The next few days Jaune and Qrow got along much better as they had a new bond, they even started to enjoy watching movies together in their spare time between treatments.
"So explain to me what is going on?" Qrow said in his gruff voice, as the two watched some old Vacuo gunslinger movie in their room.
"I honestly don't know. That guy right there I think the other dude in Black killed his wife and now he wants revenge. I never was a big fan of westerns." Jaune said, shrugging and drinking some water.
"Then why are we watching it?"
"Cause I can't reach the remote."
"Oh so you're being lazy."
"Yeah that's it Qrow, let me just get up and go get it. Oh wait!" Jaune says in an overly sarcastic way.
"Oh yeah sorry." he replies sheepishly.
"It's fine... I have an Idea. I'm gonna throw this blanket at the remote and see if I can snag it."
"Sounds like a good plan." Qrow says with a chuckle, for the next half hour Jaune tries again and again to snag the remote with Qrow making smart remarks and half heartedly cheering him on only proving to annoy the Arc man. When Weiss walks in she sees what the two men are up to and smiles as Qrow is now directing Jaune's casts and Jaune is cursing when he misses. Weiss walks over and picks up the remote handing it to a now blushing Jaune
"Here," she says smiling
"Thanks" awkwardly before taking the remote starting to channel surf the whooping 5 chanels. But to be fair that is actually a lot considering only a month and half ago the world was super destroyed. As they channel surfed they found five things, the news, that western movie, children's cartoons, more news, and finally a weird soap opera thing. Having determined the news was boring and they hated soap operas and the western movie, they settled on the cartoons. The three of them enjoyed watching the cartoons for an hour before they shut them off and decided to get an update on the others from Weiss.
"So what's going on in the real word?" Qrow asks sitting back in his bed and getting comfortable while Jaune sat up to listen to her and block out the pain from his back as he moved to sit up. He hit his morphine button to get some relief from that.
"Well, Ruby is apparently with the world leaders helping to make sure the United government gets built properly, I believe Blake went to help rebuild Menagerie so obviously Yang went with her, I hear Nora and Ren went off to Mistrel to rebuild and Penny is now fixed and going around the world to help however she can, and Finally we three are all in atlas. You two in the hospital and me starting up the SDC again and fixing stuff." Weiss says finishing her report
"Well that's not very exciting." Jaune says laying back again "Great friends we have huh?"
Weiss and Qrow felt bad for agreeing, but their friends and family really did abandon them… it almost seemed as if their time together meant nothing… but it meant something to all three of the people in the room.
"Unfortunately that was all the information I could find on them… they haven't responded to any of my calls or texts." she says glumly.
"How's Atlas doing?" Qrow asks, trying to change the subject.
"It's doing okay, General Ironwood has stepped down from the military and is only the academy headmaster now I think he is finally regaining his senses.. And now that Atlas is no longer in the sky (since all the relics are destroyed) things are a bit different. Now atlas and Mantle are fully separated and individually governed, there is still open traid and borders but thanks to the independence the relationship between the two is much better."
"What's the SDC up to?" Jaune jumped in
"Well right now I'm rewriting policy, I got rid of the board of directors,"
"You can do that?" Qrow said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow
"The government is in shambles, who cares if I kick a few old men from their cushy chairs?" she says with a shrug "besides it's not like anyone would want to stop me."
"Wow, look at you pulling a power move." Jaune says with a smile before more pain hits him very hard and he begins to wince giving himself more morphine Weiss looks at him with concern
"Are you okay?" she asks
"I'll be fine." he lies, he has been in constant pain since the moment he awoke, his back hurts his leg hurts and in addition medicine really doesn't help thanks to his aura, it has recovered but unfortunately it does nothing but slightly dampen the pain and make painkillers less effective. But for Weiss and Qrow, Jaune would deal with it.
Three days later, Juane was doing something exciting, they were testing how well he would do in a wheelchair. It wasn't walking but at least he could move around. The Nurse came in that day and smiled kindly at him, but since the beginning of the week his mood had been quickly deteriorating, yet he managed to fake a smile for this woman as she was the one who controlled his medication as he best not piss her off.
"Hello Mr, Arc" she says too cheerfully for him
"Hello." Jaune says sitting up slowly as to not cause more pain than necessary.
"Are you ready to try out one of these things?" she asked
"I suppose." he says with anticipation in his voice. He honestly had been quite eager to move around as the room was so boring now that Qrow had been fixed up. When the other man left he promised to be in contact and Jaune was happy to hear that but still he was sad to see his main source of entertainment as well as friend leave.
"Well all right then just let me call someone stronger than me to help us out." she says
"Okay." he replied quietly. A few moments later a large man, even bigger than Jaune came into the room.
"Be careful with him." the Nurse says and the man nodded as he gently picked Juane up bridal style making Juane feel incredibly embarrassed as well as uncomfortable as the movement hurt his back. The man took him to the wheelchair and set him in it. The nurse let Jaune get more accustomed to the strange feeling. He tested out moving in the wheelchair and he found it surprisingly easy to move in. In fact the movement only hurt a little. And suddenly he was filled with a feeling he hadn't felt in a while, Happiness even if it was only a second before the pain returned ruining the moment. After that the Nurse began to explain to him how to get in and out of the wheelchair and have people help him do it. But honestly the ability to move around like a normal person was what he really wanted… and it was something he would probably never get again.
