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Summary: Carmen is hospitalized and Ivy is there with her, never leaving her side.

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❥Ivy POV

Carmen Sandiego was the type of woman one never forgot. You're interaction with her could've lasted less than a split second, yet the lady in red would forever remain somewhere on your mind. She was always so confident, so sure of herself, and without a doubt the strongest person Ivy had ever known.

So when she saw Carmen in that hospital bed, beaten, bruised, and unconcious, her usually flawless brown skin sickly paled, her heart turned to lead. It dropped like a sledgehammer at the sight of their fearless leader, or, to Ivy, the woman she loved, and crushed her.

Carmen had close calls with death practically on the daily basis, but this....

This made it real. The danger, the lies, the loss. It had finally caught up to her.

Ivy's face was swollen with all the hot tears that were running down her freckled cheeks, dark brushes of gray settling under her eyes from all the sleepless nights she'd spent by Carmen's side. It had been two days and she still hadn't been able to stop crying, the reality of losing het too much to bear.

It felt like someone had pointed a gun at her heart and was repeatedly firing bullets, never ever running out because as long as her Carm was hurting, she was too.

"Please." She whispered aloud, reaching for the thief's hand. Her skin was cold, lifeless, the blood just barely pumping through her. Ivy began to rub her pale finger's along the Latina's own, trying to massage life back into them, back into her.

One of her tear drops trickled down the side of her face, landing with a small 'plop' on Carmen's arm, which was covering with bruises and cuts not only from her injuries but also from Ivy lines.

"Please wake up, Carm..."

A memory from not too long ago emerged in the redhead's mind.

They were in Havana, Cuba at a secret beach Carmen had found the other day. The sun was setting, painting the sky the most beautiful gradient of orange and pink and purple. Everything was washed in a golden glow

"It's beautiful" The Latina had remarked, turning to the golden orb at the horizon. The light warped around her body like a halo, a tiniest sparkle glimmering in her stormy gray eyes. It brushed the slope of her nose and the gentle curve of her lips, illuminating her like she was a goddess. Her mouth had quirked up ever so slightly with a smile, and the wind ruffled the lose strands of her hair.

Ivy had been speechless in that moment. It would've been the perfect time to confess, to own up to how she felt. And yet? She'd stayed silent like a coward.

Now Carmen might never know. Ivy gritted her teeth and clasped her hands together. She began to do something she hadn't done in the longest time.

Ivy closed her eyes and began to pray. She made a thousand promises, begging god, if he was up there, to save her love, to restore her to life. She promised so many things in exchange: her happiness, her health, her own life. Anything for Carmen. Her Carm.

She waited anxiously, staring at the woman for some kind of sign, and yet?

Nothing.

Ivy let out a scream of frustration. What the hell did she think was going to happen? That Carmen would magically sit up all well and safe? That she'd open her beautiful ocean eyes and smile that enrapturing smile of hers??

And then she heard it. It was the smallest of sounds and she almost missed it. Almost.

"I...Ivy...?"

Ivy's face emerged from behind her palms. There was Carmen, her eyes slowly struggling to open, her tongue licking at her dried lips. "

"C-Carm? Carm! Oh my god!" She screeched, throwing her arms around the woman as gently as possible. Water began to leak from her eyes again, staining Carmen's hospital gown as all the tension from the past few days began to release itself. Carmen was awake, she was alive, she-

A tiny chuckle escaped the thief's throat that quickly turned into a cough. "Hey..."

"You scared the hell out of me." Ivy sniffled , finally coming up to face the Latina.

Carmen smiled weakly, shakily lifting her free arm to wipe Ivy's tear. "It's my job to worry you, isn't it?" She joked, her voice harsh.

"God." Ivy whispered, pressing her hand to her own cheek. "Oh my god."

"Hey, hey look at me." Carmen whispered sweetly. "I'm fine, alright? You look like you haven't slept in days."

Ivy laughed with no humor, gently shaking her head. "Ive been in this hospital with you for two days straight."

"You were? God, Ivy. Y-you should go get some rest," Carmen said, concern flitting her features as if she wasn't the patient in this situation.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." Ivy whispered with a smile, giving the woman's hand a squeeze. "I'm not leaving you."

The thief laughed in response, closing her eyes and clasping the Bostonian's hand.

"Ivy...there's...there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while." Carmen started, running her thumb along the redhead's palm. "I've never met anyone as loyal, brave, and loving as you. No matter what, you've been there for me for the past two years."

