Glinda hummed a little as her pencil moved across the page. She was back in the lounge of the boys' library, stretched out across the plush carpet, the fire crackling warmly behind her. It was late—the sky outside the window had grown dark hours ago—but she was too content to move.
Boq, Crope, and Tibbett were on the chairs, chatting idly. Fiyero sat down next to her, shifting around until he was lying beside her. "Anything good?" he asked, nodding at her sketchbook.
Glinda tilted the book to show him. The pages were covered with patterns. "The other day when we were in town, I noticed the frost on the window. The design was interesting. I've just been doodling some different takes on it."
"You think it could work in a building?"
"I don't see why not," Glinda said, shrugging a little. "It looks like…the cut of a crystal. Or roots. Both of which are solid structures. I just don't know how you would get building materials to work like this."
"Could you use magic?" Fiyero asked.
"Maybe." Glinda ran her fingers over the page. "That would be quite the spell. It would take a lot of design and delicacy, not to mention energy. And you'd probably have to reinforce the material somehow beforehand… It's an interesting idea, though."
"An interesting idea," Crope mocked, chuckling. "Brilliant, Fiyero."
"Oh, hush," Glinda said. "It is."
"Do you think you could ever try it?" Fiyero asked.
"Well, we know she could," Tibbett said. "In a different world, our Glinda is Oz's most successful architect sorceress."
Glinda giggled, but it turned into a yawn and she lowered her head, burying her face into her arms to hide it. The boys all laughed, especially when Boq caught it. "Oh, shut up," he mumbled, stretching.
"I should go," said Glinda, tucking her pencil into her sketchbook and flipping it shut. "If Morrible finds me out this late…"
"Go on, then," Crope said dramatically. "Abandon us here."
Fiyero grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers. "Don't worry," he told Crope. "You still have Tibbett."
Tibbett gave Crope a look that the rest of them had to turn away from. Boq pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his bag.
"Right behind you, Glinda."
"Me too," said Fiyero.
Crope and Tibbett laughed and waved goodbye. Glinda bade Boq and Fiyero good night and parted with them outside the library, turning down the path back to Crage Hall.
There were no stars out tonight, making the campus that much darker. Glinda shivered and folded her arms tight across her chest. It was a little creepy, walking alone at night, and she couldn't quite shake the image of Morrible appearing around one of the buildings, a knife glinting in her hand. The campus was so empty now that the semester had ended. It would be all too easy for the headmistress to corner her. No one would be around to see, to do anything…
Glinda frowned and walked a little faster.
She made it to Crage Hall without incident, but she still had a nagging feeling that something was off. Her neck prickled and she couldn't stop shivering, even as she walked all the way through the building to her room. Her key felt unusually heavy in her hand, and she fumbled with the lock for a moment or two before managing to get the door open. The feeling lingered even after she slipped into the room. In fact, as she closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, she felt so uneasy that her stomach twisted and her mouth grew dry.
Slowly, Glinda pushed off from the door and raised her palm. Flames sprung to life, and she had a moment to notice that the magic had come to her just as naturally as it used to. Then she lifted her hand higher, letting the fire illuminate the room. Her gaze fell on the floor in front of the window, where something—someone—was lying motionless.
"No…"
The lamp between the beds flickered on as she ran across the room and fell to her knees. Elphaba was in a crumpled heap—her hair was strewn about her head, her clothes were darker and more ragged than before, and…
"No no no." Glinda gently took the hat from Elphaba's head and rolled her over. Her eyes remained shut, even when Glinda pressed her hands to the wound in her side. "Elphie, no. Wake up."
There was no response. Adrenaline took over her body, and Glinda felt her own skin grow cold. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the bathroom, grabbing towels and the old jar of burn cream she could never bring herself to throw out. She hurried back to the room and knelt beside Elphaba again.
"Come on, Elphie, wake up," she whispered, holding a towel to the wound and pressing lightly. "You don't get to fly all the way up here and collapse on the floor unless you give me an explanation."
