Chapter 20

A shared shower turned into shower sex that eventually made its way to the bedroom. After two days of fun that included making love more in a weekend than they usually did in a month, Ruby and Pyrrha were exhausted. They lie side-by-side, hand-in-hand. In the morning Ruby would have her surgery. Then...no one could say.

"Pyrrha, we need to talk." Ruby said after a long silence. She sat up and gazed at Pyrrha.

"I don't want to." Pyrrha groaned.

"I know it hurts, but we need to." Ruby insisted. "And I only have a few things to say."

Pyrrha sat up, grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. "Okay." She sighed.

Ruby reached under the bed, pulling out a black box wrapped in a red ribbon. "I'm not going to say goodbye." She declared. "I'm going to make it through this. I'm not giving up hope. But...if the worst comes to pass...I want to give my friends, no, my family, some closure." Pyrrha buried her face in the pillow. Ruby's voice grew shakier as she continued. "In this box is my will. There's also letters for Ren, Nora, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Coco, Penny, Qrow and you. If I can't say goodbye myself, the letters will do it for me. When I wake up, when I get better, we'll burn them, together."

"I'm so scared Ruby." Pyrrha cried. "If...if...I won't be able to go on."

Ruby hugged Pyrrha, pulling her into her lap. "You will Pyrrha." Ruby assured her. "You're strong, and I love you, and I just want you to be happy, more than anything else. That's why I'm doing this, so we can both be happy. But one way or another, with or without me, you need to be happy."

"I love you Ruby." Pyrrha wept. "I love you so much. I'll always love you. I want to marry you. I want to adopt children with you. I want to grow old by your side."

"I'll fight for us Pyrrha." Ruby promised. "You are my world, and I won't give up, not while there's any fight left in me." She reached up and brushed the tears from Pyrrha's cheek. "Now dry those tears. Now's not the time to be sad. We'll get up early, have some fun, and watch the sunrise. Then I'll go have my surgery and come back, better than ever. We both have to believe that."

"I...I…" Pyrrha stammered, gazing into Ruby's silver eyes. "When I look at you, when I see how determined you are, I believe it."

"Good." Ruby said with a smile. "Let's get some rest. There's a big day waiting for us."

Ruby and Pyrrha got up and watched the sunrise together. For a short time they just sat together, holding one another. Then it was time to get dressed and go. On arriving at the hospital Ruby went through a series of pre-checks and tests while Pyrrha waited, soon joined by others as they made their way in. Ren and Nora were first to arrive, followed by Yang and Coco, Sun and Penny, Weiss and Blake and finally Raven. The surgery was still not scheduled to start for some time so they waited and chatted amongst themselves.

While Nora caught up with Penny, Sun made his way over to Blake. "Hey Blake." He said.

"Hi Sun." Blake said. "What's up?"

"Hey...you know how...uh...Weiss is...with you?" Sun struggled. "I think...I think Penny might be like that. Holy fuck is she a good time, but she scares the shit out of me."

"You poor thing." Blake laughed.

The doors opened and the gurney carrying Ruby was wheeled in. She was dressed in a hospital gown and the side of her head was already shaved. "Hey guys." She said. "Looks like it's about time." She looked around. "Wow, I feel really loved, seeing you all here."

"Ruby!" Nora cried. She rushed over and wrapped her in a crushing embrace. "I don't want you to go!"

"Don't worry about it Nora." Ruby said. "I'll be fine. But Yang's going to need a lot of hugs today. You give the best ones, so that'll be your job, okay?"

"Sure thing." Nora said. "I'm on hug patrol!"

"I'll be praying for you." Ren said. He shed a single tear, but quickly wiped it away and was back to his usual impassive self.

"Thanks." Ruby nodded. "Weiss, Blake, we've had a lot of fun recently." The pair walked up on either side of her, taking her hands. "Take care of Pyrrha while I'm asleep. I can see she's a nervous wreck already."

