Chapter 2
Cabinets and cupboards slam shut, as Asami groans in frustration. She opens the doors to, both, her refrigerator and freezer, looking through shelves and drawers, finding nothing that suits her her taste-buds at the moment. She slams the doors closed, and she decides to eat take out. She snatches her car keys off of the counter and heads out of the door, towards her car. She decides to meet Mako and Bolin, as she gets into her car.
She backs out of her driveway, and heads in the direction of the cafe a few blocks away. As she's driving, she feels all of the tension and frustration she'd been carrying, ever since her father's arrest dissipate. She swerves, between cars, in and out of lanes, ignoring all traffic signals and signs, feeling at ease, as she always does behind the wheel.
If there was anything that could make her feel better it was, driving, and creating something new. It made her feel safe. As she drove, her thoughts wandered to a simpler time, when she was younger. She had just built her first car. Her father had been so proud of her and she was ecstatic, seeing the smile on his face.
If only things could be like that again…
She lets her mind wander, and makes a sharp left. While turning, she takes her eyes off the road for one second and when she looks back, there is someone right where she's turning. Under normal circumstances, Asami would've been able to drift around this person with ease. But having just spotted them, there was no time for her to do anything but slam both feet on the brake and hope for the best. Though it seemed her hope was good for nothing, because right before her very eyes, she was going to- Oh! The person jumped out of the way of the bumper!
As soon as the car is halted, Asami immediately goets out and goes around to check on whoever she had just hit. As she gets closer she hears them groaning, "Ow..." Thank Spirits, they're okay.
Korra tries to move, but her tired and beaten body won't cooperate.
This is just my luck. I just wanted some sleep. Is that too much to ask? She thought, wryly with a deep sigh. She hears someone get out of the car, coming toward her. She tries to look over but her head is pounding, so she settles on closing her eyes, to stop the blurred images and lessen the sharp pain in the back of her head.
Asami comes around the front of her car and sees the same tanned woman from this morning, sprawled across her broken windshield, with a pained expression on her face. "I am so sorry! I don't know what happened. Here, let me help you to the hospital."
Asami goes to pick Korra up and when she does, Korra slowly opens her eyes and their gazes lock. Asami suddenly can't move, as she stares into slightly narrowed, brilliantly blue eyes. That is until Korra has to close them due to her headache. Asami shakes her head to clear her mind, "I'm going to put you in the car now."
When Asami lifts her, Korra lets out a harsh breath, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her leg from her ankle. "I think my ankle's broken." She says breathing heavily.
Asami gently lies her in the passenger seat and runs around the car, sitting in her own. She looks at the windshield and frowns. There's no way she can drive with it cracked like that. She proceeds to kick it out of the frame and onto the ground. They then start their journey to the hospital, with Asami trying to get there as quickly as possible but not disturb Korra, with her reckless driving in the process.
She looks over and sees Korra fighting to keep her eyes open. She must be trying to stay awake, in case she has a concussion. "Hey, talk to me. I can help you stay awake. What's your name?"
Korra looks over at Asami with droopy eyelids. She really should've gotten more sleep, because the longer she looks at this girl, the more she doesn't care that she almost killed her. "Korra. What's yours?"
Asami focuses her attention back on the road as she answers, "Asami Sato. Nice to meet you Korra. I'm sorry it was under these circumstances." She sighs, frustrated with herself.
How could she let something like that happen? She was a professional when it came to driving! A turn like that, even with somebody in the way, should've been a piece of cake for her. Asami shakes her head slowly. She can't let her thoughts deter her like that again. It would seem even behind bars, Hiroshi makes Asami's life that much harder.
Not to mention the person she'd just hit. If Korra didn't have the reaction she did, there was no telling what would've happened. Asami didn't want to imagine a different outcome. She was having a hard enough time dealing with the current one. She couldn't afford to let her thoughts consume her like that again, so she focused intently on the road and Korra's words.
Korra sees Asami frustration, and tries to help ease her mind, "Sato? You make cars and stuff right?"
Asami smiles and nods, "Yep, that's me. I invented the 'SatoPhone' too."
Korra thinks for a minute, "So… that means, you could fix my phone for me then?" She asks with a slight grin.
Asami chuckles. Korra had just been hit by a car and she asks about her phone. Unbelievable. "Depends on what's wrong with it. I've seen a few phones that weren't worth saving. I'd be happy to buy you a new one if yours is a lost cause."
Korra gingerly, reaches into her pocket and realizes her phone isn't there. "Damn it." She winces. "I left it at work." She sighs, looking over at Asami. Mako would grab it for her. Then she has a sudden realization. "Oh wait! I've heard of you! Didn't you and Mako date?" She asks, excitedly.
Asami laughs at Korra's outburst, "Yeah we dated for a while. We're still friends, but we didn't really mesh well as a couple."
