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Keeley loved being with the AFC Richmond, it truly felt like her home here. She loved spending time with Rebecca and the others during games and press conferences, even after hours when they gathered in bars to celebrate victories each time they won. Rebecca truly was her best friend without a doubt, wondering to herself how she went all these years without Rebecca. They talked about everything under the sun, especially dating! Keeley loved this topic and Rebecca avoided it, but things shifted when Rebecca came to the office to talk about her date with Ted, Keeley just about tossed her stuff out of the window in excitement. Those two finally got together, and Keeley told her bestie that it was meant to be. This caused them to chat about the date until Rebecca brought up Roy.
Don't get her wrong, she still really liked Roy, but was romance the only option right now?
She waved her friend off, telling Rebecca she'd get back to her on that. Rebecca had laughed aloud and told her that she'd get back with Roy, since they were perfect together. Keeley didn't doubt that at all, it's just that she just left a relationship with Jack, and she wasn't ready.
It was sudden, but Rebecca mentioned Jamie and Keeley wouldn't even let her finish that thought. Jamie was sweet after all these years, and was just about changed, but there's no way she'd go after him again. Plus, Dani seemed to take an interest in the player, which Keeley was now 'shipping' the two together. Rebecca had to be brought up to speed with all these terms, even asking what 'shipping' means and why Keeley said it so much. Either way, Keeley was happy as she was.
There was a Manchester game coming up, and everyone was anxious to play, even Jamie. Ted felt bad about having Jamie play, but the player waved him off and decided he'd be fine. Well, Ted went ahead and called Rebecca, asking if she Jamie's parents number on file. Sadly, she didn't, but she was sure Keeley did. Rebecca promised she'd get Keeley's help after she listened to her boyfriends plan on getting Jamie's mum and stepdad inside the box to watch the big game. After talking to Ted, she texted Keeley the details, promising full security for the game. So, while the team travels on the bus, Keeley hatched a plan of her own. So, she called Georgie and told her about Jamie's sudden fear, explaining how 'Jamie wanted to see his mummy before the big game', and the little lie worked. Georgie and Simon would be headed to the stadium tomorrow in record time. God, she loved her friends.
The bus would arrive by six, which gave the boys time for dinner, a quick movie and then bedtime. Tomorrow would be game time. The Friday in Manchester was soon turn out amazing for the boys, and Jamie was certainly shocked to see his Mummy and Simon at the breakfast. They told him that Keeley had called, and Jamie's smile couldn't have been bigger. Roy even looked pleased, giving Keeley a wink with a smile as Jamie started introducing his friends to his family.
Keeley missed that smile.
The game was officially over. The hours had gone by and the players had now gathered inside the locker room as the excitement of the game dwindled down, everyone packing their bags so they'd be able to leave faster. The boys were buzzing with excitement, since they managed to get a goal on Manchester United, even though they lost 2-1. The goal that Colin got them was worth celebrating, so Ted declared they would go out for drinks. Of course, Jamie said he'd have to visit his mummy before hitting the town, wanting to show his family the pitch and some of the locker rooms.
"Oi, before we leave, everyone is gonna get some water, then we'll fuckin' get a drink on Colin's goal!" Roy shouted over the chaos of the players, causing another cheer to Colin's name as the boys crowded around the player. Eventually it had quieted down again, Issac getting a headcount of everyone just to be on the safe side, and he blamed Roy for that habit. The captain went to open the main doorway, but something was watching him.
James Tartt was standing in the doorway, and Jamie froze in place. Now everyone was frozen, just watching James grin like the devil as he eyed his son from a distance. This caused Roy and Beard to take the lead as they stood in front of the pack. Both coaches were now face to face with James, shielding Jamie with their bodies so James couldn't see his son. While James was distracted, Dani had stepped up to Jamie and grabbed his hand, pulling the player away from the door. Of course, James didn't like this and tried pushing his way towards his son, but Roy stepped in his spot.