She felt like her entire soul was trembling. She kept her hands on Elphaba's side and screwed her eyes shut, trying to remember all the work she had done these last few weeks. Bits of research flashed through her head, jumbling together. Internal bleeding, infection, tissue and organ damage. What if she didn't know the right spell? What if she did something wrong? What if Elphaba's body didn't take her magic, and Glinda ended up hurting her even more?
"Focus," Glinda growled at herself, looking back down at Elphaba. She bit her lip and rolled Elphaba ever so slightly, ignoring how freezing cold the green girl was. Her fingers ghosted over Elphie's back until she felt more blood. Glinda let out a breath. If she was shot, the bullet went clean through.
She lifted the towel and let her hands hover over Elphaba's skin, hoping that her fingers weren't trembling too much to cast the spells. Glinda forced herself to look away from the blood—Oz, there was so much blood—and focused instead on Elphaba's face as she started murmuring the words she needed.
There was light, and warmth, and the slow, familiar drain of energy. When she looked down again the bleeding had stopped. Glinda carefully pulled at the tear in Elphaba's dress. Beneath it, the skin had sealed itself, leaving a bright, ragged scar. It was all she dared do. The wound was in her side, which meant there was a chance it missed her organs, but until she woke up there was no way to be sure.
Glinda cupped Elphaba's cheek, ignoring the blood smeared on her fingers. "Come on now, Elphie." She tried to keep her voice steady, reasonable. It sounded awful. "I can only do so much. You've got to meet me halfway here. You have to wake up. I can't help you anymore unless you wake up."
Elphaba didn't move. Glinda brushed the dark hair back before holding her face again. Her green skin had turned almost gray. Her eyelids didn't even twitch.
"No," Glinda choked, fighting for control. "No, Elphie, you can't do this. You can't." She couldn't even tell if Elphaba was breathing, she lay so still. Glinda sucked in a breath, quickly losing any calm she had left. "Dammit Elphaba, who do you think you are? Who says you can just come here with no warning, half-dead because of Oz knows what, and leave me again? You can't—you don't get to—don't leave me again, Elphie, please!"
Her palm hit the floor, smacking hard enough to sting. Glinda sobbed and lowered her head against Elphaba's chest. She held her breath and clenched her teeth, willing herself to be still. After a long moment, she heard the faintest beating of Elphaba's heart.
Gulping, Glinda pushed herself to her knees and reached under Elphaba. She wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her knees and, after only a brief hesitation, lifted her up. It felt wrong. Elphaba was taller, stronger, had always lifted Glinda into her arms. But she was so tiny—when had she gotten so tiny?—that Glinda was able to carry her to the bed with little trouble.
She laid Elphaba down gently and slowly peeled off her dress. Fresh burns covered her right side and stretched onto her back. Glinda swallowed through the lump in her throat and carefully rolled Elphaba onto her stomach. The skin was raw and bleeding. What had Elphaba gotten herself into?
It took a while. Most of the burns were too serious for just the cream, so she whispered her healing spells, pushing away the fog of weariness that was creeping up on her. It was strange, though. Every spell she cast was flawless. She felt like she had last semester, when she was excelling at sorcery. Maybe it was the fact that she had been studying healing magic for weeks, but Glinda didn't think that was it. Her emotions were overwhelming, yet her magic was completely in control.
It was Elphaba's presence; she was sure of it. The thought gave her hope. If she was casting magic well, then Elphaba still had a chance of pulling through.
"Come on, Elphie," she whispered. She finished the last of the spells and grabbed the burn cream. Her hand moved lightly across Elphaba's skin and she searched her face for any sort of reaction, but there was nothing. Glinda's eyes stung as she continued working.
She turned Elphaba over again so that she was lying on her back and could breathe easier. Her body was covered in burns and cuts and bruises, both fresh and faded. Glinda did what she could for all of them. She could see Elphaba's chest rising and falling now, and her eyes fluttered once or twice, but she remained unconscious.
The adrenaline had left Glinda by now. Her eyes were heavy and her arms shook with exhaustion by the time she was done. She closed the jar of burn cream and set it on the table between the beds. Realizing that the room was freezing, she remembered the open window and went to shut it. Elphaba's broom and the towels were still on the floor, and she picked them all up. The bloody towel was tossed into the bathroom, out of sight. The broom she set on her bed, and she stacked the clean towels on the table next to the burn cream.
