BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
The heart rate monitor continued to beep every few seconds in a steady rhythm. Doctor Wilkins explained this was a good sign, that Toni's heart functioning correctly on its own. All of her tests had come back clear.
Thankfully, Betty had gotten Toni's message with not a second to spare. The blonde had immediately called FP, who rallied the deputy Serpents and the rest of the Riverdale Police Department, and the group had arrived just in time to save Toni's life.
Cheryl had not left her girlfriend's side since they allowed her into the room hours after they had arrived at the hospital. The redhead had immediately taken Toni's hand in her own and refused to let go, even as nurses filtered in and out of the room to check her girlfriend's vitals. Every so often she'd look up at the monitor or check for Toni's pulse just to make sure she was still alive.
"Hey."
She looked up to see her cousin standing at the doorway, a cup of coffee in each hand. "Hi, cousin."
"I thought you might need this," Betty said as she handed Cheryl the coffee. "It's a cherry mocha. I wasn't sure what you'd want so I just asked them to give me whatever cherry thing they had on the menu."
"It's perfect." Cheryl accepted the cup with her free hand. She took a sip and sighed, "Thank you... I really did need this."
The blonde nodded and turned her head towards the bed, "How is she?"
"Stable, thanks to you."
"I just made some calls, that's all."
"Still," the redhead gave a weak smile, "if it weren't for you I'd have lost her. Thank you."
Betty nodded and took a drink from her own cup. "FP got him you know? Edgar. He tried to drink some of that himself, but they brought enough cyanokit for pretty much the whole farm."
"He should have let him die."
"Maybe, but it's his job. The Sheriff can't really let people die."
Cheryl scoffed at the comment. While she had long forgiven FP for his role in Jason's death, she still had trouble wrapping her head around that the man who helped cover up her brother's murder was now supposedly the town's moral compass.
"He's in the hospital somewhere on a secured floor. The place is swarming with Serpents in case anyone tries to break him out. Even after everything some of those people are still loyal to him. Evelyn is in the psych ward. That's a whole thing... apparently she's his wife. We found a bunch of files during the raid, and-"
"I don't care!" Cheryl snapped, cutting off the blonde.
"Cheryl, I-"
"No offense, but each and every one of them can go to hell. I don't want to hear about Edgar or Evelyn or how your boyfriend's father saved the day. The only thing that matters to me right now is her. So please, wait to fill me in on all the twisted inner workings of the Evernevers' minds when Toni is awake to hear it as well."
"Sorry," Betty responded somberly. "Is there... is there anything you need? Anything I can do?"
"Unless you know how to wake her up, no there isn't."
Betty nodded. "So what have the doctors said?"
The redhead wiped away tears which had begun to fall during her outburst, "Her vitals are good. They've been checking every half an hour to make sure there's no change. They said you got her the treatment just in time... another minute or two later and... Apparently she's lucky. Can you believe that? They said she was lucky. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up. There's no way to tell... to tell if she suffered any long term damage until she wakes up. If she wakes up."
"Excuse me, is one of you Cheryl Blossom?"
The girls looked up to see one a uniformed officer waiting just inside the door.
"That would be me," Cheryl responded. She sniffled and used the sleeve of her shirt to dry her face. "Is there something you need, officer?"
"Good evening. I am Officer Gaines, and I'm here to escort you to your mandatory psych evaluation."
The redhead shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Every person who attended that meeting needs to go through the eval to determine if they need to be admitted for treatment. Sheriff's orders."
"I said I'm not going anywhere. I am not leaving her bedside until ma chérie has awoken," she persisted through clenched teeth. There was no way she would be taken away, not when Toni's life hung in the balance.
He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Look, if you don't comply I will need to take you into custody."
"I'd like to see you try," Cheryl challenged, clearly not phased by the officer's authority. "Please, by all means, attempt to pry me away. I dare you."
The man sighed and reached behind his belt to unhook his handcuffs, "Please do not make use these."
