Back Up Plans
Chapter 2: It's in the Timing
The day had gotten away from her again. Between physiology lab, a meeting with her professor and a paper to start and finish by noon Katara would have forgotten to eat lunch if it hadn't been for her best friend and roommate, Toph. After just five minutes of waiting inside their favorite deli, she had called demanding to know where Katara was and how-the-hell-she-could-leave-a-poor-blind-girl-to- fend-for-herself!
But the long eight and a half hours since their lunch had been filled with nothing but more work. Katara closes her eyes as she lets the familiar melody of creaking subway cars drown out the sound of her empty stomach. Before long her mind begins sifting through the hours of information she'd gathered during the day.
The pituitary gland is responsible for hormone secretion in the frontal lobe. It is largely responsible for...
A beep from her phone interrupts her mental review into. She flips open the gadget to discover a text from Sokka.
Dad told me you decided on a specialty.
Congrats sis!
But trauma? Don't you think that's a little…traumatic?
Katara rolls her eyes at her brother's typical behavior. Leave it to the guy who used to say Katara's talents were meant for the kitchen to doubt her abilities. She shoots a quick text back.
I don't think it's any more traumatic
than working with lawyers all day.
An unfamiliar voice startles Katara from her thoughts. "Um, excuse me?"
"Yes?"
"Yeah, I think that guy just took your bag." Katara's hand flies toward the bench space next to her, but as promised the backpack is gone. She looks up once more but the man has helpfully disappeared.
"Hey!" Her voice echoes around the station as she looks around the station in panic. She spots a large man a few yards away and scrambles after him.
"Hey!" she repeats. "That's my backpack!"
The man makes no reply except to turn around grab her faster than she'd expected. "It's mine now," he grunts.
As Katara fights the large hand tugging her upward she realizes intuitively that her decision to chase after the thief had been a foolish one. Looming beneath her dangling feet are unforgiving cement stairs. She has only a moment to look into the man's beady, black eyes before he shoves her back. She gasps in pain as she tumbles down a dozen steps. She tries to rise but her knee gives out beneath her and she collapses in a throbbing pile of limbs.
Through her hazy vision Katara senses someone standing over her. She feels a hand on her shoulder and her fear turns to a knot in her stomach. "Don't move," commands the figure.
"I think it's time for you to hand over the bag and walk away." The deep, unfamiliar voice drifts toward Katara through her foggy mind.
"Stay outta this!"
"It's too late for that. Just hand over the bag and you can walk away. Nobody has to get hurt." A loud scuffle begins and Katara can pick out the sounds of fists connecting with their targets. With enough effort, her head stops spinning enough for her to open her eyes. Her mind processes the unexpected sight of the thief at the mercy of the new stranger. He is noticeably smaller, but his lean body appears in perfect control. Rather, he was in control until the thief unexpectedly throws them both into the wall. Taking the worst of the blow the smaller man immediately releases his hold clutching at his shoulder. When the situation begins to look desperate Katara tries to struggle up. But the pain in her head blossoms and dizziness overcomes her until she slips quietly into unconsciousness.
The old nurse sitting behind the desk looks up in surprise when a large pair of hands slam down in front of her. The familiar sight of a man with a desperate expression hovers above her, but before she can even offer a hello he frantically speaks first.
"My sister was admitted here a few hours ago. I wasn't able to get here until now because those damn trains move so slow! Where can I find Katara-"
"Sokka?"
The nurse watches as the tall man whirls around toward the young, blind girl that had been in the waiting room.
"Toph!" he shouts without a backward glance at the nurse. "Where's Katara? What happened?"
Toph offers Sokka her hand which he grabs eagerly and places it on his arm. "She's in room 236. I'll take you there." Sokka allows her to fearlessly escort him down the hospital hallway. He ignores the nurse who casts a curious glance at them. He'd gotten used to ignoring the stares of the people who underestimated Toph's capability.
"What happened?" Sokka repeats frantically.
Toph sighs tiredly. "Before they found out I wasn't immediate family and kicked me out I learned the gist of the story. She'll try to sugar coat it, but what it comes down to is that some asshole attacked her in the subway-"
"What?" he roars.
