The next few days were relatively uneventful, and blissfully normal. The girls went to their classes, met for lunch when they could, had dinner together, studied for exams, laughed together, were there for each other and talked about anything and everything. All the things that had come to define their relationship.
Glinda took some good-natured ribbing from her classmates about her antics at the sing-a-long bar. She laughed along with them, giving as good as she got. She was particularly pleased, and beamed when her friends brought up how nice Elphie turned out to be and how they had enjoyed her company, and her singing.
In Elphie's classes, word had quickly spread about her antics at the sing-along-bar. She accepted compliments about her singing without blushing- too much, or fleeing the room. She expertly deflected questions about where she learned that bawdy pub tune, and flat out ignored inquires as to Glinda's post bar drunken behavior. She interacted casually with her classmates and for the first time, it didn't seem so difficult.
By the time mid-week rolled around, the school seemed ready for a break. Exams were almost over and spring recess was only a few days away. Elphaba made her way across campus, on her way to the café to meet her favorite roommate for a late lunch. She smiled as she thought back to this morning's conversation, when she left a pouting Glinda to go to the library.
"Elphie come with me, to the levitation demonstration, it'll be fun""Glinda I told you, I have some research to do- I have a test tomorrow"
She remembered Glinda's beautiful face puckering into her trademark pout
"I'll tell you what, I'll meet you for a late lunch and you'll have me for the rest of the day- how's that?"
"If that is my only option" Glinda was still pouting
"Of course it is not, Lyndie dear. You can dine with your friends and I'll meet you back here tonight." "Elphie, have I ever told you, you are a mean green thing""Constantly, my sweet, constantly-So I'll see you mid- afternoon at the café."
She had lightly stroked her friend's cheek before leaving, which only served to make Glinda pout more.
"I'll guess I'll take what I can get"
She chuckled at the memory. Never in her life would she have pictured herself as caring so much for someone as high maintenance as Glinda Upland.
" But I'm sure she forgot all about pouting five minutes after I left" She smiledShe sauntered down the pathway enjoying the sights and sounds of the campus. As she drew nearer to the courtyard she noticed some sort of disturbance. She quickened her step in order to see what was going on. She heard people talk of explosions and a fire. Students were running about, some were crying, some were screaming, some where hurt. As she neared the Life Sciences Building, she saw broken glass and bits of debris everywhere.
"What in Oz?" She said out loud, confused and concerned.
She spotted, their dorm porter, Master Norven, and hurried towards him
"Master Norven," She called loudly to be heard above the crowd. "What happened here?"
"Elphaba" he said, forgetting propriety. "Elphaba, thank goodness, they just took Glinda to the dispensary, she was hurt, but I don't know how badly"
"Oh Sweet Lurline NO!" Elphie gasped as she ran off in the direction of the dispensary. She remembered how she felt last night while singing to her best friend, and her panic grew.
"Please, please let her be Ok. Please let her not be hurt badly" She prayed to no one as she ran across the courtyard.
When she got to the dispensary she saw 15 or so students sitting around being tended to, luckily none seemed to have more than minor cuts and scratches. She looked around wildly for Glinda, and caught the eye of Nurse Ligur. She looked at the nurse, her dark eyes filled with fear, beseeching the nurse to help. Nurse smiled at her warmly and nodded in the direction of the exam rooms.
" Room 3" She mouthed.
"Thank you" Elphaba mouthed back, Her stomach in knots.
She sped off down the hall and stopped when she got to room 3. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
"There is enough panic around here without you contributing more- so settle down- whatever it is, you can handle it. She is going to need you." She chided herself softly.
As she was opening the door she heard Glinda's voice, "Ow, Ow, Ow"
"Miss Glinda, You really must hold still so I can properly clean out this wound." A young nurse said irritably
Elphie strode quickly into the room and over to table where Glinda was sitting, She did a quick assessment of the situation. A nurse was sitting on a stool doing something to Glinda's leg, her friend was crying and looked slightly disheveled and scared but nothing seemed to be seriously wrong. She exhaled audibly and relaxed considerably,
"Glinda, I'm here," she said going around the table to stand behind her injured friend.
"Elphie, how did you…." She started, turning to see Elphie, her eyes glistening with tears and filled with fear.
"Shhh it doesn't matter, I'm here." She gently pushed a lock of hair off her roommate's face, and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"How did you get in here?" the nurse said tersely
"Nurse Ligur sent me in here to be with my roommate." She said in a tone that offered no avenue for argument.
"Very well, just stay out of the way- and try to keep her still"
Elphie glared at the nurse who ignored her and went back to cleaning out what looked like a bad scrape on Glinda's knee.
"Owwwww" Glinda whimpered, trying to squirm away.