"Wait," Betty spoke up, her attention quickly alternating between the two. "You said these orders came from the sheriff?"
"Yes, now can you please convince your friend to come with me?"
"She's not leaving," the blonde reiterated. "Can't you see her girlfriend is in that bed? Call FP. He will straighten it out."
"I'm not bothering him over one kid. Let's go," he ordered as he took steps towards Cheryl.
Betty moved herself between the officer and her cousin, "Call him, or I will."
"Look, I don't have time for this. I'm under strict orders. She comes with me or gets arrested. No exceptions. Sorry, but I'm not about to let some random teenagers tell me how to do my job."
"Well my boyfriend happens Sheriff Jones's son. And that girl in the bed," Betty gestured to Toni, "your boss happens to love her like a daughter. So, maybe just this once you should make an exception."
Betty stared down the man. It was as if the blonde was playing a game of chicken in the middle of the urgent care center, waiting for the man to break first. It paid off when he scowled, shook his head, and pressed the button on the com device hooked to his uniform lapel.
"Hey, Sheriff? Gaines here. I have someone refusing their eval."
FP's voice came through the speaker, "I explained the orders perfectly clear, didn't I?"
He looked to the girls giving a knowing smirk and raised an eyebrow as if he had just proved something. "Yes, sir, but there's a blonde girl here insisting I call you. She's preventing me from taking the other into custody. Should I bring them both down to the station?"
"Who is it refusing to go for their psych evaluation?"
"Blossom," Gaines answered.
"Leave her, and move on to the next name on your list."
The officer's expresion changed instantly. Gone was his cocky glare, now replaced with confusion and hostility. "But, sir."
"That's an order, officer. She was excused, and if you had paid attention during the briefing you'd have known that already."
He lowered his hand from the receiver and glared. "Looks like you're off the hook."
"Guess it's a good thing you listened to some random teenagers then isn't it," Betty commented as she flashed a boastful smile.
Gains glowered before turning and exiting the room without muttering another word.
"Thank you for that, cousin," Cheryl said humbly as she looked up at the blonde.
Betty shrugged, "I knew FP wouldn't want you to worry about that right now. I didn't realize he cleared you completely, and I think we just got that guy fired."
Cheryl cracked a smile, "He should have paid attention in the briefing." The pair laughed slightly for a moment before the redhead sighed and returned to her reverent state. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. If it had been Jug..."
"I can't lose her, Betty," Cheryl agonized. "This is all my fault. She joined that stupid Farm for me. She shouldn't be here." Tears sprung from the redhead's eyes.
"If she hadn't been there, you'd have died, Cheryl," her cousin reminded her. "My mom may have died, Polly, your niece and nephew. Everyone could have died."
"She p-promised me, Betty," the redhead sobbed. "She p-promised she w-wouldn't leave. She promised I w-wasn't g-going to be al-alone again. Why? W-why did s-she lie? Sh-she p-promised!"
The blonde took a step closer and gently placed her hand on Cheryl's shoulder. She rubbed small circles with her thumb, unsure of how to proceed. "Can I...I mean, would you like a hug?"
Cheryl nodded as she wiped away the tears continuing to flow freely down her face.
Betty wrapped her arms around her cousin's shoulders and held her. "Toni is a hero," she reminded Cheryl. "I know you're mad at the world right now, but don't get mad at her for this. She didn't want to leave you; you know that."
"T-then why? Why d-did she do this?"
"She did it for you, Cheryl. Toni may have saved hundreds of people tonight, but she did it for you."
-
Cheryl barely got any sleep over the next few days, and when she did it was only because she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open any longer. She would slump over in the chair and pass out for a few hours before being awoken by one of the nurses coming in to check Toni's vitals.
Nearly all of their friends came by the hospital to check on the girls. The Vixens, the Pretty Poisons, and even the Serpents made appearances. Betty stopped by every morning with fresh coffee and breakfast from Pop's. Jughead had accompanied her on one visit, and while Cheryl still felt animosity towards him, she had to admit she appreciated the company. Josie texted multiple times for updates since she was currently with her dad, mid tour, and unable to return to Riverdale.
