AN: Your reactions made me laugh. Again. Yes, I can do this. I am an Evil Queen of Cliffies, you know that.

Mad-Idina-Fan98: You're so, so close.

So... update. With another sort-of cliffy, I guess.

Chapter 14. Is it over yet?

'Fiyero!' Elphaba immediately ran towards him, dropping to her knees next to him, taking his hand. 'Fiyero? Can you hear me?'

His eyes were open, and he was gasping for air. She brushed some hair away from his forehead. 'Stay with me. Stay with me, Yero. Don't close your eyes. Somebody call an ambulance!' she shouted, and several people ran off towards the hospital, which was luckily only a few blocks away.

Shaken from his shock-induced state, Cohvu ordered some strong man to lift the carriage off the prince. 'What happened?' he asked, looking pale.

'He just ran onto the street,' a passerby explained. 'He was chasing some other boy, and he didn't look where he was going. The carriage couldn't stop and hit him.'

The driver of the carriage had been helped out of it and was sitting on the sidewalk, looking about ready to faint. Avaric had stopped, too, to stare at the wounded prince with the widest eyes Cohvu had ever seen on anyone. 'I… I didn't… I mean, it wasn't…'

'It wasn't your fault,' Cohvu told him. 'Just go.'

Avaric gaped at him. 'But…'

'None of us wants to see you right now, Avaric!' Cohvu snapped at him. 'Just go already!'

The other boy hesitated, then nodded and left. Cohvu looked back at his friends, forcing himself to breathe and just praying that the ambulance would arrive soon.

Fiyero's eyes were fluttering open and shut. He was clearly trying his hardest to stay conscious, but it was also clear that it was difficult for him. Elphaba was nearly crushing the bones in his hand. 'Yero?'

'Still… here,' he gasped, and she stroked his hair gently. 'Just stay with me. Keep your eyes open, okay? The ambulance will be here soon.'

'Fae…' His voice was barely a whisper anymore, and she squeezed his hand harder, cupping his face with one hand to force him to look at her. 'Look at me, Yero. Are you still there?' When he didn't respond, she snapped, 'Fiyero!'

His eyes flew open again and she breathed a sigh of relief. 'Don't do that,' she said quietly. 'Work with me here. You're going to be okay, do you hear me? You're not going to die, Fiyero. You're not. You'll be fine.' Blood was slowly colouring his sandy hair red, and she realised that his clothes were stained with it, as well. She had no idea where he was hurt, exactly, but she knew it couldn't be good.

Someone else knelt down next to her. 'What happened?' the man asked, and only then did she realise that it was someone from the hospital.

While a few witnesses explained what had happened, Elphaba scooted away, making room for the medical staff; but when they lifted Fiyero onto a stretcher and made to move him into the ambulance carriage, he suddenly became restless.

One of the nurses came out again, looking around searchingly. 'He's asking for someone named Fae?'

She immediately shot up. 'That's me!'

The nurse gestured for her to get into the carriage as well, and she went to sit next to Fiyero's stretcher, taking his hand once again. He relaxed visibly when he saw her, though his breathing was still ragged and irregular. 'Stay with me,' he pleaded softly, and she choked out a strangled, mirthless laugh. 'I was beginning to think that was my line.'

His eyes slowly closed, and she panicked a little. She looked at the medic across from her. 'Is he going to be okay? Can you help him?'

'I'm not sure, Miss,' the man replied. 'We will know more once we get to the hospital.'

She tenderly brushed some more hair away from Fiyero's face and leaned down to kiss his forehead. 'Hold on, Yero,' she whispered. 'You're going to be just fine.'

The moment they arrived at the hospital, they took him away. She almost started to chew her nails, something she often did when she was scared or nervous; but then she realised her hands were covered in Fiyero's blood. When she looked down, she noticed that her dress was stained with it, too.

She wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly shivering, and just stood there for a moment, staring at the door through which they had taken Fiyero away. Though shocked, she had also felt strangely calm when she had found Fiyero on the street. Somehow she had known that her panicking wouldn't help him in that moment, and she hadn't cried, or screamed, or lost it. Now, however, she could feel the panic slowly creeping up on her. What if they couldn't help him? What if the damage was too severe?

What if he was going to die?

She shook her head and pulled a lock of hair over her shoulder to chew on. Somehow, that simple movement calmed her down a little.

She took a few more deep breaths, then moved towards the ladies' room, spending the next twenty minutes at the sink, washing his blood off her hands, her arms, her face. She couldn't get it out of her clothes, but that didn't matter. She wasn't really doing it for any other reason than to give herself something to do, anyway.

She wondered where Cohvu had gone off to, but just then, she heard something out in the waiting room. She left the bathroom and was met with the sight of Cohvu, looking completely bewildered as he was shown into the room by a nurse that immediately left again.

