Chapter Nineteen:
The blonde woman made her way towards the Sick ward; which was clearly labeled in one of the hallways off of the foyer. The different rooms had windows on the front and Glinda peered into each one until she found Sister Revinkins.
The woman was blocking Glinda's view of the patient as she rolled out bandages for whomever she was attending to.
Glinda opened the door, and Sister Revinkins turned to face her.
"I trust that you found me alright?" asked the maunt as she quickly returned back to the patient.
"Yes," said Glinda moving into the room and shutting the door behind her, "Can I help?"
The other woman nodded and motioned towards the back of the gray bleak room where a basket of supplies were.
"If you could just grab that for me," said Sister Revinkins as she turned her back towards Glinda.
Glinda nodded and walked past the table where the patient sat, her eyes on the basket. She picked it up and turned around, only to drop it to the floor in shock of what she saw in front of her.
Sister Revinkins were tending to a young woman, who looked about Glinda's age. The black-coiled hair was spread out all around the woman's head. The dress that she wore was black, as black as night. Blood stained gloves were discarded on the floor. Her army combat boots that the woman wore were only too recognizable.
But it was the green skin that shone as the light was cast on it that would always give her away.
"Elphie," whispered Glinda as the basket fell from her hands in numbing shock. She felt frozen to that spot and suddenly Glinda's world stopped moving.
Sister Revinkins, at the crash, looked over worriedly at Glinda.
"Lady Chuffrey, are you okay?" she asked waving a hand in front of the blonde's face. But the woman's blue eyes seemed locked on the green woman.
"Oh yes, well her skin color is not exactly one everyone sees every-day," said Sister Revinkins as she tried to put together why the blonde was so shocked. She figured it was the skin. How many people in Oz had green skin anyways?
"Where did you find her?" choked out Glinda still unable to move or to tear her eyes away from the still form of Elphaba.
"She came to us just a few days ago, I think it was Lurlinemas. Came right in through the door with blood all over her. Seemed quite distraught and she wouldn't receive prayers or anything," the sister paused, "She also had this weird thing about water when I tried to wash off the blood."
Glinda laughed slightly, "Yeah she does," she said quietly. Sister Revinkins gave her a weird look.
"Do you know who this is?" she asked sharply.
Glinda looked at her, finally able to move, and tried to cover up her outburst.
"No, I don't. I just figured with skin like that, nothing that's normal really works for her." The blonde appeared flustered, "Have you tried oil?"
The maunt nodded, "Vinkus oil works the best."
She held out a washcloth that had a sticky clear substance on it which was the oil.
"Can you wash her face for me while I go get another basket of supplies?" asked the maunt.
Glinda nodded and took the cloth. She waited until the maunt had left and shut the door to perch herself on the table and clean off Elphaba.
Her friend breathed slowly and peacefully as she lay there on the table. Glinda felt her heart lurch as she just watched Elphaba for a moment. It was as if she was in some sort of trance. She just breathed in and out when all Glinda wanted her to do was wake up. She wanted to apologize to her, to make things right.
Then Glinda put the washcloth to her brow and began to cover that beautiful emerald skin with the oil. She carefully and slowly covered Elphaba's face with it, and when she was done and she took a clean washcloth and did the same thing.
When she was done, Glinda stayed perched on the table, not wanting to move or to leave Elphaba.
In her unconscious state Elphaba's fingers twitched slightly but then they remained still. Glinda linked her own warm hands with Elphaba's still cold ones.
"Oh Elphie, how I've missed you. I'm sorry, Elphaba I am. I didn't mean to kill Fiyero. I did it out of jealousy. Please, Elphaba, please forgive me."
Tears fell on the table as Glinda began to cry. She didn't mean to cry nor had she wanted to but her feelings had overcame her.
She muffled her sobs with one hand while the other was still linked with Elphaba's.
When her tears had ceased she looked at her friend and ex lover longingly. She felt the strong urge to kiss Elphaba, much like she had so before. And this time Elphaba could not object.
Glinda whipped her head around and looked through the window in the door to see if anyone was coming, but even if they were she could just lie and say she was making sure that she was still alive. Wasn't it called mouth to mouth? Yes, it was decided that if anyone came in Glinda would say she was giving mouth to mouth, which was partially true.
