The Path (Male Reader)

A Shoulder To Rest On

Bitter Words Exchanged

A Fire Set On The House

Regret Lives With You

You gently rubbed your shoulder while your eyes remained locked on the floor. A week later, and you were still in pain. It was sometimes a sore kind of feeling, but other times it was sharp. Like the dog was attacking you all over again.

You sat on your bed, a newspaper sitting beside you. The headline was of Robin's attack. The local authorities had tracked down the dog and handled the situation. And while that was nice and all, Robin was still in the hospital.

She had lost a lot of blood. And while you got away with just sitches, she had deep injuries. She needed to rest and the doctors wanted to keep an eye on her condition to make sure she was alright.

You had seen some of the girls since then, but it seemed like they were trying to keep their minds occupied rather than process the events that had occurred.

Rose had put up a front that she wasn't as bothered by the situation as she really was. Ginger avoided going out during night and instead stayed inside most of the time. Ruby had been MIA since you saw her at the hospital. Carmen had mostly taken up Scarlet's duty as the motherly figure by handling the cooking and chores.

As for Scarlet herself....

You sighed.

She had been at the hospital everyday. You actually didn't even know if she had ever went home since she first got there. That was why you were dressed now. You were going to pay the youngest Red a visit, just to see how she was doing.

But first, you needed to make a stop to the apartment next door.

You waited in the hall until the door opened, revealing a tired looking Carmen. She smiled at the sight of you, but you could tell she wasn't in the mood for a visit.

Carmen: Hey, handsome. How's the shoulder?

You shrugged with your good shoulder.

Y/N: Getting better.

Carmen nodded, unable to find a worded response.

Y/N: How are you holding up?

Carmen: Wish I could say it was getting better. I have no idea how Scarlet does this. It's like, no matter how much I clean it's not enough. There's no end to it.

You smiled slightly.

Y/N: Actually, speaking of Scarlet, I'm heading over to the hospital.

Carmen: Really? Well, shit. Maybe you could do me a favor?

You nodded. Carmen stepped into the apartment and grabbed a bag before returning to you.

Carmen: I'm planning on going later, but since you're leaving now, you think you could give this to Scarlet? It's some fresh clothes.

You took the bag and swung it over your good shoulder.

Y/N: Consider it done. You girls need anything else?