Chapter 8- Stirring

Chapter 8- Stirring

Shego's monitors were going crazy almost as soon as Kim came back from her bathroom break. She sure had amazing timing. Kim took her hand and glanced at the machine that measured her brainwaves. There were huge spikes that she had not seen before. If this was it… Kim pressed a hand to Shego's cheek and leaned herself over so that she could look at her. The faintest motion in Shego's eyes. Yes! She was snapping out of it.

"Come on Shego…" Kim said, and kissed her cheek somewhat frantically. "I swear, if you wake up now, I'll not only go to your next match, I'll wear the little black dress…" She smiled slightly. Shego loved that dress for some reason that she had not been specified, but Kim almost never wore it unless there was something important. It was a little revealing than most of Kim's wardrobe. Even as Kim finished the sentence, Shego's heart rate had spiked again.

"Oh, so you can hear me?" Kim said, a little in awe. She leaned back down, hitting the call button on the remote control for Shego's bed.

The heart rate monitor slacked off then, and Kim turned away to look and make sure that all was normal. When she was assured that indeed everything was as it should be (heart rate wise), she turned back with a sigh, and waited to see what was going to happen next.

Patience is a virtue. That was the proverb Kim had always heard as a child. But patience had never sat well with her. In truth, neither had virtue. But as she half stood over Shego and waited for something to happen, Kim was overcome with a sense of calm. She could wait for as long as she had to if it meant that she would look into those emerald eyes again.

Shego's vitals had returned to normal after her spike in activity. The doctors had said that there could be fluctuation in power levels, and that if there was any sort of adverse activity, the programming of the machines would have the doctors running there in seconds.

But everything was normal. Actually… from her few times seeing normal brain scans from her mother, Shego's looked deceptively normal, more like sleep. "Shego, if you're just taking a nap…" At that moment a nurse came in and checked her vitals. Just like she did every night at 8.

"That's odd." The nurse commented, and jotted down the readings. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she were asleep." She told Kim, and looked at Shego's face. With a soft smile, the nurse brushed a stray piece of dark hair out of the way. Kim felt herself simmering with jealosy, it didn't matter that Shego was asleep, or that the nurse just wanted her to wake up. No. She was encroaching on Kim's territory. It took quite a bit to repress an animalistic snarl in the nurse's direction. Fortunately, she left soon after that, taking her clipboard with her, and once again Kim was left alone with Shego.

One more glance at Shego to assure herself that she was asleep before picking up a book she had bought the other day while she was out. It was a compilation of short stories revolving around Space Passage, a series that she secretly enjoyed, but not to the level that many fans aspired. She did not go around dressed in the crew's uniform after all. Shego hated the show with an almost fanatical disdain, and was one of the few things they ever bickered about. Kim generally wanted to tune in on Friday nights to watch it, while Shego insisted on watching wrestling. Now she knew exactly why, but it had almost led to the end of Friday hanging out.

"Maybe if I'm lucky you'll forget you hate this show." She murmured, and turned the page just as another red-shirted crew member got sucked out of an airlock being controlled by a renegade computer program. It was a bit ridiculous, but it provided distraction at least. Every so often she would look up and check the monitor. Shego's pulse was so steady she could probably use it as a metronome. It just killed her to see her so still like that, with her arm and leg in a cast and still with some traces of bruising on her face and body. At least part of her was alright. Her left arm was entirely healed, the road rash had cleared up very quickly. The hospital gown did not suit her at all, Kim decided, and returned to her book while she mused.

She much preferred the leather coat. Shego always smelled faintly of leather and just a hint of her shampoo. It was a vanilla scent and brown sugar scent that just smelled oh-so-good. After six weeks of hospital shampoo and plain hospital gowns, that smell was nearly gone. The jacket had been almost entirely destroyed in the accident, shredded off her by the friction against the pavement, and then those shreds were ripped off by the surgeons who had been assigned to her.

The first thing Shego had realized was that she was actually looking at the ceiling. Somehow, she had expected to see something… else, when she woke up. She lay there for just a moment and explored the room with her eyes. They stung a little with the brightness of the room, but that faded soon as her eyes became accustomed to actually working again. Someone had taken the time to hang her fan mail up around the room, strung up on lengths of string that spanned the entire width of the space. There were also flowers everywhere. But what caught her eye was the slight movement to her left. She turned her head slowly, her neck was incredibly stiff. She bit her lip to keep from letting out a deep groan as the muscles in her body protested the movement, and saw for the first time in six weeks the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on. She was in a large chair that looked to be standard hospital issue, curled up and reading a book.

