Alice sat glancing over at Zelena whenever she could. She kept rubbing her wrist. They didn't really hurt but she'd been bothered. And she didn't know how to explain that something was wrong.

Zelena approached her and sat down. "I know. That was very wrong. I'm sorry."

Alice threw bear at the ground. She didn't know what it was she'd done. Obviously something really bad. Alice pulled her legs up to her chest, which Luna wouldn't let her do. Alice liked Luna but she wanted to hide so she put her face in Luna's fur.

"I know you're scared. Hey, do you want to go to the diner or stay here?" Alice nodded. She liked the diner.

"Diner?" Alice voice had returned, luckily. But she was still terrafied. "Sorry."

"I'm not going to be mad at youm" Alice looked at Zelwna and then looked at the IV. Zelena was mad at her. Obviously. She looked at her as she grabbed the IV.

"Alice, you can't do thst. You need that." Zelena wished she could let Alice have what she wanted. But she couldn't. Not this time. And she wasn't sure how to get her to understand. She was trying to find a way to tell Alice thay the iv was good for her but it was difficult. There was no way of knowing if Alice really understood what was being said all lf the time. For the most part, she seemed to. But she also often struggled to make it clear what she wanted.

"Punishment?" Alice was a bit scared of her attempt at this question but it didn't matter.

"It's not a punishment. Does it hurt?" Zelena was worried. Was Alice in pain? The last thing she wanted was to inflict any more pain in Alice's life. Alice shook her head. Zelena hoped that Alice was being honest. She knew that she was very likely to lie to protect herself.

"I didn't mean for it to be a punishment. You didn't do anything wrong. You're not the one that caused that. I promise. You know how you have a hard time drinking?" Alice nodded. She hated drinking. She didn't do it often. "That's helping you do it without having to actually drink. I know it's not very fun. But it's good for you. It's not a punsihment. Not at all." Zelena thought for a mokent. There had to be a way to make the iv some kind of fun. She coulsn't think of one. "You're doing really good having it there right now. Let's go to the diner?"

They drove because the sound the iv pole made was more lf an issue than the car was. They got to the diner and Alice kept messing with the Iv whenever Zelena wasn't watching her.

She caught her doing it. Zelena knew Alice didn't quite know any better and that she was probably confused and scared still.

"Ok thst's gotta stop. I know. I know kt's annoying and you just want it out. But you can't take it out. It'll be better if you leave it alone. You can be done with it a lot sooner if you just leave it alone." Zelena knew that she really needed to get Alice to drink something but could only deal with so many problems at once.

The diner was busier than usual but Alice had her own safe space in the corner of the booth to watch the other people in the diner. A kid was staring at her. Lots of people noticed Luna, but were luckily leaving her alone. Red was rushing around but still made time to greet Alice.

"Hi, Alice. What can I get you?" Alice whispered her order and Red was off, after getting Zelena's order. The little kid that had been staring at her walked up to her. Alice flinched.

"Why do you have a bag of pee?" Zelena didn't manage to contain the laughter.

Alice stared at the kid. What? She did 't. There was a bag of water. And she hated it.

"Notpee," Alice mumbled at him.

"You talk weird," he told her, "puppy!" Alice flinched. And the kid rewched out to pet Luna.

"Nopetsorry."

"Hey, kid. You can't pet the doggy," Zelena articulated Alice's sentiment a fair bit better. Alice nodded.

"Why not," the kid wss a bit whiny but Zelena had grown more patient over the years.

"Because she needs the dog. If you pet her it can cause a problem. And because she said no."

The kid was clearly disappointed but shuffled away.

"Gold job," Zelena praised Alice for trying to stand up for herself. "I knlw you hsve a jard time sating no."

Alice piubted to the iv again. Sje wanted kt gone. If sje was doing glld why vouldnt it just be gone?

Zelena shook her head. "I know. I know it's hard. You've got this. Alice adjusted oddly. She needed to use the bathroom. Again.

