A/N: Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep the extra space in from
now on. Thanks to Jessica and Casey Toh for the reviews on Ch. 8. Enjoy!
Ch. 9: Surprises
In the morning, I woke to voices in the next room. Pete's voice was the first I heard (or at least comprehended). "Would you like to come riding with me today, Renée?"
"I don't know…" Renée sounded a little hesitant. "I don't want to be gone all day if Jenny needs something." I chuckled to myself at that one. I had help laying right beside me.
I spoke up, loud enough she could hear. "I'll be fine, Renée. You need to get out of here and quit worrying about me!"
The girl came to the door, saying, "Are you sure? What if—Oh!" The look on her face when she saw Glorfindel was priceless. I don't miss technology; I never have, but I almost wished I had a camera just then.
"I'll be fine, Renée. Go enjoy yourself." Glad for the escape, she turned and left the room.
Beside me, Glorfindel chuckled. "She is young, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is, but she's also been through a lot, some of which I can only imagine."
"That young girl?"
"Yes, that girl. I'm glad I was able to bring her here. At least here, she has a chance to start over without the bad influences she had before."
"The one you call Pete is trying to court her."
"That's great. I hope she accepts him. He'd be good for her. He certainly understands her better than anyone else here, probably better even than me." I sighed, then said, "I suppose it's time to get up, isn't it?"
"Probably." He got up and walked around the bed and pulled me to a sitting position, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
I looked up at him. "Why do you put up with me? I need help to do the smallest things." He chuckled a little and took my hand. "Like I said before, Jenny, I love you. You aren't going to get rid of me so easily."
"What—I'm not—"
"Shh…" He was rubbing the inside of my wrist with his thumb. It felt wonderful. I have a little motor control, but I don't usually have much sensation, even in my hands or wrists. He slid his hand down to hold mine, and to my surprise, my fingers closed easily around his hand. I looked up at him in surprise, but he just smiled down at me. I slowly closed and then flexed the other hand. It worked.
My heart pounding, I looked down at my toes and tried to wiggle them. To my shock, they responded. My hands had always moved a little, but since the accident I had never had so much as a twitch from my legs. I raised the heel up off the floor a little, then the entire foot, then did the same with the other side. I was terrified, but I reached up and took his other hand, then slowly raised myself to my feet.
I managed to stand for a moment, then he caught me as my legs, weak from ten years of disuse, tried to give out. Instead of setting me down, he spun me in a circle. Both of us were laughing and crying for joy. It was all I could do to accept that it was indeed happening.
"How—?"
"There is much power for healing in Rivendell."
"But—"
I didn't have a chance to finish. He silenced the questions with a long kiss, and I decided to drop the question for the moment. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we held each other for a long time. Eventually, I sat down on the bed again, my legs exhausted. He picked me up and carried me outside, where we sat on a bench and enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the morning.
The lunch bell rang. "Are you ready to try lunch in the hall?"
"Yeah. I think I am." He helped me stand up, but I was still very wobbly. He picked me up and carried me to the hall. There were two empty spaces beside Gandalf. Aragorn was sitting next to Arwen, and Renée was sitting with Pete.
"Hey, Jenny! Good to see you here!" Renée called across the room. Pete chuckled a little at it, but then everyone stared in shock as Glorfindel set me down, keeping an arm firmly around my waist, and I walked unsteadily to the seat. Aragorn watched me impassively. Even Elrond and Gandalf looked surprised, but at least they did a better job of hiding it than Renée. I could have sworn her chin would hit the table.
"So, how's everyone doing?" They just continued to stare at me.
Elrond broke the silence. "It is good to see you on your feet, Jennifer." That may have been the understatement of the age. Lunch passed uneventfully. There were several other beings, Dwarves and Men, gathered there. They looked very confused over my reception, but let it pass. I had gleaned enough information to know that they were there for the council Elrond would hold in a couple days to discuss the Ring. No one talked much. I think the Elves were too surprised, and the others were just confused.
