Okay, so here we are, Chapter 3. It's a fair bit longer than the first chapter. I made the paragraphs significantly shorter to make it easier on the eyes. (I also shortened Chapter 1's paragraphs, as well as did some minor corrections.)
There's also more about Galder (the doctor, remember?), who's an original character of mine, in Chapter 3. He didn't actually even have a name when I first started writing, but after giving him a name, I just had to give some depth to his character. (However little that is.) I'm also thinking of using him in future works, but as always, only time will tell.
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Chapter 2: Struggle
Darkness. It surrounded her from all sides, a total, silent darkness. At first, there was nothing else, just the darkness, quietly embracing her. Am I dead? That was the first thing she could think of, as her consciousness slowly started awakening.
"Doctor, I think she might be waking soon." A voice entered the girl's half-conscious mind. She tried opening her eyes, but for some reason, it felt like her eyelids had been sealed close. Frustrated by this discovery, she tried to bring her hand to her face, only to find she could not. Concentrating on moving her hand, she was able to flex her fingers, but that was the extend of it.
Not being able to move her hand, she was starting to panic a little. The panic then caused her mind to become more self-conscious. She tried to calm herself, but to no avail. The panic spread, and it awakened the pain that had been sleeping under the cover of her unconscious mind.
The pain started from her chest, and slowly spread throughout the body, finally reaching her legs which was when the pain reached it's peak, forcing her mind to fully awaken. The girl's eyes shot open and she started breathing heavily, trying to bear the sudden pain.
"Ah, finally awake?" Hearing the voice from near, the girl turned her head towards it, still fighting the pain. What she saw was a tall man with shoulder-length, light brown hair, wearing a white coat. The room they were in was rather small and unwelcoming. The walls were painted white, and what little space there was in the room, was taken up by medical equipment.
Turning her attention back to the man in white coat, the girl voiced the first and foremost question in her mind at the moment. "Where...am I?"
The man gave her a bitter smile before answering. "Just what it looks like, a medical facility. You had quite an accident during your last mission and were brought here." She had already figured as much from her surroundings, but as her mind was still quite a mess, she needed the confirmation.
"Um...How long have I been here?" That was the second thing that came to her mind. After all, she couldn't allow something like this to get in the way of her work. "Only for a week. But you really should get some more rest for now, you know. Your body is still quite a mess."
This news shocked the girl. She had been out of it for...for a whole week?!? She tried getting up, only to be stopped by the horrid pain that shot through her chest. The man's blue eyes flashed behind his glasses. "Hey, hey! Don't even think of getting up yet! Your body was severely injured in that accident. Just take it easy for now, okay?" The man's voice somehow got a forceful tone to it, and the girl unwillingly lay back down.
"Good girl. Just try to get some rest for now, and we'll see how you're feeling tomorrow." With those words, the man turned his back on her and left the room leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.
A whole week, huh? It's been a whole week... She was now deep in thought, the pain having subsided after she lay back down. I was in an accident? The thought seemed weird to her. Ever after having joined the Bureau, she hadn't had a single accident and now she was told she was in a hospital bed for having been in an accident.
The girl tried her best to recall what had happened, but no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't remember a thing. Sigh...I wonder how the others are doing. Hayate...Fate-chan...Vita-chan... That was when it struck her. Vita-chan and I...We were...
Images started flooding into her head in such a forceful manner that she felt like her head might break down. Images of herself, Vita-chan, the renegade mages, Raising Heart, the explosion, Vita's worried face, teardrops hitting her face, and finally...darkness.
When she regained her consciousness again, the first thing she felt was the throbbing pain in her head and legs. At least my arms aren't hurting... She bitterly thought. The pain brought up the memories of the accident. My Starlight Breaker...backfired? She was dumb-struck by the thought. Such a thing had never happened before, neither had she ever heard of such a thing.
I should probably ask someone... Thinking of the possible reasons for Starlight Breaker backfiring, she was able to ward off the pain until the sweet darkness once again engulfed her in it's blissful embrace.
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It had already been one and half weeks since Nanoha's accident when Galder, her doctor, finally declared she was well enough to be having guests. Although she still occasionally experienced pains, especially in her legs, and was in a pretty weak condition overall, it seemed like the worst phase had passed.
