Ok, so all panic can end. Mostly, my panic. I ALMOST LOST IT ALL, BUT I DIDN'T. It's all recovered and ok, so the fanfiction can continue! Safe to say I have learnt a valuable lesson from this. BACK EVERYTHING UP! So, once again, I am so sorry about the delay on this chapter, but I am so happy to welcome you to Chapter 9 of What Is Love Truly Worth!
Tuesday 6:30am-Ben's POV:
I woke up this morning, asking myself why I was in the girl's dorm room. Well, that was until the memories hit me like a brick wall, causing me to sigh, and fall back onto the pillow. I looked around the room, to find that Mal was still sleeping, as was Jay, but Evie's bed was completely empty, and that's when I could hear shuffling coming from the bathroom. I heard the door lock click, and the door began to open, presenting me with a fully dressed Evie, but she wasn't wearing any make-up. She noticed me staring, shook her head at me, and whispered "If you ever tell anyone what I look like" causing me to chuckle.
"I-I won't, but I-I'm gonna head back to my dorm to get ready" I said, pulling myself of the floor, trying not to wake Mal and Jay in the process.
"Ok, we'll meet you for breakfast in an hour" she replied, sporting a warm smile. I smiled back, before leaving the room. I got back to my dorm, and got straight into the shower. I quickly realised that I hadn't properly washed my hands yesterday, so small pieces of solidified blood still remained, with my tears yesterday, washing off the rest. This shower was longer than usual, as I just stayed under the water, letting it trace my body, while I plotted my revenge for Chad. 'Mal's right. The Isle is perfect' I thought, grinning at the idea. 15 minutes quickly passed, and I decided it was probably long enough, turning off the water and making my way back into the room, before drying off and getting changed, and making my way out to breakfast.
The walk down to the cafeteria was an interesting one. Some people were offering their condolences, hoping Carlos was ok, other I could hear whispering about what had happened, and some blatantly stated that Chad right in doing what he did, and that Carlos had 'corrupted my mind.' Those people received a rather menacing growl, and a stare to accompany it, which quickly caused them to stop. During breakfast, I was constantly checking my phone, hoping for some information about Carlos, but nothing came.
It was the same throughout the whole day. I checked my phone constantly hoping, praying that I would hear something, but nothing came. It was only at the end of the school day that we finally heard something. It was 3:20pm by this point, and all of us had decided to meet outside, each of us just wanting to spend time together, when my phone began to ring. I panicked, pulling it out of my bag, and quickly accepted the call from the Fairy Godmother. "Hi Ben, is everyone with you?" she asked, and I responded, placing the phone onto loud speaker in the middle of the table.
"Hello" everyone said in a chorus, notifying the Fairy Godmother that everyone was here. She sighed before continuing.
"The hospital ran extensive tests and scans on Carlos, and have determine that he has 2 broken ribs, 3 fractures one, and the rest are extremely bruised. His left leg is fractured in two places, and his left wrist is sprained" she said, everyone bursting into tears around the table. Even Jay let a few stray tears roll down his face. "It gets worse" she began, causing everyone to quieten up, listening to what she had to say. "Last night, we only believed that he was unconscious. But the tests today have revealed that he is in a…coma" she said, and we could all hear that she was sobbing on the other end of the phone. The news caused everyone on this end to continue their outburst, with both Jay and Doug in tears as well. "I have arranged transport for everyone to come and see him. The doctors have told me that a familiar presence might help with Carlos' recovery. The limousine will be waiting out the front of the school for you now" she said, before hanging up.
