Fault line
On the walk back from the cliff Marshall took a wrong turn somewhere and they both ended walking in circles for a few minutes. Elsa noticed this and even though she was tired and she wanted to tell him 'I knew exploring late was a bad idea', there was a part of her that was enjoying the stroll and quiet company, despite her body's complaints. It reminded her of the first times they had spent time together, when they would walk the mountain or go skiing to secluded slopes. It made her smile to know their friendship had evolved the way it had, and she was somewhat glad about the accident — even if the guilt whenever she looked at his arm was very much present.
"Okay… where to?" Marshall asked as soon as they found his car and got into it. He was pretending he hadn't got lost and only expected an answer. It made Elsa smile, knowing his pride was stopping him from saying anything about it.
"So?" With the keys in his hand, he waited for her to say something.
That's when she remembered everything that was waiting for her in the city, and the smile dropped from her face. Having talked to Marshall didn't erase the fact she had kept serious information from Kai and the rest of her family. And to make matters worse, she had disappeared in the early morning without a word. It was a matter of time until Kai realised she was avoiding him. "I'm not sure," Elsa said. "What time is it?"
Marshall raised an eyebrow, but looked at his watch nonetheless. "It's past midnight. I guess we stayed at the cliff longer than I imagined."
And we spent over twenty minutes wandering aimlessly. She wanted to say, but instead nodded her head and wondered what was best to do. Getting home so late was not going to help her in the least. It'd only give Kai the idea that she was sneaking in the house. She knew that she had to talk to her parents sooner or later, but having their conversation in the middle of the night, after everything that she'd lived that day, was not going to end well. She was feeling more and more exhausted with every passing minute and the ever present headache she'd had since early morning was becoming more and more unbearable.
"Kristoff's? Your parents', perhaps?" suggested Marshall, unsure why she was having so many doubts.
She massaged her forehead trying to ease the pain. "I don't want to see my family right now…"
"Is everything okay?"
"It's a long story…" She was tired of having to explain herself all the time. "And I'm too tired to deal with that tonight."
"...home?" said Marshall, understanding her request not to press the subject.
The idea of going back home so soon after everything that had happened didn't make her feel better. She wanted to sleep and not think about anything for a couple of hours, and by staying at her house she risked Kai coming knocking at her door in the early morning.
Running out of options, and not wanting to be alone, she asked, "Can I stay with you tonight?"
He opened his eyes in surprise at first; but after a moment, a small smile drew on his face. "Sure. My door is always open."
She smiled grateful and that was his cue to start the car and, with it, the long way back. They were over an hour away from Trolheim and another forty minutes away from the North mountain. She wasn't sure how she'd be able to stay awake, but she thought it was best to try. She was certain Marshall was tired as well and needed her company.
As if he had read her mind, he turned the radio on, saying he needed the noise to stay alert. Elsa nodded and looked at him as he tried to find something worth listening to in the few stations that were still on. It called her attention that, even after having found something he liked, he kept his head turned in her direction, trying — and failing — to look at her discreetly as he played with the radio buttons.
Elsa tried to ignore it for a minute, but after the third obvious glance, she had to ask. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
"Nothing…" He tried in vain to pretend he wasn't and grabbed the steering wheel with both his hands and cleared his throat. "It's just– So many things start to make sense about you now."
So he was still wondering about her and her abilities. She should've guessed he was not going to drop the topic so easily. She only hoped he wouldn't start asking questions she didn't have an answer to. "What do you mean?"
"You're insanely good at winter sports, for example," he said with a smile.
Elsa couldn't help but roll her eyes, she'd like for people to assume she was good because she was good at sports for once and not because of her powers. "You're good at Winter sports too."
"Well…" He bought himself some time, trying to find something else to explain what he meant. "Your spirits always lift with the first snow of the season."
"A lot of people enjoy—"
"You wear insanely light jackets when it's freezing outside," he continued, not giving her the chance to contradict him.