Veronica had went by Thistlehouse the morning after Toni had been admitted and packed a bag for Cheryl containing a few changes of clothes, her phone charger, and necessary toiletries as the redhead continued to be adminantly against leaving Toni's bedside. The only time she stepped away from the chair she had been basically living out of was when one of their friends was there to take her place. That way if Toni did wake up during the short time she was away she wouldn't be alone. Cheryl would quickly use the bathroom in Toni's room to shower and change before going back to her uncomfortable seat and returning her girlfriend's hand to her own.
"She'll be okay," Sweet Pea told her. "Tiny has always been a fighter."
Cheryl nodded, "She has to be. I don't know what I'll do if she's not."
Fangs looked on wordlessly from across the room, eyes fixated on the pink haired girl in the bed. He was leaning up against the air conditioning unit with Kevin by his side. The two were figuring out what their relationship meant without the Farm, but each boy was grateful for the other's presence while trying to cope with the ordeal. It remained to be seen if they'd make it work, but for now just being together was enough for them.
"I'm going to get some coffee," Kevin whispered to his boyfriend. "Want anything?"
Fangs shook his head, and a single tear escaped from his eye.
Kevin reached up and used his thumb to wipe away the fallen tear before leaning in and placing a kiss on the other boy's cheek in its place. "Be right back." He walked over to where the others sat, "Hey, I'm going to run down to the cafeteria. Can I get you anything, Cheryl?"
The redhead shook her head, "Thank you, Kev. I appreciate it."
"I'll go with you," Sweet Pea said as he stood up and pushed the chair he had been sitting in back against the wall.
"I think I'll go too. It's... I just can't..." Fangs trailed off, not able to find the words to say. He had been a mess since the ascension, and seeing Toni laying motionless in the bed was destroying him.
"Why don't you all go home?" Cheryl asked. "I appreciate you coming, truly, but I'll be okay. You can come back tomorrow. Maybe there will have been a change."
"Call if you need anything," Kevin instructed as he leaned down to embrace her.
"I will, thanks."
The two Serpents each gave her a hug before walking to the other side of Toni's bed.
Sweet Pea leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Toni's head, "Get back to us, Tiny. You aren't allowed to leave like this... not while... not while shit's all messed up between us. You fight, okay? Come home."
The shorter Serpent broke down completely and turned into his boyfriend's waiting embrace, who held him as he sobbed. Kevin gave Cheryl a weak smile over Fangs's shoulder before helping escort him out of the room.
"Call if there's a change? Please?" Sweet Pea asked.
Cheryl nodded in response, "Of course, and I'm sorry... about-"
"Nonissue," he cut her off. "Seriously, Red. I've had my ass kicked more times than I can count, and we've got more important things to worry about." He looked down at Toni again before tapping his hand on the guard rail twice. Taking a deep breath, Sweet Pea tried to compose himself before he started crying like his friend. "Right. I'll leave her in your hands then. Talk to you tomorrow."
The redhead watched as he exited the room to join Fangs and Kevin in the hall. Her attention drifted back to Toni the moment they were alone. She needed her girlfriend to come back. Every day that passed caused her fear that Toni may never wake up to grow. Cheryl felt truly lost without her.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry, Toni," she said, praying her girlfriend could hear her. "I need you. Come back to me."
-
Darkness. That's all she felt. Complete darkness. Toni remembered slipping away, falling really, from the light as she descended further and further into nothingness. She had known she was dying; she accepted her fate the second she drank from that cursed chalice. What she had not expected was to be so aware. Expecting everything to just stop, to instantly cease existing, it surprised her when her consciousness still seemed intact, processing every moment.
The last thing she could remember was Cheryl holding her close and begging her to fight.
"I love you s-so much. Y-you're the m-most import-important p-person in m-my life, Toni. D-don't go."
