Dr. Yang stood outside the door to Zuko's hospital room trying to gain her composure. There was a series of interconnected rooms that had been designated for the royal family, and if only she'd known when she took this job…
She remembered the first time she treated Ursa's burns. The princess had dismissed it as "things just got a little overheated." After the second and third time, Dr. Yang started keeping her longer "for observation," even though a day's visit would have been sufficient.
Zuko was born prematurely during the winter, and Dr. Yang had attributed it to stress. He struggled to breathe in those fragile early days, and apparently this didn't bode well for firebenders. Ozai only visited right after the birth and one other time during Zuko's recovery. He told Dr. Yang not to bother trying to save him, but she saw the hope in Ursa's eyes and knew the boy would live. He was released from the hospital, strong and healthy, 61 days later.
Azula's birth was pretty routine and not particularly memorable to Dr. Yang other than certain complications Ursa experienced afterward. The princess had taken well to motherhood, though. She was lighter and happier and reveled in her newfound sense of purpose. Even when Azula proved to be a more difficult child, Ursa's calm and steady demeanor never wavered. Azula spent a few days under Dr. Yang's care at age five. She wondered if the scorch marks were still on the wall from the girl's relentless tantrums.
Treating Zuko at age 13 had nearly undone her. She'd always felt conflicted about how Ursa was able to get away, but the kids were still stuck here with that monster. It was only a matter of time, she figured, yet after two years she thought maybe Ozai had become too self-inflated as Fire Lord to even consider his children anymore. Boy, had she been wrong. When Iroh came to collect Zuko on the day he was discharged, she'd almost handed in her resignation. Almost.
Today was not a day to wallow in painful memories. Zuko was here, he was alive, and there was still hope. Granted, he'd just barely escaped death again, and she dreaded the day when hope would die with him. But ever since the day he was born, he was a fighter. Dr. Yang didn't know how it was possible, really, for a young man with so many scars, both inside and out, to take on so much responsibility and thrive. This was beyond her clinical understanding of things, but she would keep doing what she did best. Treat him. Heal him. And then… wait and see.
"Good morning, Fire Lord Zuko. Did you rest well?" Dr. Yang asked.
"I did, thanks. But I bet you put the sun poppy in my tea again," he replied with a smirk.
"You know me too well. How is the arm?"
"Well, I still can't feel anything. Not sure what that means."
Dr. Yang removed the bandage and inspected the injury. The redness and swelling had gone down considerably, and only two small bite marks remained. He stared at the ceiling while she did this.
"Did you know there are 61 ceiling tiles up there?"
"Huh?" She followed his gaze upward.
"I've counted them. Loads of times. But I always thought it was weird that there are 61. Six rows of ten... and then this random one in the middle. I always start counting from that one. Like it's the leader or something. The non-conformist. Sorry, I know I must sound crazy."
"Well… you've spent a lot of time in this room. With not much else to look at."
"I guess."
They both spent a few minutes looking at the ceiling before she spoke again. "So, today I would like to begin a special kind of treatment."
"Okay."
"The toxins in snake venom disrupt neurological activity, the electrical synapses that allow us to feel. So, I'd like to use electrotherapy to cure the paralysis in your arm."
"Electro-what?" Therapy was not his favorite word. Electricity also had unnerving implications.
"We'll send electrical impulses through your arm to help repair and reconnect the nerve damage."
"Electricity… you mean, like lightening? Oh, hell no."
"Zuko, no. Not a charge that big, only very small controlled ones. I assure you it's perfectly safe."
"S-s-safe? Have you ever been around a firebender generating electricity? Besides, I don't think anyone can manage it like that. It would take a tremendous amount of control."
"I've found a master quite capable of and very adamant about control. Zuko, you're not even his first patient. Jeong Jeong has a proven success record—"
"Jeong Jeong!? That guy is crazy! No fucking way."
"Zuko, he's—it's perfect for him, actually. He's always wanted to find a way to use firebending for a more peaceful and constructive purpose. He even told me he envied the waterbenders and their healing—"
"I said no."
"Would it help you to know that we got the idea from Katara? She could feel the electrical charges in the body through her bending. She even helped Jeong Jeong with the method, the flow—"
"Is Katara here? I want to see her."
"She's on her way from Ember Island. Zuko, please. It doesn't hurt, we already know it works, and we shouldn't wait much longer…"
"OK, FINE. Just… when Katara gets here…"
"I'm sure she'll come straight away. Relax, Zuko. We just want to take care of you."
Yes, I apparently need someone to take care of me. Zuko resorted to staring at the ceiling again.
The tingling sensation in his arm didn't bother him at all. It was Jeong Jeong's incessant babbling that did. Zuko could only take so much theory on the disciplines of defensive firebending before he thought his brain would go as numb as his arm. He tried to retreat to a daydream state, a happy memory to take his mind off of this questionable treatment and his obnoxious caregiver.
Mmmm, Katara in a cave. No, not that cave. Dammit.
Mmmm, bronze shoulders draped in flowing hair surrounded by steam. Then… screams surrounded by steam, her reddened cheeks and burning anger.
Umm, okay. Her cooling touch. Her weight pressing in at just the right spot. The glow of her healing hands… then, the glow of his hand, ready to strike.
Zuko jerked suddenly in response. Can you have nightmares when you're wide awake? Or does he haunt my daydreams now, too?
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Jeong Jeong stopped his ministrations, but kept a firm grip on Zuko's arm. The young Fire Lord thought maybe he could feel the pressure where the man was holding him. That meant progress, at least.
"I think that is good for now," Jeong Jeong said when Zuko didn't answer. "You get some rest."
When Zuko awoke sometime later, he saw Piandao hanging something on his wall.
