Silver lining
The slam of the front door caught Anna by surprise. Placing the knife on the cutting board, she dried her hands with the dishcloth and turned around to see Kristoff go about his evening routine. He had already taken off his muddy boots, leaving them forgotten by the door. He then took his jacket off and left it on the hanger before he squatted on the ground to greet Sven.
Her lips turned upwards as she watched her boyfriend scratch the dog's ears and mumble to him. Anna stayed quiet, allowing him a moment with his dog. No matter how much time Anna spent with Sven, she knew she was no replacement for Kristoff or Elsa. And even if she had no way to prove it, Anna was certain Sven was suffering alongside the family. Perhaps it was the long hours he spent alone in the apartment, or Kristoff's sombre mood; but whatever it was, it had been enough for Sven to notice something wasn't right. And ever since Elsa had fallen ill, the dog spent his days laying on the sofa, waiting impatiently for either Kristoff or Elsa to show up.
Keeping one hand on Sven's head, Kristoff stood up and finally locked eyes with Anna. A small, tired smile drew on his face and Anna felt her chest constricting. She was tired of seeing him hide his sadness behind forced smiles. Smiles Anna knew were solely for her and his family's sake. The bags under his eyes and the wrinkles between his eyebrows were a telltale of his sleepless nights and the concern he couldn't mask.
Shaking off the awful feeling, Anna smiled back, her grin a clear contrast to Kristoff's forced smile. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but she thought it was best to give him a minute. Allow him to talk about his day and then give him the news. "Hey," she said.
"Hi," he said without enthusiasm. He walked towards the closest chair and sat down with a tired sigh.
"How was your day?" The question was stupid, Anna knew. It was late in the evening, meaning Kristoff had worked overtime and missed his chance to visit his sister yet again.
"Absolute rubbish."
"I'm sorry," she said as she turned around and picked up the knife to continue cooking while he vented. "Is your boss giving you a hard time?"
The owner of the ice factory had always been a reasonable man; but even if he had the best intentions, Kristoff was still one of the few people who could be in charge of the plant whenever he was not around.
"No. Not really." He walked to the fridge and grabbed a drink. He closed the door and leaned against it to watch Anna cook. "He's been more than understanding given the situation. When Elsa got sick, Jorgen and I agreed I would work with the guys during the morning and early afternoon. On his part, he would work the afternoon and evening shift on his own, allowing me to get off from work earlier. The boss didn't mind, as long as there was someone at the plant at all times…"
"Okay… That sounds reasonable."
"Guess who broke a foot yesterday?"
Anna stopped chopping and turned to him. "Is Jorgen okay?"
He nodded as he took a long sip from the bottle. "The idiot broke his foot skateboarding."
Anna stopped what she was doing once again, her brows knitting together as she tried to put a face to the name. "I thought Jorgen was the man I met at the company's party last year."
"He is."
Anna looked at Kristoff. The man she was thinking about was at least fifteen years older than Kristoff. She even remembered meeting his wife and daughters. "Oh, I wouldn't have thought he knew how to skateboard."
"He doesn't," Kristoff said, breathing out tiredly.
"What do you mean he doesn't?"
"He bought his first skateboard three weeks ago."
"What was he thinking?
"How could I know? Something tells me his midlife crisis had a lot to do with that stupid idea." Kristoff exclaimed and Anna couldn't help but laugh. She could understand her boyfriend's frustration perfectly well, but his exasperated tone of voice made her crack nonetheless. At least her laugh made him smile. "Boss said he'll try to find someone to cover his shifts, until then I've got to stay over time. Stupid idiot."
Anna chuckled and returned her attention to her task at hand. "He didn't do it on purpose, honey."
"Of course not," Kristoff agreed. "But I hope he learns a lesson."
The way he kept scraping the label off his bottle told Anna he was feeling uneasy. Knowing exactly the reason why, Anna thought it was best to finally share the news with him.
"Kristoff, there's—"
"Did you get to see Elsa today?" he interrupted, not realising Anna was trying to say something.
"I did," she said. Once again, she stopped cooking and turned to him. "I got home an hour or so ago. I've got some news…"
"No," he was quick to say, walking away from Anna. "No, no."
Anna turned around, her eyes narrowing. "What?"
"I don't think I can take any more bad news, Anna." He slouched on the chair and tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I just can't.
Sitting next to him, Anna leaned forward. He was avoiding her eyes but Anna didn't mind, all he needed to do was listen. "The antibiotics are winning. Blood pressure is going up. Oxygen levels are higher than Nielsen expected…"
She trailed off, allowing Kristoff a moment to process the information. It took a couple of seconds, but finally he sat up. "What?"
