"Where did you find him?" questions after question and every single time Ruby would always say the same thing, nothing ever changed. "On his bedroom floor, is he gonna be okay? The doctors won't tell me anything unless I keep asking".

By some odd luck or maybe it was a big coincidence Otis and Eric were both seated inside the hospital, apparently his mother had given birth and was having a few complications afterward. "I could ask, my mom is technically an emergency contact so maybe if I mention that they'll give us an update".

The hospital doors opened and Maeve ran inside with a scared looking Andrew beside her. "Is he alright! I came as soon as Otis texted me, I managed to get Andrew before the police tried anything".

Otis stood up from his chair "they haven't told us yet, I'm gonna find a doctor and get an update" he walked off as Maeve sat down. Andrew wore his backpack as he sat down beside Ruby "I brought my gameboy, dad said it used to be his when he was little".

He clicked on the screen the game chiming loudly as it turned on "this thing will help us with our boredom, Joshua gave me one of his games to play". Ruby smiled as she waited patiently for Otis to return.

It had been ten minutes before Otis returned and the boy for the most part seemed fine. Aside from his constant bickering beneath his breath as he walked towards everyone. "Did they tell you anything?" The boy sat back down beside Eric as he nodded "they for the most part told me James is fine, they had to pump his system clean and give him fluids. But they said he's unresponsive, they think he could have brain damage. But they're waiting for the rest of the test results to determine if it's true or not. We can visit him in a few hours after they tell us".

Andrew kicked his feet slightly "is my dad going to die? I don't wanna live with my crazy aunt, she's the only other family I have that's around here". Maeve sighed "no of course not, your dad is gonna be alright and you can stay with me until he can go home. I'll get you that ice cream you like".

"With sprinkles?" Maeve smiled "yes with sprinkles" Andrew smiled as he looked back down at his gameboy. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, Ruby sighed deeply as she stood up and walked towards the restroom.

The inside of it reeked of cleaning chemicals, she set her purse down onto the sink as she grabbed her lip gloss. James would fight, she knew that much and yet part of her felt conflicted. He had promised he'd try to stay sober this time, and for a part he almost did. Until everything came crashing down and Ruby found him on his bedroom floor on the verge of death.

That look in his eyes, it was almost sickening to see so close, he was there and yet at the same time he wasn't. Ruby couldn't breathe, no amount of waiting or patience made her feel any better.

Everything was going to finally be perfect again and it was ruined by the flames of the world. The door creaked open and Ruby turned slightly, Maeve awkwardly looked at her "the doctor said we can see James, figured you'd wanna know". The girl left before Ruby could respond and the door creaked.

Ruby quickly walked out of the bathroom, she could see Otis and Eric both still sitting down in the waiting area. Otis looked miserable as he spoke with Eric, Ruby walked down the hallway towards James' room. For the most part the room looked nice aside from the lack of chairs. Maeve stood beside the bed while Andrew held onto her hand and looked at his father.

"Why are all those machines attached to him?" Maeve kneeled down towards Andrew's level "he's just resting and healing, those machines are helping. What do you say to a sleepover tonight? We can stay up late and watch that cartoon you like, no school tomorrow either, it's like a little adventure".

"Dad said adventures are our thing, the three musketeers, we can't do it with just two of us". The little boy looked distressed as he grabbed a hold of James' arm "dad, wake up so we can go home".

Ruby walked forward "look what if I fill in for James, just a temporary thing until he can go home with you. I mean it's not like I have anything else to do". The door creaked open and Maeve pushed Andrew behind her "you're not welcome here".

She sneered angrily as Andrew grabbed a hold of her arm nervously "you can't take him, James is his legal guardian now that he's eighteen". The woman scoffed weakly "I don't want that brat, like the court will ever deem me fit to raise a child. I just came to see if it was true, my baby brother did take after the family. We've all had our fair share of overdoses, it was bound to happen eventually for James. He's not the brightest of us bunch, takes after mum the most these days".