"How'd the fuck you get back here?" Roy snarled while stepping towards the older man, watching him grin as he raised his hand in surrender. James stepped back as he started to speak.
"What, you'd think I'd be away from me son? Ain't gonna happen, ya bloody old cunt." James bellowed out with a laugh as he gave Roy his signature grin, his eyes not leaving the coach as he spoke. "Heard ya kept the American pussy as coach, thought ye were gonna kick 'em to the curb huh? Roy Kent don't wanna be coach does he? What a pussy ya've become."
"Now, that ain't nice." Ted chided lightly as he carefully stepped closer to James. "Why don't you and I talk this out, huh? Let's not drag everyone else into it."
"The fuck you gonna do, American pussy!" James said as he turned towards Ted while letting out with a heavy laugh, his eyes still on Ted as he carefully watched the coach once his laughter died down. "You got the balls to confront me? After last time? Yer waistin' time here!
"You're right, I should have stopped you earlier, but now I can." The American man spat suddenly, earning a laugh from James. The drunken man raised his fists in an attempt to start a fight, but Beard had snatched his wrist. James laughed at this, shaking his head as he gave the man a wicked smile. His hand was clenched tightly as if hiding something, and James cackled.
There was a glint of metal that came from James's hand, the small pocket knife revealing itself as the drunk man stood there with a wild grin. James stepped closer and branded the knife out into the open, letting Ted get a glimpse.
It was a quick swipe from James that started the fight, the tip made contact with Ted's face. The knife snagged the skin underneath Ted's left eye, slicing upward as James pushed himself forward with the attack. It was a flurry of chaos after that as multiple people moved towards James while other people were shouting.
Beard was the first to reach James and was able to grab the man by the back of his neck, using his body strength to slam James back into the cubbies behind them. James then tumbled backwards onto the bench as his hand shot out to grab Beard's jacket, missing the hem by just inches. Now Beard was hovering over James with punches being thrown at the older man's face with James trying to fight back but being unable to do so. When James fell, the knife slipped out of his hand and Beard completely missed it.
Roy was now trying to restrain James as Beard pulled James back onto his feet, struggling to grab ahold the older man's flailing arms. Somehow, James landed a kick to Beard's ribs with his foot and that caused the coach to stumble back. However, this just angered Beard further and now Beard was just fighting back harder.
As Beard took the lead in the fight, security burst though the door with Higgins, Rebecca and Keeley on their heels. Either someone had heard them or they had been retrieved, either way it was a relief for the players in the room. There were multiple security people stepping through, two of the guards stepped forward to help Beard and Roy, which allowed Rebecca to spot Ted in the back of the room. During the fight, Ted had pulled himself out of the way and was now leaning against a wall with a bloodied rag on his face, Sam holding it still while trying to keep the coach from doubling over.
James was not going down without shedding some blood, because the more that people fought back, the angrier he got. There was a split second as someone grabbed James's arm, he fell towards the ground with his arms out as he tried to catch himself. He broke away from the crowd and reached out for the pocket knife resting under the bench, gripping it tight as he turned onto his back the second Roy approached. When Roy bent down to grab ahold of James, the older man responded by raising the knife and landing it directly into the left side of Roy's chest without any hesitation.
Keeley and Rebecca screamed at the exact same time as Roy stumbled backwards with a pocket knife still attached to his chest, unable to do anything else but stand there. James cackled like the madman he is with a wicked smile plastered on his face as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
One security guard stepped forward but Beard had beat them to James, grabbing the man's collar and lifting his head up for a split second, just to be slammed back down on the ground. Beard was fuming with rage as James's head hit the pavement with a slight cracking sound following suit, the older man unable to move as the skin around his skull was split open slightly with the blood pouring out, letting James slump down in defeat as Beard released him.
Everything went by in a blur as people scattered, security headed towards James while Keely and Rebecca made their way over to their partners. Rebecca reached Ted's side and took Sam's spot in holding the rag, whispering soft words into Ted's ear as she pulled him into the tightest embrace she could muster.