We all made our way to the limousine waiting for us all of us in each other's arms supporting us as we walked. I was probably the most distraught out of everyone. The last conversation I had with Carlos was an argument, telling him I was done with us. It wasn't true as I still loved him deeply but after finding out their plan, I was so consumed with anger that I went beast on him. My last words to him 'I'm done. Done with whatever he had' echoed through my head, the possibility that I could never be able to reconcile with him
The ride to the limousine felt long, with everyone too scared or emotional to say anything. As usual, I broke the ice with a rather solemn topic. "I'm sending him to the Isle" I said, causing everyone to turn and look at me. "His punishment will be 10 years banishment to the Isle" I said again, causing a Jane, Audrey and Lonnie to sigh at first. Mal was nodded her head, and I could see Evie slightly smirking next to me.
Audrey was the first to speak up. "He deserves it" was all she said. "For what he's said to you, and for what he's done to Carlos" she continued, taking my hand in hers. Lonnie was next to speak up. "We all support you Ben" she said, also taking my other hand is hers. I looked to Jane, and she nodded, followed by a similar reaction by Doug.
"Ok, when we are finished at the hospital today, I'll tell my parents. The day before my coronation, Chad will be banished to the Isle of the Lost for 10 years" I said, reciting my plan out loud, and everyone nodded once again in agreement.
We arrived at the hospital, and were greeted by Fairy Godmother. She led us down corridor after corridor, each containing a number of patients. Some only suffering from minor injury, some preparing for surgery, and others that were facing a traumatic experience. We finally arrived at Carlos' room but before we entered, Fairy Godmother stopped us. "I just want to prepare you for what you're going to see. Remember that Carlos suffered extensive injury physically, so all of his wounds are bandaged up, but he is badly bruised. His ribs are badly damaged, so please try avoid any tight hugs, and if possible do not place his chest against yours. The doctors have said that when you enter the room, it is best to announce your name, as a memory may help trigger is recovery."
We all nodded, and she opened the door. Mal was first to walk in, announcing who she was "Hey Carlos, its Mal", before taking a seat next to his bed. Evie was next, followed by Jay, Lonnie, Jane, Doug, Audrey and finally me. "Hey C, its Ben" I said, walking up to him, and taking the final seat next to him. Carlos had a massive bandage wrapping around his whole chest, obviously hiding the knife wounds that Chad had given him. The parts of his stomach that were exposed were bruised, from where Chad had kicked him in the gut. His left leg was in caster, and was elevated in order to help recovery. His left wrist was also elevated, and we were told not to touch it due to the sprain. Luckily, I was sit on his right side, so I was able to take his hand in my own, but once again I was greeted, with a cold, lifeless touch, rather than his usual warm touch. He was connected up to a variety of different machines, some providing his body with fluid, but the one that stood out to us all was the heart rate monitor, which thankfully, was showing a steady heart rate.
Evie was first to talk to him, telling him about her day, and how she got an A on the biology test he was helping her revise for. Mal followed, telling him about how she was getting on in art. She joked about how everyone was focusing on up beat topics, while she was following his advice, and channeling her 'evil' into a beautiful portrait of the Isle from Auradon. Jay was next, telling him how he was training for tourney today, and was able to beat his own sprints record by 2 laps. Everyone joined in, with Audrey telling him about her new outfit, Jane was telling him how the party planning was going, Lonnie was telling him how her training, and Doug told him about his robotics lesson, and how he finally managed to get the arm working on the robot. While everyone told him their piece of the day, tears streamed down their face. I stayed quiet through the whole thing, keeping hold of his hand in mine, whilst stroking it with the other. When Doug finished, the group fell into a rather awkward silence, only being broken by the beeping of the heart rate monitor. "Ben, why don't you tell him about your day" I heard Fairy Godmother speak up from behind. Tears welled in my eyes as I began to speak.
"Hey C. My day was ok I guess. I had a free first, and spent the time catching up with some maths homework. I struggled at first, but remember what you told me, and managed to do it. Chemistry was next, which was alright. We continued that experiment that we started last lesson, but without your notes, I had to start again. Taught me to take my own in the future" I said, chuckling with more tears rolling down my face and landing on his arm. "Had English last, which was alright. We started a new poem, but I had to analyse it by myself. I was quite tricky, so you'll definitely need my help on it" I finished, as I felt the Fairy Godmother's hand on my back. By this point, we had probably spent an hour in the room with him, before the doctors came in, stating that they needed to run some further tests on him. We were ushered out of the room, and back to the limousine, but as everyone stepped in, I pulled Fairy Godmother to one side. "Would it be possible for me to come for an hour or two every evening? If I brought some work with me, and some books, then maybe it could help trigger his memory" I said, and she nodded.
