Chapter IX
* * * * *
The elevators came to a stop on the second floor and Seahawk walked with them to the waiting room outside of surgery. Marlena kept a hold on his arm until then, like he was one of her family. More and more he felt himself amazed at her strength of will. She would not let her worries get the better of her until the crisis was past and she could freely give way to her emotions. He saw many similarities between her and Adora in terms of character, so amazing since Adora grew up in the Fright Zone, under Hordak and Shadoweaver's auspices. Upon reaching their destination, he took his leave with a small bow.
"I'm going to go see Adora now," Seahawk said as he bowed over Marlena's hand.
"You probably won't get much out of her, Seahawk," Marlena cautioned. "They've probably got her pretty well doped up by now with pain killers for her injuries."
"I understand, but I've still got to see her," was Hawk's answer.
"Of course you do," Marlena said, her expression full of understanding and longing. "I'll be up to see her just as soon as we get some word on Chelsea."
"Right," Seahawk replied and with a nod to Adam, turned and departed for the time being.
Marlena sat down with a sigh and prepared to wait for the surgeon.
"It will be all right, Mother," Adam tried to comfort her.
"I know, Adam, I know," Marlena sighed, "It's always the waiting and not- knowing that's the worst. I know how we can fix this mess we've seem to have found ourselves in right now - we need to get Chelsea and Adora back home to our healers, but the logistics of it all. Right now it escapes me."
"We will work it out, Mother," Adam assured her.
"I know we will, Adam, but I wish you would confide in me why you think it's necessary to tell me half-truths and keep information from me," Marlena sounded tired and a bit aggrieved. It would be so much easier if he would just tell her everything!
"There will probably come a day when I can tell you everything, Mother, but until then, I simply cannot," Adam stated his case, the knowledge of what all he was keeping from his mother weighing heavily on him at the moment.
"Then, what are you planning, Adam? At least tell me this," Marlena sat back up and looked at him directly.
"I need for Adora to claim her sword and I think I may need the Sorceress of Grayskull's help with getting her to listen to me," Adam explained quietly.
"So, why can't I be there, Adam?" Marlena questioned, going from worry to irritation.
"Because it's knowledge that would be too dangerous for you to have at this time, Mother," Adam answered, his patience beginning to wear thin. *Sorceress, grant me patience from my own mother! *
Marlena gave him another sideways glance that told him she still wasn't satisfied with his answer, but again it was the wrong time and place to be talking about the whys of it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Seahawk walked down the hallway, pausing at the doorway that led to the small ICU ward and was grateful that Adora hadn't ended up there. He didn't know what Adora's family was planning, but her brother Adam certainly had something in mind.
A nurse looked up from her charts and asked, "Can I help you, sir?"
Seahawk shook his head, "No, not really."
"Is there someone you're looking for?" The nurse in colorful scrubs asked.
"My fiancée," Seahawk answered, tilting his head towards the direction of Adora's room. "She's down the hall."
"Do you know what her room number is?" she looked back down at her terminal and her dark brown braid hair fell forward over her shoulder as she set her hands on the keyboard, ready to look up the information for him.
"Yes," Seahawk answered, "yes, I do. She's in 349."
"So you know where you're going then?" the nurse questioned, looking back up at him.
"Yes," Seahawk answered again with a nod. "I was just on my way to go see her. I'll be back this way once her friend is brought up from surgery."
"Ah," the nurse nodded. "I'm here until midnight, so I'll probably see you again. My name is Darcie."
"Seahawk," was the rejoinder.
The nurse's face lit up in a smile, "I bet your parents loved the old 'swashbuckler' movies."
Not knowing how to answer that, Seahawk chose the safer route, "You could say that." He nodded to her and headed down the hallway to go see Adora.
He walked in as the nurse was taking her blood pressure and temperature. The thermometer beeped and the nurse wrote that information down in the chart before unwrapping Adora's arm from the blood pressure cuff.
"I'll be back in an hour to check up on you again," the nurse said, putting everything away and leaving the room.
Adora nodded tiredly and leaned her head back against the pillows at her back. "Just when I thought I was going to be done with that routine," she sighed, obviously going to be a cranky patient this time around.
Seahawk smiled a little. It was good to see something of the Adora he knew coming through. "May I come in?" he questioned.
Adora looked up at him and it took a moment for recognition to register and then her face blushed as she remembered the melting kiss.
The color was a welcome contrast to the bleached white pillowcase and bed sheets was Seahawk's thought as he walked into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't quite know," Adora said around a yawn. "They gave me something and I can't seem to think."
Her eyes closed and for a moment, Seahawk thought that the pain medication had pulled her into the sleep realms. They fluttered back open and she said, "I don't like how dizzy I feel. I need to stay awake to find out about Chel-" she was cut off by a coughing jag that drained all the color from her face.
Seahawk moved to her side in just a few long strides, wondering what he could do to help her. Adora waved him off and pointed to the water pitcher on the table. He poured her a cup of water; ready to hand it to her when she finished coughing.
It took her several moments before she'd managed to clear the bit of phlegm that had obscured her breathing. The effort drained her face of color and she gratefully took the cup of water Seahawk poured for her.
"You need to rest, Adora," Seahawk said. "Chelsea will be in surgery for quite a while yet from what I understand."
"She's in surgery?" Adora questioned, her voice raspy from the coughing jag. Her eyes were heavy, fighting against the pull of the painkillers.
"Yes," Seahawk said, holding one of her hands wrapped in both of his. "You need to rest now so you can see her later on."
"I can't-" Adora tried to protest around a yawn.
"You have to, Adora," Seahawk answered. "You can barely keep your eyes open as it is. You can see Chelsea once she's out of surgery."
Adora seemed to settle back against the pillows, somewhat assured by Seahawk's answer. Her eyes closed for but a second before they flew back open and she exclaimed, "My family!"
"They're here. Chelsea had the means of contacting your mother in her backpack and she and your brother Adam are downstairs waiting for Chelsea to come out of surgery," was the calm assurance as he still held her hand captive.
Adora yawned again, her eyes closing briefly before she pulled them back open and looked to Seahawk, "How is Chelsea?"
"She took a real beating when the accident happened," Seahawk paused for a moment to recall what the doctor in the emergency room had said, and more than grateful that it had not been Adora who'd been hurt that badly. "Her left leg and arm were badly broken and she had a cracked rib puncture her lung."
"Oh no," Adora sighed raggedly before beginning to cough again. It wasn't a serious coughing jag, but enough to leave her winded once more.
"You need to rest, Adora," Seahawk asserted once more. "You can't go see Chelsea if the nurse has to knock you out."
"So tired. . ." Adora murmured, the painkillers in her IV line, doing their work and making her drowsy.
"Yes, rest now, Adora," Seahawk shushed her, taking a hand and gently brushing her bangs back off her forehead. His fingers skimmed over the bandage that covered the swollen bump drawing a momentary grimace from Adora as her eyes slid closed once more.
"Don't forget to wake me when it's time to go see Chelsea. . . " Adora said, opening her eyes once more and tightening her hand on Seahawk's.
"I won't," Seahawk promised, continuing to brush her hair back from her face. "Now, sleep Adora. Let the medicine they're giving you do its job."
"Don't forget. . ." Adora whispered, her eyes sliding shut and staying shut as she relaxed back into sleep.
"I won't," Seahawk repeated, continuing his gentle strokes and still holding her hand.
Adora kept her hand wrapped around Seahawk's as she let the drugs pull her under. He was still holding her hand and stroking her hair; when the nurse came back to check on her at the hour check mark. Color was back in Adora's cheeks, but Seahawk knew it was from the fever.
The nurse spoke briefly with Seahawk before waking Adora up and getting the proper response from her as she did the blood pressure, temperature and pupillary response check.
Adora looked to Seahawk and with a smile asked, "Promise?"
"I promise. Now, go back to sleep," Seahawk answered with a smile.
She slid back into sleep with Seahawk holding her hand still.
Seahawk waited until she was asleep again before releasing her hand and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back," he whispered and left the room. He nodded to the nurse and walked back to the elevators to go see if Marlena and Adam had any news yet.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Outside the surgery center, Marlena tried to read the book she'd stuffed in her bag upon leaving the suite while processing her thoughts on the argument she'd been having with Adam since arriving on Earth. Fact - the key to breaking the spell was Adora's sword, she knew that much. Fact - Adam had a sword similar to Adora's. Fact - Adam knew more than he was telling. Fact - Adam was a hell of a lot more coordinated and physically fit than he let on back on Eternia. Fact - Adam said he needed to talk to Adora alone in order to break the spell. Putting it all together and she was left with one strong case of Mother's Intuition. There was just so much she was guessing at and putting together that she had a pretty strong case for her beliefs now. She was going to make a point of having a talk with the Sorceress when they returned to Eternia.