A smile plastered on Anna's face. "They've decided to wean her off sedation."
Anna wasn't entirely sure what reaction to expect out of Kristoff, but not once did she expect him to stare unfocused at the floor, unresponsive.
"Honey, did you hear what I just said?" Placing a hand on his knee, she explained herself better. "She's going to be fine."
Kristoff barely glanced at her before he focused on her hand. He stared at it, until he finally held it tight.
Anna stared at their intertwined hands as well, unsure of what to say. After a moment, a slight tremor caught her attention and she looked up to see Kristoff crying.
"Kristoff?" she asked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"I fucking needed this," he choked out. "I don't know how much longer I could've put up with this shit. I—" Unable to continue, he wrapped Anna in a tight hug and hid his face in the crook of her neck.
Anna froze in place, surprised to see his hard shell cracking. For days she had been expecting him to reach a breaking point, knowing the worry was steadily dragging him down. Though, she was surprised to see it happen at that moment. Unsure of what else to do, Anna hugged him tight, glad he was finally letting it all out.
I took Kristoff a couple of minutes to regain some composure and calm down enough to be able to speak again. He let go of Anna and scrubbed his face with both hands, trying in vain to erase any vestige of his emotional breakdown. When he finally looked at her, Anna was glad to see an honest smile drawing on his face, despite his watery eyes.
"I should probably call dad," Kristoff said when the implications of the news finally hit him. "See if mum needs anything."
"She's not staying at the hospital tonight," Anna called after him when stood up to look for the phone.
He picked the phone and turned around to look at her. "I thought you said they'd begun weaning her off the drug."
"Nielsen said it'll take several hours for her to start responding," she said. "He insisted Gerda went home tonight."
"Is Marshall staying, then?"
With a nod of her head, Anna explained what Nielsen had told them earlier that day. "Marshall needs to keep an eye on Elsa's powers. Nielsen is convinced they'll react before Elsa's fully conscious."
Kristoff pursed his lips. "They don't really work that way. But I think it's safe to be prepared." He then dialled his parents' number. "I'm glad Elsa had the chance to talk to the big guy before all this," he told Anna while he waited. "At least he knows what to expect. You were right about him."
Anna nodded but stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. She was glad Kristoff and his family were on better terms with Marshall now that he was giving them a hand. After all, Marshall was indeed doing everything in his power to help like she had originally imagined. Sadly, Anna wasn't entirely sure she had done the right thing. Ever since her conversation with Lena, Anna didn't know what to expect anymore. She had been reading, trying to find information about his disorder; and so far, everything she'd been able to find on the matter did nothing but increase Anna's ever present worry.
Promising his father to be at their place before sunrise, Kristoff hung up the phone and walked back to the kitchen. The conversation with Kai had helped him remain calm and control his need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. Even when he knew it was useless to go outside the scheduled visiting hours, he couldn't help but feel anxious about seeing Elsa. He had only seen her twice in the last five days, and now that he knew she'd be waking up soon, he had to control himself not to go sit in the waiting room until she did. At least, he had found a good excuse to stop by the hospital the following morning. He could drop his mother off before work, stay a few minutes and wait for Marhall or Nielsen to give him a report on Elsa's health. It wasn't the same as seeing Elsa, but at least he would go to work knowing more about his sister's condition.
He entered the kitchen and smiled when he saw Anna. She was too focused on the plating of their dinner to notice him, and he was glad that was the case. He knew exactly why she had chosen to cook an elaborate dish for them that night. Early on in their relationship, Kristoff discovered Anna enjoyed reading cooking books and trying new exotic dishes. She didn't care too much about cooking on a daily basis, but she was fond of the challenge of trying to cook a new dish from time to time. Following the intrinsicate steps, controlling the time and ingredients, making sure the dish looked just like in the pictures… Those were the things that fascinated her, and whenever she had the time or needed a distraction —like she desperately needed lately—, she'd get to work on a new, extravagant dish. Her hobby was something Kristoff enjoyed as well, and there were times he made sure to find strange dishes for her to try. Given the stress of the last few weeks, Kristoff thought it was more than obvious for Anna to try and find a distraction. Especially now that they both were impatient to see Elsa and all they could do was wait.
Thinking it was best to give her a hand with the table, he began moving the books and things that were scattered over the table.
"How's your dad?" Anna asked when she finally heard him moving around the kitchen.
"Optimistic," Kristoff answered with a small smile. It was a nice change to hear his father being confident things would turn out for the best for once. "Mum was already asleep. Dad says she plans to show up at the hospital around six instead of eight like she usually does. I offered to pick her up."
