Finally. This chapter might be a little confusing, so if you don't understand something just ask me or what have you.
Almost everyday now, there was a hoard of reporters clouding the windows and doors of the Thames Psychiatric Ward. Whenever Graves left, she had to wrestle her way out, ignoring questions like, "Do you think your patients will ever be cured?", "What has the explosion done the future of the hospital?" and "What is your opinion on vegetarianism?" She almost turned around at that one, but thought better of it and kept going.
About a week after the big shebang of Macavity's explosion, Nurse Graves was taking the front desk for an hour while the patients had group therapy. Suddenly, the crowd of reporters she could see from the desk parted as a woman in huge heeled boots walked to the doors. She had a large mouth and white-blonde hair (much like Victoria's) that was tied back in a tight bun, so Graves couldn't tell how long it was.
When the woman stopped at the door, she turned to answer a reporter. The Nurse could hear a thick, forced Italian accent, "Yes, I'm from a ward in Italy. I'm here to take the patients for specialized treatment."
She opened to door, smiled widely at Graves and took her wrist, leading her into an empty conference room. She tucked her lace skirt under her legs as she sat down, resting her elbows on the table. Graves was too stunned to do anything.
"Sit down, sit down." The woman smiled again, gesturing to the seat across from her. Her accent was gone, rather she started talking in the peculiar way the rest of the patients did.
Although Graves did not appreciate being told to sit down in her own workplace, she grudgingly sat. "Are you really taking them to another ward?"
The woman laughed too loudly. "Of course not." She adjusted her lipstick with a finger before continuing. "My name is Griddlebone. I'm Jelly's and Skimble's big sister, and Tumble's mother.
"Back when we had just migrated to England," Graves suspected this was going to be a long story, "I fell in love with a human. He was a bit of a rebel, and he was also the captain of a ship, which still sails the Thames today. Anyway, I was exiled from the tribe and I went to live with him with my son, Tumble on his ship. What a good ship it was, too."
She zoned out for a little, before resuming. "Anyway, like all humans, he died. I couldn't come back to the tribe, Tumble could, so I went to Italy. I've actually come to take all of these here patients, minus Macavity, back with me, and eventually we'll be spread out over Europe. We meet every two months or so in Rome. We'll pose as regular old humans, etcetera, and hide our nice secret. We'll never let anything like this," Griddlebone gestured around the hospital, "Happen again."
Under the aid of Griddlebone, who could strangely use magic with her singing voice, all twenty one of the patients Graves originally had were secretly put on a plane to Rome where they would meet up with Griddle again. First, she had the issue of Macavity and Co. to take care of.
Griddlebone and Nurse Graves couched in the dark hallway between the five rooms holding the last five patients. Griddlebone had her eyes closed and was humming a wavering tune. "Yes… I remember how it goes now." She muttered, before looking up at Graves. "Ready?"
Graves nodded. Griddlebone took a deep breath before letting it out and explaining to Graves, "This little tune will turn them back into the nice submissive humans they were before the change. Alternatively, it will also turn any Jellicles under the 'human' spell back into themselves."
As Griddlebone sang, Graves could hear as a few of the patients woke up at the noise, but the noise of their confusion soon stopped. As she continued the song with her high, opera-like voice, Graves could barely keep her eyes open. She slipped into a metaphorical stream, easing under the warm water. She couldn't get up again.
Griddlebone's song stopped, and Graves could faintly hear her voice. "Nurse? Nurse Gra- Oh my."
X
When the nurse woke, she was laying on a bed in a white room. She couldn't remember anything since… the last thing she remembered was standing on a large tire watching as her beloved Deuteronomy stood below her, getting farther and farther away.
The door opened.
"Griddlebone, what's going on? Where's Old Deuteronomy?" She asked, sitting up abruptly. Her head ached.
Griddlebone smiled, handing her a glass of water and an Aspirin. "You've been through a lot, Grizabella. Let me explain."
X
Twenty-one fashionably dressed people stood, ages ranging from seventeen to fifty-four waiting for a (albeit exiled) part of their family to come from her plane.
Mark had received a phone call the previous day in his hotel room from Griddlebone (or Gina), and she had not talked long. She had just told him that she was coming the next day, and when she did she personally requested that he hold Bombalurina (or Rebecca) away from her. He moved closer to his brother, who was standing on the other side of Becca.
Amidst the people coming off Gina's plane, two figures walked toward them. Just after Munkustrap recognized them, Becca's shoulders tensed and he grabbed a hold of her arms before she could lash out at Grizabella. For the sake of everyone else at the airport, she stayed silent, but glared daggers at Grizabella.
Gina spoke first. "Let me introduce a new and improved Miss Bailey Graves." Because most of the humans at the airport spoke Italian or Spanish, she added, "Grizabella."