At the approach of footsteps approaching both she and Adam looked up to see Seahawk returning.
Marlena asked first, "How is she?"
"Sleeping for the moment, but more concerned with Chelsea than she is herself," Seahawk answered, sitting down in one of the chairs.
Adam had a half smile on his face, "Sounds like Adora, all right."
"She made me promise to wake her up to see Chelsea once she was able to have visitors," Seahawk said, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Do we have any news on Chelsea yet?"
"Not yet," Marlena answered. "I don't expect to hear anything for another hour at least."
"So, the real wait begins now?" Seahawk commented in a voice full of irony.
"Yes, it does," was Marlena's answer. She glanced over at the TV that was on a bracket up on the wall. *Why do airports and hospitals think that all we want to watch is CNN?* Marlena thought to herself. Nothing of major importance was happening, yet the news channel kept rehashing unto the nth degree the smallest thing - in this case, the never ceasing conflict in the Mid East. With an inward sigh, she turned her attention back to her book and tried to get absorbed in it to pass the time.
Seahawk and Adam took turns pacing the small waiting area, or talking about their experiences with fighting the Horde. Seahawk talked about the ill- fated battle at Blackmoore.
"There's really not much I can tell you from my end," he admitted. "Spirit found me on the road already en route to Blackmoore. We immediately headed back there and from there, went straight to where Hordak and Shadoweaver had set their trap. Adora was trapped in the forcefield and Shadoweaver was already casting her spell." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. "I made the mistake of trying to rush Hordak first. If I'd been paying attention, I should have gone after Shadoweaver."
"Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, Seahawk," Marlena said, looking up from her book to see the tortured expression on his face.
"But, if I had-" he started to say.
"No buts, Seahawk," Marlena interjected firmly. "You didn't know what Hordak had planned. None of us did."
Seahawk looked up in surprise, caught in her steady gaze. He found himself surprised by Marlena's strength of will once more.
"For whatever reason, I dreamed about the battle that night, Seahawk," Marlena went on to explain in a voice full of quiet conviction. "I saw what happened. There was nothing you could have done. If you had tried to attack Shadoweaver first, Hordak still would have shot you and I doubt it would have been just a stun blast. Hordak was going to allow nothing, absolutely nothing, to stop Shadoweaver from casting that spell."
A different sound had Marlena turning her head to see the surgery doors closing and a nurse in surgical scrubs approaching. Seahawk and Adam were on their feet almost before Marlena.
"Mrs. Randor?" the surgical nurse questioned.
"Yes," Marlena answered.
"Dr. Wilde sent me out to let you know that he's just finishing up and will be with you in a few moments," the nurse said with a neutral expression.
"How did everything go?" Marlena asked.
"As smooth as can be expected when dealing with a trauma case," the nurse replied, her face saying nothing. "Dr. Wilde is finishing up with Miss Cameron and then seeing her transferred to recovery. He'll be out in just a few more minutes to talk to you."
"All right, thank you," Marlena answered, feeling herself being able to breathe just a bit easier now. She was tired of waiting for news and was anxious to get Chelsea and Adora back to Eternia.
The nurse left them and headed back through the doors leading to surgery.
Marlena sighed and sat back in her chair, her thoughts racing in a million directions. She wanted to get home and see her husband; she wanted Adora and Chelsea to be all right and most of all, she really wanted to knock Hordak off his feet for what he had done again to her family.
A few minutes later, an older gentleman who reminded Marlena of an old cowboy came striding towards them.
"Mrs. Randor, I'm Dr. Wilde. I understand you're waiting to hear how Chelsea Cameron did in surgery?" The surgeon had a full white mustache that just matched the drawl in his voice.
"Yes, please, call me Marlena," Marlena said, already taking a liking to this cowboy surgeon.
"Marlena then," the surgeon replied with a nod.
Marlena introduced Adam and Seahawk, "This is my son Adam and my daughter's fiancée, Seahawk."
"Well, let me show you the x-rays here on Miss Cameron and show you all what we repaired," the surgeon said after shaking hands with the other two.
"Of course," Marlena answered, following him around the corner to a light board.
He pulled out a set of x-rays and put them up on the board. The breaks were visible even to Marlena's untrained eye. "Here you see how the bones in Miss Cameron's forearm are before the surgery. The ulna and radius have compound fractures in them here and here -" he pointed out the two visible breaks.
Marlena kept her face impassive and she looked at the x-rays, but a quick glance to the side told her that Seahawk was visibly flinching, while Adam's eyes had a shuttered look to them.
The surgeon pulled that set of x-rays down and replaced it with another, "Now here you see the bones are realigned and held in place now by a set of pins on this break-" he pointed to the break closer to the wrist. "The other break was a bit trickier and we had to use a small plate on the ulna, since it had a chip that wasn't visible on the x-ray. The break on the radius we just were able to use a pin to realign the bone."
Marlena sighed and shook her head. By Earth standards, it would be weeks before Chelsea's arm healed to the point of her having any use of it.
The surgeon pulled down the post-surgery x-rays of Chelsea's arm and replaced them with pre-op ones of her lower leg. Again, it wasn't a pretty picture and Marlena could more than see why Chelsea had been rushed to surgery. The breaks in the lower leg were a lot worse than in the arm - the bones looking more like a jigsaw puzzle. "As you can see, the lower leg took a lot more damage. It looks like this was the point of impact for the accident. The tibia and fibula bones are not just chipped, but also misaligned here and here," he pointed out the breaks. He replaced the x- rays with the post-op ones, showing more pins and plates, "Now you see how much we matched all the jigsaw puzzle pieces back together here. We used a lot of pins and screws to get all the pieces back in place."
Marlena questioned, "How much of this is permanent? I mean, will any of the pins and screws eventually be able to be taken out once the bones heal?"
"The plates and screws are permanent, but the pins will be removed surgically once the bones have healed to a certain extent," Dr. Wilde answered in his drawling voice.
"Did you have to insert rods into those bones in order to stabilize them?" Marlena questioned next, looking at the x-rays.
"Yes, ma'am," Dr. Wilde replied with a short nod. "And, the rods will be permanent, I'm afraid. She'll set off the metal detectors at the airports now," the surgeon said with the barest hint of a smile.
Marlena snorted, "With that much metal now? I should think so."
"The other break was easier to repair - it was cleaner in terms of bone fragments."
"All right, what about vascular damage? Is there anything major to worry about there with how badly the leg was broken?" Marlena asked next. She could tell she'd just shocked Adam and Seahawk with her medical knowledge.
"Well now," the surgeon drawled out, his voice reminding Marlena of an old west figure. "There's where we caught a break. None of the major blood vessels were damaged. We just have to watch and make sure the incisions don't become infected and that the swelling doesn't cut off circulation."
Marlena nodded before questioning, "Now, considering all the work you've done here, is Chelsea going to be in traction or in casts while this heals?"
"She'll be in casts, but she won't be on her feet at all until the bones have truly begun to knit back together," the surgeon answered. "She won't be able to handle a crutch when she won't have a lot of use of that left hand, either."
"True," Marlena said. "What type of casts did you put her in? Hard plaster, or soft casts?"
"Because of the extent of the damage, I had to go with plaster." The surgeon answered.
Marlena sighed and nodded, "I was hoping otherwise, but I understand. Now, will she be in traction the whole time, or will she be able to go home in a few days?"
"Barring infection or any complications, she should be able to go home in a few days - provided she has full time care. She's not going to be able to manage on her own for a while," Dr. Wilde replied.
"Of course. I know her grandparents are in the San Juan Islands, but I am sure they will be here just as soon as they can get manage it," Marlena said, planning on being back on Eternia before that happened. "Now, what about vascular and muscle damage? I know with breaks like this, there is a great tendency for massive tissue damage."
"We got lucky there," the surgeon drawled out, his voice reminding Marlena of an old west figure. "There was almost no vascular damage and the muscle damage was minimal because she couldn't or didn't move that much once she was injured. That was all repaired when we went in and cleaned up the mess from the fractures."
Marlena seemed to feel some of the tension ease from between her shoulders. "That's great. Now, how about her breathing? How much longer is she going to remain on the ventilator?"