Her vision was still perfect, Shego noted. Kim's outline was still as sharp as ever. And it was nice to see her peaceful for once. Every time she had tried to break out of herself, Kim had sounded frantic, especially the last time. Of course Shego had heard her talk about that little black dress. She'd have Kim into that number soon enough. But for now, watching her in her t-shirt and pants was enough for her. Yes, just being able to observe Kim as she was when alone was a novel thing. Kim needed to relax more often.

Ed and Lynn (Kim had been more than a little shocked to see her again) had gotten Shego a replacement jacket, and had even gone so far as using a picture of Shego taken only two months previous to find as close a match as possible. Currently it was hanging in the small closet, awaiting it's owner's awakening. An awakening that appeared to be soon in coming. Even as she sat reading, Shego's heart rate had elevated slightly without her notice.

She smirked softly and closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them she watched. Kim turned the pages at a fairly steady pace, and seemed to be enjoying whatever it was. The book cover did not give much away beyond that it was sci-fi (there was a space ship which gave that much away.). Eventually though, Kim noticed that her heart rate had elevated and checked the monitor for a second before looking directly at Shego.

Busted.

"Good book?" She asked, her voice entirely horse, and Kim lurched from her seat with a cry.

"You're awake?" She asked, the book dropping to the floor. "You're awake!" And she took Shego's hand in hers, leaning over the bed to kiss her softly before pulling back and frowning. "Don't you ever creep me out like that again." She said, and Shego shrugged, then winced as her right shoulder proved for the first time that it had been dislocated.

"Sorry, but I just wanted to see you." Shego said. "And I know how you feel about that stupid show." She smiled, her throat hurt a lot. Probably because she hadn't spoken in weeks and hadn't had anything to drink for a while either. Talking this much was probably not a good idea, but screw that.

Kim said nothing, and instead she welled with tears, kissing Shego's hand again as she started to cry. That was not the reaction she was expecting. "Please stop crying, Princess." She said in an uncharacteristic display of politeness. She hated seeing people cry, and the last time she had seen Kim she had been crying. That was a memory she would rather not repeat. Shego forced herself to smile through her growing headache and stroked the back of Kim's hand as she held it softly within her own. That hand was the only part of her that did not ache at some level. She vaguely remembered something about what bones she had broken and other injuries she had sustained. It felt much worse than what she remembered.

Kim managed to calm down during her musings and had taken to stroking Shego's face in seeming disbelief. "I was starting to think you were just teasing me with all those spikes."

"Yep, I was faking the whole time." Shego said, and decided that she really needed to stop talking. "Can I get some water?" She asked, "Or a stiff drink?" Yes, that was what she needed. She also needed to get up. Already her legs were getting tingly as her blood flow started in earnest. She needed to move, but it felt as though her left leg was still in a cast. She could also feel the distinct scratching of plaster against her arm, and as she finally started to move her limbs her suspicions were confirmed, her right arm was in a cast from elbow to fingers. She was in rough shape apparently.

Kim stood up and grabbed a bottle of water that she had in her backpack, it was still cool somehow. With a smile she unscrewed the top and held it out for her girlfriend. But Shego was feeling more than a little week after six weeks of non-activitiy and could hardly lift her arm let alone the bottle. "Sorry Princess, guess you're going to have to pamper me."

And so Kim rolled her eyes and lifted the water bottle to Shego's lips. The elder girl started to swallow greedily as the water wetted her parched throat. When she had had enough for a moment, she smiled. "See, you like pampering me."

"Just wait until you have to pee." Kim said, smiling evilly at her. "You won't like it so much then."

"Joy." She sighed and settled back into the bed. "It's just good to be awake again."­­­­­

Two weeks later Kim had an interview with "This Morning Show." She was in New York City, with her Kimmunicator on and talking to Shego before she had to actually go to the show. It was four in the morning.

"Why the hell did you agree to this again?" Shego asked through their video link. "It's way too damn early for this."

"Then you shouldn't have called me." Kim replied, slipping into the outfit she was planning on wearing. Black dress pants, a pale blue blouse, black shoes that were at once sensible and gave off just a hint of sexuality. And of course the entire outfit was outfitted with Kevlar lining just in case someone decided they did not like the idea of her being involved with another woman. "I never asked you to wake up this early."

"And miss watching you change?" Shego replied, "I'm an invalid, not dead." She grinned lasciviously. "Besides, you're not really going to wear that are you?"

"And what is wrong with it?"

"Oh, I don't know." Shego said, and shrugged her good shoulder, "I'd just prefer you naked and in bed with me is all."

"Your hormones are getting the better of you." Kim said, and smiled at the screen, "but we'll talk about that later, alright?"

"Whatever." Shego said, "When's your flight home?" She asked suddenly, "I'm going out of my mind without you around to pamper me."

