Chapter 29 – Recovery

The first thing Kim became aware of when she regained consciousness was an incessant loud beeping by her head. It was so loud and so annoying. She tried opening her eyes but found that to be very difficult. She breathed out and tried searching her surroundings.

Her hands were touching something soft and warm. She felt extremely tired and her whole body was hurting. She could smell something sterile along with medicine. Finally she was beginning to open her eyes. As soon as she opened them a fraction she immediately closed them at the intensity.

Kim groaned at the pain the light caused. She heard a gasp and felt someone's hand on her right hand.

"Princess?" The voice said softly, "Princess, can you hear me?"

Kim couldn't use her voice so she ever so slowly nodded. The pressure on her hand left and she heard the same person rustling around. She heard a switch. By the time Kim opened her eyes fully she noticed she was now in darkness. She was in a large hospital bed with blankets upon blankets on her. She was hooked onto an oxygen tank, IV drip, heart monitor, and she saw scratches and bruises on her arms. She felt bandages around her chest and abdomen too.

Kim looked ahead and saw a nurse standing there patiently. She was a humanoid polar bear. Her white fur blending with the ice blue uniform she had on. She smiled gently at Kim through the darkness and walked cautiously over to her. She leaned down and turned on a bedside lamp.

Kim winced at the light but soon adjusted. She looked up at the nurse and tried to speak but all that came out was a rough groan.

The nurse picked up a cup of water and held the straw to Kim's lips. Kim drank the whole thing and nodded her thanks.

"Princess, do you know where you are?"

"No." Kim whispered hoarsely.

The nurse nodded in understanding before she picked up a chart from the bed frame.

"Princess, you are in the royal infirmary in Rayon." She explained, "Do you remember what happened?"

Kim closed her eyes and a tear fell. The kind nurse wiped it away and patted her hair comfortingly.

"I wish I didn't, but I do. Everything." Kim replied

The nurse nodded and wrote on her chart.

"I understood how much pain you are in so I'll have the doctor increase your pain killers. I know how painful everything was, but it's a good sign that you remember everything, princess."

"Sisters?" Kim asked

The nurse looked up from her chart and smiled. She stood up from the bed and walked over to the curtains Kim only just realised were pulled around her bed. For privacy she figured.

The nurse pulled the curtains back to reveal her sisters were sharing the room with her. Each had her own nurse and bed. Lilly and Violet were attached to some weird monitors, while Riley had an IV drip.

Kim's nurse walked back to Kim and pushed a button that elevated the top half of Kim's bed so she could see her sisters. The nurse then walked out. Kim smiled as she saw Riley playing a small video game, Violet was reading a novel and Lilly was reading a comic book with their own lamps on.

Violet looked up from her book at Kim and smiled wide. "You're awake!" She said

Lilly and Riley looked up at Kim and smiled too.

Kim smiled wide. "You're okay."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, we're doing a hell of a lot better than you are." She joked

Kim's nurse returned with two syringes. She checked Kim's blood pressure and injected water then pain killers into Kim's arm.

Kim's vision swam and she groaned, falling her head back against the bed. Violet watched as Kim's eyes fell heavy since her bed was closest.

"Don't worry, Kim." She said, "We'll still be here when you wake up again."

"…good." Kim whispered before she passed out again.

After a few days Kim was feeling better. She was more lively and energetic. On this particular day the four sisters had their nurses push their beds closer together so there were 4 beds close together against the one wall. They each sat on their respective bed and talked.

"How long was I out?" Kim asked

The girls fell silent.

"Before you first woke up you were unconscious for a week." Riley said

Kim's eyes widened. "A week?"

Riley nodded. "Hey you died." She joked, "That would take a long time to recover from."

Kim nodded and smiled at her sisters. "I'm so proud of you guys." She said, "And I'm so sorry I wasn't there. But you brought me back, thank you."

"Hey you may be annoying but we'd never let you go easily." Riley winked

The girls laughed, feeling their stresses melting away.

"You know Drake has captured all of Renaldo's followers." Violet said

Lilly groaned. "I was wondering how long it would take before someone mentioned the R word."

