Author's Note- Not much to say this time, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter. Thanks to AmbidextrousLion now LazyKatze for editing as always she did a great job and I recommend you check out her story Layer of Ice. The art contest will go on till the end of this month if anyone wants to submit anything, the poll on my profile will also close at the same time. Leave me a review I read everyone and appreciate them all, tell me if you see any mistakes or just want to let me know what you think of the story. Remember Read, Review, Favorite, and most importantly Enjoy!
"Thank you," Blake said with a grateful nod of her head as she walked away from the receptionist at Vale General Hospital and made her way to the elevator that was around the corner.
The metallic doors stood out against the wood paneling of the hospital walls and Blake walked over, pressing the up button to wait for the elevator to reach the ground floor. After a minute the doors quietly slid open to reveal an empty elevator. Blake stepped in and scanned the console on the side for the floor she was looking for. Spotting the button for floor three, Blake took a step back as the elevator doors closed and she felt the small start that indicated the elevator was moving. Almost as soon as they had closed Blake felt the elevator stop and the doors slid open.
The third floor was relatively calm, at least for a hospital. Blake walked over to the wall to look at a layout of the floor that was posted for visitors. She was looking for room 343 where Ruby was after she had been brought here due to her ski accident. "I can't believe Weiss went home," Blake thought, her mind straying to the white-haired girl who should have been there, but wasn't. "How could she just leave?" Blake wondered, before she shook her head. There was nothing she could do now about the absent heiress, all she could do now was go to Ruby's room and see how the girl was and also support Yang. Figuring out her path to room 343 Blake started walking, taking a left at a four way intersection and following the plaques on the wall to the end of the hallway. As she neared the end of the hall the door for room 343 slid open and a familiar head of blond hair stepped out.
"Yang!" Blake called, making Yang turn her head and startling Blake with how her purple eyes were rimmed red from crying. "Oh no," Blake thought as she rushed to Yang and pulled her into a fierce hug. Neither girl said anything as they stood in the middle of the hallway, Blake just holding Yang in a protective hug as the blonde haired girl enjoyed the embrace. After a moment like this, Blake pulled her head away to look at Yang. The girl looked tired, with bags under her eyes and those same eyes were rimmed red from tears.
"Thank you, Kitten," Yang said with a small smile as she gave Blake a kiss.
"Glad to help, you look exhausted," Blake said as she peered closer at Yang's face. Yang feigned indignation at the comment.
"Wow, what a way to make a girl feel pretty," she said, making Blake smile.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"Before we went skiing," Yang answered after a moment of thought.
"Yang, that was nearly two days ago! You should sleep," Blake said with concern as they sat down on a bench in the hall.
"I'm fine," Yang answered before she had to stifle a yawn. Blake looked at Yang with a knowing look, Yang sighed before she rested her head on Blake's shoulder. "Fine, I'll rest right here."
They sat on that bench, with Yang resting her head on Blake's shoulder and neither of them wanting to bring up the subject that was in the forefront of each of their minds. Eventually the silence had stretched on too long and Blake knew she would have to be the one to break it.
"Yang…how is Ruby," Blake asked quietly. Yang took a deep breath to steady herself before she spoke
"She's… alive," Yang answered in the same quiet voice Blake had been using, "Doctors said she had three broken ribs, broken leg, compound break in her arm and a collapsed lung along with the cuts on her face and hands," Yang answered slowly, Blake cringed slightly as Yang listed off the injuries the young red-head had sustained.
"She's alive and that's the important thing. How is she feeling?" Blake asked.
"I don't know, she's still unconscious."
"Did the doctors say how long she would be unconscious?" Blake wondered as she pulled Yang a little closer to her and giving her a reassuring hug.
"They said she could wake up within the week, or be out for months. It's all guess work." Yang was silent for a moment before she voiced her concern, "What if... what if she doesn't wake up?"
"Don't worry, Yang. Ruby is a strong girl, she'll be up and begging for cookies before you know it," Blake replied with as much happiness as she could muster. Yang looked up at Blake.
"You're right Blake, thank you for being here."
"No need to thank me," Blake said.
"Speaking of that, where is Weiss?" Yang asked looking up the hallway toward the elevator. Blake looked with her even though she knew where Weiss was.
"She… went home," Blake answered after a brief pause. Yang jumped out her arms as she heard this
"SHE WHAT?!" the blonde girl yelled, "HOW THE HELL COULD SHE GO HOME WHEN RUBY IS IN THE HOSPITAL!" she raged as she took long strides up and down the hall, pacing to try and disperse her anger. Blake watched Yang stalk up and down the hallway, quietly waiting for her to somewhat calm down.
"Well, I don't know all her reasons, but I think she may have been scared."
"Scared?" Yang asked, stopping in front of the still seated Blake, "Scared of what?"
