I want to thank SaoirseParisa for her lone review in the past chapter. I want to give my condolences to her, as she had a death in the family. Any loss in the family is hard, and I hope you and your other family members are doing okay. In the meantime, I was able to get some other sources of inspiration for this chapter. I'll refer to them at the endnotes, but for now you'll get something new.

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

"Haru, Teo," Kori called from the end of the corridor. The second she got the text message from Teo, she immediately ended her date with Sneers and rushed to the hospital. Sneers also tagged along, just to make sure Toph was alright. But to hear their project leader faint like that was definitely a shock. "How is Toph doing right now?" she asked.

Haru turned his head away from the hospital unit and faced Kori. They were in the hallway waiting for the doctors to check on Toph, who was behind a set of drapes right now. "We don't know yet, but the doctors should be done soon," the male earth bender replied, "We also called Toph's parents and they're on their way here."

Kori and Sneers nodded. "Did you notice what happened when Toph collapsed?" Sneers inquired, rubbing a hand over his round head, "I just heard from Kori that Toph passed out when you came back, but did anything happen before that?"

Haru and Teo glanced at each other with hesitant expressions. "We know Toph was really adamant about getting as much rehearsing done as possible," Teo explained, going into detail about them doing the song at the community centre. It even reached late hours where the staff requested them to leave, and Toph still insisted on rehearsing outside. "I think she was ready to go without dinner, had Haru and I not offered to buy her some food."

"Toph was still okay when we left. She was cranky, but that's her usual expression," Haru described, crossing his arms and tilting his eyes back at the draped hospital bed, "She even called us out as lily livers before we left, so I can't possibly imagine what went on afterwards."

Kori pursed her lips. She knew Toph had a tendency of seeing something through to the end when she set her mind to it. While it was a breath of fresh air for her, Kori could also see how that rubbed people the wrong way. Moreover, that also meant Toph was good at hiding what really ailed her, meaning there was no way Haru or Teo could have guessed what happened. Was Toph hiding a hidden illness all this time, which lead to her passing out?

"What just happened here?" a sharp female voice called out. Kori, Sneers, Haru, and Teo all turned around to see Poppy Bei Fong trot in. She was still in her formal evening dress, likely a sign that she had another function with some dignitaries. "How on earth did my daughter end up in the hospital like this? What did you do to her?" she demanded with a shrill tone.

Haru and Teo both winced at each other. While they understood the concern Toph's parents had, they also knew they tended to overreact to these things. "Mrs. Bei Fong, we didn't do anything," Teo tried to elaborate, "We were rehearsing for our performance, and then…"

Poppy lifted a hand and halted Teo in his tracks. "Why were you not there when Toph passed out? This wouldn't have happened had you watched over her," the middle-aged woman admonished the paraplegic, "Is she even awake right now? Why weren't you there to protect Toph when she fainted? Do you realize how serious this can get?"

Teo's mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out of them. From beside the wheelchair, Kori could only frown. This was part of the reason why Kori and her parents did not like Lao and Poppy, as they tended to go overboard in times like these. Toph was more than capable of taking care of herself, but yet they always pretended she was frail and fragile. Moreover, sometimes Lao and Poppy purposely embellished these things as a way to get attention, which really rubbed both Toph and Kori the wrong way. Nobody wanted this accident to happen, so did Poppy have to act like Teo killed Toph?

Taking a deep breath, Kori interjected and placed herself between Poppy and Teo. "This isn't about assigning blame," the earth bender retorted, struggling to keep her tone level, "We all saw what happened at the boardroom when Toph had her little outburst. It was decided as a group that we should head our separate ways to calm down a bit. Toph wanted to rehearse on her own, and Haru and Teo joined her. There was nothing out of the ordinary with this."

Poppy sputtered at Kori's comments. "Maybe you should have said that when the project began, since Toph's life could be slipping away by the minute," she snapped, planting clenched fists on her hips, "You may claim this is not about fault, but I don't appreciate the lack of effort on your group's part to keep Toph safe. Why would anyone think leaving Toph behind is good?"

Before Kori could reply, Lao placed his hands on Poppy's shoulders. "I think we're just shocked at what happened to Toph," Lao chimed in, rubbing his wife's shoulders to unleash the tension within her, "I assigned the project to Toph, and she chose to get you all involved. I'm sure her comments are just an emotional response, and not a sign that we don't appreciate you."

Just then, the curtains to Toph's bed were pulled open. A physician in a lab coat approached the group, taking off her mask in the process. "Which of you are Toph's parents?" she asked, her green eyes darting around.

Lao and Poppy stepped forward and identified themselves. "Can you tell me what's going on with Toph? Is she awake yet?" Poppy bombarded the physician with her queries.

The physician rubbed a hand through her grey hair. The group noticed that this was a different physician than the one who treated Aang's guardian. When Gyatso was comatose, a lady from the Northern Water Tribe named Yugoda. This lady had a different skin tone and green eyes, meaning she was likely from the United Earth States. Given the differences in treatments between passing out and a coma, maybe Toph was already waking up?