When he saw her, he walked over to her right away and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. 'Where is he?' he asked in a choked voice. 'What are they doing to him?'

'He's in surgery.' Elphaba swallowed, but the lump in her throat didn't disappear, and neither did the dryness in her mouth. 'I don't know what they're doing or how long it's going to take.'

He pulled away, but didn't let go of her hand as they both sat down. 'I sent someone to Adurin Iir,' Cohvu said hoarsely. 'To tell Hamold and Lori about what happened.'

Elphaba nodded mutely and he didn't say anything else after that, either. He just stared off into the distance, trying to blink his tears away, meanwhile crushing Elphaba's hand. He couldn't believe this had happened… 'Why did he go after Avaric? Why did he do that?' he demanded in a slightly higher voice than usual.

Elphaba stared at the neatly polished hospital floor. 'It's my fault,' she whispered. 'It was because of what Avaric tried to do to me the other day that Fiyero got so mad at him.'

Cohvu squeezed her hand even tighter. 'That's not true, El. You even tried to stop him.' But then he realised it was, to some extent, true. Fiyero had flown off the handle because Avaric had almost killed Elphaba… the girl he was in love with.

So it was true, then. People in love really did crazy things.

He just hoped that this crazy thing wouldn't be the last thing the prince would ever do.

'It's not your fault,' he repeated softly. 'It's no one's fault. It just happened.'

Elphaba didn't make a sound. Cohvu fell silent again as well, a pair of gray eyes and a pair of brown ones fixed on the doors at the other side of the room.

He broke the silence again. 'How long do you think it will take?'

'How should I know?' she snapped, but she immediately regretted it upon seeing the hurt look in Cohvu's eyes. 'Cohvu… I'm sorry,' she apologised softly. 'I didn't mean it like that.'

He shook his head. 'It's okay. I understand.'

The silence seemed to be deafening, the wait feeling like it lasted forever. How long did surgery take? One hour, two? Cohvu had once heard about a girl that had been in surgery for over eight hours after a severe accident – could that happen to Yero? Was the length of the surgery an indication of how bad his injuries were?

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a soft, strangled sound that he couldn't place right away. He looked around him, only to find Elphaba right next to him, sobbing quietly.

'Oh, El…' He put his arms around her and hugged her, allowing her to bury her face in his shoulder and cry. She still barely made a sound, but he felt her shaking and trembling as the sobs racked her body. He pulled her closer, rubbing soothing circles on her back. 'He'll be okay, El,' he whispered. 'Just wait and see. He'll be just fine.'

She didn't respond. He didn't expect her to. She knew as well as he did that he was just saying that in an attempt to reassure her, but he didn't even believe his own words.

After a while, she calmed down, and he shifted a little. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder and her hand firmly grasping his, as she fixed her now red and puffy eyes back on the doors. What was taking so long? How long had it even been? She had lost all track of time by now.

Cohvu absently stroked her hair, squeezing her hand about as hard as she was squeezing his. He wasn't sure how long they sat there, saying nothing, just waiting and silently comforting one another.

When there were footsteps approaching, they both looked up, hearts pounding, but the sound didn't come from the hallway across from them; it came from outside. Just then, the doors they had entered through opened, and Lori and Hamold came in, both of them looking pale and utterly shocked.

As soon as Lori saw Elphaba and Cohvu sitting there, she burst into tears, and Hamold wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. 'Where is he?' he asked over his wife's head. 'What happened?'

Cohvu quickly told them everything he knew, and Hamold nodded, gently guiding his wife to the chair next to Elphaba. He looked at them. 'How long has it been?'

Elphaba shrugged limply, and Cohvu shook his head. 'No idea,' he said, sounding tired. 'We didn't exactly keep track of time.'

'Too long,' muttered Elphaba, and Hamold reached out to squeeze her shoulder. She looked up at him.

'It's going to be alright,' he promised her. 'Yero is a strong young man.'

She didn't say anything, just turned away from him. Why did everyone suddenly feel the need to say that? That everything was going to be alright? Why did they say that when they didn't know it for sure?

Lori wiped her eyes and her nose with a handkerchief, but when she saw the empty, almost dead look in Elphaba's eyes, fresh tears sprang to her own eyes. 'Oh, sweetheart…' She hugged the green girl. Elphaba hugged her back, though she refused to let herself cry again. Crying never got anyone anywhere, and it wouldn't get her anywhere now.

Then the waiting started again. Every now and then, one of them would sniffle softly; and Hamold offered to get food and drinks a few times, but no one was hungry.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the doors opened and a doctor came out. 'Are you Mr. and Mrs. Tiggular?'

'Yes,' Hamold said quickly. 'I am Hamold, this is my wife Lori.'

The doctor shook their hands. 'My name is Benerd Gopa,' he introduced himself. 'I performed the surgery on your son.'

