A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for the lovely reviews on my other story! Hope you like this one.
It had to be one of the most awkward dinners Zuko had ever had.
There was a ridiculous number of pillows supporting his back as he was half sitting on his bed, and another one in his lap, right under the sling his left arm was in. A tray with fried chicken and rice sat on his right, where Zuko's mother, Ursa, was sitting on a wooden bench as close as she could from the boy's bedside.
Azula had been sitting on his left, in a similar bench before she stormed out of the room.
First of all, having dinner together wasn't exactly a habit of Zuko's family.
'Your brother is going to be fine, by the way.' Ursa stated, unable to hide the twinge of bitterness in her voice, as Azula dropped her bag on the kitchen counter before heading to her room.
'Maybe he was lucky this time.' The girl told no one in particular, almost mockingly, from inside the room. Ursa sighed and prepared another icepack for her son, wondering what could have gone so wrong for her kids to get along so terribly.
Secondly, even if they were having dinner together, it would be anywhere - the kitchen, the living room, even in the bathroom - except Zuko's room.
'I'm going out.' Azula announced as she walked towards the front door of the small appartment. She was wearing a red fur jacket and denim jeans, a pink hanbag in her hand, and had straightened her hair, letting in fall down to her back.
Ursa tossed the frying pan aside and rushed to the door.
'You are not going anywhere Azula.' She faced her with a stern look. She had bags under her eyes, her long brown hair was pinned in a messy bun and her apron had some fresh stains in it. Usually, she didn't have to fix dinner. Today had been different, and Azula could even see a small burn in the inside of her wrist, most likely from the boiling water for the rice she had been cooking.
Ursa looked like she was under a lot of stress. Not that it wasn't common - it was. A nurse has to be able to work for many hours straight, deal with the pressure of having lives in her hands and handle it well enough to stay sane. And it was normal for Azula and Zuko to see their mother home at nine (when she didn't work an extra shift), tired and cranky.
This time, however, Azula could understand the the stress her mother was under was a whole new kind if stress.
She didn't want to think about it though. That was why she needed to go out.
'See you later, Mom.' She was about to close the door, but her mother grabbed her wrist before she could do so.
'You are having dinner here, young lady. With us.' Ursa's voice was strained but fierce as she looked her daughter in the eyes. Azula was ready to protest, before her mother gave her a stern look. 'That's final.' She didn't know why, but she got inside, closed the door and threw her pink handbag fall to the coffee table in the living room.
Ursa was always in control. Always.
Although quiet most of the time, she did her best so that her beautiful soft smile was always in her face. As a mother, she was sweet and caring most of the time, but had no problem using a harsher tone when she had to. But neither Zuko or Azula could remember her raising her voice, even when they were little.
'Sure. I'm on my way, I'll be there as soon as I can.' She hung up the phone, took a deep breath and collected herself. She took her scarf, her umbrella and car keys and took the elevator to the parking lot floor. Once she got to her car, she threw her things to the backseat and drove as fast as she could under the speed limit to the local clinic.
The school principal was near the main entrance. 'How is he? Is he okay?' Ursa combed so,e strands of her soaked hair out of her face, trying to look more presentable. The green umbrella had been left forgotten in the backseat of her car. The principal was a woman in her mid forties, with short black hair tied in a ponytail and round, warm features.
'Follow me.' The woman gestured with her hand to a corridor on the left, and Ursa obeyed. 'Zuko is fine.' She finally said. 'I've talked to the nurse, and they are taking X-rays of him right now. He should be released in a couple of hours.'
'Thank you for staying here with him.' Ursa said. 'But I am sure you have other obligations and things to do. You don't need to stay here, Mrs. Kuree.' The principle nodded.
'I wish Zuko a fast recovery.' She was starting to walk away, but Ursa's voice made Mrs. Kuree turn around again.
'Sorry, Mrs. Kuree... Do you know how this happened?' The woman shook her head.