"Once she's stable up in the ICU, the attending physician will see to its removal. I don't want to stress her anymore than necessary right now - give her a chance to come out of the anesthesia first,"
Marlena nodded, in agreement, her face showing her distaste for the possibility, "The last thing you want to do is to re-intubate someone after you pull that breathing tube out."
"I don't foresee any reason to keep her on the ventilator - it's better to take her off it as soon as possible, but we want her stable before we do this," Dr. Wilde said.
"Right," Marlena agreed and was silent for a moment.
"Do you have any other questions for me?" Dr. Wilde questioned.
Marlena looked to Seahawk and Adam behind her and each shook their head in the negative. She turned back to the surgeon and said with a smile, "No, I think you've answered all our questions for now. Thank you so much, Dr. Wilde."
"My pleasure," the surgeon drawled around a genuine smile. "It's not often I get to talk to someone who's not a colleague who understands what I'm talking about when I 'get to babbling in medical mumbo jumbo,' as my wife says."
Marlena laughed and shook hands with him, "It's been a pleasure to talk frankly with you." She turned back to Adam and Seahawk and said, "Come on, I want to see how Adora's doing while we're waiting to see Chelsea."
She led the way back to the elevators with Adam and Seahawk following closely behind her like an honor guard as the surgeon pulled the x-rays down from the light board and put them back in their envelope. He turned off the light board and headed off in the opposite direction.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the elevator up to the next floor, Marlena turned a speculative eye on her son, "What are you thinking, Adam?"
"Nothing definite yet," Adam answered his mother as the elevator came to a stop. "I need to talk to Adora before I can say anything."
Marlena considered that for a moment before nodding to him as they stopped off the elevator and headed towards Adora's room.
Seahawk pointed out the small ICU ward on the way down the hallway.
Adam swept his eyes over the ward, making silent observations that he would use in trying to finalize his plans.
Upon reaching Adora's room, they encountered the nurse finishing making notations in a binder as she walked out of Adora's room. The nurse looked up and studied Marlena for a moment before saying, "Oh, you must be Adora's mother."
"Yes. Yes, I am. How is she?" she asked.
"I just got done doing the hourly concussion check on her and she responded to that, just fine. She's running a low-grade fever and still doing a lot of coughing. It will take a while for the cough medicine and antibiotics to kick in and knock out the bronchitis. Dr. Wilde will be by in a while to look at her knee."
"Is she awake?" Marlena questioned.
A shake of her head, "No, she fell right back asleep as soon as I pulled the blood pressure cuff off."
"All right, thank you," Marlena said, looking past the nurse to the darkened room.
"My name is Meghan and I'll be your daughter's primary charge nurse during the day while she's here," Meghan answered, finishing her notes in the binder and then closing it.
"Thank you, Meghan," Marlena replied with a graceful nod.
The nurse smiled and headed back to the nurses' station binder in hand.
Marlena was quiet for a moment before heading into Adora's room. Adam and Seahawk hung back, with silent understanding that she wanted to be alone with her.
After she was in the room, Seahawk turned to Adam and questioned him, "What have you figured out so far?"
"Not a lot," Adam admitted in a low voice.
"Why is this world so afraid of magic?" Seahawk asked, trying to get a handle on things.
Adam sighed, "I don't know, really. All I can think of is that they are more focused on technology and science. *Those* things they understand and magic, well, since they don't understand it, they don't want to acknowledge its existence."
Seahawk shook his head, this was a strange world. "What do we need to do in order to get Adora and Chelsea back to Eternia?"
"It's going to be a matter of timing and coordination when we make our move," Adam said, scanning the area and beginning to get an idea. "But, I need to talk to Adora first and foremost, then I need to see how Chelsea's room is laid out. I figure you'll have your hands full with Adora when we go through the portal, and I'll have to move carefully with Chelsea. We're going to have to move fast to keep from raising the alarm."
Seahawk agreed, "I can carry Adora, but will we be able to do this without raising the alarm?"
"I don't know, but we're certainly going to have to try," Adam said, scanning the hallway again. It looked like some simple distraction would be all that was required to get Adora out of her room and down the hall to see Chelsea. He would leave it up to Seahawk to handle Adora. On a side note, he briefly wondered if his father would be ready for Seahawk. Adora had just returned to their lives in the last couple of years and he didn't think the King would be ready for his daughter to be in a serious relationship yet and with a pirate like Seahawk no less.
Seahawk's next comment brought him back to the present and their current situation. "How long do you think it will be before Hordak makes a move against the rebellion?"
"Not long at all," Adam immediately answered. "He'll take his time to build up to the large attack, but he will immediately begin pushing at them from all sides. He'll be waiting for She-Ra to be occupied on one front and then make a big push on another front - say towards Brightmoon."
"Brightmoon?" Seahawk asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why not one of the other kingdoms first?"
"Because he's obsessed with Brightmoon," Adam said with a shrug. "When does Hordak do anything logically?"
Seahawk snorted and agreed, "That's true."
Adam said, "I expect him to begin mounting an attack on Brightmoon almost any time now." What he left unsaid was that the rebellion would be in trouble without either She-Ra or Adora to help them on either front - especially if Hordak let loose something truly nasty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Marlena heard Adam and Seahawk begin talking as she entered the room. If it was important, she knew they'd fill her in when she got done seeing Adora. It was dim in the room, the sun having set while they had sat waiting to hear word on Chelsea and now only a band of purple remained on the western horizon as night fell. The nurse had left the bathroom light on to shed light in the room without preventing Adora from resting. Her heart wrenched to see how pale Adora was as she came up to her bedside.
"Oh, Adora," she whispered, taking in the site of her daughter, with one leg encased in a brace and carefully suspended in a sling, an IV drip in the back of her right hand and the obviously painful knot on her right temple. She pulled the chair in the corner of the room over and sat down, capturing Adora's left hand in between hers. "You sure landed in a mess this time, didn't you?"
Adora's brow creased and her breathing caught for a moment, but she didn't wake.
Marlena stroked the back of the hand she held and continued on, "I still wonder what it would have been like to see you and Adam grow up together. I probably would have a lot more gray hair, but oh." She broke off and had to push aside the dark emotions - the rage and sorrow that threatened to take over. "You will never believe how shocked I was when I opened my eyes to see you standing there at Adam's side that first time. I thought I was dreaming at first.
"I don't know how Adam did it, but he managed to find you and bring you home. Now I hear vague bits and pieces of what is happening on in your life on Etheria. I know Adam isn't telling me everything and there is so much he won't answer that I can only hope that you would be able to tell me." Marlena paused and gently stroked Adora's forehead as she made a sound that wasn't a combination between a cough and a moan. "Shhhhhh," Marlena soothed. "It's all right now, Adora. You're safe. Just breathe."
Adora drew in a strangled breath and began coughing in earnest. She curled both arms around her chest, as if to give herself extra support as the coughing jag shook her whole body. Marlena cupped her back in a manner to help break up whatever bit of congestion that had come loose and was keeping her from getting a full breath in at the moment. She finally got the phlegm cleared and weakly sank back into the pillows behind her. She sipped at the water that Marlena held out for her before turning glazed eyes on her mother.
"Red hair?" Adora murmured, her eyes not wanting to stay open.
"Red hair?" Marlena echoed, clearly not understanding.
"Red hair," Adora repeated. "Chelsea said. mother has red hair."
It took Marlena a moment to decipher that Chelsea must have told her that she had red hair. "Yes, I have red hair. Chelsea mentioned that did she?"
"Yes," Adora said on a sigh as her eyes slid shut.
Marlena pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, "Rest now, Adora. We'll be heading home soon enough."
Adora's breathing evened out as she slipped back into sleep.
Marlena sat back down and continued her soothing stroking of Adora's forehead. Only some long minutes later, when she was sure that Adora was once more deeply asleep did she sit back in the chair and watch her daughter. They had much to talk about when they got back to Eternia. She knew that Randor might have wanted for Adora to come home to Eternia after she finished freeing Etheria from the Horde, but she had some doubts about that now seeing how worried Seahawk was about her.
"You know, Adora, I don't think I've ever heard the whole story on how you and your young man met." She said softly, holding Adora's left hand once more. "I like him. He really does care about you. What is your father going to say?" She laughed lightly for a moment. "He's going to have to adjust his thinking and quit trying to find a prince to marry you off to."
Marlena stayed in the chair at Adora's bedside through Meghan coming back for her hourly check on Adora.
