A/N: Another dark chapter. I hope you are all still with me. This is my first foray into such matters so I am sorry if anyone is offended or upset. I'm just trying to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. Thanks for your support and your patience. :)


Chapter 7

The news hit him like a ton of bricks. Khalil sat down in the nearest spot he could find and gave a look at the doctor.

"It's only a supposition. There are other reasons for a scar like that but none of them are pleasant," Haluk admitted.

"Did you perform…"

"I did not. I wasn't going to subject her child-like mind to having to not only explain why I had to invade her personal areas but also preparing her for what memories that could flood back when I do. If it becomes necessary I will have a female nurse assist," the doctor cut him off.

"I understand. I must go inform King Brrr and the Council but first I need your help. Can you come with me for a little bit?" Khalil wanted to know as he stood.

"I can. Karl gave Miss Elphaba some medicine and she'll need to catch up on her sleep. Sergeant Collins promised to keep an eye on her. Especially since we must keep her away from Boq," Haluk said as they headed for the door together.

"Good. How is the Munchkin?" The Captain asked while they exited the infirmary and headed for the stairwell.

"Not good. Infection has set in and we've had to remove dead tissue. I'm not sure how much longer he can take it. He's a brave soul though, I'll give him that. He's never questioned my authority or any of the nurses and he's had to endure painful procedures without much complaint," the doctor sighed.

"What about his mental state?" Khalil wondered.

"Hit or miss. Some days he feels good and is a perfectly happy person and other days he's miserable. I've been reaching out to my colleagues to see if anyone could help determine what he's going through but no one has any ideas," Haluk shrugged as they walked down the staircase and into the basement. The Captain just shook his head.

"Why are we going down here anyway?" The doctor wanted to know. His confusion only abounded when he saw Lady Glinda locked up in a cell by herself. The cell next to it was full of Gale Force soldiers, two other men, and a Scarecrow.

"These fine people stood with Miss Elphaba when confronted about the truth about her. They are the only ones brave enough but I believe there will be more when your discovery comes out," Khalil explained.

"What is your stance Captain? Your fiancée stands arrested and could very well…"

"I stand by her and will do whatever it takes to free her but that is not the point of our visit. I believe that Lady Glinda can help you understand more about Miss Elphaba. They went to Shiz together," the Captain interrupted him as they approached the cells.

"I see. Yes she might be able to. Does anyone need medical attention whilst I'm here?" Haluk wondered.

"We're in good shape Doc," Sergeant Zetti said.

"Sergeant, I heard you took quite the shot to the gut while you were away. How is it that you are ok?" Haluk wanted to know.

"Miss Elphaba saved me. Seems only fair that I do the same," Zetti smiled.

"Truly she has no accounting for taste then," the Doctor smirked.

"I warned her but she wouldn't listen," Zetti chuckled.

"I imagine she didn't. She either showed great restraint or…"

"She is not the monster everyone makes her out to be," Fiyero spoke up.

"Says the man made of straw," Zetti teased.

"Ah you must be Fiyero. Miss Elphaba asked about you," the doctor said.

"How is she? Will she be all right?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"It is too early to tell but since she has no family around that I can ask about her medical history, I need to borrow Lady Glinda for a little while," Haluk admitted.

"Lieutenant Cengel, open the cell please," Khalil ordered.

"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant quickly opened the door and fastened shackles to Glinda's wrists. She frowned but walked out of the cell toward the Doctor and her lover.

"What do you need Doctor?" Glinda wanted to know as she was led away. She worried about where this was headed.

"I think it best we wait until we have some privacy. I don't want everyone to know everything I've discovered just yet," Haluk gave a tight smile. The rest of the trip to the infirmary was silent. Once there, they went into the Doctor's office and he called for Karl to join them. Once the assistant had arrived, Haluk gave Glinda the report that he'd given the Captain.

"Do you know what the abdominal scar is from? Did she ever tell you why she has all those other terrible scars on her body?" Haluk wanted to know.

"You have to understand something Doctor, she swore me to secrecy. I cannot break that. Not now, not ever," the blonde said.

"It may go a long way to helping the court side with her on their decision. She may not be competent to aid in her own defense but that will not stop the Council from putting her through the wringer. If she is asked these questions on the stand and she clams up, they could view it as an act of defiance and convict her anyway. They are looking for a reason, any reason, to make her sound like what the Wizard told everyone. If what he said was in fact lies, we need to be able to prove it," the Doctor explained. Glinda heaved a sigh and nodded.

"First, I have to tell you something that I have not told anyone. Even Elphie doesn't know," the blonde said.

"What is it?" Khalil asked.

"Frex Thropp was not Elphie's real father. The Wizard was," the bomb was dropped and everyone looked at her as if she was crazy. She quickly explained the situation and how she had put two and two together. It was then obvious to them what she was getting at.

"I told you that to tell you this. Elphie always suspected that there was a reason her father hated her so, more than just because Nessa was a cripple. She never had any solid proof. One night, I came home from a party and Elphie was in bed. I was a little tipsy, and I woke her up. Well the fact of the matter was she was tipsy too and wasn't exactly sleeping. Apparently, she'd had a rough night, and had managed to get something to wash down her sorrows. The two of us ended up playing around and her guard was down. She was a wee bit tipsier than I and I had to help her out of her dress so she could go to bed properly instead of sleeping in that Oz-awful black dress she used to wear.

"Anyway, while I was helping her change, I saw the scars. Not having my wits about me, I asked her about them. She told me that after her Momsicle died, her father took everything out on her. She basically became a servant instead of the daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland. When things weren't just so, in the way he felt they should be, he'd beat her. Then I asked her about the large scar on her abdomen and she…" Glinda sucked her lips into her mouth. The next part was hard to speak of, not only for Elphie's sake but for her own.

"What is it sweetheart?" Khalil asked.

"Well one night, her father was drunk and he… he…" she just couldn't go through with the words that she had to say as tears rolled down her face.

"Please explain," Haluk urged as Khalil held onto her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"He told her that her mother was a whore and that she was going to be one too," by now Glinda could no longer hold back and the flood of emotions that had been on the precipice of tumbling down, let go.

"Why then would he need to operate on her?" Karl asked.

"It wasn't until a year after he started abusing her that she figured out something was going on with her body. Frex had the doctor come when it was time and instead of just delivering the child, he also made it so she could never get pregnant again," Glinda finally managed to get out.

"Great Oz," Doctor Haluk shook his head.

To Be Continued…