(Tiney tiny reference in this one, haha, if you know your Wicked you'll get it)
The day after Elphaba was burned, Drew was back on shift. He arrived at the prison, early because he was so worried. When he left the previous day, Elphaba was still unconscious. He relieved Jeremy 15 minutes early. Drew noticed right away that Elphaba still look unconscious, but she couldn't be, 16 hours had passed since then. Drew opened the cell to go check of Elphaba. She was curled in a ball on her side, facing the back of the cell. Her hair covered most of her injured body. When Drew bent down to Elphaba he noticed her eyes were opened and she was breathing fine. He straightened back up "Are you okay now?" he asked. She didn't answer, but her eyes locked with his. Drew struggled to try to sympathize with her, his life was crap, but Elphaba's was ruined forever. Unless by some miracle, Glinda was able to get her out. Drew wanted that for her. He believed her in what had actually happened, but Elphaba was already dead to the people of Oz, and if they release her, everybody in Oz would be traumatized.
Hours passed without any movement from Elphaba. Every once in awhile, Drew would go to check on her, and try to get her to talk but she wouldn't. She'd just look at him without a shred of emotion. Drew sat back on the stool in silence. He didn't hear the footsteps until they were just feet from him. Drew leapt from his stool as Glinda turned the corner and greeted him. "Thank Goodness you're here, Elphaba hasn't spoken or moved since I got here 4 hours ago." Drew said, honestly relived to see her. Glinda threw her hand to the bars. "Let me in there!" she demanded. Drew unlocked the cell quickly and Glinda step over to Elphaba, sitting by her head. Elphaba lifted her head, then rested it on Glinda's lap. Elphaba showed Glinda her terribly burned hands wordlessly, Glinda played with Elphaba's hair for awhile until Elphaba fell asleep with her head on Glinda's lap like a small child.
Glinda turned to Drew. "When she surrendered, Where'd you put all her things?" Glinda asked him. "The dress and the bag got burned, and the spell book was returned to Madame Morrible, but her hat and her broom and a pink hair clip and a green bottle were all put in a bin upstairs with other prisoners belongings." he told her. "Go get me all her stuff." Glinda demanded. "I can't leave you here with her alone." Drew told her. "Just it and go get me her stuff. I need to look through it for evidence, that green bottle could prove something that I need proved. If I get that, the wizard will step down and I'll be in charge, meaning I can get Elphie out with no trial." Glinda explained. Drew still looked hesitant but locked Glinda and Elphaba in the cell and took the torch to go look for Elphaba's stuff. When Drew left, Glinda woke Elphaba from her light sleep. "Elphie, Your mothers bottle, it'll be the key to everything, I'm going to get you out." said Glinda. Elphaba looked up at her and decided she would speak. "What does my mother's bottle have to do with any of this?" Elphaba asked, her voice raw and cracking from not having been used in a while. "The wizard has the same one. I saw it when I went to demand you a trial. I put the pieces together, Elphaba, I think the wizard is your father. Once he I explain that to him, he'll leave Oz, and I'm next in line. Then you can get out with no trial and we can explain everything to the citizens. It'll all work out." Glinda explained. "Why would you think the wizard is my father because of a silly little bottle I kept as a keep sake?" Elphaba asked. Glinda explained her theory and left Elphaba speechless. It did make sense...