There was a knock on the door as she entered saying, "Knock, knock." She walked in carrying the maroon binder and opened it up on the bed tray, beginning to do her checklist of items.
Marlena took that time to go out and go see what Adam and Seahawk had come up with while she had been with Adora. She walked out of the room to see Adam leaning with his back against the wall and Seahawk next to him with one shoulder proper against the wall. The two of them were having a quiet discussion.
Adam noted her first. He straightened up and nodded at her. "Welcome back," he said by way of greeting as she approached. "How's Adora?"
"Pretty much out of it. She had another coughing attack. She sounds like she's trying to cough up a lung," Marlena paused for a moment, pushing back her guilt as a mother for failing to protect her daughter.
"Was she awake at all?" Adam questioned.
"Not really - she asked me about my hair. Chelsea must have told her that I have red hair, because that was what she asked about."
Adam considered that for a moment before Marlena asked, "What have you figured out?"
"Getting Adora out of here will be the easy part. Think you and Seahawk can round up a wheelchair while I talk to Adora?"
Marlena quirked an eyebrow at his request, he was asking both of them to go? "Why? What do you have in mind?"
"Like I said, getting Adora out of here will be easy - you and Seahawk can wheel her out of here easily enough."
"And, what will you be doing?" Marlena directed her question to him with a still quirked eyebrow.
Adam's mouth twisted briefly, "Providing distraction."
"Oh?" Marlena's eyebrow went right back up. She figured out what he was going to do and couldn't resist a gentle bit of teasing, "Oh, you're going to 'chat it up' with them, are you?"
Adam rolled his eyes, which was more than enough answer for Marlena. She grinned and patted his arm. "You'll survive, Adam."
"Yes, but it's the oldest trick in the book," was Adam's answer. "I feel like an idiot having to do something like that."
"Discretion is the key, here," Marlena said by way of approval.
Adam nodded and replied, "That's going to be the hard part when we open up a portal in Chelsea's room."
Marlena frowned and agreed, "True. Do you know how you're going to manage that part yet?"
Adam shook his head. "Not quite. I need to see what the layout of her room is. I think we'll play that one close to the vest. I'll have the Sorceress open the portal, but we're either going to have to go through it all at once, or go individually."
"I vote for individually," Marlena commented, watching Meghan come out of Adora's room and put the maroon binder back in its slot among with about four other binders, before grabbing a different one and heading to another room. Her co-worker did the same with the binders on her side of the desk just moments after Meghan had entered the room two doors down from Adora. "We don't want to get into trouble all going into Chelsea's room at once. The nurse won't let us do that - not since she's in ICU. She will, however, make an exception for Adora, since she can't very well wheel herself."
"So, you think Adora and I should go through first?" Seahawk asked, figuring out what Marlena meant.
Adam answered, "That would be best, I think."
"All right," Seahawk accepted the plan. "How soon do we move on this?"
"Within the next couple of hours," Adam stated. "Let's wait until they have Chelsea off the ventilator first."
Marlena agreed, "Right."
"Do you want to see if she's been moved up here yet, Mother?"
"It's been over an hour now, so if not yet, then she should be up here soon," Marlena said, looking down the hallway to where the ICU was. "Let's go check and see."
"Right," Adam nodded and pushed away from the wall. Both he and Seahawk fell in behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Again, with Adam and Seahawk behind her like an honor guard, Marlena led the way down to the ICU. There she charmed Darcie into letting them see Chelsea.
"Keep it short and only one of you at a time," Darcie relented.
"Thank you," Marlena said with a smile. She led the way over to Chelsea's room and found herself surprised when Seahawk asked if he could go first.
"I - wanted to thank her," Seahawk explained, finding himself at a loss for words.
"You don't have to explain anything, Seahawk, I understand," Marlena assured him with a hand on his arm.
Seahawk found himself alone in the room with the person who had risked her own life to help Adora without even knowing who she was. He was overwhelmed at all the strange machinery that surrounded the unconscious woman on the bed. He stood at her right side, not know what to say at first. "I - find myself here at a loss for words here. Because you chose to help Adora, you have been grievously hurt." he paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I can't thank you enough for helping her, nor can I apologize enough for what has happened to you as a result. Just keep this in mind that Adam is working on a way for all of us - including you - to get back to Eternia. He said, and I agree with him on this, that you have done too much to be left here to heal by traditional means for your homeworld. In just a short time, we will be heading back to Eternia. So, thank you. Thank you for risking your own life to help Adora."
He turned and with one last look at the sleeping woman, left the room.
Marlena took her turn next and pulled up a chair to Chelsea's bedside. "Chelsea, what have you gone and done to yourself this time?" She sat down and took Chelsea's right hand in hers, mindful of the IV line. "First you go haring off in a blizzard to go find Adora and now you get in a wreck bringing her back to us? This wasn't supposed to happen. "
Just as Marlena was going to say something else, Chelsea's hand tightened around hers. Marlena looked up to see Chelsea had her eyes open and was trying to focus on her.
"Chelsea? Are you with me for the moment?" Marlena asked, her eyes flickering briefly to the monitors behind Chelsea's bed.
Chelsea tried to say something, but was blocked by the breathing tube. Her eyes widened with panic and she tried to move her left hand but found it immobile. Frowning, she next tried to get her right hand free from Marlena's grasp.
"Shh," Marlena soothed. "You have a breathing tube in right now. Don't try to talk."
Her eyes wide, Chelsea focused on Marlena, clearly frightened by the tube in her throat.
"Don't worry, Chelsea. It's only a temporary thing," Marlena assured her.
Chelsea didn't appear to be appeased by that and her heart rate increased even more, Marlena could see on the monitors. She was fighting the tube in her throat.
Making a quick decision, Marlena assured her, "I'll be right back, Chelsea. I'm going to get your nurse." She put the hand she'd been holding down and turned towards the door. She got no more than two steps before Darcie was in the doorway.
She stepped to the bedside and said in a reassuring tone to both Chelsea and Marlena, "I've called the attending physician and the respiratory therapist. We should be able to take that tube out of your throat in just a few moments here."
Chelsea's eyes closed for a moment and she tried to take a deeper breath, stopped by the pain from her cracked ribs and the ventilator.
Marlena found herself waiting back outside the room as the attending physician came in with the respiratory therapist close on her heels pushing a cart. She explained to Adam and Seahawk what was going on as they waited for the room to clear. It took a few minutes, but the doctor approved it and the respiratory therapist worked with Chelsea to remove the tube. The attending physician and the therapist left not long after that, pleased expressions on their faces.
Darcie emerged from the room and said to Marlena, "That went very well. I didn't think that Dr. Weiss would approve that so fast, but she did."
"Well, maybe luck is finally on our side here," Marlena answered. "Thanks so much for getting them here so fast."
"Dr. Wilde had already left orders for it as soon as she was conscious enough and Dr. Weiss just signed off on it," Darcie explained and moved back to her station and her monitors.
Adam entered the room after a warning look from Darcie to keep it short. He promised and then headed into the room. He was surprised to find her still somewhat awake fighting the pain medication that was trying to put her back asleep once more.
"Chels," he said as he got to her side. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Can't," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Adora?"
"You can't rest because you want to know about Adora?" Adam interpreted.
A bare hint of a nod from Chelsea let him know he was right.
"Adora is in better shape than you," Adam supplied. "She came out of the accident with no more real damage than before. She hit her head again, but didn't do else to her knee. She's in a room down the hall."
"Good," Chelsea exhaled. Her eyes closed and she drew in a hissing breath. "Hurts."
"Well, you should quit fighting the meds, Chels," Adam chided.
"Maybe." she whispered, and hissed again.
"Chels, do you have *any* idea of the pounding you took in the accident?" Adam asked her, shaking his head.
"Not. . ." Chelsea exhaled and drew another breath, ". . .really."
"You were on the ventilator because not only did you crack some ribs, you punctured a lung."
"Oh. . . " Chelsea said on a sigh, her eyes beginning to cloud over again.
"Chelsea, rest. Quit fighting the meds. You don't have to worry about anything else now," Adam assured her.
"How. . . soon. . . home?" Chelsea slurred out.
"Soon. I just have to contact the Sorceress and let her know we're ready."
"Goo. . ." Chelsea slurred and succumbed to the anesthesia and painkillers.
"Rest now," Adam said softly. "We'll be back for you shortly."
He took a good look around the room, noting which wall would be best for the Sorceress to open the portal on. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.
Outside he told his mother and Seahawk, "She's asleep. Now, let's go get Adora."