Despite the doctor's words of not getting out of the bed for months, Nanoha was already looking forward to returning to her work. Little did she know, though, how far away all of that still was.
Fate was the first person to come visiting Nanoha after Galder finally allowed her to see her friends. Nanoha, who had been reading a book Galder had brought for her earlier, lifted her gaze from the book when she heard the door open. "Fate-chan!" Her voice was full of joy, being able to see her dearest friend for the first time since being hospitalized.
"Nanoha..." Fate was also glad to see her friend, even more so seeing how much better she had gotten in such a short time. She did, however, know that even if Nanoha was acting all cheery for her, she was still hurt.
"How are you feeling, Nanoha?" Fate asked, concern clearly showing in her voice and eyes. Nanoha rose to a sitting position, although the position made her legs ache a bit. Of course, she wouldn't let it show on her face, not in the presence of her dear friend.
"I'm just fine. See?" She gave her friend cheery smile. "I see. That's good then. But just don't overdo it, okay? I know you tend to shoulder everything by yourself, but it's not good for you. If you ever need anything..." Fate took Nanoha's hand between her own hands. "Okay?" Nanoha felt the warmth of Fate's hands and words, nodding slightly, "I know." She flashed another smile to her dear friend.
While seeing Nanoha chatting happily, even making a few jokes, soothed Fate's worries somewhat, she still couldn't help but feel that her friend was only putting up a brave face. I wonder if she's been told yet... Fate thought, looking for anything that might indicate that the girl knew about the condition of her legs. But no, Nanoha was her usual, cheery self, if a little more social than usual, which was only natural considering she had been in a hospital bed for one and half weeks.
"Fate-chan? Is something wrong?"
Nanoha's voice pulled Fate back to earth, and she quickly regained her composure, not wanting to worry the injured girl in any way. "Oh, I'm sorry, I kinda dazed off. Eh heh...Sorry."
In the end, Fate ended up staying with Nanoha, until Galder had to come and literally drag her away, claiming that Nanoha needed to rest. After they were out of the room, Fate's expression changed to a more serious one.
"Have you...told her yet?" She asked him. Galder flinched a little under Fate's intent stare, but replied calmly, "No, not yet. I wanted to observe her recovery a little bit more before telling her."
"When are you going to tell her, then?" Galder shrugged at the blonde's question, "When the time is right.." Fate's face darkened. "Wouldn't it be better not to? It'll be too much of a shock for her." Galder snorted, "And let her keep up false hopes?"
Fate's eyes jerked up at this and she raised her voice, "False? But you said it wasn't certain!!" Galder sighed, "No, it's not certain that she'd never be able walk again. However, it is a highly likely scenario. It's been one and half weeks, and her body has started recovering at a very high speed. Except for her legs. I don't know why, but her legs aren't recovering the same way the rest of her body is. She might be able to walk again, someday, but the way it's going that would be years away. And as more time passes, it becomes less and less likely for her legs to ever return to the way they were before. No, she has the right to know."
Fate felt like she was being crushed by the meaning his words carried, tears starting to well up in her eyes. She felt so powerless, unable to do anything for her closest friend. She quickly turned away to hide her tears, and hurriedly started walking away.
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After Fate had left, Galder returned to his office after making sure Nanoha was doing fine. He felt exhausted, but he didn't let it stop him from continuing where he had left off earlier.
He, Galder Haerlorn, had been working for the Bureau for more than ten years ever since joining as a medical trainee in the age of 17. He had had his share of hardships, but what had kept him going was his resolution to save as many lives as he possibly could. So far, his record was almost perfect, which was the reason he was often called whenever a high-ranking member of the Time-Space Administration Bureau had ended up in critical condition.
This case was no different from any other. Or so he had though, when he had been ordered to see to it that Nanoha Takamachi would survive. The order had come from somewhere pretty high up, but to him, it was inconsequential. After all, he had dedicated his life to saving others.
It didn't matter to him, whether the people he saved were high-ranking members of the Bureau or not. To him, they were all just people that deserved his attention. Deserved another chance at life.
This one had been a close call, though. The girl had been in a horrible condition, and even with his knowledge and expertise he'd thought the case lost. Suprisingly though, the girl had proved stronger than what Galder would've expected from one so young.