Just then, Drew returned, with Elphaba's bottle and pink flower hair clips, Glinda's hair clip which she went back for after she first defied the wizard. Glinda grinned when she saw it. "So that's where that went." Glinda chuckled. Elphaba replied with a weak smile. Glinda reached for it and clipped it in Elphaba's hair, like that first night when Glinda and Elphaba had first become friends. Glinda reached for the bottle then, and passed it to Elphaba who held it to her chest with her arms tightly. "Do what you must." Elphaba said, moving her arms to offer the bottle back. Glinda took it and shoved it in her hand bag. Glinda unclipped the flower from Elphaba's hair. "I'll keep this safe too." she said, adding the clip to her hand bag as well. Elphaba re adjusted her head from Glinda's lap so she could stand up. Elphaba whimpered as she sat up. Glinda helped her move to lean against the wall before she left the cell. Drew opened the door for her. "Drew, did you happen to find my hat and broom?" Elphaba asked with a breath in between every forth word, winded from the effort and pain of sitting up. "Those items were given to a museum." Drew said. Elphaba looked surprised. There was no way Elphaba would be welcomed back into Oz after the terror and chaos she caused. But Glinda was determined, so you never know. Drew gave Elphaba the required 30 lashes, that he had skipped the last two times. "I'm getting you food and water." Drew said as he tucked away the whip. Elphaba lied on the cold floor focusing on the blood that was flowing from the fresh wounds, rather than thinking about how much it hurt. Drew came back with Elphaba's food and water, he unlocked the cell and stepped it, which honestly made Elphaba nervous. Every time she's looked at him since Jeremy burned her, she's just remembered how much of a coward he was. She sat up painfully again. 'He has a good heart but he's weak.' thought Elphaba as he spoon fed her. Elphaba nodded toward the water. "Can you pour some of that on my hands?" she asked. Elphaba's hand still felt time they were in a pot of boiling water, the blisters stung awfully. "No, you have to drink it, if you can stand up you can go run your hands under the tap." Drew said. Elphaba shook her head. "I can't stand." Drew sighed. "Okay drink this and I'll re fill it. Wait, I don't have anything to wipe it up with." He said. "You can use my hair. It's filthy, won't make much of a difference." Elphaba said in low voice.
Drew smiled and picked up the empty dishes. He left the cell and walked off with the torch and the dishes. When he came back, he had a cup of water. Drew sat down in front of her. she held her chained, long fingered, bruised and burned hands out to him. He took the ends of her hair and spread it out under her hands to catch any water that would otherwise pour on the floor. Elphaba braced herself for the sting, rightfully so because it hurt. Drew poured the over her burns and blisters. It took and extra amount of effort not to pull her hands away from the stream of water.
Once the initial shock the room temperature water hitting her burns it felt quite nice. It no longer felt like her hands were on fire. Elphaba leaned her head back and took a breath of relief. "Feel better?" he asked. "Yes, I do." said Elphaba. "Good, so do I. I'm glad you feel better." Drew said standing.
He locked up the cells and sat on his stool. "We have 2 more hours." Drew told her, looking at his watch."So, that bottle... it-" Drew began but was cut off by Elphaba. "My mothers. The bottle was my mothers. I kept it around for a keep sake after she died." Elphaba said. Drew nodded. "Can I ask how your mother died?" Drew brought up awkwardly. "She died giving birth to my sister. But it was my fault, not Nessa's." Elphaba said. "How-" Drew started to speak again but was interrupted by Elphaba again "I'd rather not talk about it. Nessa's gone, my mother's gone, my father's gone, Fiyero's gone, Dr. Dillamond's gone, the only person I ever cared about that's left is Glinda. Everyone of them died because of me, I ruined everything." Elphaba stated with a hint of anger and sadness. "You were just trying to do what everyone else was too clueless or scared to do." Drew assured her. Elphaba slid herself onto the floor and laid down, creating a pillow with her hair. 'Hair really come in handy in prison. ' though Elphaba. Exhaustion took over and she fell asleep almost instantly.
Elphaba woke up to Drew, kicking the bars of her cell. "I'm leaving any second. You'll be fine." He told her, Drew never let Elphaba sleep through the switching, she'd get scared if she woke up to Jeremy or Collin, more so Jeremy, sitting there. Elphaba nodded and laid back down, facing her head the other way this time. Elphaba nearly screamed when she heard a voice that didn't belong to any of the guard, but an old lady. Elphaba rolled back over to see. In front of her cell stood, Drew, shocked too, and Jeremy, who held Madame Morrible by the arm.
She smiled evilly when she saw Elphaba. "She did it, miss Elphaba. The wizard leave in 4 hours, and I will be 3 floor above you in a cell in 4 hours. But we're still in charge for now, missy. And I'm sure these boys are both on my side. But, Blondie's in control by tonight. I'm sure she's not going to hesitate to get you out. How'd she come across that bottle anyway? hmm?" Madame Morrible chattered. Elphaba was dumbfounded. She did it that fast? Drew also look dumbfounded. "I gave it to her before I left Shiz." Elphaba lied. "Hmm. Well that's not why I'm here. Glinda is an idiot to free you, Glinda is an idiot, period, but freeing you will set Oz into havoc. She's being selfish. I know she won't listen to that, stubborn brat." Morrible spat. Elphaba wanted to choke her for calling her friend those names, but she, and the pain stopped her from doing so. Elphaba had nothing to say. She didn't want to look as weak and broken as she was, in front of the old hag, but standing was not an option at the moment, Elphaba couldn't even sit up without a wall to lean on. So Elphaba focused on looking confident.
