Diana's POV
"What?" Nixie cries, outraged, taking a step back.
"Nixie please, just listen, I don't want to and I certainly won't unless I absolutely have to. It wouldn't be like what Janice tried to do with you," I explain.
"Sure sounds like it," she snaps and I flinch. "She won't want to stay here, why condemn her to that?"
"Nixie, I'm not saying it's going to happen. We will have to wait and see what happens. I am not going to keep her here for no reason, especially if she heals well, but Nixie, if she refuses to attempt a transition to human life and will not be able to make it out in the ocean because she would be in constant pain, I don't know what you want from me. It is certainly not a decision I want to make." I step forward and hug her. "Please understand."
The tension leaves her and she slumps into my embrace. "I know you wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose⦠but Sirena won't like it, and I can assure you that Aquata will fight you with everything she's got. You might want to have one of us present when she wakes up, because like Rita, Aquata is a fully grown and trained mermaid. She's a force to be reckoned with."
"I'll keep that in mind," I agree, walking further down the hall and into the stairwell, Nixie following me. "I wish a get together could have been under better circumstances, I've missed you a lot."
"I've actually missed you too," she admits. "Is that strange? I mean since being here wasn't exactly a great experience." I shake my head in amusement, but don't offer a response. "Hey Diana?" Nixie's voice turns serious. "How many people know that Aquata is here?"
I pause. "Umm, well the staff here obviously, but outside that, I don't know, but there were a lot of people down at the beach she washed up on," I say. "We're one of the only functioning facilities in the area so many of them probably made the connection. We can keep them at bay though, you don't have to worry."
"But couldn't that mean Janice might have found out? What if she comes around?"
I stiffen. In all the chaos, I'd forgotten what a perfect opportunity this could be for Janice to gain some credibility. "Janice could pose a problem," I begin, choosing my words carefully. "But you don't need to worry about it. Leave Janice to me, if she shows up okay?" I squeeze her shoulder gently. "You're safe here," I promise her. Nixie bites her lip and doesn't reply. "So, what have the four of you been up to lately?" I inquire, changing the subject.
"Umm, not a lot to be honest. Just laying low. There's barely anywhere to hang out in the water either. I wish we weren't so far from mako."
"Mako? That island off shore? What's the significance of that place?" I ask.
Nixie sucks in sharply and blushes. "Umm, nothing." I raise an eyebrow and smirk at her. "It's a place we hung out a lot, even while in the pod," Nixie admits. "Plenty of places to relax, to hunt, and not a lot of land people." She shrugs. "The pod spent a lot of time there and it's where Lyla, Sirena, and I stayed after the pod left. But don't let the others know I told you, it's kind of a personal place."
"I won't say anything," I agree. "Though you must be quite a ways away if it's too far for you to swim. I won't ask where though. I think if Miss Santos wanted me to know she'd have told me."
"Good, because I have absolutely no idea where we are. The only thing I know is that land school sucks," she exclaims.
"You three are in school?" I ask. She nods.
"Rita wanted us to be close, just in case. She's been really paranoid lately."
I nod. "Understandable. So what's wrong with school?"
"Everything. I hated mermaid school; it was awful, this is even worse. English is boring, art is pointless, and biology is disgusting," Nixie shudders.
"Disgusting? How?"
"I don't want to know what's inside me," she shudders again. "I mean, all those gross blob things? The organs? Do they really look like that?"
I laugh, covering my mouth and shaking my head in amusement. I drape an arm over Nixie's shoulders. "Yes."
Rita's POV
I watch Sarah bustle about, checking Aquata's temperature and blood pressure. Despite the blood bag hanging above her head, constantly feeding the life liquid to her through the tube in her arm, Aquata is as pale as bleached coral, her face twisted into a grimace. I chew at the inside of my cheek as a watch. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask, unable to stay silent any longer.
"Not at the moment, no," Sarah responds with a sigh. "There's not much else we can do. In a few hours I might check and redress her bandages, but I have to give the wounds time to set and clot first. Though you may be able to help me with something. Have you ever had to take painkillers?"
I frown. "Umm, yeah, once. They were just mild over the counter ones though, why?"
"Did you encounter any unexpected side effects?"
"Not that I recall, what's it matter?"
Sarah nods towards Aquata. "I can't sedate her without risk of losing her, but when she wakes up fully, shock and pain are enough to deter her recovery. I'd like to be able to give her some heavy medication, but I don't know how her body will react to it and I don't want to take any unnecessary risks."
I nod. "I don't think you should have too much of a problem. They may not have been painkillers, but I have had other medications before without a problem. I suppose you could give her a small does when she wakes up, to allow her to adjust. But if the pain is going to be detrimental to her anyways, it's probably better to give her the medicine. There's a fifty percent chance it will work. Probably higher."
"We'll see what happens when she wakes."
"Do you think that will happen any time soon?"
Sarah places a hand on Aquata's forehead, murmuring to herself, and brushes some of Aquata's stray hair from her face. "It's hard to tell. She did come to briefly earlier, but it didn't last long. She could regain consciousness at any time, though likely it won't be for a while. Her body needs to regenerate," the doctor decides. She glances at me. "You don't have to remain here you know. Its getting really late and you had a long trip over here I'm assuming. Get some rest."
