Heyo again readers! Thanx for the reviews- 4 on the first day! Anyways, don't worry, this won't be a Mary-Sue. I pinkie promise! Wiggles pinkie and this chapter HAS Foaly in it. Oh, boy this is a difficult fic, cuz he isn't always going to be awake. But he will be speaking. Sort of. Aaah, can't tell too much. Anyways, here is my fourth chappie. Enjoy!
Reviewers Shiver a Foaly Story Holly Rox, lutefa, Red Water Rising, Nieni Woodland, Ethiopia Fowlsoner, soap sudd, Egleriel, minya, La Cramento, Kat, Shiver Kel the Nightmare, Andromeda, amileana, WrIteErKaT322, The Xylia, soap sudd, Female Foaly, and WackedOutPet13. Thank you, thank you all! Mwah (Blows kiss)
Disclaimer: For the final blinking time, no one but Eoin Colfer owns Artemis Fowl. We all wish we did. Dahhm you, Colfer! says in Russian accent Those stupid geniuses think of everything!
Shiver Chapter 4 Unbearable
Holly had always hated hospitals. She had only been in one once or twice as a child, but she would always remember how much she hated them; they always smelled like medicine, had noisy, fighting families, and those CLOWNS that always came to visit the sick patients. She shivered involuntarily at the thought of those big-shoed, turn-your-frown-upside-down-attitude cretins in polka dot tights. Once, Holly passed out while healing and woke up with her elbow bent the wrong direction, and she had to go to the Haven Hospital. She was only twenty, barely even out of childhood, and it was the most horrifying experience of her life. The memory was etched in her mind, and frequently turned up in her nightmares. There was a purple haired clown that must not have had a good day (Otherwise he was hung over, thought Holly amusedly) and had approached her, wearing a painted on smile. He was frowning, though, and had a particularly evil glint in his eyes. The clown, who called himself 'Mister Sunshine', had bent over her, saying, "Does someone need cheered up? Mister Sunshine can help!" Whether it was the smeared paint on his lips or the (imaginary?) odor of alcohol on his breath, Holly had never felt more terrified in her life.
"Holly," said a voice that was familiar but completely alien sounding. Holly turned her head slightly towards the sound. It was Commander Root, and he wasn't in uniform. He was dressed in what almost looked like a casual pantsuit, but he had his decorative LEP vest on, which had his Golden Acorn pin on. Other than that, there was no other sign that he was the honored commander of the Lower Elements Police. That wasn't the only shocking issue. He looks… pale. And worried. Wow, what a surprising day this is turning out to be. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch, for just a few hours ago, Foaly, one of Holly's best friends, suddenly collapsed in Commander Root's office, and started convulsing. She was nearly ready to change her mind about the Mister Sunshine incident being her most horrifying memory.
"Commander Root," replied Holly, "I didn't know that you would be coming." She started to straighten up and brush out the wrinkles on her uniform, but Root didn't seem to care, and he sat down next to her on the bench she was sitting on. It was a hard, plastic bench clearly designed to make the people waiting on them even more edgy than they already were.
The commander smiled weakly, grimacing more than grinning. "Well, I'm off duty, and I thought I would check on a fallen soldier." Holly felt herself smile weakly in return, wondering if the Commander was really ever off duty. Holly returned the smile.
"Don't call Foaly a soldier, though; he hates that, remember?" So, they were both trapped in this freakish, clown-infested hospital, waiting for the only person in the fairy underground who could run the LEP computer to recover. If he recovers, thought Holly, internally wincing. It was very strange, the way he fainted in Root's office, and Holly didn't like it one bit. And when she thought about how Foaly said, "Get Fowl," she became even more nervous. It sounded like he didn't expect to… no, no, he was just delusional. But was he, really? The last few moments he was conscious, he seemed terrifyingly aware of what was going on.
