Snowfall
If she were being entirely honest, winter was likely Galinda's favorite season.
She loved the snow first and foremost. It, like most of the things Galinda enjoyed, was exceedingly pretty to look at. She thrived in the soft silence of the first snow fall and was enamored by the fresh, unmarked land.
And the fashion. Winter, in Galinda's professional opinion, was the best season for fashion. Coats and hats and scarves – it made her giddy just to think about.
Galinda's grumpy roommate, on the other hand, seemed to disagree.
Galinda supposed it made sense – most green things do not thrive in the winter. She giggled at the thought, but thought it best not to speak it aloud.
Recently, the banter between herself and Elphaba had lost some of its edge, had turned more friendly – though neither would openly admit it.
The aforementioned roommate was currently displaying her distaste for the weather by remaining curled up in her bed, back to the ice–coated window. Galinda was impressed – Elphaba didn't even have a book in her hands. She must have been thoroughly upset.
It wasn't a normal occurrence for Galinda to show concern for the green girl; however, she was beginning to feel overwhelmingly curious. It was not like her studious roommate to not have a large, dusty tome in her hands at all times.
"Elphaba," Galinda called with the utmost dignity. She added a sniff for good measure, as if the other girl's behavior were quite a bother to the blonde.
She received nothing more than a grunt in response. Galinda bristled (or at least pretended to).
"Why, is that any way to talk to-"
"Please," gasped Elphaba suddenly, clutching her skull, and the tone of her voice made Galinda's mouth snap shut. "Please speak quieter. My head-"
"Oho," laughed Galida. "I see all that studying has gotten the better of you! Has it become quite cramped up there?"
Elphaba barely dignified this with an agitated eye-roll. She then swallowed thickly. "What was it that you wanted, Galinda?"
"I merely wished to inquire whether or not you were planning on attending class today."
"Why, Galinda," said Elphaba wryly. "Would you miss me if I didn't?"
Galinda ran a flowered brush through her blonde locks and scoffed. "Quite the contrary, Miss Green Bean! I will be absolutely delighted when class gets out on time for once. It will be nice and quiet without you and the old goat chatting each other up the entire period. I shall be positively giddy." She smiled.
A grin lit Elphaba's face, as if this banter was all she had to keep her going. For a moment, it was a real, true smile; not a smirk or a sneer. It was all bright white teeth and crinkling eyes, no wry curling of the lips.
And Galinda found herself momentarily speechless.
When she found her voice again, it was saying something she never thought possible. "Do you…. Do you need anything, before I go?"
Another, smaller smile graced Elphaba's face, and Galinda wasn't sure why it made her tingle all over. "You are sweet, when you want to be. No, thank you. I am sure it is merely allergies. Enjoy class."
Galinda snorted. "You know me better than that, Elphie." She stopped abruptly at the name, eyes widening.
"Elphie?" repeated her roommate, looking amused.
"I have no idea where that came from," insisted Galinda. "Do you… mind it?"
"Well, it is a little perky…. But it is not the worst nickname I have ever been christened with."
Galinda suddenly felt guilty for all of the rude, green-related names she had called her roommate.
"Go," said Elphaba. "I'll be fine."
But when Galinda returned later that afternoon to check on her, it was clear that Elphaba was not fine. She was still in the same curled up position Galinda had left her in, but she seemed tenser, her whole body wound tight like a spring. She trembled so hard Galinda could see her body shake from the doorway, and her nightshirt was plastered to her thin back with sweat.
"Elphaba," Galinda gasped, dropping her bag and rushing over to the bed. Elphaba barely stirred at the noise, apparently not having the energy.
"I thou-thought we agreed," she gasped between heaving shivers, "on Elphie."
Galinda smiled as she laid the back of her hand on Elphie's sweat-slick cheek, and the smile faded when she felt the heat there. "I thought you said it was too perky."
"I cha-changed my mind," Elphaba stammered, eyelids fluttering, and Galinda felt her stomach clench in real fear.