"Three o'clock, and have Drew pamper you."

"Right, because I want the same man who tortures me at work and also is doing my therapy trying to comfort me." Shego rolled her eyes as Kim started to apply some light makeup for the show. "The man has the bedside manner of a beehive."

"As opposed to your hornet's nest?"

"Nice Princess, real nice." Shego said, a feigned anguish for a moment. "So, break legs at your interview."

"Sure, and good luck at PT."

"Ugh." Shego said, and closed the link after a moment.

With the connection severed Kim was able to finish her preparations quickly and get in her rental car to head to the studio. She had declined the offer to have her transportation provided simply because it would draw more attention than a regular sedan, and the last thing she needed was more attention.

Upon arrival at the studio, she was taken backstage to the green room, where she was left to feed on the small breakfast of eggs and bacon that was provided. They were actually edible, and she went back for seconds. After breakfast she was left to mingle with some of the other guests on the show, including several actors promoting the latest run-of-the-mill horror flick and a romantic comedy. Also there was an author of a self-help book, the topic of which was something to do with a "water free" diet. That seemed like a bad idea to Kim, but it was a best seller.

Most of the other guests did not really talk to each other, but Kim managed to get a conversation started with the author who was there, discussing various workouts and diet ideas. The no water thing still made no sense to her afterwards when it was her turn to get in the makeup chair.

The makeup artist she had was a lovely young woman who seemed to know exactly what to do, which was a very good thing.

"So you're dating Shego." The woman said, and dabbed a bit of bronzer on kim's cheekbones.

"Yes." Kim said, smiling broadly despite herself.

"Well, you have one hot girlfriend. I saw that photo of her in that costume." The woman purred softly and started to blend in what she had done, "Good thing she woke up, Team Go needs to get their butt kicked more often."

"Yeah, I'm glad she woke up too." Kim agreed, and stepped down from her makeup chair a moment later.

"Good luck out there." She said, and saluted Kim casually, "They'll be out for all the nitty-gritty details."

"Good to know." Kim said, and walked to the man waving her body mike at her. She pulled the cord through her shirt and hooked it to her collar, then hooked the body pack to her pants. "Show time." She muttered, and walked into the glaring light of the studio just as the music queue started.

She was seated on a tall stool and the questions started as soon as her introduction was over.

"Please welcome Kim Possible to This Morning Show. We're here with Kim Possible, the world savior who recently told the world that she is dating another woman, and she's here to talk about that relationship today." The reporter, Katrina Katarina pasted a smile on her face, "Welcome Kim."

"Thanks Katrina." Kim replied, fighting back the urge to yawn. "Good to be here."

"As some people may know, you've recently told the world that you're involved with another woman, why choose now?"

Interesting first question. "Well, it was either that or lie under oath." Kim replied, and they shared a chuckle. "And I didn't feel like going to prison." Close enough.

"That's right, you were testifying against Depths Murky, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct. The prosecution asked me to be there as a character witness."

"And why was that?"

Alright, this line of questioning had to end, so Kim threw on a decided edge to her tone so that her Katrina would get the picture. She had little interest in talking about Depths Murky. "Because he had put my girlfriend in a coma the same day he tried to blackmail me into giving him an interview." She said, and then shrugged.

Katrina blinked and shuffled her note cards for a moment. "And how did you meet your girlfriend?" She asked, "Not even the tabloids have any answers."

"I guess that means I was doing a good job of keeping my mouth shut." Kim said with a smile, she wished she could maintain her silence, but she had signed a contract saying that she'd give an interview two weeks after Shego awoke, so here she was. "But I actually met her for the first time while I was in detention."

"You had detention?"

"Yeah…" Kim said, and rubbed the back of her neck, "I may have gotten caught cheating on a test." She had only cheated so that she could corner Shego in detention, but Katrina (and the world) did not need to know that.

"Not a very good plan."

"Not at all. And I won't be doing it again."

"So, you met Shannon, also known as Shego, in detention, and you two hit it off?"

"Not at all. She hated me." Kim said, and again they both chuckled, "I met her again on a mission, she'd been knocked out while working security at an electronics plant, so I got her to the hospital. She had concussion, and then Shannon offered to buy me dinner to pay me back."

"And that's when you started going out?"

"Well, that's when she says we started going out, I think I was coerced." Kim smiled, "But I'm not complaining. I'm just glad she's alright."

"As are we all." Katrina concurred with a nod, "So, how long have you been going out?"

"If you count the time since dinner, over seven months now, closer to eight."

"Congratulations Kim." Katrina said, though there was a distinct change in tone that Kim could not place. "Why didn't you tell people sooner?"