The door to Foaly's room opened, and the Chief Healer stepped out, wearing a White-Out white lab coat. His name suggested in large, friendly letters, that his name was Warlock Moss, and he was glad to be of service. The look on his face suggested that he was not glad of anything; maybe he just met Mister Sunshine. Holly doubted it, though, as she felt her stomach plummet down towards the floor, by the way he kept glancing at his lab results with a sad, defeated frown. Dark crow's feet by his blue eyes looked unexpectedly familiar, and Holly had to look away, feeling that this day was about to turn even worse than it already was. First Foaly's collapse, then hospitals, then bad memories of clowns, and now this Warlock who had perplexing similarities to (Artemis Fowl, Holly's mind blurted.) She decided speaking would distract her from the worry she felt in her heart.
"Is he awake?" she asked Warlock Moss. No, she was wrong. The worry was much worse now, making that painful knot in her chest tighten even harder. The Healer's familiar-colored eyes glanced sharply up from his notepad. He gave his obviously forced half-smile. Pssh, Holly thought, If he is going to force a smile, he can at least give a full smile.
The warlock sighed, his forced-half-smile fading rapidly. "Yes, and he would like to see you." He paused, looking slightly put-off about something. "He actually ordered me to bring you in and, um… said that no nursemaid was going to prevent him from seeing his friends." Holly felt as though she may have internal bleeding from swallowing the insane laughter welling up inside her. Same old Foaly.
Moss led them into the over-hygienically white room where Foaly was sitting up in his hospital bed, reading a magazine titled Elf-Leisure: A Guide to the Newest Home Tech. Holly doubted Foaly would read Elf Leisure if there were any other magazines around. It was widely known for its inept "professionals" who would get stories on the latest technology supposedly designed to make the average fairy's home life easier. Holly had ordered the magazines for a short period of time; she discovered many of the 'time saving' equipment reported seemed more like a jumbled mass of wires and metal that would break as soon as used. Foaly often made snide jokes about the magazine, especially when someone who worked for Elf Leisure happened to be close by.
Holly thought Foaly looked very ill. The modified hospital bed allowed him reasonable comfort, despite him having for legs, but he looked rather pale. His thin mop of hair was wild and tangled, and his cheeks seemed rather hollow and thin. But he still gave the same sarcastic, cocky smile he always gave Holly when he greeted her. Holly's heart, which felt as if it was in a knot since she first arrived at the hospital, relaxed slightly as he smiled. He waved the doctor out of the room.
"Foaly!" cried Holly, rushing into the room. "How are you feeling?" She knelt beside his bed and grabbed his hands. She had to be wary of his four hoofed feet dangling off the bed, but she managed.
"Fine, fine." He looked up at Root, who was standing in the doorframe. "Why, Julius, why don't you come in? I know how much you worry about me… If it will make you feel better you can fetch me a glass of water." He nodded towards his room's sink, grinning like a maniac. Root purpled and glowered, but refrained from yelling.
"Quiet, civilian. And don't,"
"Call you Julius," finished Foaly, "I know, I know. But it is fun watching your brain struggle not to explode." Root growled halfheartedly, and the smallest smile appeared on his ruddy face. His smile quickly vanished as Holly asked Foaly the question that was clearly nagging at the back of both their minds.
"Foaly, what happened yesterday? Is there something wrong?" Her heart was doing flips again, but somewhere around her knees. Foaly frowned slightly, and his usually bright, humorous (albeit sarcastic) eyes darkened and appeared extremely tired. He sighed deeply, throwing the magazine onto the floor melodramatically, trying in vain to restore the humor to the room. But Holly and Root weren't buying it. He glanced at their unchanging faces, sighed again, and told the pair of elves the thing Holly had been dreading the most since Foaly's collapse.
"I'm sick," he said softly, "its called P'Seidon's Syndrome. A genetic disorder. I'm going to deteriorate slowly, and maybe with some therapy, keep it at bay for a while. But, in a few months…" He paused, uncharacteristically shaken.