She couldn't hold on, the pull was too strong. It was as if she was being caught up in a riptide, the waters of the river Styx carrying her into the abyss.
And then... everything stopped.
She wasn't dead, but she couldn't find a way back to the light either. She was stuck in a void of nothingness, a limbo between this life and the next.
There was no way to how much time had passed. Did time exist where she was? Toni didn't know. She couldn't move. There was no way to go backwards or forwards. Everything was standing still, time was standing still. It wasn't peaceful, it was... unnerving.
"Come back to me."
Cheryl?
Hearing the voice jolted her attention. It felt so long since she heard anything but the sound of her own inner thoughts. She knew that voice. Toni had been trying to recreate the sound of it in her mind, and hearing it now overwhelmed her. If crying was possible where she was, she would have burst in tears.
"Please, baby. I need you."
I'm trying. I don't know how.
Toni thought she had to be imagining her girlfriend's voice. There is no way she could be there with her in the nothingness, but it sounded so real. She didn't even know if Cheryl was alive. There was no way to know if her sacrifice had worked. Edgar could have forced her to drink it, and Toni's act would have been for nothing. She needed to know if her girlfriend was okay. If she knew maybe then she could move on and find peace. Maybe that's what was keeping her trapped in the darkness, her unfinished business of not knowing if she saved her girl.
"Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Kevin came by today. Fangs is really torn up. He seems to be handling this as well as I am."
Sweet Pea wasn't at the Farm? Came by where? Cheryl where are you?
"I need you to wake up. I can't do this without you."
Wake up? She's alive. Cheryl's alive.
Relief flooded her. It had worked. Her girlfriend was alive. She saved her.
"Open your eyes, TT."
Open my eyes? Am I alive? I can't be.
She felt pressure that reverberated and echoed through her subconscious. It was like a sonic wave washing over her. Feeling... she felt it. She felt... something. Whatever it was it felt familiar. It felt warm... inviting... it felt like home.
What was that?
"Please, come back to me, ma moitié. I love you."
-
Cheryl's pressed another kiss to her Toni's forehead before pulling away and sitting back into her chair. She took a deep breath in hopes to compose herself. The redhead felt useless, and for some reason talking to Toni helped her feel like she was at least doing something.
A soft whimper came from the bed. It was so quiet, Cheryl thought she imagined it. Then a second, more louder, sound came from Toni's throat.
"Toni? Baby, can you hear me? I'm right here, mon amour." Tears pooled in the redhead's eyes. She wasn't sure if they were of relief or desperation.
"Ch..."
She completely stood from the chair and reached up to cradle Toni's face with the hand not entwined with her girlfriend's.
"Ch-ch..."
"That's it," Cheryl cried, the tears falling down her face. She felt a slight squeeze on the hand holding Toni's and gasped. She nodded frantically, "You're okay. Just wake up."
"Cher," Toni exhaled, her eyes still shut. "Ch-Cheryl."
"I'm right here, ma chérie," she smiled so wide her face hurt.
The pink haired girl's eyelids began to twitch before ultimately fluttering open. She blinked a few times as she adjusted to the harsh light of the hospital room before turning her head and finding her girlfriend's loving gaze.
"Is this heaven?" Toni asked. Her voice was hoarse and barely louder than a whisper. After not talking in days her throat felt dry, and it was hard to speak.
"Oh my god," the redhead began laughing, not able to properly process the intense emotions she was feeling. It was pure euphoria. All her worries instantly washed away. "No, baby. You're alive. You're okay."
Toni groggily shook her head, "Can't be."
Cheryl raised the hand on her girlfriend's face and stroked her hair, "You are, TT, and you can't scare me like that ever again."
"How?"
"Betty got your message," the redhead explained. "She called FP, and they got there in time."
"I'm alive?" Toni asked in disbelief. When she downed the cup she never anticipated surviving. "I'm really alive?"
Cheryl nodded enthusiastically as she leaned down to press her lips to her girlfriend's. Her lips gently, trying to pour as much love into the kiss as possible. She needed Toni to know how thankful she was to have her back and how she never wanted to be that close to losing her again. As she pulled back after breaking contact, she sighed happily, "I love you."