"Apparently the dumb girl had been alone down there in the middle of the night," Toph continues unaffected by Sokka's outrage. "If it hadn't been for some guy making sure she got help before chasing down the other guy she could have been in worse shape."
As the bad news floods in his mind swirls with vengeful thoughts. "Some guy?" he asks in confusion. "-Wait, are you saying they got the bastard who hurt her?"
"No, that guy got away after dislocating this guy's shoulder. He's just some guy who happened to be in the right place at the right time and who happens to be interested in helping strangers."
"What a boy scout." Sokka can sense Toph's distrust of this unknown figure is, but right now all he cares about is finding his little sister.
"We're here," she announces before Sokka can ask further questions. She slides her arm out of his grip while he stares at the nondescript door with the numbers 236 etched onto it. He pulls open the door to discover his baby sister lying in a hospital gown. The frightening image sends him rushing forward.
"Sokka!" she greets him energetically. He takes her zeal as a good sign.
"Tara," he speaks gently to her. "How're you feeling?"
"Totally humiliated! I can't believe I'm being served jello by my coworkers and acting like an invalid at the hospital I work at! All because I chased after some criminal? I mean, what was I thinking?"
"My point exactly." Sokka gives Toph an annoyed look. Her sarcasm isn't necessary right now.
"It's okay," Sokka tries to soothe her, but his tense expression doesn't offer much comfort. "I'm just glad you're okay. What exactly happened?"
"Excuse the interruption." Three pairs of eyes turn their attention to a woman dressed in scrubs and an identifying lab coat. "I'm Doctor Yue. Are you the next of kin?"
"I'm.." Sokka stares at his sister's doctor with shock. She's tall and thin with long, platinum blonde hair and even longer legs. As he looks into her blue eyes, he absentmindedly decides that she doesn't resemble any doctor he'd ever met. "Uh.."
"Are you related to Miss DelMar?" she rephrases her question politely.
"I'm Katara's brother. Her older brother," he quickly clarifies in a deeper voice. He finds himself appreciating the doctor's trim figure.
"Then I have some forms for you to fill out," she replies and unceremoniously shoves a clipboard into his hands.
"Right." He glances up from the small print on the clipboard while the doctor moves to inspect Katara. She winces noticeably when Dr. Yue gently prods the back of her head.
"Is it still pretty tender here?"
"Not too bad," Katara says.
"So how is she really?" Toph asks from Katara's bedside. Dr. Yue removes a small flashlight from her coat pocket and flashes it across Katara's eyes.
"After X-rays and an MRI we've diagnosed a mild concussion. She has several inches of deep tissue bruising along her right side and minor damage to her left knee, but she she'll be able to get away with a brace instead of a cast. We also have some concerns regarding her appendix."
"Her appendix?" Sokka repeats in confusion.
"Yes, the trauma to her abdomen may have caused some inflammation and we'd like to observe her overnight in case she shows signs of Appendicitis."
"How will we know when she's okay?"
"An anti-inflammatory has been included in her pain medication so we're controlling the swelling. But as long as she doesn't show any symptoms she should be okay to return home tomorrow night."
Sokka sighs heavily and collapses slightly against the wall closest to him. Leaning his head back he manages a relieved, "So she's okay."
"We expect her to make a full recovery," Doctor Yue says with a smile.
"Thank God," Toph whispers.
"Katara, do you remember my name?" Yue asks returning to her checkup.
"Dr. Yue."
"And what day is it today?"
"It's Tuesday."
"Very good," Yue confirms. "Now I want you to follow my fingers' movements with your eyes."
Sokka listens to the women's interaction with growing intensity. "So who the hell did this?" he finally asks.
"You'll have to speak with police about that," Yue responds. Without so much as a farewell Sokka heads for the waiting area where he'd seen a pair of officers leaving. Had he known their purpose he'd have harassed them for answers as soon as he saw them. "M-Mr. DelMar!" Yue calls after him. "I need some more information from you!"
"I'll get back to you!" he shouts as he pounds down the hallway.
"Please don't run in the hospital!"