A/N Sorry for the long wait! I needed to sort out some issues that came from writing the first story ever. I hope that I will update more often now.
I want to dedicate this chapter to the amazing Wicked Cast from Germany. They will play their last show today(in our time).Thank you for the great time! I will miss you!
Thanks to my reviewers, I promise that you will hear more about Elphaba's past.
So, enough talking, enjoy the new chapter!
X
Galinda was exhausted. She was sitting on her cot, which the nurse had recently brought in. The last couple of hours had not been easy for the sensitive blonde. She was very proud of herself being able to show her strong side to Elphaba. Galinda always thought that Elphaba never saw more than a social butterfly in her. To be true, she wanted to be seen as such by most students on campus.
What confused her most was the fact that she really cared for her odd green roommate and that she didn't want to be so cruel to Elphaba like she had been up until this very day. But what had happened to her to realize this? Was it pity for a girl who was rejected from everyone?
No, I never pitied her before, so this is not making any sense. It must be something else, but I cannot figure it out yet! Galinda thought.
She rubbed her forehead, moaning a little. Since Nurse Clare had left her about half an hour ago, the headache that started a while ago was getting much stronger.
Galinda stood up to get some water from the little table. All of sudden she got dizzy and her knees went weak. She tried to reach the table to catch herself, but failed and fell to the floor, while everything was getting blurry.
An intense pain shot trough her head and she felt nauseous. What in the hell of Oz is going on? Galinda thought while trying to focus on something in the room, but it was almost impossible, because of the waves of pain that coursed through her head. Galinda knew that she needed help. Waking Elphaba was not an option; she would be hard to wake because of the effects from her medicine.
With all of her strength, she tried to rob towards the bedside table where the pulling cord was. She managed to get near it when a new wave of pain stopped her, making her moan again. Cold sweat was on her forehead and she was trembling. "Come on Galinda, you need to get to that table!" she muttered. After a moment the pain ebbed off and she finally reached her destination and pulled the cord. Then all went black and she crumpled to the floor again, losing her consciousness.
X
Nurse Clare sat in her office and updated Elphaba's file. She knew that, given the circumstances, her charge was as fine as she could be and would sleep for a long time.
After the intense panic attack, the doctor had decided to give her a stronger analgesic, which also served as a sleep aid. She was positive that this would lessen the immense stress for Elphaba.
I am more concerned about Galinda; she appeared to be stressed too, although she tried to hide it. She is constantly watching over her friend. She thought.
She had made Galinda promise that she would sleep, but she was not sure if she would hold on to it.
The nurse went over to a little kitchen area and got herself a cup of coffee.
She was on her way back to her desk when she heard the bell for Elphaba's room ringing.
"Oh, this is weird, I don't think that Elphaba is awake yet," she muttered and hurried out of the door and down the hallway. When she opened the door to her charges' room, her gaze fell directly on Elphaba, who was sound asleep. Very confused, Nurse Clare looked around, but didn't see Galinda.
Just then her gaze fell towards the ground beneath Elphaba's bed and saw her lying there, her right arm still stretched out towards the table.
"Galinda?" she called and rushed over to her and crouched down. "Galinda, can you hear me?" There was no response from the little blonde. Her breathing was shallow and her face was very pale.
"Oh no my dear, I told you to rest but you obviously stayed awake", the nurse said quietly.
She tried to wake Galinda up, by gently patting her cheek wile she called her name, but nothing happened. Sighing, she got up and went over to a cabinet and took some smelling salts out of it. She held them under Galinda's nose and she heard Galinda take a deep breath and began to stir. Nurse Clare heard a little groan and called her name again. Finally Galinda opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but the nurse stopped her.
"Galinda dear, please stay as you are for a moment. You were unconscious for at least five minutes. I found you here after I heard the bell in my office. What happened?"
Galinda whimpered as a new wave of pain shot trough her head again. Nurse Clare noticed that the girl went paler than she was before and laid her hand on her back.
"I don't know what happened. I had a slight headache that started around the time you brought me the cot. When I got up to get myself some water, I all of sudden felt very dizzy and the headache got worse. My knees went weak and I had difficulties to reach the bedside table. I don't know what happened after I pulled the cord, everything went black. The next thing I knew were you calling my name", Galinda said.
"All right, do you feel much pain right now?" Nurse Clare asked sounding concerned.
"Yes, the headache is still very intense and my vision is blurry."
"Okay Galinda. I will call for Doctor Bradburn, so that he can check you over. Do you think that you are able to stand up and walk over to the cot?"
