Author's Note:

Sorry for how late this chapter is. It's been a few of those weeks in a row. First power outs for two days, then the Black Friday rush at work and THEN I catch a stomach bug. And then when the chapter is actually done...the servers SA uses for this site get overloaded and I can't get in...So, yeah, hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry it's so late.

Chapter 110

Hospital

It was irresponsible of her to drive to the hospital instead of home that morning. Driving exhausted was just as bad as driving drunk. It risked not just her, but other drivers.

Jeremy would kill her if he found out. He'd tell her she should have napped in her car or the staff room.

However, Hedy didn't want to be anywhere near the day staff, especially the Manager. She didn't trust herself not to punch his nose in at the first comment about the bots. She couldn't afford to get fired just yet.

She also didn't want to be around if any of the ghosts tried to chat. She had sensed someone watching her as she left.

It was Ginny, though she wasn't fully sure how she knew that. The girl stayed quiet and invisible. She didn't even seem to care about Mike too much, though she clearly didn't want to come out with him there.

Hedy didn't give them a chance to chat, leaving the building boundaries with Mike.

Hedy rationalised the frankly unsafe driving with the empty early morning road and the kick from the coffee Mike forced her to have.

She still wasn't sure what to think about the man. She didn't want to admit he was a disturbingly calming presence, even if he himself was a frantic mess.

When was the last time she just sat down and talked with someone?

Even the meaningful conversations with Ruby were rare and usually brought on by Ruby being her stress inducing self.

The teen didn't like Hedy forcing her into discussions where she had to consider how she or others felt at any point in time.

When she got to the hospital, Hedy didn't even bother signing in at the front desk like she should.

The longer Dr. Cecil didn't know she was there, the better. Hedy could deal with the lecture later.

Ruby was...

Hedy stayed in the doorway to Ruby's low-lit room for way too long. For a moment, she panicked. She couldn't...she couldn't hear breathing. Hedy swallowed and didn't want to admit the relief she felt as the silhouette of Ruby's chest slowly rose and fell, shallow and dimly outlined by the city lights from the two-story window beyond her.

Who left the blinds open? Hedy thought, probably more irritated than intended. She didn't like the idea of the world seeing Ruby like this.

She snapped the blinds closed, keeping her back to the teen for a moment.

"Morning Ruby..." Hedy murmured as she turned her chair back around and brought it to the side of the bed.

The lack of the response was horrible.

The teen looked exactly the same as the previous day. Too pale, too still. There was no sign of her waking up. No restless shifting, no fluttering eyelids.

Just...nothing...

"You're going to hate this," Hedy whispered. "The Manager's an asshole. Yeah, we knew that already." She sneered a little. "He hired a new guy to replace you, you know."

Hedy half expected that to be enough for Ruby to snap awake and start planning the man's demise.

Nothing.

"The new guy isn't too bad. He's growing on me." Hedy sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm still trying to make sense of why he's there. Maybe I'm just paranoid. But...just why? Why would someone just...risk their life for people they don't know? It's driving me crazy. You're a reckless nostalgic kid looking for memories. I'm a murder survivor that wanted answers. Those are reasons, aren't they?"

Hedy frowned. "Maybe he really is that good of a person. In that case, it just makes me feel worse about not standing my ground and kicking him out." Hedy groaned and shook her head. She stared at Ruby, begging for some kind of a response.

Her voice was quieter, more pleading and less conversational when she spoke again. "There's got to be some way I can help you, Ruby. I just... I don't know what's wrong. This isn't just an accident. This has to do with Freddy's somehow. I can't...the bots and I can't just be going through this for no reason. There has to be some sense. Something happened. Something wrong had to happen. But...what?"

Hedy reached out to touch her again only to freeze at the aching memory of the pain that struck her hand the previous day. She still didn't know what that was. She hadn't mentioned it to Goldy, or Puppet. But it was enough proof for her to know something else was wrong. Something has to make sense about this. There were answers somewhere. Maybe if she tried, she could find them. Maybe she could figure out what was wrong and bring Ruby back. It was a stretch for a tiny incredibly painful clue, but what else did they have?