Either way, the group looked on as the physician continued her discussion. "First off, you have to keep it down out here," she admonished everyone around, "Toph isn't in a coma, but she is resting. The last thing you want is disturb her rest, which I can tell she had very little of."

Lao and Poppy glanced at each other, each with a stumped look. What did she mean that Toph had very little rest? But before they could ask more, the physician suggested that they took it to a visitors lounge. It left Kori, Sneers, Haru, and Teo on their own, wondering what was going on. "Do you think she's chewing out Toph's parents?" Sneers remarked.

Kori elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. Much as she enjoyed seeing those condescending people get knocked down a peg, it was neither the right place nor time. "Let's focus on Toph for now, okay?" she lectured Sneers, "We did this project for her, and we're seeing this through to the end. If she falls, then we have to be there to lift her back up."

The rest of the group nodded. With that, Kori approached the nurses attending to Toph, asking if they could visit her. While she conversed with the nurses, Haru immediately turned to Teo. "Did you tell everyone else in our group about what happened?" the earth bender asked his best friend, "I'm sure they all care about Toph too much to not visit her."

Teo nodded. He pulled out his cellphone again and sent a mass text to everybody in their group. Once the text was successfully sent, the wheelchair bound young man glanced up at Kori. She was still trying to get in, but it was clear the nurses wanted visitations to take place later. "I think we should take the doctor's advice and just let Toph rest up for now," Teo proposed, "We can come back later on when she's feeling better. I have a feeling that, despite the argument from earlier, Toph will get a pretty steady stream of visitors coming her way."

The doctor finally entered the lounge at the end of the long hallway, away from where Toph was held. It was a long and silent walk for Lao and Poppy, who were cleared unnerved by what happened. It was not the first time they came close to hospitalization, as that Aang's guardian Gyatso was hospitalized a few years back. But to have this happen to their blind and frail daughter, it was just too much to stomach.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, please take a seat," the doctor stated, gesturing at a couch near the window. There was a coffee table between that couch and a sofa directly across from them, which was where the doctor sat herself down. "To start things off, my name is Miyuki. I'm the doctor assigned to take care of Toph when she was first brought into the hospital."

Lao and Poppy both nodded. "Miyuki, please tell us, what happened to Toph? Why did she pass out like that?" Lao inquired, holding his wife's hand just a little tighter.

Miyuki pursed her lips. Flipping through her notes, she went to the page with a series of lines. Lao and Poppy could see question marks behind each line, meaning the physician might have queries for them. "From the limited amount of tests we've run on Toph, she is running really low on energy," Miyuki described, her pen hovering over a couple of lines, "This doesn't look like a one-time thing, but something that has been occurring for at least a week or two."

Lao and Poppy glanced at each other in shock. They didn't recall Toph doing anything out of the ordinary for the past few weeks. She went to her classes at university, did her homework at home, had meals with the family, and sometimes went to her metal bending club. Other than the new project Lao gave her for the charity event, there was nothing unusual with her routine. So what was Miyuki referring to that concerned the hospital so much?

But the next question from Miyuki really shocked Lao and Poppy. "How has Toph been eating or sleeping in the past few weeks? Is she showing much of an appetite? Is she able to fall asleep easily at night?" Miyuki probed, tapping her pen on her notes, "And how is Toph doing emotionally? Did something traumatizing happen to her recently?"

Lao stuttered several times, but the words just couldn't come out. Beside him, Poppy's expression was a mix of shock, anger, and helplessness. All their lives they had not been the most observant people for Toph, insisting she was frail and required all the help in the world. It took a huge argument and almost losing the family company before realizing their mistake. Now they tried to give her more freedoms, and yet the same mistake happened? How could this be?

Sensing there was no point denying it further, Lao decided to come clean. "I think this is due to the project I assigned to Toph," the businessman stuttered, moistening his lips several times. He described Toph's assignment for the charity on disabilities, her idea of writing a song with her friends, the designing of a music video, and Lao's latest request for a live performance at a later date. "Toph has insisted that she has everything under the control, and I believed her. But I guess I must have overlooked a lot of small details," Lao concluded with a sigh.

Poppy eyed her husband sympathetically. Much as she wanted to stay angry, she realized she too had to take some blame. "I did notice Toph becoming more irritable the past week or so," she added, shifting her body so she could put both her hands on Lao's, "Toph is usually a pretty blunt girl, but there is a real bite in her tone every time she speaks. Her mood isn't good most of the time, and other than meal times, she is usually out of the house or locked in her room."

Miyuki nodded, immediately making some notes. She wrote a quick reminder that she should talk to some of Toph's friends, at least four of whom were present at the hospital. "And Toph's diet?" she continued, her eyes tilting between her notes and Toph's parents, "How has she been eating for the last little while?"

Lao whipped his head back to Miyuki's direction, but the physician was silent. She kept a neutral expression on Lao, which forced a confession out of him. "Truth is, Toph's diet isn't well for the past week or two," the businessman stated with a sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat, "She barely eats anything and her mind isn't even on the food. She would often run off with barely anything eaten, and sometimes she would skip altogether."