It was a very strange thing to feed myself for the first time in ten years. I didn't eat a lot, mostly because it was still a lot of effort. Even your arm can be heavy to muscles that haven't been used in that long. Glorfindel noticed, but didn't say anything. After lunch, Glorfindel helped me up and helped me totter out of the room. As soon as we were out of the hall, he picked me up and carried me back to my room, where he set me on the bed. "Get some rest. I'll check on you later."
I was about to protest that I wasn't tired when a yawn proved otherwise. He kissed me lightly before leaving the room. I dozed off within a couple minutes and didn't wake up until some time mid-afternoon. I cautiously sat up, then stood up. I managed to stand on my own for a moment, but my balance wasn't quite up to speed, and I sat down heavily on the bed. At least it's soft. I managed to stay up the second time, and then managed to walk over to the vanity table and sit in the chair there. After a moment, I got up again and walked out to the balcony and leaned both elbows on the railing there.
I looked out over the city, and a wave of awe and gratitude came over me. Awe that I had been healed, gratitude that I was healthy once again. I don't think I'll ever take moving for granted again. I laced my fingers together. Such a small thing, but just to be able to do it was amazing.
Glorfindel's arms wrapped around my waist. I hadn't heard him come in. I straightened up and leaned back against him. "Did you do this?"
"I had a small part in it. I couldn't have done it myself." He moved one arm from my waist to my shoulders.
Twenty years ago, a strange accident had changed the course of my life, throwing me into a fairy tale. Thirteen years ago that fairy tale had fallen apart, and ten years ago a drunk driver had almost ended my life. At the time, I wished he had. Life had gone one, and interminable years had drug by, and now I found myself suddenly returned to the fairy tale I'd left, with a girl who was finally getting her fresh start, hopefully with an guy who absolutely adored her, even knowing what she'd been through.
"How did all this happen?"
"What?"
"I don't know. All of this—us, me getting hurt, coming back, being healed—everything. I'm half afraid something will happen again and I'll lose you again."
"I'm not going anywhere, and this time, you're not, either."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm not going to leave your side."
"And how long are you going to keep that up?"
"Forever."
"Sounds good."
Ch. 9: Surprises
In the morning, I woke to voices in the next room. Pete's voice was the first I heard (or at least comprehended). "Would you like to come riding with me today, Renée?"
"I don't know…" Renée sounded a little hesitant. "I don't want to be gone all day if Jenny needs something." I chuckled to myself at that one. I had help laying right beside me.
I spoke up, loud enough she could hear. "I'll be fine, Renée. You need to get out of here and quit worrying about me!"
The girl came to the door, saying, "Are you sure? What if—Oh!" The look on her face when she saw Glorfindel was priceless. I don't miss technology; I never have, but I almost wished I had a camera just then.
"I'll be fine, Renée. Go enjoy yourself." Glad for the escape, she turned and left the room.
Beside me, Glorfindel chuckled. "She is young, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is, but she's also been through a lot, some of which I can only imagine."
"That young girl?"
"Yes, that girl. I'm glad I was able to bring her here. At least here, she has a chance to start over without the bad influences she had before."
"The one you call Pete is trying to court her."
"That's great. I hope she accepts him. He'd be good for her. He certainly understands her better than anyone else here, probably better even than me." I sighed, then said, "I suppose it's time to get up, isn't it?"
"Probably." He got up and walked around the bed and pulled me to a sitting position, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
I looked up at him. "Why do you put up with me? I need help to do the smallest things." He chuckled a little and took my hand. "Like I said before, Jenny, I love you. You aren't going to get rid of me so easily."
"What—I'm not—"
"Shh…" He was rubbing the inside of my wrist with his thumb. It felt wonderful. I have a little motor control, but I don't usually have much sensation, even in my hands or wrists. He slid his hand down to hold mine, and to my surprise, my fingers closed easily around his hand. I looked up at him in surprise, but he just smiled down at me. I slowly closed and then flexed the other hand. It worked.