Taking a deep breath, terrified from not knowing what would happen, Hedy clasped Ruby's hand.

Her muscles immediately locked up from the pain and she couldn't pull away. She tasted blood in her mouth from biting her tongue.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Maybe she screamed?

Blood loss. Burning sensation from flesh tearing. This was Michael again. She knew what this felt like. But it was very different from Michael shoving a rusty pipe in her stomach. If anything, it was worse. The pain was everywhere, not localized.

She panicked at the sensation of broken ribs and sharp pressure in the flesh of her legs. Her back stung like someone had drawn several sharp knives across her skin. It was hard to breathe.

She was dying again...

"Hedy! Ms. Fitzgerald! What happened? Are you okay?"

The ringing in Hedy's ears faded eventually, and she had enough wherewithal to realize she had blacked out, probably from the shock rather than the pain. She groaned before she could stop herself.

There was a nurse. Alice? Clint? That was Clint's voice. There was a little boy pressed up against the wall, eyes darting between her and Ruby.

How long was she out, laying on the disgusting hospital floor?

"I...I..." she scrambled to come up with a lie as the nurse shone a light in her eyes. Hedy winced back. "I was reaching to adjust the light...I..."

Her head was still swimming. "I think I slipped?"

"You don't seem to have a concussion," the nurse said, squinting at Hedy. "But we're still going to get the doctor to look at you. Can you get up?"

Shakily, Hedy got herself back in her chair, waving off help from three worried-looking people.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Just an accident," she assured, trying not to sound breathless as the pain slowly faded. She leaned on one of her arm rests, digging her nails into her palms to distract herself.

Clint let out a sharp huff of air. "Are you more accident-prone than Ruby? My condolences." The joke was strained, but the man cracked a smile nonetheless, his eyes glancing at Ruby's unresponsive form.

Alice wasn't as amused and smacked his arm. Then she promptly took over fussing over Hedy as the nurse pulled back.

Hedy could understand why the woman got away with mothering Ruby. She wasn't overbearing as she got Hedy settled again.

She also didn't scold Hedy for being there in the first place. They could understand why she was.

Clint looked over his shoulder. "Hey Ricky, this is Hedy. She works with Ruby, remember? Ruby's mechanic."

"We met a few times, I think," Hedy said. "Hi, Ricky."

Ruby had brought Ricky to shift one night, but Hedy had been busy working and wasn't the best hostess. They had met the previous day too, but things were chaotic and there were no introductions.

She didn't even notice Clint saying "Ruby's mechanic" until a moment later.

He said it so matter-of-factly. Like it wasn't odd at all that Ruby had claimed her in some way. That it wasn't the same way Ruby spoke about 'her' bots or 'her' job.

Possessive and protective.

Ricky gave a shy wave, eyes darting over to the teen in the bed. His expression fell when he saw that she hadn't reacted to the commotion at all.

"I don't suppose Dr. Cecil's told you anything?" Clint asked Hedy.

Hedy shook her head, wincing from a headache. "No I, uh, just got here." Did she? What time was it?

"How long are you planning to stay, Hedy?" Alice asked.

"A few hours. I still have classes. But I can leave if you...!"

"No, no, it's okay," Alice said. "We just came to check on her but can't stay long."

"We need to get back to get the rest of the kids ready for school," Clint explained to Hedy.

"I hate leaving her alone," Alice admitted. "I wish we could stay longer. But we only have a few minutes. We'll see if the doctor has any news and then go." She sounded so pained.

Hedy felt like Alice was less explaining it to her and more reminding herself of the steps she needed to do.

She had to remember her duties.

"I could stay," Ricky suggested. The hopefulness was clear in his eyes.

