Archive of Our Own

“Is this seat taken?”

Michelle looked up to see Quinn, of all people, standing next to her. A bit confused, Michelle nodded and gestured for her to sit with her on the cliffside.

They sat in silence for a bit, but Quinn broke the silence.

“Do you miss it?” she asked. “Hartfeld, I mean.”

Michelle stared at Quinn. Sure, Quinn was cute, but why was she talking to some bitchy prep like her ? Quinn was too nice for that.

Clearing her throat, Michelle responded, “Yeah. I do.” She looked away, knowing Quinn had a huge crush on Taylor at some point and might’ve been hurt by the implication Taylor made the wrong decision.

With a sigh, Quinn leaned back, closing her eyes. “How couldn’t you? I mean, weren’t you going to be a doctor?”

“I was . It’s like, I don’t know.” Here it came. “ Did Taylor make the right choice? Why couldn’t some of us go back?”

A pause.

That was it, Quinn was going to get up because Michelle dared question her Taylor.

“No, I think you have a point,” Quinn said. She rested a hand on Michelle’s shoulder, causing Michelle’s glassy eyes to look into Quinn’s. “What I’d give to have a shot to re-enter Hartfeld and go to classes again.”

“Go to classes again, have iced coffee again, have sushi again, or a really big burger!”

Quinn laughed. “A burger ? You don’t seem like the burger type.”

“Well,” Michelle started, then shrugged. “It’s good for hangovers.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Quinn said with a giggle. “I was never able to drink due to, ah…”

Michelle looked Quinn up and down. “It was Rotterdam’s, right?”

A nod. “I’m just so glad that… somehow … the Island’s Heart cured me. It doesn’t seem real.”

“ I’m glad, no matter what. We get to keep you for way longer.” Michelle hugged Quinn, who, to Michelle’s surprise, returned it.

“Thanks,” Quinn whispered. She got up. “I’m getting tired, so I’m gonna take a nap. See you later? Maybe here tomorrow?”

“We’ve got ‘til the rest of time, apparently , so why not?”

The next day, Quinn didn’t come. Michelle sat on the cliffside, listening to the waves-at-the-end-of-the-world, alone.

Michelle understood. She knew she gave off an aura of standoffish-ness, and Quinn had her pick of anyone on the island.

It was fine.

A few days went by; no Quinn. Michelle had been patient, but worry had been wracking her soul ever since that first night. Even if her Rotterdam’s was cured by some mystical whatever, Quinn wasn’t used to having a stronger body, to having strength . It made sense she needed rest.

Knock-knock-knock.

“Come in…”

Michelle did, with a bouquet of all the flowers she could find that were evidently radioactive or otherwise deadly.

“Quinn, I got this for--” Michelle stopped dead in her tracks.

In her bed, Quinn looked pale again. Gaunt . She coughed so hard it sounded like pneumonia.

Rushing to Quinn’s side, Michelle took her vitals: pulse was weak, slow, frequent arrhythmias. She had a low-grade fever and bags under her eyes.

“Have you been hydrating?” Michelle asked, putting the flowers on the bed with haste.

“I… try to.”

“Yeah, uh, not good enough.”

Michelle left and found Diego, who was with the person she wanted to see: Varyyn. She explained the situation, that Quinn was sick, and asked if there were any Vaanti herbs or powders for someone dealing with a multi-system sickness. He nodded and returned with several varieties, and both of them headed back to Quinn’s room.

Quinn craned her neck upon entry, then rested it again. “Michelle…”

“Okay, Quinn, we’ve got a multitude of homeopathic medicine to try--”

“Michelle.”

Juggling all sorts of leaves and pointy leaf looking things and powders Varyyn carried in vials, Michelle turned to him. “Which one cures the fever?”

He nodded and pointed to one of them, instructing Michelle how to use it.

“Michelle.”

“Okay, Quinn. This is gonna suck -- Varyyn told me this is bitter as hell -- but it should do the trick.”

Even with a frown, Quinn tried it. Michelle continued to consult with Varyyn on Vaanti medicine, but Quinn interrupted them.

“ Michelle .”

She turned around. “Quinn?”

“I-I’m dying , Michelle,” she said, tears pooling in her big eyes. “These leaves won’t work.”

Michelle blinked, then laughed. She slapped Varyyn’s shoulder for good measure, who merely looked at her in confusion.

“Ha, I bet there’s all kinds of weirdo sicknesses out here. This island sucks , so you probably got some space sickness or something. But the Vaanti have plenty of medicinal measures, so not to worry.”