Meanwhile Keeley was shaking at Roy's side, tears cascading down her face as she tried to reach out to Roy, but was pulled away. Issac had Keeley by the arm, and Keeley didn't like that. There were multiple people holding onto Roy, Jamie included, as the coach was being led outside of the locker room. Many of the players followed behind security, Issac staying put as the rush of people were out of the door within seconds, and leaving Keeley behind.
“No! Roy!” She screeched in shock the moment she gained access to freedom while making a run towards the door. Another pair of arms wrapped around her waist within moments. “Fuck, Roy! Roy please!”
Now, Keeley was actively fighting to free herself, trying to tug her arms away from her captor. While she struggled, the arms managed to turn her around to where she was faced against someone’s chest. Soon the arms were wrapped around her, pulling her close. Keeley threw her arms around the figure, sinking into their embrace. There was a warm hand resting in her back, and she knew exactly who it was. Ted was holding her upright, rocking the two of them back and forth. The two stayed in that embrace for a few moments, letting it sink in. Rebecca placed a hand on Keeley's back, soon being transferred into her best friends arms by Ted as the younger woman broke out into loud sobs. The two women stood in the room so Keeley could get her sobs out before trying to get Keeley into a car so they could head after Roy.
Things were blurry for Keeley after that.
Ruth O'Sullivan loved her job on most nights when she wasn't pulling an object out of a person's ass or having to pump an unknown substance from someone's stomach. One of the downsides of her job was missing Phoebe's events and little games, and that hurt Ruth's soul. She was so lucky Roy was there for Phoebe, even during whatever recital she was dragging her uncle through. Tonight was a rare night, since Phoebe was with a friend from school as Roy coached a game. While she'd made her rounds, many patients were watching the game on the telly, trying not to get herself caught in the game.
There was a sudden change in the atmosphere as a call from the frost desk came through asking for assistance. Ruth took the call and followed a few other nurses to the front hall, not able to go any further the moment she had seen who had been brought in.
Roy Kent was being rolled in her ER with a knife in his chest, and Ruth could only watch as her brother was put into a room for surgery and Ruth couldn't even help him. Her body told her to step forward but she couldn't, her hands were shaking and her feet wouldn't move and she swore someone was talking to her. Ruth leaned against a wall to keep herself up but flinched heavily as she felt a hand resting on her elbow.
"Ruth! Ruth hey, need you to calm down." One of her friends spoke softly as they pulled Ruth away, letting her sit down onto the ground so she’d not be in the way of everyone else. Ruth was now leaning against the wall, curled up as tight as she could get while trying to control her breathing. Her friend was squeezing her shoulder, hoping to speak some sense into Ruth while trying to keep her calm. As Ruth sat on the floor, she didn’t hear a voice calling out to her.
In the midst of the chaos, Rebecca had brought Ted in with Keeley limply following behind them. Once inside, Keeley had been the one to spot Ruth in the hallway. Apparently Keeley had called out her name, but Ruth didn’t hear it. There was a flash of pink and gold that went by Ruth, and then suddenly the younger woman was crawling into the older woman’s arms, clinging onto Ruth as tight as she possibly could. Ruth wrapped Keeley into a tight embrace, letting the built up tears fall down her face as she held onto her friend. The two stayed on the floor for a decent amount of time, not moving until one of the senior nurses made them move out into the waiting room. They were soon sitting on the floor and facing each other, hands held tightly together as they stared at each other.
"I'm so sorry..." Keeley said softly, trying to get more words to come out, but Ruth just shook her head and squeezed tighter.
"I'm sure he was being Roy...protecting somebody.." Ruth chuckled weakly, earning a nod from Keeley as more tears gathered in the younger woman's eyes. Ruth then pulled Keeley into anther hug, letting them rock back and forth. Eventually Ruth let go when one of Ruth's friends crouched down beside them.
"We've patched up your brother, he's resting in a room now." The nurse confessed with a smile, patting Ruth's shoulder. "You need to head home soon Ruthie, God knows how long you've been on shift."