"Mm, love you too."
"I need to page the doctor," the taller girl said as she reached over Toni's body to grab the bedside remote. She hit the call button for the nurses station, and a red light turned on behind the bed.
"Hello?" called a voice through the receiver.
"She's awake," Cheryl answered happily. "Can someone call Doctor Wilkins?"
"I will call him, and the on call nurse will be right in." The connection closed with a blip of static, and the light turned off. A moment later a team of nurses came in and immediately swarmed Toni's bed. Cheryl was forced to take a step back and release Toni's hand as the staff collected updated information for her chart.
Her doctor arrived a short time later and ordered additional tests, which thankfully all came back clear. He thought it best to keep her for observation for an additional 48 hours, but if no new symptoms arose she would be cleared to go home.
While the medical professionals had been fretting over her girlfriend, Cheryl used the time to text their friends to let everyone know Toni had woken up. She was met with a wave of relieved responses and promises to stop by the next day to see her. Everyone seemed to understand the two needed time alone before being bombarded with visitors.
Only one person stopped by that evening after hearing the news, and if his visited could have waited until the following day he would have. FP arrived shortly after Toni returned from her prescribed scans. He explained he needed her statement for his report and apologized multiple times for forcing her to relive what happened. Toni didn't mind. If what she had to say helped put the Evernevers behind bars for the rest of their lives, she was more than happy to assist.
He filled the girls in on everything that happened, Toni listening attentively to every word. After a short-lived foot pursuit, Edgar had been apprehended by FP. The cult leader had tried to take the easy way out, having downed his own cup of cyanide laced Fresh-Aid just as the sheriff burst into the room. An antidote was administered, and he currently resided a few floors above them, handcuffed to his hospital bed. Having received his treatment so soon after ingesting the poison, Edgar had woken up days earlier.
FP had been the one to question him once he woke up, and Edgar had begrudgingly explained the Farm had been a twenty year long game of Gryphons & Gargoyles. He had been dealt the "Cult Leader" card in high school and devoted his life to accomplishing his mission in order to ascend. To win he had to persuade a mass following to complete a united ascension. He had been so close to his goal after two decades of work. If it hadn't been for Toni, he would have succeeded.
Evelyn was currently in the hospital's psych ward. Through fingerprint records they learned her real name was Taylor Reyes. She had been seduced by Edgar during her sophomore year of high school, while he was over ten years her senior. The two had wed right after her 18th birthday. For the last ten years she had been recruiting for him to build the Farm's ranks. She had been diagnosed with a form of Stockholm Syndrome, as she still claimed undying love and devotion to him. Her parents were with her now. They had been shocked to learn their daughter was alive, having believed she died once the five year anniversary of her disappearance had passed.
The men who had restrained Fangs and Kevin, along with the rest of the men in white who had passed out the cups of poisoned Fresh-Aid, were members of Edgar's inner circle, whose primary allegiance was to the Gargoyle King. FP's team managed to bring them all into custody, and each of them were currently sitting in lockup at the precinct, along with any other Farmies who attempted to aid Edgar during the raid.
All of the other members of the Farm, with the exception of Cheryl and Toni, had been required to go through a mandatory psych evaluation to determine if they were fit to return home or be admitted to the hospital under suicide watch. Many of the members no longer had no homes to go to and ended up seeking refuge with friends.
FP stood from his chair in an effort to leave after his detailed explanation of the previous days' happenings. He grabbed his hat and returned to his head, said his goodbyes, and took a step towards the door.
"Wait," Toni called after him, not wanting him to leave without expressing her gratitude. "Thank you, ya know, for saving my life."
He turned and gave her a tight lipped smile, "You know how much you mean to me, Toni. You may not be a Serpent anymore, but you'll always be family. I'm just glad I managed to get there in time."