"We will." Weiss said.

"When you're better we'll have more fun." Blake promised. "We're not going to stop hanging out just because you're healthy!" She and Weiss kissed Ruby on the forehead.

"Oh, definitely." Ruby agreed. "Penny, thanks for taking care of me. You'll always be part of my family."

"When you're back I might even get a tattoo." Penny offered. "Just a little one."

"Sun, Penny's going to be a bit down." Ruby continued. "Take care of her, alright?"

"I think I'm the one in trouble." Sun said with an uneasy laugh. "But I'll do my best. Good luck in there."

"Coco I…" Ruby started.

"When this is over we're going to the mall." Coco cut her off. "We'll do some family bonding. And your wardrobe could still use some more variety." Coco leaned in and whispered. "And I want you to be my Best Lady...though Yang'll probably want you as Maid of Honor."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Ruby said.

Raven stepped forward. She was shaking and the color was drained from her face. "I...I...good luck." She struggled.

Ruby motioned Raven closer and hugged her once she was in range. "Take good care of Yang for me while I'm sleeping." Ruby said. "This is your chance to be her mother."

"I...I will." Raven declared. "I hope you'll accept me into your family."

"I will if Yang will." Ruby smiled. "I just want her to be happy."

"Oh Ruby!" Yang cried. She rushed to her sister and embraced her. "You come back, okay? I swear if you don't…"

"I'll be back." Ruby promised. "I have to see you win the championship after all." Yang nodded, wiped away her tears and stepped back. Raven put an arm around her shoulders. "Well Pyrrha, I think it's time."

"I know." Pyrrha said with tears in her eyes. "I love you, always."

"I love you too." Ruby said. They shared a quick kiss. "Whatever happens, you need to be happy, okay? I'm sure everyone will help."

"I'll try, but don't make it hard." Pyrrha said. "You get through this and come back to me."

"I will." Ruby declared. "I'll see all of you soon. Until then, enjoy the cookies! I love you all!" The nurses wheeled Ruby away, towards the OR.

Raven sighed and looked down at the floor. "You come back" She whispered. "I don't want to lose you again."

"What was that?" Yang asked.

"N-nothing." Raven stammered. "Nothing."

Most of the group had planned to depart once Ruby went in for surgery, but they all ended up sticking around. For hours they waited with no word. That was not surprising. It was a difficult procedure and there would not be a chance for the doctors to step out to talk about progress. They had been informed ahead of time that it would take quite a while. There was some idle chatter, but mostly the group worried in silence. Weiss and Blake sat on either side of Pyrrha, holding her hands. With Ren's encouragement, Nora gave Yang regularly scheduled hugs every ten minutes.

In the evening, the neurosurgeon Dr. Oobleck finally emerged into the waiting room. "The procedure is complete." He announced. "Ruby's resting now, and we have her in an induced coma."

"So...everything went okay?" Pyrrha asked, terrified of the answer.

"The bone chip was successfully removed, but there was a complication." Dr. Oobleck replied. Pyrrha did her best not to cry, contorting her face and squeezing Weiss and Blake's hands. "There was some unexpected bleeding. Right now I can't make any solid statements about the damage the bleeding caused, or for that matter, what damage was done by the surgery in general. Ruby will be comatose for a few days regardless."

"Can we...can we see her?" Yang wept.

"You may, but there's not much to see." Dr. Oobleck answered. The group decided to see her anyway. Her head was wrapped in bandages and she looked to be sleeping peacefully. There was not the slightest hint of pain on her face.

"I'll stay." Pyrrha declared. "The rest of you...you can go."

"We're not going to leave you here alone." Weiss said.

"And I'm not going anywhere." Yang added. Everyone ended up staying until late that night. Then they drifted away. Yang stayed, accompanied by Coco, the pair sleeping in chairs at Ruby's bedside. Pyrrha stayed too, but there was no sleep for her.