"And you wear insanely warm jackets, so?" countered Elsa. Deep down she knew what he was doing, he was trying to find the cold represented in the simplest things and somehow link that to her powers. Gerda and Kristoff had driven her mad trying to convince her they were part of the good things she was, as well as the negative ones; but it hadn't worked. "It doesn't mean anything."
Showing his characteristic stubbornness, he said, "Your slope always, and I mean always, had fresh snow. Even when it didn't snow. And when it did snow, your snow was somehow better. It didn't make sense."
"Well, I–" she tried to argue absentmindedly before she realised what he was saying. "Wait, you noticed?"
He showed her a proud smirk, knowing he had actually noticed something that belonged exclusively to her. "Of course I did. As I said, it didn't make sense. Now that I think about it, it stopped while you were living with your brother. You weren't there to do it."
"Do you think other people noticed?" A sudden concern overwhelmed her. What if other people living at the mountain realised about the snow and they were wondering where it was coming from?
"Not a chance. Don't worry," he reassured. "I'm the only one who's always– uhm…" He stopped abruptly and gathered his thoughts. "The slope. Using the slope, I mean."
Elsa looked at him, trying to understand why he was struggling with his words. But she decided not to pay too much attention to it. Since he had come up with the topic, she wanted to use the opportunity to ask him about something she had struggled with since she began working on her slope. "Do you think it's unfair to use my powers to my advantage?"
"What?" he asked with a laugh. "No. Westergaard has got money and uses it to keep his resort in good condition. You've got your powers. Seems fair to me."
"Seriously?" She knew he didn't like Westergaard; but even then, she hoped for an unbiased opinion on his part.
"Of course, Elsa. He was born wealthy. You were born… umm…"
He didn't know how to finish the sentence and Elsa offered him a logical choice. "... a monster?"
He turned to look at her with a frown, his smile dropping faster than Elsa thought was possible. "Don't say that."
"It's the truth."
"I don't want to hear you say that," he said as he grabbed her shoulder, making sure she listened. "I'm serious."
She was certain that if she tried to push the topic, he'd get truly mad at her and she understood him. She always got mad when he bad-mouthed himself, but this was completely different than anything else he could do. "You're really okay with me being… like this?"
Taking his eyes off the road for a moment, he met hers and kept a firm grip on her shoulder. "You wouldn't be you if you were any different."
The certainty in his voice and his tender look moved Elsa to tears. Not trusting herself to speak, she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder as a silent thank you. He extended his arm over her shoulders and gently caressed her back. She tried to fight against the sleepiness she felt, but she failed to do so and closed her eyes, giving herself the chance to enjoy the peaceful moment.
By the time Elsa opened her eyes again, Marshall was turning the radio off and they were already parked at the North mountain. She apologised to Marshmallow for falling asleep and he just laughed it off.
She couldn't remember the moment she fell asleep, but clearly it had happened soon after their conversation. It surprised her how tired she felt even after sleeping for two hours straight, and deep down she wished she could stay where she was, leaning into Marshall. The last thing she wanted was to walk the long way to his cottage.
After Marshall made sure the SUV was locked, they began the trek to his house. Several times along the way Elsa wondered if it wasn't easier to just sit on the ground and sleep against a tree for a few hours. With every step, she felt her legs getting heavier and the exhaustion of the day pulling her down. At some point, Marshall noticed something wasn't right and stopped to ask her if she was okay.
"I'm fine," she lied. "I didn't remember your house was so far away from the car park, that's all."
"It's a bit farther than your place, yes." he said, nodding his head. "But we've walked farther distances before."
"I guess I'm just tired."
"We're almost there. Come on," he reassured her and then put his arm around her shoulders, encouraging her to keep going.
It had been a while since Marshall felt so relieved to arrive home. For the first time in days, he could get home and not feel like there was more he should have done. He had finally talked to Elsa; and what was best, there was something different between them. Elsa rarely allowed herself to relax around him — or anyone for that matter. But after the truth came to light, she showed him her powers and he reassured her that he was okay with her being the way she was; he felt something changing. There was something in the way she looked at him and the small smile that wouldn't leave her face that told him he had done something right for once.
