Hey everyone! Here's Chapter 27! Hope you enjoy!
Bbrae-4ever fanfics: I would imagine the team would be feeling all sorts of ways about the situation. On one hand, I imagine they just want to smack some sense into him, but on the other hand, they probably want to hug onto him and never let him go. It'd be an emotional time for everyone involved. Glad you're enjoying the story! :)
RPGPersona: It's certainly a fortunate coincidence. I agree; I image a lot of people wouldn't know how to react when confronted with a situation such as that. I imagine that I myself would freeze on the spot or just break down rather than just immediately jumping to assistance. It was definitely a serious situation, and one that would have ended very differently had anything not happened in this way. And definitely, yeah. If the severity of the situation wasn't obvious before, it certainly is now. I imagine that a person in Raven's position would be feeling extremely confused and hurt by the situation, and his friends would feel similar as well. It can't be easy to watch someone who is considered family deteriorate before their eyes, especially when they can do very little about it. I hope you're enjoying the story! :)
Raenelly: That would definitely be an awkward and difficult position to be in, having to explain why. Hope you're enjoying the story! :)
Please keep reading and reviewing; I really appreciate it! :)
Cyborg awoke to the sound of the heart monitor's beeps increasing in frequency. He opened up his eye, shaking the grogginess away. He looked over to his friend who was still laying on the table. He had straps across each ankle, one across his thighs, one across his chest, and one on each wrist. He hadn't wanted to use the wrist ones due to the extent of the injuries there, but there was no avoiding it. His neck and head were stabilized in place and there was a strap across his forehead to keep him down. Beast Boy was starting to twitch ever so slightly, and he was murmuring something barely audible.
Cyborg got up and stood by his friend. Slowly, Beast Boy opened his bloodshot eyes. He looked confused and dazed, not even registering Cyborg's presence at first. When he realized that he couldn't move his limbs or head, he began panicking. Cyborg laid his hands down on each of Beast Boy's shoulders, stabilizing him further. He looked down at Beast Boy's wide, panicked eyes.
"It's okay. Don't try to move," he said, his voice quiet. Beast Boy's entire body was shaking as the realization hit him that he was alive and in the infirmary. Before he could stop himself, tears started leaking from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. "Are you in pain? Do you need pain meds?" Cyborg asked, surprised by the sudden eruption of tears.
Beast Boy attempted to shake his head no, but couldn't. The strain of trying to move his head though bothered his neck greatly, eliciting a pained gasp from his throat. Cyborg ran over to the medical cabinet and pulled out a fresh syringe and a vial of strong pain medication. He then administered the pain killer into Beast Boy's IV line.
"This should kick in soon. Should be strong enough to help lessen the pain from the stitches and from your neck," Cyborg said, trailing off at the end. Cyborg pulled out his communicator and called the team. "He's awake." He then put the communicator away.
He looked down at Beast Boy. His tears had lessened, but continued to spill out regardless. He took a seat down next to his best friend.
"How am I here?" Beast Boy murmured, his voice croaky and overwrought.
"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked with concern.
"How did you find me? How am I…." he continued, coughing slightly at the end from the strain on his throat.
"Alive? Robin found you. He was walking down the hall when he heard a crash from your room," Cyborg said.
"Why did you save me?" Beast Boy weakly and quietly asked.
"Why did we save you?! We saved you because we love you and care about you and want you alive and here with us!" Cyborg said, his voice filled with pain and breaking slightly.
Before either could speak up again, the remaining teens burst through the doors of the infirmary. When they entered, they stopped at the doorway, taking in the scene before them. They saw Beast Boy anxious and crying, and they saw Cyborg near tears. They approached the teens slowly and took seats around their youngest friend's bedside.
"Hey, Beast Boy," Robin spoke up, his voice calm, "How are you feeling?" Robin figured he already knew the answer to the question, but felt the need to ask it anyway.