The nights alone were the worst. He was alone and stuck with his thoughts. He thought of his earlier conversation with Saph as she had called that very morning. And thankfully it wasn't a video call… that made Lying easier.
{Hey bro, how are you doing?}
{As well as I can.}
{That's all I can ask for.}
{Well I talked it over with Terra, and she said we would be happy to have you in our home.}
{Really?}
{Yeah! Isn't that great? I have such an amazing wife.}
{Yeah, I like Terra too.}
{But anyways when are you gonna get discharged then we can come and get you.} she asks
{Um soon I think but hey sap-}
{Great! I'll start getting a room ready.}
{Saph Listen to me.}
{Huh? Oh what did you want to say}
Jaune had spent a lot of time thinking about this and had come to the conclusion that he couldn't live with his sister and her family no matter how much he loved her.
{I already found a place to stay.} he lied.
{You did?}
{Yeah. as I am now I require too much attention to be with you. You have a little kid and should just take care of him and don't worry about me.} he lied again, he really didn't have much to take care of except taking his medicine.
{Jaune? Where are you going?"}
{I'm going to live with one of my friends In Vacuo}
{Jaune are you lying to me?} she says her voice hushed and serious.
{No. I promise I am not lying to you.} He says
{Arc's word?}
{Arc's Word.} he says his heart breaking as the tears fell silently down his face. He had just betrayed his sister, and their family name.
{Okay. I trust you. But don't ever hesitate to call if you change your mind.} She says sadly, she knew he was lying.
{Goodbye Jaune…}
{Goodbye Saphron.}
He lay in his bed and thought angrily to himself on how much of a horrible brother he was, he was supposed to be a hero not a liar, he was supposed to be brave… he fought against Salem yet now he didn't have the courage to see his sister again. But after these thoughts struck him he wanted nothing more than to die… but he cried sorrowfully to himself as he knew he couldn't die, he had to live.
Like usual Weiss came and visited him even now that Qrow was gone, she managed to put up with his rather foul mood.
"How are you today Jaune?" she asked sitting down.
"How do you think," he says bitterly
"That good huh?"
"Yeah. never being able to walk again does that to a guy," he says with a bitter laugh
"I heard they found a medicine that makes your pain go away." she says trying to make him feel better.
"No, they put me on Fentanyl… it only dampens the pain apparently arua keeps drugs from affecting us properly." Jaune says closing his eyes "help me up would you?" Weiss nodes and helps Jaune into his new Wheelchair. It had only been a little while but he already hated the infernal thing. One thing that made Jaune feel a little better was the fact that Weiss had been able to put up with him and continued to visit him.
"I heard they are going to discharge you in a few days" she commented walking beside him as he started to roll down out of the room.
"Yeah, it would be exciting but I really don't have anywhere to go, and now that I am… well you know." he says sadly." and, because of that I can't even hunt any more."
The two continue down the hall to one of Jaune's treatment rooms where they work on the damage to his spine. He hoists himself onto the examination table and lays down on his stomach waiting.
"You know, if you want... you could come live with me." Weiss says rather quietly surprising Jaune
"Live with you?" he asks puzzled.
"Yeah. it's actually quite lonely at the mansion since Whitley and my mother left. I could help you learn to walk again there." she offers
"We both know even if I do learn to walk again it will take a long time, I doubt it's even possible with my spine the way it is." he says glumly. "I won't be of much use to you, and I am always in pain so it makes me grumpy. I would be a terrible roommate."
"Don't say that. I want to help you… and It would be nice just to have someone to talk to."
"You haven't been able to contact any of the others?"
"No..." she says sadly. The two sit in silence for a little while, while Jaune thinks over her offer.
"Okay, in return for help learning to walk again. I Jaune Arc promise I will do my best to be a good roommate and company." he says holding out his hand for Weiss to shake.
"As a Schnee you must know I take contracts very seriously so I expect you to hold up your end." she says rather sturnly before shaking his hand
"Yes ma'am" he says with a smile as the doctor comes in and asks Weiss to leave while Jaune gets his spine looked at.
After one month three weeks and six days Jaune was discharged from the hospital. He left with Weiss on his way to the Schnee mansion and he got a good look at how atlas was. It amazed Jaune how much had been fixed in only a month and a couple weeks. There was still damage almost everywhere he looked but for the most part the city was fixed being quickly rebuilt.
"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked as he looked out the window.
"It's strange seeing atlas like this."
"Well it's getting better."
"I hope so." for the rest of the car trip Weiss told Jaune all about the repair being done to Atlas from the building to the social justice issues currently being worked on. Until they finally reached the Schnee mansion.
Weiss got out and retrieved Jaune's wheelchair, he got out of the car into his chair with a little pain and just sat by the entrance for a few minutes thinking before he felt Weiss' hand on his shoulder.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Just thinking."
She takes ahold of his hand and gives it a light squeeze he smiles and takes a large breath
"I'm not sure I'm ready for this." he says truthfully.
"for now we can just take baby steps." she replies squeezing his hand a little more
Jaune nodes and gives her a smile before rolling forward into his new adventure.