The bright fluorescent lights of Arendell Community Hospital did nothing to help the fatigued sensitivity of Anna Greenfield's eyes. As she walked down the hallway, her sneakers making soft noises on the green and white tile she passed a clock on the wall and stopped briefly to check it.
It read 3:08 AM. Her shift had started four hours ago, and she was already feeling it in the ball of her her feet and shoulders. So far, the night had been uneventful, just a few IV fluid changes, vitals for everyone on the second floor, and paperwork. So much paperwork. If she was lucky, she could catch a quick nap in one of the vacant rooms here soon. Anna shuffled the clipboard she was carrying from her chest to under one arm as she opened the heavy wooden door of room 14.
"Hi Elsa, how are we this evening? Well, I guess you could technically call it morning, but still evening because people are sleeping. Did you know that some people are actually up at this hour that want to be up? crazy huh?" Anna chirped on happily as she wheeled the metal table over to the girls bedside. As she looked over at Elsa's face, she allowed her heart to hope for a second that she would talk back this time.
But as usual, the only other sound in the room was the soft click of the IV machine and the beeps of the several monitors hooked up to the girl. Anna frowned, creases forming in the corners of her mouth the way they did when she was upset.
Elsa had been admitted two years ago when Anna had started working as a nurse at the hospital. Her family used to come and weep over her all the time, leaving her flowers on the bedside table that Anna couldn't bare to throw out when they became wilted and brown. There was a small stack of unopened letters on the table addressed to Miss Elsa Vetur that might never get opened. The girl had stopped receiving any visitors besides Anna months ago. Nobody even called to check her progress.
Anna pulled up a chair to the girls bedside and straddled it, folding her arms over the back and rested her chin on them. She admired the dormant girl; her white blond hair that fell in long soft waves over the pillow. The pale skin that looked almost translucent with the dark blue veins that mapped her arms and neck. She watched her petite chest rise and fall steadily as it always had, and her slender hands folded on her stomach over the powder blue blanket. She looked to Anna like Sleeping Beauty might. Like she would just open her eyes at any second
Anna then wondered what the color of her eyes might be. She guessed a beautiful shade of brown, warm and soft that smiled when she looked at you. a soft sigh escaped her lips,
"Elsa, I know you're not ready to wake up, but I'm extremely impatient. I have all these fantasies about what you'll be like. All I know about you is that you look just like your mom, you're twenty one, and you're here because of a car accident" she reached over and held the girls limp hand, rubbing her thumb over the lightly freckled skin thoughtfully, "Please wake up. If not foe me, for your family. I know they miss you something terrible." she furrowed her brows, "What am I thinking, just because I want to doesn't mean you'll wake up. Crazy huh?"
She placed Elsa's hand back over top of her other one and pushed the chair back into the corner of the room. She checked the machines once hastily and left the room, her heart just a bit heavier.
One Week Later:
Anna had turned in the last of her rounds reports and jumped in the elevator, not even looking to press the button to go to the fourth floor. She automatically smoothed down her bright green scrubs and ran her hands down over her twin braids. Even though she knew it was in vain, she felt like she should do it just in case Elsa happened to wake up. She stifled a small laugh at herself as the elevator came to a stop.
Once again, she pushed open the heavy door, not bothering to look at the bed just yet as she familiarly went to collect the metal tray full of equipment,
"Hey, just me again. Feeling ok?-" her smile dropped instantly as she turned around to find that nobody occupied the bed. The sheets were folded crisply, and all of the tubes and wires and equipment removed. Without thinking, Elsa bolted out of the the room and streight over to the desk,
"What happened to the girl in 14?" she clutched at the desk with ferocity that turned her knuckles white.
"Whoa there feisty pants, I'll get the sheet" Kristoff shook his head, his blond hair bouncing around his face as he wheeled around to the filing cabinet, shuffling papers around until her pulled a thin file out and handed it over to Anna.
She snatched it out of the mans hands and checked the sheet. The only other note made on it other than "no progress" ever since she was admitted was a big red stamp marked "released"
". . .So she went home?" Anna handed the papers back to Kristoff
"Yeah, she woke up this morning and her family came to get her. Pretty cool huh? after this long, I'm sure they're happy to have her back"
Anna forced a smile and thanked Kristoff. She realized that she should be happy. Anna had only wanted Elsa to wake up. But she couldn't shake the hurt feeling that overcame her at the thought.