* * * * *
The elevators came to a stop on the second floor and Seahawk walked with them to the waiting room outside of surgery. Marlena kept a hold on his arm until then, like he was one of her family. More and more he felt himself amazed at her strength of will. She would not let her worries get the better of her until the crisis was past and she could freely give way to her emotions. He saw many similarities between her and Adora in terms of character, so amazing since Adora grew up in the Fright Zone, under Hordak and Shadoweaver's auspices. Upon reaching their destination, he took his leave with a small bow.
"I'm going to go see Adora now," Seahawk said as he bowed over Marlena's hand.
"You probably won't get much out of her, Seahawk," Marlena cautioned. "They've probably got her pretty well doped up by now with pain killers for her injuries."
"I understand, but I've still got to see her," was Hawk's answer.
"Of course you do," Marlena said, her expression full of understanding and longing. "I'll be up to see her just as soon as we get some word on Chelsea."
"Right," Seahawk replied and with a nod to Adam, turned and departed for the time being.
Marlena sat down with a sigh and prepared to wait for the surgeon.
"It will be all right, Mother," Adam tried to comfort her.
"I know, Adam, I know," Marlena sighed, "It's always the waiting and not- knowing that's the worst. I know how we can fix this mess we've seem to have found ourselves in right now - we need to get Chelsea and Adora back home to our healers, but the logistics of it all. Right now it escapes me."
"We will work it out, Mother," Adam assured her.
"I know we will, Adam, but I wish you would confide in me why you think it's necessary to tell me half-truths and keep information from me," Marlena sounded tired and a bit aggrieved. It would be so much easier if he would just tell her everything!
"There will probably come a day when I can tell you everything, Mother, but until then, I simply cannot," Adam stated his case, the knowledge of what all he was keeping from his mother weighing heavily on him at the moment.
"Then, what are you planning, Adam? At least tell me this," Marlena sat back up and looked at him directly.
"I need for Adora to claim her sword and I think I may need the Sorceress of Grayskull's help with getting her to listen to me," Adam explained quietly.
"So, why can't I be there, Adam?" Marlena questioned, going from worry to irritation.
"Because it's knowledge that would be too dangerous for you to have at this time, Mother," Adam answered, his patience beginning to wear thin. *Sorceress, grant me patience from my own mother! *
Marlena gave him another sideways glance that told him she still wasn't satisfied with his answer, but again it was the wrong time and place to be talking about the whys of it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Seahawk walked down the hallway, pausing at the doorway that led to the small ICU ward and was grateful that Adora hadn't ended up there. He didn't know what Adora's family was planning, but her brother Adam certainly had something in mind.
A nurse looked up from her charts and asked, "Can I help you, sir?"
Seahawk shook his head, "No, not really."
"Is there someone you're looking for?" The nurse in colorful scrubs asked.
"My fiancée," Seahawk answered, tilting his head towards the direction of Adora's room. "She's down the hall."
"Do you know what her room number is?" she looked back down at her terminal and her dark brown braid hair fell forward over her shoulder as she set her hands on the keyboard, ready to look up the information for him.
"Yes," Seahawk answered, "yes, I do. She's in 349."
"So you know where you're going then?" the nurse questioned, looking back up at him.
"Yes," Seahawk answered again with a nod. "I was just on my way to go see her. I'll be back this way once her friend is brought up from surgery."
"Ah," the nurse nodded. "I'm here until midnight, so I'll probably see you again. My name is Darcie."
"Seahawk," was the rejoinder.
The nurse's face lit up in a smile, "I bet your parents loved the old 'swashbuckler' movies."
Not knowing how to answer that, Seahawk chose the safer route, "You could say that." He nodded to her and headed down the hallway to go see Adora.
He walked in as the nurse was taking her blood pressure and temperature. The thermometer beeped and the nurse wrote that information down in the chart before unwrapping Adora's arm from the blood pressure cuff.
"I'll be back in an hour to check up on you again," the nurse said, putting everything away and leaving the room.
Adora nodded tiredly and leaned her head back against the pillows at her back. "Just when I thought I was going to be done with that routine," she sighed, obviously going to be a cranky patient this time around.
Seahawk smiled a little. It was good to see something of the Adora he knew coming through. "May I come in?" he questioned.
Adora looked up at him and it took a moment for recognition to register and then her face blushed as she remembered the melting kiss.
The color was a welcome contrast to the bleached white pillowcase and bed sheets was Seahawk's thought as he walked into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't quite know," Adora said around a yawn. "They gave me something and I can't seem to think."
Her eyes closed and for a moment, Seahawk thought that the pain medication had pulled her into the sleep realms. They fluttered back open and she said, "I don't like how dizzy I feel. I need to stay awake to find out about Chel-" she was cut off by a coughing jag that drained all the color from her face.
Seahawk moved to her side in just a few long strides, wondering what he could do to help her. Adora waved him off and pointed to the water pitcher on the table. He poured her a cup of water; ready to hand it to her when she finished coughing.
It took her several moments before she'd managed to clear the bit of phlegm that had obscured her breathing. The effort drained her face of color and she gratefully took the cup of water Seahawk poured for her.
"You need to rest, Adora," Seahawk said. "Chelsea will be in surgery for quite a while yet from what I understand."
"She's in surgery?" Adora questioned, her voice raspy from the coughing jag. Her eyes were heavy, fighting against the pull of the painkillers.
"Yes," Seahawk said, holding one of her hands wrapped in both of his. "You need to rest now so you can see her later on."
"I can't-" Adora tried to protest around a yawn.
"You have to, Adora," Seahawk answered. "You can barely keep your eyes open as it is. You can see Chelsea once she's out of surgery."
Adora seemed to settle back against the pillows, somewhat assured by Seahawk's answer. Her eyes closed for but a second before they flew back open and she exclaimed, "My family!"
"They're here. Chelsea had the means of contacting your mother in her backpack and she and your brother Adam are downstairs waiting for Chelsea to come out of surgery," was the calm assurance as he still held her hand captive.
Adora yawned again, her eyes closing briefly before she pulled them back open and looked to Seahawk, "How is Chelsea?"
"She took a real beating when the accident happened," Seahawk paused for a moment to recall what the doctor in the emergency room had said, and more than grateful that it had not been Adora who'd been hurt that badly. "Her left leg and arm were badly broken and she had a cracked rib puncture her lung."
"Oh no," Adora sighed raggedly before beginning to cough again. It wasn't a serious coughing jag, but enough to leave her winded once more.
"You need to rest, Adora," Seahawk asserted once more. "You can't go see Chelsea if the nurse has to knock you out."
"So tired. . ." Adora murmured, the painkillers in her IV line, doing their work and making her drowsy.
"Yes, rest now, Adora," Seahawk shushed her, taking a hand and gently brushing her bangs back off her forehead. His fingers skimmed over the bandage that covered the swollen bump drawing a momentary grimace from Adora as her eyes slid closed once more.
"Don't forget to wake me when it's time to go see Chelsea. . . " Adora said, opening her eyes once more and tightening her hand on Seahawk's.
"I won't," Seahawk promised, continuing to brush her hair back from her face. "Now, sleep Adora. Let the medicine they're giving you do its job."
"Don't forget. . ." Adora whispered, her eyes sliding shut and staying shut as she relaxed back into sleep.
"I won't," Seahawk repeated, continuing his gentle strokes and still holding her hand.
Adora kept her hand wrapped around Seahawk's as she let the drugs pull her under. He was still holding her hand and stroking her hair; when the nurse came back to check on her at the hour check mark. Color was back in Adora's cheeks, but Seahawk knew it was from the fever.
The nurse spoke briefly with Seahawk before waking Adora up and getting the proper response from her as she did the blood pressure, temperature and pupillary response check.
Adora looked to Seahawk and with a smile asked, "Promise?"
"I promise. Now, go back to sleep," Seahawk answered with a smile.
She slid back into sleep with Seahawk holding her hand still.
Seahawk waited until she was asleep again before releasing her hand and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back," he whispered and left the room. He nodded to the nurse and walked back to the elevators to go see if Marlena and Adam had any news yet.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Outside the surgery center, Marlena tried to read the book she'd stuffed in her bag upon leaving the suite while processing her thoughts on the argument she'd been having with Adam since arriving on Earth. Fact - the key to breaking the spell was Adora's sword, she knew that much. Fact - Adam had a sword similar to Adora's. Fact - Adam knew more than he was telling. Fact - Adam was a hell of a lot more coordinated and physically fit than he let on back on Eternia. Fact - Adam said he needed to talk to Adora alone in order to break the spell. Putting it all together and she was left with one strong case of Mother's Intuition. There was just so much she was guessing at and putting together that she had a pretty strong case for her beliefs now. She was going to make a point of having a talk with the Sorceress when they returned to Eternia.