And so the combined strength of Galder's skill and the girl's willpower and recovery capabilities had been able to bring her back from the cold clutches of the grave. Galder had never experienced such a miraculous survival before, and it had had a great effect on him.
While the girl was unconscious, Galder would stay with her, talking to, and encouraging, her. He'd work over his normal hours and ask favours from other specialists. Even after she woke up, Galder did his best to support her recovery.
The unexpected lack of recovery in her legs hit him hard. After surviving from something like that, it would be unreasonable for her to lose something as precious as the ability to walk. Thinking that, Galder started doing research on the subject on his own. He consulted other doctors he knew, did all he could, yet in the end there was not much he could do.
Nothing...Is there nothing I can do for her? It was frustrating to him, both as a doctor and as a human being, to watch such a thing, yet not be able to do anything. Still, he did what he could, working on rehabilitation programs among other things, all for the young girl, who had survived something no other person would have.
Galder knew that statistically, the chances for her to ever walk again, much less in the next few years, were minimal, but he kept reminding himself, that the girl had already once surpassed the human limits, surviving against impossible odds. If it had happened once, who were to say it couldn't happen again. And so he clung to that small hope, and continued on his work.
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It had been a month since the accident, and Galder had yet to tell Nanoha that she might never walk again. Ever since Fate's first visit, Nanoha had been getting visitors on a daily basis, Fate coming almost every day and Hayate as often as her work allowed.
Vita had also visited Nanoha a few times, but since she always broke into tears, Hayate had seen it wiser to forbid her to go see Nanoha until she could smile throught the visit. Chrono and Yuuno had sent her flowers and cards, as they could only visit every now and then because of their work.
Now, it was finally almost time for Nanoha's walking rehabilitation to begin. Galder had been reluctant of telling the girl about her legs' serious condition, despite his words to Fate way back. But he knew that it could no longer be kept in the dark. The girl had the right to know.
She had already started working on her arms, having been training them almost daily for a week now. So if she was to start her walking rehabilitation, she had the right to know that it might all prove useless. That's what he kept telling himself, as he approached his patient's room.
While walking down the corridor on which Nanoha's room was in, Galder was stopped by a voice from behind, "Doctor Galder!" He turned around to face the blond girl, who had been regularly visiting his patient. "Fate-san. Are you here to visit your friend again?" Fate nodded. "I heard, she's going to start walking rehabilitation soon, so I thought I'd come and cheer her on."
Galder thought for a moment and then said, "Very well, I guess having you near when she hears the details might make it easier for her." Fate looked shocked and hissed to him in a low voice, "You still haven't told her?!?" Galder was stood firm under her gaze. "I thought it best to tell her when she was ready to start the rehabiliatation. It also gave her time to adjust to the situation, before going and telling her something like that."
Fate sighed, "Well, I guess it would've been too much when she was still recovering from the initial shock, but..." Galder quickle turned and continued walking towards Nanoha's room. "Well, it'll all be up to her from now on."
Nanoha was doing light exercises with her hands using small weights as Galder entered the room along with Fate. "Ah, Galder-san, Fate-chan, good morning!"
"Morning, Nanoha." Fate's replied with a soft voice as she walked over to Nanoha's bed.
"Well, how is my favourite patient doing? Working hard as always, I see." Galder gave the girl in the bed an encouraging smile. Nanoha nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah."
She turned to Fate, who had suddenly taken her hand and was now holding it tightly. "Fate-chan? Is something wrong?" Fate couldn't bear to watch her friend in the eye, and seeing how it was turning out Galder called to Nanoha. "Nanoha, I have something important to tell you. Please listen to me closely, and try to stay calm."
Nanoha could sense his tenseness, and tried to brace herself for what was to come. "What...what is it?" Her voice sounded so quiet and, at the moment, she looked so fragile that Fate was afraid she might just break into pieces.
"Now that we're about to move to your walking rehabilitation, there is something you should know." Galder started with a neutral voice. "As you probably know, just surviving from that accident was quite a miracle. However, your body suffered serious injuries, and even though most of them have already healed, there have been some complications..."
Nanoha had a puzzled look on her face, not quite understanding what he was talking about. "Um...What kind of complications?" She asked, knowing she would probably not like the answer. "One part of your body has not started recovering as fast as the others. In fact, there has not been much improvement since you were brought here. I am, of course, talking about your legs."