"We thought it's just her feeling the pressure from school and her other extracurricular activities," Poppy chimed in, her fingers flexing and clenching uncontrollably, "Again, we both know how much Toph doesn't like it when we nag at her. She values her independence, so we just figured to give her some space and let her figure this out on her own."

Miyuki scribbled down more notes, not saying another word to Lao and Poppy. Other than the soft hum of the ventilation fan, it was completely silent at this wing of the hospital unit. Lao and Poppy could only sit there and wonder if they failed their daughter again. How would Toph feel if Miyuki told her about the cause of Toph's hospitalization?

Turning back to Lao and Poppy, Miyuki came up with her solution. "I recommend keeping Toph here for the night, and we can reassess her in the morning," the physician stated, tapping her pen on her notepad, "I will also have to discuss with those friends of hers that called the ambulance. Maybe they have a better idea of what happened just before Toph passed out. It looks more and more like a case of exhaustion, which will take some time to repair."

Lao and Poppy pursed their lips, only watching Miyuki pick up her notepad from the coffee table. She tucked it under her arm and marched off, leaving the couple in the dim lounge. Added to the lack of light was the fact that no one else was around them, reminding Lao and Poppy how Toph probably felt when she collapsed at the community centre.

Finally, Poppy broke the silence between them. "That was pretty scary to listen to," she remarked, her eyes never leaving the coffee table, "I thought it was going to be something way worse. And even if Toph is just exhausted, I somehow feel like we are at fault again."

"No, it's my fault," Lao responded, placing an arm around his wife's shoulder, "I got so caught up on this project, and I wanted Toph to be involved. She was so enthusiastic at first that I didn't stop to think about anything else. I should have been more careful and attentive to Toph, and realized when the pressure of the project is getting to her…"

Poppy shook her head. "That's not the main point. Toph isn't the type to like people who helicopter over her. While it's important that we should pay attention to her, the attention you're talking about isn't the type of attention Toph would like," Poppy commented.

Lao gave Poppy a confused look, to which Poppy turned her body to face her husband. "It doesn't matter how much money the company made this year, or how many big projects we accomplished," Poppy continued, lacing her fingers through Lao's, "It took us years to get our family back together. I don't want this incident to cause another rift between us and her."

Lao pulled Poppy into an embrace, running his hand through her hair. Giving her a quick kiss, he slowly got up from his seat. "We'll come back first thing in the morning to check on Toph, but for now we should try to get some sleep," Lao suggested.

Despite following her husband to her feet, Poppy was anything but relaxed. "I doubt I'll get a lot of sleep tonight, not with my baby still in such a state," Poppy retorted. They both headed straight for the exit, back to the hallway that let to Toph's hospital bed. They hoped to check on Toph one more time before going home, and perhaps thanked her friends as well. "She is really lucky to be surrounded by such great people," Poppy murmured to herself.

It took every ounce of energy in Toph's body just to lift her eyelids. It didn't matter much anyway, given Toph's lack of sight. But at the very least, it allowed her activate her other senses. There was no feeling of earth, concrete, or cement underneath her body. Instead, it was very soft and smooth, which suggested she was on a bed of sorts. This was different than what she recalled last, as she was standing on top of asphalt of an outdoors basketball court. Did Haru and Teo take her home after their rehearsal last night?

Toph tried to take a deep breath and listened, but even then found it hard to concentrate. There was definitely a soft beeping to her left, which did not resemble her alarm clock. Another thing that was unusual was a gentle sting on the back of her left hand, suggesting something had impaled her. But it was not causing her much pain, which the earth bender found awkward. But the one thing that surprised her the most was how difficult it was for her to even lift a finger. She recalled passing out after rehearsal, but was she really that tired?

"You might not want to move around so much," a familiar female voice called out. Toph craned her neck in the direction of the voice, but was limited in her action due to her pose and her lack of energy. "You were quite dehydrated when you were brought in last night, and we have an IV in your hand to replenish your electrolytes."

Toph racked her brain to recognize the speaker, but her lack of focus made identifying the person difficult. But it didn't take long before the speaker gave her a hint as to who she was. "I recognize you because you're Kori Morishita's friend, and Kori's boyfriend babysits my two daughters a lot," the stranger described, "I've also met you a few times, although the one who has the best impression of you is my older daughter, Hana."

The mention of the daughter's name brought a smile to Toph's face. Who could forget that rambunctious tri-racial air bender? Taking a few deep breaths, Toph finally mustered up enough energy to speak. "And how is Hana doing?" she asked, her volume barely above a whisper, "And what about her little sister Yihua?"

The nurse checked the vitals from the machine and scribbled some notes into her chart. "They're both doing great," she responded, glancing back up from her clipboard at Toph, "My husband has his brother over for a construction job, so they get to hang out with dad and uncle while I'm working today. It's also why we gave Sneers the day off from babysitting."

Toph could barely muster a smile, but was thrilled to hear that someone she knew and trusted was caring for her. Hana and Yihua's mother was a biracial air bender of Water Tribe and Air Nomad descent. She had a nursing background and worked at the hospital, and she also received her tattoos about three years ago. That achievement was reached just before she became pregnant with Yihua, and since then this family of four had grown close with Toph and the rest of her friends. Maybe she should stick around and see if any of Toph's friends would visit?