"Those are… Lu Ten's swords?" he asked.
"Yes. Your Uncle had them mounted for you. It's a late birthday present he wanted to give you when you got back from Ember Island. You shouldn't be staying here long, but I thought you'd want something to look at besides the ceiling."
"What does the inscription say?" Zuko couldn't make out the wording from his bed.
"Come see for yourself. Your legs are not paralyzed, you know."
Oh, right. Zuko felt stiff when he stood, but after a few steps, it felt good. Just below the daos, it said, "Love heals. Fight for those you love."
Zuko sighed and shifted his weight on his feet, suddenly feeling a little weak in the knees. "I'm afraid I'm losing that fight."
"What do you mean?"
"I keep failing… letting her down."
"I'm not sure that I follow." Piandao folded his arms across his chest and looked expectantly at Zuko.
"When we fell from the zipline, I didn't… and when I was supposed to be on watch, I fell asleep. Then, the snake…"
"Fire Lord Zuko, if a swordsman has no scars, do you know what that means?"
"He's a damn good swordsman?"
"No. It means he's never entered a proper fight. You haven't failed if you're still standing."
"I'm standing now. I might not be so lucky next time."
"Luck has nothing to do with love. Not the kind of love that lasts, anyway. So, let me guess, you two were falling, and some combination of your elements saved you. It might not have been the best, maybe you ended up a little beat up, but you made it. Then, I'd guess that you put yourself in between her and the snake, and then she healed you. Am I right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Because I've seen you two together. You make it work. And you've been through a lot worse before. You didn't fail her then. And you're not failing her now."
"I… I don't know. I just feel like—"
"Perhaps your problem is that you're seeking perfection. If that's the case, then of course you'll fail. You won't always do right by Katara. You'll mess up. And she will, too. But how does a swordsman get better? He keeps fighting. Even after he makes a mistake."
"But what if the mistake is too costly?"
"Fire Lord Zuko, you and Katara have proven to be stronger together than both the forces of evil and the forces of nature. I'm not sure there's much that can tear you apart."
"Except there's me."
"She is as much a part of the relationship as you are. Don't bear the full responsibility of whatever problems come your way. Work through them together. I suspect you'll find that you're letting yourself down more than her, and that she may even share the same fear where you're concerned."
"No way. She's never let me down."
"Careful. Remember, don't seek perfection. Seek partnership."
Zuko nodded. It was a lot to take in, but he greatly respected Piandao. The man also happened to model the strongest relationship he had ever seen, so he would take love advice from the swordmaster any day.
He groaned when Jeong Jeong came in for another electrotherapy session, but when he saw Katara at the firebender's heels, his heart leapt. Jeong Jeong was deep into another lecture about what he called the three pillars of firebending mastery: self-control, patience, and precision. Zuko and Katara exchanged smirks, barely maintaining self-control to not throw themselves at each other and hardly feeling patient for their long-awaited reunion.
Zuko exercised precision when he finally got to kiss her. And even after the many kisses they'd shared over the past year, sparks still flew. Zuko's arm tingled while Jeong Jeong administered treatment—and ignored the teenagers' interaction completely—and soon other parts of him tingled, too.
Dr. Yang had told Katara to observe, assist, and advise on the new electrotherapy technique. She observed that Zuko was a sight for sore eyes, assisted in keeping his other arm busy, and advised that Jeong Jeong had done a great job so that the old man would leave them alone.
"So, I brought you komodo chicken and moonpeaches," she said when Jeong Jeong had left.
"You take good care of me." He smiled. Maybe it wasn't so bad, this needing someone.
"I told you I would."
Zuko wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but his look of confusion was met by her attempt at fighting back tears. Oh dear Agni…
"Zuko, I'm so sorry! I-I failed you. I don't know if I was just stressed… or too tired… or too scared, but I couldn't heal you fully, and now I—"
"Hey. It's OK. I'm fine. And from what I hear, you didn't fail. You saved my life. Again."
"But only after you saved mine first."
"Heh. That seems to be a thing… with us."
"But what happens if next time—"
"Don't worry about that. We're here now. We made it. We might be a little broken, but we're still alive." Still standing. Still fighting.
"Zuko, I've had a lot of time to think just lying in a hospital bed…"
Heh. Tell me about it.
"And I think I've been wrong… to want to fix you."
Hmm. Tell me more.
"You're not broken. You're anything but. I just wanted to make things better for you. But you have made yourself better despite all those painful things I wish had never happened to you. I had to admit to myself that I... c-c-can't heal you, not in that way—"
"I wouldn't expect you to."
"But what can I do?"
"Just be you."
"But being me means… healing. I don't know any other way."
"Then just… be there for me. And I'll be there for you. We'll figure it out together."
He then remembered why she had brought the komodo chicken and moonpeaches. A promise she'd made when he had taken care of her. For when she would take care of him next.
"Katara, will you sing Soft Little Seal?"
Her tears flowed freely then. She had also been thinking about her mother a lot lately. She remembered how Zuko had helped her begin her own healing process when he took her to find Yon Ra. But he didn't offer to heal her. He was just there for her, like he said he would be. He just listened. He didn't judge her actions or second guess her decision. And lately, she hadn't offered him this in return. But she could. And she would.
"Will you sing it with me?" They were in this together, after all.
They sang the words in the form of a round followed by the sounds of sniffles and laughter.
Soft seal
Little seal
Swimming in the sea
Happy seal
Swim to me
Time to go to sleep
A/N: If you're like Toph, and you're getting tired of all the lovey-dovey, touchy-feely, I promise there is more action in the next chapter. Like where is Iroh and what has he been doing? Also, Zuko gets an unexpected visitor at the hospital. And while the Fire Lord has been away, the High Sage has been up to no good...