What he didn't expect when he got home was the avalanche of Snowgies charging at him. He had left them alone for several hours after all. "No, no. Please," he said as he tried to walk into his living room. He sighed, knowing it was best to feed them before they made sure to irk him. "Don't mess with my patience, you beasts."
Elsa laughed when she saw him struggle with all his cats, and he smiled back at her. At least he could make her grin for a while.
"The snowgies keep getting bigger and bigger," she said, as she leaned back with a tired sigh on the couch and watched him feed the cats.
"And my savings keep shrinking and shrinking." He wouldn't complain about it if he had a stable job, but the amount of food the cats demanded as they grew older was starting to alarm him, and Winter couldn't arrive soon enough. "They eat more than me."
"I doubt that," Elsa said with a laugh and he sent her a warning look.
Once he was finished feeding and cleaning the mess the cats had done around the house, he sat on the armrest of the couch next to Elsa. She had her eyes closed and seemed to be ready to fall asleep. "Come on, I'll make my bed for you," he suggested.
"What?" Elsa said, opening her eyes and looking at him seriously. "No. I'll sleep on the couch like last time."
"I won't let you sleep on a crappy couch full of cats."
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"The couch," he said with an embarrassed smile.
"I didn't invite myself over for you to use the crappy couch," Elsa said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Let's not argue about this. Go to my room."
"I'll stay here," she said with resolution. "Good night, Marshall."
Sighing in defeat, he agreed with her. "Fine. But give me two seconds, don't fall asleep just yet." He went into his room and grabbed his pillow and an extra blanket for Elsa to use. He might not force her to take the bed, but he'd find a way to make her sleep as comfortable as possible. He wasn't at all convinced by Elsa's claims that she was feeling okay, and he wanted to make sure she could sleep the whole night without interruptions. He only hoped his cats wouldn't disturb her too much.
He returned to the living room and threw the pillow on the couch. "Here. Take the blanket," he said as he put it over her shoulders and crouched in front of her. "Your powers don't bother me, but your tolerance to cold weather drives me insane. The temperature drops during the early hours and I don't have any more logs to start a fire."
"We're still in Summer."
He didn't care if she thought he was being ridiculous. He liked having his house properly heated all year long and he'd make sure people around him felt comfortable if he could. After that, they both stayed in silence. His eyes fixed on hers and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away. The quietness was welcomed after the stressful day and there was much left to say at that moment.
Deep down he wished he could use the peacefulness of the moment to say what she meant to him. But Elsa was only starting to open up, and the last thing she needed was for him to start talking about feelings not even he could understand.
"Thank you for caring about me, Marshmallow. Not many people have done that," she said out of the blue with a sad smile and it disarmed him entirely. Not thinking much about it, he grabbed the blanket and pulled from it, forcing Elsa closer and into his arms. The hug was rather awkward since he was still on the floor, but he held her close. He was so relieved they had finally talked things through.
Elsa returned the hug by putting her arms around his neck and resting her head on top of his. She seemed calmer now that he knew the truth, and her powers were still under control. It made Marshall wonder how they worked and how it was possible for them to manifest so suddenly and strongly at one moment and disappear, leaving no trace, at another. They were something he had to get used to, but he was certain it was worth the effort.
"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" he asked as he put some distance between them.
"No," Elsa said, rolling her eyes. "Go to bed."
"Wake me up if you need anything, okay?"
"Go to sleep, Marshmallow. I can see you're as tired as I am."
"Wake me up," he insisted with a smile and bid her goodnight.
A couple of hours later, Elsa woke up feeling rather uncomfortable and cold. She was startled by the chills running down her back and she sat up on the sofa, the blanket falling onto her lap. She looked around and tried to make sure her powers hadn't manifested. The still, dark room seemed to be in perfect condition and Marshall's cats were still soundly asleep on the armchair. Everything was okay and she sighed in relief.