"I'll go after I see Roy." Ruth demanded suddenly as she stood up, letting her nursing friend help her stand. Keeley soon got up and let Ruth's friend lead them to Roy's room. They travelled down the hallway until they reached Roy's room, Ruth's friend having to stop the both of them before they could enter.
"Ruth, since this is your department, I do need you in there." Her friend explained with a frown, patting Ruth on the shoulder. "We need a quick glance, then we'll let everyone in, sound good?"
"Right, yea that's fine." Ruth gaped out as she tried to compose herself, taking a breath and exhaling it. She looked over at Keeley and tried to open her mouth to apologize, but Keeley waved her off.
"Go, be a sexy doctor woman." Keeley told her friend as they left her in the hallway, sitting herself down in a a chair next to Roy's room. Slouching down in the chair, Keeley put her head into her hands, only hoping that Roy could pull out of this.
She still loved Roy.
When Rebecca had brought Ted and Keeley into the hospital, she made sure Ted was taken by a nurse before trying to gain her surroundings. While Ted was being taken care of, Keeley had wandered off and found Ruth, while Rebecca had found Jamie in the waiting room. He had offered to stay while everyone else gathered at the hotel, both Dani and Issac offering to grab Georgie and Simon so they could be safe at the hotel.
“They took Roy away….dunno anythin’ else…” Jamie said sadly as he made eye contact with Rebecca, letting out a sigh. “This is my fault…fuckin’ let ‘em get to Roy.”
“No, don’t you say that.” Rebecca chided lightly while pulling Jamie into a hug, giving him a tight squeeze. “Nobody deserved to be hurt by him, and he never deserved to be your father.”
The two stood in silence and they embraced, eventually parting when a nurse stepped up.
“You brought Mr. Kent?” She whispered to Rebecca, who nodded along with Jamie. “He’s in stable condition, you should be able to see him soon. We believe he missed a major artery which is very lucky. Should I alert any other family? I know Ruth is here but..”
“His girlfriend..she’s here.” Jamie spoke up suddenly, ignoring the look Rebecca was giving him. “Dunno where she’s at…she’s here…”
“I believe she’s found Ruth, Roy’s sister.” The woman added hopefully as she turned to Rebecca. “Also, your husband should be released soon, his stitches are healing nicely. The police has been notified, but you have the option to not report what happened.”
“We will…discuss it..” Rebecca finally confessed with a heavy sigh, looking at the nurse hopefully. “Can we see them both?”
“Of course, Mr. Kent is resting but your husband should be released soon, I’ll take you to both of them.”
“We should get Keeley.” Jamie said as he began to follow the nurse with Rebecca behind him, letting the nurse lead them down the hallway. They had gotten to a smaller room, where Ted was sitting with the new set of stitches along his cheek and under his eyes. Rebecca couldn’t help but rush forward and embracing her “husband”, pulling him into a chaste kiss as she held onto him. Ted chuckled and kissed the side of her head, leaning into her embrace. He then looked up and spotted the star player viewing him.
“Coach..” Jamie whispered from the doorframe as he spotted the man’s smile, Ted motioned for him to come in. The player then rushed in and gently hugged Ted’s other side, the older man holding both of his favorite people.
“I’m alright, no problems here.” Ted whispered softly, chuckling as Rebeca nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “How’s Roy doin?”
“We’re gonna check on him, had to see you first.” Rebecca replied as Jamie let go, smiling at the boys in front of her. “Keeley is with Ruth, they said they would take us there.”
“Then lead on, lady boss.” Ted told her as he tried to get down from the table by himself by Jamie went to help him on instinct, letting the man lean onto him as they began to travel out of the room. The nurse was waiting for them outside of the room and was now leading them to Roy’s room, where Keeley was waiting outside on the chair outside of the room. Rebecca left Ted’s other side and went over to Keeley, leaning down and taking her best friend hands into her own.