"Scared of what condition Ruby would be in. She blames herself for what happened," Blake informed her girlfriend who thought on it.
"I can understand that. I was afraid too and she has no need to blame herself. It was an accident," Yang said calmly as she took her seat next to Blake again.
"Give her a little time to sort herself out," Blake said as Yang rested her head back on her shoulder
"Sounds like a plan, Blakey," Yang said, not trying to stifle her yawn as it escaped her.
"Yang, you should sleep," Blake chided. After a moment Blake had still not received a reply or stubborn refusal. "Yang?" Turning her head, she was looking at the sleeping face of her girlfriend, who was peacefully asleep. Blake shook her head as she laughed at the girl she called her girlfriend
"Goodnight Yang," Blake said, giving the other girl a kiss on the top of the head before resting her head against the wall behind her and closing her own eyes, deciding to catch some sleep as well.
Blake cracked her eyes open slowly as she felt consciousness return. Yawning she moved her head from side to side to get her bearings. She was still in the hospital hallway on the third floor, and on the bench where she and Yang had fallen asleep. Said girl was still out cold with her head resting on Blake's shoulder. Blake pulled out her phone to check the time. 6 pm. They had been asleep for nearly four hours.
"I'm surprised we weren't woken up," she thought while stretching the one arm she could still move. "I'll let rest a little longer," she decided, looking at Yang with concern in her eyes.
"Excuse me," a male voice said, interrupting her thoughts. Turning her head away from her sleeping girlfriend Blake saw the man talking to her. He was a tall doctor with a kind smile on his face.
"Yes?"
"Which patient are you here for?" he inquired.
"Room 343, Ruby Rose," Blake said pointing first to the room and then the sleeping girl on her shoulder. "Her sister," Blake said. It was at this moment that Yang groaned as she stretched her arms.
"Huh? What's going on?" Yang said as she sat up and looked at the doctor.
"I was just coming by to check on her condition," he said simply. Yang shot up at the mention of Ruby.
"Is there any change?" she asked quickly. The doctor put his hands up to placate Yang.
"I don't know, I haven't checked yet."
"What are you waiting for then?!" Yang urged as she rushed over to Ruby's door and opened it. The doctor looked at Blake with a little confusion on his face making the Faunus girl smile.
"She's normally like this."
"Okay…" he said unsure before he walked into Ruby's room with Yang and Blake following behind him.
Blake looked around the room. It was neat and tidy with a few chairs pushed against the walls, a window, bed, and TV. Ruby was lying on the bed looking incredibly peaceful. If it weren't for the cast on her arm and leg the young girl could have just been sleeping. The doctor walked over to Ruby's unmoving form and checked the heart rate monitor along with the blood pressure monitor to make sure everything was in order. After checking the machines that monitored Ruby's condition he walked to the foot of her bed and checked her chart, Blake and Yang both watched him as he worked.
"Alright. Everything checks out," he said.
"How is she?" Yang asked.
"Her condition is stable, she should recover normally."
"When will she wake up?" Yang asked, hope in her voice and her eyes.
"I can't say, could be days or weeks," he said, the regret at having to deliver this news evident in his voice. Yang looked crestfallen at his words as she slumped into the chair next to Ruby's bed.
"I understand."
"I'm sorry I don't have better news for you."
"It's not your fault. Thank you for everything you've done for my sister" Yang said, her eyes never leaving Ruby's serene face.
"I'll see myself, you two have a good day," he said with a nod of his head as he quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Blake and Yang alone with the unconscious Ruby.
Blake stepped over to where Yang was sitting and put her hands on the other girl's shoulders and started rubbing them. "Don't worry Yang, everything will be fine"
"I hope you're right, Blakey," Yang said contemplatively as she kept looking at her sister.
This scene became commonplace. Yang and Blake ended up sleeping in Ruby's hospital room, Blake having gone to her house and getting blankets and pillows for the two girls. Yang spent all of her time by Ruby's side, only begrudgingly leaving occasionally at Blake's insistence to shower and eat something other than the hospital food. During that entire time neither of the girls heard anything from or about Weiss. This was concerning Blake. It was the third day since Blake had first gotten to the hospital and as it had become the norm, her and Yang were sitting in Ruby's hospital room. They talking to each other and trying to keep their minds off of the growing amount of time that Ruby had been unconscious.
"I'm going out," Yang said during a lull in the conversation, shocking Blake who up until that point had to coerce the blonde girl out of the hospital.
"Where...where are you going?" Blake asked in confusion after a brief pause, directing her amber eyes to look at Yang's calm lilac eyes.
"I'm going to Weiss' house."
"Why?" Blake asked of the other girl as she stood up.
"To bring her here."
"Yang…" Blake started before she was cut off by the other girl.
