we've been telling you since you brought your son in a month ago," he said through clenched teeth, "there's only so much we can do if you won't authorize most of our treatments. All you're doing right now is ensuring that your son dies slower." He turned away before Ms. Robinson could answer and ducked into the room.
As furious as she looked, Rook was somewhat surprised that she didn't attempt to beat the door down and go after that doctor.
Rook wasn't quite sure what the implications of what was happening were, but it didn't matter. Ben clearly did, because his eyes widened and then narrowed as he gave Ms. Robinson a look that was usually reserved for battle. "That's how he got Reye's syndrome, isn't it? He got the flu or chickenpox or something because you," and Ben said the word with such venom that it sent Rook reeling, "didn't get him vaccinated."
Ms. Robinson winced and at least looked somewhat guilty. But when she met Ben's glare, it seemed like all she could do was double down and try to return it with equal ferocity. "You're not a parent, where do you think you get off on lecturing me like that?" She crossed her arms stubbornly. "We wouldn't even be in the hospital if his babysitter hadn't brought him here without consulting me first."
Ben looked like he was seconds from mauling her. "He would be dead by now if he hadn't been taken to the hospital!"
That was Rook's cue to grab Ben, taking his partner by the wrists. "Ben, please," he muttered, placing himself between Ben and Ms. Robinson. "This is not the place to start a fight. Maybe we should go outside so you can get some fresh air and clear your head." A part of Rook felt like he ought to be angry too, but he didn't understand what the problem was. Ben had been using words that sounded like Earth slang and Rook got the feeling that asking what they meant wasn't a great choice at the moment.
To his credit, Ben didn't pull away. But he did shake his head, looking faint. "No, not outside. I need— bathroom, Rook. I feel like I'm gonna be sick."
He didn't stand around in the hall asking more dumb questions. Rook glanced around, find a sign pointing to the bathrooms, and dragged Ben in that direction without looking back. By the time they finally got there, Ben shoved open the door with his whole body and crumbled to his knees in front of the first open stall. He gagged, and there was a loud splatter. Immediately, Rook was kneeling at his side, rubbing a soothing hand back and forth along Ben's spine with one hand and brushing his hair out of his face with the other. He thought, blearily, that it was a good thing they hadn't had lunch after all. Ben had eaten a light breakfast, so there wasn't much to throw up, but he kept dry heaving for a while after his stomach had been squeezed empty.
And then Ben laughed, his face still hanging over the toilet. "Isn't this fucking pathetic, Rook?" He asked quietly. "I can stare down Vilgax without blinking but I can't have an argument with a single mom without having to throw up."
Rook wasn't sure what to say when he didn't understand the context behind why Ben was upset at all, so he settled for, "It is alright to have moments of weakness, Ben. You cannot be expected to be unphased all the time."
That got him another laugh, although Ben finally looked like he was regaining some color in his face so Rook hoped that laugh was a good one. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, unbothered, until Ben finally sighed and got to his feet. He trudged over to the sink and ran cold water into his mouth, gurgling and rinsing until, Rook assumed, the worst of the taste had faded. He wondered, briefly, how Ben managed to look pretty even after he'd just gotten done throwing up in a public bathroom.
"Thanks," Ben said before they left the bathroom. He wouldn't look Rook in the eye. "Sorry, I just… I know this probably isn't what you had in mind when you were thoughtful enough to set this up for me, so thanks for sticking around and not teasing me or anything for what a shitshow it's turned out to be."
"Of course," Rook replied automatically. There was a guilty clench in his gut. The fact that Ben had been expecting behavior like that on any level was inexcusable on his part.
He hated that part about the time loop, too — the fact that Ben would never know that Rook had changed. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, Ben was going to wake up every morning thinking that Rook only respected him as long as he was untouchable and only liked him as a co-worker and nothing more.
Ben gave him a tight smile and turned to leave the bathroom. Rook followed him, and then nearly ran into Ben when he abruptly stopped walking. "Is something wrong? Ben?" He set his hands on Ben's shoulders when Rook realized what the problem was. His breath caught.
Across from the bathrooms were a set of windows overlooking the city beyond. And right in the middle, like a blemish, was a plume of slowly-unfurling smoke.
"There's a fire." Like flicking a switch, Ben became another person. Rook felt his posture tense and Ben's tone took a hard, serious edge. "Looks like it's just a few miles away, I can get there in no time with XLR8. Rook, do you think you can get the TRUK and meet me there?" It was a cursory question rather than one Ben expected an answer to. He was already walking away, three steps in the other direction and a hand on the Omnitrix before Rook came back to himself and grabbed Ben by the wrist.