At the approach of footsteps approaching both she and Adam looked up to see Seahawk returning.
Marlena asked first, "How is she?"
"Sleeping for the moment, but more concerned with Chelsea than she is herself," Seahawk answered, sitting down in one of the chairs.
Adam had a half smile on his face, "Sounds like Adora, all right."
"She made me promise to wake her up to see Chelsea once she was able to have visitors," Seahawk said, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Do we have any news on Chelsea yet?"
"Not yet," Marlena answered. "I don't expect to hear anything for another hour at least."
"So, the real wait begins now?" Seahawk commented in a voice full of irony.
"Yes, it does," was Marlena's answer. She glanced over at the TV that was on a bracket up on the wall. *Why do airports and hospitals think that all we want to watch is CNN?* Marlena thought to herself. Nothing of major importance was happening, yet the news channel kept rehashing unto the nth degree the smallest thing - in this case, the never ceasing conflict in the Mid East. With an inward sigh, she turned her attention back to her book and tried to get absorbed in it to pass the time.
Seahawk and Adam took turns pacing the small waiting area, or talking about their experiences with fighting the Horde. Seahawk talked about the ill- fated battle at Blackmoore.
"There's really not much I can tell you from my end," he admitted. "Spirit found me on the road already en route to Blackmoore. We immediately headed back there and from there, went straight to where Hordak and Shadoweaver had set their trap. Adora was trapped in the forcefield and Shadoweaver was already casting her spell." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. "I made the mistake of trying to rush Hordak first. If I'd been paying attention, I should have gone after Shadoweaver."
"Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, Seahawk," Marlena said, looking up from her book to see the tortured expression on his face.
"But, if I had-" he started to say.
"No buts, Seahawk," Marlena interjected firmly. "You didn't know what Hordak had planned. None of us did."
Seahawk looked up in surprise, caught in her steady gaze. He found himself surprised by Marlena's strength of will once more.
"For whatever reason, I dreamed about the battle that night, Seahawk," Marlena went on to explain in a voice full of quiet conviction. "I saw what happened. There was nothing you could have done. If you had tried to attack Shadoweaver first, Hordak still would have shot you and I doubt it would have been just a stun blast. Hordak was going to allow nothing, absolutely nothing, to stop Shadoweaver from casting that spell."
A different sound had Marlena turning her head to see the surgery doors closing and a nurse in surgical scrubs approaching. Seahawk and Adam were on their feet almost before Marlena.
"Mrs. Randor?" the surgical nurse questioned.
"Yes," Marlena answered.
"Dr. Wilde sent me out to let you know that he's just finishing up and will be with you in a few moments," the nurse said with a neutral expression.
"How did everything go?" Marlena asked.
"As smooth as can be expected when dealing with a trauma case," the nurse replied, her face saying nothing. "Dr. Wilde is finishing up with Miss Cameron and then seeing her transferred to recovery. He'll be out in just a few more minutes to talk to you."
"All right, thank you," Marlena answered, feeling herself being able to breathe just a bit easier now. She was tired of waiting for news and was anxious to get Chelsea and Adora back to Eternia.
The nurse left them and headed back through the doors leading to surgery.
Marlena sighed and sat back in her chair, her thoughts racing in a million directions. She wanted to get home and see her husband; she wanted Adora and Chelsea to be all right and most of all, she really wanted to knock Hordak off his feet for what he had done again to her family.
A few minutes later, an older gentleman who reminded Marlena of an old cowboy came striding towards them.
"Mrs. Randor, I'm Dr. Wilde. I understand you're waiting to hear how Chelsea Cameron did in surgery?" The surgeon had a full white mustache that just matched the drawl in his voice.
"Yes, please, call me Marlena," Marlena said, already taking a liking to this cowboy surgeon.
"Marlena then," the surgeon replied with a nod.
Marlena introduced Adam and Seahawk, "This is my son Adam and my daughter's fiancée, Seahawk."
"Well, let me show you the x-rays here on Miss Cameron and show you all what we repaired," the surgeon said after shaking hands with the other two.
"Of course," Marlena answered, following him around the corner to a light board.
He pulled out a set of x-rays and put them up on the board. The breaks were visible even to Marlena's untrained eye. "Here you see how the bones in Miss Cameron's forearm are before the surgery. The ulna and radius have compound fractures in them here and here -" he pointed out the two visible breaks.
Marlena kept her face impassive and she looked at the x-rays, but a quick glance to the side told her that Seahawk was visibly flinching, while Adam's eyes had a shuttered look to them.
The surgeon pulled that set of x-rays down and replaced it with another, "Now here you see the bones are realigned and held in place now by a set of pins on this break-" he pointed to the break closer to the wrist. "The other break was a bit trickier and we had to use a small plate on the ulna, since it had a chip that wasn't visible on the x-ray. The break on the radius we just were able to use a pin to realign the bone."
Marlena sighed and shook her head. By Earth standards, it would be weeks before Chelsea's arm healed to the point of her having any use of it.
The surgeon pulled down the post-surgery x-rays of Chelsea's arm and replaced them with pre-op ones of her lower leg. Again, it wasn't a pretty picture and Marlena could more than see why Chelsea had been rushed to surgery. The breaks in the lower leg were a lot worse than in the arm - the bones looking more like a jigsaw puzzle. "As you can see, the lower leg took a lot more damage. It looks like this was the point of impact for the accident. The tibia and fibula bones are not just chipped, but also misaligned here and here," he pointed out the breaks. He replaced the x- rays with the post-op ones, showing more pins and plates, "Now you see how much we matched all the jigsaw puzzle pieces back together here. We used a lot of pins and screws to get all the pieces back in place."
Marlena questioned, "How much of this is permanent? I mean, will any of the pins and screws eventually be able to be taken out once the bones heal?"
"The plates and screws are permanent, but the pins will be removed surgically once the bones have healed to a certain extent," Dr. Wilde answered in his drawling voice.
"Did you have to insert rods into those bones in order to stabilize them?" Marlena questioned next, looking at the x-rays.
"Yes, ma'am," Dr. Wilde replied with a short nod. "And, the rods will be permanent, I'm afraid. She'll set off the metal detectors at the airports now," the surgeon said with the barest hint of a smile.
Marlena snorted, "With that much metal now? I should think so."
"The other break was easier to repair - it was cleaner in terms of bone fragments."
"All right, what about vascular damage? Is there anything major to worry about there with how badly the leg was broken?" Marlena asked next. She could tell she'd just shocked Adam and Seahawk with her medical knowledge.
"Well now," the surgeon drawled out, his voice reminding Marlena of an old west figure. "There's where we caught a break. None of the major blood vessels were damaged. We just have to watch and make sure the incisions don't become infected and that the swelling doesn't cut off circulation."
Marlena nodded before questioning, "Now, considering all the work you've done here, is Chelsea going to be in traction or in casts while this heals?"
"She'll be in casts, but she won't be on her feet at all until the bones have truly begun to knit back together," the surgeon answered. "She won't be able to handle a crutch when she won't have a lot of use of that left hand, either."
"True," Marlena said. "What type of casts did you put her in? Hard plaster, or soft casts?"
"Because of the extent of the damage, I had to go with plaster." The surgeon answered.
Marlena sighed and nodded, "I was hoping otherwise, but I understand. Now, will she be in traction the whole time, or will she be able to go home in a few days?"
"Barring infection or any complications, she should be able to go home in a few days - provided she has full time care. She's not going to be able to manage on her own for a while," Dr. Wilde replied.
"Of course. I know her grandparents are in the San Juan Islands, but I am sure they will be here just as soon as they can get manage it," Marlena said, planning on being back on Eternia before that happened. "Now, what about vascular and muscle damage? I know with breaks like this, there is a great tendency for massive tissue damage."
"We got lucky there," the surgeon drawled out, his voice reminding Marlena of an old west figure. "There was almost no vascular damage and the muscle damage was minimal because she couldn't or didn't move that much once she was injured. That was all repaired when we went in and cleaned up the mess from the fractures."
Marlena seemed to feel some of the tension ease from between her shoulders. "That's great. Now, how about her breathing? How much longer is she going to remain on the ventilator?"