Pyrrha remained at Ruby's side as the days passed with no change in her condition. Yang visited daily, being dropped off by Coco in the morning and driven home in the evening. Blake stopped in every day. So did Ren and Nora, with Ren burning incense and praying. Penny came by frequently and Weiss visited when she could find a break in her busy schedule. Raven made sporadic visits too. The time when Ruby was expected to wake came and went. Dr. Oobleck made the point that Ruby could recover at any time, but that with each passing day it became less likely.

A week after the surgery Ruby had still not regained consciousness. Pyrrha wanted to remain at her bedside as she had but decided she could not put her life on hold forever. Her next fight was looming on the horizon, and Ruby would not want her to throw away her career. So Pyrrha kissed Ruby and left for the day, going to the gym to train. Yang, still too injured to train effectively, took her place until she returned that night. She was growing increasingly despondent, but Coco did her best to hold Yang together. Then, as she had all week, Pyrrha slept in a chair at Ruby's bedside.

The pattern continued. Visits from the others became less frequent but Ren still dutifully came every evening to pray and burn incense. Pyrrha noticed a subtle change though. Where he had once burned only one type of incense, Ren now burned two distinct types. After a few days Pyrrha was too curious not to ask. "Ren, you started burning two kinds of incense." Pyrrha observed. "Why?"

"I don't think I should say." Ren warned.

"Just tell me." Pyrrha commanded. "If you don't I'll just look it up on my own."

"Very well." Ren sighed. "The first is said to have healing properties. It is meant to mend her soul and return her to consciousness." He paused. "But now...that may not be what she truly needs. If the Creator wills it, the second type will ease her soul's passage to the afterlife." He shook his head. "I am sorry. But what the Creator wills, He wills. We mortals may not like it, we may not understand it, but we must accept it."

"You don't need to apologize." Pyrrha said. She stepped up and hugged Ren, resting her head against his shoulder. "I always knew it was a possibility and as the days go by...I find myself thinking more and more about it. It's something we all need to be prepared for, whether we like it or not."

"My thoughts exactly." Ren said. He returned the hug a bit awkwardly, but Pyrrha got the clear impression that he was trying to be encouraging. "I've not given up hope. As long as she breathes I won't. It would simply be unwise to be unprepared."

"Thank you." Pyrrha said. She took a step back. "Just don't tell Yang. She'll probably rip your head off."

"I haven't told Nora either." Ren admitted. "As badly as she's taking this...I can't imagine what Yang is like."

"She's been crying a lot." Pyrrha sighed. "But she hasn't given up hope."

"Hope can do wonderful things." Ren said with a smile. "If we hold onto it...who knows?"

Another week passed and still Pyrrha spent her nights at Ruby's beside, only leaving for a few hours each day to train. The others encouraged her to go home and get some good sleep, but she refused. Ruby was far more important to her than herself. Finally it became an ultimatum, go home and get some rest or no training. Pyrrha reluctantly agreed to spend Saturday at home. On Friday morning though, she woke in a chair as she had for more than two weeks. The sun streamed in and lit the hospital room. As she did every morning Pyrrha got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She splashed some water in her face, made sure she looked vaguely presentable, then made her way back to Ruby's bedside.

"I'm leaving for the day." Pyrrha said. "I'm...not coming back tonight. The others...they say I need to get some rest so...I'm heading to the apartment for a while. But I'll be back, I promise." She bent down, hugged and kissed Ruby, then stood once again. "I love you." She walked to the door but turned and gazed at Ruby for a few seconds longer. Ruby coughed. Her eyelids fluttered. She coughed again. "Ruby?" Pyrrha gasped.

"Pyrrha…" Ruby groaned.

Pyrrha rushed back to Ruby's side, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on the side of her face, guiding Ruby's gaze. "Ruby?!" Pyrrha said. Their eyes met.

"H-hey Pyrrha…" Ruby whispered. "Is it over?"