"Well he's the reason my phone is buggy. I was helping him and Bolin practice, and he threw the worst pass I've ever seen in my life, straight at my phone. Needless to say my phone caught it. It freezes a lot now and moves much slower than it did before." Korra says, looking around. She was ready to get to the hospital. Her head was killing her, and the sooner she got there, the sooner she could leave and go to sleep.
Asami thinks over the details, Korra had she just given her on her phone. "I think it I can fix it without a problem." She smiles.
They soon approach the hospital. Asami finds an empty parking spot, relatively close to the entrance and goes around to Korra's side of the car.
"Alright, I'm gonna lift you up now." She reaches down to lift her, and Korra wraps her arms around her neck, hissing as her ankle and head both throb in pain. "Sorry."
Korra looks into her eyes, takes in a shaky deep-breath and gives her a slight smile, "Thanks for the lift."
Asami has to look away quickly, unless Korra wanted to be dumped onto the floor. Truth be told, Korra was a lot heavier than she looked. Asami assumed, it was muscle weight since Korra was very toned and seemed to be very athletic, if her arms and the way she jumped over her bumper, were any indication.
They enter the emergency room and Asami walks over to the desk. The lady behind the desk starts speaking but doesn't look up right away. "What is- Korra? What are you doing here?!"
Korra looks behind the desk and smiles a bit, her eyes heavily lidded. The bright lights in the room, made her head hurt ten times worse. "Hey Pema. I sorta got hit by a car." She chuckles.
Pema's eyes go wide. "Oh thanks Spirits, you're okay. Who would run you over, of all people?"
Asami looks down, guiltily. "I did. It was an accident. I lost focus for a second and the next thing I know, she's lying on my windshield. I'm sorry."
Korra tries to shrug but fails miserably. "Things happen. I'm alive and that's all that matters. But I do have a broken ankle and maybe a concussion too."
"Come with me." Pema walks out from behind the desk and takes them through a door, down a hall and into a room. "Wait here for the doctor. They'll check out your head and ankle. I have to go. I'm not supposed to leave the desk." And with that, she leaves the room.
Asami gently, lies Korra on the bed in the room, as they wait for the doctor to arrive. She sits in the chair across from the bed. She looks at Korra and sees her watching her with, barely opened eyes. "How do you feel?" She asks concerned.
Korra's eyes open a bit wider as she answers, "Like I got hit by a car." She chuckles then winces. "My head is killing me, my back burns, my shoulders burn and feel like they weigh a ton. And my ankle is broken. But you know, other than that, I'm fine." She grins, widely at Asami. "You don't have to stay here, you know." Though Korra really didn't want her to leave. She enjoyed her presence and wanted her to stick around for awhile.
Asami shakes her head, defiantly. "No, I do. It's my fault you're here in the first place. If you have to sit through this, then I have should have to. Besides, it's not that bad. I'm happy to be here." And she was. Korra was different from everybody else. While Asami wanted to get away from every and anybody, she didn't want to get away from Korra. Quite the opposite really. And she wanted to figure out what it was about Korra, that was calling her name. Besides those beautifully, sweet and captivating blue eyes looking at her right now.
Oh.
Asami blushes and looks away, realizing what she'd just thought. Korra notices, raising an eyebrow.
She was just about to question if Asami was okay, when there's a light knock on the door. "Come in."
The door opens and the doctor sticks her head in before walking in fully and shutting the door. She greets Asami with a wave and smile, before looking at Korra with a smirk and shake of her head. "Really Korra, if you missed me you could've come by and said that. You don't have to go throwing yourself in front of cars just to see me." She places her hand over her heart and gives a mock pout.
Korra rolls her eyes, "Hello to you too, Kya." She gestures to Asami. "This is Asami. She brought me here after the accident."
Kya shakes Asami's hand, "Thank you for bringing her after she decided to jump in front of you car." She smirks at Asami. "But in all seriousness. Korra let me see your ankle, please."
Korra slowly sits up, wincing the whole time. She bends down trying to take off her shoes but the pain in her shoulders prevents her from doing so. Korra looks up with an embarrassed smile. Asami immediately, gets out of her seat and takes her shoe and sock off for her, while Korra sits looking down at her in shock. Asami, manages to get the shoe and sock off without hurting her and sits back in her seat.
Korra finally comes back to her senses, "Thanks, Asami." She says slowly.
Kya looks between them with a smile, then bends down to examine Korra's ankle. "When did you realize it was broken?"
"When Asami lifted me off of the windshield."
Kya nods. "Hmm. How does it feel now? And is it just your ankle that hurts, or is it in your shin or anything like that?"
Korra looks up, thinking about how to describe the pain. "My ankle is the only thing that hurts on my leg right now. My shin only hurts when I move my ankle. It feels like the pain is radiating from... the inside? I don't know." Korra shrugs then winces.
Kya nods again confirming she had heard her. "Okay. I'm going to move your ankle around a bit to see what we're dealing with. So far it doesn't look too bad. Just a bit of bruising and swelling." She looks at Korra. "Let me know when you're ready."