“He’ll be just fine, he’s stubborn as always.” Rebecca told her best friend, smiling as Keeley let out a wet chuckle. Ted placed a hand on Keeley’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Jamie was on Keeley’s other side, almost scared to say anything as they patiently waited on Ruth to return.
It felt like hours had gone by, but really, it had only been minutes. Ruth soon popped her head out of the doorframe and gave everyone a smile.
“Roy’s stable, he’s good to go.” Ruth told everyone as Keeley helped Rebecca stand up, letting go of only one of Rebecca’s hands while keeping a tight grip on the other one. With an intake a breath, Keeley went in first.
“Look who’s here.” Ruth told her brother softly as Keeley entered with everyone else behind her, noticing how his eyes lit up when he spotted the one woman he wanted to see. While Roy was focused on Keeley, Ruth worked alongside her friend to check the equipment supporting Roy.
“Oh Roy…” Keeley said breathlessly as she rushed over to Roy’s side with Rebecca’s hand long forgotten, going over to Roy’s right side. On instinct, Keeley ran her hands into Roy’s hair, setting it back so she could see his face.
“He’s got the Kent stubbornness.” Ruth said hopefully with a smile, stepping aside so she could let Roy’s friends see him. While she stood to the side and watched, Ruth's friend was trying to hand Ruth her brother's chart, but she wasn't paying attention. Rebecca had set herself next to Keeley, letting Ted and Jamie kinda linger around.
“If you died, I’d have to fire you.” Rebecca teased suddenly as she gently grabbed Roy’s good hand and squeezed it. In response, Roy let out a weak grunt.
“Now, be nice, he’s wounded.” Ted chided his girlfriend lightly as he came to her side and placed a kiss on her cheek, and that earned another grunt from Roy.
“Alright, enough insults for today.” Ruth spoke up from her spot in the corner, now moving to Roy’s left side so she could check on her brother’s vitals. “Luckily there wasn’t any major arteries that had been damaged, but we’re gonna keep him here just to be safe.”
“Good to hear, couldn’t be anywhere without our Royo.” Ted said with a smile as he faced Ruth, giving her a wink. “We owe ya doc!”
“It’s my fault.” Jamie piped up suddenly from the corner of the room, unable to look anyone in the eye. “If me da hadn’t…fuckin tried to get me…”
“Now son…” Ted started softly, but the younger player ignored him and started shaking his head. Meanwhile, everyone was watching carefully, now wondering how Ted was going to handle this.
“It’s me fuckin’ fault! Me da wanted me! Not Roy!” Jamie cried out in disbelief while he waved off Ted’s attempts at help. “Roy and Coach tried to fight me da when I couldn’t…what a fuckin’ coward I was. I can’t do shit..”
“Jamie, enough.” Ted demanded suddenly, causing Jamie to stop his rambling. The coach stepped towards Jamie, holding his arms out so Jamie could see he wasn’t going to hurt it. He pulled Jamie into a hug, letting the player sag into his arms.
“Don’t you be harsh to yourself.” The coach whispered while holding Jamie in a tight embrace. “Jamie, your dad is a piece of garbage, I’ll let you know that now. I’m sorry I didn’t try and stop him earlier, I wish I could go back and stop him from hurting you..”
“…he fuckin’ got sacked…didn’t he…?” Roy’s voice piped up suddenly, causing Ted to let go and let Jamie get close to Roy. The older man looked exhausted but still tried to talk to Jamie.
“…next time, we’ll get a bat or some shit..” Roy added softly as Jamie just huffed, wiping the tears away. He then turned from Roy’s beside as he kept wiping the tears away, not wanting to have Roy see him crying.
“Hey now, why don’t we take ya home, get ya into a warm bed?” Ted offered to Jamie softly, Rebecca then nodding as she watched Jamie struggle to try and say something. Keeey then turned to Ted and nodded her heard towards a very tired Ruth.
“Could you take her too?” Keeley asked suddenly as everyone turned to Ruth, who looked so exhausted the bags under her eyes would be collecting even more bags. “You need some rest Ruthie, your friend said you’d been here a while.”