"Lunacanigobathroom?" Luna nodded and Zelena offered to go with her but Alice saod she was fine. It was a struggle to get across the diner on her own as she had luna and the iv pole but Luna hrlped a lot with that. Alice got to the hallway. Which one did she go in? Did it matter? Alice stood there for a minute stsring at both doors. There were pictures and words and she ubderstood them but she wasn't sure why the bathrooms were split into twongroups. Did it matter? Why did it matter? Sje really needed to go.

"The ladie's room is right in front of you." Someone said ad they grabbed her shoulder. [What are you doing? Why are you touching me? No no no no.] Alice threw her toy at the ground, which Luna helpfully returned to her.

"Oh you're not blind. Wait what's with the dog thrn?" Alice couldn't deal with this. She sat down and let Luna lay in her lap. She calmed down and Luna encouraged her to stand up and then got her into the bathroom. The stranger has left. Alice looked in front lf her and saw no toilet. How? How did this work?

Someome walked out of one of the stalls and Alice noticed that the toilet was available. She walked into it but Luna cpuls 't fit in there with her and the iv polre. Or even with just her. Luna laid down the best she could outsode of the stall. Alice just left the door open. She couldn't handle doing things without Luna and so this was her solution. Everytjing was fine. She washed her hands and made it back to the table.

"Look food's here," Zelena told her. Alice nodded and ate her food. Zwlena was just glad that she hadn't had to fight with Alice to get her to use a fork. That had been a pretty strong risk gicen everything else, but she'd gotten the hamg of it pretty quickly.

The stranger that had tried to help Alice into the bathroom, assuming she was blind-nkt that Alice knew what that was- was pointing to her while talking to Red. Alice wanted to knlw what she was saying, but couldn't.

Red walked over. "That woman wanted me to check on you. Are you okay?" Alice nodded. "Alright. Good."

"Don'tlikethis." Alice whispered.

"I know," Red told her.

"Whatdididowrong?"

Red glanced at her. Alice believed she'd done something wrong. She tried to reassure her. "Nothing. You're doing really good."

Alice stared at her. She was being punished. There was always some reason. Even if Alice didn't remember the exact thing she did. Even if she didn't remember doing it. There was always some reason. She threw bear, getting frustrated at the fact she was dealing with something she hated and no one had told her what she's done.

"I know," red comforted.

Alice shook her head. No she didn't! No one got it. No one understood. She stared at the table and knocked over the cup she could reach.

Zelena sighed. That had been intentional. "Alice," Zelena couldn't say no. She couldn't scold her. But Archie had said she needed boundaries. Which were useless when there was no way to enforce them. Alice looked up at her. "That doesn't belong to you. You can't throw it." Zelena really hoped that would work. And hoped it didn't destroy Alice in the process.

"Sorrysorrysorry." Alice curled up.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Zelena told her. "I know..i know you're having a really hard day." Alice nodded. Alice didn't believe Zelena. She had hurt her. She had allowed her to be hurt. Alice rubbed her wrist again. Would that happen again? Was it going to happen soon? Alice shook her heqd quikcly.

"Hey, it's okay," Zelena offered. Alice was terrafied. What would happen?

"Don'tmakemegoanywhere." Red was srill closw wnough alice could beg her to stop wjqt she tbkughtbwas going to happen. She grabbed rhe iv again. She hated it. And shebwas already in so much trouvle wjat was one moew bad action? And pulled it out. Again.

Zelena saw her do that. And saw the blood stwrting to come out lf her arm.

"Alice, you need to stop doing that." Alice sat there. She didn't care anymore. This was her life now. "Come on. We need to go to the doctor."

Alice's reaction to that was fairly predictable at this point for Zelena..but not for most of the other diners. Alice grabbed what she could easily grab and threw it at the ground. Shakinf and apologizing for most lf it. The noise of glass breaking upsetting her further.

Zelena was mouthing her apologies to other diners for the scene Alice was making every so often but most of her attention was on Alice.

"Alice, I know it's scary. I know it's not fun. But this isn't going to stop you needing to go to the doctor. And it's not going to make me want to hurt you."

Alice nodded and held the plate she'd intended to throw. The diner was a bit of a mess.

"It's fine," red promised when Zelena glanced at what the floor looked like.

