"What?" the Wizard asked as her words sank in.
"I'm terribly sorry," the nurse whispered. "We did everything that we could, but we couldn't save her."
"Fabala," the Wizard sobbed.
"No," Galinda whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"Where is she?" the Fiyero asked.
"Room 10," the nurse answered.
The Wizard didn't waste a second. He ran past the nurse and into the room. "Elphaba?" he asked when he entered the room.
Elphaba was lying in the bed, her arms on top of the bed sheets. Her long hair was neatly tucked behind her ears. Her face was expressionsless, but she looked peacefully asleep.
"Oh, Fabala!" the Wizard cried, running up to his daughter and grabbing her hand. "I'm so, so sorry!"
Galinda and Fiyero were patiently waiting outside the room for the Wizard to come out. After a few minutes, the Wizard came out of the room, his eyes red and swollen and tears still streaming down his face.
"I'm so sorry, Your Ozness," Galinda whispered.
The Wizard nodded and walked away.
"Should we go in?" Fiyero asked, determined not to let a girl see him cry.
"I think we should."
Galinda and Fiyero slowly walked into the room. Galinda ran to her best friend's side and gripped her hand.
"She feels so cold," Galinda cried.
"This is all my fault," Fiyero muttered.
"You were married! Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was an arranged marriage. I was seven years old! I never cared anything for Sarima! I was truly in love with Elphaba."
"You still could have told me."
"I know. I'm sorry," Fiyero sniffed, slowly walking up to Elphaba and kissing her forehead. "I'll give you two some time alone."
Fiyero left the room, leaving the two friends to say their final goodbyes.
"Oh, Elphie," Galinda cried, remembering the final words Elphaba spoke to her and Fiyero.
I hate you!
Get away from me!
Don't touch me!
SHUT UP!
Those words stung Galinda's heart. Her Elphie was dead and it was her fault. She was just trying to help, and she ended up making everything worse.
"Elphie," Galinda whispered. "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to help you and I ended up killing you. Please believe me when I say that I didn't know Fiyero was married. He told me that it was an arranged marriage. He really cares for you. Please forgive us."
Galinda gripped Elphaba's hand as she continued to sob. Small swirls of pink and green danced around their hands, but Galinda didn't notice them at first.
Galinda's tears fell onto Elphaba's face. She opened her eyes and saw the swirls of magic.
"What's happening?" she panicked.
Elphaba's fingers slowly began to move in her hand.
"Elphie?" Galinda asked hopefully. "Elphie, can you hear me?"
Elphaba moaned. She continued to wiggle her fingers.
"Elphaba, please open your eyes! Please wake up!" Galinda begged, squeezing Elphaba's hand.
A short gasp and Elphaba's eyes slowly opened.
"Elphie!" Galinda exclaimed, gently wrapping Elphaba into a hug.
Elphaba violently pushed Galinda away from her. "Get… away!"
"Elphaba?"
"Get away from me!"
"Elphaba, I…"
"Go away! I don't want you in here! I never want to see you again!"
"Elphaba, please, Fiyero and I are so sorry!"
"SHUT UP AND GET OUT!" Elphaba shouted at Galinda, slapping her hand away and turning her back to her.
"I'm sorry," Galinda whispered as she left the room.
Galinda walked back to the waiting room, where the Wizard and Fiyero were sitting on the couch. Fiyero was rubbing small circles on the Wizard's back, trying to comfort him.
"Your Ozness," Galinda said, forcing a smile onto her face. The Wizard looked up at her, his breathing rigid.
"Yes, Miss Galinda?" he choked up a sob.
"Elphaba is alive," Galinda smiled.
"What?" Fiyero asked, standing up.
"She's alive."
"How?"
"I don't know. I was in the room with her and suddently I felt her fingers move. She's alive," Galinda explained.
The Wizard brushed past Galinda and into Elphaba's room, closely followed by Fiyero.
"Fiyero, no!" Galinda said, pulling Fiyero back.
"What?" Fiyero asked.
"Elphaba doesn't want to see us," Galinda sniffed.
"Why not?"
"She hates us. She never wants to see us again."
"How do you know?" Fiyero asked, tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall.
Galinda looked away. "She told me. When she woke up. She yelled at me and told me that she never wanted to see us again."
"Oh, Fae," Fiyero said, sobbing on Galinda's shoulder.
"Fabala?" the Wizard asked, slowly stepping into the room.
"Daddy?" Elphaba whispered, turning around to face her father.
"You're alive!" the Wizard exclaimed.
"Oh, Daddy," Elphaba cried as her father engulfed her into a hug. "I don't want to go back to Shiz. Please take me home."
"Why not?" the Wizard asked, gently pulling away to look down on his daughter.
"I don't want to go back. Please take me home!"
"What happened?"
"Please!" Elphaba begged, tears slowly forming in her eyes.
"Don't cry, Elphaba," the Wizard cooed, wiping a stray tear from Elphaba's cheek. "We'll go home."
"Can we go home now?" Elphaba pleaded.
The doctor walked through the door. "Miss Elphaba, it's true. You're alive," he smiled.
"May I take Elphaba home today?" the Wizard asked, jumping straight to the point.
"Well… I… of course," the doctor said, filling out the release papers.
The Wizard helped Elphaba out of the bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her walk.
"Are Galinda and Fiyero still here?" Elphaba asked her father while they were in the waiting area.
"No, they left. Did you want to talk to them?"
"No," Elphaba said simply, looking down.
The Wizard decided not to question his daughter further, afraid that he would upset her more.
"Alright, it's time to go," he said, gently taking Elphaba's hand and walked her to the carriage.
"I need to see her! I need to tell her how I feel!" Fiyero exclaimed to Galinda as he paced in an empty classroom.