She was feeling extremely cold, and she couldn't understand why. Normally, she could feel when the temperature dropped, but it never bothered her. Not the way it was bothering her right then. She then tried to cover her arms with the blanket, thinking how ironic it had been to laugh at Marshall for insisting she kept the blanket at hand.
She rubbed her arms and laid down once again. Her head throbbed behind her eyes as she did, and for a short moment she felt sick. She turned around trying to find a more comfortable position on the couch, but her back and left arm ached as she did. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this way. And even though she had become accustomed to the pain as a child, she couldn't stand feeling cold. Being cold meant there was something wrong, and wrong meant her powers could react at any moment.
She tried to fall asleep again, but the pain and chills she felt wouldn't let her. Marshall's offer came to mind and a sudden urge to call him overwhelmed her. She didn't want to wake him up, but the blanket he had given her was not heavy enough and she had no idea where to find another one. She was about to get up from the sofa and search around, but decided against it. Every movement made her feel worse and she thought it was best to deal with it on her own. She was fully clothed after all. She was certain that it was supposed to be more than enough to keep her warm. Her body was probably reacting to something and she just needed to sleep it off.
She turned once again, trying in vain to find a comfortable position. She envied how normal people could be warm and cosy to the touch, unlike her. Marshall's hug before bed had made her feel warm and fuzzy, and now that she was alone and feeling cold, she longed for it.
The idea of getting up and calling him came to mind again, but she tried to get rid of it. She didn't want to expose him to her powers, even if they were still dormant. Her body could react in an unpredictable way.
After a few more minutes, her eyelids became heavier and she welcomed the much-needed rest.
The next time she opened her eyes, there was light outside and she could hear the sound of someone moving not far from where she was lying. She guessed Marshall was already awake and getting ready for his day. Each step and sound he made felt like a bang on the head and forced her to close her eyes. She couldn't understand what was wrong, but somehow sleeping had only made her feel worse. She was still cold and she couldn't stand it. How people lived their lives constantly feeling the cold was beyond her. It made her feel terrible for inflicting it to others with her powers.
She tried opening her eyes again, but the light was too bright and the sounds too loud. She tried to sit up but the rest of her body protested. She shivered from the cold and gave up on the idea, resting her head on the pillow once again.
She heard Marshall getting closer and felt relieved, at least she was not alone at her place. If she didn't get well soon enough, she was certain he'd be able to help her.
"Morning." His voice was coming from above and when she opened her eyes, she saw with his arms resting on the back of the couch and a goofy smile on his face. "Would you like some coffee or something to eat?"
"No." She shook her head at the idea. She wasn't hungry in the least and she wondered if it was normal.
"But… we skipped dinner last night." She could hear the surprise in his voice and knew it was a matter of time until he noticed she wasn't feeling well. "You must be hungry."
He waited for her to say something, but her mind felt foggy.
"Are you okay?"
She made an effort to sit up and, when she finally did, look at him. "Yes."
"I've got a headache, that's all." Elsa said, not having the strength to explain she was actually feeling cold and as if a bus had run over her.
Walking around the sofa, he sat on the coffee table in front of her and placed his hand over her forehead. His cold touch felt nice in spite of the cold. "I think you've got a temperature. You don't look too good either."
She kept a straight face, trying not to show how weak she felt. Marshall would try to help her if she did and she couldn't risk hurting him again. She tried to stand up, but he stopped her.
"What are you doing?"
"My back hurts. Maybe I should've taken the bed." It was meant to be a joke, to pretend the sofa was responsible for her pain, but one look from him told him he didn't buy it.
"Is this because of your powers?" He asked in concern. "I shouldn't have asked you to use them, should I?"
"No. It doesn't work that way," she reassured him. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I'm just tired."