She went to Elphaba again and pulled the blanket up around her. For a moment, she thought about climbing into bed beside her, but she was too afraid of accidentally hurting her. Instead, Glinda knelt beside the bed and folded her arms across the mattress, resting her head in them. Her hand reached up and brushed Elphaba's hair back, and she was rewarded with a small sigh. Glinda sat up a little, watching Elphaba's face for any further response, but she was still unconscious. She relaxed again and wiped at her cheeks as the tears finally started to fall.
Glinda started, blinking awake and lifting her head. The muscles in her legs were aching beneath her. Her eyelids felt thick and heavy and she rubbed them with her palms. When had she fallen asleep? And what woke her up?
The second question was answered when the sheets rustled in front of her.
"W-where…?"
Glinda reached for Elphaba's hand, carefully tangling their fingers together. "Elphie?"
Elphaba's brow furrowed as her eyes found Glinda's. "Where—how did I—what are you—?"
"Calm down," Glinda whispered. She squeezed her hand and stroked her hair back "You're at Shiz. I don't know how. I came back and you were collapsed on the floor. You…" She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together, hating the ache in her throat.
Elphaba shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. I never meant…I just got on the broom and…"
Glinda glanced at the clock on the wall. "You've been out for a few hours."
"But—that can't—I have to—" Elphaba pulled her hand away and started to push herself up. She groaned and Glinda jumped to her feet, gently pressing her back to the bed.
"Stop," she ordered. "Just stay still."
"But—"
"A bullet went clean through your body. You need to relax."
"I need to be in the Emerald City!" Elphaba protested. She tried to fight Glinda's grip, ignoring the pain that was screaming in her side.
"Elphaba Thropp, I'm serious. Either lie still or I will personally knock you out again and make you stay there."
Elphaba met Glinda's eyes again, surprised to find something bordering on fury there. She stopped fighting, letting herself relax into the mattress. After another moment, Glinda let go and settled back, sitting on one leg on the bed.
"I'm sorry," Elphaba said quietly. "I didn't mean to come here. I just—"
"Do you really think that's why I'm mad?" Glinda asked. She shook her head, looking down at her lap.
Elphaba swallowed. "I scared you. I wasn't supposed to—I never wanted you to see me like that."
Glinda sniffed. She didn't care about that. That wasn't the point. She reached out blindly, and Elphaba took her hand, rubbing a thumb across her knuckles.
"I don't understand," Glinda whispered. "If you didn't mean to, then how did you get here?"
Elphaba hesitated. She remembered flying away from the guards and not knowing where to go. She remembered holding tight to the broom as it turned north and flew away.
"The broom," she said softly. "I didn't know what to do, I wasn't thinking straight, and it just sort of…took me somewhere. It took me here."
Glinda frowned a little and looked over at the broom. That would imply some level of sentience in the object, but even with magic, that wasn't possible. Maybe Elphaba's spell had linked her and the broom, and it responded to her emotions, even on a subconscious level, but that was still almost unheard of.
She shook her head. It was all too complicated, and she was way too exhausted. She turned back to Elphaba, who had kicked the blanket off and was looking down at herself. Her hand brushed across her torso. She felt at the scar at her side, wincing.
"Stop it," Glinda snapped, snatching her hand away. "Oz, Elphie, would you stop hurting yourself? For five seconds?"
"Did you do this?" asked Elphaba. She looked up at Glinda. "I was shot. I should be…but there's only a scar."
"A painful scar," said Glinda, scowling.
"And I was burnt," Elphaba said. "All over my side. It should be… I should be… Glinda?"
"Yes, I did it," said Glinda. "I used magic. Does your side hurt? I used the burn cream, too, but I didn't have bandages to dress it, so I—"
"No, hold on, how? The energy that must have taken—and how do you know healing spells that complicated?"
Glinda rolled her eyes. "This is what you're concerned with?"
"Glinda."
"I researched healing magic for my sorcery final. We had to study a topic on our own, and I chose that. Are you happy?"
Elphaba stared. "You learned those spells on your own? And then pulled them off, in a situation like this?"