As Nanoha turned her gaze to her legs, Galder continued: "We're ready to start the rehabilitation for your legs in order to force the recovery, but there is something you should know." Nanoha turned her attention back to Galder from her legs, "Something...I should know?" "Yes, something you should know..."
Galder gave Fate a meaningful look, and turned back to face Nanoha while Fate tightened her hold on Nanoha's hand. "Even if you go through the rehabilitation, it is not certain if your legs will ever be back to the way they were. In fact, it is highly possible that you might never walk again. Do you still wish to go through with it?"
Hearing Galder's words, all color started draining from Nanoha's face, and her eyes were looking at him, pleading him to tell her he was just joking, that what had just been said was not true. She waited. No one laughed.
He's serious...He's really serious! Nanoha's mind was screaming, even as her head was doing it's best to comprehend what she had just been told. "Nanoha..." Fate was now gripping her friends hand as hard as she could, but Nanoha was too shocked to even notice it.
I'm...never going to be able to walk again? Never? But that would mean... That's when it hit her. Not being able to even walk, how could she ever fly again? She very nearly screamed the thought out, but held herself back at the very last moment.
Wait! I can't worry Fate-chan with this...This is my dilemma.
Even as her own emotions were raging within her, she was still conscious enough to worry about her friend. So she gathered all her inner strength and put on a brave smile. "It'll be okay, Fate-chan. I can do it. I'll definitely walk again."
Seeing Nanoha acting brave was making mince-meat out of Fate's heart. She couldn't think of anything to say to cheer her friend, nothing at all. Even though Nanoha was wearing a smile, Fate had known her for long enough to be able to tell how she was really feeling.
Is there nothing I can do for her?!? Seeing her friend suffering behind a smile was worse than anything she had ever experienced before. She would've done anything to ease her friends pain, if only she knew what.
Nanoha, even as she was keeping up a brave face, was silently fighting against the tears that were working their way to her eyes. Not wanting to worry Fate or Galder, or perhaps it was just her not wanting to show any weaknesses, asked them to leave.
"Um, Fate-chan, doctor Galder, could you...let me be alone for a while. This is all so sudden, and I need a while to think it through." The two knew without asking, what the real reason behind her words was. They knew it, yet there was nothing they could do about it, but allow her to let it all out, alone. And so they reluctantly left her behind in the small room.
After the they were gone and Nahoha was left alone in the now dark room, she finally let the tears out. She had thought she was getting better, that she could soon fly the skies again, even. Now she had been told she might never be able to fly again.
She curled up, tears flowing down her cheeks, wetting the bedsheets. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, which caused sharp pain to her legs, but she hardly noticed it. She tried not to think about flying, but the harder she tried, the more memories of flying flooded her memory, causing the young girl unimaginable pain.
After some time, the tears started to dry, and her body stopped shaking. She was now too exhausted to even cry anymore, and could only stare blankly at the room's ceiling. The pain at her legs was getting more intense now that she was no longer too preoccupied with her sorrow to feel it. But for some reason the pain, even though intense, felt strangely distant, as if it was someone else's pain.
Nanoha found it strangely funny, despite the situation she was in. It's like I'm not even me anymore... she thought, her mind dangerously swaying between sanity and madness. It wasn't long until her worn-out mind gave away under the stress and the girl drifted off to peaceful sleep, escaping the cruelty of reality in the world of dreams, where she could still fly unrestricted...
When Nanoha woke up the following morning, she felt suprisingly refreshed, despite the shock she had experienced just yesterday. Her resolve had built up during her sleep, and now there was only one thing left in her mind.
No matter how slight the chances, no matter how impossible it feels...I want to fly again!! I can't just give up without even trying!
And so, when Galder came to visit her, Nanoha had her answer. She would go through the rehabilitation, no matter what. And, she thought to herself, I will fly again! That marked the beginning of the young girl's struggle towards her goal, towards the sky.
But what a thorny path full of hardships that would be...
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This chapter was originally supposed to be about Nanoha's rehabilitation, but... Anyway, the rehabilitation will start for real in the next (and final) chapter. Until then.
P.S. I would've liked to use medical terms and such, but since my medical knowledge is very limited...