And before another word was said, a set of familiar voices seeped in through the door. "Toph, are you awake now?" the voice of Haru called out, "Teo and I were really worried last night when you fainted. We just came back with some food and you were out cold."

Toph tilted her head to the right, which was where she presumed the door was. That meant the machines monitoring her and the nurse must be to the left, and judging from the lack of footsteps, the nurse was still there. "Your parents were here last night and they stayed until pretty late," Teo reported, "We just updated them the best we could, but they said they would come again today. Did they leave already or are they still on their way?"

"I haven't seen either Lao or Poppy this morning, but I'll let you know if they do drop by," the nurse responded. She turned to the other two people accompanying Haru and Teo, and a huge smile came to her face. "Kori and Sneers, how are you both doing?"

Kori and Sneers both nodded. "We're both doing well," Kori replied, edging closer to Toph's hospital bed, "How are Hana and Yihua? And more importantly, how is Toph?"

Hana and Yihua's mother glanced at her notes again. Miyuki already went over some of these details with Lao and Poppy. Quickly checking with Toph to confirm that she was alright with the release of this information, the nurse turned to the four visitors and explained the case. "Toph's diagnosis is exhaustion, both from physical and mental fatigue. She just spent too much energy and emotion into something, and that caused her to pass out. There are also observations about Toph not eating well for the past few weeks, which threw her nutrition off balance."

Even though Toph couldn't see it, she knew everyone had their eyes on her right now. While she could try to explain it away, she realized it was fruitless. This project did overwhelm her, and it was clear she was in over her head right now. It was a minor miracle that she didn't suffer anything worse when Haru and Teo brought her into the hospital. She would have made a sarcastic joke right here, but she was so exhausted that her brain just couldn't come up with it.

"So when we found her yesterday, how close was she to not making it?" Haru inquired, a worried look on his face, "We were originally going to get some food for her, but she passed out by the time we got back. Would she have been better if she ate something?"

Hana and Yihua's mother shook her head. "Exhaustion can be caused by physical or mental stress, and based on my report, Toph has suffered some mental stress," she noted, flipping the pages on her clipboard, "There was this project with a non-profit organization that Toph was leading, and all four of you mentioned a huge argument that occurred just hours before she passed out. It sounded like there was a falling out with the group."

The foursome glanced at each other with apprehensive faces. "It really wasn't supposed to be like that," Teo muttered, rubbing his upper arms to ease the tension, "We were just talking about the project's direction, and before we knew it, things just exploded."

"It was a mix of who should take control and whose ideas should have been accepted," Kori elaborated, "Toph was frustrated that certain group members did things behind her back, while some of them didn't like how Toph kept shooting their ideas down. I was mainly worried about the lack of progress, and in the process we kind of took our stress out on each other."

Hana and Yihua's mother clacked her tongue. Given what she knew about Toph, getting her to relinquish a leadership role was next to impossible. That said, despite her rough exterior, she also knew that Toph cared a lot about her friends. Despite butting heads sometimes, Toph did appreciate everyone's opinions, even if they challenged her views. If the argument and falling out was as severe as Kori described, then Toph would be devastated mentally. Add the mental shock to her already physically fatigued state, it was a miracle that she lasted this long.

"I don't mean to be rude, but we should finish our visit soon," Sneers interjected. Everybody looked over to the chubby young man, who was gesturing at the door. "Toph's parents are here and I think they want some time with Toph. We should finish up here or maybe wait until they're done, since they probably want some privacy."

The four younger visitors scurried out of the room, allowing Lao and Poppy to enter. The nurse made a mental note to update Lao and Poppy about the developments. The fact that Toph was no longer unconscious was definitely a good thing, but how long it would take before the blind earth bender was back to her usual self would be up to her.

Toph finally had enough energy to lift herself slightly off the bed for lunch. She still had an IV inside her arm, and any solid foods would be difficult to get down. The earth bender had to admit that things did feel better now that she had more nutrients in her body. When Kori and her friends came earlier in the morning, she barely had enough strength to formulate a coherent sentence. "At least I can somewhat move my arms," she muttered, gently stabbing at her tray.

Toph brought a shaking hand up to her mouth, the fork in her fingers wavering and threatening to spill the little food she scooped onto it. Toph's parents arrived not long after Kori and her friends did, and the latter group chose to leave Toph some alone time with Lao and Poppy. Lao and Poppy asked the usual questions to the nurse, who did her best to respond. While it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Toph could tell from her parents' tones that they truly worried for her. "I guess I should give them credit, given how rocky our relationship has been throughout the years," Toph murmured, before shoving the food in her mouth.

Toph's jaw barely worked as she chewed on the food. Thankfully, it wasn't too chewy and she could swallow fairly easily. However, the food was bland beyond belief and Toph barely had enough energy to send it down her throat. Even though she was supposed to rest up until she was discharged, Toph couldn't help but wonder what was happening with the project. The group was at risk of falling apart before she was hospitalized, and Toph knew she was responsible for some of that. Given how much damage her physical and mental health suffered as a result of her actions, Toph now realized how dumb it was for her to getting into that argument with Katara.