"Of course Ben. I'll tell the doctors to expect you every day" she said, pulling me into a hug. "He'll be ok Ben. He's strong, and he will recover" she said, but I could hear the falter in her voice. I just nodded, before getting back into the Limousine. It proceeded to take everyone back to the school, while I was returned to the castle. I had a rather awkward topic to approach with my parents.
Wednesday ceased any discussion that was happening over the event. I made my second proclamation in the late hours of the morning, about 10:30am, stating that Chad Charming would be banished to the Isle of the Lost for 10 year as punishment for his crime. My parents were stood to my right as I did so, along with Cinderella and Prince Charming. The pair of them sobbed over the news, but ultimately agreed with my decision. To my left was Mal, Jay and Evie who all stood strong throughout my proclamation, no matter how many insults were thrown their way. The Fairy Godmother, along with Jane, Audrey, Doug and Lonnie were stood behind me, to show their support of my decision. I finished my announcement, and was faced with a mix reaction. Some people believed I was right, cheering in support, whilst other's booed, using the same phrase as before. That Carlos had 'corrupted me' in some way. I was quick to silence them, threatening a similar fate to anyone who protested or threatened the Villain kids, and it was safe to say my beastly side was showing again, but I didn't care, I rather enjoyed it.
I visited Carlos every day that week, telling him how my day was, as well as doing something different every night. On the Wednesday night I brought my maths homework, and voiced everything I was doing on the page, hoping something would spark his memory. I recited the formulas out loud, and then repeated it with the numbers substituted into it. To be honest, it was boring me, but I was willing to do anything to try and save his life. The Thursday night, I brought one of the books we were working through in English. I recited a passage to him, before analysing what it meant out loud. I knew even in this…state, he wasn't enjoying himself, but I continued none the less, trying to provoke some kind of emotion, but nothing happened.
When Friday came, I decided to play some of his favourite songs for him. I placed one earphone in his ear, and one into mine before starting a playlist I had made especially for him. I sang along to the songs, whilst holding his hand in my own, hoping something, anything would happen, but as usual, nothing did. But I was not willing to give up. I must have spent the first hour playing music into his ear, whilst I spent the second playing familiar theme songs into his ear. By the time the second hour was up, I think I hit my limit. I broke down once again crying into his hands.
"Carlos please. Say something, do something, anything" I begged, hoping he would respond. "This is just heart-breaking, I can't bear to see you like this. Carlos, I'm so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it. Please, please come back to me" I begged, tucking my head into his neck, and sobbing into it. "I love you Carlos. I have since the first moment I saw you, and I will until the last moment I see you. Please, please wake up" I continued, before raising my head, and looking into his eyes.
"Ben, I'm sorry to interrupt you" I heard the nurse say, and I knew exactly what this meant, it was time for them to run their test.
"Ok, just give me a moment to get my things" I said, pulling away from Carlos, and grabbing my bag off the chair. I walked back over to Carlos, taking his hand in mine once again. "I love you C, with all my heart" I said, before placing a small kiss onto his lips. It only lasted about 5 seconds, before I started to make my way to the door. Before I got too far away, I felt some resistance, as if I didn't let my hand go. I turned to see Carlos' hand entwined with mine, and before I could react, I hear a small weak voice. "I love you too Ben" it said, and I turned to see Carlos smiling back at me.
I ran back over to him, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. I pulled out, tears streaming down both my face and his. "Please don't leave Ben" he muttered.