Using his good arm, he helped her stand up and suggested she used his bed for a while. Not giving her the chance to complain, he walked her straight to his bedroom. He waited for her to get under the covers and left the room with the promise of bringing her some water.
Gerda hung up the phone with a trembling sigh and turned to look at her husband. It was the third time she tried to contact Kristoff that morning with no luck. "He didn't answer," she said, knowing Kai would lose his mind any minute now.
"Elsa's been missing for a whole day. Now Kristoff doesn't pick up." He hit his fist on the wooden table to release some pent up anger. "I'm about to call the station and request an arrest warrant on those two."
Gerda knew that was something he'd never do, but still she hated to hear him say it. Kristoff and Elsa were good kids who'd never given them any trouble, aside from the issues related to their unusual upbringing. She wished Kai realised that too and understood they were bound to make mistakes sometimes. Though, Elsa disappearing for so many hours certainly worried her. She wasn't dealing with her problems in a good way lately and their conversation about her wanting to give up kept resonating in her head. The mere idea of something bad happening to her made her hands tremble and as if someone was squeezing her heart.
"She isn't missing," she tried to reassure herself and her husband. "She was at Kristoff's place yesterday. At this point I'm starting to think she's avoiding you, which is completely different from being missing."
Kai turned to her, an angry expression written all over his face. "Why would she—?"
Gerda didn't give him time to argue and said, "Elsa's not stupid, Kai. She realised you were a police officer the other night, not her father. She noticed it and decided to avoid it."
"I was not going to interrogate her," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You and I know it was important to discuss whatever happened between her and Hålkesen. All we know is there's someone out there who knows about Elsa's powers. Someone who's been hurt. And Elsa's avoiding this matter entirely. This is serious, Gerda."
"Perhaps she discussed it with Kristoff and Anna. She was with them yesterday."
"You're not doing Elsa any favours by justifying everything she does — good or bad. She's an adult, and as such she needs to take responsibility for her own actions."
Crossing her arms and adopting a defensive attitude that matched his own, she insisted, "Perhaps she has already taken responsibility."
"The broken girl who couldn't even look at us?" he scoffed. "That girl has taken responsibility? Are you sure of it?"
Gerda knew he loved Elsa just as much as she did, he was merely mocking her idea, but somehow she couldn't stop the irritation she felt at him. "You're talking about your daughter, Kai. I'm not going to let you—"
"Elsa's not okay," he said, sternly. "The sooner you see that the better. She needs help. She's always needed help. We were just blissfully wishing the mountain and some bad-paying job would help her overcome her issues. What we are doing is absurd."
To hear him say what they both had always known made her stop her tirade and she felt something inside of her breaking. She knew Elsa was not okay. Even during her good days Gerda could see a shadow of sadness in her eyes. A sadness she was starting to believe would never go away.
"Do you think I haven't noticed? The idea of losing her won't let me sleep at night," she admitted.
If they were going to talk about it, then she'd let him know exactly what she was afraid of. "A couple of months ago I was terrified of losing her to her biological family. Now, I'm terrified of someone knocking on my door to tell me she has taken her own life. Of course I've noticed!"
His face paled and he tried in vain to deny that possibility. "Elsa won't—"
"You've seen people make drastic decisions for far less than Elsa has gone through." Her voice barely over a whisper. She dried a couple of tears she couldn't stop and continued, "We can't push Elsa to her limits only because we think we know best. What do we know, Kai? What have we lived that could even remotely compare to Elsa's life?"
He stayed silent, not daring to look her in the eyes.
"Please, tell me," she insisted.
"Nothing."
"Absolutely nothing," she repeated with more strength. "Yes, she's an adult. And yes, probably she should be more careful and start doing things differently. I won't deny that." She hoped Kai would finally understand her indignation. "But that doesn't change the fact that her life, her childhood, has been extremely different." She allowed a few more tears to fall and tried to stop her hands from shaking. "I love her to pieces and I would excuse anything as long as I know that she's okay."
