A/N: This one was given to me by acoupletshort and I couldn't help but run with it first from their prompts. "Who heals the healer?"

"Heal"

A silence filled his office after his last patient. His head leaned back so he could look up at his blank ceiling as he took in the calm after the storm. It was a battle in itself to keep both Regina and Mary Margaret as patients, but he somehow made sure that they never crossed paths and he kept a tighter eye on Regina. She was now without her mother, she wanted to keep magic and she wants vengeance- badly. At his request, she was the only patient that he saw outside of his office, in a public place, but far enough that others could not over hear their conversations. That went over really well with her highness, of course. Most of the time, it came down to walks around the town that she once ruled. Archie feared that she thought he was rubbing it in her face.

In truth, he was getting so tired of it all. One day she is on the right path, the next she is at her mother's side only days after she had possibly choked the life out of him. He didn't know what to make of it. Maybe she was right. He did only get his degree from a curse. Maybe he didn't know what he was doing. Maybe he was just making things worse.

"Knock, knock," a voice filtered in from his door that was left ajar.

Archie's face shifted into a small smile as he kept his eyes on the ceiling since his head was still back against the top of his chair, "Just leave the tea on the table and let me slip into a coma."

"I don't think so," she voice came closer though it had gained an amused tone to it. Ruby's face came into view as she leaned over Archie's and looked down into his eyes, "We already lost you for a while. Not going to let you slip away again. You have that bad of a day?"

"Try week," he groaned and leaned forward to straighten in his chair, "How was the diner today?"

"Busy as usual," she shrugged and jumped up to sit on his desk as she handed him the bag that she carried, "Your herbal tea and fresh chicken soup, straight from Granny's kitchen. She says hello."

"Send her my thanks and appreciation," he said with a fond, yet tired smile as he looked into the bag of goodies. He paused and put the bag on his desk before he began to rub his temples with another groan.

"God, Archie, it has been a bad week, huh?" she furrowed her brows in worry and leaned toward him, "You don't put off eating like this usually. What's going on?"

"Everything supposedly," he ran an anxious hand through his hair and looked up at her, "Tell me something…"

Ruby's brows rose to tell him she was listening and nodded for him to continue.

"… am I really any help?" he asked with a defeated tone.

"How can you even ask that?" she said with a frown, "Archie, you've helped so many people here and back home."

"I'm not a real doctor," he added lamely.

"Who gives a shit?" Ruby asked and his eyes flew back at her. She huffed and shook her head with a pointed look at him, "Excuse my language."

That satisfied him enough for him to turn away again.

"Archie, listen to me," she reached for his hand and held it in both of hers. His eyes looked at their hands then up to her own to show he was listening intently and she continued, "It doesn't matter if that piece of paper on that wall is real or not. You are. So are your feelings and passion for the people here in Storybrooke. You want to help them, help us… and believe me that is more than any of us could ask for."

"I feel so tired these days," he admitted and shook his head slowly.

"You did get kidnapped and tortured by a pirate captain and a witch recently. Heck, you were even dead for almost a week," she reminded him and tugged on his arm to show she was trying to be playful, "I doubt all of your bruises have healed."

"Not quite yet, no," he shook his head as his free hand absentmindedly ran over his still bruised side which Hook seemed to have favored.

"There you go," she nodded and pulled at his arm again, "Give yourself some time. You are going to burn yourself out if you push yourself too far too fast. We can all wait until you are up to it. I mean, who's going to heal the healer, huh?"

They both shared a short chuckle.

"Not everyone can wait," he shook his head, "You have no idea how bad Regina is right now."

"I have an idea," she growled, her eyes dropping down to where she held his hand tight. The vision of Regina entering his office the night that he 'died' replayed in her head, even though reason told her it was actually Cora.

"She didn't do it to me," he reminded her.

"I know…" she sighed and looked back up to his face, "It's just hard not to trust your eyes, you know?"

"I know," he nodded and gave her a small smile, "I don't think that she is trying anymore. At all, not even for Henry."

"I know you are trying to help her and trying to find the good left in her," Ruby said slowly and then let out a breath, "But if Henry isn't a motivator for her any longer… what hope is there left?"

He sighed heavily and looked her deep in the eyes, "Do you believe in me?"

She smiled back at him brighter, "I do."

"Then I have to keep trying. If not for her, then for the rest of us," he paused and took his turn to tug at her hands still around his one, "For you."

She laughed shyly, "You are good, Jiminy. You will always be. The day that we lose you forever, is a horrible day that I never want to relive."

"I promise that I will hold it off for as long as I can," he nodded.

"You better," Ruby nodded in agreement. After what looked like a moment of hesitation she pecked him quickly on the lips and stood up. She walked away from him before he could recover from her impromptu kiss and toward his door, "We need you around here, Doctor Hopper… I need you. Eat your soup, you'll feel better. I will see you tomorrow at the lunch rush."

With that last order to eat and a promise of another meeting tomorrow, she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

Archie sat a little awestruck from the quick kiss. He smiled and leaned back to stare at the now closed door. He didn't know how she did it and was quite amazed by the recovery. His headache was gone and so were his worries. It wasn't the untouched soup, but the touching words and actions of his long time friend.

He lifted his hand to touch his fingers to his lips. He thought that he was the doctor out of the two of them, but he had to admit… He had never felt better.

END