Korra takes a deep-breath and nods. Kya begins to slowly rotate her foot, looking between the ankle and Korra's face, to judge pain levels. Korra tightly closes her eyes and clenches her jaw, as her ankle explodes in pain. She feels someone grab her hand and opens her teary eyes, seeing Asami.
Kya releases her foot and stands, "Alright. It looks like you'll just need a cast. I'd still like to take an x-ray to be sure. Now, it's time to check your head." She moves behind Korra. "Can you point to where it hurts the most?"
Korra nods and points directly to the back of her head, where it hit the windshield.
Kya looks through her hair, and feels her head. She soon stops, coming back to the front of them, seemingly satisfied. "Alright Korra, answer these questions for me, okay?" Korra nods. "Where are you currently?"
Korra smiles. "I'm in the emergency room. Come on Kya. Keep up." She chuckles softly.
Kya grins, "Alright, that answers if you know who I am or not. Do you who that is holding your hand?"
Korra looks at her confused for a second, until she looks down at her hand. She notices a pale hand in her grasp and looks at it's owner. She's met with emerald green eyes, looking back concerned. She suddenly can't remember anything as she looks into Asami's eyes.
"Korra?" Asami calls, worried. Asami was scared and it shows on her face. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had caused Korra brain damage. A broken ankle was bad enough, but this was terrible. She squeezed the warm hand in her palm, feeling it squeeze back.
Korra blinks, and looks toward Kya, who was smiling at her as if she knew a secret. "Sorry. This," She lifts Asami's hand in the air,"is Asami's hand."
Asami blushes, realizing they were still holding hands. She didn't mean to continue holding Korra's hand for so long, after Kya was through with her ankle. She had just gotten worried and forgot. Though she couldn't say she cared as, Korra squeezes her hand again.
Kya laughs, "Okay, tell me how you got here and why you're here."
Korra nods, "I was just leaving work and walking home, when I saw a car coming at me. When I noticed the car, it was too late to move out of the way so I jumped, trying to avoid the bumper, but I guess it got my ankle." She gestures to her foot. "Then the car stopped and Asami came and put me in the passenger seat. She drove here and carried me in. Pema gave us this room. Then you came in and started playing with my ankle. Now here we are." She says looking up at Kya, tiredly.
Kya looks to Asami, "Is all of that right?" Asami nods.
"Alright Korra. Your head seems fine. Your ankle is broken but it could've been much worse. Thank The Spirits, you jumped out of the way of that bumper, or this could've been a different story entirely." She sighs, crossing her arms. "Now let's get to that x-ray. Do you need a wheelchair?" Kya asks.
"Uhh..." Korra looks at Asami.
Asami looks from Korra to Kya, "No, she doesn't."
"Follow me, then." Kya gestures, towards the door.
Asami stands and reluctantly releases Korra's hand. "I'm going to lift you now."
Korra nods, then hisses as, Asami lifts her as gently as she can. "Thanks."
They follow, Kya down a hallway and make a right entering the x-ray room. Asami very gently lies Korra, on the table under the machine.
"Do you have any metal on you?" Kya asks.
Korra reaches into her pocket and pulls out a wad of money, and coins. "Can you hold this?" She asks looking at Asami.
"Sure, but why do you carry so much cash?" Asami chuckles putting the money in her back pocket.
"They're my tips from today."
Asami steps into the area Kya was in and waits.
Back in Korra's room at the hospital, once again, Kya finishes casting Korra's ankle. "Whew! Now that, that's done, how is your head feeling and how's your sight?"
Korra looks up at Kya, with barely opened eyes, "My head feels like someone threw a brick at me. And everything's a bit blurry."
Kya nods. "I see. Since you live alone you'll have to stay here, so we can monitor the condition of your concussion." Korra looked like she was about to protest, "But since I know how you are, I know you won't stay. You have to get somebody to stay at your place, or you stay at there's." She says crossing her arms.
Korra thought about her possible options and didn't like any of them. Mako and Bolin have a game tomorrow and Opal has to work. "I'll be f-" She started, but then was cut off.
"She can stay with me." Asami says strongly. "If she wants to." She said looking over at Korra.
Korra looks at her, with wide shocked eyes again. She was excited to spend more time with Asami, but she couldn't ask her to do this. She didn't even know her and was inviting her to stay at her house. "I can't-" She was cut off yet again.
"Okay great! It's settled. You'll get your crutches and you can get out of here. Fill out the paperwork at the desk, outside of the door in the hall, and you're free to go." She smiles, leaving Korra no room to protest. Korra slumps her shoulders and pouts, accepting defeat. "Don't put too much weight on that ankle and it'll be fine. I'll schedule a follow up appointment for next week and we'll check it's progress." She hands Korra her crutches. She waves to Asami and Korra, exiting the room.
"Well, let's get out of here Nurse Sato."