"They won't let you see Elsa, honey."
Kristoff knew she was only trying to save him the disappointment, but still he wished she'd be a bit more positive about it. "I can be charming when I want, a nurse might take pity on me."
Anna chuckled and looked at him over her shoulder. "As long as they don't confuse being charming with flirting…"
"You know better than anyone I have no game," laughed Kristoff.
"I know," Anna said with a smirk. "But some of those nurses are sleep deprived and haven't seen the outside world in over twelve hours."
"Ouch."
"I love you." Her merry voice said before Kristoff had the chance to complain.
"See, you say those words," Kristoff said, standing behind her. "Though I don't think you really know what they mean."
"Shut up. You know I'm crazy about you."
Kristoff grinned, knowing it was true. To his good luck, she was very much in love with him. He kissed her cheek and went back to his task at hand. He picked Anna's bag and put some of her school supplies inside. He placed a couple of books in there as well and left it on the closest armchair. Being careful not to mix up the papers and documents scattered on the table, he placed one on top of the other, and moved them to the small coffee table in the living room. As he was placing them down in the right order, a small leaflet called his attention. He left it on the side and finished what he was doing before he picked it up again. He skimmed the content quickly. The different pictures printed on it piqued his curiosity even further.
"What's this?" he asked, unsure why the whole leaflet was filled with images of people displaying violent acts.
Anna turned around, glancing quickly at him to see what he was talking about. As soon as she saw the red and blue pamphlet, Anna's face paled. "Oh, umm… Nothing. You can put that away. Food will be ready soon."
"IED?" Kristoff read out loud. "What's 'IED'?"
"It's nothing," Anna insisted. "Don't worry about it."
"Dyscontrol syndrome." Kristoff continued reading in silence for a while until a list of the common signs of the mental disorder were listed and he began reading them aloud: "Uncontrollable rage, shouting, threatening people… The list goes on and on. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like nothing. Can you imagine dealing with a person like this? I'd be on edge at all times."
When Anna didn't answer, Kristoff looked up. She was still looking in his direction, the plating of their food forgotten, but her eyes were fixed on the floor instead of him.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh?" Anna said, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before she turned around and picked up the plates in a hurry. "Yes. Of course. Just thinking."
"About?" Kristoff wondered. He knew perfectly well there was something she wasn't telling him.
"It doesn't matter." Anna placed the food on the table and looked up with a nervous smile.
Kristoff skimmed the rest of the information written and noticed there was a phone number circled at the very end. This was all the confirmation he needed to know there was something troubling Anna. "What's this about, Anna?"
"Okay…"
She hesitated and he felt sick at the pit of his stomach.
"First of all, don't get mad. Just listen."
He glanced at the pictures on the leaflet once again and then tried to meet Anna's eyes, afraid he'd see fear written in them. "Anna… I've been irritable these past few weeks. More distant. But it hasn't been that bad, has it? I mean, the lack of sleep and constantly worrying about Elsa has taken a toll on me, I know, but I would never— I don't recall doing any of these—"
Anna gasped and, without hesitation, she crossed the room to stand in front of him. "Honey, no." She said with a sad smile. She placed her hands on top of his, crumpling the piece of paper and throwing it to the floor. "You've never done anything that can be considered even remotely violent."
He looked at her hands, still holding his before he dared meet her eyes. "If I ever raised my voice at you, I swear I—"
"This has nothing to do with you. I'd say I'm way more violent than you could ever be," Anna chuckled.
Her small smile and the tender love in her eyes helped Kristoff understand she was being honest and he breathed out in relief. He wouldn't forgive himself if he ever behaved in such a deplorable way.
Bending down, he picked the crumpled pamphlet and showed it to Anna once again. "Then what's this?"
Anna glanced at the paper once more, finally noticing the red circle. She sighed nervously and guided Kristoff back to the closest chair. "The other day I ran into Marshall's mother," she began to explain. "Well, I didn't run into her. We were at her house after all. You can't run into someone in their own home, can you?"
"Anna," Kristoff warned, knowing she was sidetracking.
"Right, right." She patted the air between them. "I was waiting for Marshall to get ready before we went back to the hospital and she—"
"When was this?"
"The day I asked Marshall to look after Elsa. Anyway, she began talking to me. She mentioned how being allowed to see Elsa would help Marshall with…" With a nod of her head, Anna pointed to the pamphlet he was still holding. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since. I asked the campus librarian if there were any books about this disorder. He suggested I'd better talk to the university counsellor."