Elphie gave her a squeeze and kissed her head. "Try and hold still my sweet, I know it hurts, but it will be over very soon." The green girl whispered lovingly into her hurting roomies ear and held her tightly.
Just then Nurse Ligur entered the room and spoke with authority.
""Nurse, you are needed out here right away." The young nurse nodded stopped tending to Glinda and left with Nurse Ligur, who turned and winked at the girls.
"Lyndie- Are you Ok?" Elphie said moving around to face her friend.
"Elphie- - I was so scared- there was some sort of explosion, or something…"
"I just assumed that you had blown up the potions lab." She chuckled trying to calm her obviously shaken friend.
Glinda smiled slightly at the gentle jab to her lack of prowess in potion making.
"I'm glad you came- I was so scared" she said.
"Don't be scared- Nurse wouldn't have left us, if you were not going to be Ok- and I'll not leave your side."
Nurse Ligur came back in with a tray of supplies, half of which were covered up.
" I'm sorry about the young nurse. She is skilled but has trouble with the more delicate natured of our students. I put Miss Glinda in here by herself to avoid any fainting spells that would have inevitably occurred had she remained out there. " Referencing her tendency to faint at the sight of needles.
"That was very kind of you Nurse" Elphie said.
"My pleasure my dears. I know it's hard to tell now but I was a delicate thing in my youth as well." She winked at the frightened girl.
"Let's get you cleaned up, Miss Glinda" she said.
Quickly, gently, but thoroughly she cleaned, and treated the relatively minor injuries. Glinda bit her lip and whimpered, while Elphaba whispered in her ear and held her hand, sensitive to the fact that her roomie tended to be a bit of a baby at times like this.
"Just like you told me my sweet, look at me, and it will all be over soon." She tried to hold her roommates tear filled gaze.
After a while, Nurse said, "There now all done. You did very well"
Glinda nodded, and Elphaba reached up to dry her tears.
"Elphie, no- you're skin," she said pulling away slightly
"I can't even feel it, " she said wiping a stray tear.
"Girls, Miss Glinda's injuries are not serious, just some cuts and scrapes, and she should be good as new in a week or so, but there is a slight problem."
"What?" Elphaba said looking very concerned. Glinda looked sacred.
"Because of how she received her injuries, the debris that was embedded in them and the fact that they are more than skin deep- she really must have some concentrated medications to prevent infections.
"Shots" Glinda said looking miserable
"I'm afraid so- Doctor and I have been trying to figure out some way to give you what you must have- while keeping you conscious. "
Glinda burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- I don't want to cause problems."
She threw her arms around Elphaba and sobbed.
"I'm sorry," she said through her sobs
"There, there dear- this is not a major crisis" Nurse Ligur said.
Elphie desperately wanted to do something to ease her best friend's distress and holding the sobbing girl gave her an idea
"I think I have a solution to this problem." Elphie said pushing Glinda away slightly.
"Glinda, you only faint when you see the needle- right?"
Glinda nodded, calming a bit
"Well if you don't see it, you shouldn't faint. I'll hold you and hide you face. You will feel the injection, but you won't see it, so shouldn't faint. Do you want to try?"
"Elphie that won't work- will it?" she asked skeptically.
Elphaba climbed up on the table beside her.
"What have you got to lose, besides consciousness, and that probably would have happened anyway."
Glinda sighed and looked unhappy, but nestled her head in her roomies shoulder.
Elphaba nodded at the nurse who uncovered the syringes and prepared to administer the injections. Elphaba wrapped one arm around Glinda's waist and placed the other on her head, holding firmly, just in case.
"Don't be scared," she said into her ear
She saw Nurse ready to administer the shot and nodded.
"Besides she said I thought you liked hugs and…"
"Ow" Glinda yelped trying to squirm away, but Elphie held on to her tightly.
"All done" Nurse said kindly
Elphie held Glinda for a second more, while the nurse disposed of the syringe, then let go, looking into her friends deep blue, glistening eyes.
"Hey" Glinda said, "I didn't faint"
"No, my sweet" Elphie said softly " You did not faint"
"But it hurt" Glinda said starting to pout
"I know" Elphie soothed
"But I didn't faint"
Do you think you can handle one more Miss Glinda" Nurse asked
"I think so" She and Elphie shifted positions and Glinda placed her head on her friends other shoulder And Elphie held her like before. Now knowing what to expect, Glinda was a little more tense, but 5 seconds, a cry from Glinda, and a squeeze from Elphie later, shot number two was successfully administered.
"Miss Glinda, you were very brave," Nurse Ligur said kindly
Glinda nodded, but still looked a little miserable.
"Miss Elphaba, how are you healing?" She said turning her attention to the green girl.