Clint pulled him in by the shoulder and ruffled the boy's hair with a sigh. "You still need to go to school too, kiddo."

"But...can I at least stay here until you take everyone? You can come pick me up?"

"You know how long it takes to get everyone ready. The school is in the opposite direction. I'm sorry Ricky. We'll bring you back after school okay?"

Ricky's eyes darted to Hedy. "Can Ms. Hedy take me?" The boy was desperate for just a few more hours with Ruby.

It was clear he was taking this badly. His eyes were red-rimmed and he looked tired.

"I won't cause any trouble," he promised Hedy, a pleading edge to his voice.

"Ricky..." Alice sighed.

"I don't mind," Hedy said, a little awkwardly just because she wasn't used to talking to kids. She'd never really deny the request. "I can give you a ride if Clint and Alice are okay with it."

Ricky immediately turned the puppy eyes onto the other two adults and Hedy could see the moment they caved.

"Are you sure Hedy?" Alice checked.

"It's fine," she said with a nod.

"What do you say, Ricky?" Clint asked the boy.

"Thank you..." Ricky murmured shyly, unable to look Hedy in the eye. His gaze landed on Ruby instead. "Did she wake up at all? Even a little?" He looked scared, like he wanted to get close to Ruby, but was too frightened he'd hurt her somehow.

It hurt to see him deflate when she told him that Ruby's condition was still the same.

He hesitantly stepped forward, stopping next to the bed.

"She's going to wake up right?" He asked, voice cracking and blinking back tears.

"I think so," Hedy said.

For a moment she saw the other adults' faces flash with uncertainty, but they didn't say anything.

Hedy stiffened in panic and almost grabbed him as Ricky anxiously touched Ruby's hand. She felt enormous relief when nothing happened to the kid and nearly let it out as a breath she wouldn't be able to explain.

It was just Hedy who couldn't touch Ruby then. The realization settled in a pit wherever her soul was. The thought hurt.

Ricky was soon settled in a chair and clutching Ruby's hand tightly, quietly telling her about what had been happening lately.

Hedy stayed in the room with him when Dr. Cecil appeared.

The doctor eyed Hedy warningly, clearly guessing the young woman had snuck in again, as she and Ruby's guardians went out into the hall to talk.

"Did you...did you see what happened?" Ricky asked Hedy quietly.

"No...The bots and I found her and I called the ambulance."

"Oh..." he stared down at Ruby's hand. "So you don't know what happened?"

Hedy still felt a little breathless from the phantom pain that continued to ache throughout her body, but she didn't let her voice waver.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm worried about her too, Ricky. We...just have to wait I think."

His lower lip wobbled.

"I just want her back," he whispered.

Hedy's heart broke at his voice.

"I know...I want her back too..." she whispered. She took a breath, willing away a little more of the pain. "You don't know me that well, but do you want a hug, sweetheart?"

Ricky nodded, practically jumping into the hug. He was shaking slightly.

Hedy was a little shocked at how easily she pulled him in. "Shh. It's alright." She hummed a little and cradled him as she heard a sob and Ricky started shaking more, letting out the stress and worry he'd bottled up.

Hedy wanted to cry too. She felt her throat tighten, but was she even allowed to cry?

"I know. I know you're scared. It's okay to be scared, Ricky," she whispered, rocking him slightly. "But you know how Ruby is. I'm nowhere near giving up on her just yet. No one is. We don't know when she'll wake up, but you know what we do know?"

"What?" Ricky hiccuped into her shirt as he shuddered.

"We know how much we love her and we know how much she loves us. That's a lot we do know and right now, that's enough until we figure out what's wrong with her, okay love?"

Ricky nodded against her shirt, crying too hard to say anything just yet.

Eventually the sobs quieted down.

"I want my sister back," he whispered.

Hedy held him tighter, even if it made the wounds that didn't exist hurt more.

Me too.