Jamie walked forward looking down at James "kinda disappointing, I thought for sure he'd turn out alright in the end of it all. He stood up to dad, he was different from the rest of the family, he was good. Despite his issues, he was good".

She sighed slightly as she reached into her bag and grabbed an envelope "just see to it he gets this if he wakes up, I'm getting out of town with my wife. Just wanted to stop by, to see him one last time". Maeve grabbed the envelope and looked at Jamie "what is it? Another half assed apology for leaving?".

"It's money, perhaps he can get that fresh start he's been dreaming of since he was little. Like I said, my family isn't the best and he's good. But I'm trying to be good too so I can be a good wife and maybe mother when I feel ready. Just give it to him, maybe he can move out of that trailer for once".

She walked out of the room and Maeve looked down at the envelope "best we keep this hidden so no one steals it". She put it into her bag before she turned and looked down at James, he looked so peaceful for nearly dying. His hair was messy and his flesh was pale but his chest still rose with each breath he took.

"They'll never let him out of this place, he'll have to go to rehab and be deemed stable before he can even do anything remotely normal again". She sighed "why did he do it? I thought he was better, he seemed so happy the last time I saw him".

"He was happy... I mean when I saw him last night at the school he was talking about getting back together, he told me he got rid of everything. I mean I cleaned his trailer and didn't find anything, so I don't understand where he could've hidden it. It was only an hour, that's all it took".

"You said you found him in his bedroom right? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?" Ruby shook her head but then after a moment she remembered.

"Well... the television was really loud and playing that one cartoon Andrew used to watch which made no sense since he was at Josh's. James couldn't stand the voices so he refused to watch it unless Andrew was home. Also the entire place was extremely dark, I nearly tripped just trying to get into the bedroom. James is not a fan of the dark, so that didn't really make any sense. I didn't really think it was odd at the time given he wasn't alright".

Maeve looked at James "the needle was in his arm when you found him?" Ruby nodded and then she frowned deeply when Maeve turned around quickly. "So let's just say hypothetically, he didn't have anything left, so that would mean after he drops Andrew off at his friend's house, he'd go to a dealer. There's only one person who deals around here, at least that sales to teenagers, and James only buys from them specifically, we could question them".

—

"What on earth are you wearing?" Ruby pushed her hair back slightly as she walked towards Maeve "if we're going to be investigating what happened with James it's only fair I wear my cute detective outfit". She pushed the glasses over her face as she smiled proudly and walked behind Maeve who chuckled under her breath as they approached someone's house.

"We're meant to be blending in, just let me do all the talking so this goes faster" Maeve knocked on the door and Ruby moved toward it. "Please if anyone can get answers out of someone, it's me. I'm Ruby Matthews for gods sake, people fear me".

The door swung open and the man looked annoyed. "I ain't selling" he went to close the door but Ruby pushed the door back with her hand. "I don't think so, you're gonna answer some of our questions" Maeve rolled her eyes as she glared at Ruby.

"What she meant to say is, can we talk. It's about James" the man moved back "nah man, I haven't seen that kid in months. He stopped buying once summer was over, claimed he was trying to better himself or some cheesy shit like that. He practically told me if he ever shows up here to beat the shit out of him".

Maeve pushed her way into the house "bullshit! You're the only person in town he buys from, that shit you gave him was laced or something. He overdosed last night and we want answers, so don't lie".

The man threw his hands up "ain't my business what he's got himself into, like I told you before I haven't seen him in months. I made a pact to never sell him anything ever again, and I keep my word. Especially since he gave me like fifty bucks for it".

Ruby looked around the man's living room, it reeked of weed and cigarettes making her sighed deeply as she grabbed her perfume from her purse.

Maeve grabbed her phone out of her pocket "okay then have you sold to anyone else in the last twenty four hours? Preferably this exact one". She showed a photo of the needle that was found in James arm, it was blurry slightly due to Ruby taking it while she cringed at the thought of it being used.