“I can manage.” Ruth tried to argue as she walked past Keeley to try and check on Roy’s vitals again, but Keeley grabbed Ruth’s wrist, pulling the woman close to her side.
“Please?” Keeley begged softly as she pouted her lip. "Your friend said you needed to go home.."
"Go home, go see Phoebe for me." Roy spoke up from his bed, earning a chuckle from Keeley as Ruth turned around and gave her brother a frown. She sighed, turning back around to look at Keeley.
"Fine, let me clock out." Ruth relented after a few seconds while taking a quick glance at Roy behind her. She let out a sigh as her friend stepped up and gently moved her to the front of the room while letting Jamie lead the two of them out, leaving everyone else in the room with Roy.
"I hate to say this, but visiting hours are almost over." Ruth's nursing friend had told the group, the badge with the name 'Angie' now visible. "His girlfriend can stay, but the rest of you have to go."
"I was about to ask when the hours were over." Ted spoke up, looking over at Rebecca. "I'm knackered myself, could use a good nap."
"I'll take you home." Rebecca told her boyfriend as she took his hand, her focus now shifted over to Keeley. "Do you want to stay?"
"Yea, for a while." Keeley confessed to her best friend, giving her a very weak smile. "I'll call, promise."
"Good, we'll be back later." Rebecca reminded her friend before they had parted, leaving Keeley and Angie with Roy. Roy was sound asleep already, with Angie pestering the drugs just a few moments ago.
"I'll get you a blanket love, stay here." Angie told Keeley once she made the model sit down in the reclining chair next to Roy's side. Once Keeley was settled, Angie left the room within seconds. Keeley had the chair recline slightly, letting herself try to relax as Roy slept beside her. There were a few stray tears rolling down her face, but Keeley quickly wiped them away before trying to close her eyes and sleep.
It would be hours before Keeley awoke, a blanket draped over her with a cold coffee resting on the table beside her. She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes as she glanced around the room. Keeley spotted the clock on the wall reading 5:30, meaning it was already Saturday morning. The hospital room was eerily quiet except for the heart monitor Roy was wearing. When Keeley set the chair down into the sitting position, Roy started to stir.
“Keeley..” Roy said in a raspy whisper while his eyes still squinted as he tried to focus. His hand was feeling around the bed, as if looking for something, and Keeley knew exactly what he wanted. She stood from her chair and slowly gave Roy her hand, letting him squeeze it while desperately trying to hold back her tears. Roy smiled and let out a sigh.
“M’sorry, Keeley.” Roy whispered while trying to focus on Keeley. “I still love you….’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright, you’re ok.” Keeley said in a whisper as the tears were now streaming down her face. “You absolute idiot….I-“
Roy let out a very weak attempt at a chuckle, trying to use his other hand to place it along Keeley's face. She pressed her face closer, letting his hand rest on her cheek in comfortable silence. It was sudden, but Roy's hand drop and his breathing became uneven, something Keeley didn't like.
"Roy?" Keeley asked horridly as she held Roy's hand tighter, her heart dropping from her chest as Roy let out a wheezy breath. Keeley went to say something else, but Angie had just walked into the room.
"Over here lovely." Angie said softly while trying to keep Keeley calm, not wanting to stress the poor woman out even more. There were a few more nurses who had walked in, going past Keeley and straight to Roy. They had ignored Keeley and the younger woman tried to speak up, but there were no words that could come from her mouth. Keeley forced herself closer and saw that Roy was paler than usual. This caused Keeley to step back and glance at the monitor and try not to scream as the little line started to go flat. Someone was leading her away from the door, and the second it shut behind her, Keeley screamed.