Taking a sigh, she leaned downwards her blonde hair falling forwards as her lips gently touched the green woman's for what Glinda feared would be the last time.
She pressed softly and closed her eyes, savoring this moment. She knew it was wrong to kiss Elphaba and take advantage of her state but Glinda saw no other option. Once Elphaba awoke she would remember everything and Glinda would never be able to speak with her again.
She would never be able to see her again so she had to take chances and do what she could when she could.
After the blonde's lips lingering on Elphaba's for a while, she pulled away satisfied and smiled sadly to herself.
Suddenly Elphaba's brown eyes snapped open and she jerked upwards in a panic.
"Fiyero!" she called out in worry even though her eyes were looking straight at Glinda. Glinda put both hands on her shoulders and tried to soothe her.
"Elphie, it's alright. It's okay, sweetheart don't you remember Fiyero's dead?" she tried to say those words with sympathy but she had no idea if that worked.
Elphaba's rapid breathing slowed, "I know," she said bitterly, "I know that Glinda."
Glinda felt herself shrink and she waited for Elphaba to yell at her for what she had done.
"Elphie, I know what-" started Glinda when the green woman cut her off.
"They killed him," she said angrily, "The damn Gale Force killed him, Glinda don't you remember that?"
Glinda was at a loss for words. Elphaba's words replayed in her mind but they did not make sense.
"What?" exclaimed Glinda in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
"There was blood, blood everywhere and they killed him, Glinda you told me! You tried to defend yourself and Fiyero but they killed him and locked you in your bedroom." Her eyes turned moist now but she did not cry, "I should have saved him, I should have helped both of you."
Glinda shook her head, "Shush, Elphie. It's all right, you just- you just need to rest. Here, lie back down."
Glinda helped Elphaba lie back down even though the blonde herself was quite frazzled.
Elphaba lay there and closed her eyes due to Glinda's instructions and found herself falling back asleep.
Still shocked, Glinda slid off of the table and backed away from it as if it was to attack her. She reeled from the information that she had just received and her feelings couldn't distinguish what she was feeling right now. Her body felt numb, detached as if her soul was traveling outside her body. But at the same time she felt heavy, like gravity was pulling on her harder than anything else. Her breath hitched as she tried to comprehend what Elphaba had just told her.
Her words had said it all. Elphaba didn't remember that Glinda was the one who killed Fiyero.
This should make Glinda feel happy. This way she and Elphaba could start over with no complications. But her conscious said otherwise. She knew deep down that if Elphaba didn't know than Glinda couldn't take lying to her for the rest of their lives.
So Glinda knew what she had to do.
With tears threatening to fall, she backed up to the door and turned the knob slowly, all the while her eyes on Elphie.
"I am sorry, Elphie. But I love you too much to lie to you, and you know what they say about loving someone. If you love someone than sometimes you have to leave them," whispered Glinda tearfully as she exited the room as fast as she could and walked briskly towards the foyer to leave the chapel.
Alas Sister Revinkins caught sight of the blonde leaving and stopped her.
"Lady Chuffrey, you are upset," observed the maunt as she saw tears falling down the woman's face as she put a hand on her arm, "What-ever is the matter?"
"I have to leave," said Glinda bravely.
The maunt's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "So soon? But you were expected to-"
"I know," said Glinda throatily, "But I've decided to make a journey to the Vinkus. I need to set things right."
The maunt mulled over that in silence as the blonde stood there clearly upset.
Meanwhile Glinda pondered over her actions and hoped that leaving Elphaba was the right thing to do when suddenly she remembered something.
"El- I mean the woman you have in there is pregnant, Sister. And I think it will be a boy," Glinda smiled a bit, going with the fact that the irony in this world would grant Elphaba a son to make up for the fact that the baby's father was killed, "Please take care of her and the baby."
Sister Revinkins tightened her lips at the request but said nothing and only nodded.
Glinda turned to leave and then back around.
"Oh, and by the way, Liir is a very nice name for a boy. She'd like that name. It's Vinkun."
She then left the chapel and headed out into the snow-covered city to once again go on another journey.
But this time she would have to make a trip home back to Mockbeggar first…
What did you all think? I've noticed that not many are reviewing these days... where did all my reviewers go? I blame Chuffrey. Anyway I am up to my word count on NanoWrimo so I had some time to write. Hopefully you all liked it and will drop me a review, pretty please?
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