Kai took a moment to gather his thoughts and when he was about to talk, a knock on the door stopped him. The both looked at each other hoping Elsa was the one on the other side.
Gerda made her way to the door, not before turning around and giving her husband one last warning. "Please, stop to think for a second before you do or say something stupid and hurtful. She's been trying hard. It's not her fault that hard seems to never be good enough."
As soon as his mother opened the door, Kristoff knew something had happened to her. The sadness in her eyes was something he couldn't stand, and it was in moments like that he knew he'd do anything for that old woman.
She hugged him tight before he could ask if something was wrong. "I'm glad to see you," she said. "I've been trying to call you. Is your sister with you?"
And that's when he realised there was no point in asking what was going on. What was worrying his mother was clear. "Elsa isn't here?"
"No." Gerda's small smile dropped and it was replaced by a look of concern Kristoff didn't remember seeing in her.
"Wasn't she supposed to be with you?" The voice of his father called his attention.
"She was at home last night. I thought she'd come here after talking with Marshall."
"Marshall?" Gerda asked, her spirits lifting. "So she talked to him?"
"He was waiting outside for her when she left the apartment. So, I guess they did." Only then, the realisation that Elsa hadn't talked to their parents came to his mind. "Wait, do you know what happened?"
"We think we do," Kai said, seriously. "Where did they go?"
"I'm not sure. They didn't say." He didn't want to stop her once she had made up her mind, but now he felt like an idiot. "The mountain, I guess? Elsa wanted to go far away."
"Did she tell you what happened between them?"
"No, we didn't have time to talk. Marshall talked to me." He felt like in an interrogation, and Kristoff knew there was something in his father's head. "What are you aiming at?"
"I just don't trust him. Hålkesen wouldn't say anything to Anders and me the other night. Her house is a mess. There's blood everywhere."
Blood everywhere? Kristoff tried to calm down and think about things more clearly than Kai. "When did you talk to Marshall?"
"It doesn't matter," Kai said, not wanting to waste anymore time. "Where does he live?"
"At the North mountain."
"I know that. Where?"
"I have no idea." The exasperation in his father's voice made him worry, and Kristoff thought it was best to call in sick and stay to make sure his father's paranoia didn't control him.
Sighing in annoyance, Kai walked into the kitchen claiming to call Anders and find the information himself.
"Marshall's not a bad guy," Kristoff called after him.
"I'll believe it when I get to talk to him."
After making sure Elsa was somewhat comfortable, Marshall let her sleep for as long as she needed. Throughout the morning, he checked on her every now and then, but didn't interrupt her slumber knowing she was probably feeling worse than she had let on.
When he walked into his room in the early afternoon, he finally found her awake looking at the ceiling.
"Hey, you're awake," he said, relieved. "How are you feeling?" He noticed she had listened to him but still kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Elsa?"
"Seventy-six planks and eight beams," she said after a moment, finally looking at him with overtired eyes.
"What?" He looked up and then at her again.
"Your ceiling. It has seventy-six planks and eight beams."
"And that's important because…"
"I count things to distract myself." After that, she sat up in bed as best as she could.
Marshall noticed she kept his blanket close and tried to cover herself as much as possible. She was still feeling cold and her eyes weren't focused. It made him worry that perhaps she was feeling worse than he originally imagined. "How are you feeling?" He said as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I'm fin—"
"If you say you're fine I'm going to be enraged" he warned. "How are you feeling?"
Looking down, she admitted, "I feel awful."
Feeling conflicted about her answer, he placed his hand on her forehead again. He was glad she was finally being honest, but he didn't like the answer in the least. He frowned at how hot it felt to the touch. He caressed her face with the inner excuse of checking her temperature and smiled when she exhaled as if she welcomed the feeling. "You're burning up."
He wasted no time offering her some water and he then pulled from the blanket until he found the hem of her hoodie. "Come on. I need you to take this off."
"My clothes?" Elsa asked surprised, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.
