Elphaba found herself feeling much better physically, but the dreams wouldn't. Each night Glinda would run into the room and sit with Elphaba until she fell asleep, though Elphaba told her that she really didn't have to, Glinda wouldn't listen. Arielle was no longer staying in the palace so at least Elphaba wasn't waking her. Some nights, Glinda wouldn't bother going back to her own bed and would just sleep on the other side of Elphaba's double bed.
Drew kept his promise to come back and week later. He knocked on the door while Glinda and Arielle were helping Elphaba eat dinner. Elphaba was sitting the dresser, using it as a table. When Drew was told to come in he was taken aback by her progress. Elphaba turned around in her chair. "Hi" she said, happy to see him. This was the first time Elphaba saw him not in uniform, today he just wore a grey short sleeve polo shirt and dark blue jeans. Elphaba was wearing a knee length black skirt and a light blue blouse, there was really no reason for her to change from her pajama's but Elphaba wanted to start getting back on a normal schedule, so she ate at normal times, slept at normal times, and got dressed every morning then changed back into pajama's before bed. Elphaba also started trying some very simple magic again. The simplest of things were still hard without the use of her hands but she liked that she could do a little bit.
Drew sat on the edge of Elphaba's bed while Arielle spoon fed Elphaba her dinner. Glinda joined Drew on the bed. "I told the guards to let you in if you came but I was worried they wouldn't, I'm glad you're here. She's doing so much better. Even her hands and wrists are getting better. Her foot sprain is basically gone, the ankle break is improving, burns are better with treatment. But you were right, neither of us get any sleep, she wakes up screaming almost every night." Glinda informed him in a very hushed voice so Elphaba wouldn't hear from across the room . "Do you want me to stay a few nights a week so you can get some sleep? I don't know if I'll be any help, she may want you, but I'd be glad to take care of her in the daytime while you catch up on sleep." Drew offered. "No, I don't have time to sleep during the day, I have official business and public appearances, and I'm with Elphie every other free moment I have. I'm paying Arielle extra to be here 8am-7pm everyday with only an hour break, so she's with her when I'm not. That's very nice of you, but you don't need to. She's fine and dandy during the day expect for some little things. For awhile she couldn't stay in a room with Arielle unless I was there, now she's with her almost all day and does her own speaking." Glinda told him. Elphaba finished eating and was able to see Drew now. Drew sat on the back of his heels in front of her, she had a thick boot shaped cast on one foot and thick bandaging of the other, everywhere expect her toes. Her hands were also both casted. Elphaba still had a lot of cuts on her arms and legs but now they were all scabbed over well. Elphaba had stitches in her face to reduce scaring and a few stitches in other places where the lashes were too deep not to. Elphaba seem to notice Drew's eyes scanning over all her visible injuries and became slightly self conscious. Drew quickly brought his eyes to hers rather than her injuries.
"how are you?" Drew asked. "I'm fine, board, that's all." Elphaba told him. If Glinda hadn't already told him that she was having nightmares then he would have believed her. Arielle took Elphaba's plate and headed towards the door. "I'll be back. I might see if your stitches are ready to come out too." Arielle said. Elphaba nodded and Arielle left. Glinda came joined Drew and Elphaba on the other side of the room, standing behind Elphaba's chair and as usual, began twirling Elphaba's long, silky thick raven braid around her fingers. "How did it go at home?" Elphaba asked Drew. "It wasn't as bad as I thought, my mother was fine with it, my father was a little disappointed but he didn't freak out like I thought he would. I guess I overreacted." He said.
Later that night, Drew and Arielle had both gone home, Elphaba had fallen asleep, probably tired out from having 6 sets of stitches removed from various places on her body. Glinda stayed with Elphaba for a little while after she had fallen asleep. Now Glinda lied in her own four poster bed, unable to sleep, anticipating to hear Elphaba scream of cry out due to another nightmare.
In the next twenty minutes, Glinda suspicion came true. "No!" She heard Elphaba shriek from down the hall. Glinda threw herself out of bed, tossing on a house coat as she jogged down the hall. Glinda swung open Elphaba's door and flicked on the lamp, Elphaba lie thrashing in bed, screaming and whimpering. "Please! Let me go!" Elphaba cried in her sleep. Glinda grabbed Elphaba's shoulder and shook her awake. "Elphie it's okay, it's just dream!" Glinda comforted her. Elphaba flung her eyes open and sat up, breathing heavily with tears pouring from dark eyes. Elphaba wrapped her arms around her friend and wept into her shoulder. Glinda sat on the bed and comforted Elphaba as she cried.
Once Elphaba had calmed down a bit, she let go of Glinda and probed herself against the headboard. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry Glin. I'm keeping you up every night. I'll... I'll try to control myself, I'm sorry." Elphaba pleaded. "Elphaba. You don't need to be sorry, It doesn't bother me getting up, what bother me is that you're having these nightmares. What was it this time?" Glinda asked. "It was more like a memory." Elphaba said, nodding her head. "It was the day I surrendered, on repeat, over and over, I just kept seeing Fiyero being dragged away, then, I wanted to try a spell, but I knew nothing would work, I had no idea what to do, so I surrendered, I thought they would have killed me but they didn't." Elphaba cried. "Is that why you surrendered? Because you thought they would kill you?" Glinda asked, her heart breaking hearing her friend she wanted to die. Elphaba nodded. Tears pooled in Glinda's eyes. "Oh Glinda don't cry please." Elphaba begged, taking Glinda's tiny hand. Elphaba scotched over to the other side of the bed and Glinda and Elphaba went to sleep.
