Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.
Chapter 14 - Returning to Normal
Elsa remained in the hospital for a week, and Anna remained at her side for the entire first weekend. The ginger had only left for a couple hours each day to shower and change her clothes. When Sunday night rolled around, she nearly exploded as her mother told her she had to go home since it was a school night. She had every intention of staying with Elsa her entire hospital stay; school be damned.
"Anna," Elsa said gently. "You have to go to school."
"I don't care about school right now," Anna whined.
"You should," Elsa said sternly as she twiddled with the fraying yarn pretending to be twigs of hair on her snowman stuffie's head. "Plus, I need you to bring me my work."
"Bring you… Elsa! Just this once, use this more to your advantage and relax," Anna urged. "Just focus on feeling better."
"I'm already feeling better," Elsa said honestly. "And I don't want to get behind so please do this for me?"
After several short minutes of arguing, Anna agreed to go to school if she could stay with Elsa during all other hours. Iduna and Agnarr conceded. They knew this was tough for both girls and, so long as the hospital staff was okay with it, they would allow this small concession. Elsa's absence was noticed by both Rapunzel and Ariel, though the two girls had differing reactions to it. Ariel didn't seem to give it much mind, but by the second day, Rapunzel started questioning Anna about where Elsa was. Anna had never been a good liar. She danced around the truth and evaded questions as much as she could, but her friend was very perceptive. On Thursday, she pulled Anna into a bathroom and asked a direct question that Anna couldn't find her way around.
"Elsa's very sick, isn't she?"
"I mean, yeah. Nothing but illness would keep Elsa from school. Not even an earthquake or an alien invasion would make her stay away from the hallowed halls of learning," Anna tried to joke as averted her gaze, counting the tiny purple tiles interspersed on the mostly white floor.
"No, Anna, I'm serious" Rapunzel continued sternly, the tone of voice causing Anna to finally meet her eyes. "Elsa is sick, and it's not mono or some super strong cold virus, is it?"
Anna studied her friend's face for a long moment. She knew Rapunzel could see through her and sighed. When Anna finally spoke, her voice was hardly above a whisper.
"No, it's not."
"Is she going to be okay?" Rapunzel asked just as quietly, her face wrought with concern.
Anna could feel the burning at the back of her throat starting, the prickling in her eyes. She'd been keeping all her tears and fears bottled up since that first night at the hospital. She didn't want to add to Elsa's stress, but talking about it now out of Elsa's sight brought all of it up.
"I don't know," Anna breathed out quietly before the tears fell and Rapunzel pulled her in for a comforting hug.
When Elsa returned the following Monday, Rapunzel treated Elsa just as she always had, for which Elsa was very grateful. Anna had confided in the blonde that Rapunzel had figured it out and apologized for telling her everything. But Elsa understood. She knew that lying to her friends was hard for Anna and didn't blame her for letting Rapunzel know. Elsa was just glad that the spunky brunette was tactful and didn't let the knowledge affect their growing friendship.
What surprised Elsa the most when she returned to school was that Ariel had actually seemed happy to see her. Since that day at the mall, Elsa and Ariel had been much more amiable with each other, both easily agreeing that they would set aside their differences and past altercations for the sake of their friendships with Anna (fourth grade was so long ago anyway, they had both decided). However, when Ariel saw Elsa on her first day back, the red head actually smiled at her, and the faint look of relief stupefied by Elsa and Anna. Otherwise, Elsa's absence from school and subsequent return went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the student body.
"So, your dad will pick us up after last period. Make sure you don't leave without me," Anna said as they left their English Lit class that Friday afternoon.
"Of course, Anna. I'm not going to abandon you at school," Elsa said for the fourth time that day and sighed in exasperation; Anna was worried for nothing. Her dad was picking them up today because Elsa had a therapy session and Anna insisted that she go along for support.
"Okay, good. See you out front after class."
"Anna, do you have a five?"
"Go fish! Mama Jules, do you have a queen?"
"I certainly do, little duck." Jules said as she handed Anna the card. The two sat around a small table that they'd pulled toward Jules' heated recliner. The nurses had brought in a folding chair for Anna to sit upon while she entertained her Mama Jules during her treatment. Elsa was at her ice skating lesson and they'd pick her up on the way home. Iduna had left to refill Jules' prescriptions and stock up on some of the household supplies that the treatment center always sent them home with.
After a couple of rounds, Jules began to tire. The therapy drug always fatigued all the patients and the treatment took a couple hours to complete, so Anna climbed up and snuggled into Jules' side, reading a book while her godmother took a nap. Anna was still very small, even at nine years old, so she fit easily alongside Jules without disturbing any of the equipment or tubing.
"How is she doing, my darling?"
Anna looked up to see that her mother had returned. Iduna sat in Anna's abandoned folding chair and handed Anna a small carton of chocolate milk she'd picked up from the small cafe in the lobby. The small girl glanced at her godmother. She looked peaceful at the moment, a stunningly beautiful angel backdropped by stark white hospital walls and whirling medical equipment.