"And I guess you did." It was clear that's where Anna had gotten the pamphlet in the first place.
"I think she was concerned about my well-being and ended up circling the emergency number for me."
Breathing in deeply, Kristoff pinched the brink of his nose and breathed out slowly. He was doing his best to remain calm, but life kept insisting things had to be hard. Permanently hard. And difficult. And unbearably complicated. "What exactly did the counsellor say about this?" he asked, smacking the folded paper on the table.
"Umm… It's a mental disorder. The person suffering from it has no control over their violent outbursts."
Biting his lower lip, Kristoff took a moment to understand what it all meant. "You're telling me Marshall could impulsively attack someone with no control whatsoever?"
"His mother said it's in remission," Anna offered, hoping that would help him stay calm.
Her worried smile did nothing to help, however. "Anna, you've seen the way he acts. It doesn't sound like remission to me."
"I know. I know." Anna repeated, as she rubbed her face. She was finally letting the overly optimistic mask slip. And once it did, Kristoff was surprised to see how truly concerned she was. "That's why I can't stop thinking about it. What if I made a mistake? Do you think I made a mistake? What if Kai was right? I mean, look at this." She grabbed the crumpled paper once again and began reading out loud. "Outbursts are, more often than not, too extreme for the situation. They occur on and off unannounced, causing major distress for everyone involved.
"When she said he had an 'explosive disorder', I thought she meant he got mad from time to time. Madder than the average person, sure. But I never thought…" She trailed off, stopping to think before her eyes met his filled with trepidation. "What about the night he tried to beat the crap out of Hans? Do you think he was being serious?"
"Anna…"
"What about him getting fired? Kai and Nielsen said he got into a fight. Didn't they mention him beating someone up to a pulp?" Kristoff had no chance to answer before she continued, "I'm so sorry, Kristoff. I shouldn't have told Nielsen about him. I should've kept my mouth shut for once."
"Wait no," Kristoff said, holding Anna's hand and stopping her tirade before her anxiety blew things out of proportion. "I won't let you do this."
"What do you mean?" she asked, too tense to even try to understand what he was trying to say.
Only then Kristoff noticed her eyes welling up with tears and he tried to remain calm and offer Anna some comfort. "I'm not letting you take the blame. We all agreed he was a good choice. Even Nielsen said he was our best option… Perhaps, you did the right thing, Anna. We both know Marshall wouldn't have taken no for an answer." He waited for her to nod before he continued. "Elsa's been friends with him for over three years now. She seems to know he's got a temper, she's used to it."
"It's not just a temper, Kristoff."
He grabbed the leaflet once more and read the most important details once again. "Not once has Elsa mentioned anything like this. Perhaps it's not this bad." He looked up and noticed Anna staring at him with an incredulous expression. "What?"
Anna put her hand on top of Kristoff's, caressing his knuckles. "I'd like to stay positive, and I'm glad you're trying as well… It's just— I was certain you would freak out when you found out about this."
"I am freaking out." Kristoff laughed humorlessly. "I guess I'm trying not to let this change things. Marshall is helping, isn't he? He's been doing exactly what he was told. Nielsen trusts him and mum is finally allowing herself to sleep."
"Maybe you're right. He seems calmer now," agreed Anna. "It has helped him, just like Lena said."
"Who's Lena?"
"Marshall's mother." Anna chuckled.
Kristoff nodded and they both stayed silent, wondering if continuing to trust Marshall was in fact a good idea. Anna was the first to interrupt their pensive mood.
"What about later on? When this is all over…"
"There isn't much we can do," admitted Kristoff. "I don't think this will change the way Elsa feels about the guy. I'll try to keep an eye open. Talk to him if I ever get the chance."
"But what if—"
"I'm no better than my aunt and uncles if I say Elsa is better off without him in her life."
From the very first night, Marshall realised there was a change in the atmosphere in the early morning hours. Even in the remote room he could hear the sound of silence at the break of dawn. It was a strange feeling, if he thought about it. Under any other circumstances, he would have loved the peace and quiet. With Elsa unconscious by his side, he couldn't say he enjoyed it anymore. It reminded him of the deafening silence of the witching hour when he was a kid. Dreadfully quiet.
For this reason, he was very much surprised when a voice interrupted the silence for a second time that night.
"Any changes?" Nielsen's voice echoed in the small room and Marshall had to blink a few times to make sure the man was actually standing by the door.
He had lowered his guard, it seemed. He hadn't heard him getting closer, even when he had spent most part of the night alert of any undesirable visitors lurking in the hall. Had he fallen asleep, perhaps? It didn't seem likely.