Once they were finally alone, Toni turned to her girlfriend. "How are you doing, Cher?" Her voice was still softer than normal, but she was sounding far more like herself than she did when she had first awoken.
"Of course you'd worry how I'm feeling when you are the one who was poisoned," Cheryl quipped.
"Babe, I'm serious." The shorter girl sighed, knowing this would be a difficult thing for her girlfriend to talk about, "How are you feeling about... um..."
"About my brother being dead?"
Toni swallowed and nodded, "Yeah. I know you thought you had him back. You had to go through losing him all over again."
Cheryl pressed her lips into a thin line as her eyes began to water. "I did, but it didn't hurt as much as thinking I lost you. I mourned my brother already, and I would give just about anything to have him back. I should have never been willing to give you up though. Watching you... thinking you were dying... that was the hardest thing I've ever had to go though. I thought a ghost was more important than you, and I'll regret that for the rest of my life."
"You didn't think he was ghost, Cher," Toni reminds her. "You really thought he was back. I understand what you did, even if it hurt. If I had the chance to bring my parents back I'd probably make some stupid decisions too." She reached up to cradle the redhead's face in her hand.
"Even if it meant giving me up?"
"I could never give you up," she replied.
"I'm so ashamed, TT," Cheryl exhaled. "I tried to give you up, and you still wanted to be with me. I don't deserve you... I never did."
"Babe," Toni dropped her hand and took Cheryl's in her own, squeezing it as she did. "I love you. There aren't words to explain how much I love you. Maybe there are; I don't know. My vocabulary isn't as big as yours. I almost died because I couldn't imagine living in a world without you in it. You're it for me, Cher. Don't ever say you don't deserve me. If anything, I don't deserve you. I would do literally anything for you, even drink poison apparently."
"Don't joke about that," the redhead scolded. "Never joke about that. I thought I lost you."
"You're saying I can't ever bring up the most selfless thing I've ever done? That hardly seems fair," Toni smirked.
"I'm not going to be okay with that for quite a while."
"How long?"
Cheryl raised an eyebrow, "How long until I'm okay with you casually joking about almost dying?"
"Yeah, how long?"
"I don't know? Ten years," the redhead answered.
Toni smiled, "So what I'm hearing is you want to keep me around for at least ten years?"
"Oh... um.." suddenly Cheryl found herself not able to speak. "I mean... If y-you don't-"
"Babe, as cute as you are right now, let me stop you okay? I would love to be around for ten years, or twenty or thirty. I just said you were it for me. I meant that," she smiled and bit down on her lower lip momentarily before continuing. "Sorta just got a second chance at living, and I don't want to waste it."
"Great, now I'm crying again," the redhead laughed as she dried her face. "This was supposed to stop now that you're alright."
"As long as they are good tears," Toni reached up and rubbed Cheryl's cheek with her thumb. "I love you, Cheryl."
"I love you too, ma moitié," she the taller girl replied.
Toni squinted, "Have you called me that before? It sounds familiar."
"You heard me? I said that while you were still comatose, right before you woke up."
"That wasn't a dream?"
The redhead looked at her inquisitively, "What wasn't?"
"I heard your voice. You were asking me to come back to you. Was that real?"
Cheryl gasped.
"I'm guessing it was real then?"
All Cheryl could do was nod as she felt moisture once again returned to her eyes.
"You helped me find my way back, Cher. You helped me get back to you," the pink haired girl explained. Toni scooted closer to the side of the bed, leaving room for Cheryl, "Get up here."
"I don't think the hospital allows two people in those," the redhead commented.
The pink haired girl patted the empty spot next to her, "Don't care. I almost died, and I want to cuddle my girlfriend. They can just deal."
Cheryl rolled her eyes and smiled before crawling into the bed next to Toni. She rested her head just under her girlfriend's shoulder as Toni's arms enveloped her.
"Mm, this is nice."
"And I don't think I've said this yet, but thank you for saving me, TT. Thank you for saving everyone."
Toni leaned down and kissed her girlfriend's brow, "I'd do anything for you."