"Once she's stable up in the ICU, the attending physician will see to its removal. I don't want to stress her anymore than necessary right now - give her a chance to come out of the anesthesia first,"
Marlena nodded, in agreement, her face showing her distaste for the possibility, "The last thing you want to do is to re-intubate someone after you pull that breathing tube out."
"I don't foresee any reason to keep her on the ventilator - it's better to take her off it as soon as possible, but we want her stable before we do this," Dr. Wilde said.
"Right," Marlena agreed and was silent for a moment.
"Do you have any other questions for me?" Dr. Wilde questioned.
Marlena looked to Seahawk and Adam behind her and each shook their head in the negative. She turned back to the surgeon and said with a smile, "No, I think you've answered all our questions for now. Thank you so much, Dr. Wilde."
"My pleasure," the surgeon drawled around a genuine smile. "It's not often I get to talk to someone who's not a colleague who understands what I'm talking about when I 'get to babbling in medical mumbo jumbo,' as my wife says."
Marlena laughed and shook hands with him, "It's been a pleasure to talk frankly with you." She turned back to Adam and Seahawk and said, "Come on, I want to see how Adora's doing while we're waiting to see Chelsea."
She led the way back to the elevators with Adam and Seahawk following closely behind her like an honor guard as the surgeon pulled the x-rays down from the light board and put them back in their envelope. He turned off the light board and headed off in the opposite direction.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the elevator up to the next floor, Marlena turned a speculative eye on her son, "What are you thinking, Adam?"
"Nothing definite yet," Adam answered his mother as the elevator came to a stop. "I need to talk to Adora before I can say anything."
Marlena considered that for a moment before nodding to him as they stopped off the elevator and headed towards Adora's room.
Seahawk pointed out the small ICU ward on the way down the hallway.
Adam swept his eyes over the ward, making silent observations that he would use in trying to finalize his plans.
Upon reaching Adora's room, they encountered the nurse finishing making notations in a binder as she walked out of Adora's room. The nurse looked up and studied Marlena for a moment before saying, "Oh, you must be Adora's mother."
"Yes. Yes, I am. How is she?" she asked.
"I just got done doing the hourly concussion check on her and she responded to that, just fine. She's running a low-grade fever and still doing a lot of coughing. It will take a while for the cough medicine and antibiotics to kick in and knock out the bronchitis. Dr. Wilde will be by in a while to look at her knee."
"Is she awake?" Marlena questioned.
A shake of her head, "No, she fell right back asleep as soon as I pulled the blood pressure cuff off."
"All right, thank you," Marlena said, looking past the nurse to the darkened room.
"My name is Meghan and I'll be your daughter's primary charge nurse during the day while she's here," Meghan answered, finishing her notes in the binder and then closing it.
"Thank you, Meghan," Marlena replied with a graceful nod.
The nurse smiled and headed back to the nurses' station binder in hand.
Marlena was quiet for a moment before heading into Adora's room. Adam and Seahawk hung back, with silent understanding that she wanted to be alone with her.
After she was in the room, Seahawk turned to Adam and questioned him, "What have you figured out so far?"
"Not a lot," Adam admitted in a low voice.
"Why is this world so afraid of magic?" Seahawk asked, trying to get a handle on things.
Adam sighed, "I don't know, really. All I can think of is that they are more focused on technology and science. *Those* things they understand and magic, well, since they don't understand it, they don't want to acknowledge its existence."
Seahawk shook his head, this was a strange world. "What do we need to do in order to get Adora and Chelsea back to Eternia?"
"It's going to be a matter of timing and coordination when we make our move," Adam said, scanning the area and beginning to get an idea. "But, I need to talk to Adora first and foremost, then I need to see how Chelsea's room is laid out. I figure you'll have your hands full with Adora when we go through the portal, and I'll have to move carefully with Chelsea. We're going to have to move fast to keep from raising the alarm."
Seahawk agreed, "I can carry Adora, but will we be able to do this without raising the alarm?"
"I don't know, but we're certainly going to have to try," Adam said, scanning the hallway again. It looked like some simple distraction would be all that was required to get Adora out of her room and down the hall to see Chelsea. He would leave it up to Seahawk to handle Adora. On a side note, he briefly wondered if his father would be ready for Seahawk. Adora had just returned to their lives in the last couple of years and he didn't think the King would be ready for his daughter to be in a serious relationship yet and with a pirate like Seahawk no less.
Seahawk's next comment brought him back to the present and their current situation. "How long do you think it will be before Hordak makes a move against the rebellion?"
"Not long at all," Adam immediately answered. "He'll take his time to build up to the large attack, but he will immediately begin pushing at them from all sides. He'll be waiting for She-Ra to be occupied on one front and then make a big push on another front - say towards Brightmoon."
"Brightmoon?" Seahawk asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why not one of the other kingdoms first?"
"Because he's obsessed with Brightmoon," Adam said with a shrug. "When does Hordak do anything logically?"
Seahawk snorted and agreed, "That's true."
Adam said, "I expect him to begin mounting an attack on Brightmoon almost any time now." What he left unsaid was that the rebellion would be in trouble without either She-Ra or Adora to help them on either front - especially if Hordak let loose something truly nasty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Marlena heard Adam and Seahawk begin talking as she entered the room. If it was important, she knew they'd fill her in when she got done seeing Adora. It was dim in the room, the sun having set while they had sat waiting to hear word on Chelsea and now only a band of purple remained on the western horizon as night fell. The nurse had left the bathroom light on to shed light in the room without preventing Adora from resting. Her heart wrenched to see how pale Adora was as she came up to her bedside.
"Oh, Adora," she whispered, taking in the site of her daughter, with one leg encased in a brace and carefully suspended in a sling, an IV drip in the back of her right hand and the obviously painful knot on her right temple. She pulled the chair in the corner of the room over and sat down, capturing Adora's left hand in between hers. "You sure landed in a mess this time, didn't you?"
Adora's brow creased and her breathing caught for a moment, but she didn't wake.
Marlena stroked the back of the hand she held and continued on, "I still wonder what it would have been like to see you and Adam grow up together. I probably would have a lot more gray hair, but oh." She broke off and had to push aside the dark emotions - the rage and sorrow that threatened to take over. "You will never believe how shocked I was when I opened my eyes to see you standing there at Adam's side that first time. I thought I was dreaming at first.
"I don't know how Adam did it, but he managed to find you and bring you home. Now I hear vague bits and pieces of what is happening on in your life on Etheria. I know Adam isn't telling me everything and there is so much he won't answer that I can only hope that you would be able to tell me." Marlena paused and gently stroked Adora's forehead as she made a sound that wasn't a combination between a cough and a moan. "Shhhhhh," Marlena soothed. "It's all right now, Adora. You're safe. Just breathe."
Adora drew in a strangled breath and began coughing in earnest. She curled both arms around her chest, as if to give herself extra support as the coughing jag shook her whole body. Marlena cupped her back in a manner to help break up whatever bit of congestion that had come loose and was keeping her from getting a full breath in at the moment. She finally got the phlegm cleared and weakly sank back into the pillows behind her. She sipped at the water that Marlena held out for her before turning glazed eyes on her mother.
"Red hair?" Adora murmured, her eyes not wanting to stay open.
"Red hair?" Marlena echoed, clearly not understanding.
"Red hair," Adora repeated. "Chelsea said. mother has red hair."
It took Marlena a moment to decipher that Chelsea must have told her that she had red hair. "Yes, I have red hair. Chelsea mentioned that did she?"
"Yes," Adora said on a sigh as her eyes slid shut.
Marlena pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, "Rest now, Adora. We'll be heading home soon enough."
Adora's breathing evened out as she slipped back into sleep.
Marlena sat back down and continued her soothing stroking of Adora's forehead. Only some long minutes later, when she was sure that Adora was once more deeply asleep did she sit back in the chair and watch her daughter. They had much to talk about when they got back to Eternia. She knew that Randor might have wanted for Adora to come home to Eternia after she finished freeing Etheria from the Horde, but she had some doubts about that now seeing how worried Seahawk was about her.
"You know, Adora, I don't think I've ever heard the whole story on how you and your young man met." She said softly, holding Adora's left hand once more. "I like him. He really does care about you. What is your father going to say?" She laughed lightly for a moment. "He's going to have to adjust his thinking and quit trying to find a prince to marry you off to."
Marlena stayed in the chair at Adora's bedside through Meghan coming back for her hourly check on Adora.