"Wait!" Rook fumbled for a good excuse. "Ben, you cannot go. Just listen, I— I need to tell you something."
All he earned himself was an annoyed look as Ben shook his hand free. "Okay, well, it's just gonna have to wait until I take care of the fire, Rook. It'll only be a few minutes."
"Ben, you need to listen to me," Rook tried again. But their trip to the hospital must have put Ben in a bad mood because he wasn't in a listening mood.
His next words were drowned out when Ben slammed on the Omnitrix. And just as promised, XLR8 was left standing in his place, but only for a second. The instant after, his visor had snapped down and Ben was gone in a blur of blue and black.
Rook cursed. Loudly.
He was hurrying right after Ben, foregoing the elevator for the stairs and taking them in leaps, but Rook knew before he reached ground level that Ben was long gone. Panic raced up his spine, lapping at the reaches of his thoughts with an ice-cold prickling sensation. Rook knew that any damage (any death) was going to be undone in the morning, but that wasn't what bothered him. That didn't take away the hours that Rook would have to spend with the knowledge that Ben was dead, that he had been unable to prevent it.
The day was supposed to be about making Ben happy and Rook was left helpless, once again, to actually accomplish that.
No time for self-pity. Rook sprinted to the Proto-TRUK, ignoring all of the strange looks he was getting, and was peeling out of the hospital's parking lot in record time. He didn't need to think about where he was going. The address was seared into Rook's mind and, even if it wasn't, the smoke that was getting higher and darker in the sky was enough of a clue.
By the time he got there, it was too late. Ben was already Heatblast, trying to engage the electrical wire that had started the fire, and Rook couldn't breathe. He reached for the Proto-Tool on impulse as he swung out of the driver's seat, not bothering to turn the TRUK off, and remembered sharply that he hadn't brought it with him that morning. Fuck. And he wasn't even wearing the Proto-Armor, was he?
Not that it mattered. Rook would take a burning building crumbling down on him for Ben.
So Rook didn't hesitate. He knew exactly where Ben was about to be standing, once that shock knocked his human form to the ground. The building was creaking and groaning, the flames were so hot that Rook felt like he was suffocating just standing in the middle of the street. He was only going to get one shot at this.
He ran. There was the sound of fire roaring, of the Omnitrix powering down, of the noise of surprise Ben made when he was deposited on shaky feet. When Ben looked at him, fire reflected in his eyes, Rook felt his heart twist so sharply that it knocked the breath out of him. "Rook?" The word hadn't finished leaving his mouth before Rook had grabbed Ben by the hand and was dragging him in the other direction. "When did you get here? What are you—? Rook!"
Ben had planted his feet. Out of surprise, Rook assumed. It didn't matter, he didn't care, he couldn't spare a few seconds to think. The shadow covering them lengthened as the building tilted dangerously. It was so instinctive that Rook didn't realize what he'd done until it was over. He grabbed Ben, one arm around his waist and the other cupping his head, and shoved him to the ground. Rook shielded Ben with his body, which he'd done plenty of times before. Usually, though, he had his Proto-Armor to shield him.
Rook looked down at Ben, green eyes blown wide with too many emotions to process, and had the weary thought that this was going to hurt. It was going to hurt a lot.
A piece of rubble hit his lower back and Rook felt it snap. He couldn't help the noise he made, but he felt Ben struggling beneath him and Rook focused all of his energy on gripping Ben tighter, forcing him to stay still. A hit to the head made Rook's ears ring, his vision flashing with black spots that eventually faded and left everything dark and fuzzy. The adrenaline kept him from feeling it all immediately, but Rook certainly could tell that his leg wasn't supposed to be numb and that blood dripping into his eyes was generally a bad sign.
The whole thing only took a few seconds. Somehow, Rook managed to remain conscious. He could feel air against his fur, so he knew that he hadn't been buried completely (not like Ben had been, on that first day). Even so, he didn't try to move. He couldn't risk shifting the rubble wrong and end up suffocating them both. Ben was scrambling against where Rook's body had him pinned to the ground, arms stuck so that he couldn't reach the Omnitrix. He was letting out desperate cries that sounded like Rook's name. It was hard to tell with how far away everything was.
He couldn't move the lower half of his body. Rook didn't mind that so much as he did the blood forcing one of his eyes shut. It made it harder to look at Ben, to know that he was alright. Looking frenzied and furious with a shallow scratch on his jaw, sure, but alright nonetheless.