"She got tired very quickly," Anna whispered, not wanting to disturb her godmother's rest. "I think today was harder than usual."
Iduna saw the concern on her daughter's face and her own worry sank in. Jules' health was a constant concern for Iduna, but she fretted sporadically over what all of this was doing to their girls. While they tried their best to be honest with the two young daughters, they also made sure to keep the worst from them. There was no reason to burden such innocence with adult concerns. However, the girls were particularly astute and it was no surprise that they picked up on the aspects that were held from them overtime.
Elsa and Anna each dealt with it in their own ways. Elsa had started to become more withdrawn. At the last parent teacher conference, Jules and Agnarr were told that Elsa didn't want to engage with any other students aside from Anna and she had stopped raising her hand in class. The assessment had surprised both parents, and Iduna as well when the information was relayed to her afterward. At home, Elsa seemed as lively as ever; playing piano or cello at any given moment, running around the grounds with Anna, having sleepovers with her best friend and chosen sister where they stayed up all night.
Anna, on the other hand, had become a little more unruly at school. Their teacher said she was a constant disruption; making funny faces at Elsa from across the room, fighting with that bully Billy Larkin more often (though now mostly with words), or just generally distracting the other students in her little desk pod. At home though, Anna was the more subdued of the two girls. She watched the mothers with a careful eye during meals, could be found quietly looking at the portraits in the art gallery, and sitting very still listening to Elsa play music.
The changes in their daughters' behaviors concerned both Jules and Iduna. They discussed it several times, arguing here and there about whether or not they should stop allowing the girls to come to these therapy sessions or to just tell them everything, even the most troubling details about what Jules was going through or might expect in the future. The old friends could never agree and so they continued the current course, the impasse seemingly not traversable.
"I'm sure she's just a little sleepy today, little duck," Iduna said with a smile, though Anna could see that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "There's nothing to be concerned about."
Anna looked at her mother carefully as she sipped her chocolate milk through the small straw that was glued to the side of the carton. She put her book down on her lap and gave her mother a serious look, one that did not belong to a girl so young. Her mother started to suspect that Anna's worry was more than she willingly displayed. Like icebergs floating in vast oceans, the hardness in Anna's gaze told Iduna that her daughter's anxiety was of untold size just below the surface.
"I wish you'd stop lying to us, Mama," Anna said in a firm voice. Iduna raised her eyebrows at her daughter in surprise. "Elsa and I know you're not telling us everything."
Iduna could suddenly see how her daughter was maturing. The happy-go-lucky child was quickly growing up, soon enough she'd be in her pre-teen years. Iduna just wanted her to stay an innocent little girl and enjoy her childhood for as long as possible. She didn't consider that Elsa and Anna would circumvent her attempts at shielding them from the harsh realities on their own.
"It's not something you need to concern yourself with, Anna," Iduna said gently.
"The less you tell us, the more we worry," Anna said back. "We know something is wrong. I can feel that you and Mama Jules are worried and that makes us worried."
"Honestly, sweetie, you shouldn't -"
"Iduna." The brunette's eyes shot to her best friend. Iduna wasn't sure when Jules was woken up, but both she and Anna looked to her now. "I think it's time."
"They're too young," Iduna argued.
"Apparently not too young to figure things out on their own now," Jules said peaceably. "It's better for them to know what we do instead of imagining they don't."
"And what if what we know is worse than their imaginations?"
Jules looked at her goddaughter. Those bright eyes she loved so much were clouded with issues that were beyond her years, but Jules knew that Anna had a better grasp on the situation than either mother wanted to admit. She looked back to Iduna.
"I don't think that's possible," she said. Iduna sighed and Jules knew she would go along with her, finally conceding defeat on the matter. She turned back to Anna. "Tonight, little duck. After Elsa's lessons, we'll answer all of your questions."
Anna visibly relaxed, and untold weight on her shoulders lightening ever so slightly. Being in the dark was stressful in ways her young mind didn't quite comprehend yet. "Thank you, Mama Jules."
"I see you brought a friend with you today, Elsa," Dr. Penny Proud said as she came over to check on Elsa's chart, comparing it to the digital readouts on the multiple machines to which the blonde teen was attached. "I'm glad. I've told you many times you shouldn't sit through these alone."
"She's always been stubborn," Anna said, looking at Elsa pointedly. "Since we were babies, really."
Elsa rolled her eyes at her and then looked at her doctor. "This is Anna."
"Oh! This is Anna," Dr. Proud said and she extended a hand to Anna who shook it. "Elsa talks about you all the time. I'm glad to finally see you around."
"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Proud. I actually have some questions for you," Anna said enthusiastically. Elsa looked at her worriedly, raising a single eyebrow at the ginger, but Anna ignored her. Dr. Proud nodded for her to ask away. "What do Elsa's factor counts tell you today? This therapy, it's targeted to supplement the protein, right? Wouldn't it be better if, instead of replacing the deficient protein, there was a drug that helped Elsa create her own proteins?"
