Purgatentiary: Epilogue 2

Life, Trauma/ Loss

Following the events of the prison takeover, Rue takes it upon themself to inform Jocelyn Green about the fate of her daughter.

For the second time in 24 hours, Rue finds themself at the entrance to Bathala City General Hospital. The storms have dissipated, but the cold is still lingering. Rue knows that their shivers are not coming from the weather.   They hug the lab coat a little closer to their chest, their heart pounding in their ears as they step through the automated doors. A somewhat frantic receptionist points Rue in the right direction after they show their hero credentials, and they weave their way through the maze-like hallways, avoiding the bustle of doctors and nurses and patients alike. They briefly scan each room in search of Jocelyn Green, dreading the upcoming conversation.   The hospital is naturally struggling with the demands of the blackout and the influx of injuries and accidents throughout the city. Doctors and nurses are in plentiful supply here, a notion that would usually make Rue shudder, but not this time. They had a dreadful task to complete, and they would do it no matter the discomfort.   It didn't take long to track down the Green family matriarch. While they'd only met a couple of times, the scent of the family home and its residents was starting to become quite familiar to Rue. Enough at least that they could pick her out among the sea of bodies in the A&E department.   When Rue arrives, Jocelyn is wrapping a sterile bandage around a woman with shallow cuts all over her arms and face. The two are talking pleasantly, with the older nurse distracting her patient with a story about a burned casserole from back in the day and how she and the family had been forced to choke it down for lack of anything else.   Rue waits patiently for Jocelyn to finish the treatment, keeping a respectful distance. Their skin is clammy and about the same shade as the lab coat clutched in their hands, the hospital air suffocating. Their throat is dry when the nurse finally looks up and locks eyes with them.   “Mrs. Green…” They say softly, cursing themself for the tremor in their voice. “Is there somewhere we could talk?”   "Oh, Rue, hello there. Is it urgent? Are you hurt? We are pretty swamped here at the moment" Jocelyn says as she strips her gloves off, ready to move to the next patient.   ''It's about Har-'' Rue pauses, their expression guilt-ridden. This is, by far, one of the worst situations they've ever found themself in, they think. ''It's about Allyson.''   Jocelyn straightens up at the mention of her child. She turns and takes in Rue, her eyes coming to rest on the patchwork lab coat clutched tightly between their hands. A darkness passes over her face.   "What happened?" Her voice deep and accusing.   Jocelyn's reaction feels like a punch to the gut, their heart aching with sorrow.   ''Can we talk somewhere in private?'' They ask again softly, trying hard to remain calm.   Jocelyn stands firmly in place. Her face possessing a steely resolve that Rue was not accustomed to see on her, "What did you do to my daughter?" The venom in her words stings Rue's ears as they are brought to trial in front of the makeshift courtroom.   Rue clenches their jaw, taking a beat to compose themself. It feels as though there's an invisible force pressing down on them, the tension in the room palpable.   ''There was an incident at Century HQ...'' They start, each word coming out calm and calculated as they suppress their own emotions. Their own feelings don't matter, not in front of Harmony's family.   ''Zaebos, the demon who was contained there, had corrupted both agents and villains... It offered her a deal: it would release its corruption over everyone in exchange for a new host body..." They omit the fact that Harmony did this for her family, not wanting to add any guilt to the mother's grief.   Rue swallows thickly, their skin prickling with anxiety. Despite their fears, they lock eyes with Jocelyn, owing it to her to tell her directly, ''I failed to stop her from taking it.''   Jocelyn finally looks up from the coat, meeting Rue's gaze. Her face covered in a look that can only be described as pure hatred. She closes the gap between them and snatches the coat from Rue's grasp with unexpected speed and force. Sand and ball bearings spill from the pockets and hit the floor.   "You should have tried harder."   Rue nods solemnly, their arms dropping to their side, ''You're right.'' They say, crouching down to pick up the ball bearings and placing them on a side table, ''I promise I will not stop until we get her back.''   Jocelyn glares at Rue for a few moments. Her face softens in a way only a mothers can. She closes the gap again and attempts to draw Rue into her embrace.   Rue freezes in place, their eyes widening as Jocelyn wraps her arms around them. Anxiety flares up within them, and they fight every instinct to pull away, their head spinning as they stand there, overwhelmed.   They feel sick to their stomach, their heart racing as every fibre of their being wants to run, but they remind themself once more that their emotions and discomfort don't matter, not right now. They lift a shaky hand up to the nurse's back, placing it there gingerly.   ''I'm so sorry...'' Rue utters sadly, their voice cracking a little.   