"Sore," Beast Boy croaked, wincing at the pain it caused. Raven grabbed his hand and held it gently.
"I just gave him a strong pain medication, so he shouldn't feel as much pain soon," Cyborg announced.
The boy before them looked so broken. He was still missing the top half of his uniform. He had lost so much weight over the last few months, and his ribs were beginning to protrude quite boldly. His skin was pale, making the angry wounds all up and down his arms look even more irritated. His neck was a swollen mixture of deep purples and blues. Every time he took in a breath, his body shook with agony.
"Can you get rid of this thing around my head?" Beast Boy asked quietly as he shifted his gaze towards Cyborg.
"It's keeping your head and neck stabilized. There's a lot of damage, and you can't risk moving your neck," Cyborg responded.
"I know. It's just making me a bit claustrophobic. Is there anything else you can use?" he asked.
Cyborg stood up and walked towards the medical cabinet and started searching through it. After a minute of searching, he grabbed something and walked back towards the group.
"This may be a bit more comfortable for you. You just gotta be careful to not move your head much, okay?" Cyborg said, and Beast Boy mumbled an affirmation. "It may hurt a little to remove this though. Just warning you."
Cyborg began to remove the equipment from around his head and neck. Unfortunately, some was underneath his head, and Cyborg needed to lift his head ever so slightly off the table to remove it fully. As soon as he moved his head off the table, Beast Boy bit his lip harshly in pain. His grip on Raven's hand increased, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Soon, it was removed and the new device was set down. Cyborg placed his head back down gently.
"Does that feel better?" Cyborg asked as he put the original device away. He currently had a padded pillow-like item that rested underneath his head and neck and was raised on the sides to prevent head movement. Unlike the last device, it wasn't super tight and hard, and it didn't have anything over his face.
"Yeah, thanks," Beast Boy responded quietly as the pain of the movement wore off.
The teens sat there in silence, unsure of how to continue the conversation. There was a certain discomfort that hung in the air. Eventually, Robin spoke up.
"You know we need to talk about what happened, Beast Boy," he said sternly.
"Do we really?" Beast Boy responded. He knew it needed to happen, but he dreaded it.
"Yes, we do. Beast Boy, this is serious," Robin said.
"But I'm fine–," Beast Boy started before being cut off.
"You're not fine! Stop saying that! This isn't okay, Beast Boy, and you know that," Raven said loudly. Her grip increased around her boyfriend's hand. Then, Beast Boy did something that no one would have expected him to do. He began laughing. It was a low chuckle, as if he was amused by something.
"Technically, this is my third time attempting. Ha, I can't even die right," he said, his laughter dying off as a pained expression covered his face.
"You need help, Beast Boy. You can't keep living like this," Raven said, calmer this time.
"I know," he said, his voice barely audible.
Another silence came between the teens. They knew that although that discussion would need to come eventually, now may not be the best time.
"We need to talk about it soon, but we don't have to now if you don't want to," Robin said, a grave expression covering his face.
"I don't want to talk about it now," Beast Boy responded quietly.
"I know," Robin said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder and gently patting it. "How about you get some rest? You must be tired."
"I'll stay here with him," Raven said. Her hood was over her head, hiding her expression.
The other teens got up, said goodbye to the two, and slowly left the infirmary. Raven got off of her seat and went to the seat that Cyborg had been sitting in.
"I'm sorry, Rae," Beast Boy apologized.
"You don't need to be sorry. But I need you to promise me that you won't do this again," Raven said, her hood still hiding her face. Her voice was filled with emotion, expressing the pain that couldn't be seen on her face.
"I can't promise that," Beast Boy responded quietly.
"You will get better. I promise," Raven said.
"I hope you're right," he said, his voice trailing off.
Raven took his hand in hers again and rubbed her thumb across it.
"I am," she said.
Soon, the strong painkillers caused Beast Boy to fall asleep, and Raven kept watch over him, unable to sleep herself.