Hello! I have a couple different chapters for this in the works, and this was the most developed so I went with it. I think it's a little darker and sadder than the other ones, but it fits the time period for Shiz. Anyways, the offer stills stands- if you have a "plot bunny" (is that what they're called) or a ship you want to see shipped, just let me know. Thanks for reading. You guys are wonderful :) ~bwayfan25
Triggers: implications of abuse, injury
Galinda huffed softly as there was a small knock at her door.
"Oh. Hello Miss Nessarose," Galinda looked back at the bathroom. "El- your sister is taking a shower."
"Actually, I'm here to talk o you," Nessa focused on her fingers.
"Oh. Well then... go ahead."
"It's just that... Well... Elphaba was walking with me to class yesterday and she slipped in the mud. When she tried to catch herself, something happened. She did it wrong, I think, and now I'm worried that her wrist is hurt. But she won't let me even look at it, let alone take her to the doctor," Nessa explained.
"Alright. Why does that matter to me?" Galinda asked, crossing her arms.
"I know you two don't get along, but can't you just ask her about it? Or even just catch a glance? I wouldn't ask, but I-"
"Why don't you ask Boq to do it for you?" Galinda interrupted. Nessa's brow furrowed.
"Well, I guess I could. I just thought that since you two live together..."
"Well you thought wrong. Goodbye Nessa," Galinda sighed, closing the door.
Nessa shouted a word against it, but the door snapped shut anyway.
Galinda sat down in front of her vanity. As she picked up her makeup brush to continue applying blush, the sound of water coming from the bathroom stopped.
"Did someone stop by? I heard someone yelling," Elphaba asked as she stepped out of the steamy bathroom, a blue towel wrapped around her hair, making her look like an exotic flower.
"Uh, yes. But nothing important," Galinda lied, leaning close to a small mirror to double check her eyeshadow.
"Oh. Funny."
"Why?"
"Well, it sounded like my sister," Elphaba muttered.
Galinda shrugged slightly.
"Ugh," Elphaba winced as she picked up a pair of socks.
"Something wrong?"
"No," Elphaba snapped, though she was rubbing her right wrist gingerly with her hand.
"Uh-huh," Galinda nodded, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes. I'm perfectly fine," Elphaba said as she took a deep breath. And, to prove her point, she roughly picked up the pair of socks, though Galinda could not ignore the look of pain that crossed her face.
"Your wrist doesn't seem fine."
"It's a bit painful, but it's fine."
"Okay," Galinda sat down her eyeliner. "It was your sister. She said that you fell and she's worried. Can I at least look at your wrist? I won't touch it."
"I am fine and Nessa worries too much," Elphaba stated, plopping down on her bed (wincing again).
They sat in silence for half an hour. Galinda finished her makeup with a spritz of perfume, and turned to look at her green roommate, who contentedly read her book.
Sighing, Galinda stood and pulled on her jacket. But just as she made to slam the door behind her, Elphaba cursed loudly from inside.
"Fine!" she shouted as Galinda ran back in, her mouth open to speak . "You can take me to the doctor. But you say nothing. Okay?"
Galinda considered this offer for a moment.
"Agreed. If we walk separately and act like we don't know each other."
"More than glad to," Elphaba muttered as she gently tugged her own jacket on.
There were only a few people in the waiting room, but that did not make Galinda any more comfortable.
"They're all staring at us," Galinda muttered to Elphaba from a couple seats away.
Elphaba, who had laid her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, shook her head softly.
"They're not staring at you. They're staring at me."
"But, I mean, they just... keep on doing it. It's been fifteen minutes," Galinda shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "How do you deal with it?"
"I have no choice."
Galinda shifted again before attepting to play it off as a neck roll.
"Uh, Miss Elphaba Thropp?" a white uniformed nurse announced to the room.
"I'm here," Elphaba sighed, standing up. To her surprise, Galinda stood up too.
"Do you want me to go with you?" she whispered.
Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and nodded.
The nurse gave Elphaba a quick once over and then led the girls down the dark hallway and into a small room with a padded table.
"Wait here. The doctor will be in shortly," she said with pursed lips. Then she turned around for a moment. "Oh, and if, uh, that is in any way removable, we ask that you do so before Dr. Roaks comes in."
Elphaba gave a half-smile as the nurse slammed the door behind her.
"Does that happen a lot?" Galinda asked quietly.
"All the time. And in case you forgot, you requested I 'wash it off' within two hours of living together."
Galinda swallowed and nodded stiffly.