"I'm just saying when we passed out Drake and his followers took back the kingdom and captured his followers." Violet continued

"Then what?" Riley asked

Violet shrugged. "They're all locked up." She looked over at Kim. "Everyone else is looking for a leader."

Kim nodded her head. "I know." She said before she took a deep breath. "I'm going to talk to parliament once they release me."

"What?" Lilly gasped

"These last few days…I realise my place is here. I'm going to see if I can overturn the marriage ruling. If I do, I want to have a coronation and rule Rayon as its queen. Without a husband. I'll put it to what remains of my court to decide. If they do then I'll rule, but if not I'll step down and announce Drake as king. His family will take over."

Violet's jaw dropped. "And…what about your life?"

"What life?" Kim laughed, "Yes I have a music career and my studies…but they don't matter to me anymore. You girls do. I can't lose you again so I'm taking my place on the throne to make both Earth and Rayon safe."

"So you're quitting the band?" Riley asked

"And your studies?" Violet added

Kim nodded. "I will still have my friends back on Earth, and you girls of course. But I'm staying in Rayon."

Riley sighed. "Well, I can see there's no changing your mind." She laughed and looked at her sisters. "I'm staying on Earth. I have a job waiting back home and it still lets me kick butt."

"And the band?" Lilly asked her

Riley shook her head. "There's no band without Kim. If Kim's out then I am too."

"Agreed." Violet said, "I hear there's a job opening at Metro-General. Fame was fun but…I've been neglected of a normal adult life for too long."

They three turned to Lilly sadly.

"Sorry Lilly." Violet apologised

"We know how much you loved the band." Riley added

"Don't be." Lilly smiled, "I actually wanted to say that I want to go solo." Her sisters' eyes widened. "I…my fashion line is about to take off and I enjoy fashion design as much as music. I think that's what I'm destined to do."

Riley scoffed. Her sisters looked at her in confusion. Riley laughed a little.

"Sorry." She said, "I'm just sick of that word. Destiny."

Kim rolled her eyes and held Lilly's hand. "Whatever you want to do, I'll support you." She looked at all of her sisters. "That goes for all of you."

"Yeah yeah, mushy crap. Blah blah." Riley groaned as she leaned back against her bed and closed her eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me, the quicker I can recover, the quicker I can go back to my man."

"Lucky." Lilly muttered, causing a tense silence to fall.

Riley sat back up. "Lilly I-"

Riley was cut off when her nurse walked in and pulled Riley's curtains around her bed. The two began talking quietly so the others couldn't hear.

Kim leaned over her bed to face her remaining sisters and smiled reassuringly.

"She didn't mean anything by it."

Lilly nodded and smiled. "I know." She said, "And it's okay. I love Mikey more than anything…but what he said-" She sighed, "If he wants us to get back together then he'll need to make the first move." She smiled at her sisters. "I'm just happy we're all alive."

Kim nodded. "Me too." She said before she leaned back in her bed and closed her eyes.

"…Will you and Leo get back together?" Violet asked hesitantly.

Kim opened one eye so she could look at her sisters.

"I love him." She said simply, "And I hurt him. I may have been spelled but I shouldn't have accepted his proposal and then left him at the altar. I had doubts since day 1 about everything so I shouldn't have accepted his proposal in the first place. I should have tried fighting harder with the court like I am now."

Lilly raised her hand a little. "Um…that didn't answer the question."

Kim smirked. "I know." She said before closing her eye again. "I love him and I wish we were back together. But I doubt we will be."

With that Kim turned on her side to get some sleep. Lilly and Violet turned to each other sadly. Lilly went back under the covers and turned towards Violet.

"I wish we still had our men like you and Riley." She whispered, "But I think this will be the new normal."

Lilly closed her eyes and eventually her breathing evened out. Violet looked back at the doorway and saw Mikey standing there in the shadows. He locked eyes with Violet and placed his finger in front of his lips in a shushing motion. Before she could say or do anything he vanished like the ninja he was.