She sounded impressed, and proud, and Glinda flushed a little despite it all, pushing her hair behind her ears.
"How are your burns?" she asked softly.
Elphaba was quiet for a moment. They looked at each other, realizing for the first time that they were both there, together again, even in the worst of circumstances.
"I'll live," Elphaba murmured. "Come here."
Glinda crawled up to lie beside her. She tried to be careful, but Elphaba wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
"I can't believe you're here," Glinda whispered. "Earlier, when I walked into the room and you were—I thought you—"
Elphaba hushed her. "It's okay," she said. "I'm okay. I know this really great sorceress. She fixed me up, and I'm perfectly fine."
Glinda shook her head and hid in the crook of Elphaba's neck. "This is not perfectly fine. You were bleeding to death. You were barely even breathing. I don't even know how you managed to get here from the Emerald City."
"But I did," Elphaba whispered. "And I'm here now, still alive. It's okay."
It wasn't. It wasn't even close to okay, but Glinda bit the words back. It was late, she was exhausted, Elphaba was hurt, and now wasn't the time.
"We should sleep," said Elphaba. Glinda opened her mouth to protest, but Elphaba held the back of Glinda's head, combing through her hair. "Those spells must have exhausted you, and I'm tired, too. Everything else can wait until morning."
She sounded like she was convincing herself. Glinda shivered a little but nodded. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't string together anything that made sense. So she stayed quiet and tried to relax into Elphaba's embrace.
Elphaba fell asleep before her, though she was so still, her breaths so quiet, that it was hard to tell. Glinda lifted her head just enough to watch Elphie's face. When she was convinced the green girl was asleep, she lay back down again and let her eyes fall shut. She was afraid of what the morning would bring, but Elphaba was right—she was too exhausted to try to fight it. Her hand fumbled beneath the covers until it found Elphaba's. Even in sleep, Elphaba's fingers intertwined with hers, squeezing gently, lulling her off into unconsciousness.
Glinda woke up early to the feeling of Elphaba shifting beside her. She glanced up at Elphie's face, watching her jaw clench and her eyes shut tighter. Glinda stroked her arm.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just a little uncomfortable."
Glinda sat up and pushed the blanket back. "Is it the burns?" she asked.
"It's fine. I'm—"
"Elphaba."
Elphaba let out a breath. "Yeah. It just stings a little."
"A little?" Glinda gave her a look and reached for the burn cream. Elphaba widened her eyes, feigning innocence, and Glinda, suddenly giddy with relief, had to resist a giggle. Instead, she put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "Do you think you could roll onto your side?"
"Oh, I'm allowed to move now?"
"Just roll over."
Elphaba did what she was told and rolled onto her left side. Glinda carefully crawled over her to get to her back. It looked way better than last night, but parts of the skin were bleeding again. Glinda ran her hand over the burns, murmuring her healing spell. Elphaba shivered a little.
"Am I hurting you?"
"No," she said truthfully. "It's just…warm."
Glinda lowered her hands and opened the jar. Elphaba jumped when the cream touched her skin.
"Cold," she whispered in explanation. Glinda smiled a little.
"You're moving around so much, I'm beginning to think you don't appreciate my efforts here."
Elphaba reached back, grabbing her wrist. She turned to look over her shoulder. "That's not even close to true."
"I know," Glinda said softly. She pulled Elphaba's hand away from her arm and lifted it to kiss her palm.
Elphaba turned back over, sighing a little as Glinda continued working. "I don't think I thanked you last night," she said quietly.
"You don't need to thank me," Glinda said. She finished with the cream and closed the jar again, climbing to the foot of the bed and getting to her feet. "If you lay on your stomach, it'll hurt less, and you won't irritate the skin as much."
She set the jar back on the table and wiped her hands with one of the towels there. Elphaba tried to meet her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure you saved my life," she said. "I think that deserves some gratitude."
Glinda ignored her. "I don't have anything to dress it with. I might be able to sneak something out of the infirmary later."
"Glinda."
Glinda sighed and sat in front of her. She reached up and tucked Elphaba's hair back, avoiding her eyes. "You don't need to thank me," she repeated. "You've always protected me."