"What Foaly?" whispered Holly softly, taking his hands in hers. They were shaking, but warm. Holly felt her heart thump madly, somewhere around the region of her toes. What's going on? Oh, Foaly! she thought madly. She felt angry, sad, confused. Wanting to know, but not wanting to know, especially if it was bad, which it definitely was, judging by the pale shade Foaly's face had taken. But she looked confidently at Foaly, as if she had to know. But I don't, I don't want to know. It's too bad, I can't bear it! Foaly looked at her face for a long time, as if drinking in each curve and climax on her face. He gulped without any sign of overdramatic air. He was showing real, honest fear; horribly honest fear. But he continued, one sentence that would stick in Holly's head for as long as she lived.
"I... I'll lose the use of my legs and after a few weeks, I'll be..become…" He swallowed dryly, than swallowed again, eyes wide. "I'll be paralyzed, Holly. I'll be paralyzed, and I won't live much longer after that." He said this very fast, and kind of mumbled 'I won't live much longer after that' under his breath, as if he thought Holly and Root wouldn't hear him. But they did, and Holly was sure it showed on both their faces.
"Listen," said Foaly, before either of them spoke, or in Holly's case, screamed. His voice became stronger, and an earnest, intense gleam lit his eyes. "I am not going to be dying tomorrow. I will be able to walk and such. I don't have any intention of taking therapy. It is more trouble and painful than it's worth." He reached under his pillow, letting go of Holly's hand. Actually, more like wrenching free as Holly was holding it so tightly his hand was turning red. Foaly pulled a laptop out from underneath his pillow.
"Foaly!" exclaimed Root, unexpectedly gentle, "Hospitals forbid the use of electronics in patient bedrooms." Foaly looked up at Root, a slight smile on his lips.
"No, they don't," he admitted ungrudgingly, "but I had Trouble Kelp bring it in, with the help of a few gold coins." He grinned even wider, and Holly felt slightly relieved that he wasn't too sick right then. He opened the laptop and turned it on, saying, "I started researching where the photofrequency detectors were picking up most of the… aurora borealis images." He typed quickly, fingers moving like tap-dancing tarantulas. "Ah, here we are!" He said with bravado, spinning the laptop around to face Holly and Root. Root walked over to Foaly's bedside somewhat reluctantly, but came all the same.
What appeared to be a large, 3D globe of the world projected from the screen. While slowly revolving, tiny, color-changing splotches appeared all over the world. How strange, thought Holly, of course, any idiot would know that the Northern Lights emerge in the Northern Hemisphere. Why are they showing up all over the world?
"Why are they appearing all over the world, Foaly?" Holly spoke up after a moment of watching the revolving, projected planet. Foaly raised an eyebrow.
"We aren't dealing with the aurora borealis, Captain." This time, Root spoke up instead of Holly. Foaly turned to Root, obviously impressed.
"Exactly. This is something alien, or at the very least, something supernatural." He pointed to the revolving planet. "The most recent occurrence of the…disturbances… appeared in Ireland two nights ago." Foaly pushed a few buttons on his computer. "Guess where?"
The earth-projection zoomed in and changed shape. The picture Holly saw pleased her none. Root felt the same, for he let out a slight stream of mixed swearwords, and his face purpled again. The 3D picture showed an old, all-too-familiar mansion.
"D'Arvit," said Holly in undertone, "Fowl Mansion." She reached for Foaly's hand, and this time, he squeezed it slightly. Feeling her cheeks color unexpectedly, Holly stared harder at the screen, not really seeing it. Funny how in half a second, her attention could go from one subject of importance to another, seemingly random one. Her attention returned to the screen in another instant. What appeared to be the aurora borealis appeared right outside the top windows of the Fowl house. The lights in the front yard went off, and it appeared that the rest of the lights did as well. As they watched, the window screens opened, and a surprised Artemis Fowl, Butler, and Juliet stared out at the aurora. Recovering from shock, the three approached the window. The camera zoomed in to a partial side view, thanks to Foaly's quick fingers. Artemis touched his window, and the aurora condensed, and seemed solid, just like the pictures Foaly had shown them. Suddenly, the picture went out of focus, began to break up, and turned off.