"I can try," Galinda said and managed to sit up. But as soon as she was upright, the nausea came back full force and she got very dizzy again. "Oh no! I don't think that I can stand up, I feel very nauseous and dizzy", Galinda said sounding distressed.
"All right, take a deep breath and try to calm down. Just lean your back onto the bed and relax. I will call Doctor Bradburn and will be with you again in no time," Nurse Clare said and went to the door.
Galinda just then realized that she had totally forgotten about Elphaba. "Nurse Clare?" Galinda called quietly. The nurse turned around. "Yes?"
"Did Elphaba wake up while I was out? I must have made some noise after all."
The nurse shook her head in spite of herself. Galinda was still too focused on the wellbeing of her roommate. "No dear, Elphaba was sound asleep when I came in and she will most likely not wake up even if you would dance around the room. Please don't worry too much about her; we need to look after you right now. I will be right back," Nurse Clare said and closed the door quietly behind her.
Galinda leaned against Elphaba's bed. She heard the green girl breathing evenly and was satisfied that she was fine. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Her headache was less intense at the moment. She was very relieved that she didn't wake Elphaba up.
After a short while Nurse Clare and Doctor Bradburn entered the room.
"I heard that you fainted and are suffering from bad headaches", the doctor said, taking Galinda's hand and checking her pulse.
"Yes. I don't know why the headache got so bad. It increased when I stood up to go and fetch something to drink." Galinda closed her eyes briefly as a new but lighter wave of pain coursed though her head. This didn't stay unnoticed by the doctor.
"We need to get you to your cot so that you can lie down comfortably. Then I will be able to examine you further," Doctor Bradburn said and picked her up from the ground and carried her over to the cot. He settled her gently down and Nurse Clare covered her with a blanket.
Galinda felt a little bit uncomfortable due to all of the attention; after all it was Elphaba who needed it most.
While the doctor examined her more closely he asked her what she had eaten since he left them earlier.
"I ate one sandwich, I wasn't really hungry," Galinda said.
"This is not enough, Galinda. Your body was under stress too, not physically but mentally. Both things need resources. As we have told you before: You need to eat and rest so that you won't get sick. That bad headache and your fainting spell prove it.
I will give you something for the pain and some medicine for your circulatory system, but it is crucial that you sleep. You must not worry about Elphaba right now. If she awakes we will wake you also because we think that you are more able to calm her down should she panic again. Is that okay for you?" Doctor Bradburn said, looking her directly in the eyes.
Galinda sighed and nodded. She only wanted to get rid of this damn headache and nausea.
"Very good, please try to eat and drink something more while Nurse Clare is fetching your medicine," the doctor said. Before he left the room, he checked shortly on Elphaba's general condition and was satisfied that she was all right for the moment.
Galinda took one sandwich from the plate and drank some water. She still felt slightly nauseous but knew that she had to eat. She was very angry about herself. Elphaba needed her and now she was not able to watch after her. The nurse came back ten minutes later and gave her one pill and some powder that was mixed in tea.
"The pill is for your headache and the powder will help your circulatory system. Please sleep, Galinda. I promise that we will wake you in time", Nurse Clare said, patting her shoulder.
"I have no other choice," Galinda sighed and closed her eyes. She immediately fell asleep.
"Sleep well, dear," the nurse said quietly and switched off the light.
X
Both girls slept peacefully when Nurse Clare looked after them during the night.
She was glad that Galinda was able to rest. The doctor was very concerned about her. He hoped that she understood that it was okay for her to step back a little bit.
It was early morning and Nurse Clare went over to the administration building to report that Elphaba was in their care and would miss her classes. To be safe, she also asked to excuse Galinda, because she was positive that she was not in a frame of mind to attend.
She went over to the cafeteria to get some sweet breads and some milk. When Elphaba was awake they had to give her a substantial amount of fluid, which they had not been able to do the night before.
"I hope that she will be more comfortable with being in the infirmary," she said quietly to herself. She was a little bit tired, too, but was used to it. Elphaba could wake up any time now and she knew that the worst was not over yet. The burns tended to hurt more after a few hours and it was over twelve hours ago that Elphaba was surprised by the rainstorm.
The nurse hoped that Galinda's father could help them with the oil dilemma. They wouldn't know anyone nearby who could help with this. Doctor Bradburn thought of contacting Elphaba's family to ask where she got her oils, but he had a feeling that they would not be very helpful. Elphaba had pointed out the night before that no one really cared if she had the right supplies to treat injuries or not.