"Blake you told me to give her some time to sort herself out. I've given her time and we still haven't heard from her. I've given her enough time, so now I'm going to go bring her here because she should be here," Yang said matter-of-factly as she walked over to Blake and gave the other girl a hug. "Wait here for me and keep an eye on Ruby while I'm gone, okay?"
"Of course, and Yang, bring Weiss back."
"Of course I will, no girl can say no to Yang Xiao Long!" Yang replied quickly with some of her characteristic cheekiness coming back to her voice for the first time in days.
"Whatever you say Ms. Xiao Long," Blake replied with a roll of her eyes and a smile on her face. Yang left with a smile on her face and Blake remained in the room, looking at the door even after it had closed. "Things are going to be alright." Blake was sure of this, finally seeing Yang acting like her old self had given her even more hope. "Please wake up soon Ruby," Blake thought as she looked at the still unconscious girl.
During the time Yang and Blake had spent at the hospital Weiss had stayed at her house. The white haired girl had regained consciousness still on her bathroom floor disgusted with herself.
"You are pathetic."
Weiss stood up and looked at herself in the mirror again, this time aside from her haggard expression, two other things stood out to her. The rose pendant around her neck and the hairpin that was trying to keep her mess of a hair in some kind of order, were both gifts from Ruby. The mere thought of the injured girl hurt her heart, the cool touch of the pendant around her throat felt like burning ice as Weiss' despair only grew. Without thinking Weiss ripped the hair pin out of her hair, letting it tumble down. Her hand hovered over the pendant, and she wanted to rip it off. She didn't deserve the gifts, but something stayed her hand.
"My constant reminder of my failed promises," Weiss thought as she remembered the day Ruby had given her that pendant and the promise she had made to herself. "I'll never do anything to hurt my precious Rose."
Weiss thought back on that promise, and how happy that day had been and the memories only brought her pain and guilt. Trying to push those thoughts aside she focused on the splitting headache from her drinking the previous night. Through the pain Weiss thought about how good it had been to forget, even for a brief moment, and to drown her sorrows in the strong spirits contained in a bottle. Most people called alcohol liquid courage, Weiss preferred to call it respite. So once her headache had dulled to manageable levels she had put on new clothes and a pair of shades before venturing out of her house.
Weiss's train of recollection was disrupted as she heard her door open. Looking up from her slumped position in the hallway all Weiss could see of the person who had entered her home was a mane of blonde.
"I'm sorry for what happened."
"Oh great, the brute has broken into my house," Weiss spat out. "No! Why do I always do this," she thought, but the combination of her Schnee upbringing and the alcohol made her even more aggressive. Yang looked down at Weiss with… concern? "Why would she care about me?"
Yang looked around the room, there were bottles of various liquors scattered around.
"I'm no stranger to a good time, but you've been going at it haven't you, eh princess?" Yang tried to joke as she stepped closer to Weiss, ignoring the jab Weiss had aimed at her.
"What do you want?" Weiss asked the venom in her voice barely hidden. Yang dropped to a crouching position beside Weiss, at this proximity the smell of alcohol and unwashed clothes and body made Yang wrinkle her nose.
"Whew! You smell like you could use a bath or two," Yang jested, much to Weiss' displeasure.
"Did you just come here to make fun of me?" Weiss asked though her thoughts were working in a different direction. "Why aren't you angry with me?"
"No, I didn't. I came here to bring you to visit Ruby."
"What!?" Weiss sputtered as she sat up with a start, unprepared for that statement.
"You heard me, now come on get up!" Yang told the other girl as she grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. Weiss felt herself get lightheaded from being lift up so fast before she swatted Yang's hand away.
"I'm not going," Weiss answered sternly, hoping to scare the blond away.
"Oh, yes you are," Yang answered with no aggression in her voice as Weiss turned her back to the taller girl.
"Why? Why do you want me to come?" Weiss asked, her voice trembling as she looked at the wall in front of her, trying to keep it together.
"Because you need to see Ruby and you shouldn't be alone," Yang replied kindly putting her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder.
"WHY!" Weiss screamed, tears streaming down her face as she whirled around to look at a surprised Yang, "Why do you want me to visit!" Weiss yelled as she kept crying, her grief and anger just spilling out of her. "Why do you want me to visit when it's my fault Ruby was hurt… why she may die!" Weiss said the last part with a heart wrenching sob as she sunk to her knees.
Yang let Weiss cry, waiting for her to her finish her outburst just standing there with the same easy going smile she always wore. Weiss eventually settled down from her crying, sniffling as she waited for the taller girl to start speaking
"Weiss it's not your fault," Yang said gently as she took a seat next to Weiss, "I don't know how you got it into your head that it was your fault, but it's not and you need to let it go."
"But I was supposed to keep Ruby safe. I was the one who let her on the slope, and I was the one who took us skiing," Weiss answered without meeting Yang's eyes.