"It just wasn't a big deal, and our families knew." Kim explained, "I've never understood why this sort of thing makes the news anyway." She shrugged and Katrina shuffled her cards again.

"That's the world we live in." She said, and looked at another card. "So do you have any plans once Shannon is well enough to leave the hospital?"

"Actually, the EWE is sending both of us to California for a week." Kim said, "To a physical therapist who's supposed to be incredible, so hopefully she'll be back to one-hundred percent soon. She's actually being discharged the day after tomorrow."

"Well, we're all hoping." Katrina said, and once again that tone was there. "So, how is Shannon coping with everything that's happened?"

"Well, they had to shave her head to help get at her skull fracture, so she's a little less than pleased with that." True enough. Though Kim was of the opinion that Shego looked just as good with her new shorter look as with her long hair. "But beyond that, she's spankin'."

That sounded more like her. She was starting to become ore awake. It was just far too early for this.

"Well, thank you for coming Kim, and good luck to both of you."

"Thank you." Kim said with a genuinely grateful smile. Her obligation was over. Now she just had to wait for the commercial break to get out of here.

"And when we come back we'll have Jennifer Ratkins, inventor of the 'Water Free' diet and weight loss program." Katrina said, and then extended her hand to Kim, "Thank you again for coming Kim, and best of luck."

"Thank you." Kim said, and the red light atop the camera turned off, signaling that it was safe to get out of there. "Well, that was painless." She commented, starting to pull off the microphone.

"Yep." Katrina agreed, "So, Shannon any good in bed?" She asked suddenly, with a hint of an evil smile.

Kim blinked and fiddled with the mike for a moment, moving offstage at the same time. "I'm not really sure that's any of your business."

"Oh, so I'm not good enough to spill the beans to?"

"To be honest, Katrina, no, you're not." Kim spat with more than a little venom, "Now, if you excuse me, I have a flight to catch. Shego has PT at six, and I'd like to make it there on time."

Later that morning, at around eleven, Shego had a visitor, namely one Dr. James Timothy Possible. He looked stern, but at the same time relieved.

"Uh, hey Dr. P." Shego said, and motioned to the chair that was set up next to her. Her bandages were mostly gone now, as was the cast around her leg, instead she had an "Air Boot" cast, which could be deflated to help her with therapy, it was also far less itchy. Her right arm was still covered in plaster, because the breaks had been more serious, and they wanted to ensure that she retained the use of her hand.

"Hello Shannon." Mister Possible said, and sat down in the chair that was generally occupied by his daughter. "You and I have to talk."

"If this is about being in your house so late last time, I'm sorry." She said quickly. She couldn't believe this, was he really going to bitch her out only two weeks after she was awake? She had not even stolen extra food in that time, what sort of delinquent was she?

"This is about Kim." He said, his eyes shining a little. "I asked you, months ago, what your intentions were towards my daughter." He paused, and Shego nodded before continuing. "And I may have been a bit harsh."

Wait… so was this an apology? "Uh, Mr. Possible…" Shego said, but James held up a hand to stop her.

"I was harsh with you for a number of reasons, the main one being that I could see Kim falling for you." He sighed, "It's a scary thing to know that your little girl may finally be falling in love. It means you're not the only one in their life any more."

Shego looked at him quizzically, this was not making sense to her. Just what was he rambling on about?

"But she fell for you anyway, and I may as well accept the fact that my little Kimmie-Cub's heart belongs to you now." His look grew darker, "But if you hurt her like that again, I'll have you jettisoned into a black hole."

Shego gulped. "Uh, yes sir." She thought for a moment, "Mr. Possible?"

"Yes Shannon." James said, starting to lever himself out of the chair. He was not nearly as young as he used to be.

"Thank you."

"For what? I still don't like you."

"Fair enough." Shego said, and broke into a grin. "So, crash any shuttles today?" She asked, trying to make small talk.

"Actually there's a launch today, I was calculating the landing…" His eyes widened, and he whipped out the cellphone. "I programmed it in miles, not kilometers!" He said hastily, and excused himself. "I have to go." He said, and ran out the door.

"Rocket scientists." Shego muttered, and put her arm behind her head.

Author's note:

I haven't been around for a while. Several reasons, most of them pointless. The big one being that I can't access the internet in the dorms, so I've taken to sitting in the computer lab for hours on end. Not fun. Here's the chapter, in it's 4th incarnation, because the first three sucked.

Disclaimer: All characters with the exception of Katrina Katarina and Jennifer Ratkins, are the sole property of Walt Disney Corporation. The "Water Free" Diet and Weight Loss plan is a TERRIBLE idea, and I do NOT endorse it's use for anything other than a slightly comedic element. Your body can only last 3 days without water. Drink water damnit!