"Well, someone has been doing their research," Dr. Proud said and she smiled at Anna. "Elsa's counts look great. Better, in fact, than what I expected after her episode two weeks ago. As far as the drug, yes. That's what this treatment does, and yes. It would be better if there was a drug that targeted the gene that Elsa lacks to sufficiently produce the protein on her own, but any research is still in the early stages."
"ArenTech is closest right now, right?"
"Yes," Dr. Proud said. "Though you'd have to ask Elsa's father more about that research."
Anna nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Dr. Proud."
"Of course, Anna," she responded and smiled once more. "I'd be happy to answer any more questions you might come up with."
"And I will definitely take you up on that."
Dr. Proud chuckled and turned back to Elsa. "Let me or Gloria know if there's anything you need while you're here, Elsa, but like I said, your numbers look good. I suspect today's treatment will be an easy one."
Once Dr. Proud left the treatment room, Elsa turned to Anna with a suspicious look. "What was all that about?"
"I want to help you, Elsa. We didn't know much about Mama Jules the first time around, or at least, I didn't know much. There's so much to understand, and I want to know all of it," Anna said as she reached into her bag. "We're going to beat this. There's nothing we can't do when we work together. Now… do you know how to play Blackjack?"
"No… where did you learn to play gambling games?"
"Ariel's sisters. I think it was Arista and Adella? I can never remember which one is which. There's just so many of them," Anna said as she started shuffling. Once the cards were dealt with, Anna pulled out a bag of Hershey's kisses and dumped the treats on the table, dividing up half to Elsa and half to herself. "So, ready to lose all of your chocolate to me?"
After teaching Elsa the basic rules they got to playing. Elsa was a quick learner, easily grasping the concept and actually very much enjoying the new card game. Anna watched in dismay as her chocolate pile quickly dwindled in front of her. Back and forth the chocolate went between the two piles for most of the afternoon, but eventually, Anna lost her remaining chocolate when she doubled down on her hand only to be beaten by Elsa's natural blackjack.
"How are you always good at everything?" Anna lamented as Elsa opened up a chocolate and popped it in her mouth.
"This was quite easy, really," Elsa said. "First off, you have a terrible poker face. Even if I didn't know how to read your every micro-expression already, you'd still be an open book."
"My poker face is perfect!" Anna crossed her arms in indignation. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her in challenge and Anna sighed. She knew Elsa was right, Ariel's sisters had said the same thing. They said she had a tell, but refused to inform her as to what it was. "Was there a second thing?"
"Hm? Oh, yes," Elsa said as she opened another chocolate. "The outcomes were easy to determine once you considered what cards may be left in the deck versus what I can already see on the table."
Anna blinked several times as Elsa's words sank in and then her jaw dropped. Her expression was incredulous. "You were counting the cards!?"
"No, I would simply assume, since ten is the most common card and I could remember mostly what cards had come out between each shuffle, what my chances were to have the correct value card or lower come out on the next reveal," Elsa said matter-of-factly. "That's why you won most of the hands on the first deal of each shuffle. I had nothing to work off of on a fresh hand."
Anna ran a frustrated hand through her bangs. "That's what counting cards is, Elsa."
"Oh," Elsa said, tilting her head to one side. "Then, sure. I was counting cards."
Anna shook her head. "It's also cheating."
"What?" Elsa said in shock, pausing her movements. She had been carefully assessing the chocolates in front of her. Anna raised both eyebrows and nodded. "But it's just the smartest way to play the game. Why would the best strategy be cheating?"
"Because casinos lose money that way," Anna said with a laugh. "Just… don't count cards at a casino. You'll get in trouble."
"We're fourteen. I wasn't really planning on going to the casino anytime soon," Elsa said, joining in Anna's laughter.
"Ah dang it," Anna said, feigning disappointment. "I guess I'll have to think of something else for us to do for your birthday this weekend."
Elsa chuckled again and finished counting the chocolate kisses, pushing half to Anna. "Your share, Anna. Half, as promised."
The girls settled into easy conversation for the rest of the session. Elsa wondered at how much more enjoyable therapy was with Anna by her side. She sometimes forgot where they were. It was only the occasional beep of a machine or the check-ins by the nurses that reminded her of her disease and the uncomfortable drug they were pushing through her veins. Soon enough, however, Dr. Proud came back and checked on Elsa's read-outs again. The physician assessed the data and nodded to herself.
"Good news, Dr. Proud?" Anna asked, trying not to be too hopeful, but failing miserably.
"Very good news," she responded and looked at both girls with a smile. "These numbers are great, Elsa. Your body is accepting the treatment better today than you usually do. You should bring Anna more often."
Elsa looked at Anna's beaming face. She did feel much better having Anna next to her. And while she still worried about Anna's happiness should Elsa begin to deteriorate, she had to admit that having her around made them both happier in the meantime.
"Well, she is stuck to me like superglue," Elsa said tenderly before turning her gaze back to Dr. Proud. "I was just too stubborn to see it."
A/N: I hope everyone is still doing well! Stay safe, healthy, and happy, y'all!
As always - thank you so much for reading :) Comment if you feel like it. I always enjoy reading them. Until next chapter!