Hello, all! This is the last chapter before the epilogue. Oh my Oz. I have to say, I'm kind of dreading writing the epilogue. There will probably be tears.

But, speaking of the epilogue, I need YOUR input on a certain aspect of it, so go check out the poll on my profile.

Also, a few nights ago, I saw Idina Menzel in concert. That's right, THE Idina Menzel! She was frickin amazing. I swear, her voice has only gotten a little less mind blowing since her Wicked days. Her Defying Gravity had me speechless.

Enjoy!

Chapter 38

We thought about going back to Traum, but ultimately decided against it. No amount of medical treatment could save me, and we figured the supposedly dead Wicked Witch of the West flying through the sky with several winged Monkeys, an Ape, the Scarecrow, and Frexspar Riddle would not be welcoming sight for most Ozian citizens. Plus, flying was not as easy as it used to be, simply because being in Killyjoy was beginning to tire me out. But, ALS thankfully didn't affect my powers in the least, so I was able to put the same protection charms on Kiamo Ko that I used to put on the hospital, which meant we were perfectly safe.

According to Fiyero, the Wizard had gone home in that hot air balloon. He originally was going to take Dorothy home with him, but he ended up leaving without her. Typical. Glinda was the one who actually got Dorothy out of Oz, which made me feel an overwhelming sense of pride. I had always known that Glinda had some power locked up in that society skull of hers. And with the Wizard gone, she was now Throne Minister of Oz, and doing a pretty good job so far. Madam Morrible was thrown into Southstairs for treason, and Glinda was working on getting her executed. Good riddance. Something always seemed fishy about Madam Morrible to me.

But easily the best thing Glinda had done since becoming the ruler of Oz was starting to reverse the Animal Banns. Animals were now allowed to use the postal service and regular public transportation. This happened about a month after my "death," and as soon as we heard about it, I insisted to Vaia that she must go visit Usnavi in Traum. "I don't want to leave you!" she protested. "What if something happens while I'm gone? I …"

"Fiyero … knows … how … to … take … care … of … me. You … taught … him … how … to … suction … me … remember? And … I'll … just … stay … in … bed … until … you … get … back. Thanks … to … that … mount … you … found … I … can … talk … in … bed … now. And … why … don't … you … take … Frex … with … you? He … can … play … in … the … children's … ward … and … Fiyero … and … I … can … have … some … private … time." SPEAK.

"Okay," Vaia said uncertainly. "But what about when you have to use the toilet?"

I sighed. "Vaia … you … and … I … both … know … I'm … almost … past … that … now." SPEAK. She bit her lip; she knew I was right. "Please … go. There's … a … train … station … only … about … a … mile … from … the … castle … that … you … can … actually … use … now! Cost … isn't … an … issue … because … a … round … trip … only … costs … a … hundred … Ozma … coins. Usnavi … gave … me … two … hundred … and … fifty … and … I … haven't … used … any … of … it … yet. And … speaking … of … Usnavi … I … know … you … miss … him. I … bet … he … misses … you … too. You … deserve … a … break." SPEAK. She eventually agreed, and went down to buy herself a train ticket for the next day. Frex, being under five, went for free.

The next day, Vaia reveled to us that she had made an information packet on how to care for me. "I started making it when you got your tube," she explained. "You know, just in case my mom needed me, I could've given this to Endrea or somebody and they would have taken care of you while I was gone." She handed the packet to Fiyero. "Everything you need to know should be in there."

"So Elphaba now comes with instructions?" Fiyero deadpanned, flipping through the first few pages. "Vaia, I know how to do all this. We'll be fine."

She still looked nervous, however. "Okay. But swear to Lurline, straw man, if I find her with so much as a scratch when I get back, I will eat your family!"

Fiyero chuckled. "Duly noted. But I promise that won't happen. You just have a good time with Usnavi and tell him we said hey."

"Will do. Frex! Get in here!" Frex immediately bounded into the room. "It's time to go, buddy. Say goodbye to your aunt and uncle."

"Bye, Uncle Yero," Frex said, hugging Fiyero's legs.

Fiyero picked him up. "See you, sport. C'mon, why don't you give your Auntie Fabala a nice goodbye hug?"