'How is he?' Lori burst out, not able to hold it in any longer. 'Will he be okay?'

'The surgery was a success,' Gopa replied. He looked at the King and Queen seriously. 'Unfortunately, however, his life is still in danger.'

Hamold looked pale and Lori choked out, 'What's wrong with him?'

'He has a sprained wrist, some cracked ribs, and some other superficial wounds,' the doctor explained. 'But the thing we're most worried about is his head. He has a concussion, but he also has a severe head wound that might be worse than it looks. We will know more once he wakes up.'

'When will that be?' asked Cohvu anxiously. The doctor shook his head. 'We don't know that for sure.'

'Can we see him?' asked Hamold, and the doctor nodded. 'You and your wife can.'

Elphaba's face fell and Cohvu demanded, 'What about us?'

'I'm sorry,' Gopa apologised. 'Only his family is allowed with him right now.'

Cohvu looked defeated, but just then, Elphaba blurted out, 'We're his brother and sister.'

The doctor looked at her sympathetically. 'I'm sorry, girl – I know you want to see him, but I also know that Prince Fiyero is an only child,' he told her gently.

'Cousins?' Cohvu tried weakly. The doctor shook his head with a gentle smile.

Cohvu looked at Elphaba. He could see the sadness, almost despair, in her eyes, and in a fraction of a clock-tick, he made a decision.

He shoved her forward. 'She's Fiyero's fiancée.'

Elphaba looked at him, surprised, but Cohvu didn't waver. 'If I can't see him, surely she can?' he said pleadingly. 'Please?'

The doctor hesitated. 'I didn't hear anything about-'

'It's not official yet,' Lori interrupted him, putting her arm around Elphaba's shoulders protectively. 'But it's true.'

Gopa nodded. He didn't really believe what they were saying, but he, too, could see that this girl really cared about the prince, and the pleading looks of her and the others made him cave. 'Alright, then. Follow me, please.' He turned and walked towards the door, Lori and Hamold behind him.

'Are you sure?' Elphaba whispered to Cohvu, and he squeezed her hands. 'Just go with it, El. I know how badly you want to see him. Now at least one of us can.' He smiled sadly at him. 'Give him my love.'

'I will.' She hugged him tightly. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.' He ushered her off. 'Now go.'

She quickly ran after Fiyero's parents and the doctor, following them through a hallway and into a hospital room. Lori sucked in her breath when she saw Fiyero, tears coming to her eyes once again. 'Oh, Yero…'

Elphaba could only stare at him. There was a bandage around his head, and his face, arms, and shoulders were covered in bruises. Another bandage went all the way around his ribs, and there seemed to be tubes everywhere. She swallowed, but the lump in her throat just wouldn't go away.

Lori went to sit next to him, taking his hand and kissing his forehead. Hamold stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

Elphaba slowly moved closer to the other side of the bed, lowering herself onto a chair. 'Hi, Yero,' she whispered. 'Cohvu sends his love.'

There was a flickering of eyelids, but the prince didn't wake up.

'What happens when he does wake up?' asked Hamold quietly.

'Then we'll have to perform some tests to see if there is any brain damage, and if so, how bad it is,' Doctor Gopa answered. 'But I have to be honest with you, sir – it doesn't look good. Even if there's no brain damage, he lost a lot of blood…' He shook his head.

Brain damage. The word started dancing around in her brain, blinding her and taking away her breath. She closed her eyes for a moment. Gripping his hand firmly, she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his temple. 'Don't do this, Yero,' she whispered desperately. 'Just come back… please?'

'What… what do you mean, not good?' Lori choked out tearfully, looking up at the doctor. Gopa looked at her, trying to deliver the blow as gently as possible.

'It means…' He shook his head. 'It means he might not wake up at all.'

Lori gasped, then turned to Hamold. He folded her into his arms as she cried into his shirt, tears coming to his own eyes as well.

Elphaba buried her face in Fiyero's neck, as if she could hide from the world that way. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening… could it?

She raised her hand, tentatively touching the bandage around his head with her fingertips. Despite her determination not to cry, she felt tears stinging her eyes again. She wiped them away and took a deep, shuddering breath. She was not going to give up on him. He would wake up again. She had to believe that.

Her fingers brushed the spot at the back of his head where his head wound was, hidden from view by the bandage; and suddenly, there was a strange tingling sensation shooting up her arm. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened as tiny green sparks started dancing around her fingertips. She had no idea what was happening, what she was doing, but for some reason, she just couldn't pull her hand away.

'Elphaba?' she heard Hamold asking her, sounding concerned. 'Are you alright?' She realised she had closed her eyes and she was shaking, but she couldn't help it. The tingles kept shooting up her arm, spreading through her entire body, green sparks springing from her fingers.

When the feeling subsided, she opened her eyes and held her breath.