There was a knock on the door as she entered saying, "Knock, knock." She walked in carrying the maroon binder and opened it up on the bed tray, beginning to do her checklist of items.
Marlena took that time to go out and go see what Adam and Seahawk had come up with while she had been with Adora. She walked out of the room to see Adam leaning with his back against the wall and Seahawk next to him with one shoulder proper against the wall. The two of them were having a quiet discussion.
Adam noted her first. He straightened up and nodded at her. "Welcome back," he said by way of greeting as she approached. "How's Adora?"
"Pretty much out of it. She had another coughing attack. She sounds like she's trying to cough up a lung," Marlena paused for a moment, pushing back her guilt as a mother for failing to protect her daughter.
"Was she awake at all?" Adam questioned.
"Not really - she asked me about my hair. Chelsea must have told her that I have red hair, because that was what she asked about."
Adam considered that for a moment before Marlena asked, "What have you figured out?"
"Getting Adora out of here will be the easy part. Think you and Seahawk can round up a wheelchair while I talk to Adora?"
Marlena quirked an eyebrow at his request, he was asking both of them to go? "Why? What do you have in mind?"
"Like I said, getting Adora out of here will be easy - you and Seahawk can wheel her out of here easily enough."
"And, what will you be doing?" Marlena directed her question to him with a still quirked eyebrow.
Adam's mouth twisted briefly, "Providing distraction."
"Oh?" Marlena's eyebrow went right back up. She figured out what he was going to do and couldn't resist a gentle bit of teasing, "Oh, you're going to 'chat it up' with them, are you?"
Adam rolled his eyes, which was more than enough answer for Marlena. She grinned and patted his arm. "You'll survive, Adam."
"Yes, but it's the oldest trick in the book," was Adam's answer. "I feel like an idiot having to do something like that."
"Discretion is the key, here," Marlena said by way of approval.
Adam nodded and replied, "That's going to be the hard part when we open up a portal in Chelsea's room."
Marlena frowned and agreed, "True. Do you know how you're going to manage that part yet?"
Adam shook his head. "Not quite. I need to see what the layout of her room is. I think we'll play that one close to the vest. I'll have the Sorceress open the portal, but we're either going to have to go through it all at once, or go individually."
"I vote for individually," Marlena commented, watching Meghan come out of Adora's room and put the maroon binder back in its slot among with about four other binders, before grabbing a different one and heading to another room. Her co-worker did the same with the binders on her side of the desk just moments after Meghan had entered the room two doors down from Adora. "We don't want to get into trouble all going into Chelsea's room at once. The nurse won't let us do that - not since she's in ICU. She will, however, make an exception for Adora, since she can't very well wheel herself."
"So, you think Adora and I should go through first?" Seahawk asked, figuring out what Marlena meant.
Adam answered, "That would be best, I think."
"All right," Seahawk accepted the plan. "How soon do we move on this?"
"Within the next couple of hours," Adam stated. "Let's wait until they have Chelsea off the ventilator first."
Marlena agreed, "Right."
"Do you want to see if she's been moved up here yet, Mother?"
"It's been over an hour now, so if not yet, then she should be up here soon," Marlena said, looking down the hallway to where the ICU was. "Let's go check and see."
"Right," Adam nodded and pushed away from the wall. Both he and Seahawk fell in behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Again, with Adam and Seahawk behind her like an honor guard, Marlena led the way down to the ICU. There she charmed Darcie into letting them see Chelsea.
"Keep it short and only one of you at a time," Darcie relented.
"Thank you," Marlena said with a smile. She led the way over to Chelsea's room and found herself surprised when Seahawk asked if he could go first.
"I - wanted to thank her," Seahawk explained, finding himself at a loss for words.
"You don't have to explain anything, Seahawk, I understand," Marlena assured him with a hand on his arm.
Seahawk found himself alone in the room with the person who had risked her own life to help Adora without even knowing who she was. He was overwhelmed at all the strange machinery that surrounded the unconscious woman on the bed. He stood at her right side, not know what to say at first. "I - find myself here at a loss for words here. Because you chose to help Adora, you have been grievously hurt." he paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I can't thank you enough for helping her, nor can I apologize enough for what has happened to you as a result. Just keep this in mind that Adam is working on a way for all of us - including you - to get back to Eternia. He said, and I agree with him on this, that you have done too much to be left here to heal by traditional means for your homeworld. In just a short time, we will be heading back to Eternia. So, thank you. Thank you for risking your own life to help Adora."
He turned and with one last look at the sleeping woman, left the room.
Marlena took her turn next and pulled up a chair to Chelsea's bedside. "Chelsea, what have you gone and done to yourself this time?" She sat down and took Chelsea's right hand in hers, mindful of the IV line. "First you go haring off in a blizzard to go find Adora and now you get in a wreck bringing her back to us? This wasn't supposed to happen. "
Just as Marlena was going to say something else, Chelsea's hand tightened around hers. Marlena looked up to see Chelsea had her eyes open and was trying to focus on her.
"Chelsea? Are you with me for the moment?" Marlena asked, her eyes flickering briefly to the monitors behind Chelsea's bed.
Chelsea tried to say something, but was blocked by the breathing tube. Her eyes widened with panic and she tried to move her left hand but found it immobile. Frowning, she next tried to get her right hand free from Marlena's grasp.
"Shh," Marlena soothed. "You have a breathing tube in right now. Don't try to talk."
Her eyes wide, Chelsea focused on Marlena, clearly frightened by the tube in her throat.
"Don't worry, Chelsea. It's only a temporary thing," Marlena assured her.
Chelsea didn't appear to be appeased by that and her heart rate increased even more, Marlena could see on the monitors. She was fighting the tube in her throat.
Making a quick decision, Marlena assured her, "I'll be right back, Chelsea. I'm going to get your nurse." She put the hand she'd been holding down and turned towards the door. She got no more than two steps before Darcie was in the doorway.
She stepped to the bedside and said in a reassuring tone to both Chelsea and Marlena, "I've called the attending physician and the respiratory therapist. We should be able to take that tube out of your throat in just a few moments here."
Chelsea's eyes closed for a moment and she tried to take a deeper breath, stopped by the pain from her cracked ribs and the ventilator.
Marlena found herself waiting back outside the room as the attending physician came in with the respiratory therapist close on her heels pushing a cart. She explained to Adam and Seahawk what was going on as they waited for the room to clear. It took a few minutes, but the doctor approved it and the respiratory therapist worked with Chelsea to remove the tube. The attending physician and the therapist left not long after that, pleased expressions on their faces.
Darcie emerged from the room and said to Marlena, "That went very well. I didn't think that Dr. Weiss would approve that so fast, but she did."
"Well, maybe luck is finally on our side here," Marlena answered. "Thanks so much for getting them here so fast."
"Dr. Wilde had already left orders for it as soon as she was conscious enough and Dr. Weiss just signed off on it," Darcie explained and moved back to her station and her monitors.
Adam entered the room after a warning look from Darcie to keep it short. He promised and then headed into the room. He was surprised to find her still somewhat awake fighting the pain medication that was trying to put her back asleep once more.
"Chels," he said as he got to her side. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Can't," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Adora?"
"You can't rest because you want to know about Adora?" Adam interpreted.
A bare hint of a nod from Chelsea let him know he was right.
"Adora is in better shape than you," Adam supplied. "She came out of the accident with no more real damage than before. She hit her head again, but didn't do else to her knee. She's in a room down the hall."
"Good," Chelsea exhaled. Her eyes closed and she drew in a hissing breath. "Hurts."
"Well, you should quit fighting the meds, Chels," Adam chided.
"Maybe." she whispered, and hissed again.
"Chels, do you have *any* idea of the pounding you took in the accident?" Adam asked her, shaking his head.
"Not. . ." Chelsea exhaled and drew another breath, ". . .really."
"You were on the ventilator because not only did you crack some ribs, you punctured a lung."
"Oh. . . " Chelsea said on a sigh, her eyes beginning to cloud over again.
"Chelsea, rest. Quit fighting the meds. You don't have to worry about anything else now," Adam assured her.
"How. . . soon. . . home?" Chelsea slurred out.
"Soon. I just have to contact the Sorceress and let her know we're ready."
"Goo. . ." Chelsea slurred and succumbed to the anesthesia and painkillers.
"Rest now," Adam said softly. "We'll be back for you shortly."
He took a good look around the room, noting which wall would be best for the Sorceress to open the portal on. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.
Outside he told his mother and Seahawk, "She's asleep. Now, let's go get Adora."