"Can you please give red the plate?" Zelena asked. Alice nodded and gave it to her. They went to the doctor. Alice waa terrafied. She was sitting shaking. The bandage on her arm getting most of her attention. And Zelena sitting flipping through a very small book taking the remainder. She used to be better at controlling herself. She wasn't sure why she was having such a hard time lately. She never would have thrown anything in front of mother. But she'd done so ms y other thingd to anger her. She constsntly cleaned when she probably shouldn't have been. But her actions had had actual consequences in the tower. And she hadn't felt that kimd of real pain since she'd met Zelena. She'd hated it but it had been all she'd ever known. And no matter how jard she'd tried it hadn't gone away. And she didn't understand. Sje'd hated being hurt but she'd known what mother expected of her. Zelena kept changing her exoectstions..or not having any clesr rules. Or sonfew that Alice wasn't even sure they mattered. Her life had been completly governed by mother and Zelena refused to so much as tell her what to eat. The decisions she had to make for everything were sometimes exhausting. She'd never in her life decided snytjing beyond where to sit when mother was willing to let her pick. and she jad two places to choose from. Now? She could bsrely remember all of thr cjooces she had for every little thing. Everyone narrowed it fown for her and gsve her a smaller amount lf choices to work with but it still soketimes gor overwhelming..

A nurse came in. It wasn't Ryan. And Alice clesrly had a biggdr issue with this njrse than mlst lf the others.

She apologized to her. Glancing at Zelena.

"Alice, she's just going to put the iv back in. That's it. It's not going to hurt. When she finsihes we can play a game?" Alice caved to what she was asked to do and decided she'd try to fal alseep after.

"Ok, you clearly won't stop messong wkth the Iv so I need to ekther sedate or restrain you." Zelena heard this and looked up from the magazine she was hakf heartedly flipping through to make herdelf seem like less lf a threat.

"You will nlt dp either of those things," Zelena told the njrse. "Alice, i won't let her do that."

"I need to." The nurse pulled out something and Zelena stood up and took the plastic zip restraint out of her hand.

"I said no. Alice, never again. You will neber habe to go through that agsin. I promkse. Look, ot's going in the gabrage. No one will chain you up every again."

Alice stared at Zelena. She waan't letting someone else hurt her. She wasn't hurting her. She'd never had anyone protect her before. No one had ever done that for her. She didn't understand it. But it felt different then what she was used to. And all she was used to was pain. So she waan't sure what to think lf it but she didn't hate it.

The nurse shuffled off.

Alice grabbed at the kv again. Zelena had said she wouldn't be restrained anymkre. But sje was.

"It's helping you feel better. Hopefully." Zelena thought for a while..what was the issue with it? There had to be a way to ease how much that botjered her. "I know you don't like it. You want to drse or do somethinf else?"

Alice nodded. "Draw."

"Okay.'

Ryan's shift had started and he came in when he noticed Alice was there again.

"Yiu've had a rough day, yeah?"

Alice nodded but didn't really look up from her drawing.

"Is it the iv itself that bothers you?" Ryan asked. "Or do you just not like what it's connected to?"

Alice stared at him then gkanced at zelena. She didnt want to talk, terrsfied of the consewjwnces and so grabbed at the pole.

"I have an idea. What if we put it in a backpack or something?"

Alice didnt knlw what a backpacknwas. "Something that wouldn't make sound."

"That sounds like a pretty good idea," Zelena said. Alice was drawing and thinking. She nodded.

"Okay." Ryan came back with a yellow backpack. "You like yellow don't you," alice nodded.

Ryan grabbed the bag lf saline. "Okay carefully, i'm going to put it in this bag. And then you can just wear it. And you won't be stuck to anyhing. Does that make it better?"

Alice nodded. "Is kr okay if I touch ypur arm ro make sure youbget tjis on ok?" Alice nodded.

"See, all better. And you can put drawing stuff in there too. If you want."

Alice wasn't sure about it yet but didn't hate it as much so far.

"Ok, yoy did great," ryan tpld her and offered her a sticker, ahich she took.

Then her and zelena went home.

Alice could move without making a lot of sound again. It wasn't perfect but it was better. Alie went to bed not too long later but had spent less time trying to mess ektj the iv. Sje srill didn't like it but removing the fact it was loud had made it a lot more tolerable.