The silence that surrounded Susan as she waited for her brother to wake was suddenly shattered by the familiar voice of her sister.
"Susan?"
"Lucy! You're alright!" Susan said happily, jumping up from her seat and almost crushing her sister in a hug. "I was so afraid you'd…you'd… died a…and left us. Have you had any word on Ed?"
"I…I haven't. There was such confusion at the wreck," the younger girl replied worriedly, shifting the strap of the sling on her shoulder.
"Oh Lu, you're all beaten up! What happened to your arm?"
"A large suitcase hit it. I think it came from the rack. I had to cover my eyes though, because of the glass. Eustace was a brick. He tried to shield me from the debris."
"Eustace? The others?"
Biting her lip and trying very hard to back the tears, Lucy withdrew a small clinking box from her torn pocket and handed it shakily to Susan. As the top came away, the elder girl gasped, for there beside a smaller box were their father's wedding band and watch, their mother's wedding and engagement rings and her necklace of pearls.
"Su, that was the earliest train to Bristol," Lucy whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Oh Lucy," the elder girl sighed, drawing Lucy in a tight hug and trying to be brave. "We'll get through this Lucy. Together, we will."
Silence blanketed the room, but finally pulling the shreds of her courage together, Lucy whispered, "How is Peter?"
"He hasn't opened his eyes or moved since they brought him here. That was an hour ago. The doctor says it's a miracle he survived this long. He was worse than this when they brought him in."
"He's going to make it, isn't he?" the golden-haired girl asked fearfully, on the verge of tears. She tried not to cry as she looked at the lamentable condition of her eldest brother. He seemed so much worse than any of the battles he had been in while they reigned in Narnia, even worse than the time he had fought the Giants of the North.
"I don't know Lu. I'm so sorry."
"I'm afraid. I don't want him to leave us."
"I'm sure that As… God wouldn't allow that…again," Susan said, trying to reassure her sister as much as to herself.
Just then a small movement caught Lucy's eye. She saw Peter's chest to rise and fall in a steady rhythm where moments ago his breathing had been almost imperceptible. He shifted slightly, gasping as pain shot through his body from his wounds.
"I wish had my cordial, just one drop. Su, remember the time he came home after rescuing me from the witch's followers and fighting the battle of Archen River, and how wounded he was?" Lucy recalled, staring at the long shadows that had lengthened since she had arrived.
"Lucy…."
To the younger sister's astonishment, Peter gradually roused and opened his eyes a crack. Despite the medications he had been given, he was clearly fighting to master the pain flooding through him. His relief upon seeing his youngest sister was evident in his drugged expression. "Lu?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes twinkled faintly and a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. A rare Peterish smile, a mixture of surprise and delight that Lucy was alive and safe.
"Peter, we were so worried we'd lost you," Susan exclaimed gently, taking his hand in both of hers and kissing it as tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks.
"It's so wonderful to see you awake," Lucy said, slipping her good hand into Peter's. Peter squeezed it gently with what strength he had.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------
Trivia: For anyone finds this sort of thing interesting and have read The Last Battle, there was a real railway accident in which a train coming to Bristol, derailed and crashed into a station killing fourteen to seventeen people and injuring forty-three. "The train derailed and collided with the platforms, severely damaging the carriages, engine and buildings." (Wikipedia) I thought this was interesting because it happened the year before The Last Battle was published.
http:// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Sutton underscore Coldfield underscore rail underscore crash (minus the spaces.)