Ruby’s gaze lingered on the hid face for a moment longer, his green eyes still wet, his expression fragile and lost but then, a soft, weak voice cut through the silence like a thread pulling her back to earth.
He was blinking up at the ceiling, his eyes barely open, his voice hoarse. His lips were dry, and his cheeks were pale, but there was relief in his expression. His fingers shifted slightly, as if reaching for her.
Ruby immediately stood and walked to his side. But her steps were slower now, not panicked like before, not breathless with worry.
Her expression was still pale... but colder.
She looked at him, not like she hadn’t missed him, but like she was holding back everything she wanted to say.
The anger of him sneaking away. The danger he put himself in.
Still, seeing his injuries, the bruises on his body, the exhaustion painted across his face... she took a breath and softened just enough.
She sat beside him, voice quiet and steady.
Karl blinked slowly, his throat tightening as he looked at her face.
"I am..." Karl began, his voice scratchy, just starting to speak when—
A loud, ragged cough interrupted the moment.
Ruby immediately turned her head. Jett, the ghost in the bed next to Karl, was covering his mouth, his body shaking as he tried to breathe.
Without hesitation, Ruby stood, poured a glass of water from the jug near his bedside, and gently held it out to him. Her hands were steady, her movements quiet and natural, as if she had done this hundreds of times before.
Jett took the glass with both hands and sipped carefully.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Then, after a pause, he looked up at her. His green eyes, still glassy from exhaustion, met hers.
"Is your name Ruby, Miss?" he asked gently, his voice soft and delicate like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to ask.
Ruby nodded, brushing a strand of her hair back. "Yeah... and yours?"
He lowered his eyes for a moment, then looked up again. "Jett," he said.
A simple name. But the way he said it like he didn’t expect it to matter.
Karl, lying nearby, narrowed his eyes.
Why was his wife giving this delicate, doll-faced ghost so much attention?!
He tried to open his mouth again, maybe to grumble or say something ridiculous but just then, an officer stepped into the room.
"Pardon the interruption, Miss Ruby," he said politely. "We need brief statements from everyone about the incident. We’re finalizing the report."
Ruby nodded and stood up. The officer continued, holding a small notebook.
He glanced toward Jett.
"We also looked into his file. He’s listed as an orphan. His home was taken after his family defaulted on a loan. There’s no one left. He’s... got nowhere to return to."
There was a beat of silence. Everyone in the ward felt it.
And then Ruby spoke, clear and calm:
Even Karl turned to stare at her in disbelief.
"I’ll give him a place to stay. A job too," Ruby added. "He can help at my company."
There was silence again, and time from pure surprise.
The officer nodded slowly. "That’s very generous of you, Miss Ruby. If he agrees, we’ll proceed with paperwork."
Jett’s eyes were wide now. He looked at her as if she had just pulled him from drowning—again.
"You’d... let me stay?" he asked, voice barely a whisper.
Ruby looked at him without much expression.
"You’ll work for it. But yeah, I’ll give you a home."
And Jett’s lips parted, unable to say anything for a moment. He lowered his head slightly as if bowing, his voice trembling:
"Thank you, Miss Ruby..."
There was a soft shine in his eyes gratitude... and something like hope.
"...Don’t thank me," Ruby said quietly, offering a small, fleeting smile as she looked at Jett. "You’ll have to work hard."
Her voice wasn’t harsh—it was real. Steady. The kind that didn’t offer pity, but a path.
Jett nodded quickly, like a student promising to do his best, though his hands still trembled slightly beneath the blanket.
Ruby turned without another word, adjusting the edges of her robe, and headed toward the door. "I’ll get something for you both to eat," she added as she left the room.
The hallway outside felt cooler. The weight of everything still lingered on her shoulders—Karl’s broken state, Jett’s bruises, and the dull ache of exhaustion beginning to catch up to her.
But she pushed it aside.
Just outside the hospital, there was a line of small street vendors. The scent of warm soup, buttered flatbread, and roasted vegetables wafted gently through the air. It wasn’t fancy food but it was warm, fresh, and comforting.
She stopped at a quiet cart run by a wrinkled old witch.
"Hello, what would you like?" the witch asked kindly.
"Two portions, please,"* Ruby replied. "Something light and easy to digest. One is for someone recovering from an injury."
The witch nodded, her hands moving deftly as she packed two paper containers–warm broth, soft bread, and a few slices of fresh fruit.
Ruby paid, gathered the packages in her arms, and turned back toward the hospital doors. The weight in her hands was more than just food; it was quiet comfort, a small warmth for the two ghosts waiting inside.
Ruby pushed the ward door open gently with her shoulder, balancing the food packages in her hands. The familiar scent of broth and bread filled the quiet hospital room as she stepped inside.
Karl was still lying back, now more awake, though his expression was drowsy. Jett had shifted slightly in his bed, sitting straighter when he saw her return.
Ruby set the packages down on the small table between their beds.
"Eat slowly," she said without looking at them too much. "Don’t force it if you’re still weak."
Karl blinked at her, the warmth of her gesture softening his chest but he also noticed the tiredness in her face.
Jett gave a quiet nod and murmured, "Thank you..." again, almost in a whisper.
Ruby exhaled softly and sat in the chair by the window for a moment, rubbing the side of her temple. Her thoughts flicked elsewhere back to Julian, Milo, Adrian.
They must be worried.
Julian especially, he had been breaking down from stress. Milo had cried himself to sleep on Adrian’s shoulder. Adrian, calm and silent, had held everything together.
Ruby closed her eyes briefly.
—To be continued...🪄