:)

It might be too late to regret not trusting Scar and Grian.

It's been two weeks. Any progress is minimal. Sausage and Joel are both dead. Skizz escaped. Tango's let out the hospital with a cast on while Scar and Grian remain there, unconscious, and in varying levels of close to dead every day.

And I can't help but think it's my fault.

'Impulse?'

I look up as Gem enters my room.

'Hey.'

'It's going to be ok... According to Stress, they've found a permanent solution to the internal bleeding... They're making progress.'

'Did I do the wrong thing?'

'You were stressed. All you had was half the story.'

'I could've listened to Jimmy sooner... I could've made a fairer decision...'

'Impulse, you did what you thought was right.'

'Was it the right thing though? Would we be in a better place here if I'd done something different. Maybe Scar wouldn't have felt the need to prove himself and he'd be... Alive.'

'Scar's still alive.'

'And if I'd realised how untrustworthy HE was...' We both know who I'm talking about.

Gem puts a hand on my shoulder.

'No one expected him to betray us. And no one thought he'd do it by... Sacrificing Skizz.'

'He tried to kill me. He would've killed me.' I can't fight the tears, sobbing. 'All because... All because I let the two of them go off on their own without guards.'

'Impulse this isn't your fault. None of this is your fault. You're stressed, and scared... You've done so much for so many people. You're juggling a million responsibilities...'

'I messed up big time.'

'Everyone messes up.'

'Not this much!' I stand, then notice Stress in the doorway, expression unreadable.

'What's going on? How are they?'

'They're going to survive.'

'How do you know?'

A pause.

'We received anonymous aid... Weird potions that claimed to work better than our own. We decided they were safe, tried them and...'

'They're getting better?'

'It's like magic.'

I laugh with relief, sinking back into my seat.

'They're going to be ok... I can apologize.'

'Tell us when they wake up.' Gem requests. Stress nods.

'Of course, love. I don't think it'll be long, just a couple of days.'

Stress's prediction of a couple of days turns out to be miraculously overestimated. It's early the next morning, just as I'm waking up, that she bursts into the room and declares.

'Grian's awake.'

I don't even grab a gown or slippers, scrambling from the bed, trying to keep some kind of dignity as I run out of the room, remember where the medical ward is, and sprint over.

'Impulse?' Jimmy frowns, exhausted from night duty. I let him out of prison the first moment I could with a million apologies, returning him his position and whatever else he wanted.

'Grian's awake.' I explain. His eyes widen.

'He's- can I see him?'

'Yeah, yeah. Of course.'

We all make our way over. And then I pause, just outside the door.

'Impulse?'

'Can... someone else speak first... Go in before me... Apologise in my behalf before...'

'You've done enough hiding.' I turn, surprised, to see Gem, holding with her Scar's box of stuff. We got the key when Scar saved me. I never opened it. 'Come on. Go inside first and give this to Grian.'

'But...'

'Impulse. Go in there and set an example.'

I take a deep breath, and enter the room.

Grian's there, sitting up on one of the beds. At first he seems disoriented, and then he glares at me.

'What do you want?'

'To apologise.'

I walk to the side of his bed, ignoring where Scar is lying next to him, and hand over the box and key.

'I made a mistake. I made a lot of mistakes. I'm so sorry for what I did... I didn't... I was stressed, and I know that's no excuse for how I acted, and what I chose to ignore... But I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You and Scar were right.'

I look up at him. Grian's eyes are narrowed, but I think some of his anger has subsided.

'You took the key.'

'We didn't look through it. I didn't even touch it. It wasn't right. What Tango did wasn't right. At all. He's to blame and I was too short sighted to see that.'

'Alright, that's enough apologising.' I jump as the door opens and Jimmy strides in. I let him take my place next to Grian.

'Timmy?'

'Impulse let me out. I mean... I had a child to look after...'

'A child?' A pause. Jimmy looks at the ground.

'Joel and Sausage are both dead. Me and Lizzie took over as Hermes' parents. And Scott.'

He doesn't speak, blinking tears.

'And Scar?'

'Alive.' Grian closes his eyes, relief filling him. 'He's getting better each day.'

'Can I see him?' I step away as the attention stays off me. Gem enters, taking my hand as she stands next to me.

'I told you it'd be ok.'

'He still hates me.'

'And he has every right to... Come on. Let's leave the two of them to talk. You need to eat something before the queues get too big.'

She leads me out the medical ward and into the central area. The distant clang of Scott waking everyone up reaches me and I give a small laugh.

Another shout, from the entrance, suddenly gets my attention. Ignoring Gem's insistence to let it go, I run over. Another yell to 'keep your hands where I can see them!' instantly lets me know what's happening.

'They caught a spy.'

'Or Skizz.' I stop suddenly at the suggestion.

'Why would he come from the entrance?'

A shrug.

'I don't know... Who is it?' Gem calls to a guard that's just appeared. 'What's going on?'

'We caught the traitor.' Comes the reply. I ignore my immediate thought of Scar or Grian, and go for the more obvious answer.

The traitor who gave Skizz to Ren.

'Bring him in. And don't let him get away.' I demand. The guard nods, and calls the command to others on the surface. A moment later, the traitor appears, as calm as always. He's bleeding, expression sheepish.

'Hello, Etho.'

:)