Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland does not belong to this writer.
Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait. I wrote this by hand during school when inspiration hit, hope it is to your expectations.
Lost In The Storm Of Madness
Chapter 10
"What do you think, mother?" Alice asked Helen Kingsley, who sat perched on a stool in the dining room.
Helen shook her head, having been lost in her intense, overanalyzing thoughts. "I am sorry, Alice" she apologized, "What were you saying?"
Alice smiled softly at her mother. "Can Tarrant stay in the vacant bedroom?" she asked, adding "Please, mother?"
Helen sighed, opening her mouth to object, but at the sight of her daughter's large, wide, pleading blue eyes, she felt her restraint leave her and she surrendered. "Okay. He can stay." Helen finally spoke.
"Why not?" Alice ranted, "He is a good man. A great one. One of the best. He should be able to-"
Shaking her head in amusement, Helen chided her daughter "Alice Kingsley!" Once she had Alice's attention, she explained "I do not think you understood the fact that I said 'okay'."
She felt the blood rise to her cheeks, creating a rosy hue. Her lips formed into small, circle shape in realization. "You did?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
Helen nodded. "I did."
Alice could feel the thrill, excitement, and anticipation rushing through her veins at the notion of being under one roof with the hat man from Underland. However, the thrill, excitement, and anticipation proved to be too much for the girl. Her heart beat a beat too rapid. Black blotches faulted her vision. Then everything faded to black.
She could hear soft, calming voices. Two voices. A man's and a woman's. The woman's voice was frantic and soft yet familiar, and the man's voice was calm and unfamiliar. These two voices surrounded her in the darkness, yet at the same time they were distant and far away.
"Is she going to be alright?" She heard the voice who belonged to the woman's ask frantically with worry in her voice. She was so certain that she had heard the voice before, but from where had she heard the voice? Why was the voice so familiar? In the darkness, she tried to place a face with the voice, and as the man spoke, she finally realized who the woman was.
"Mrs. Kingsley" the calm, collected voice of the man's said, "I assure you that your daughter is perfectly fine. Just a simple case of getting way too excited, and fainting because of it. It's nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure, doctor?" Helen asked, unsure and scared for her little girl.
The doctor nodded. "Positive" she heard the man's voice whisper, "I am sure she will-"
The doctor's optimistic assurance was cut off by a sleepy, hoarse voice coming from the bed. "Mother?" Alice whispered, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright light in the room.
The doctor smiled. "I will leave you two be" he dismissed himself politely, walking out of the room and closing the door softly behind him.
"What happened? Why am I here?" Alice asked, confused. "Mother? Why are you crying? Mother, please you are scaring me!" Alice exclaimed as she witnessed silent tears slid down her mother's cheeks.
Helen sat down on the edge of the hospital bed which Alice laid. Fiddling with her fingers, she whispered softly "When you fainted at home, I thought that I was going to lose you again. After just getting you back."
Placing a hand on her mother's shaking shoulders, she said, her voice firm and serious, "But you didn't."
Helen nodded, and whispered "I know." She looked up at her daughter, examining her face. She smiled softly in adoration, "You remind me so much of your father."
Alice simply smiled, unsure what to answer to her mother's comment about her father. So instead, the two of them, mother and daughter sat there in silence for a few moments until one of them broke it.
"Is Hatter here?" Alice spoke, tossing away the blanket of silence. Helen nodded in response. "Can I see him?"
Nodding, she stood to her feet. "I will go and get him." she said, walking out of the hospital room.
Hatter was in the waiting room, seated in one of the uncomfortable, wooden chairs. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep; he was merely resting them. His head jerked up slightly as he heard soft footsteps approaching. Despite the circumstances, he smiled at the woman who approached him; Helen Kingsley: the mother of the champion, Alice Kingsley. He stood up to his feet, his hat held politely in his hands.
"Mrs. Kingsley" Tarrant greeted Helen in the manner that him and Alice had gone over more than enough times when preparing for their visit to the Overland.
Helen smiled softly at the young man, who her daughter obviously had a soft spot for. "Tarrant" she said, her voice warm.
"How is she?" He blurted out. He was blunt. It was probably impolite. But he really did not care.
Helen smiled in response. "That's what I came here to talk to you about"
Tarrant held his breath, the worse possibilities coming to his more than mad mind. She will never walk again. She has gone blind. She doesn't remember Underland, or him. Worse of all, she's dead.
He finally found his voice, and holding back the pain, he asked "How bad is it?"
"Tarrant, Alice is perfectly fine. The doctor's said it was nothing to worry about." assured Helen as she could practically see the fear in his eyes.
Tarrant sighed, pleasantly relieved. She was alright. She was not blind, nor was she dead. She had not lost any of her memory of Underland or him. She was perfectly fine.
"She's awake" Helen informed the relieved man, "And wishes to see you." She smiled softly at Tarrant. In the past, all the men that Alice was forced to mingle with and date she hadn't really cared for or even liked them, but for some reason this one seemed different. She actually liked this one.
Tarrant smiled. "Show me to her room, please?" he asked, not wishing to get lost in the large building.
Nodding, Helen said "Follow me."
Together, Tarrant Hightopp and Alice's mother walked down one of the many hallways, turned several corners, walked a few stairs to the third floor, and all this just to get to Alice's hospital bed room. The door was shut, and the two stood there for a few moments.
Twisting the knob, Helen opened the door, and whispered "I am going to go downstairs to the cafeteria, maybe get a cup of coffee."
Tarrant nodded, signaling that he had heard. "Should I expect you in here anytime soon?"
"Soon? No." she answered, "Later? Yes. But trust me, it will be much later."
Before walking into the room, Tarrant turned to the retreating form of Helen Kingsley. "You know what, Mrs. Kingsley?"
Stopping, she asked "What?"
"Tea is much better than coffee."
Helen chuckled amused with the man. "Goodbye, Tarrant." She said, walking down the stair's steps.
He walked the rest of the way in, closing the door behind him. He was awed with the girl in the bed.
"Hello, Alice" he whispered, walking closer.
"Hi" was Alice's soft reply.
Author's notes:
I am so cruel ending it there, aren't I? XD Well anyways, next update might be whenever I get inspiration. The more reviews, the more updates. Was this too short? I hope not.