After a very long moment they finally pulled apart, Ricky scrubbing at his face hurriedly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "About crying all over you."

"It's okay sweetie," Hedy said softly, grabbing some tissues from Ruby's bedside.

A few minutes later Clint and Alice returned. Ricky tried to hide that he'd been crying but the sympathetic looks on their faces meant they'd seen it.

"They still don't know what's caused this but they're running every test they can," Clint told them both. "She's currently stable."

The way he said that made Hedy think that maybe she hadn't been stable at some point during the night but they didn't want to say anything in front of Ricky.

Alice tried to fix Ruby's unruly hair for a moment and sighed, closing her eyes.

Clint put a hand on her shoulder, and they shared a look.

"Ricky," Alice said gently. "We're going to go now. I want you to remember your manners. Be good for Ms. Hedy, alright?"

Ricky nodded, still very subdued. He was back to holding Ruby's hand and watching her with sad eyes.

"Thank you for this Hedy," Clint said. "It's very kind of you."

Hedy nodded. "It's not a problem." She was going to go down a few more cups of coffee though.

She stiffened in shock as Alice gave her a short hug, but Hedy didn't fight it.

It was tight for a moment. Alice was upset. What did Cecil say to them?

The woman gave Hedy a wobbly smile before she and Clint exited the room.

That left them back in silence save for the beeping of the heart monitor.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Hedy said to Ricky after a few minutes.

He gave her a slightly distracted nod and by the time she was leaving the room she heard him start speaking about his day again.

It made her flinch in guilt.

Wait...why did she feel guilty?

There was nothing she could have done. It wasn't her fault this happened to Ruby, was it? Her forcing the others into helping her make those stupid tapes was just her paranoia and anxiety spiking. It had nothing to do with this. It wasn't like she actually knew something bad would happen.

After things settled and she could properly start working on Spring, her anxiety got worse. Maybe it was just PTSD. That made sense. Michael was still around and popping in to terrorize her with his presence (or try to). She just...felt this constant dread that just made the air inside the building weigh on her. She felt an intense fear that something could happen to Ruby, or her. What then? What would happen after? What would the ghosts do?

It got worse after that woman Sally showed up. That had to be it. It was too close of a call for Ruby and that scared Hedy. That had to be it.

When she first broached the subject of remaking the tapes, everyone had been so mad at her. Foxy actually snapped and Ruby took offense, of course.

Arguments between Hedy and Ruby were rare, but that was one. All it was was Hedy trying to explain she was just being cautious.

Ruby seemed to take it as Hedy not trusting her. They went back and forth for at least an hour.

It was Goldy who stopped it. She sensed Hedy's anxiety, and how it was driving her crazy. Goldy admitted that she was worried too.

Hedy was too emotionally tired by the stress and arguing, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was near tears at the time as Goldy explained. She was worried for Ruby on top of wondering if Spring would wake up and still recovering from what Michael did to her. It was just a little too much. It was embarrassing to admit it took everyone else seeing her nearly break down (with a little guilting from Goldy) for them to agree to the recordings.

And it was pointless! What fucking use were those tapes now?! They disappeared almost the day after she finished them all and the cleaners swore up and down they didn't move the box they were in.

Just a fucking useless coincidence...

She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she practically rolled right into Dr. Cecil.

The woman crossed her arms and glared at Hedy silently.

"Uh...heh...morning, Doctor," Hedy said with a strained smile.

"...One of the nurses said you had an accident in Ruby's room earlier. What happened?"

"I stood up to try adjusting one of the lights and lost my balance," Hedy said, sticking to her lie even as she rubbed her forearm where she still felt some phantom stings.

"You blacked out."

"I must have fainted from standing up too fast. It happens sometimes with me sitting down all the time."

She sighed. "Hedy, you're running yourself ragged. This isn't healthy."

"I'm okay," Hedy insisted. She hadn't reached her breaking point yet. She refused.

The doctor didn't look convinced.