He wasn't sure if her blush was the result of the fever or plain embarrassment at his request, but he wouldn't deny he enjoyed seeing her so flustered. And decided to make sure to tease her after she was feeling better. "No. Not all your clothes. Just this hoodie…" He began pulling it over her head as he explained himself. "Let me help you. We need to lower your temperature."
Understanding it was for the best, she complied and allowed him to help her. Elsa shivered as soon as it was off and he noticed that the white t-shirt she was wearing underneath was drenched in sweat. He looked for one of his clean t-shirts and offered it to her. It was twice her size but it was better than nothing, he concluded. He looked the other way while she changed and used the time to find a thermometer he had somewhere in his closet.
If someone had told him Elsa would end up being partially naked in his bed three days after their confrontation, he would have laughed at their face. But there he was, acting as professional as possible with Elsa partially naked in his bed; and he felt like slapping himself for even pointing it out in his head. However, if he had to be honest, one thing he liked about their current situation was knowing Elsa did trust him. And he even felt stupid for thinking the opposite the days before.
"It's too cold," Elsa said, pulling him back to reality.
"It'll help. Trust me," he reassured as he turned around and saw her hugging herself to keep warm. "Hold this under your armpit." He sat on the edge of the bed facing her and gave her the thermometer.
Elsa complied and a small smile drew on her face, making him smile back. "What is it?"
"You're even more serious when you're in your medical role."
"Stubborn patients require more attention." He laughed as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
Elsa's smile broadened when she heard him laugh, but it was soon replaced by a frown as she shivered once again. "I hate feeling this way," she said and leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
Marshall caressed her back as they waited, and noticed that even the soft touch made Elsa tremble. He guessed her temperature was probably higher than he had anticipated for her skin to be so sensitive.
He asked for the thermometer after a couple of minutes and Elsa reluctantly sat back.
"39.1… No wonder you feel and look like crap." He regretted not checking her temperature sooner. He should have known Elsa would minimise whatever was happening to her, like she always did. "Your powers have nothing to do with this?" he wondered, as he thought what was best to do. He had run out of medicine that could help her reduce her fever; but even then, there had to be a reason her body was raising its temperature.
She shook her head and pulled the blanket higher, trying to stop herself from shivering.
"Then, what—" The memory of her injured hand came back to mind at that moment. With everything that happened, he had forgotten about it, the same way he had almost forgotten about his burn. He had only changed his bandages in the morning after his shower, as part of his routine. But he hadn't thought about it at all until he got in the shower.
He wasn't sure when was the last time Elsa had changed her own bandages and cleaned her wound, but something told him it had been a while.
"Let me see your hand," he said and tried to hold her arm before Elsa could even register his question.
Hissing in pain at the touch and pulling away, she said, "Easy, my powers become unpredictable when I'm like this. Maybe you shouldn't be near me."
"I barely even touched you," he complained. Then he silently asked her to extend her injured arm and began examining it. "By the way, I'm not going to let you on your own when you can't even sit straight. Does your arm hurt when I do this?" He held it firmly and pressed.
It didn't take long for Elsa's face to start contorting in pain, soon after she begged for him to let go.
"The injury is in your hand. The rest of the arm shouldn't hurt."
"What do you mean?" She asked, as if it was the first time she thought of it.
"Can I see?"
"I don't want to hurt you."
Marshall sighed, knowing it would take a long time until Elsa understood he could help her and things wouldn't necessarily end up in disaster. "Did you take care of your wound when you got home the other night?"
Looking down in shame, she said, "not really."
"You are an idiot."
"Well, I didn't—" she tried to justify herself, but he had more important things to pay attention to. He grabbed her arm once again and began taking the bandages off. "Are you crazy?" Elsa complained. "Do you want me to blast your head off by mistake?"
He continued unwrapping the bandages, pretending he couldn't hear her. Her forearm was swollen and her wrist had a red streak coming from her hand that made him more concerned than he originally was. He stopped what he was doing and began touching her neck.