“But--”

“Quinn,” Michelle said, taking Quinn’s bony fingers in hers. “You aren’t dying. It’s likely barometric pressure fluctuating, creating this feeling of the flu. You’ll be fine, soon.” Michelle’s thumb traced over Quinn’s knuckles. “Okay?”

Although Quinn looked like she wanted to protest, she nodded.

A week later, Michelle was neck-deep in Vaanti literature, Taylor and Varyyn at her side translating texts for her.

“Do you think if we popped her in a different timeline, she’d get better?!” Michelle yelled, whipping through page after page, too fast to read any of its material.

Taylor and Varyyn shared a grimace.

With a decent amount of hesitation, Varyyn rested his hand on Michelle’s.

“We must accept the possibility that the Island’s Heart’s power has run out of her system.”

Michelle looked furious. “Of course I fucking know that! We were there , asshole!”

With a frown Taylor held out their hands. “Hold on, hold on. Michelle, don’t swear at Varyyn, he’s only trying to help. I know you’re stressed, but--”

“What, do you not fucking care that Quinn’s about to die?! She loved you , you know!” Michelle slammed her book on the ground and picked up another. “You never deserved someone as pure as Quinn,” she muttered.

Taylor sighed, letting Michelle vent. “I know.”

That only angered Michelle more. “ Hey Tay ,” she mocked, “Why don’t you shut the fuck up and help for a change?”

Varyyn communicated with Taylor telepathically, ‘ What should we do? This one seems unpleased.’

Getting to their feet, Taylor responded. ‘ You can help by getting the medicine man in here and helping translate. I’m going to make sure Quinn is comfortable.’ ’

Staring at Michelle, who swore with each page she turned, Varyyn nodded. ‘ Yes. I believe this is best. ’ He got up and walked out with Taylor.

“Why do you think the Island’s Heart cured Quinn’s disease in the first place?” Taylor asked, once out of Michelle’s earshot. “And why did it come back after being cured? Do we need more Island’s Heart pieces?”

Varyyn rubbed his chin. “It is difficult. The Island’s Heart contains powers unlike you have seen, but perhaps Quinn does have a Heart she needs.”
----

The Catalysts were up in arms blaming each other, then blaming each other further for blaming each other instead of helping Quinn. Grace and Zahra went to help Michelle read the texts provided and try to figure out a solution, Raj made Quinn breakfast -- and every meal -- in bed, with extravagance. The others helped provide anything that could’ve made Quinn smile.

“Varyyn, the medicines aren’t working…” Taylor said, observing Quinn.

It wasn’t a pretty sight: The dark circles under Quinn’s eyes had gotten more noticeable, she tossed and turned in pain… Overcome with fatigue, Quinn needed Taylor’s help in getting anywhere.

Varyyn bowed his head to Quinn, who was asleep. “We must have faith Michelle finds an answer, when we have none.”

Taylor nodded, sitting on the bed. She pushed some of Quinn’s sweat-slicked hair out of her face. “I’m sorry, Quinn,” she whispered.

“She’s in a coma ?!” Michelle asked, turning a ghostly pale.

Taylor looked away. “She seems ... fine … for now, but. Yeah, I can’t make that call.”

Running to Quinn’s room, Michelle rushed to the side of Quinn’s bed. She tested reflexes, eye movement, breathing patterns, pupil dilation… She was only able to do so much without proper equipment.

When Taylor got to the room, they saw Michelle had collapsed onto Quinn’s body.

“I never got to tell you,” Michelle said, shaky and guttural. “That I love you, Quinn. Please. Come back. Quinn, please!” Michelle cried out, roughly cupping Quinn’s cheeks. She cried, soaking through Quinn’s shirt.

Michelle hoped for a response, any response, but there was none.

“Come back to me, Quinn.”

“What do you mean we can’t even treat a fucking fever?!”

Michelle’s yelling continued. Any suggestion made her start again, so usually the room was quiet after she stopped.

She had half of the group create lots of saline solution -- easy enough to make -- and a makeshift IV. Michelle was not losing Quinn, not when she almost lost her before. Especially not when she was so close to telling her…

Taylor and Estela offered to time-hop and grab any Island’s Heart shards they had missed from other dimensions, but the only one left in their world kept The Great Tree alive.

What was more important? The Great Tree or Quinn?

It was a hotly contested debate between the Vaanti and the Catalysts that ultimately led to a stalemate.

Seraxa was none too pleased, threatening to revoke all help if the debate continued. What was one sick person to a thriving community, anyway?