Eventually, after what felt like both a minute and an eternity, the rocks above them were shifted away. Rook felt his shoulders relax subconsciously as the weight he'd been bracing himself against was lifted off. A moment later, there were arms around him, pulling Rook off of Ben and carefully moving him away from the rubble. He felt too dazed to speak, to do anything except stare up at the smoke blocking out the sun. Feeling was returning to his lower half in the form of a stabbing sensation at the base of his spine. It lessened when he was placed back on the ground, and Rook was left only faintly aware of the medics nearby scrambling to get a gurney for him.
And Ben was there, too. He had plaster in his hair and there was a hole torn in the sleeve of his hoodie. He was yelling, that tight expression on his face that he got whenever he had to make tough choices. It took Rook a moment to realize that Ben was delegating, forcing the paramedics who had already been on the scene to focus on the civilians while the Plumber medics who were arriving took their place at Rook's side. It wasn't like unspecialized human doctors would know how to treat a Revonnahgander.
The gurney was lifted with as little jostling as possible and placed into the back of a medical cruiser. Rook tried to crane his neck to keep an eye on Ben, only for the sudden, sharp pain that invited to quickly convince him to stop. Thankfully, he had no need. Ben was right after the medics into the back of the transport, the doors slammed shut behind him. No one was going to tell Ben Tennyson where he was and wasn't authorized to be when one of his friends was injured, after all.
Ben hovered next to his head, a grim sort of smile on his face as his fingers traced lightly down the side of Rook's neck. "Hey, partner," he muttered, words swimming into focus even as his face blurred. "You're going to be alright, you hear me? Don't go to sleep, Rook. Not yet."
He almost said, "For you, anything," but the words didn't want to make themselves audible. Rook settled for returning the smile and hoped that Ben got the message.
No more words were exchanged between them and Rook let himself doze off. He didn't fall asleep, because Ben had asked him not to, but he focused on keeping his breaths shallow and watched Ben's face come in and out of focus. Sometimes Ben was angry, sometimes he was on the verge of tears, sometimes he was yelling at people that Rook couldn't see with words that he couldn't hear. But he was constant and Rook found that he was content so long as Ben was in his line of sight.
Their arrival back at the Plumber base was announced with slamming doors and a flurry of motion. Rook blinked, then he was out of the back of the truck and being pushed down a hall. Then he blinked again and he was in an operating room. Was it that bad? He didn't feel like he was in a lot of pain. He almost asked, but then one of the nurses set a mask on his face, muttering something in a soft voice, and Rook forgot about his promise to stay awake.
When Rook woke up again, he was alone and his head was aching. He was also in a hospital room. It struck Rook that he'd never been in a position like this before. Other than a few stops by the healer in his village growing up and being forced to go to the infirmary a handful of times during Plumbers' Academy, Rook had very limited experience with being injured.
He quickly decided that he didn't like it. As consciousness came back to him, he grew increasingly aware of the way that his body ached. He had pain in places that he'd never felt before and, more alarming, Rook realized that he couldn't feel the lower half of his body at all. He panicked for a moment before relaxing again. Right. It wasn't like it would matter in the morning. There was a clock on the wall across from him, informing Rook that it was past six in the evening. He'd only have to deal with the discomfort for a little while longer, and then…
Then it was going to be Thursday again. Rook wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He would have to do something in the morning that he had never done before.
He wasn't sure how long he was awake until a nurse came to check on him. When she saw that Rook was awake, she went to fetch the doctor, and then the doctor told Rook about his injuries. He'd broken a leg, which explained the cast. She went on to list the more minor injuries and then the biggest one, something about one of his vertebra that connected his spine and pelvis being crushed. Joints out of place, nerve damage, extensive bruising… It sure was a headache. There was something she said about the potential for Rook to never be able to walk again and he listened only well enough to know when to react. When she was done explaining everything, Rook just nodded and asked to see Ben.
He didn't have to wait long. Frankly, Rook wasn't sure how the staff had kept Ben in the waiting room for as long as they did. He sat there for maybe a minute, staring after the doctor, and then he heard running footsteps and Ben was flinging open the door. No tact or elegance to be found. Rook smiled anyway, unable to do anything other than find it charming.
Ben made a noise like he was choking. "You bastard…" He muttered, voice lacking any heat. "Rook… I don't know whether I should cry or punch you." He turned and shut the door behind him with a soft click. At least he didn't slam it.