"What are you doing?" asked Elsa, confused.
He ignored her question and asked, "your hand has been hurting for a while now, hasn't it?"
The way she looked down again, avoiding his eyes was all the confirmation he needed.
"You are an idiot."
He continued taking the bandages off and the smell stopped him just before he finished. He didn't need to see her hand to know it was terribly infected. What did call his attention was the fact that bandages were wet inside.
"Why are you so worried?"
His face must have said more than he intended for her to ask the question. "Your arm is swollen. So are your lymph nodes."
"I have no idea what that is."
"It doesn't matter." There would be another time and place to explain some biology to her.
"Shit! What is wrong with you?" She complained when he finally peeled the rest of the bandages off.
"Elsa, your hand looks awful. This is badly infected. And wet. Why on earth is this wet? Why wouldn't you say something?!" He was talking more to himself than Elsa at this point, but he addressed the last question to her.
"My powers manifested many times yesterday. I can't control it. It must have damped the bandages. I didn't think—"
"You clearly weren't thinking!" he exclaimed. He was angry at Elsa, but a bit more angry at himself for not noticing she was hiding her pain. There was no way she wouldn't have felt her hand throbbing or itching or something. Her involuntary movements and her struggle to walk the trail to his house made a lot more sense now. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
"What? No! I'm not going." She said as she pulled her hand away from him.
She was so fast to react, it almost seemed like her fever had disappeared. "You need to go to the hospital. You need antibiotics."
"No, I don't," she said, stubbornly. "I've got a fever, yes. And maybe my hand doesn't look pretty, but it's nothing Gerda can't fix."
Forgetting about her powers, he grabbed her hand and showed her what was his main concern. "See these red streaks? That's a bad sign. This is a serious infection."
"Marshall, I'm not going."
"You'd rather get seriously sick than be treated? Are you out of your mind?!"
She looked at her hand, her face contorting in what he thought was disgust. "Take me home. To my parents' home, I mean."
"You need a doctor to clean this. You need antibiotics. The sooner, the better."
"I'm not going to a hospital," she insisted.
Even if her eyes were still overtired and unfocused as a result of the high temperature, she stood her ground, and Marshall couldn't believe it. "What— I can't—" Not finding the words nor the patience to deal with her at that moment, he stood up and put the blanket over her shoulders. "We're leaving. We'll see what we do when we get to the city."
Elsa's eyes brimmed with tears and she held his hand tightly, forcing him to look at her. Her good hand was extremely cold, and Marshall regretted letting his emotions control every situation.
"I need you to listen to me for once…" Elsa said, making sure he listened. "I can't go to the hospital."
Why, he wasn't sure. But he guessed there had to be a real reason for her not to yield, even when she was so weak. "Fine," he said, holding her hand back. "Fine. I'll take you to Gerda. Just, please, cooperate with me now."
She must have noticed how worried he was as well, since she nodded and allowed him to help her.
I honestly cannot believe I was able to write this in fifteen days. I had some dialogues written down for some of the scenes, but I had to put so many things in order I thought it was an impossible quest. But here I am. Unbelievable.
You'll notice that I've changed the rating of the story. It was originally T rated, but since this is the first time that I openly let the characters mention the possibility of another character taking their life, I decided to be cautious and change it. Before you start to worry, that's not a route I feel comfortable taking, it has never been my intention and I'm pretty sure it won't be. But I couldn't stop myself from stepping on Gerda's shoes and expressing her concerns. Bear in mind that she's not lying when she says Elsa means the world to her, and she has seen her at her worst. She knows better than anyone how much help Elsa needs and she can't stop her anxiety from coming up with the worst scenarios.
As always, let me know what you think of this chapter and the way the story is progressing. Feel free to point out anything you want! For those who had left a comment and I still haven't answered, I read your messages and loved them all. I'll try to answer as soon as possible!
Read you soon!
Take care.