"How are you doing, Toph?" a familiar voice called. Toph did not have to turn her head to realize it was the same water bender she was thinking about earlier. Based on the sounds, she could tell that Katara now parked herself to the right of the hospital bed. "We only found out about last night earlier today, and we decided to come here on lunch break," Katara stated.

"It's good that the university is so close to the hospital, where we can literally walk here," Suki chimed in. The direction of her voice suggested to Toph that she and Katara stood right next to each other. "So, what happened last night? Was it just a dizzy spell or was there more to that?"

Toph struggled to grab a glass of water, slowly tilting it towards her throat. The cool liquid somewhat refreshed her vocal chords, even though Toph still found it hard to form words. "They say it's a mix of stress, anxiety, and lack of nutrition," Toph eked out, volume barely above a whisper, "That's why they still got this needle in my arm."

"And she better keep it in, if she knows what's good for her," an older voice called from the doorway. All the visitors turned their heads to see Hana and Yihua's mother marching into the room. "I'm about to go on lunch break, and I thought I'd pop in just to take a look. I already took Toph's information this morning, but I figure to informally check in on her."

"Thanks for watching out for Toph, then," Aang declared. Toph couldn't help but smirk to find that the air bender was present. He was inseparable from Katara ever since they started dating, and he was bound to reach out to a fellow air bender like Hana and Yihua's mother. "Is she recovering well? Do you think she will be out anytime soon?"

"Hey, how do you know Toph won't try to leave on her own?" Sokka interjected with a sarcastic tone, "She pulls out the IV and you can't stop her. The tiles are earthen materials that she can bend, and she's pretty awesome with her element."

The nurse chuckled. "You're forgetting that I go by the Yang Chen school of thought in air bending, which stipulates that I may use force to stop someone from being a hazard to others or themselves," she retorted, stepping up to the hospital bed, "But Toph has listened to our advice, and her energy is returning. Hopefully she'll be in good to leave by tomorrow morning."

Katara and Suki felt hopeful at the news, but their expressions were fairly glum. "We won't rush you or anything, but maybe we should have another group meeting when you're ready," Katara proposed in a subdued tone, "I think we have some fences to mend."

Suki nodded as well. "I tried to keep a level tone on that day, but I know I was wrong for walking out on the meeting," she added, rubbing her upper arms, "I just wanted to see what Chong has to offer, but I shouldn't have acted like your ideas weren't a priority."

Toph again struggled to shove another forkful of food into her mouth. She normally would have no problems with chewing and talking at the same time. But with her energy at such a low level, there was no way she could accomplish that. Deep down, Katara and Suki really hit some points that affected Toph hard. While Toph was glad that they both wanted to own up to some things they said and did, it also reminded Toph of her own poor behaviour that caused the rift. She had been working too hard on the project, and in the process became too hard on those around her. Given her exhaustion was a mix of physical and mental, Toph wondered if this could be avoided had she not insisted on doing things her way with no deviations.

At the same time, Toph wasn't prepared to give up on her ideas. She was given the leadership role for a reason, and she wasn't willing to completely relinquish that. While she admitted that she definitely could have listened more and stayed more receptive to other ideas, Toph still wanted the final say to be with her. One issue was definitely Chong, where Toph was convinced that she should reach out to him again, even if it was just goodwill to Suki. But if Chong went with his weird sounds again, then Toph would trap him inside a metal box for good.

"Health-wise, is there anything we should watch out for?" Aang asked, "I'm guessing Toph should take it easy for at least a few days, but what's her routine when she completely recovers? Should we watch for anything, in case she becomes fatigued again?"

"The most important thing is to set boundaries and limits, including how much time Toph should spend on a certain task," Hana and Yihua's mother pointed out. She nonchalantly glanced at the clipboard at the side of Toph's bed, which contained all her observations of Toph earlier. "Toph is so focused on her project that it consumed her entirely. The argument before she passed out didn't help, because it added to her already existing stress. The best way to tackle this is taking time to see what else is required of her to complete her project. If she can delegate some tasks or cutting things that are not valuable to the project, it'll make her life much easier."

"Great, because that involves using new and innovative ideas, which is my territory," Sokka bragged, inhaling deeply and puffing out his chest in an exaggerated manner, "I'm the ideas guy of the group, so if Toph wants help on that, then she can count on me!"

Everybody chuckled at Sokka's declaration. "Seriously though, Toph should just practice self-care and self-compassion," Hana and Yihua's mother suggested. The older air bender put the notes away and moved back to the front. "A burnout can lead to psychological issues, such as feelings of failure and loss of purpose. The most important thing you can do for Toph is to love and support her. Nobody is perfect, and you can stop when you felt enough has been done."

While everyone else murmured amongst themselves, the nurse's words got Toph thinking about herself. It was true that a project she felt passionate about now put her in this situation. She was so intent on making this the best thing possible that it made her feel like everything was a failure. If she did practice self-care, then she must pull back on some of her expectations. After all, if Toph found perfection so hard to achieve, then why would she force that on her group?