"Ah yeah! That crazy blonde bitch, I sold her that exact stash, made it brand new because she wanted it stronger or some shit. I told her she was crazy, anything higher than what I used would be deadly, but she insisted on it so I made her pay triple".

"Did she give you a name? Or anything that could help us find out who she could be" the man huffed "nah, I never use names with first time clients. James is practically like family to me, you telling me this crazy bitch gave him this shit! Had I known that, I would've made it less intense, that kid can barely even handle the normal amount I used to give him. All I know is the girl showed up early yesterday morning and she wanted it done within like three hours".

Ruby turned quickly "you said she was blonde right? Specifically blonde bitch? Did she have diamond earrings that are totally fake? Or a gold necklace that had like a bird on it, it might've been a bird".

"Now that you mention it, I did see a bird necklace. I think it was a pigeon or maybe a raven, I can't tell birds apart. They all look the same to me". Ruby gritted her teeth slightly "it was Daisy, James told me the other day she had threatened him! Oh I knew that bitch was crazy, it's the only perfect explanation for this entire thing! She tried to kill James".

Maeve looked down at her phone "we gotta get back to the hospital, Otis said it's urgent". Maeve ran outside quickly as she unlocked the car doors.

—

"What's happening! Is James alright?" Ruby and Maeve ran into the waiting area. Otis was standing beside Eric, both of the boys looking upset as they spoke with the doctor. Maeve felt like she was gonna throw up as she looked around "where's Andrew, you're meant to be watching him Otis".

Otis scratched at the back of his head "he was taken by the police. Apparently someone made a call and said Andrew was unfit to raise him, they're putting him into the system until further notice. I tried to stop them, I practically begged them not to but they didn't care. It was something we couldn't control. Unless James wakes up and can prove that he's capable of taking care of Andrew, then he'll never see him again. They wouldn't tell us who made the call when we asked they said we're not allowed to know".

Ruby sneered angrily "no need, it was that bitch Daisy. She's the one who did this to James, he told me she was threatening him, that she had something over him and he couldn't fight back. She drugged James on purpose so he would overdose and now she's gotten Andrew taken away, we need to tell the police".

"Even if we get actual proof and evidence of this, they'll never believe it. Knowing who her mother is, she'll likely get a good lawyer and if she's crazy enough to almost kill James, she'll do anything to not get caught so we have to be sure about this".

"Otis, I've never been more sure about anything in my life. Daisy can't just get away with this, we need to get Andrew back first, that's our main priority. If any of us see Daisy, act completely clueless because she can't know that we're onto her".

Maeve reached her hand forward "swear on it, James would do the same thing for any of us". Ruby put her hand in "only if I can wear my detective outfit". Otis was hesitant at first but he put his hand on top of the pile and then Eric followed after. "Operation save J-Man is a go! I've always wanted to say that".

They all smiled as they dramatically lowered their hands downwards before letting them all fly upward into an awkward silence.

"Let's take the bitch down!".

—
authors notes:
and just like that act three is complete! Proud of myself for actually making it this far in this story! Also knowing me I will likely start act four and complete this book soonish, I don't wanna rush so I'm aiming for at least next week to get it slowly completed, overall I really want to do better with completing books so I might just write for one book at a time until it's like almost completed. This is the only book I have inspiration for currently, hence why I'm updating it so often. I'm working on a few other stories and drafts but my main focus is this book. I've already started making graphics for my next book, it's been decided that the love interest is Maeve. Definitely gonna have fun with that one, still deciding what season I want to start it on. Tempted to do season four and have a little AU moment but idk yet. I really like the earlier seasons of the show but I also don't wanna write for the earlier seasons again since it took me so long to get this far into it. Anyways this is a long rant at this rate... so sorry! Anyways it's 6AM, I'm gonna sleep now! Byeeeeee!