"You're helping no one by doing this Hedy," she said softly. "You're only hurting yourself."

"Doing what? What am I doing?" Hedy said, "I'm just checking in on Ruby. What do you think I'm doing?"

Cecil didn't look offended by Hedy's tone. "You're working, going to class, and spending hours with Ruby. Do you even have time to sleep or study? What about social time with friends? I know a lot about long hours and sleepless nights. I went to medical school, Hedy. And yet, I still don't think medical students push themselves quite as hard as you and Ruby do. Something has to give eventually, and it should not be your health."

She hesitated. "Ruby wouldn't want you running yourself so ragged," she murmured.

"Maybe not, but she can chew me out when she wakes up."

"You two are in high school and college. You're young. You're supposed to be out spending more time with friends at the mall than in the hospital."

"Please don't lecture me today..."

"Fine," the doctor shook her head. "But I don't want to be reserving a room for you too, Hedy. At least try to take care of yourself. Get some sleep. Meetup with some friends or go on a date. At least catch some sunshine, please."

Hedy didn't answer for a moment. She glanced away. "What happened with Ruby last night?"

Dr. Cecil's lips thinned in displeasure. "Her vitals took a dip for a few minutes. We don't know why. She was on an oxygen mask for a few hours after that."

Hedy's stomach twisted. "What do you mean her vitals...Her heart rate?"

"...everything. It just went haywire suddenly."

The doctor abruptly looked tired as she rubbed her eyes.

Hedy didn't dare mention what happened when she touched Ruby. It wouldn't make sense to the doctor.

It was all..unfair.

Something was hurting Ruby. Something horrible was happening to her and it was killing her out here.

And they were helpless to stop it...

"You...you can't force her awake can you...?"

"It doesn't work like that, Hedy."

"I know I just..."

"I understand," Cecil said, putting a hand on Hedy's shoulder. "Hedy listen to me. Don't start feeling desperate on me, okay? Desperate people do desperate things and we aren't there yet."

You don't know that. The mechanic thought but didn't say.

Hedy nodded. "I'm not. I just hate not knowing."

Cecil resisted the urge to sigh again. "Alright. Do I need to check you over from that fall? Be honest."

"I don't think so. Just a little headache. I feel fine," she lied.

Cecil gave her a look but didn't press and the two women headed back to the room where Ricky was still quietly chatting with Ruby.

The doctor did her checks before leaving them alone.

Hedy was feeling that exhaustion creeping back in but she wasn't able to nap a little, wanting to keep an eye on Ricky like she promised.

Eventually the couple of hours ran out.

"Ricky?" Hedy said gently. "It's time to go."

"Just a few more minutes?"

"No sweetheart. I need to get you to school."

Dejectedly, Ricky let go of Ruby's hand and let Hedy usher him out of the room.

It was a quiet ride.

It was a quiet ride.

Jeremy was left alone with his thoughts after work, when he jumped in his car. He called Amelia to let her know he wasn't coming home that night. That Hedy needed him.

His wife, his wonderful understanding wife, didn't ask what happened. She knew what happened to Ruby but this was different. But she didn't ask. Yet.

Hedy must have seen his car because she came outside when he arrived, her vehicle already there.

Jeremy quickly closed the case files he brought with him that were not so innocently sitting in the seat beside him. After another thought, he put them in the back and covered them with a jacket.

Hedy shouldn't see them yet. He wasn't quite sure how to really ask her for the help he needed. Some of it required dredging up horrible memories he didn't want to ask from her. He also wanted to make sure she wouldn't tell Ruby what he was doing, which wasn't exactly an issue at the moment. Whatever the case, Hedy didn't need to be worrying about what he was working on now, not with everything else happening.

He climbed out of the car and faced his sister.

"So, let me get this straight. With Ruby in the hospital…" he started.

"Yeah, the deals are suspended."

Jeremy was rather proud of how calm the breath he sucked in was.

"Shit."