"Fiyero, I want to talk to her, too. But she doesn't want to see us. She hates us!" Galinda said, trying to finish her essay.
"We need to do something!"
"I need to finish my essay!"
"Do you even care about her?"
Galinda suddently stopped writing and put her pen down. She slowly turned around to face the Prince. "Listen here, Tigulaar! I care about Elphaba! I didn't know that you were married because you didn't tell me. When I said that I was going to introduce you to my friend, I meant that I was going to set you two up, because you two would have been perfect together! Don't you dare tell me that I don't care about Elphaba! I care about her more than I care about the many pink items in my wardrobe… and that's saying something!"
"Galinda, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that," Fiyero apologized.
Galinda slowly deflated. "It's okay, Fiyero. I know that you are really upset."
"I'm going to visit her," Fiyero said after a long and awkward silence.
"Say what now?"
"I'm going to visit her."
"How?"
"I'm taking a carriage to the Emerald City Palace!"
"Elphaba doesn't want us to visit her!"
"I don't care! I need to speak with her. I need to tell her the truth."
"Fine. But if you come back scarred, mentally and physically, don't blame me!"
"Thank you!" Fiyero said as he ran out the room and caught the next carriage to the Emerald City.
The carriage ride was long and boring. Fiyero couldn't stop thinking about Elphaba. What was he going to say to her? How would she respond? Hopefully she wouldn't give him the slap of no return, even though he knew that he deserved it.
He finally reached the heart of the Emerald City, where the palace was located. He gulped, hoping that Elphaba would agree to see him. He knocked three times and the door opened, revealing the Wizard.
"Ah, Master Fiyero, how nice of you to stop by!" the Wizard smiled, allowing Fiyero into the palace.
"Your Ozness," Fiyero said, shaking the Wizard's hand. "I have come to talk to Elphaba.
"She's up in her room," the Wizaid said, gesturing towards the stairs.
"Papa?" a voice asked. The Wizard looked up to see Elphaba slowly making her way down the steps. "Who are you talking to?"
"It's me. Fiyero," Fiyero said, walking up to Elphaba.
Elphaba suddently stopped. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to come and speak to you."
"There's nothing to say!"
"At least let me explain myself."
"No!"
"Elphaba," the Wizard interjected, placing a hand on Elphaba's quivering shoulder. "I think that it would be best if you talked to Fiyero. He looks like he has something important to say."
"He'd better," Elphaba muttered, motioning for Fiyero to follow her up to her room. Fiyero looked back at the Wizard, a worried look on his face. The Wizard shrugged his shoulders and went back to his office.
"Are you coming?" Elphaba asked when she didn't hear Fiyero's footsteps behind her.
Fiyero bit his lip, absolutely sure that he wouldn't make it out of the palace alive.
"Start talking!" Elphaba commanded as they entered her room and closed the door.
"Shouldn't we turn the lights on first?" Fiyero asked.
"It doesn't make a difference to me," Elphaba growled.
Oz, Fiyero thought. If I want Elphaba to accept my apology, I have to stop insulting her.
"I'm sorry," Fiyero apoligized, leaving the lights off.
He heard Elphaba walk over to her bed and sit down. He slowly and quietly flipped on the light switch, illumanating the room.
"Well?" Elphaba asked, looking up. "Isn't there something you wanted to tell me? Or did you just come here to annoy me?"
Fiyero bit back his urge to sass Elphaba. "I wanted to come here to apologize. I should have told you that I was married."
"Yes, you should have!"
"It was an arranged marriage. I was seven years old. I never loved Sarima and she never loved me! You're the only girl I've ever really had feelings for."
"How do I know that you're telling the truth?"
"I came all the way here, didn't I?" Fiyero asked, about to lose it.
"Galinda made you come here, didn't she?"
"Actually, no, she didn't! She tried to convince me otherwise! But I knew that I had to come here and apologize to you. I know that you have a hard life –"
"You don't know the first thing about me!" Elphaba interrupted.
"And I understand how hard it must be for you," Fiyero said, acting as though he wasn't just interrupted. "Elphaba, Galinda and I want to help you. We want to be your friends. We never meant to hurt you. We love and care about you!"
"Just leave!"
"Excuse me?" Fiyero asked, stunned that Elphaba wasn't even listening to him.
"Get out!" Elphaba said, picking up her pillow and throwing it at Fiyero.
"You're not even listening to me, are you?" Fiyero asked, picking up the pillow and slamming it into Elphaba's lap.
"SHUT UP AND GET LOST!" she screamed at him.
"You know," Fiyero said in a dangerously low tone. "I came all the way here from Shiz University, a rather long carriage ride, I can assure you. I come here, hoping that you can find it in your heart to forgive me and Galinda for what happened. Galinda brought you back to life and this is how you repay her?"
"What?" Elphaba asked, shocked by what Fiyero was saying.
"One minute, you were dead and Galinda is alone in the room with you. The next thing we know, Galinda comes running out of the room, exclaiming that you are alive!"
"Fiyero… I," Elphaba stammered, unsure of what to say.
"Well, I said what I came here to say. I will now take my leave and go back to Shiz. Goodbye!" Fiyero yelled, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
"Fiyero, wait!" Elphaba exclaimed, calling him back.
"No! You wanted me to leave your life forever and I will! I will obey your wishes to never see me or hear from me ever again!" Fiyero said as he started for the door.
"Fiyero, please, come back!" Elphaba cried, reaching out towards Fiyero.
She heard the door slam shut and she closed her eyes. Fiyero was gone.
"Galinda brought me back to life?" she asked herself. "She must have. Oz, I feel awful."
She brought her legs to her chest and cried. She had just chased away the two people she could ever call true friends.
I told you guys that I wouldn't kill Elphaba without a plan!