The room was painfully silent.
Sokka sat unmoving in a chair, staring at his hands. He had washed them after being ushered out of the room by Katara. There were still remnants of blood underneath his fingernails, making him sick.
The door in front of him mocked him every time he chanced a glance its way. Suki and Katara were behind it. He kept re-imagining her crumbling to the floor, his stomach dropping each time.
His friends had stopped by to check on them earlier. But now, he was the only one remaining as they had much to sort out. They had won - barely - and now they were currently investigating the reason for the attack.
A presence at his side pulled his attention away from his hands; he looked up into the face of Ty Lee. She was trying to mask her worry, but he could see through it. Even her posture gave her away. As if speaking too loudly would cause more damage, Ty Lee asked quietly, "how is Suki doing?"
Sighing through his nose he said the only thing he could tell her, "Katara is still working on her."
Ty Lee dropped her eyes to the floor, taking in the information before glancing at the door where her friend was. A shudder coursed through him. He hadn't even stopped to think about her sister's-in-arms, and how they were feeling.
"I'm sorry," Sokka admitted, tears coming to his eyes. "-I-It's my fault. She wouldn't be - she wouldn't -" Ty Lee's arms wound around him, and he clung to her tightly - holding back his sobs. Guilt racked through him. "-If I had just -"
"Stop," Ty Lee said firmly, pushing him at arm's length. She ignored her own tears to speak to the water tribesman. "-It's no one's fault but those attackers! And Suki knew what she was running into. So stop. She doesn't want this from you, or me. Pull yourself together. We need to be the strong ones for her right now."
He was unable to respond to her demand before the door opened to a tired Katara. They both rose expectedly, waiting for her to say something. Katara's face contorted. Sokka recognized her facial expression as one she made when she was thinking.
She finally settled on her words, speaking them gently. "She's alive, but she's lost a lot of blood. The next couple of hours are going to be crucial. I've done all I can do for now." She moved closer to her brother and the warrior, and sighed remorsefully. "-She's in bad shape. I can't promise that she'll pull through."
Ty Lee spoke first, "is it okay if we go see her?"
Katara smiled sadly at her patient's friend, touching her shoulder. "Of course. Just try and keep it short. Suki really needs to conserve her energy."
Ty Lee nodded enthusiastically, brushing past the waterbender. Sokka moved to follow but stopped at his sister's hand grabbing his forearm.
Through tear-filled eyes, Katara locked her eyes with his own. She whispered, "Sokka, I don't think-" her grip on his arm became tighter. She didn't want to finish her sentence. As if worried that saying it aloud would bring solidity to her words. "-I don't think she's going to make it."
"You're one of the best healers in the world, Katara."
She sighed, looking back at the room. "I'm going to continue doing my best to get her through this. But not even the greatest healer could promise her surviving. I know she meant a lot to you, but I need you to prepare for the worst. Just in case."
Her words stung; anger burned in his chest. "She's going to make it. Suki is the strongest person I know. Just pretend she's Aang, and she'll be fine." Katara muttered his name pleadingly, but he released her hold of him and walked into the room.
The sight made him stop though. Pain coursed through him. Ty Lee was holding onto Suki's hand. She was saying something to her, but he couldn't make out her words. He felt like he was intruding; he waited and just watched.
Suki's eyes were shut; her skin was ashy and pale. If her chest wasn't rising and falling in a slow rhythm, he would assume she was already dead. Every breath she took seemed to take every ounce of effort she could muster.
Ty Lee rising from her seat broke him out of his momentary trance. She leaned over, brushed her hand through Suki's hair, and smiled. "They're gonna take care of you, Suk. I'll come back to check up on you here in a little while. And if they tell me you haven't been resting, I'll kill you myself. Okay?"
Attempting a smile, Suki nodded weakly and opened her eyes the tiniest amount. Ty Lee seemed satisfied with her attempt at an answer and placed a kiss on Suki's forehead. "Get some rest, Suki."
Ty Lee stopped beside Sokka on her way out and whispered, "if - if anything happens - if she needs anything - come get me?"
"I will," he said. Through a deep frown, Ty Lee nodded and left with haste.
Sokka took a breath and willed his feet to move. He neared her bedside, taking her in again. She seemed so fragile. He would have never used the word to describe the stubborn woman before. He always just assumed she was too resilient. Katara's words hit him full force as he watched her little gasps of breath rattle her body. He choked down a sob, remembering what Ty Lee had said, and sat down beside her. He lifted her limp hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.
Her head tilted his direction, and she muttered his name hoarsely. Her eyes parted, seeking his face. Her voice - though tiny - brought warmth and hope to his heart. He gave her a huge grin, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "I'm right here, Suki. Y-You're going to be okay." His voice cracked.
She broke.
Tears cascaded clumsily down her face. "Don - Don't leave. Plea -"
He hushed her quickly, placing his palm against her cold cheek, smoothing his thumb across her trails of tears. She struggled to catch her breath - to stop crying.