"Well, I think"
"Excellent" She asked Elphie about all her bruises and types of pain, recording her responses on her chart.
"Fine, fine I will sign you off- but if you need anything, please come and ask for me. Oh and Miss Glinda" She said noticing the slight girl holding her arms. "If your arms hurt you, some gentle massaging usually helps. You can pick up some ointments for your scrapes on the way out.
"Thank you Nurse, you are very patient and kind," Glinda said
"Yes thank you" Elphie echoed
"As I said my dear, I really do understand" She patted Glinda's shoulder, and turned to leave.
Elphie got down from the table looked at the small marks on Glinda's arms and ever so gently used her fingertips to rub them. She noticed her best friend trembling slightly.
"Glinda, what's wrong? - Are you in pain?"- What's wrong?" She said very concerned.
"I can't believe someone tried to blow up the Life Sciences Building. I was so scared until you came in."
"I can imagine, it was scary just seeing the aftermath. - We'll talk over dinner, if you are hungry." She looked lovingly at the small girl on the table. "Lyndie- I really am very proud of you- It took a lot of guts to face your fear,"
"Well, I learned from the best" Glinda said, giving her friend a peck on the cheek, and hopping off of the table. Glinda took Elphie's arm and they headed out. Glinda picked up her medicine at the reception desk and looked around the waiting area.
"Look at all of these students Elphie, who would do such a thing?" She sounded sad and distressed.
"I have no idea my sweet, but come" She guide her distraught friend to the door.
"Lyndie, are you sure you want to go to the café? You look a little shaky."
"Yes I'm sure" She squeezed Elphie's arm. "I want to see what's going on."
"As you wish, my sweet" Elphie replied patting her arm.
They walked into the café and a group of classmates, some of who Elphie recognized from the pub, called them over.
"Elphie, can we sit with them?"
"Of course, Glinda- you needn't even ask"
"Yes I do." She laughed and pulled Elphie in the direction of their friends.
When they got to the table, two boys got up to make room for them, and went to get more chairs. Elphie helped Glinda sit down.
"Elphie I'm fine" She chuckled
"Glinda, are you alright? We heard you were injured."
"Just a few cuts and scrapes- nothing serious"
Loma said "Oh you poor thing- going through all of that by yourself."
The other girls tsk tsked and shook their heads.
"Oh but I wasn't all alone. Our dorm porter saw Elphie in the courtyard and told her what happened and she came right over and stayed with me."
Elphie looked a little uncomfortable. "She was very brave through the whole thing."
The group nodded, obviously relieved Glinda was well.
"I'm so glad Glinda" Loma said, "It's scary to be alone at a time like that."
"I know" Glinda nodded in agreement. "Will you all excuse us for a moment, so we can go get something to eat."
"Glinda, just stay put- I'll go get us something" Elphaba said getting up "Would you like anything in particular?"
"Something light please, I'm not very hungry- thanks Elphie" She squeezed her friends hand.
"She certainly is different than she was at the beginning of the year," Loma said and the group chorused an agreement.
"Aren't we all" Glinda said. "Does anyone know what happened out there?"
"We were talking about that when you came in."
Elphaba came back just then and put food on the table "Glinda I got you and I salads and I brought a cheese and vegetable plate for everyone to share."
"Elphie- that's perfect- thank you my love" Glinda slipped and said the term of endearment she used when they were alone. Elphie flushed slightly and hoped no one heard. There was a chorus of "thanks Elphaba's" from around the table
"You're very welcome," Elphie said sitting down
"Elphie" Glinda said sipping her tea "We were just talking about what happened on the courtyard"
"Yes" Manif said "I overheard some guards say that the same people who have been organizing demonstrations and vandalizing over the past few days, set off some small home made bombs in the windows of the Life Sciences building- in protest- I guess"
"That is insane," Some one said
"Why would they want to risk hurting innocent people?"
"Who knows?" Loma said "I heard that this whole protest against Animals thing wasn't even started by students, but by some men from the Emerald City out to cause trouble."
"Well they certainly have caused a lot of it" Glinda said- she sounded tired and Elphie could feel her hand shaking
She leaned over and whispered "Are you Ok?"
Glinda nodded and squeezed Elphie's hand. The finished eating everyone sharing what little information they had about what happened.
Well I hope they find out who was responsible soon," Elphie said, "So there is no more senseless destruction- who could hate Animals that much?"
There were murmurs of agreement around the table. Elphie glanced over at Glinda who was not looking good.
"If you all will excuse us- I think Miss Glinda needs some rest," Elphie said, "She's been through a lot today"
"Oh yes, of course" Loma said. We hope you feel better Glinda"
Elphie helped Glinda stand and took her arm.
"We will see you all later," Glinda said as she left on Elphie's arm.