Chapter 39
Take care of yourself
"If I had known you weren't going to sleep here, I would have left you in the Satomobile."
Asami's voice and footsteps alarmed her. She spun around from the arm of the couch where she was perched, watching the small fire she built for herself. The heiress stood in the doorway, elegant sheer and cloth pajamas hanging from her body. The pink and purple layers complimented her pale skin.
"Hey, Asami." Korra replied, eyes stuck on the peridots across the room. She pushed her loose brown hair back behind her ears. "You couldn't sleep either?"
The raven crossed the room, throwing her locks over her right shoulder. "I was sleeping, but I knew you weren't, at some point." She stood beside the Southerner and held her elbows. "I don't know, it's weird. Mind if I join you?"
Korra slid herself towards the back of the sofa and patted the spot next to her. Asami crawled up to the arm and sat with her legs stretched across the sitting cushions. Korra kept her knees to her chest, but her back was to the flames.
"I'm glad you didn't leave me in the Satomobile."
"Why is that?"
"Knowing my luck, I would've have woken up, tried to get out in confusion, and somehow blown it up." Korra's arms flailed into the air to imitate an explosion.
Asami giggled. "Satomobiles don't just blow up."
"Yeah, well, we almost did." The Water Tribe girl pouted.
"Maybe if you were trying to drive the way I was on the track, but that wouldn't happen when I'm behind the wheel."
Korra motioned to argue, but there wasn't an ounce of untruth in her words. "Yeah, you're right. I'd probably crash into a tree that wasn't even there."
"You just need practice. No one's good at it without trying."
"Were you?"
"I don't count. My dad invented them. It's practically in my blood."
Korra continued to pucker her face.
Asami ran a hand into her hair and tousled it. "Once you've got that ankle healed, I'll take you for a drive."
"You just want to see what it's like to crash into a tree, don't you?"
"I'll make sure there are no trees around."
"It won't matter, Asami. A tree will come out of nowhere, like there are tree-Bending spirits somewhere just watching, waiting for me to get into the driver's seat, and poof!," she flicked her hands upwards, "a tree, right in the way."
The heiress doubled over in laughter. "If that ever happens, I'll never make you drive a Satomobile again."
Korra chuckled and extended her legs out next to Asami's.
Asami slid her palm down the Southerner's neck and onto her bare shoulder. "Jokes aside, there is something I want to do with you once you heal."
Curiosity was in her blue eyes. "And what's that?"
She pulled her closer. "You'll see, in time. Now, tell me about why you can't sleep."
The brunette rested her head on Asami's shoulder and looked away. "I don't really want to talk about it. I don't even understand it myself."
"If you understood it, you wouldn't be having bad dreams about it, now would you?"
Korra straightened and locked onto the greens beside her. "How did you know?"
"Because you've had nightmares in the past, Korra." She embraced the younger woman. "You don't have to tell me, but I'm here if you need someone." She used her free hand to lift the Bender's chin when they separated. "Okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks, Asami." Korra left the arms of her friend and crawled onto the couch cushions. She stretched her limbs a final time and threw her hands behind her head, back against the sofa. Her eyes watched the shadows from the flickering fireplace dance across the ceiling.
The engineer stared at the Southerner for a moment before stepping off the sofa. She retrieved the blanket Korra had been using off the floor and crouched next to the younger woman.
"It's weird, Asami. All this time, I thought there was nothing. But there was something. And all this time, I thought it was fine, but it's not. There's actually something wrong."
"I'm afraid you've lost me, Korra."
She rolled onto her side and buried her tan hand into raven hair. "Stay with me tonight."
"What?"
Korra slid her palm down to the older woman's tricep and drew patterns with her fingertips. "Stay with me?"
Asami's eyes softened. She took the brunette's caressing hand in hers and pulled her from the couch. "You'll sleep better in my bed."
As long as it's with you.
(-)
"Good morning, Korra. How are you feeling?"
"Like I got ejected from a Satomobile after hitting a tree."
Urkoma raised an eyebrow and looked at her patient with an inquisitive expression. "Have you slept at all?"
Korra groaned and removed her shirt. "Not really. I had some trouble last night, even after –" She stopped sentence short, but couldn't hinder her hue change. She hid her cheeks as she removed her pants.
"After what, specifically?"
The Southerner sighed; she knew there was no way she'd be getting out of this one. "Sometimes, when I'm having nightmares, Asami and I –"
"Ohhh, gotcha." The Healer chuckled and dried her hands.
"What? No, it's – it's not like that. She just helps me sleep."
"I don't need any more details. I know what young love is like."
Korra's cheeks were on fire. "Love? What do you mean, love? We're not – we're not dating or anything like that. We're friends. We're just friends."
Urkoma threw her palms up in surrender.
"We don't… she just – she sleeps next to me. I don't know why, but it just… helps me sleep, when she's beside me."
The Northerner smiled and removed the brace from Korra's ankle.