Madame Morrible snapped her fingers. "Make these next 4 hours, Ms. Elphaba's living hell." Morrible directed to Jeremy. Drew hadn't left yet, but Elphaba prayed he would leave soon. She had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy this. "Your free to go Drew." Jeremy said. Drew was torn, he didn't want it to come off that he cared, but he couldn't leave Elphaba here alone them. He glanced at her, Elphaba had her sassy, confident expression on, but her shaking arms gave her away. "No I think I'll stay." Drew said. Elphaba got even more scared. Elphaba didn't want all these people, seeing her in this state. It was embarrassing. When Elphaba was younger, her father used to get very angry every once in a while, and when he did, he would take it out on Elphaba, he had never seriously injured her, but he'd slap her and push her and yell at her, for nothing she had done. Elphaba would make sure Nessa wasn't in the room, Nessa looked up to her father and though she was ashamed, Nessa also loved Elphaba and Elphaba didn't want Nessa to see any of it. This was a similar situation, Elphaba excepted the fact that she was about to be beat badly for four hours straight, but the less people it affected the better.
Elphaba looked at Drew with despair. He knew she probably didn't want him here, and he didn't want to either, he hated watching her in ain and not being able to help her, but he wasn't leaving her alone.
Jeremy unlocked Elphaba's cell. She sat as confidently as she could, he took out his gun, which made Drew's eyes pop in fear, then Jeremy turned it around, and positioned the butt of the gun over Elphaba's ankle, which was nothing compared to what Drew and Elphaba both hoped to avoid. Jeremy slapped the heavy gun down on Elphaba's ankle and everyone in the room heard the crack. Elphaba bit the insides of her cheek and tossed her head back, squeezing her eyes tightly at the pain. He hit her in the side, breaking another rib. Elphaba fell to the side and rolled onto her back. Madame Morrible cackled. Jeremy had the butt of the gun held above her stomach, Elphaba braced herself as Jeremy slammed the butt down on Elphaba's stomach, knocking every bit of air out of her lungs. Jeremy brought the gun up again, and Elphaba put her arm out. "Please." she gasped "Please wait until I catch my breath. Please." Elphaba begged, breathing heavily. Madame Morrible cackled even louder. "Continue" she demanded. "We waste no time." Morrible laughed in Elphaba's pain. Jeremy again pushed the butt of the gun into Elphaba's stomach. She rolled onto her side painfully quick and vomited, facing the opposite way of everyone. Jeremy stopped hitting her long enough for her to throw up. Elphaba gasped and sobbed and heaved, all at once. Jeremy returned his gun to its holster and took out a small, sharp knife. While Elphaba cried, facing the other way. Jeremy used the knife to open any scabbed over wounds. He lifted up her foot and stabbed the knife into a burn, then twisted. Elphaba screamed loudly.
These cruel tortures went on for almost 4 hours, Elphaba's throat was raw and painful from screaming, she lay on the cold floor and a small pool of her own blood, almost unrecognizable and barely conscience. . Glinda just announced the wizards departure, meaning Glinda was in rule of Oz now. Madame Morrible was escorted kindly to her cell upstairs, while Drew waited with Elphaba for Glinda to come.
Elphaba being alive was still very secret so Drew assumed she was waiting until the middle of the night. A few hours later, Glinda showed up with another girl, about the same age as them. It took every ounce of self control Glinda had not to go cradle her friend right then and there when she saw the awful shape Elphaba was in, she was covered in deep purple and blue bruises, which all had blood and grim caked over them. Glinda showed Drew the official papers saying that she could take Elphaba and she introduce the other girl. "This is my palaces medic, Arielle. I already explained everything about Elphie to her." Glinda told Drew. He nodded and told Glinda and Arielle everything that he knew was broken so that they could transport her properly. "Okay, Arielle has a team of medic's set up the palace, Glinda conjured up a bubble for Elphaba which Arielle join her in, to ensure Elphaba stayed stable and simply floated her out of the cell and up the rickety stairs of the prison. Drew walked in front of them with the torch. Once the women reached the exit, Glinda created a bubble for herself and one for Drew and they all floated to the emerald city palace. Drew hadn't expected to be tagging along, but Glinda supposed her was a rather nice guy.