But Varyyn fought her. “A community helps its people. A community helps the people that are the most vulnerable. We do not leave them behind.”

Meanwhile, Quinn had no idea the chaos that ensued outside of The Celestial.

“Guys? Guys!” Taylor yelled, calling for anyone that would listen. They had been writing out Quinn’s pulse on a regular basis on a makeshift chart they made. “Anyone!”

“What? What is it?” Diego asked, running into the room.

“Her pulse is dropping! Who knows CPR?”

“Michelle does! Probably Jake and maybe Estela? Those two kinda scare me though.”

“Go get them!”

Diego ran just as fast as he came in; when he returned, Michelle was with him.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle asked.

“We need you! Quinn needs you!” Taylor cried. “She might need CPR, but I-I don’t know!”

“Move, get the saline and the IV.”

Taylor and Diego both ran.

Alone, Michelle sat next to Quinn and checked her vitals. Her pulse was dropping! And Quinn looked horrible - why weren’t the Vaanti remedies helping at all? What happened? Was it a sickness to the Island’s Heart? Did her Rotterdam’s come back?

Quinn’s pulse stopped.

“No! You’re not fucking dying on my watch!” Michelle pumped Quinn’s chest, then forced air into her lungs, repeating the CPR for what felt like hours.

When Taylor and Diego returned, it was with Jake and Estela. Michelle wasted no time getting them to work.

“Estela, tourniquet her arm, Jake, find a vein! We need an IV in, like, yesterday! Taylor and Diego, get that saline hooked up!”

They all did as they were told.

Michelle continued CPR, even when something wiped at her face.

“Don’t touch me!” Michelle yelled.

“You’re crying, Meech,” Taylor said, having dabbed at the tears that had fallen.

“No shit! Now shut up, I can’t hear my patient!”

Having gotten the makeshift IV in, Michelle ordered everyone but Jake to leave, as he had the most first aid experience between the rest.

Michelle sobbed into Quinn’s chest. “I-I can’t do it. She’s going to die, Jake.”

“Hell she is, take a break, give me a crack at it.”

Jake attempted his version of CPR, which included a more physically intensive chest pumping.

“Don’t break her ribs!”

“If it’ll save her life, it’ll save her life. We can’t be choosy; these are desperate measures.”

A few more minutes of Jake’s CPR and Michelle listening for a pulse…

“Jake! You did it! Holy fuck you did it!”

On Michelle’s call, Quinn was officially stabilized, though still weak.

Too happy to be smug, Jake wiped away the sweat mixed with tears on his face. “Holy shit, we did it.”

Jake hugged Michelle. “That we did, that we did.”

From that moment, the Vaanti medicinal herbs started to show positive effects on Quinn, and she woke up from her coma within a week.

Michelle wouldn’t let anyone near her, though, as she had an important, private conversation to have with her.

“Quinn?”

“Yes, my oh-so-wonderful giver of life?”

Michelle made a face. “You’re weird, have you been hanging out with Taylor for too long?”

“Nah.” Quinn giggled. “To be honest, I… I’d rather be with you.”

With a blink, Michelle had to ask, “Did you just say…?”

Quinn nodded. “I did. You did all this work just to save my life. Not many people give a damn about ‘ the sick girl ’ but… you did. And you do . And I’m so grateful you’ve given me another chance at life.”

“I… what ?” Michelle grabbed Quinn’s hands. “Of course I did what I could to keep you alive, I lo--”

Cutting herself off, she didn’t miss the smirk on Quinn’s face.

“ Yes? ” Quinn asked, leaning forward. While she enjoyed teasing Michelle into a flushed face, Michelle snapped out of being flustered rather quick.

“Screw it, you almost died on me. Rejection would never be worse.”

Quinn’s brows raised.

“Quinn, I think I love you. Do you… Do you have--”

“ Yes! ” Quinn cried out, hugging Michelle as tight as she could. Noting how weak the hug was, Michelle pushed Quinn back onto the bed. “Can I…? Can I kiss you?”

Michelle nodded and the two shared their first kiss.

Half-lidded, Quinn tried to pull Michelle in for a second kiss, but Michelle blocked it with a hand. “You’re still recuperating from a lot . Now that you’re, y’know, not actively dying on me , I feel content to wait until after you’ve slept for our second kiss. And third.

“Maybe even a fourth?!”

“Let’s not push it. After all, who knows if you can handle me, yet!”

The two laughed as they actually did kiss a second time, and Michelle left to give Quinn time to rest.