I cross my arms across my chest, my hands hugging my elbows, and step forward, shaking my head. "After today's excitement, I'm not sure I could sleep if I tried. Besides injured or not, she can pose a threat to you. When she wakes up, she's going to be confused and distrustful. It won't be like with Nixie. Aquata has finished her training and is in full control of her powers. It's best another mermaid hangs around in case she lashes out. The girls need to get some rest, and they would be no match against Aquata anyways. You're stuck with me for a while."
Sarah frowns. "I didn't even consider the possibility of her lashing out. In all honesty, your powers slipped my mind in the chaos. Now that you bring it up, I suppose it is a good idea to have one of you around. just don't exhaust yourself. You did have a long journey and the last thing I need is another patient."
"I'll stay out of your hair," I agree, sitting on a bench. A muffled groan fills the silence. Aquata's fin twitches and she moans again, shifting around. Sarah sighs.
"That girl is going to kill herself. I'm glad she's fighting but this is ridiculous," Sarah complains. She pushes down on Aquata's shoulders, trying to settle the girl. I move closer, in case she needs help. Aquata falls still for a few moments. Sarah removes her hands only to have her patient's eyes snap open and for her to sit up abruptly, a pained squeak escaping her. Aquata clutches her middle and whimpers, squeezing her eyes shut. Her skin loses even more color and she shudders. After a moment, she opens her eyes again, her gaze full of confusion as she scans the room. Her focus settles on Sarah and I, her eyes narrowing with malice and distrust. She raises one hand in warning, even as she trembles and sways a bit, blinking rapidly to remain conscious.
"Whe-where am I?" she demands, her voice full of pain.
"Among friends, I promise," I reply. Aquata growls in response.
"The people of the land are not my friends," she spits, anger pushing back her pain. Her fingers twitch. "Why am I here, what have you done to me?" her other hand leaves her side and presses against the table in an attempt to steady herself.
"You were attacked by a crocodile," Sarah begins. "When you washed ashore we brought you here for treatment."
"Where is here?" she pants, clearly struggling to stay focused.
"We're right by the ocean. This is a marine research and recue facility." Sarah turn to the cupboards and rummages around inside, pulling out a needle and a bottle of clear liquid. She fills the syringe with the liquid and walks back over, setting the needle on a tray. Aquata stares at it distrustfully. Sarah taps a finger on the surface of the syringe. "I want to give you this," she says. "It would go into your arm. You don't have to have it, but it can take your pain away for a while," Sarah explains.
Aquata bites her lip and a flash of longing spins through her eyes before she shakes her head. "Stay away from me." Her eyes fall on the needle in her wrist. The one hooked to the blood drip. Fear crosses her expression as she tears it out.
"No," Sarah protests, lunging for the needle. She grabs Aquata's arm and attempts to reinsert it. "You need this."
Aquata yanks her arm away, thrusting her hand out at Sarah. I step between the two and catch Aquata's wrist.
"Relax. Sarah means you no harm. She has spent the last several hours fighting to save your life. I swear to you on the moon pool that no one here wants to hurt you Aquata." The girl's eyes narrow.
"You have no right to be making vows on such a sacred place. How do you know of it? How do you know my name?" She doesn't wait for an answer as she clenches her fist, power building in the air. I flick my wrist and her arm jerks to the side, stopping her attack. Surprise flickers in her gaze but she tries again. I curl my hand into a fist and press back against her magic, which is currently trying to throw me backwards. Aquata's eyes widen. "You're a mermaid," she realizes.
I nod. "Yes. Now put that IV back in your wrist and allow Sarah to give you that needle. You need to rest, not jerk around like this," I scold. Sarah steps up and pushes the IV needle back into Aquata's vein, taping it down. With practiced hands, she inserts the needle into Aquata's hip, releasing the contents.
"Better?" Sarah asks a few moments later. Aquata frowns and nods. "Good, now please lie back and try to sleep. You need to relax and feel better. There are a lot of people here who are very worried about you."
"Like your sister, Sirena," I include. Aquata's eyes widen.
"Sirena is here? Why? If you've harmed her I will-"
"Relax," I interrupt. "Sirena is fine. So are Nixie and Lyla. You can see them tomorrow, after you've rested," I promise. Aquata sighs and slumps down, exhaustion clearly catching up with her. A shudder passes through her and her eyes slip closed.
Sorry for the long wait guys, I hope you aren't too upset. Happy New Year to you all and I hope you've all enjoyed your holidays. As always, I value your input and feedback, it puts joy in my heart and inspiration in my writing.
Also, I noticed how a fish out of water has close to one hundred reviews, to all of you who helped with that, a big warm thank you, let's see if we can pass one hundred with this story.
Finally, I'm thinking of doing a prequel like story once this one is finished. It would focus mainly on Diana and her life before she met Nixie and the others, before jumping to present time of wherever this story ends. I'd like your opinion, is it something you would consider reading? Please share your thoughts.
-Mermaid