'I suggest you ask Zuko the details when possible, as I haven't had the opportunity of doing so.' Her steps could be heard echoing through the floor as she walked towards the exit, leaving Ursa in the waiting room.
This was a different day, after all. And Ursa was not in control.
She had made herself some chamomile tea to calm herself down after tucking Zuko in his bed. Her head was buried in her hands as she tried not to think about all the possible scenarios that could have happened.
Because today, Ursa could have lost her son.
Her boy was shirtless as he sat on the hospital bed, his dark red hoodie on a chair next to it, which now had its left sleeve ripped and torn, and various dirt and blood stains in the chest area. Zuko looked down, biting his lower lip in pain, as one of the nurses bandaged his torso, and the other started to prepare his wrist to be casted.
Ursa came closer, and her son eventually notice her presence, acknowledging it with a tired smile. She held his hand as he grimaced in pain when the nurse tightened the bandages around his chest.
'Oh sweetie...' She ran her fingers trough his cheek in a comforting way.
Half an hour later, Zuko had his left arm encased in a cast to his elbow and in a sling. The doctor came in and showed Ursa the X-rays.
'Zuko has a bad break in his scaphoid and radius bone, and also a hairline fracture in his ulna.' He explained. 'We'll keep the cast on for two months minimum and we'll see how it recovers from there.' The man moved on to the other X-ray, which showed Zuko's ribcage. 'He has two cracked ribs and a broken one, and his whole back is bruised all over. I suggest lots of ice and bed rest for the rest few days, also sleeping with his wrist elevated.'
After Ursa signed the release forms, she kept an attentive eye on Zuko as the walked towards the parking lot. He was walking with his head down, his cheeks flushed in spite of the cold, and it was pretty obvious he was more in pain than he intended to show.
Luckily, it only started raining when they were inside the car, and Ursa felt her heart ache as she searched for a way to hug her son without hurting him any more.
'Azula, please bring these to Zuko. Make sure he takes two.' Ursa pointed to a glass of water and two tablets with one hand, while she stirred the boiling water with the other.
'Why does it have to be me?' Azula crossed her arms agains her chest. She had given up on her fancy outfit to go out and was now wearing grey sweatpants and an oversized black t-shirt. Ursa thought she had given up too easily.
'I'm a little busy here, as you can see.' She nodded towards the steaming pan.
'You can go and I'll stay here doing that.'
Ursa stopped for a quick moment to look her daughter in the face, and she found a look of determination. 'No, I want you to go. I really think you should.'
Azula didn't say a word, but grabbed the tablets and the water anyway.
It was seven in the afternoon in the middle of the winter, and it was pouring rain outside. Zuko's room had one of the windows partially open, and the water was wetting the laundry basket beneath it.
The room was lit by the lamp on Zuko's bedside table. Azula stayed still by the door for a while, studying the lump under the covers.
'Here is your pain killing stuff.' She announced, loud enough for Zuko to move a bit and moan in pain. 'Mom said to take two.' The girl waked hesitant steps to his brother's bedside, always keeping a certain distance, and placed the glass of water on the bedside table, next to the lamp, along with the pills.
Zuko groaned as he tried to sit up, his unbroken hand holding his ribs tightly. The broken hand was the closest to his bedside table so he had to twist his whole torso if he wanted to reach his pills with his functioning hand. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option - he liked to think he had a high pain threshold, but he was exhausted.
'Could you...?' His voice came out huskier than normal. Azula seemed to understand as he motioned for the pills. She put them in his right hand and held the glass of water, giving it to him when he took the meds.
'Thanks.' Zuko's face contorted in pain while he lowered himself down to go back to sleep, his lips in a tight line.
'Just so you know,' Azula said, 'I don't owe you anything.'
Zuko made a short nod, before turning his back to her. 'Okay.'
'I could have handled it on my own.' Azula was raising her voice.
Zuko's response came out almost unexpressive, his back still facing his sister. 'Okay.'
Azula left the room without a word.