It was mid-afternoon and Toph was about to take a nap when she had another set of visitors. They were led in by an older, heavyset man with wise amber eyes. Even though Toph could not see or tell who he was, the first sound coming out of the man's mouth gave it all away. "I thought I'd drop by to check on you myself," the older gentleman stated.

Toph let out a weak chuckle. Turning her body slightly to the right, she tried to orient herself towards the source of the voice. "Is the Jasmine Dragon so free that you can take time off?" she teased Iroh, "Don't you have afternoon tea hours or something?"

"Afternoon tea can wait, because visiting a friend in need is more important," Iroh replied, stepping up to the hospital bed. He positioned himself near Toph's torso, all the while Zuko and the others were lined up behind him. "When Zuko and I were told what happened, we decided to pay you a visit no matter what. And yes, Zuko did bring Mai and Ty Lee along."

Toph nodded slightly. She had to admit that she felt better physically after a day of no activity. Plus, now that she had at least two meals in her body, the earth bender could feel her strength returning. Even so, Toph could not help but wonder when they would let her out. "At least I won't have to keep eating such bland food," Toph critiqued, albeit half-jokingly, "When they do let me out, I'm so coming to lunch at the Jasmine Dragon."

Everybody chuckled at the remark, but things became serious again when Zuko addressed Toph. "We were all really worried about you," the fire bender added, "And it doesn't help that you kind of asked us to help you behind your parents' backs. Moreover, I heard from Kori that this entire thing happened because you didn't like the group going to Ikem without telling you. If you want, I can tell Ikem to hold off on the project until you get better."

Toph shook her head. "No, I don't want you to do that. I've given it some thought and even though I didn't react well to it at first, I do think Ikem is valuable," she responded, her voice recovering but nowhere near her usual boombox level, "Part of what my nurse told me is to practice self-care, including delegating tasks and stopping myself when I feel I've done enough. Ikem can bring things to this project that I can't, and I'm more than happy to include him."

"Won't that get you in trouble with your parents? You were the one who said you had to be careful because of your family's company with Zuko's family's company," Mai pointed out, tapping a finger on her chin, "I don't want you to get hospitalized again because of another argument, this time with your parents instead of your group."

Toph shook her head again. "I'm going to make it clear to them that this is my goal. If they have a problem with it, then they should gladly step aside," the earth bender explained, her hands squeezing her blanket tightly, "Our entire goal is to do something completely different, and this project is more than just a music video or a fancy dance. It's a symbol for all those who live with disabilities, and it's bigger than my company or Zuko's company. So Mom and Dad will have to accept your involvement or we'll proceed without them, plain and simple."

"Hearing you say that, I say your aura is getting brighter already," Ty Lee chimed in. That got some snickers from the crowd, but mostly Toph. She still didn't understand auras, but at least she knew Ty Lee was always supportive. Even so, Ty Lee had one other inquiry. "Who is the nurse that advised you? I have to meet her and check out what her aura is like."

"You don't have to meet her, because you already know her," a voice called from the door. Everyone turned to see a familiar biracial air bender enter the room. "Hello, Zuko. I was wondering if you talked to Kiyi recently. Hana is itching for a playdate again, and both my husband and I are trying to schedule a date. Do you know when Ikem and Noriko will be free?"

Zuko flashed another one of his rare smiles. "I'll have to ask Aunt Noriko about that one," he replied, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, "But I will say Toph is lucky to have a skilled nurse like you take care of her. I'm sure she'll be better in no time."

Hana and Yihua's mother waved her hands modestly. "It also depends on Toph herself, because she was quite stressed about the whole project," she described, "Speaking as a nurse, I stand by my words that self-care is the best way to deal with Toph's problems. But speaking as a friend to Toph, I think her project has potential and is very meaningful. If this is something her parents want, I'm more than happy to contribute in some way."

Everybody glanced at Toph, who was the leader of the project. The entire argument that led her to being hospitalized was over people going behind Toph's back on certain parts. Now that she was offered help by a familiar source, and that source of help was open and transparent, how would Toph react? Was she willing to open her mind and accept, despite her earth bending nature being stubborn? Although given the nurse was married to a biracial man of Water Tribe and United Earth States descent, maybe they could find grounds for compromise.

Finally, Toph sent a soft smile the nurse's way. "Yes, I'm more than willing to let you help us," she responded, "I figure instead of being like rock and metal, I should be more flexible and go with the flow. Given your husband's father is from the sand bending tribes, I guess I should take a page out of his book, even though I'm not fully proficient in send bending."

Hana and Yihua's mother chuckled at Toph's remark. "I'm glad to hear that, but you realize that my husband is a non-bender?" she replied, planting her hands on her hips, "Even his father from the Si Wong desert tribe is a non-bender, meaning no one in our family can teach you sand bending. It also explains why Yihua has light coloured hair, because the Si Wong tribes are known to have some members who have sandy-coloured hair."