"Elphie, you're burning up," sighed Galinda, taking the green face between both of her hands with a gentleness that surprised even herself. "You need to see the nurse. Okay?"
"Nooo," moaned Elphaba pitifully, but then she seemed to catch herself, regaining her composure. "I-I mean no, that's oh…. That's okay. I'm fine." But she was shivering harder now, and Galinda hated to see it, so she pulled the covers up to her roommate's chin.
However, no more than a second later Elphaba kicked them off, looking distressed. "I'm so hot," she gasped, rolling onto her back and spreading out her limbs in an attempt to keep them from touching her body and heating her up more.
"But you're shivering," Galinda said, confused. "Elphie, how can you sweat and shiver at the same time?"
"I imagine it's the fever," said Elphaba, her sentences becoming less disjointed as she gained a bit of control over the tremors. "I suppose…. A visit with the nurse wouldn't hurt. But you must bring her here. I'm afraid I can't get up."
Galinda's stomach twisted again. If Elphaba was too weak to even rise from her bed, she must have been very sick. Just then, confirming the blonde's suspicions, Elphaba abruptly rolled over and vomited over the edge of the bed.
"Oh, Elphie," sighed Galinda, reaching over to rub her roommate's lurching back and wincing sympathetically with each retch.
"I suppose I really am ill," sighed Elphie when the ordeal finished. "Tell me, Galinda; do I look a bit green to you?"
Galinda sputtered out an uncontrollable giggle and slapped Elphaba's arm. She supposed that, if Elphaba at least had the energy left to be sarcastic, then she couldn't be that ill.
When Galinda returned with the nurse fifteen minutes later, she feared she had supposed wrong.
Elphaba was limp, covered in a fresh sheen of sweat, and her normally luminescent green skin had taken on a much greyer pallor. Her eyes were glazed, just barely open, and until she blinked Galinda feared her to be dead.
"Galinda," she whispered breathlessly, and Galinda felt an unusual desire to go to her roommate and hold her as tightly as possible.
"Not feeling well, are we?" tutted the nurse, a wicked grin crossing her withered features. "I must say you do look a little-"
"Green, yes," interrupted Elphaba in exasperation. "I already addressed that irony. Can we just…." She broke off, a wave of nausea overtaking her, and she paused to regain her bearings. "…just… get on with it?"
Galinda could see a certain fear in her roommate's icy grey eyes and felt a sudden overwhelming urge to hold a green hand in her own. She did not enjoy seeing her normally stoic, strong roommate – no, friend – in such distress.
So she acted, grabbing Elphaba's verdant hand in her own pale one. If she was surprised, Elphaba didn't show it – in fact, she hardly reacted at all except to squeeze Galinda's hand. She held tight all through the examination, gritting her teeth and looking positively unsettled.
Galinda wished as much as Elphaba did for the procedure to be over.
"I think," Elphaba said suddenly, rolling away from Galinda. "I think I – I'm going to –"
She did not get to finish her sentence as her stomach revolted for a second time. The nurse, having come prepared, eased a basin under Elphaba's line of vision, urging her to utilize it.
When Galinda returned from washing the basin in the sink, the nurse was tucking Elphaba back in again.
"I suspect she has a particularly strong strain of the flu. She just needs to have an eye kept on her, someone to keep her fever down. I could stay, unless you'd like to watch her yourself?"
"No, that's all right. I'll stay." Galinda wasn't sure what had made her decide this – in fact the blonde wasn't sure of a lot of things on this particular day. All she knew was that Elphaba was desperately ill, and Galinda felt an intense desire to comfort her.
She wasn't sure when her feelings had changed so drastically.
"Anything to get out of class, hm?" joked Elphaba when the nurse took her leave. Galinda smiled.
"Of course. You know me."
Elphaba smiled back, taking Galinda's hand in her own once more. "Indeed I do."
"Mother?"