Pyrrha stood upright. "Nurse!" Pyrrha called. "She's awake!" She bent back down. "Hold on Ruby, I need to tell the others." Pyrrha pulled out her phone and sent the text she had so looked forward to sending but had lately despaired of ever having the opportunity to send.

Yang was eating breakfast. Just some scrambled eggs she had whipped up herself. Her phone, sitting on the table beside her, buzzed. A text. Yang put down her fork and unlocked the phone to see what the text was about.

Coco walked into the kitchen to find Yang laughing with tears in her eyes. "Wha…" Coco started.

"Ruby's awake!" Yang exclaimed. She leapt up and embraced Coco. "We have to go see her!"

Coco had tears in her eyes too. "I'm so glad." She said. "Let's not waste a moment."

"Woohoo!" Nora cheered.

"What is it?" Ren asked, walking into the room.

"She...up...happy...yay!" Nora babbled incoherently.

Ren looked at her with confusion so Nora thrust her phone forward, showing him the text from Pyrrha. "Oh, thank the Creator." Ren said, hugging Nora. He said a quick prayer before the pair rushed out.

As Weiss was finishing with her hair her phone buzzed. She finished up then picked up the phone. She gasped, turned, and tore the shower curtain open. Blake recoiled in shock. "What's going on?!" Blake gasped, instinctively covering herself.

"Ruby's awake." Weiss replied. "Hurry up and let's get going."

"I'm thrilled but you could have told me without startling me." Blake grumbled.

"But what fun would that have been?" Weiss laughed.

The buzzing of her phone woke Raven up. She rolled over and grabbed it, glancing at the screen. Ruby was awake? Finally! She had never given up hope. She could not bring herself too. She jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. Instead of heading to the hospital, Raven headed to the bakery. Ruby was going to want some cookies for sure.

"Let go." Qrow groaned, struggling free of Winter's embrace to roll over and reach his phone. He gasped, threw off the covers and leapt up, throwing on clothes as quickly as he could find them.

"What's going on?" Winter asked groggily. "Where are you going?"

"Vale!" Qrow replied. "Ruby's awake!"

"Mistress...please allow me to…" Sun begged, blindfolded and bound.

"Not until you've sufficiently…" Penny started. Her phone beeped. "Hold on a moment."

"Oh for fuck's sake…" Sun groaned. Penny got off of him and Sun could hear her footsteps heading toward the bathroom. "What's going on?"

"Ruby's awake!" Penny cheered. "I'm taking a shower and heading to the hospital."

"But...I'm still tied up here." Sun complained.

"It's not even a complicated knot." Penny said.

"I can't fucking see it!" Sun shouted.

"Is that any way to talk to your Mistress?" Penny shot back.

"Well shit…" Sun sighed. "Mistress, please untie me. I'd like to see Ruby as well."

"I'll think about it." Penny giggled.

"How do you feel?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby blinked repeatedly, trying to get her eyes to adjust. "I...I feel alive." Ruby replied.

"Good, good." Pyrrha said. "Thank God. I was so afraid."

"I wasn't going to leave you." Ruby said. She strained to lift her arm but between the medication and more than two weeks of atrophy, it was no use. Pyrrha helpfully grabbed it and held it to her face.

"I...God I almost lost you again." Pyrrha sobbed. "Ruby Rose, I'll never let you go. Ever! I love you!"

"I love you too Pyrrha." Ruby said with a smile.

A doctor and some nurses arrived and did a few tests to make sure things were in order. Signs were good. Ruby could move her fingers, she did not seem to have suffered any memory loss, and she seemed to be herself. She had no feeling in her right leg, however, and could not move any part of it. But that was a problem for the future. Ruby was awake and that was what mattered. As the minutes and hours passed more and more friends arrived to see Ruby. There were tears of joy and hugs all around. In the afternoon even Qrow and Winter made it. It was the joyous reunion Ruby had been anticipating since she headed into the operating room.