A few silent minutes later, a short balding man with thick glasses opened the door.
"Alright. Miss Thropp, is it? I'm Dr. Roaks," he announced, holding his hand out to Galinda.
"I'm Elphaba Thropp," Elphaba stated, holding out her uninjured hand for him to shake. He turned, his already magnified eyes widening.
"Oh well... hello, Miss Thropp," he said, dropping his hand. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"I fell and now my wrist hurts," she whispered.
"Uh huh. May I?"
Elphaba shook her sleeve back and held out her hand. Galinda recoiled slightly, as the bruises that normally would be turning from red to black made Elphaba's skin look dirty and mottled.
"Well. It is quite bruised," Dr. Roaks observed. "Though the coloring is slightly off."
Elphaba nodded, though Galinda could see her flush a darker green.
"Can you move it? And have you experienced any nausea?"
"I can move it, but it hurts a lot. But I haven't felt sick," Elphaba said, her brow furrowing.
"Hmmmm. Well... I would say it probably is badly sprained at the very least, because of the lack of nausea. However, the bruising and pain seems concurrent with a fracture, so I think we'll treat it as one. Please remove your sweater and we will put a plaster cast on you."
Dr. Roaks straightened up and smiled at Elphaba. Elphaba waited for a minute and then shook her head.
"This is silly. I'm fine. Thank you for your time," Elphaba muttered.
She tried to jump down off the table, but her wrist twisted the wrong way, causing her to yelp in pain. Dr. Roaks and Galinda caught her before she crumpled to the ground.
"Uh, miss, can you please help her remove her sweater while I fetch the nurse?" Dr. Roaks dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief after Elphaba was back on the table.
Galinda nodded furiously.
"Elphaba you need to take off your sweater so that they can set your wrist. Please. You're in a lot of pain, and this will help. I promise," she said, taking Elphaba's uninjured hand.
"But I don't... I don't want anyone to see," Elphaba breathed. Her eyes were closed and her breaths were deep and even.
"We already know that you're green, Elphaba. Seeing your green arms is not going to be a problem. I promise. Please. Just let Dr. Roaks help you."
Elphaba considered for a moment and then nodded slowly.
With Galinda's help, she pulled off her navy sweater.
Galinda fought hard not to gasp as the sweater pulled off and revealed tons of crisscrossing scars up and down her back and arms.
"Oh Elphaba. What are they?" she breathed, gently touching Elphaba's shoulder and causing the green girl to shudder.
"They're nothing. Just... forget them. Ignore them."
Galinda sat down in her chair again as Dr. Roaks returned with the nurse, whose face scrunched up again at the sight of Elphaba.
"Alright. Elphaba, please hold out your wrist," Dr. Roaks requested as the nurse gave her a look of disgust and started dunking gauze into a bucket of plaster.
It took the nurse twenty minutes to get the short cast completed, mostly due to her occasionally stopping so she could make more faces and once make a slight retching sound.
Galinda could feel her face grow hotter as she watched the woman make such faces at Elphaba, who grew a darker and darker green. Watching her sit quietly as the woman made such a scene filled Galinda with a mixture of sadness, anger, and guilt.
She's the green girl. She's your sworn enemy! a little voice in her head shouted as tears began to fall down Elphaba's cheeks.
She's only your sworn enemy because you made her your sworn enemy. She doesn't have to be, a different voice replied.
But... but what about your social standing? The artichoke could ruin everything we worked so hard for! Don't change it now!
Her internal battle continued until, with one final look of disgust, the nurse wrapped the last piece of gauze and ran from the room.
"Very well. We'll let that dry for a few minutes and then you're free to go."
Elphaba nodded. He gave a typical Munchkinland salute and then left.
"Thank you for insisting I come. And thank you for coming with me," Elphaba muttered as they walked out of the doctor's office.
She had tucked her arms deep into her jacket so no one had any idea about what had happened.
"Yeah. Yeah. Of course," Galinda said distractedly. Returning to the outside world had changed Galinda's mind again. Suddenly, she was aware of every single eye upon her and the green girl.
They continued in silence, Elphaba falling a few steps behind Galinda so as not to hurt the blonde's reputation.
When they reached their room, Elphaba disappeared into the bathroom to change. A few expletives later, she came out, the cast bulging beneath her black nightshirt.
But as she made her way to her bed, Galinda stopped her. Without warning, she pulled her into a big bear hug (which from someone so small was quite an odd experience).
And then, she released, with no words exchanged.
But even though their relationship would still be strained for a few months to come, in one short day together, something had changed in them for good.