It was some time later in the evening that Galinda heard Elphie's voice, strangely far-off and quiet. In fact, she was at first unsure if she had heard anything at all.
But when she looked over to the other side of the room she saw Elphaba thrash in her sleep, calling out once more. "Mother?"
Galinda crossed the room in three purposeful strides to kneel beside the bed. "Elphaba?" she whispered, reaching out to smooth away the hair that had stuck itself to a green forehead. Elphie's hand came up to grip Galnda's, her eyes open but not seeing.
"Mother?" she asked again. "Is that you?" Her face was hopeful, innocent. Galinda, knowing of Elphie's mother's demise, choked on heartbreak.
"Yes," whispered Galinda without thinking, pressing the green hand to her own cheek. "Yes, I'm here." She said it only in the hopes that it would calm Elphaba.
And it did. Elphaba sighed, looking relieved, and closed her eyes.
"I missed you," she breathed. "Stay with me?"
Galinda stroked Elphie's forehead as the green girl fell back into fitful slumber.
"Always."
The night terrors did not end there. All through the night Elphaba thrashed and twitched, mumbling incoherently. Sometimes her eyes would open and she would wail, unknown horrors plaguing her consciousness. Galinda held her hand and whispered to her during these times, wetting a cloth in chilled water and pressing it to Elphaba's wrists in an attempt to cool her.
"No," whimpered Elphaba, and Galinda's heart sank as she recognized the beginning of another episode. The fever was making her see things – horrible things, though whether they were product of Elphie's imagination or memories was unclear.
"It's okay," murmured Galinda, pressing the cloth to Elphaba's wrist again. The girl immediately recoiled, eyes snapping open wide. "No, father!" she cried. "Please!"
"Shh," whispered Galinda, and Elphaba looked like she wanted to run away. However, being too weak to do such, Elphaba instead brought her hands to her chest, tucking them tightly to her body and curling up on her side. "No," she moaned again. "I'm sorry. Please don't."
"It's all right," murmured Galinda , smoothing the soft black hair on her roommate's head. Elphaba remained thoroughly unconvinced, squirming under the covers. She continued to do so through most of the night, keeping Galinda up.
But Galinda didn't mind.
"Urrg," grunted Elphaba.
"Hush," murmured Galinda without looking up, one hand releasing her fashion magazine to reach out and absentmindedly stroke Elphie's hair. She was thoroughly unaware that her roommate was very much awake, and also quite surprised. Surprised to see Galinda seated comfortably in their armchair, keeping vigil by her bedside.
Elphaba shifted, grunting again and trying to form coherent words. However, her brain was still catching up, and while she wanted to ask what was going on, all that managed to leave her mouth was a mumbled "Galinda."
Galinda's head whipped around to take in her awake and much greener looking roommate. The grey had left her skin altogether, and her eyes were bright and awake; a sharp contrast from their glossy, unseeing appearance the night before.
"Oh, Elphie!" sighed Galinda, sitting ramrod straight in her chair and reaching out to feel Elphaba's forehead. "You're awake! And it appears your fever has broken. How wonderful!"
Elphaba struggled into a sitting position and smirked. "Well well Miss Galinda, it seems you were quite worried for me!"
Galinda didn't look amused. "Yes. I was so worried that I stayed in this chair the whole night! As you can see, it became so incredibly boring that I had to resort to…" she pretended to shudder "...reading."
"Oz!" gasped Elphaba, throwing a hand over her heart dramatically. "How ever did you survive?"
"I'm as surprised as you are," assured Galinda. There was a pause in which Elphaba seemed to consider this whole ordeal. Then, quietly,
"You really stayed with me the whole night?"
"Of course! Someone had to take care of you!"
Elphaba snorted, a twinkle in her eye. "I would have been better off in the care of a monkey. I'm surprised I survived."
Galinda shrieked. "Honestly, Elphie! You are so ungrateful!" Their laughter filled the room.
Outside, fresh snow began to fall.