Chapter 14:

The rest of the week passed by in a slur of slow days of doing nothing. Zuko was with me almost the whole time. Even the Queen had come to visit. Finally I was well enough to get out of bed myself, the pain wasn't as intense, but most definitely still there.

Today would be the day I could return to my regular day schedule. The Queen had told me to rest for another week, but I was too tired of staying in this nurse's room. I also really wanted to return back to my regular days.

The nurse delivered me breakfast and I ate and then I was free to go. She gave me instructions and I listened patiently and then I left. I made my way to the piano room and breathed in the familiar smell of pine and took a seat on the cold piano bench.

I knew no one else played the piano, so a rush of excitement ran down my spine as I began playing once again. My fingers were stiff but soon loosened as I found the familiar songs and the familiar keys.

I played as fluently as I played before I was wounded, which made me excited. I played my favorite piece in the book. My fingers effortlessly skimming the keys and playing. Suddenly I heard the door open, but I continued playing.

"Enjoying your normal schedule?" Zuko asked me after a while of silence.

I smiled, even though I wasn't facing him. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked me.

I stopped playing and turned in the bench to face him. It didn't hurt as much anymore. "Yes, I do mind."

His eyebrow rose slightly as he looked at me.

"I need to practice, I've already missed so much." I said firmly.

"I want to listen." He replied just as firmly.

I gave him a look. "I said I need to practice."

"And I said I want to listen."

I was about to roll my eyes, but I thought twice. "Zuko, honestly, leave."

"But-"

"I said leave."

"I just want to listen."

"Then you can sit outside and listen, but not here." I said sarcastically.

He looked at me for a while and then shrugged, "fine." He left the room and I heard the door close behind him. I returned to my piano playing. I wanted him to stay, but I didn't want my feelings for him to increase, he was getting engaged anyways.

I spent the rest of my day in the piano room, playing and catching up on what I had missed in my absence. Finally, when I knew it was dark outside, I pulled the lid on the piano and got up. I stretched carefully and made my way towards the door.

I pulled open the door and gasped as I saw Zuko leaning against the other door. Had he been here the whole time? He seemed to be asleep but he stirred as I stared at him in disbelief.

I knew I should have woken him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I closed the door behind me and left towards my room. He had taken my sarcastic comment seriously. He had actually sat outside to listen to me play piano.

Didn't he have anything better to do? I went all the way to my room and didn't stop until I shut the door behind me. Guilt clawed at me for some reason. I needed air. I opened the door to the balcony and breathed in the cold air. My heart stopped racing and I sighed.

What was going on? Why would he waste his time listening to me play piano? The whole day? I looked over at the view of the entire town and I trembled as I thought of my family. I knew I should write to them, but I didn't want to tell them about what I've been through, and nothing else had changed since my last letter.

The cold air maid my wound ache with a new sort of pain that I couldn't take any longer. I walked back inside to my room and shut the door to my balcony. I heard a rapping at my door and I walked over to the door. It was Zuko. I knew it.

I stood in front of the door not sure if I should open it or not, I could pretend I was sleeping. I reached for the handle and opened the door and I gasped as I felt arms wrap around me. It was Aang.

He pulled away from the hug and stared at my face. "Oh Katara! I was so worried about you!" He cried. I gave him a weak smile.

"Are you okay? When I heard about it, I wanted to go and see you, but Zuko said you didn't want any visitors. Does it hurt a lot? Who did it?"

I sat down at the foot of my bed feeling overwhelmed by his questions. "Yeah I'm fine…" I whispered. Zuko had told him not to come and visit? But why? My head was aching, but not because of the wound.

Aang sat next to me. "I can't believe this happened to you…" He said softly.

"Yeah…" Was all I could manage to say. I wanted Aang to leave.

"How did it happen?"

"I…don't really want to talk about it…" I said quietly.

A hurt expression crossed his face but it cleared away after a while. "Oh, I understand. It must be too painful to discuss."

I nodded, even though it wasn't true. I would tell anyone what happened, in fact I had replayed the scene in my head so many times, but I didn't feel like talking to Aang. The only person I felt like talking to was Zuko, but he wasn't here.

"Aang. I'm really tired."

"I…I understand." He turned to leave and I felt horrible. "Aang?" I called out.

He turned around. "Thank you…for coming to see me, it means a lot." I gave him another weak smile and his eyes shone as he left. "Good night." He whispered. When he left I sighed. My face stung as I made my way into bed.

I wanted to cry, but whenever a tear escaped, I could only cry from one eye, my other eye was too swollen, the tears wouldn't leave my eye unless I turned my head. I saw a piece of parchment lying next to my bed and I thought about writing a letter but I was far too tired.

I woke up the next day to Aang waking me up. I groaned from the pain and pushed his hand away. "Katara! You need to wake up!" Why was he even in my room.

"Go away…" I whispered.

"Katara, you need to wake up!"

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. Aang was shaking me awake. "What do you want?" I asked him.

"Just wake up." I slowly got up from bed and looked at him. "What is it?"

"It's Zuko."

"What?" I asked. Was he hurt? My heart began racing. "Is he okay?"

"He's engaged!"

I closed my mouth. What? "What are you talking about?"

"Their engagement ball was set this morning."

"Who's?"

"Mai and Zuko's."

I stopped talking and stared at Aang's face. He was joking, he was lying. He would tell me in one second he was just kidding, but he didn't say anything. But Zuko had said he didn't want to get engaged. How could he lie to me?

"Oh…" I whispered. I wanted to talk to Zuko; I wanted to ask him if this was all a sick joke. He had lied to me; he had said he didn't want to get engaged. So what had happened?

"Katara?"

I didn't reply to Aang. "Are you…Are you jealous?" He asked me.

I looked up at him now. Yes I knew I was jealous. Mai and Zuko never even talked. What girl wouldn't be jealous? I thought about Zuko outside of the piano room last night. Why had he done that in the first place? I swallowed as my throat began to feel dry. His hand around my shoulder bringing me into the nurse's room. The whole week he had spent with me. Was that just a joke?

"Katara?"

I looked away from Aang. Was everyone laughing at me? Did everyone know that I liked Zuko? Did Zuko know? Was he laughing at me right now? I felt my face throb again and I winced. "No." I replied to Aang. "I am not jealous…"

Something in Aang's face relaxed and I felt disgusted. "Was that all you woke me up to tell me?" I asked coldly.

"Well…I just thought that- that you wanted to…know…"

I swallowed again. "Right, it's okay…"

Aang left the room and I sat at my bed feeling nauseous. I felt my eyes well up with tears but I blinked them away. This was stupid, why was I crying over someone who I barely knew? I didn't know it was possible to actually have a heart ache, but now I knew exactly how it felt because I spent the rest of my room feeling heavy with the burden of it.