Chapter 26 Awakening

Zuko Pov

The sun dial in the court yard outside Katara's room moved freely as I waited for her to awaken. After the incident with jet, we rushed Katara to the healer. The blood poured from her wrists and all I could do to hold it off was press fabric from my shirt to her wrists. I don't remember much of the ride there, all I remember is staring down at her and letting my tears come freely. Sokka sat in the saddle beside me, clenching his fist so tight his tan knuckles went white and his nails made tiny cuts in his palm. Suki sat on the other side of the saddle nursing Jet's wounds. It pissed me off to see his breaths coming easily, while Katara was barely clinging to life.

The healer was quick to find an antidote to the poison, but my heart squeezed when she said it might be to late. Jet was fine after a round of healing on the healers part. But after a snarled command from Sokka, Jet was moved into a room across the building, away from Katara.

The days seemed to stick together after that, everyday I waited for a sign. I waited for her ocean blue eyes to flutter open. But I knew if the baby did not survive or if she didn't survive everything would be different.

On the fourth day, the healer walked in with her head bent over a scroll. She looked over Katara's form, her breathing even and her face as peaceful as ever. "How's our girl doing today?"

"I don't know you tell me you're the healer" I hissed back at her, standing to tower over the woman I asked, "Should she be awake by now, its been four days"

"Calm down, she really strained herself to pull that poison out, her body went through a lot of stress, its going to take time for her to recover. Her body is in defense mode right now, and until things settle she probably will not wake." She explained putting up a hand to stop me

"If that was someone you knew laying in that bed wouldn't you be acting the same way I am" I hissed

"Yes, and I understand the stress you are under right now, but being tense and angry will not help Katara. When she does wake up you should be relaxed, you would not want to make her upset." She insisted looking at her again, I looked back as well. The calm look on her face made her appear to only be sleeping.

Nodding my head and taking deep calming breaths, I tried to focus on just staying calm for Katara. The healer patted me on the back a final time and walked out of the room. I pulled a chair closer to her right side, with my back to the door. I held her hand and let the tears start falling.

"Katara, I know you probably can't hear me, but I need you to know that I need you. I've lost so much in my life that losing you will literally tear me apart. I know I've done so much to you in the past and I've tried my best to make it up to you. I love waking up beside you every morning, I love looking into those blue eyes. I love putting my hand on your stomach and feeling the life we created growing inside you. I..." I picked up her soft hand and pulled it to my lips, "I just really need you to wake up"

A knock at the door startled me, turning around in my seat quickly I saw Toph standing in the door way. Wiping the tear marks from my cheeks, I stood still holding Katara's right hand.

"How's sweetness doing?" Toph asked in a voice that exposed the little girl deep within Toph.

"Healer said she should be awake in a couple of days" I lied, not wanting to make Toph upset

"That's good, did she say anything about mini-Sparky" She said 'looking' down at her feet.

"It's hard to say, right now, maybe when Katara wakes up we will know something." I said quietly hoping that my statement was true.

"All we can do is put our faith in the spirits, and hope they return her to us" Hakoda said stepping into the room, his blue eyes red from crying.

Katara pov

Floating, that's all I felt. I did not see, hear, or smell anything. I opened my eyes, and my vision was clouded by a dissipating mist. As my vision cleared, I noticed I was laying on a layer of very green grass. Flowers grew in every color you could imagine, a cool stream of water flowed a few feet away from me. Standing on shaky limbs, I tried to make sense of what was going on.

A rustle from behind me grabbed my attention, and sent me spinning wildly to see what was behind me. Nothing…, that's exactly what was behind me. I walked a few paces towards the noise, slowly moving around a number of trees. I came to where a water fall fed the stream. Along side the water fall, encased in the stone wall was a golden mirror.

As I stepped closer, I noticed my reflection was not mine, but that of a little girl. A little girl who looked just like me, as a child. Blinking, I ran my hands over my eyes, and looked closer at the mirror. The little girl was exactly like me as a child, from her curly brown hair to her tan skin. My eyes traveled to hers and I saw them, their golden shade cutting into me. I raised my right hand and placed it on the glass, her tiny hand landed right where mine did. But what I felt was not solid glass, but flesh, it was like the little girl was coming through the glass.

Stumbling backwards in surprise, I closed my eyes to calm myself. Reopening them, the little girls figure was replaced by a woman all too familiar. She stood an inch or two taller than me, and her winter parka was exactly how it had always been in my memories.

"Mom?" I said, a tear running down my cheek, as my hand flew to my neck. A soft sound behind me grabbed my attention again. Spinning to look behind me, I once again saw nothing.

I spun back around like a mad women to see if my mother was still in the mirror. In front of it staring up at my mother, was a little boy.

"Hi, grandma" The little boys said waving his pale hand at my mother. He had a ebony colored topknot on the top of his head. His eyes were the exact same color as my mothers, and the way his face was shaped he looked like a young version of Zuko.

I blinked for a moment, trying to process all the things playing around in my head. Then around me stood, the two children, my mother, Zuko, Aang, Sokka, Toph, all the people I loved. Zuko's voice rang out over all of us, "I just really need you to wake up…"

The ground gave in under my feet and I was falling, into a dark abyss. A scream played around in my throat, but my mouth would not open to let it out. Closing my eyes, I braced for an impact that I knew would soon follow. But instead nothing, moving my hands, I felt something warm holding on to my right one. I smelled a familiar sent that could only come from a healers clinic. That's when it happened, I allowed myself to open one eye.

My vision was blurred, but I saw them. I saw Zuko sitting beside my right side, and my father on my left. While the sound of Toph, Aang, and Sokka's voices came in through the open door way from the hall.

"Zu...Zuko" I said in a raspy voice.

"Katara" Zuko whispered in a hushed voice.

Then in a chorus of voices "KATARA!" was shrieked.

I had finally woken up after my long ordeal, and I felt safe in the knowledge that I was not dead. Jet was nothing to me now, all that I really cared about were the people standing in front of me right now. Everyone took a turn hugging, and squeezing me. I smiled, and laughed along with them out of joy. Then Zuko hugged me, and I felt so safe and so warm. But something happened when I held him close, I felt the tiniest nudge deep inside my abdomen.

Wrenching myself from Zuko's embrace, "Did you feel that?" I asked

"Feel what, are you in pain?" Zuko asked with alarm, ready to run and grab the healer.

"No, the baby… it felt like… I felt the baby move…" I said with tears in my eyes. My baby was safe, and I couldn't be more relieved.