Chapter 20. Married
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Trism stumbled back.
Elphaba had died?
"Woah, woah, woah. What do you mean she died five years ago? She didn't die. She's deadly ill, but she's not dead. Not yet. We're trying to figure out how to cure her." Fae took a shaky breath, and buried her face in her hands, long strands of black hair hanging loll around her face.
"Don't do this, Trism. It's not funny."
He stared at her like she was a nut.
"Not funny? Not funny! Of course it's not funny, Fae. You're mother is sick! She's dieing and we need to find a cure! We can't just let her die, it would kill your father--"
"SHUT UP!"
He stopped, looking up from his pacing and ranting, to see Fae still leaning against the sink, her face tear-stained, red welts running down her cheeks, her hair falling out of her twist, her shoulders shaking. Her breathing came in gasps, and she reached up, fingers tangling in her hair.
"Fae--" He whispered. "I don't--"
She didn't say anything, just crumpled to her knees, her arms wrapping around herself, eyes shut tight, sobs escaping her throat. Slowly, he moved towards her, kneeling next to her.
"Fae, what happened five years ago?"
She refused to look at him, instead staring at the floor, her eyes glazed over, remembering that night.
"Mama got sick. Real sick. It must have been over a period of days, because she had been off for weeks. And then, that night at the ball.... she collapsed. The doctor was called, but there was nothing he could do, except check on her after she started having siezures. And then, two days later, Janseta discovered that Mama was bleeding out, this....virus.... this.... disease....was...attacking her ovaries. She...she had a hysterectomy- making Mulhama the last child she'd ever have. Which was fine I guess, and....and soon, she....she seemed to get better. She was... squeezing our hands, and...her eyes opened. It was so wonderful when her eyes opened, but then...then she began to... cough up blood. I...I remember going into their room at night, and seeing Daddy holding her in his arms, with a towel against her lips. A towel that quickly filled with blood. She lost so much blood....."
She grabbed her hair, choking out a sob before continuing.
"I..came in..."
She took another deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse, before speaking again.
"On the night she died, I...I went into their room... and Daddy was...in bed with her, holding her....she was....con...convulsing and....and there was so much blood. Her eyes rolled back into her head..... and she gasped for breath.... this went on for...an hour or more.....Daddy.... and I.... and Lin Lin.... and Janseta....we all....took care of her as best we could....but.... but.... she passed away around midnight in Daddy's arms. The doctor later determined that...that she'd choked on her own blood...that her heart had burst....that....her lungs had drowned in fluid....that...it was due to that virus....that...it was plague...." She looked up at him, tears running down the red lines on her cheeks.
"I lost my mother that night...." Her body racked with sobs.
He pulled her into his arms.
"And your father?"
"He... he died a day later....of a broken heart. Lin Lin.....Lin Lin found him....in the rose garden.... he'd gone out for a midnight walk....I lost.... both my parents.... within hours.... of each other...."
"Shh. Hush Fae, hush."
Something struck him as odd, and he pulled away, looking down at her.
"And what do you mean five years ago?"
She looked up at him, reaching up to gently cup his cheek, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Fae, I....I don't understand. What happened five years ago, besides your mother and father dieing?"
She shifted, reaching up with her other hand to brush a strand of hair from her eyes. It was then that he noticed the ring on her left hand. She caught his eyes flitting to her fingers.
"We got married five years ago."