"D'Arvit," said both Root and Holly simultaneously. There was no other way to describe it.
"Obviously," said Foaly, businesslike, "Fowl could give us a more personal account, if given the chance. Clearly, this is as phenomenon the People would want to study."
"What?" said Root, mouth open slightly, and his skin purpled even further.
"Furthermore," continued Foaly, voice slightly louder, as if trying to see if Root got the gist, "when these disturbances occurred, areas around Mud Men dwellings and the Peoples alike suffered a power failure. The Fowl boy and crew would be able to give us a view on when this occurred in conjunction to the disturbances." After a slight pause, in which Root spluttered incoherently, Foaly spoke, slightly softer.
"I think it's time to pay Mister Fowl a visit," said Foaly, voice laced with traces of humor and wariness. Holly agreed, but she wasn't so sure Root would. Even if Root did, Holly was certain the Council wouldn't. Root glared at Foaly and Holly, but sighed after a few moments of giving them the evil eye.
"Why does this week seem to be going from bad to worse?" sighed Root. Foaly tutted softly, but it was loud enough for Root to hear. Root glared at him again, and Holly could practically see the daggers coming out of his eyes.
"The Council won't approve." He said this, surprisingly, rather weakly. Foaly didn't catch the weakness of it, and took a deep breath, as if preparing for a speech. Root interrupted him right as he opened his mouth (thankfully, thought Holly.) Root smiled slightly as he interjected, rather devilishly.
"So I guess we won't tell them." He nodded at Holly, "Captain, I want you to grab the set of wings in my office, fly out there and see what's going on." Foaly stared at him, open-mouthed, with no barbed insult coming out of the gaping hole. Root caught Foaly's surprised look, and bellowed what seemed like a laugh, although it was hard to tell, since neither of them had ever heard him laugh before.
"Oh, what, Foaly? Did your comment get stuck on the way up?" He made the same strange noise again, but it was much softer this time. Perhaps it was a chuckle? she regarded quizzically. The Commander stopped… the noise he was making… and looked Foaly straight in the eye. "I have a bad feeling about whatever is going on over there. His memories may come back, but my gut is telling me it will be worth it." Foaly grinned maniacally, his horsy teeth flashing in the dim, sterile hospital light. His gaze shifted towards Holly as Commander Root walked out the door, seeming quite determined not to turn around, as if thinking that turning would make them question him. It was quite abrupt, even for him.
Foaly's gaze shifted into Holly's eyes. She felt her heart beat faster, but she was not perfectly sure why. She had a pretty good idea, though.
"Holly, there isn't much time left for me." He was speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, so Holly had to lean closer to hear him.
"There is something very strange about the aurora thing. Of course, any fairy- idiot could tell that, but…" He swallowed dryly, and Holly looked at his face. Oh gods, he looks so tired all of a sudden. Is he going to have another seizure? Foaly caught her worrying look, and interpreted it correctly. "I'm alright for now, but I wanted to tell you… I think the aurora may help me recover. I don't know what makes me think that but…" Foaly shrugged, his eyes half closed. Holly squeezed his hand reassuringly, but she really didn't understand at all. But she wanted to try. Gods, she did. His gaze shifted towards Holly's face, rather jerkily. Really romantic, thought Holly playfully.
"Get Fowl, Holly. Tell him. I tried to tell you before the seizure, but I couldn't. It happened to quickly. Maybe I did tell you, and I can't remember…" Holly nodded, drinking in every word he said.
"Find him Holly," he said, taking a deep breath. "He'll know." With that, he raised Holly's small, delicate hand to his lips, and his head and hand went limp. He fell asleep, evidently completely exhausted. His slight snores started seconds after his head his the pillow.
"I will," said Holly, squeezing his hand gently before placing it on his lap. I fiery determination filled her as she walked from the room.
I must…