"Shh. I'm not going anywhere." He placed his forehead against hers like he used to do all those years ago. Nuzzling her gently, he tried to calm her. "-I'm not leaving you. I promise."
Stilling her breath the best she could; she trembled. "I... I'm scared." A sharp intake of breath startled them both, Suki's face scrunching in pain. Her hand flew to the wound at her chest.
Sokka bit his lip, wishing he could help her - wishing he could ease her fear and pain. The only thing he could offer her was his presence. He didn't have Katara's waterbending, he couldn't heal her. Lifting himself from his seat, he carefully sat on the lip of her bedside, scooting closer to her.
Her breathing was starting to return somewhat to normal. Her eyes closed; most likely due to weariness. Sokka smoothed her hair down. "You need to rest and save your energy."
Another sharp breath left her, and a vice grip took hold of his heart. "-When you wake up, I'll still be here. Alright?"
She didn't respond.
A dark blue canvas filled every corner of the sky. Little stars twinkled brightly, trying their hardest to outshine the eerie glow of the moon. Sokka could faintly see a portion of it through the window of Suki's room.
Hours had passed by, and she had yet to wake up. Her tiny breaths encouraged him more than he thought a breath ever could. Every rigid rise and fall of her chest was precious to him.
He fiddled with the smooth stone around his neck, reenvisioning the moment she had given it to him. That was the last time he had seen her before today. She had looked so much younger then, he thought. So full of life. Logic reminded him that she was a soldier; she faced death every day. But seeing her so close to it now - it angered him. She has so much life left to live. It's not fair!
It had almost been him.
And if he was honest with himself, that scared him. If she hadn't acted when she did, he would be in this bed. Or worse.
A shudder jolted him. He fought with his mind, refusing to travel along the grim path a moment more. He needed to think positive right now. She's still breathing. She's still alive.
"You're... still here." A small voice met his ears.
His heart fluttered. "Suki?" Her eyes were just barely open, but it thrilled him down to his toes to see her eyes - to hear her voice. "-I always keep my word, you know that."
She gave him a small smile and fixed her eyes on her necklace around his neck. She breathed a sigh, fighting to keep the smile on her face. "I promised ...I would t-tell you ...what ...that meant to me."
He looked down at the little stone, then back to her. "It can wait. You need to save your strength."
With a look of determination, Suki pressed her lips together tightly. "No. I ... need to tell you." He could see she wanted to say more but decided against it.
She lifted her hand and touched the tail end of the stone's crescent shape. The cord swung gently between Sokka's fingers. "I was aban...doned when I w-was... a babe." She paused, trying to catch her breath. "-An old woman n-named, Amaya ...found me ...under Kyoshi's statue. Sh-She wouldn't have seen me... if it wasn't f-for ...the moon-light."
Sokka's eyes went wide, and she gave him a moment to process her words. She knew what the moon meant to him. That, and her lungs were burning. She pushed through though, trying to hide her pain with a smile. "-Th...at necklace was ...the only th-thing my moth...er left ...me with. N-Not even ...a name. So, Amaya n-named ...me."
"Suki," he said, trying to halt her story; for his benefit and hers. He could see the discomfort eating away at her.
She smiled weakly, "Suki m-means, moon. Y-You must have ...a type."
A chuckle escaped in spite of himself, and he gazed at her through oncoming tears. He was almost grateful when her head lulled to the side - completely spent from her story. He didn't want her to see him crying. But his heart broke further as he heard her breathing becoming harsher. He wanted to hold his tears back, but he couldn't anymore.
He knew the reason she wanted to tell him about her necklace.
She's dying... and she knows it.
Lifting his head, he looked her over. If she was breathing, he couldn't tell. "Suki? ...Suki!" He shook her and received no response.
He hadn't noticed Katara was in the room until he felt her pushing him out of the way. Her hands went to Suki's neck, searching for her pulse. He was making unintelligible noises but finally managed to form words. "Katara? Is she-" he couldn't say the word.
Katara placed her hand against Suki's chest and turned to glance at Sokka. "Not yet, but she's not going to make it much longer." She blinked away tears and placed an orb of water over the warrior's chest. It glowed as Katara spoke, "-I need you to go get the other Kyoshi warriors."
He faltered at his sister's words, shaking his head in disbelief.
Katara's eyes met his with understanding. "I'm keeping her stable until you get back. They're her family, Sokka. They want to be with her too."
See you Monday with chapter 6! Also! On my profile is a link to my deviantart page. I've put a drawing of the last scene from chapter four: Red for those who are interested. It is rated mature for the blood though. Also, thank you MusicDrivenLady for your comment. I'm so happy you're along for the ride! To answer your question though, this is my first Avatar story, but I have written in the past. It's just been a minute. XD Thank you for reading, and have a blessed weekend!