What sort of family is this that they do not provide for their daughter, even though she is green?
Nurse Clare reached the building where the infirmary was and was relieved that no one came running for her to tell her that something was wrong.
X
Elphaba thought that she was in hell. How else could she explain why her skin was burning all over her body? She tried to move, but the pain got worse in the process. She lay still for a while, becoming more and more aware of her surroundings.
Finally she opened her eyes and saw that she was in an unfamiliar room, which was casually decorated. Elphaba thought that she heard someone snore slightly and turned her head slowly to the left, then caught sight of the cot where Galinda slept and the memories where she was hit her hard. The rainstorm, the infirmary, someone examining her, the touches… It nearly overwhelmed her and she started to tremble with fear.
"Elphaba dear, everything is all right, please try to calm down!" she heard a soothing voice from her right side. Elphaba turned her head in the direction of it and saw Nurse Clare, sitting in a comfy chair in a corner beside her bed.
"You slept for a long time and will be fine. Can I do anything to make the situation easier for you?"
Elphaba tried to shift herself a little and winced in pain. "Could I have something to drink? I feel like I haven't had anything for days", she asked quietly.
"Of course, what do you like? We have milk and cider for you. You need to drink a lot today, this dried out feeling is from the lost of fluid due to your burns as Doctor Bradburn has told you yesterday."
"Cider would be nice." Elphaba tried to sit up but was not very successful. Her arms hurt so much that she was not able to pull herself up.
"Wait, let me help you!" the nurse said and gently pulled her upward. This happened so fast, Elphaba couldn't even protest. The short movement caused a new wave of pain that washed over her body and she went pale but tried to hide her pain.
"Oh dear, do you require some more analgesics? Is the pain too much for you?" the nurse asked concerned.
"No, it is bearable, I don't need anything."
"If you say so…" Nurse Clare said and handed her a small glass of cider.
Elphaba was better able to drink than the night before and was very glad that she didn't need the help from the nurse. When she had finished her cider, Elphaba looked over to Galinda, who was still asleep on her cot. "Why is she still here?" she asked confused. She could remember that Galinda had been with her the evening before, but it was all a little bit fuzzy.
"Your roommate stayed here all night to look after you. We had to order her to sleep though; she was very concerned about you."
The answer to her question confused Elphaba even more. Why would Galinda stay up all night for her? They haven't even talked much during the past weeks. It never occurred to her that someone would actually look after her.
"Is she okay?" Elphaba asked, sounding concerned.
Nurse Clare thought of telling her charge about Galinda's fainting spell, but decided not to. She didn't want to worry Elphaba more.
"Yes, she is all right, just very tired. I had to promise her that I would wake her should you be awake before her, but I think that she needs more sleep. Is that okay for you?"
"Of course it is okay, please let her sleep. I don't know why she looked after me and why she stayed up so long," Elphaba said.
"Okay. I will get you some breakfast and your medicine. Is there anything else you require?"
"No, I don't need anything for the moment, thank you."
"All right, I will be back in ten minutes," the nurse said and went out of the door.
Elphaba sighed and closed her eyes. There was too much to process at the moment. She was angry about herself for not being attentive enough and getting surprised by the rainstorm. This had happened only once in her live, but she had been far more lucky the last time.
The things that had happened afterwards would make her childhood even more difficult.
She never told anyone about that time of her life; it was too hurtful to remember. For now she had to deal with the consequences of her mistake she made the day before.
A soft knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Nurse Clare came in with a tray of sweetbreads and milk on it and settled it down on her bedside table.
"Please try and eat something, your body needs all his strength now", the nurse said while she helped Elphaba to sit up more. "There are two pills for you to take; they will hopefully help the healing process along. I will prepare a new dressing for your burns in the meantime."
"I will try to eat", Elphaba said and took a cinnamon bun from the plate. She had never been a good eater and was not used to eat with someone present. She always preferred to take her meals alone.
She managed to eat one bun and drank some milk. When she was finished, Elphaba heard movement from Galinda's cot and looked over. The little blonde slowly opened her eyes and seemed to realize where she was rather quickly. She looked over to her immediately.
"Elphaba, you are awake! Why hasn't anyone woken me up immediately?" Galinda said, jumping up from the cot and hurrying over to her roommate.
"Galinda, I woke up not long before you and didn't want to wake you up. The nurse told me that you stayed up very late last night", Elphaba said.
