A/N: Okay, so just letting you know, there will probably be more chapters like this one and the one before it that are from the perspective of Tori. Also, PLEASE REVIEW! It would be very helpful!
-thegirlwhoisstillwaiting
Victoria "Tori" Weylin
Gotham General Hospital
June 25th, 2011
I tested positive for the same fear toxin incorporated in my nervous system. I was laying on my side, the back of my hospital gown was open. They have been spacing out the tests in order to keep me calm and reduce the amount of pain I endure at a time. Right now, they were tapping my spinal fluid to test the levels of fear toxin to get a better understanding of the role it's playing in my system. I couldn't help but squeeze my eyes closed, hoping the pain would disappear as the epidural did nothing to numb the pain. Sylvia was by my head, holding my hands in hers as I was almost sweating through the plastic cap on my head that was holding my hair out of the way. I felt a few tears squeeze their way out of my eyes as I felt the last needle get pulled out. I finally felt relief as the pressure was gone and the doctors were pushing more pain meds through my IV. I exhaled and just laid there as they tied the back of my gown shut.
"You did really well." Sylvia said as she handed me a pair of sweats and a longsleeve shirt. It may be warm outside, but it definitely wasn't warm in the hospital.
"Well?" I said just before I gasped in pain as I pulled the shirt on over my head. "It's excruciating." I told her as I pulled on the pants and removed the cap maintaining my hair. My wild curls fell down my back as they were set free.
"I know the feeling, I went through all the same tests." She assured me, guiding me into the wheelchair. I was careful to sit, finally relaxing as she started pushing me towards the cafeteria. I sighed as we rounded corner after corner to the elevator.
Sylvia no longer needed Wally to wheel her around. She was making a faster recovery than I would have anticipated. I was told that it wasn't truly recovery, but the fact that her pain threshold had grown to be a lot higher, as Savage had initially anticipated. As long as she didn't exert herself. Her healing would go according to plan. She made me envious, how as she would be returning to a healthy state, so would I, but only to have to watch her stay that way as I deteriorated to try and free myself from the fear toxin that was plaguing my being. I looked back at her as we rode the elevator, studying my rescuer. Her raven hair was as long as ever, grazing the tops of her hips. She was watching the floor numbers slowly blink with her emerald green eyes that were lined with a thin line of eyeliner and accentuated with mascara. Around her neck was a leather choker with a single silver coin, intricately designed like an aztec calendar. She wore a loose burgundy tank top with a black sweater and black jeans. I could see her bandaging through her clothing, especially the bulk. On her feet were a pair of grey slipons. A Gotham Knights baseball cap was tucked in her back pocket. To me, it was weird seeing her dressed like that. I met her, everyone down to their skivvies, and even then, when we had meal times all together we were wearing white patient scrubs. Even with savage, she was always wearing white. If it wasn't white, it was ever so faint pastels. But here, now that I'm getting to know her, she tends to dress as dark as her past. When the elevator door opened, she pushed me down the hall to the cafeteria.
"So, I can totally get anything you want delivered here, but the social worker and the therapist agreed that social exposure might be better for you after everything." Sylvia told me, and I nodded. "So what do you think you might want for lunch?"
"Well, I'm sure the cooks aren't super great, so maybe a sandwich?" I looked to her and she smiled. She grabbed a tray and handed it to me to hold in my lap. She pushed me over to the sandwich station and looked at all of the options.
"We've got ham, turkey, chicken, vegetarian, salami, egg, fish, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and honey…" She trailed off, waiting for me to decide. It took me a moment to figure out what I wanted.
"Sorry, it's a little hard to decide. I haven't been able to make a decision as simple as what food I wanted to eat in a long time." I looked at the floor, rubbing my hands nervously. Sylvia smiled and bent down to be face to face with me.
"You know, the first thing I ate after being freed from Savage, was ribeye steak with fries and a strawberry shake. How about you just grab whatever you think looks good or whatever first comes into your mind. And when you're discharged from the hospital, I'm going to take you, and who ever you want to come with us, to restaurant with your most favorite type of food and I'm going to treat you with whatever you want for dinner." She promised me, hugging me before she stood up. I just took a deep breath and looked at the sandwiches. I kept thinking about how much I loved ham sandwiches and relished the days when the chef savage kept on hand would make me one. But it reminded me of the times I spent with Savage. So I went for the furthest thing from ham, and looked at the peanut butter sandwiches. There was one thing I never had while I was with Savage.