Glinda woke to a knock on Elphaba's door, Arielle creaked the door opened, and Glinda sat up. "Sorry to wake you, Miss Glinda. Your usually up by now." Arielle said. "Yeah we were up in the middle of the night again, chatting for a while." Glinda explained. Arielle was accustom to Glinda sleeping in Elphaba's bed with her by now, Glinda had made it clear to her that it's just because Elphaba has nightmare and Arielle understood perfectly. Arielle came in and set down her medic bag. Elphaba woke moments later. "Hi." she said drowsily. "Hi" Arielle said. "I'm going to go get dressed. I'll be back." said Glinda, rolling out of bed and skipping from the room.
Arielle helped Elphaba get dressed in the same skirt as the day before and a dark grey blouse. Glinda came back in and re braided Elphaba's hair for her. Arielle decided to unwrap Elphaba's hand and check on her progress. To Arielle's surprise, she found that Elphaba was able to move her fingers a little bit. "That's great Elphaba! but you know, we can't leave them unwrapped yet, one more week with the casts and you should be good to go." Arielle said, she began to apply a new cast before Elphaba stopped her. "Just a minute, please, I want to try something." Elphaba pleaded. Arielle nodded nervously and stepped back. Elphaba recited a simple spell a couple of times out loud, then twirled her hand mystically, pointing them toward Arielle's medic bag. The bag immediately lifted off the ground and rushed to the ceiling, floating there. Glinda laughed from the other side of the room, whilst Arielle looked horrified and amazed at the same time. Elphaba noticed that and dropped the bag. Glinda chuckled at Arielle for looking so shocked. Arielle shook her head in amazement. "Uh-uh okay, I'll cast your hands n-now." Arielle stuttered taking one of Elphaba's hands and beginning to wrap it.
A week later, Elphaba had gotten her hand casts removed, but still had a boot on her ankle. Everyday Elphaba practiced spells, trying to perfect as many as she could, despite being naturally gifted. Arielle started coming a lot less, Elphaba's injuries were barely noticeable, which meant that soon, Glinda would be making her speech to the Ozians, to clear Elphaba's name.
That evening, Drew showed up. Elphaba jumped up and limped to greet him. Drew pulled her into a hug, Elphaba was slightly caught off guard at first but welcomed the hug quickly. "Glinda summoned me here for tomorrow." Drew said. Elphaba back away and look at him directly in the eye. "Tomorrow?" Elphaba asked, confused. Just then Glinda walked in. "Yes, tomorrow Elphie. Tomorrow I've arranged to have almost everyone in Oz come to the Emerald city. I'm going to explain to the citizens what happened, then you're going to come outside, they'll all find out you're innocent and that you're still alive. You'll be free again Elphie, don't worry." Glinda explained, but Elphaba was worried. "N-no... Glin, not yet, no, not yet. You said, you said when I'm healed! My ankle is still broken! I'm not ready!" Elphaba stammered nervously looking around the room, as if searching for an escape route. "Hey, hey, Elphie stop. A broken ankle won't make a difference I know you're just avoiding it. You'll be fine, nobody is going to try and hurt you ever again. I told you that you were safe here and I meant it." comforted Glinda, grabbing hold on Elphaba's wrists. Elphaba continued to whip her head around the room, she felt overwhelmed. "Elphie. Look at me, look at me!" Glinda said sternly. Elphaba looked at Glinda, breathing heavily, with a flushed face and fear in her expression. "Elphie, trust me okay? Do you trust me? I've got this. Do you trust me?" Glinda repeated to her friend. Elphaba stared at her for a second and just nodded. Glinda nodded in reply and held her friend in a hug. Elphaba stayed there, her face concealed by Glinda's shoulder.
Glinda held her friend. "I'm not going to say I understand what you're going through, because I don't, but it's okay, you'll always be safe with me here and I know you're strong." Glinda said. Elphaba lifted her head and looked at her friend. "It's just hard, having everyone in this world expect for two or three people, hating you and wanting you dead." Elphaba said. Glinda knew that's why she was afraid, Elphaba always pretended not to care what anyone else thought, but she does. All Elphaba's ever wanted for herself was to be accepted, Drew and Glinda both guessed this. Drew, Glinda and Elphaba all ate dinner in Elphaba's room that evening chatting, to keep away any awkward silence.
Once night time came around, Drew bid the two witches goodnight and departed to his own guest quarters. Elphaba got dressed for bed, no longer needing help from Glinda or Arielle, and began reading an old history textbook. Glinda interrupted her by walking in the room. "Should I stay in here tonight? Be honest Elphie I don't mind." Glinda asked. Elphaba looked up from her book. "Maybe." Elphaba said, slightly embarrassed. Glinda just smiled and bounced to Elphaba's bed, climbing over to the other side. Elphaba dropped her head onto Glinda shoulder. "And what if they don't like what you have to say tomorrow Glinda, then what will happen to me? I can't go back into hiding, I can't be on the run again, Glin, I just can't." Elphaba said. "I know Elphie, but that won't happen. I'm in control, there won't be any soldiers or witch hunters after you, I won't let that happen. No matter what the citizens think, I've got your back. Go to sleep." Glinda replied, laying down. Elphaba did too after a minute.