I, of course, was in bed, propped up by a few pillows, so Fiyero put Frex on my lap. Frex wrapped his arms around me as best he could. "Bye, Auntie Fabala."

"Bye … little … monkey." SPEAK.

Vaia helped Frex off my lap and then turned back to me. "See you two in a day or so. Make sure he takes good care of you, green human girl!"

"I've been wondering: how did that nickname start?" Fiyero asked shortly after Vaia and Frex left. "'Cause out of context, it sounds kind of cold, but I know none of your friends mean it that way."

"It … started … on … the … carriage … ride … to … the … hospital. Most … of … them … hadn't … yet … heard … the … news … about … me … and … none … of … them … knew … my … name … so … it … was … the … most … natural … thing … they … could … call … me. It's … grown … on … me … since." SPEAK.

"Mmm, it's nice, but I personally like 'Fae' better."

We shared a grin. "You … know … I … finally … figured … out … how … you … came … up … with … that. The … second … syllable … of … my … name … right?" SPEAK.

"Yep. It came to me one day during physics class."

"Of … course … it … did." SPEAK.

Soon after that, I had to be suctioned for the first time that day. Fiyero had done it before, but always with Vaia's (very) close supervision. I have to admit, I was a little nervous; in his new condition, he couldn't hold things very well, and I didn't want my windpipe to get poked or something. But I could tell he was being really careful. "Okay Fae," he said once he had set the suction machine. "Ready?"

I raised my eyes.

"Okay. I'm going in." I could see he was nervous too. But, when the catheter went in, it felt no different than when Vaia did it. Once I had recovered from the tracheotomy, suctioning actually started to feel good. And on this particular day, I'd been on my ventilator all day so far, so I didn't need to be oxygenated beforehand. Fiyero put the catheter in twice for ten seconds each before asking, "That enough?"

"One … more … time." SPEAK.

"Got it." Ten seconds later, my airway was as clear as ever and both of us were quite relieved. "I did that without Vaia!" Fiyero declared triumphantly. "How was I, Fae? As good as her? Better?"

"I … didn't … feel … any … difference. You … did … well." SPEAK.

"Why do I feel like we're back at Shiz and you're looking over some math work I did?" He laughed at his own joke, and I smiled, wishing I could properly laugh with him.

I also thought to myself, Oz, if someone had told me when we first met that one day this man would be cleaning out the mucus from my trachea, I most likely would have asked them if they had had a brain tumor for breakfast.

After he gave me lunch, he showed me some family albums he had recently found. "That's my dad, Marillot," he said, pointing to a picture of a family of four standing outside a castle. "And there's my mom, Baxiana. And that's me and Yasho. I think we're about nine and six there."

"Neither … of … you … seem … interested … in … getting … your … picture … taken." SPEAK.

"Yeah, although for completely different reasons. I probably wanted to go hide out in the kitchen and talk the cooks into giving me sweets, and I'm guessing Yasho had some experiment going in his room."

"What … castle … is … that?" SPEAK.

"That's Audron Iir, our other castle that I told you about. I assume that's where they are now."

I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. "They … think … you're … dead." SPEAK.

"Yeah, they do," Fiyero admitted. "I actually heard that they were told that, um, you killed me."

Merciful Oz. "I … almost … did." SPEAK.

"No, you did not!" he insisted. "You saved me! And it was my choice to stop my men from capturing you and my choice to go with you in the first place. I-I don't want you to die thinking that what happened to me was your fault."

"I … don't … want … to … die. And … I … wish … I … could … say … goodbye … to … Glinda … one … last … time." SPEAK

He laid down next to me. "I know, Fae. But she already said her goodbyes. We wouldn't want to put her through the same pain all over again. And I think it's very healthy for you to admit that you don't wanna die. But, call me an optimist, but I truly believe that we'll both be alright in the end. After all, you told me that you saw your mom. And I'm guessing she's waiting for you to join her. Nessa too, probably."

I couldn't help but be uplifted by that. What can I say, Fiyero's eternal optimism is infectious. We spent the rest of the day looking through his family albums and simply talking. Vaia and Frex returned the next evening, with the former in a bit of a state over my well-being but still happy about seeing her boyfriend. I really didn't know what was to come in the days, weeks, or months ahead, but I at least knew that whatever happened, Fiyero would be with me.

There you have it!
Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Elle Dottore