"And I agreed to it and you know how headstrong Ruby is, she would have gone on it with or without our permission."
"But… back on the slope you looked at me with such..." Weiss trailed off as she finally met Yang's gaze. A friendly gaze that didn't fit how Weiss was feeling, "Why isn't she mad?"
"Weiss, to be honest I barely remember what happened or what I did. I was purely focused on protecting Ruby."
"So… so you don't blame me?" Weiss asked nervously.
"Of course not! Weiss for as much grief I give you and Ruby about dating I know you two mean the world to each other," Yang said and as she spoke Weiss felt as if her worries were getting lighter. She was still scared for Ruby, but knowing that Yang not only didn't blame her, but also supported her and Ruby made things easier. Weiss for the first time in days smiled a genuine smile.
"Yang… I.. thank you," Weiss replied, tears welling up in her eyes for a different reason than they had for the previous days.
"You're welcome princess, now c'mon, let's go," Yang said enthusiastically as she jumped to her feet, this time instead of yanking Weiss up she held her hand out. Weiss looked at the outstretched hand with a smile, for the first time in days she felt as if things could be alright. Weiss gratefully took the offered hand and pulled herself up.
"Actually you should go wash up first, just smelling you I think I'm getting a buzz, and I don't need you boozing my sister just by being near her, either," Yang told the shorter girl with an evil grin, "and beside you don't need to get my sister drunk." Yang trailed off with a waggle of her eyebrows, making Weiss blush furiously as she pushed Yang away
"You fiend," she said, borrowing one if Blake's sayings.
"How much have you been drinking anyway princess?"
"...enough" Weiss answered in embarrassment as she looked around at the empty bottles scattered around the room. Yang whistled in amazement.
"You know for such a petite girl you can really knock'em back"
"My head is killing me," was all Weiss responded with as she went off to take a shower, another first in the last few days, and change.
"I'm coming Ruby," she thought determinedly.
Blake was sitting down in one in one of the chairs in Ruby's room reading a book. She would glance up at the door every few minutes, anxious for when her blonde girlfriend would return. It had been close to three hours since the other girl had left to go to Weiss' house, and Blake was nervous about how things were going between the girls. The last time Blake had seen Weiss the girl had been an emotional wreck, she was barely holding it together and Blake was afraid that Yang was going to be less than tactful, like she usually was. She was spacing out staring at the door, her book unnoticed in her hands as she looked at the wooden door, willing it to open and with it bring back the two people she wanted to see the most right then.
Almost as if they could hear her thoughts the door opened and Yang strode in, boisterous as usual, but what made Blake do a double take was the other girl who had entered the room. Weiss walked in, her usual put together self and she looked much more in control of emotions. Blake could tell that the shorter girl was still scared and upset about what had happened, but she seemed to be at better terms with it. Blake jumped out of her chair, her book forgotten as she ran over and threw her arms around Weiss giving the girl a hug.
"Weiss! It's so good to see you!" she said excitedly. Yang threw her arms up in the air in an exaggerated movement.
"Oh, no hug for me?" she said, making Blake and Weiss both turn to look at her. Blake removed herself from Weiss and walked over to Yang, who had her arms spread out ready to embrace Blake. Blake walked up close to Yang and flicked the girl in the forehead startling her. "Ow! What was that for?"
"That was for being you," Blake said as she gave Yang a hug and a kiss where she had flicked her, "I'm glad to see you brought Weiss back."
"I told you I would," Yang answered as she hugged Blake back before they both looked at Weiss. The girl was staring ramrod straight and her gazed was fixed on a single point in the room and without looking the other two girls knew where that was.
She was staring at the single bed in the room, her ice blue eyes watching the bed's unmoving occupant. Without looking at the other two girls in the room she walked over on shaky legs to the bed, taking a seat next to it all without ever breaking the line of sight she had. Reaching her hands out she took Ruby's hand in between them and held her hand. Blake and Yang were silent during this not wanting to interrupt. Weiss sat looking at Ruby's peaceful face
"I'm sorry, Ruby," Weiss whispered as tears brimmed in her eyes making the ice blue orbs shimmer. Weiss brought Ruby's hand to her lips and gently kissed it. "Please wake up," she murmured as she felt two reassuring hands on her shoulders. Turning her head she saw Blake and Yang standing behind her both with supportive smiles on their faces.
"Hey don't worry Weiss, Ruby will wake up before you know it and she'll be her normal hyperactive self," Blake said.
"And we're here for you, no matter what," Yang said with a nod of her head. Weiss smiled up at the two girls.
"You two… thank you," Weiss said gratefully, a slight pause in her voice as she tried to control the tremble in her voice. The three girls all looked at Ruby's face and it may have been in their heads, but it seemed that her lips were upturned ever so slightly.