"I'll take a double tall with an extra shot Oaken" Anna shoved her too dollars in change into the ceramic mug that sat by the register as the mountain of a man nodded enthusiastically and turned around to the counter, whistling gleefully. Anna chuckled and stepped aside, leaning against the counter. The best part about Oaken's Trading Post coffee house was the view. It sat right at the edge of town near the woods and had a beautiful split view of the mountains in the distance and the sun lit road leading out of town.
She worried at her bottom lip as she stared, not quite looking at anything in particular out of the window when she spotted a flash of white blond hair. Her eyes widened as she took in the second long glimpse of the profile of a tall girl making her way down the side of the road, hands jammed in her back pockets.
Without thinking, which seemed to happen a lot with Anna, she took off out the door, ignoring the calls of Oaken with her coffee and almost plowing over a couple trying to enter the coffee house. Her heart leaped to her windpipe as she stood rooted to the side of the road. Before she knew it, she spoke-
"Elsa? Elsa Vetur?"
The blond stopped in her tracks, her spine stiffening. Who in the world could be calling her name? She spun slowly on her heal, taking in the slightly frazzled form of a redheaded woman with braids and a spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
"Do I. . .know you?"
If happiness was a color, it was the color of Elsa's eyes. Not the brown Anna had expected, but iceberg blue. The most captivating color Anna had ever seen. The redhead remained silent as she took Elsa in all over again.
Her hair, once limp and splayed out on the white pillow in the hospital was pushed back and braided off to one side. She wore a long baby blue sweater, the sleeves hanging down by her fingers that clutched at the strap of a white messenger bag. Her faded skinny jeans were ripped in a few places, and her black flats looked as if they had seen better days.
Elsa coughed uncomfortably, noticing that Anna was staring at her, "Excuse me, I-"
"Blue. Your eyes are blue"Anna's focus snapped back to Elsa's face, her green eyes going wide, and her mouth splaying into a goofy grin
"Uhm, yes they are? And yours are green?" Elsa's fair brows furrowed in confusion, "Look, I'm sorry but I have to go" she turned and began walking away before a warm hand gripped her wrist firmly. Elsa whirled around, eyes wide with surprise,
"Look I'm sorry. My name's Anna, I took care of you while you were in the hospital. Well, I didn't technically take care of you, but I sat in your room and talked you, wait that sounds super creepy I promise I wasn't being strange or anything I just-"
"Anna?" Elsa looked at the girl, now noticing her scrubs. The girl shut up instantly, her eyes staying locked with the blondes. "I think you might be cutting off circulation to my hand"
"What? Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize" Anna stepped back a step and tucked a strand of nonexistent hair behind her ear, a pink flush coming across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose "I'm just so happy that you're finally awake! I-I. ." compulsively, she leaned in and put both of her hands on Elsa's shoulders and leaned in to place her lips on the blondes.
It was like nothing Anna had ever experienced before. Her lips were cool and feather soft. Anna wound her arms around the other girls neck. She didn't realize how tall Elsa was! Well, she really couldn't tell when she was laying down. She pressed herself to Elsa
Elsa stiffened, her eyes widened in surprise. This total stranger was kissing her! She should be repulsed, or try to fight back at the least. But the more she tried to fight, the more relaxed she became. She tasted pleasantly like sunshine and chap stick. Before she knew it, her hands were on the shorter girls waste and her lips were parting slowly, her eyes fluttering shut.
Suddenly, Anna stopped and jerked away. Surprised, Elsa kept her eyes closed as she raised an eyebrow. She lifted her heavy lids to find Anna frozen, her mouth agape in shock
"I. Am. So. Sorry" a red hot flush spread across Anna's cheeks, her eyes wide. Elsa shook her head dizzily and licked her bottom lip slowly, trying to remember how to talk.
"No it's fine really" Elsa gave a small diplomatic smile, "Would you maybe like to get some coffee? I have a feeling that you have more to say"
Anna chuckled bashfully and nodded. After all this silence, she was more than happy to finally hear Elsa's voice.
A/N: Tadaa! Quick Elsanna one-shot I felt obligated to write. You know the drill: Review, PM, whatever.
Stay Golden!
-C