Elphaba grabbed her hand, holding it to her lips, not saying anything. Glinda felt her breath across her knuckles.
Eventually Glinda pulled away, brushing at her eyes. "You lost a lot of blood," she said. "You need food. And juice. I can run to the café real quick and bring back something for breakfast."
She was pulling on her shoes before Elphaba could reach out and stop her.
"Glinda, wait."
"I'll only be a minute. Stay in bed, okay? Don't do something stupid."
"What could I possibly do?" Elphaba protested.
"I don't know, but I'm sure you'd come up with something."
Elphaba scoffed, but Glinda was already at the door. "Wait—Glinda, stop."
"What?" she snapped, spinning around.
Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You can't go out like that. There's blood all over you."
Glinda looked down. "Oh." Her cheeks were starting to heat up, so she quickly crossed the room, pulling out a dress on her way to the bathroom.
She was a bit calmer when she reappeared, and she walked over to Elphaba's bed. "I'm sorry," she said, pressing a kiss to Elphaba's cheek. "I'll be back in a couple minutes." She rose and went to the door, but Elphaba stopped her again.
"Glinda? I really am fine. I'm going to be okay."
Glinda paused, her eyes on the ground, but then she looked up and gave her a sad smile. "I know, Elphie." She left the room then, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it. "I think that's what worries me."
Glinda returned quickly with juice, fruit, toast and jam, and a roll of bandages. Elphaba was half-sitting up in bed, leaning against the pillows propped up at the headboard. She squirmed a little under Glinda's scowl.
"What? You said to stay in bed."
Glinda wasn't amused, but they ate breakfast and she wrapped Elphaba's torso. Elphaba was still clearly in pain, but she was remarkably good at hiding it and, despite everything, she seemed to be recovering quickly. Glinda thought it might be the magic. Maybe, because she and Elphie were so closely linked, her magic in Elphaba's body made her heal quickly.
It scared her, though. The faster she healed, the sooner she'd be gone again, and Glinda was more reluctant than ever to let her go.
They spent the day in bed, Elphaba sitting against the headboard and Glinda laying beside her. The morning passed quietly as they both realized they didn't have much to say—at least, not much that they were willing to talk about. Elphaba asked a few questions, but Glinda wasn't very responsive. Eventually Elphaba reached down and stroked her hair back. Glinda looked up and met her eyes, noting the concern in them.
"What's wrong?" Elphaba asked. Glinda gave her a look, and she made a face. "Okay, stupid question. I mean, you're quiet. You've been avoiding looking at me."
"I'm looking at you right now," Glinda said quietly.
"Yeah, and I can see that something's wrong." Elphaba touched her cheek. "Talk to me. Please."
Glinda bit her lip and looked down, staring hard at Elphaba's shoulder.
"Is it last night?" Elphaba's voice was gentle. "Is it because you thought I… because I scared you?"
She didn't answer.
"Is it because I showed up without any warning, and now you're stuck taking care of me?"
"No." Glinda shook her head. "Elphie, no."
"Is it because you're still worried?" Elphaba brushed her thumb across Glinda's cheek, wiping at a tear. Glinda pushed her hand away and rubbed angrily at her eyes.
"Stop," Glinda whispered. "Just…stop." She turned over so her back was to Elphaba and curled tightly into herself. Her fingers clutched at the sheet beneath her as she trembled.
"Glinda, please." Elphaba's voice was begging. "Please, my sweet, talk to me."
Glinda took a breath, feeling it rattle through her. "I just…" Elphaba's hand touched her shoulder, and she exhaled in a rush. "I feel so helpless, okay?"
Elphaba stayed quiet, but her hand squeezed her shoulder, encouraging her. Glinda shut her eyes so tight her head started to hurt. She thought she might be shaking.
"I feel helpless. I can't help you. You nearly died, and there was nothing I could do to protect you."
"You did protect me," Elphaba whispered.
"I healed you. There's a difference. By some stroke of luck, I healed you. But what if I had made it worse? What if I wasn't quick enough? You're always trying to keep me from harm, but I have no way of doing the same for you."
"You don't have to."