"What? Why are you smiling?"
"Relax, Korra. If you get any more riled up, you're going to fall off of the examination table."
"I – ?" She looked down to see herself hanging just a few inches from the ledge. The younger woman pushed herself back towards the center of the table.
"That's better. For a minute, I thought you were going to jump up and lunge at me." Urkoma chuckled and Bent an ice pillar to rest Korra's leg on. "So what kind of dreams did you have last night?"
Korra folded her arms and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Was it about that voice?"
How does she – oh, right.
She sighed. "Yeah."
"What does it sound like?"
"What do you mean? It sounds like a voice."
Urkoma gave Korra an obvious look before Bending more water from the tap. "You know what I mean, Korra."
It took a moment for all of the gears to click. "Right, right, of course." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.
Get it together.
"It sounds… I'm not even sure how to describe it. It kinda sounds like mine, but not really. It sounds like –"
Wait.
Several memories snapped together.
The freezing.
The attack.
The storm.
The images grew vivid.
Something strained and cracked in her mind.
"Korra? Korra, are you alright?" Urkoma jumped to her patient's side.
The Southerner's limbs were convulsing. The blood had drained from her face.
'Korra.'
"Korra?"
'Korra.'
"Korra?!"
Her hands flew out in front of her. She pushed the Water Bender across the room into the counter by the sink. Korra's palms covered her own face.
"I can't, I can't – breathe."
Urkoma bent into a half-crouch and reached out to her patient. "Korra, it's okay. You're not in any danger right now. It's just me and you. No one else. Just open your eyes."
Open my –
She forced her lids apart. Though her hands were firm, her appendages were still shaking. Korra pulled her fingers from her face and examined the situation. Water was spilled on the floor. Her Healer was in a low, defensive position. She watched a small amount of red trickle down her arm.
What – what happened?
Korra blinked several times. Her head swirled. Her limbs calmed down, though a soft, almost electrical feeling still tingled through them. She rubbed her temple, where the buzzing was much more intense.
Get it… together…
Her tired gaze fell on her free hand – her right hand, where a glimpse of fire crossed her memory.
"Korra?" The Healer took a precautious step towards her patient, still crouched to defend herself.
She shut her eyes and shook her head. When they reopened, she brought her attention to the Northerner. She halted when she reached the line of red.
Did… did I do that?
Guilt overwhelmed her. "Urkoma, you're bleeding. Are you okay?" The Southerner gripped the edge of the table to stand, but found her body would not oblige with the command.
"I'm fine, Korra. It's just a little scrape." She Bent the water off the floor and pulled fresh liquid from the tap. She healed and cleaned her wound before rising. She took a cautious step towards her patient. "Are you alright? You were fine for a moment, and then you started shaking. You said you couldn't breathe."
Korra nodded. "I'm okay. I think."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "It's all so confusing. I don't even want to think about it right now." Her fingers massaged her aching temple.
Urkoma nodded. "That's understandable," she mumbled, choosing not to press the issue, though her concern for her patient was genuine. She walked over to the examination table and readjusted the ice support around Korra's leg. "If it helps, I have good news for you, Korra. I should be done healing your leg and wrist after this session, so you'll be able to move around just fine after today."
"It'll be nice not having to limp anymore."
"Just make sure you take it easy. No marathons."
Korra laughed. "I've never run a marathon in my life. It's not exactly an easy thing to do with all the snow and ice in the Southern Water Tribe. If I have to get anywhere quickly, I'll run if I need to, but I leave most of the sprinting to Naga."
"Naga?"
"Yep. She's my polar bear dog."
"Of course you would tame a polar bear dog."
"It wasn't all that hard. I saved her life! So she kinda just took a liking to me." Korra looked out the window and held her elbows. "I miss her. And from what I've heard, she misses me too."
Urkoma exchanged her water. "What have you heard?"
"That she's been acting up lately. She tried to swim across the ocean to come see me after a bad storm hit. My mom says she's been dreaming about me. She won't even go hunting anymore." She hung her head and fiddled with her fingers.
"When will you get to see her again?"
"Once finals are over. They're coming up to visit – my parents and Naga."
"Are you excited to see your parents again?"
"Yeah."
The tone in Korra's voice told Urkoma not to touch the issue. She swapped out her water and continued the healing. "It's been a long time since I've seen my parents, or even someone from the Tribes, to be honest."
"Is that why you attacked me with water when we first met?"
"I didn't attack you. I was greeting you. Well, that's the way I used to say hello to my other Water Bending friends up north. Maybe it's just a Northern thing."
Korra raised an eyebrow. "You say hello by shooting water at each other?"
"It's not shooting. It's streaming. One person streams the water one way, and the other person Bends it around their body and streams it back."
"Wasn't Katara the first Bender to stream the water?"
Urkoma disposed of her spent water and retrieved more from the tap. "I believe so. She was at least the one who coined the phrase."
Korra smiled and crossed her arms. "Then it's a Southern thing. She's native to the Southern Water Tribe."