Sitting up took energy that Rook didn't have, so he settled for propping his head up with another pillow. His neck was heavily bruised, but not in a brace, so it was a little uncomfortable but not impossible. "I hope you can at least wait to make a decision until I am out of the hospital," Rook said with a teasing tone. His voice was rough and scratchy.
For a second, Ben looked like he was going to smile. Then his lower lip quivered and he looked away with frustration. "Don't make jokes right now, Rook. I'm… I'm so fucking furious with you. What do you think you were doing, shielding me like that? You have no right to do that shit to me."
Despite his words, Ben couldn't seem to muster up any anger. Rook gestured to the seat at his bedside and Ben took it without comment, slumping as he sat. Like he'd been carrying an enormous weight on his shoulders and was finally letting it fall off.
"It was instinctive," Rook said, because it was. "I will not be apologizing for anything that I did, Ben. I would do it again." Even if he didn't know that the day would loop in the morning. Even if it really did mean that Rook wouldn't be able to walk.
Ben shook his head. "If you weren't in that bed right now, I'd totally punch you for that." He folded his hands over Rook's, glaring at the sheets. "Gwen and Kevin are also outside if you wanna talk to them. I called your family and let them know what happened if you want to call them back instead." He pulled his hands back. "What I mean is… I get it if you don't want to see me right now. I should've done a better job at handling things. Then you wouldn't have needed to step in."
It hurt to move his arm, but Rook did it anyway, taking Ben's hand back in his own. "No," he disagreed softly. "Actually, the only person that I want to see right now is you."
Something about that made Ben's face turn red. He laughed awkwardly but didn't try to pull away again. "Why?" He asked, ludicrous. "I thought you'd be furious with me."
"You only think that because you are furious with yourself," Rook shot back. He gave Ben's hand a squeeze. "I do not want you to blame yourself. The circumstance was an accident and my decisions were my own. Right now, I want you to stay." Ben didn't answer, lost in thought. That was fine. Rook let him think.
"I got a call from Ms. Ardebit while you were still in surgery," Ben said finally. "She wanted to let me know that Gabe died not long after we left the hospital. Complications with the treatment, she said."
Rook nodded. "And?" He prompted, sensing that Ben was going somewhere with that.
He laughed weakly, giving a shake of his head. "And… I don't know. I guess it just got me thinking about how lucky I am that you didn't get worse. You could've died, Rook," Ben said, as if Rook didn't know that already. As if Rook wasn't completely okay with that.
The last time he'd professed to be willing to die for Ben hadn't gone over very well, though, so Rook didn't say that. He smiled. "What do you want to do tomorrow?"
That got him a raised eyebrow, and Rook couldn't help the way that his gaze traced the outline of Ben's face. He wanted to smooth away those worry lines and press his lips to Ben's hairline, to the crook of his jaw, the tips of his fingers. Every inch of him. "Tomorrow? You're not getting out of this hospital bed any time soon, Rook," Ben lectured him.
"What if I could?" Rook pressed. "Hypothetically, Ben. If you could do anything tomorrow, what would you pick?" He wished that he could sit up. Holding hands was nice, but Rook was aching for more contact.
"I don't know, uh—" Ben seemed genuinely caught off guard, grasping at straws. "I'd go somewhere far away. Somewhere with ice and snow so I could kick your ass in a snowball fight, Hallmark movie style. Yeah, really teach you a lesson." There were tears in his eyes, but Ben wasn't letting any of them fall.
He didn't ask where Ben had gotten that idea from or why it seemed to pain him. Rook hummed and let his head fall back, staring up at the ceiling. "Then it is a date," he agreed.
The noise that Ben made was part surprise and part disagreement. "Uh, no. You're not going anywhere tomorrow," he said firmly.
Rook chose not to answer. He closed his eyes and let his breathing even out. Much as he enjoyed talking to Ben, this day had been a disaster. Rook was ready to wake up in the morning and start fresh, try again.
He heard Ben sigh; a sad, fond thing. "I swear…" He muttered, giving Rook's hand one last squeeze. But true to what Rook had asked of him, Ben didn't leave. He didn't let go, either, and Rook was eventually lulled to sleep by the steady beeping of his heart monitor and Ben's quiet breathing.
'Tomorrow will be better,' Rook thought, hoping that Ben somehow understood his intent without words. 'I promise.'
* Source for Saint Roch: he's the patron saint of bachelors and gravediggers (among other things). I thought that was fittingly ironic.
** Respiratory arrest is a rare symptom that can develop with Reye's syndrome. Hey, a rare symptom for a rare disease? It works.
A/N: Ben was supposed to be the one who got hurt this chapter, but I think this ended up playing out better.