"Yes I do." Glinda grit her teeth and tried to breathe. "You keep saying that you couldn't stand it if I got hurt. Well, how do you think I feel? I can't help you. I can't help anyone. I can't do anything while I'm stuck here at this stupid school."
Elphaba was silent. Her hand fell away, and Glinda turned to face her.
"And don't you dare say you don't need someone to protect you. Oz knows the danger you're putting yourself in, wicked witch."
Elphaba ducked her head. "You saw that."
"Of course I saw it. Everyone saw it. Since when are you a public enemy of the Emerald City, Elphaba?" Glinda hissed.
"It's all inaccurate. You can't trust those papers to tell the truth."
Glinda rolled onto her back and rubbed her forehead angrily. "But you really broke into that bank, didn't you? You attack those guards. You're committing these crimes." There was no response. She sighed and pressed her palms to her eyes. "What happened?" she asked softly. "What happened to the Elphaba who wandered around campus with her nose in a book? Who poured herself into the groundbreaking research that would change Oz?"
"Research won't save anyone," Elphaba muttered. "Morrible made sure of that. I know I've changed, but I'm doing what I can to help Oz."
"And who's going to help you?" Glinda turned, her eyes pleading, and reached for her.
Elphaba jerked her hand away. "Don't do this. Don't start."
"Seriously?" Glinda's hand curled into a fist and she let it fall against the mattress. "You're telling me not to do this?"
"Glinda…"
"What do you expect from me? I can't just sit here while you're off getting yourself killed. I can't, Elphie. I won't."
"I'm still alive, aren't I? So there's no need to worry."
"You've got to be joking." Glinda pushed herself up and made to stand, but Elphaba leaned forward, grasping both her hands and pulling them onto her lap. She winced a little at the movement, and Glinda glared even more.
Elphaba gave her an apologetic look. "I know it's hard," she said. "But this is what we have. If only one of us can be safe from harm, I'm going to make sure it's you. I won't risk you getting hurt."
"I am hurt," Glinda protested. "Here, every day."
"But you're safe."
"Am I?"
"No one's shooting at you. That's better off than you'd be in the Emerald City." Elphaba squeezed her hands. "Please, Glinda, just…be here. Be with the boys. Study architecture and—"
"Sorcery."
"What?"
Glinda hesitated, looking away. "My specialty is sorcery."
"But…I thought…" Elphaba swallowed. "You said you wanted to study architecture."
"I said I was still thinking about it."
"So you chose sorcery? With Morrible?"
"The decision is made, Elphaba."
Elphaba shook her head. "No. It's the middle of winter break. You can't declare until the semester. Glinda, please, just think about—"
"I declared last fall." Glinda screwed her eyes shut as she said it, but it didn't matter. She heard the sharp inhale. Elphaba let go of her hands, and she brought them back to her own lap.
"You said…when I was here, just a few weeks ago, you told me…" Elphaba narrowed her eyes. "You lied to me?"
"What? You think you're the only one allowed to?"
She felt Elphaba jerk back. There was a long silence, then, "Why did you choose sorcery?"
Glinda shivered at Elphaba's tone. She hesitated, wondering how much she should tell her. "I needed it," she said carefully. "My magic was being affected by my emotions, and I had no control."
"So why not drop it altogether?"
She wouldn't let me! Glinda wanted to scream. Instead, she twisted her fingers together and stared at her lap. "I love sorcery. I've always wanted to study it. I wasn't just going to give it up."
"But Morrible—"
"Is awful, yes, and she would continue to be awful no matter what I did. You can't change my mind, Elphaba."
"She made you do this, didn't she?" Elphaba's voice was dangerous. "She's forcing you to study sorcery. She's trying to control you."
"Yes," said Glinda. "She wants to control me. She wants to use me to get to you. I know."
"And you're letting her?"
"No," she snapped. "I'm studying sorcery so I don't lose control and hurt everyone around me, and I'm letting Morrible stay close so at least I know what she's up to."
Elphaba pressed her lips together. "I don't like it."
"Good," Glinda said shortly. "Now you know how I feel."
"That's not fair."
"None of this is fair, Elphaba." Glinda sighed. "I'm not doing this to punish you. I just think it's my best option. You're not the only one with hard decisions to make."