In all her years of living, Rebecca Welton never heard a scream loud enough to give her chills, but Keeley’s scream, that was bone-chilling. They had arrived just a few minutes before six, wanting to get Keeley some clothes and try to convince her to come back and sleep. She was in the waiting room when she heard it, brain telling her to find Keeley and help her best friend, even though that scream felt like something in a horror movie. Rebecca was already on her feet and moving towards Roy’s room without even thinking, going past nurses and frantic visitors as she searched for her friend. Turning the corner quickly and somehow managing not to fall, Rebecca saw Keeley sprawled on the floor and her heart dropped from her chest. The older woman crept closer and got onto her knees when she got close to Keeley, letting the younger woman drape herself on top. Keeley was now letting out unholy sobs and painful gasps. Rebecca held onto her friend, letting her get all her cries out before slumping into Rebecca's arms.
Ted had soon rounded the corner and could see the women on the floor, rushing over to their sides so he could see what happened. He picked the two women off the floor when they were ready, letting Keeley lean against her friends as she stood. Rebecca was taking Keeley home, telling her that Ruth would be on shift soon and that she'd find out what happened. Keeley couldn't argue, she just let them lead her to the car and back to their place. They'd pass Ruth on their way out, promising she's watch her brother until she got back.
Keeley eventually arrived at the hospital around one after getting a few hours of sleep, having to use so much melatonin in order to get any sleep at all. There was no point in sleeping if Roy wasn't here with her.
The walk to Roy's room was calm, light movements from others scattered along the hall. When she had gotten to Roy's door, she didn't even have a chance to ask what happened yesterday as Angie walked past Keeley, clearly dealing with another patient. Slowly, Keeley opened the door with a sigh and prepared for the worst. Ruth was sitting next to Roy with her scrubs from the previous shift still on, completely unaware that Keeley had walked into the room at that point. The doctor was running her fingers along the top of Roy's scalp, her nails scratching his skin as she laid close to him. Keeley cleared her throat, and Ruth turned to look in her direction.
"He's always liked that." Keeley said aloud as she set her purse down slowly, eyes not leaving Ruth. "He loved my nails long, so he’d get better scratches on his scalp. Some days he’d curl up beside me and ask if I could scratch his scalp. Hated askin’ for it, yea? He still loved them though.”
“Roy’s hardly one to have a cuddle.” Ruth said as she sat up, her hand not leaving her brother’s scalp. “Since you and Phoebe, he’s been opening up more.”
Keeley could only nod, letting out a sniffle as Ruth kept going.
"He's always loved you from the start." Ruth spoke softly, giving Keeley a tired glance. "I've never heard him talk about someone like that before, none of the people he dated compared anything to you. I told him it was stupid for the two of you to break up, but he was being a stubborn asshole. He didn't want to hurt you, and he hurt himself instead."
"I...He's still very important to me." Keeley explained as she closed her eyes, trying to fight the tears in her eyes. "I think...fuck...I still love him."
"You'll both figure it out." Ruth said as she got up from Roy's side, turning to give Keeley a light smile. "Don't let it slip away."
With that being said, Ruth gave the younger woman a nod before leaving the room, leaving her alone with Roy. Keeley glanced up, the tears threatening to spill again as she slowly walked over to his side. Then kicking off her shoes, she carefully climbed into the hospital bed on Roy's right side, letting her head rest near his collarbone. The second she got settled, the floodgates came loose.
“I need you to get better. I love you.” Keeey told Roy in a desperate sob as she used her hand to cling onto Roy’s hospital down. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, letting the tears falls as the sobs rolled out freely. “I love you so much, I'm so sorry."
There was some movement that happened near Keeley, but she wasn't paying attention. It was Roy, and he let out a grunt to make Keeley aware of him. It was slow, but Roy managed to rest his right hand on Keeley's back, which earning him a slight gasp of surprise coming from his mouth.
"...I...love you too..." Roy admitted in his raspy voice, leaning his head down and placing a kiss directly on her forehead. Well, Keeley wanted a bit more, and she leaned up to press a kiss to his lips without even thinking about it. The kiss was soft and short, not wanting to aggravate Roy's injury any further. Once they had parted, Keeley buried her head back into the crook of his neck settling against Roy with a sigh.
They would try to work things out soon, but now, it was time to rest.