Ivy nodded, feeling tears emerge from her eyes yet again.

"When I left VILE island, I was heartbroken. Everyone I had ever loved had turned on me. My family, my friends, my first love..."

"I-I felt so alone." Carmen paused, a hacking cough breaking through her lips. "But then I met you. You...Ivy....you held me when I was at my breaking point, and you cheered me on when I was on top. You were the one person standing between me and insanity."

"Carm." Ivy murmured in response, not quite believing what she was hearing. It was everything she had ever wanted to hear from Carmen, for the woman to tell her she meant something to her. Yet it didn't sound like a confession beginning a new chapter.

It sounded like a goodbye.

"You healed my broken heart and...and I want you to know that-that-.....Ivy?....I love you."

"Carmen, I-"

Suddenly, The heart monitor next to Carmen began beeping like crazy, the jagged line on the screen falling flat. "Carmen!" Ivy screamed. "Doctor! DOCTOR!! Something's wrong with her! HELP SOMEBODY!!"

A man with balding hair rushed in with a team of nurses who began to tamper with Carmen's machines.

Ivy's own heart eat became erratic and unreliable. "What's happening to her?? Tell me, PLEASE!! Carm?? CARMEN!!"

No one responded to her, pulling Carmen into the hallway and rushing her to the Emergency Room issuing orders in words Ivy couldn't understand.

They blocked her from following, taking Carmen to a room at the end of the hallway and disappearing. No longer being able to see her sent Ivy through the roof. She began to scream and cry, shrieking to be allowed to follow.

They shoved her out the doors and locked it,leaving Ivy to her hysterics.

"CARM!! CARM!! CARMEN!" She banged against the door, fighting her own tears. Minutes passed, turning into hours. Eventually her screams of protests turned to muffled sobs as she sank to the floor against the door, trying to process what the hell was happening, willing the doctor to reappear and tell her that everything was going to be fine.

...

"She wanted us to give these to you." The same doctor from earlier said in an accented English, passing four letters to Ivy each with a name on them.

Zack.

Player.

Shadowsan.

Ivy.

Ivy took the letters, numbness coursing through her system. Nothing in this world felt quite real, everything blending together in a dark blur.

"Thanks." She replied. "So when do I get to see Car-I mean Scarlet?"

The doctor blinked and took a deep breath. "Ma'am, I've told you twice already. Your friend did not make it. Her wounds were too severe: She had a severed spine, five broken ribs, and two broken legs and a shattered knee."

Ivy huffed. Why would this stupid man not let her see Carmen. "I know she's hurt, but that's exactly why she needs me! You have to let me go talk to her."

"Scarlet did not respond. She's dead." The doctor repeated, sympathy skirting across his features.

Ivy remained silent for two beats, her mind not quite processing his words. It was like he was speaking some foreign language, each syllable not recognized by her mind as he attempted to communicate.

"Your friend has passed away, Mrs.O'Leary," the doctor whispered.

"W-what do you mean?! I just saw her! Sh-she was just talking to me?!"

The man before her sighed, taking a deep breath as if to prepare himself. "Look, is there somebody we should call that you think might need to be here with you?"

"There's no one to call because she's not dead." Ivy's breathing began to shorten, each breathe beginning to quicken as she felt her lungs losing air. She tried, she tried so hard to gasp in oxygen but to no avail.

"Ma'am, there is grief counseling that can help you with how you're feeling. Would you like me to look into that?"

"Y-you don't understand! She said she loved me! She-she loves me! I have to-I have to be with her!"

"Miss..." The doctor sighed, placing a comforting hand on Ivy's shoulder.

"Please! I-I never even got to say it back!" Ivy screamed, tearing at her hair. "PLEASE, god dammit!! She's the love of my fucking life LET ME FUCKING SEE HER!"

"I'm truly sorry for your loss, Miss O'Leary." The doctor said curtly, turning to walk away.

"No, No, NO!" Ivy screamed. "no no no no No."

No...

Teara began to flood out of her eyes like a waterfall. It was more than crying, it was the desolate sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope. Ivy sank to her knees in the hospital lobby, not even aware of the strange looks she was getting. Her gasping wails echoed in the space, the pain flowing from her soul as palpable as the frigid cold air conditioner blaring beside her.

Ivy's shoulders shook with the weight of the reality of the situation. Carmen Sandiego, her beautiful, invincible Carm.....was dead.

And she hadn't even been allowed the chance to tell her just how much she loved her.