"Hand me the peanut butter and honey sandwich." I told her as we went to a similar station with food sides. I ended up grabbing a pudding cup and cup of pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon. She wheeled me over to the drinks and I just grabbed a bottle of water before having her wheel me to the desert station to get something I haven't had since before Savage took me. I had her get a soft serve, chocolate and vanilla swirl, with rainbow sprinkles, muddy buddies, cookie dough, caramel drizzle, and a maraschino cherry right on top. The cherry, I hadn't even thought about, and Sylvia put it on top anyway. She gave me a spoon and set a fork on the tray for the fruit in the cup. She wheeled me over to a table and sat down with me. She had been adding her own choices of food on the tray with mine and began eating with me. I went straight for the sandwich, loving the sweet taste of the honey half soaked into the bread with the best peanut butter I had ever tasted. Well, it was either the best, or my nostalgia was getting the better of me. I had finished the fruit and the pudding when I started getting into the ice cream. I was in the middle of my second bite when I nearly choked. Over by the windows, I saw a girl, wildly curly strawberry blonde hair with icy blue eyes that were sad as she stirred a bowl of soup. There was a boy next to her with golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, just tapping away on his phone. He was obviously older than her and looked maybe a year or two older than me. She, looked about few years younger than me.
"Tori, what is it?" Sylvia asked, I shook my head. I got back to my icecream, but tears began streaming down my cheeks. I could hear piped creaking with water growing in pressure. I took a deep breath and the sound went away.
"You know, James is a lot easier to recognize. He and I always looked a lot alike. I feel like I always had him, well, someone, when I looked in the mirror. But Lenore, oh little Lenore." I covered my mouth, trying to muffle my hyperventilation. Sylvia leaned over and hugged me, careful not to touch my spine. "I missed out on how much she grew up." I said as I cried into her sweater. She was stroking the back of my head when she whispered to me.
"We could bring the food back to the room if you're not ready to see them yet. They could come see you when all the testing is over, if you're more comfortable with that." She offered, and I nodded, my face still against her sweater. This is when I realized she finally pulled the baseball cap from her back pocket, and placed it on my head, the visor pulled down. She set the tray on my lap and allowed me to hold it as she placed our ice cream on it. She wheeled me out of the room and right back to the elevator. But right when I looked up at the three adults next to us, two of which were my parents, but my mother was not holding the hand of my father, but this stranger. This stranger with black hair and brown eyes. Nothing like my ocean blue eyed father with his auburn brown hair. My mother, with the straight blonde hair I always wished I had, but was bestowed upon Lenore, along with our mother's icy blue eyes. Rage began to fill my being. My hands balled into fists as my knuckles turned white. The water bottle on the tray began to boil and bubble, forcing the adults to look. I took a deep breath before the elevator door opened. Sylvia wheeled me out, but I could hear my father.
"Victoria?" I heard his voice shake as I was wheeled back to my room.
"What the hell was that?" Sylvia asked as she shut the door.
"Those were my parents, and my mother seems to be with someone else now." I told her, bitterly, as I did not want any of it to be true. But then my heart sank and I began to cry again. Sylvia helped me back into the bed and pulled the blanket over my legs. She sat on the side of the bed and held me, stroking my hair as I cried. When I got myself to calm down, she handed my the ice cream and we began eating it together. I didn't know what to do with myself. But I didn't have to decide for very long. There was a knock on the door that usually meant the doctors were here to see me. But when Sylvia opened the door, it was my whole family… plus the stranger. They pushed right passed her.
"Hi, sweetheart." My dad said warmly as he approached the bed slightly. Lenore bolted from behind James and jumped on my bed immediately hugging me. I bit back the pain and just let her small arms engulf my rather lacking frame.
"Sorry, I can have them leave…" Sylvia said, knowing I was in pain. But I shook my head.
"No, if I want them to leave, I'll ask them to do so." I said, finally reciprocating the embrace with Lenore. "Lenny! You're all grown up!" I told my little ginger sister as she pulled away from me. She was 13 years old, and the last time I saw her, she was just a child. James came over and hugged me and I felt so good, feeling my own flesh and blood with me. I felt the embrace grow deeper as my father joined. When my mother joined, I exhaled and let go of them all.
"I've missed you." James said as he kissed me on the forehead. I smiled and just looked at Lenore.
"Hey, Lenny, why don't you and James go with my friend Sylvia here and she'll explain my situation over ice cream while I talk to mom and dad? Yeah?" I looked between the two of them and Sylvia.
"So, which do you want first? Our time together in captivity, my first daring escape, our second time in captivity, or the health treatment the two of us have to go through?" Sylvia asked them as she led them out of the room, and shut the door behind them.
"What would you like to talk about?" The stranger asked. I just looked at him.
"And you are?" I grimaced at him, and he smiled like I was actually interested in who he was or something.
"George Tommen." He held out his hand, but I didn't shake it. My mother stepped forward.
"Your father and I were getting distant long before you disappeared. When we lost hope in finding you, we got a divorce and last year, I married George." She explained simply. I was infuriated.
"Get out." I spoke coldly, staring right at her. She seemed taken aback.
"Excuse me?" She asked, and I gave her a dry smile.
"You didn't waste time getting on with your life. Four years, and you manage to want to start a new family without us… without me. By all means, dad can stay. But the two of you, can get the hell out!"