Elphaba slumped against the pillows. She didn't know what to say, what she could say. Glinda refused to look at her. She wanted to tell her about the job offer. She wanted to tell her how Morrible was trying to get her to move to the Emerald City and work for the Wizard. She wanted to tell her how scared she was, how she didn't think she even had a choice anymore, how it might not matter, because seeing Elphaba half-dead made her realize how helpless she was at Shiz, and if she took the job then maybe, just maybe, she could actually do something useful.
Glinda wanted to tell her. She was dying to. She could feel the words in her mouth, she took the breath to say them, and then she stopped. She shut her mouth and pressed her palms flat against her legs and, for reasons she didn't quite understand, she stayed silent.
Elphaba shifted. "I want to get dressed." She pushed against the bed and sat up straight.
"Elphie…"
"I want to get dressed," Elphaba repeated. Her jaw was clenched and her arms shook a little, but she pulled her legs in and turned to scoot toward the edge of the bed. Glinda swallowed hard and stood to get out of her way.
"This shouldn't even be possible," Glinda muttered as she grabbed Elphaba's dress and brought it to her. Elphaba put a hand on the table, pushing down, and Glinda tossed the dress to the bed and hurried to help her. She hesitated, holding her hand out. Elphaba stared at it for a long moment, but then she raised her free hand and took it.
The tension melted. Glinda placed her other hand on Elphie's back, below the bandages, holding her steady as she rose. Elphaba sucked in a breath and wobbled a little, but she was standing. She looked at Glinda and grinned, and Glinda smiled back.
"Your dress is pretty much ruined," she said, glancing back at it.
"It'll have to do," said Elphaba. "I sort of need clothes."
Glinda met her eyes and raised an eyebrow, smirking. It felt forced, but it made Elphaba laugh, even as her cheeks darkened. Glinda felt triumphant. "At least let me try to fix it. Do you want to sit back down?"
Elphaba rolled her shoulders. "I'm okay."
Glinda let go of her and waited a moment, just to make sure, then turned to the dress. She spread it across Elphaba's bed and winced a little. It was stained with blood and covered in little tears, not just from last night. Glinda picked at a spot on the sleeve that had been mended messily, probably by Elphaba's own magic.
She ran her hands over her dress, sewing up holes and making stains fade. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. She held it up and gave it to Elphaba.
"There you go," she said. "Now you don't have to go shopping for a new one."
Elphaba grinned. "My hero." She took the dress and raised it over her head, tilting dangerously. Glinda stepped forward to steady her, earning a muffled, "Thanks," in response.
It took a minute, and Glinda found herself wincing along with Elphaba every time, but eventually she was dressed. Elphaba was swaying a little by that time, so Glinda eased her back down to the bed.
"I don't want to lay down," Elphaba mumbled, fighting her a little. Glinda's brow furrowed, but she improvised, guiding Elphaba fully onto the bed and moving to kneel behind her.
"Lean back," she said softly, pressing on her shoulders until Elphaba obeyed. She reached for Elphaba's hair and began combing gently through it. "Your hair's a mess," she whispered.
"So's my life." Elphaba tilted her head back, melting into Glinda's touch.
"Let's just worry about the hair for now, alright?"
Elphaba mumbled a response that she couldn't quite make out. "And you say you don't need someone to take care of you," Glinda said under her breath.
"Hm?"
"Nothing," said Glinda, pressing a kiss to her hairline. She carefully worked through all the knots in Elphaba's hair until it was smooth again, then braided it back. Once she was done her fingers moved to Elphaba's neck, rubbing small circles up and down, along the base of her skull, across her shoulders. Elphie sank further and further into her, her breathing growing slower and deeper, until Glinda couldn't tell if she was actually still awake or not.
"Elphie?"
"Mm?" Elphaba sighed and squirmed half-heartedly. "Do I need to move?"
Glinda wrapped her arms around Elphaba's shoulders, stilling her. "No," she whispered. "No, just stay."
Elphaba leaned back more and grabbed her arm. Glinda buried her face in Elphaba's shoulder and willed herself not to cry. They stayed like that for a long, long time.