"I'm not going anywhere" I said, sitting back down next to him. The nurse who was stood at the door had run off, trying to find the doctor responsible for Carlos' care, whilst I continued to cry into his hands. Within minutes, the doctor was in the room astounded by Carlos' remarkable recovery. He started to test Carlos' motor function, asking him to wiggle his toes and what not, making sure he had complete control over his body, and surprisingly Carlos had. The doctor then asked to take some blood, making sure that everything was alright, and Carlos agreed. The whole time, he stared into my eyes, and I back into his. "You're so gorgeous" I said to him, causing him to blush deeply, before looking down at the bed.
"Ben, I wanted to apologise for what I've done." He began, tears rolling down his face, hitting the blanket covering his body.
"You don't have to apologise Carlos." I replied, but he interrupted "I do. Ben, I fell in love with you the moment I got to Auradon, from the first moment you wiped the chocolate of my lips. But instead, I jeopardise that, to follow some stupid plan. I just want you to know that my feeling were true the whole time, and it wasn't for the plan. I love you Ben, I really do" he finished, my tears joining his on the blanket. Within 10 minutes of his awakening, Fairy Godmother, Mal, Jay, Evie, Jane Audrey, Lonnie and Doug were in the room, everyone huddling around him, asking if he was ok, each hugging him gently. "What happened?" I heard the Fairy Godmother ask. "The doctors are saying that it's a miracle" she said, with a rather obvious of curiosity.
"I don't know. The doctors told me it was time to leave, so I packed up my stuff. Before I left, I kissed him, and went to walk out, but before I could, he grabbed my wrist" I replied, shrugging my shoulder as I did. I saw her eyes widen suddenly, as if something had clicked.
"True love's kiss" she said, with a tone of joy. "Powerful enough to break any curse, or fix most illnesses" she continued, causing everyone to turn to her.
"You mean I healed Carlos?" I said, stunned by the words coming out of her mouth, and she just nodded. As usual, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey and Evie chorused an "aww" and I think I heard Mal in join, before she realised what she was doing. Both Carlos and I blushed deeply, causing Jay to chuckle. "So, what happens now?" I asked, trying to awkwardly changed the conversation, and also on cue, the doctor walked in.
"Well, we want to keep Carlos in to monitor his condition for one more night, but tomorrow, he could return to the school, if he's up for that" the doctor said causing Carlos to nod. "But, I must insist that he gets some rest. We're still not sure what caused his awakening, but we want to monitor his situation for the time being" the doctor continued before Fairy Godmother pulled them to one side. She explained what I had told her, and we saw the doctors eyes widen "Well, that definitely explains it, but we still want to keep him in" the doctor continued, and we all nodded in agreement. We all spent the next hour with Carlos, catching him up on everything, before we were asked to leave. Everyone said their goodbyes, and I walked till last.
"I'll be here first thing in the morning ok? And then we're going to get you out of here" I said, taking his hand in mine, his usual warm touch had returned.
"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow" he said, before pulling me into a shallow hug. I hugged him back, before giving him a quick peck on the forehead.
"Goodnight C" I said, walking out the door, and I heard him reply, "Goodnight my prince" which caused me to chuckle.
Ok, so I hope that wasn't to disappointing for how late it was. So, Carlos is healed and Ben woke him with 'True Loves Kiss.' God, it's so cheesy, but that's the Descendants Universe for you. I thought it would be sweet to do that, and it's also why Ben and Carlos never kissed while he was under the love spell. I didn't want to do that, as I knew the kiss would break it.
Ok, so I'm rambling cause I'm so happy to have my laptop back. It was gone for less than a week, and I was freaking out. It was more over all the FanFiction I thought I had lost, but it is all ok, thank the lord. So, this will be uploaded first, so I suppose I'll see you soon for Chapter 11 of NTC, as that is being edited and uploaded straight after this has gone up.
Don't worry, this won't affect the upload schedule, so the next chapter of this will be uploaded on Monday. TTFN :)