Recognising Rue's discomfort Jocelyn retracts her embrace. The steel has returned to her face but this time in a much softer way, "Don't you dare apologise to me. It's me that should be begging forgiveness from you, this is not your fault. Come with me"   Jocelyn pushes her way through the crowds and makes her way down the corridors to a door marked 'hospital staff only' and swipes her ID. She points at a chair in the empty staffroom, "Sit." she says with authority.   Rue does as they’re told, following Jocelyn into the staffroom and sitting down in the chair. There are faint tremors running through their body, their eyes downcast as they try to push their feelings down once more.   Jocelyn crouches down in front of the chair, "Don't do that, it never helped anyone. She was your friend, you have every right."   Rue takes a deep breath, not quite meeting Jocelyn's gaze, ''I should've done better.'' They mutter bitterly.   "No, you said she made a choice. I've known her a lot longer than you have and there is nothing that will stop that girl once she gets going." She gives a half hearted smile to herself, "Okay I'm going to make myself a coffee while you tell me the full story, would you like one? We have tea and hot chocolate if you'd prefer?"   ''No, thank you.'' Rue says, the mere thought of eating or drinking anything making their stomach churn. They continue to take deep breaths, reminded with a pang of sadness of the panic attack that Harmony talked them through at Blackmoore. They nervously pick at the hem of their parka, finding a loose thread and tugging at it.   ''Where are Jacob and Millie right now?'' They ask, their real question remaining unspoken: what will you tell them?   "They are at home. My neighbour is keeping and eye on them," She turns her head from the kitchen station to look at Rue, "They're safe."   ''Good...'' Rue mutters, watching as the thread unravels further, for the first time noticing the slight bruising of their knuckles, no doubt from when they decided to throw a punch at Warp, ''I'm glad they're safe.''   There's a pregnant pause between the two, the kettle boiling in the background as Rue mulls over the events again and again, wondering how they should have acted differently, how they could've stopped this from happening.   Jocelyn walks over with a cup and drops into the chair opposite Rue, "Okay, tell me what happened."   Rue starts to relay most of the events, starting with the blackout, the call from Zaebos to Warp's phone, challenging them directly. They tell her about the situation at the holding facility, leaving out whatever they deem unimportant to Harmony's narrative so as to not further upset the mother.   ''I thought it was a good idea for Harmony to wear that cloak,'' They say guiltily, their leg bouncing with nervous energy, ''It made it harder for her to get hurt... But I guess it also meant we couldn't hold her back. I-'' Rue looks at their hands, remembering how they fired their powers at the redhead in a desperate attempt to stop her from stepping through, ''I couldn't reach her.''   Jocelyn listens intently to the tale without interrupting. Once Rue finishes recounting the tale she sets her cup down, "It sounds like you did everything you could to protect her. She made her choice. But..." Jocelyn pauses for just long enough to make Rue look up at her, "I feel like you still aren't telling me everything. What made her go through the barrier?"   Rue squirms a little under her gaze, feeling their cheeks flush, ''Zaebos... Sweetened the deal for each of us,'' They start hesitantly, ''For Harmony, it meant Zaebos would free the people there from its corruption as well as rid her family of the demonic taint.''   Jocelyn closes her eyes and leans back into the chair. She remains motionless for a few seconds that stretch into eternity, "Thank you. For everything, Rue." Her eyes remain closed, her face motionless but her body language obvious. Defeat.   “I won’t give up,” Rue mutters into the tense silence that follows, “I promise I’ll find a way to bring her back.”   They start getting up, wanting to give Jocelyn some privacy to process the devastating news. They pause at the door, their hand hovering above the door knob. Instead of opening it, they pull a small notebook and pen out of their coat pocket.   “She wanted me to make sure you were safe,” They say, scribbling their number on one of the pages and ripping it out, gently sliding it across the table, “So please, let me know if I can help with anything. Anything at all: school runs, chores. I want to help.”   "Thank you Rue." For the first time she speaks with a shake in her voice, "I do have one thing to ask if that's okay?"   “Of course,” Rue nods sympathetically. “Name it.”   "Don't let anyone join her, and don't you dare take her place" Jocelyn opens her eyes and delivers the line with a stare that could have halted the devil herself.   Rue gives Jocelyn a sad smile, “I promise I won’t.”   They politely say their goodbyes to her, carefully closing the door behind them as they walk back through the hospital’s hallways, their heart aching for the Green family as they head up the stairs in the direction of room 326, their work here not quite done yet.   As Rue closes the door and begins the walk through the hospital, her superior hearing lays yet another straw on the camel's back.   A long exhale.   An even longer pause.   The gentle sobbing of a mother quietly muffled only by the fabric of a patchwork lab coat.