Everybody's eyes grew wide at the comment. It was true that when Yihua was first introduced to the group, they were all shocked at the colour of her hair. It was a very light colour, almost blond, which was very rare in the world. In fact, even when compared to the Si Wong desert tribes, where Yihua's paternal grandfather was from, it was even lighter than that. It wasn't the colour of an elderly person like Iroh or Pakku, who had almost white hair. Whatever the case, it was something definitely out of the ordinary for everyone around.

Turning back to the issue at hand, Iroh wondered what type of contribution would be required right now. "I've seen a lot from physical disabilities, with at least two different types being represented," he commented, referring to Toph's blindness and Teo's use of a wheelchair, "But I know Kori is bringing in her boyfriend, who has a learning disability. Do you want to use parts of that in the performance? And what about mental health issues, like autism?"

"Maybe we should let Toph think about that after she gets released. I'm just about done my shift today, but I believe the doctor will check on Toph in a couple of hours," Hana and Yihua's mother stated. From the way Toph recovered, she might even be released tomorrow morning. "But whatever Toph's decision is, she should talk about it with both her parents and the group. This can change the project's direction, and it's best to get a consensus from them first."

A silence soon descended upon the group. Presumably, Miyuki would want Toph's parents to come back to hear the results. That would lead to Toph's discharge, meaning she would be forced to have a conversation with her parents. Whatever the case, some fences would have to be mended, starting with the ones between Toph and her parents.

Toph was silent during the entire car ride home, opting to close her eyes and relax. Indeed, the night physician who assessed Toph deemed her healthy enough to be discharged. As such, Toph's parents came to the hospital first thing in the morning to sign the discharge papers. Within an hour of her waking up, Toph was changed back into her street clothes, whisked out of the hospital, and sitting inside her family limo on the way home.

Toph could feel the limo slow down and turn into a different road. Hearing the beeps outside her window, Toph figured they were about to cross the front gates of her mansion. She took a deep breath before exhaling, partially because there was no more anxiety about staying in a hospital, but also because she would have to face the consequences. Of note was what her father would say about her role in the project after she passed out, but also what she would say to her group now that she recovered. Was there any way to make this work again?

The limo finally came to a halt, and in turn Toph opened her eyes and lifted her head. "Come on out, Toph," Lao called, his voice muted as well. Hearing both his parents, who were seated across from her, shuffle out of the car, Toph followed suit and stepped into the sunlight.

Toph stepped through the front doors with her parents, still unsure of what to believe. She doubted that her parents were disappointed with her, given how much she accomplished. Plus, what she did was exactly what Lao assigned her to do, so she couldn't possibly be seen as being rebellious like she was in her youth. But still, getting hospitalized and tearing the group apart would be on the agenda, and Toph was convinced her parents would grill her on those.

"Let's take a seat at the living room," Toph could hear Poppy suggest. While her mother had less to do with this project than her father, Poppy was aware of some of the progress. She knew that Toph was performing live at a gala that everyone would attend, and a music video was proposed to be released online. Toph's friends already told her about Poppy's reaction at the hospital, and that only worried Toph more. As the blind earth bender trudged into the living room, Poppy called to the housekeeper. "Will you make three cups of tea for us?"

Toph took a seat at the couch's middle seat, reminding herself not to kick her feet up like she usually did. Poppy shuffled across the coffee table and took a seat on Toph's left, while Lao was the last to sit down at Toph's right. Toph gently rubbed her hands on her knees, all the while keeping an ear on the housekeeper. She believed that once the tea was placed onto the coffee table, the difficult discussion was bound to start.

Indeed, the three gentle clinks of teacups being placed on the coffee table followed. Lao softly thanked the housekeeper and asked her to excuse herself. Some muffled footsteps sounded off, and Toph was left alone with her parents. "Okay, Toph," Lao began, his voice neither upset nor scared, "I know you have some stuff to get off your chest, so let's hear it."

Toph sighed. Much as she didn't like people who wouldn't face things head on, she realized she sometimes had that same problem. But then again, Iroh would tell her that the true antidote to shame was not pride, but humility. Given this incident landed Toph in the hospital, it was time to be humble and take her lumps accordingly.

"Well, I don't know what I call this experience, because I'm a bit confused myself," Toph described, struggling to formulate the right words to say, "It's a bit overwhelming, since this is the first project I got from Dad. It's also the first project where I'm the team lead, which lets me show you what a great earth bender does when she's not earth bending. But I guess part of that put me out of my element, kind of like Hana and Yihua's sand bender relatives."

"I understand, and you've told me countless times that you don't want me to treat you as weak. I also realize forcing you to fit in with our crowd isn't the best option, although you did volunteer to do this project, which is partly catered to our crowd," Lao responded, referring to his sponsors and business partners, "But I thought this was what you wanted to do, which is to show your skills your way. I never expected you to get hospitalized as a result."

Toph pressed her lips together. Much as she hated to show weakness to anyone, including her parents, she realized it was no use to lie. It also gave her perspective on how off she was in viewing disabilities, as her earth bending allowed her to overcome her blindness. A lot of people had none of that ability, and they couldn't possibly be strong the same way she did. If anything, Toph had to respect someone without those abilities living in a challenging world. Perhaps she was the one who went the wrong way, and Katara and the others should be leading instead?