My heart pounding, I looked down at my toes and tried to wiggle them. To my shock, they responded. My hands had always moved a little, but since the accident I had never had so much as a twitch from my legs. I raised the heel up off the floor a little, then the entire foot, then did the same with the other side. I was terrified, but I reached up and took his other hand, then slowly raised myself to my feet.
I managed to stand for a moment, then he caught me as my legs, weak from ten years of disuse, tried to give out. Instead of setting me down, he spun me in a circle. Both of us were laughing and crying for joy. It was all I could do to accept that it was indeed happening.
"How—?"
"There is much power for healing in Rivendell."
"But—"
I didn't have a chance to finish. He silenced the questions with a long kiss, and I decided to drop the question for the moment. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we held each other for a long time. Eventually, I sat down on the bed again, my legs exhausted. He picked me up and carried me outside, where we sat on a bench and enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the morning.
The lunch bell rang. "Are you ready to try lunch in the hall?"
"Yeah. I think I am." He helped me stand up, but I was still very wobbly. He picked me up and carried me to the hall. There were two empty spaces beside Gandalf. Aragorn was sitting next to Arwen, and Renée was sitting with Pete.
"Hey, Jenny! Good to see you here!" Renée called across the room. Pete chuckled a little at it, but then everyone stared in shock as Glorfindel set me down, keeping an arm firmly around my waist, and I walked unsteadily to the seat. Aragorn watched me impassively. Even Elrond and Gandalf looked surprised, but at least they did a better job of hiding it than Renée. I could have sworn her chin would hit the table.
"So, how's everyone doing?" They just continued to stare at me.
Elrond broke the silence. "It is good to see you on your feet, Jennifer." That may have been the understatement of the age. Lunch passed uneventfully. There were several other beings, Dwarves and Men, gathered there. They looked very confused over my reception, but let it pass. I had gleaned enough information to know that they were there for the council Elrond would hold in a couple days to discuss the Ring. No one talked much. I think the Elves were too surprised, and the others were just confused.
It was a very strange thing to feed myself for the first time in ten years. I didn't eat a lot, mostly because it was still a lot of effort. Even your arm can be heavy to muscles that haven't been used in that long. Glorfindel noticed, but didn't say anything. After lunch, Glorfindel helped me up and helped me totter out of the room. As soon as we were out of the hall, he picked me up and carried me back to my room, where he set me on the bed. "Get some rest. I'll check on you later."
I was about to protest that I wasn't tired when a yawn proved otherwise. He kissed me lightly before leaving the room. I dozed off within a couple minutes and didn't wake up until some time mid-afternoon. I cautiously sat up, then stood up. I managed to stand on my own for a moment, but my balance wasn't quite up to speed, and I sat down heavily on the bed. At least it's soft. I managed to stay up the second time, and then managed to walk over to the vanity table and sit in the chair there. After a moment, I got up again and walked out to the balcony and leaned both elbows on the railing there.
I looked out over the city, and a wave of awe and gratitude came over me. Awe that I had been healed, gratitude that I was healthy once again. I don't think I'll ever take moving for granted again. I laced my fingers together. Such a small thing, but just to be able to do it was amazing.
Glorfindel's arms wrapped around my waist. I hadn't heard him come in. I straightened up and leaned back against him. "Did you do this?"
"I had a small part in it. I couldn't have done it myself." He moved one arm from my waist to my shoulders.
Twenty years ago, a strange accident had changed the course of my life, throwing me into a fairy tale. Thirteen years ago that fairy tale had fallen apart, and ten years ago a drunk driver had almost ended my life. At the time, I wished he had. Life had gone one, and interminable years had drug by, and now I found myself suddenly returned to the fairy tale I'd left, with a girl who was finally getting her fresh start, hopefully with an guy who absolutely adored her, even knowing what she'd been through.
"How did all this happen?"
"What?"
"I don't know. All of this—us, me getting hurt, coming back, being healed—everything. I'm half afraid something will happen again and I'll lose you again."
"I'm not going anywhere, and this time, you're not, either."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm not going to leave your side."
"And how long are you going to keep that up?"
"Forever."
"Sounds good."