"But you were so frightened last night and I wanted to be there for you", Galinda said and sat down in a chair beside the bed.
"How are you this morning? Do your burns hurt much?"
"I am all right for now. The burns are hurting but it is tolerable. Nurse Clare was here when I woke up and looked after me."
Nurse Clare went over to the two girls and laid a hand on Galinda's shoulders.
"Good morning dear. Please calm down, your roommate is indeed okay. She simply was concerned about you. I just prepared the new dressings for her wounds and we will tend to them after she is finished with breakfast."
"Can I stay with her while you tend to her?" Galinda asked.
"Of course you can. We need someone who can provide comfort for Elphaba. You did a very good job with that yesterday," Nurse Clare said.
"I will go and get Doctor Bradburn, because he has to look over the wounds. I will be right back."
After the nurse left the room, Elphaba got more and more uncomfortable. "Oh no, not the doctor again," she sighed.
"Elphaba, I know that you are afraid of him, but he needs to look after you. I will be there the whole time."
"Thank you for staying with me. It is probably not easy for you," Elphaba said, smiling slightly.
"Why should I leave you here alone? You need someone who looks after you." Elphaba started to comment but just then there was a knock on the door again and the nurse and doctor entered the room.
As soon as Elphaba got sight of the doctor, her pulse quickened and the fear began to rise in her again. Galinda was sitting beside her and gently laid a hand on her shoulders.
"It's okay, Elphaba, I am here to watch over everything that will happen, please don't be frightened", Galinda whispered in her ear.
Doctor Bradburn slowly walked over to the two girls. He saw Elphaba's fear in her eyes but knew that he had no choice; he had to look after the burns.
"Good morning you two, how are you?"
"I am fine, Doctor Bradburn", Galinda said and smiled.
"I… I am fine too", Elphaba said with a slightly quivering voice. Galinda slightly patted her shoulder to reassure her, but she winced and made a face.
"Oh my! I am sorry, Elphaba; I didn't intend to hurt you!" Galinda said franticly.
"Galinda, it is okay, please don't be upset, you just wanted to comfort me, okay?" Elphaba said.
But why is she doing all of this?
"Do you think that you are comfortable with me, so that I can look after the burns?" Doctor Bradburn asked.
"I have no choice, you have to look after them," Elphaba said with a resigning voice.
"Okay Elphaba, Nurse Clare will remove the old bandages and will clean the wounds. Then I will have a close look at them. We asked our apothecary for some mineral oil, since yours will be not enough. But we haven't told him about your allergy", he added quickly when he saw the panicked look on Elphaba's face. Elphaba sighed a breath of relief after hearing that.
Nurse Clare came over with the new bandages and put them on another table beside the bed. She began to remove the old ones and gently put oil on parts of the bandages which clung to her skin.
Elphaba lay still with her eyes closed and winced in pain a few times, but tried to not show her pain. When she opened her eyes, she was able to see the whole extend from her mistake the evening before.
Well done, Elphaba, now you can see what happens when you are not paying attention to your surroundings.
While the nurse was busy with the wounds, Galinda was watching over every action that was done. It still hurt in her heart that Elphaba suffered such bad burns and it was hardly to believe that water could do such damage to that emerald green skin. When the nurse was ready with cleaning, Doctor Bradburn went over and took a close look onto the burns. He was not pleased with what he saw, but stayed calm. He only cast a significant look to Nurse Clare.
The skin surrounding the burns was slightly inflamed and new blisters started to form. He was more concerned than before, that they might get infected.
"Okay Elphaba, your wounds could look better, but considering the lack of sufficient ointment and cleaning supplies we must be happy what we have now. We will dress them with new bandages now. I hope that we will not hurt you too much in the process," the doctor said and began to apply the new ointment and the bandages to each burn.
Elphaba flinched a few times during the process but managed to hide her pain from the doctor and nurse. She didn't know that she had less luck with Galinda. The blonde knew that she was hiding her pain and was curious about why she was doing it.
Finally they were finished and Elphaba could relax a little bit more. She knew that the doctor would not stay very long now.
"Alright Elphaba, I will look after you in a few hours. If you need something, just call for Nurse Clare. I am sure that she already told you about the things you should do to help the healing process along."
"Yes, she did, Doctor."
"Fine. See you two later!" he said and went out of the door with the nurse.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Elphaba sank back into her pillows and sighed a breath of relieve.
"Have I told you that I hate doctors?"
The only response was a slight chuckle from Galinda.