"But does anyone do it in the South?"
"I – uh… dammit."
The Healer smirked and continued working on Korra's ankle.
"So how did you end up in Republic City?"
"I left the Northern Water Tribe quite some time ago, due to… my own reasons. I toured around the Earth Kingdom for a while as a Healer. 'Urkoma of the Northern Water Tribe, Mighty Healer', they used to call me." She chuckled and shook her head. "Fascinating lot, they were. I came to the City a few years ago as a tourist and ended up healing one of the doctors employed at the hospital after a nasty Satomobile accident he was in. He was so grateful that he recommended me to the higher ups. They hired me the next day."
"Is this where you wanted to end up? Do you like it here, dealing with snotty people like me?"
"You were only snotty the first day, and that was from your pneumonia." Urkoma rose and Bent the spoiled water down the sink. She washed her hands under the tap. "Suffice to say, you've been my most interesting patient so far. Most of the time, I'm working with illnesses and broken bones of people who aren't grateful enough to be fixed in just a few days. People don't realize how complicated advanced Water Bending Healing is. Nor how draining it can be." She dried her hands and leaned against the counter. She pulled the hanging clipboard from the wall and wrote a few things down on the paper attached. "I'm not sure if this is where I wanted to end up, but I don't mind it here. The work is good, and I'm helping people in need." She returned the wood to its nail and Bent fresh water from the sink.
"Why do you have to use different water so much when you heal?"
"The water tends to pick up dead cells, ions, and sometimes, even energy when we heal. It's better to use fresh water as much as possible to get the most effective healing. If you have too much in the water, it gets in the way of directing energy and healing the body. That's why a lot of Healers just use pools; there is a constant amount of fresh water available for most injuries." She kneeled down to face Korra's ankle and Bent the water around her injury. "A few more hours, and this ankle will be good as new – after a day or two of resting."
"Does that mean that this the last time I'm going to see you?"
Urkoma picked up the sadness in Korra's voice. She locked onto the pale blues staring down at her. "As long as you don't get hurt too badly again, then yes. Your ankle and your wrist are the last injuries I need to heal. I've done everything I can for the rest of you – only time will be able to mend those wounds."
Korra dropped her eyes and remained silent. She couldn't bring herself to say another word during the rest of the session.
(-)
"Korra! You're walking on your own again!" Asami was more than enthusiastic as she greeted her friend in the waiting room.
The Southerner embraced her with a grimace. "Easy, Asami. I still need to rest for a few days before I'm completely healed."
She exited the hug with a sheepish look. "Sorry about that." The engineer turned to approach the main desk, but Korra stopped her.
"Today was my last session. My Healer said I don't need to come back any more."
"Really? That's wonderful."
Korra lowered her gaze. "Yeah, I guess."
Asami put a hand on Korra's shoulder and leaned down to reestablish eye contact. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She pulled away. "Let's… let's just go." She trudged out of the hospital on her newly-healed ankle and chomped on her tongue to hold back her emotions. The raven followed in confusion.
(-)
"Korra, wait!" A woman's voice called out to the pair just as they reached Asami's Satomobile.
"Urkoma?"
The Healer caught up to them and smiled. "I wanted to give you something before you left." She handed her a folded piece of paper.
"What's this?" Korra opened the sheet with curious eyes. Asami stood next to her and placed a protective palm on the Southerner's shoulder.
"It's my address here in Republic City, in case there's ever a time you need me and want to write or visit. It's easier than trying to get to me when I'm busy in the hospital, and I'm usually home during evenings and a day or so a week."
The Southerner smiled from ear to ear. "Thank-you, Urkoma. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll definitely keep in touch."
"You know, there's so much negative stigma about Tonraq and the other Southerners up in the north that I was raised to have a bias towards them, but after meeting you… I can say they were wrong. I'm sorry for the way I treated you when we first met. It was wrong of me to assume things about you, whether you're Tonraq's child or not. It doesn't matter. You're a good kid, Korra." Urkoma stepped closer and gave her a hug. "You're going to do great things. I already know it." They departed, but she kept a hold on the younger woman. "But take care of yourself. I don't want to see you back in the hospital."
Korra nodded in determination, though the Healer's phrasing still lingered in the back of her mind.
"And you must be Asami." The Northerner turned to the raven. "Korra has told me about you." She walked past her former patient and placed a hand on each of Asami's shoulders. "I can see why Korra cares so much about you. And I can tell, just by looking at you, that you've got a good head on your shoulders."
Both of the students blushed in unison after stealing a quick glance at one another.
"Make sure Korra stays safe for me, okay?" She whispered in a tone that Korra couldn't hear.
"I will."
Urkoma smiled and nodded to the pale beauty. She gave a final wave to the pair before reentering the hospital, her heart filled with more emotion than she would have thought possible. She watched the duo climb into Asami's Satomobile from the window near the entrance and sighed.
Be safe, Korra.