Shaking her head, Toph turned slightly to the right. "But at the same time, I don't want to feel safe all the time. I mean, I appreciate you trying to protect me, but that's the reason why we didn't get along when I was a kid," Toph explained. It was like the tension eased out of her body when she spoke, with her hands unclenched and her shoulders loose. "I want to know what's going on and what I can do to help. This project is a symbol of what I can do, but what a person in my shoes can do. This can be a liberating influence on disabled people worldwide."

"And you've also mentioned that you want the future to be bright for them, and that what they've imagined to the world is supposed to be isn't the real world," Poppy added, wringing her hands in worry, "But the real world for you right now is a trip to the hospital for exhaustion. And if the doctor is right, and you don't take care of yourself, you'll have long term effects."

"I know, and staying alive and healthy is better than overexerting myself," Toph snapped back, probably more aggressively than she intended. While she was on better terms with her father due to him giving her more things to do, she always felt her mother kept holding back. "But I can say the same about plenty of disabled people, who live in a world that isn't always safe for them. At least, they don't live in a world where they can master whatever they want."

Lao and Poppy glanced at each other nervously. It was clear that Toph had no intention of giving up on the project. But the last thing they wanted was Toph to be hospitalized again, and even get long-term mental health issues. "What's the next step, then?" Lao asked, rubbing his hands on his knees, "How do you take on the project again while balancing progress with your health? And can you still meet the deadlines? I can adjust them for you, if you wish."

Toph shook her head again. "If you know that I'm such a great earth bender, you'll know that this is out of the question," Toph exclaimed, her spine suddenly straighter than ever before, "I pride myself on achieving the impossible, and this deadline is anything but impossible. Yes, I will have to reach out to my group and mend some fences, but I still have a vision for the show."

Lao nodded his head in approval, all the while glancing at Poppy. Toph's mother was still uncertain about this, but she realized there was no stopping Toph once she put her mind to it. "I won't reject your idea if you're confident about it. But if you ever feel you need a break, you must let us know," Poppy warned Toph, "I'll always love you, no matter what you accomplish."

Toph couldn't help but let out a weak smile, all the while feeling tears form in her eyes. She gently rubbed them away, both embarrassed that she cried in front of her parents, but also relieved that they would keep supporting her. Overwhelmed with emotion, she did the only thing she could do. Balling her fists, she sent them towards her parents' shoulders, making sure she hit them lighter than she did for her friends. As her parents winced at the sudden gesture, Toph could finally feel freed from the pressure plaguing her for the past few months.

And here is my list of inspirations for this chapter:

1.) My source for how to treat an exhaustion is from my good friend Kelev, whose nursing background once again bailed me out. Exhaustion can be both physical and mental, and may be caused by a variety of factors. With Toph over-exerting herself physically, and the shock she received when her group walked out on her, both these things contributed to her collapse. If not treated correctly, it can cause long-term issues, both physically and mentally. Again, major thanks to Kelev for walking me through that.

2.) Kelev herself has made a cameo appearance, serving as the nurse who took care of Toph. All of the things her character has mentioned here are true about her real life. Her husband does work in construction and she does have 2 daughters, Hannah (Hana) and Eva (Yihua). Hana and Yihua have both made appearances in my stories before, although Yihua appeared as an old woman in my Korra story. Not sure how I will fit them into this story as children yet, but I do have some ideas in mind.

3.) In real life, Eva does have blond hair, which I know does not exist in the Avatar universe. However, in the Kyoshi novels, it was stated that a member of the sand bender desert tribe has sandy-coloured hair. This got me thinking that a recessive and rare gene like that may still be passed on as long as Eva has a relative from the desert tribes. Since we decided that her father is of Earth and Water descent, we made her paternal grandfather be a member of the desert tribe, hence giving Eva her unique hair.

4.) I changed a few things with the way Toph relates to her parents. In the show, Toph ran away from home as an act of rebellion, but later reconciled with her father in the comics. In my story, they already reconciled, but there is concern that this project will tear them apart again. I also made Poppy play a bigger role, as she had no appearances in the comics so far. I believe she will see this is giving Toph too much freedom (hence her comment about wanting her safe), but also realize that she has to let Toph figure things out on her own. And yes, the physician I chose and her name are from Book 1, where we had an herbalist who owned a cat named Miyuki. Since we cannot have a cat be a doctor, and the herbalist has no name of her own, I just figured to give the name of the cat to her.

5.) Toph complaining about sand bending being unusual is from "the Library" in Book 2 where she claimed sand being shifty and loose made vibrations feel fuzzy and weird. Sokka proclaiming himself to be the idea guy is from "the Drill" in Book 2 where he was assigned to come up with a plan to stop the Fire Nation drill. Toph thinking about Iroh telling her that the antidote to shame is humility is from "Bitter Work" in Book 2 where Iroh told Zuko the same thing. And Toph wanting to not be safe all the time and getting chances to master what she wants is from "Toph Bei Fong's Metal Bending Academy" where she said the same thing when she tried recruiting new students.

Once again, glad to be back with another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope to see you with an update soon. Take care, stay healthy, and keep in touch.