Elphaba was up and walking by nightfall. She waved off Glinda's help and stood on her own, and while she was still shaky, she was getting better with every step. Glinda sat on the bed with her knees to her chest, watching her. She felt lightheaded with relief, but at the same time, her heart was sinking. If Elphaba was walking, then it was only a matter of time until…
"I have to get back."
Glinda jerked. "What?"
Elphaba hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck. "My friends will be looking for me, and I didn't exactly leave them in the best of circumstances. I need to make sure they're all right."
"Elphie, you shouldn't even be walking right now."
"But I am."
"But you shouldn't be." Glinda stood but stayed next to the bed, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. "You can't just fly back to the Emerald City like this."
Elphaba swung her arms around a bit. "I think I could make it."
"And if you can't? What happens then?"
"I'll manage."
"So you're just going to leave again."
Elphaba scowled. "You knew I would have to."
"But not tonight!" Glinda took a shaky breath. "Please, just stay. Leave tomorrow."
"I can't. I have to leave while it's dark."
"Leave in the morning then."
"That's cutting it close. I don't want to risk it when I'm…" She gestured to her side, and Glinda narrowed her eyes.
"When you're injured and shouldn't even be walking?"
"Glinda."
"Don't go." Glinda was pleading now. "If you leave, I can't help you."
"And if I stay, I'm only putting you in more danger."
"Then let me come with you."
"No."
It shouldn't have been that simple, but apparently it was. Elphaba grabbed her hat and broom and went to the window. Glinda ducked her head to the side and pressed her chin to her shoulder, unable to watch her leave again. She heard the window open and held her breath as Elphaba paused.
"I'm sorry, Glinda." She meant it, too. Glinda could hear it in her voice. "I love you."
Glinda's lip trembled, and she grit her teeth to still it. She wanted to say it back—she was screaming it in her head—but instead she twisted, turning ever so slightly away.
Elphaba sighed. There was a rustle, and a small creak from the window, and then Glinda heard a quiet rush of air. Glinda broke and ran toward the window, crying out, "Elphie!"
It was too late. Elphaba had disappeared into the night, leaving nothing but the freezing wind behind her.
Glinda clutched the windowsill until her knuckles turned white. "I love you," she whispered. She collapsed, her knees hitting hard against the floor while her hands remained on the window above her. Magic surged through her, nearly suffocating her, and she let it out with a sob. It tore through the room, but she didn't look back to see the damage.
She realized suddenly what day it was. Tomorrow, Morrible would be expecting her answer. Glinda's arms fell to wrap around her waist as she coughed out another cry. If only Elphaba had let Glinda go with her. She could leave Shiz and all its horrors behind. She would never have to work for Morrible or the Wizard. She could protect Elphaba. She could prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
The floor was stained beneath her. Glinda flinched and scrambled back, staring at it. The image of Elphaba lying there, pale and bleeding and unmoving, burned in her mind. Another sob tore through her throat, and Glinda coughed so violently she thought she would be sick. She rushed to the bathroom.
It was nearly half an hour before she had calmed down enough to breathe again. Her throat was raw, her eyes itched, and her sides ached, but her mind was clear. She scrubbed her face, yanked on her shoes and coat, and left the room.
The night was bitter cold, but she didn't feel it. Her breath released in short little puffs, floating above her for a split second before disappearing again. She was done with feeling helpless. She was done begging, opening her heart, hoping it would be enough, only to shatter even more whenever Elphaba left again. One day, she could actually lose Elphaba to this. She refused to sit quietly at Shiz and wait for that to happen.
It was dark, but it wasn't too late for the sorcery building to be locked. Glinda didn't have to think about where she was going. Her feet carried her past her usual classroom and deeper into the building. She paused for a split second outside the closed door, then pushed her way in, not even bothering to knock.
Morrible was sitting at her desk, writing something down. The briefest hint of shock crossed her face when she looked up, but she recovered quickly.
"Miss Glinda," she said calmly. "This is a surprise. I thought I would have to track you down over the weekend."
"Not necessary." Glinda's voice was hard. It sounded strange, even to her own ears. "I'll take the job."