Knowing the old doctor was a man who didn't like wasting time, he glanced at Elsa quickly, trying to find anything worth mentioning. She was still resting peacefully. The machines kept the air flowing and her heart rate in check, like they had done all night.
Nielsen watched him expectantly, while Gerda waited just outside the door for the man to move and let her into the room.
"Nothing. I know it takes time for a person to start responding," he said, feeling chattier than usual. Tiredness did that to him at times. "But I'll be lying if I said I wasn't hoping she'd start regaining consciousness during the night."
Nielsen nodded and walked into the room. Gerda followed suit and greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Here, allow me." Marshall stood up, ignoring the stiffness in his legs, and offered Gerda the only chair in the room. He knew she was there to stay, even when there was still two hours left before her shift. He couldn't blame the woman, though. As soon as Nielsen had informed them Elsa would eventually come out of the coma, he noticed the spark in her eyes, silently begging for the doctor to let her stay during the night.
Gerda thanked him and sat down, wasting no time to hold the hand he had previously been holding. He didn't mind swapping places. There was no-one who'd offer Elsa more comfort than the old woman if she were to wake up.
A nurse walked into the room and requested him to move, drawing his attention back to the doctor. Nielsen was already checking Elsa's vital signs and giving orders to the young girl who had just entered. The room felt even smaller than a moment before and he knew it was a matter of time until he was requested to leave.
"Do you need help?" he offered before he could think of anything better to say. "I could stay."
"Go home and rest." Nielsen dismissed him with a shake of his head.
There was no need for him to stay. No task to be fulfilled. Yet his feet felt glued to the ground; a knot tightening in his stomach at the idea of walking out of the room.
"Hålkesen," Nielsen called his name, his voice a clear warning. "I said, go home."
He looked at Elsa once again. Her breathing was still matching the ventilator rate and there were no signs of her responding. She was still completely vulnerable and Marshall didn't feel comfortable leaving her that day. At least until he was certain someone would stay by Elsa's side at all times.
"Could I talk to you, then? In private."
This piqued not only Nielsen's but Gerda's curiosity. The nurse looked at him as well and he wondered what was so difficult to understand about the idea of privacy.
"Is it truly important?"
Marshall's silence and seriousness seemed to be enough for Nielsen to trust his word. And so, with a sigh he handed his pen to the nurse and motioned for him to step out of the room. "Update her chart, please."
Before the doctor walked out, Marshall noticed the subtle gesture he made, intended for only Gerda to see.
After closing the door behind him, Nielsen crossed his arms and waited impatiently for Marshall to speak. "This better be important."
What had happened in the middle of the night wasn't serious. Perhaps Marshall was needlessly mistrusting people, but he wasn't going to leave anything to chance when Elsa was involved. Thinking how best to explain his uneasiness, he took a moment before he spoke.
"A doctor came to see Elsa late at night. A nurse I've never seen before was accompanying him," Marshall said, his voice barely over a whisper. "I know it may sound ridiculous, but I haven't seen them in the unit before."
He expected Nielsen to tell him he was wasting his time or simply being foolish, yet the surprise in the man's eyes was tinted with concern.
"Who?"
"He introduced himself as Landvik. He asked questions about Elsa." The crease between Nielsen's eyebrows told Marshal he had done the right thing sharing his concerns. Massaging his neck to relieve some tension, he explained, "He asked about her recovery process and any perceptible changes I've seen in the last few days."
"What did you say?"
"I told him all the necessary information was in the bed chart. The rest was between you and Elsa's family."
"Good," Nielsen murmured. He stayed quiet for a while, his eyes fixed on the floor, thinking deeply. "Make sure that's all he gets. All the information he needs is either in the chart or in my reports, as you said, clear?"
Marshall nodded, thinking what it all meant. Before he could ask, Nielsen turned around and headed to the room. So he stopped the doctor, once again. "Why would he come see Elsa personally? Why ask me these questions and not the team working in this unit? It makes no sense."
Nielsen stopped, his hand on the door knob. He pondered for a while before he met Marshall's eyes and said, "Use your head, kid. From a professional point of view, what's the first thing that came to your mind when you found out about Elsa?"
"About her powers, you mean?" he asked in a low voice. "It's impossible for her to do what she does. It makes no sense."
"Exactly."
"So, what?" He was trying to remain calm, but he didn't like what Nielsen was implying. "You're telling me he—"
A high-pitched scream coming from inside the room stopped Marshall before he could get any more information. Concern washed over both men and they ran into the room — their conversation forgotten.
"What's going on?" Nielsen demanded to know.
The young nurse was pressed against the wall, pointing at Elsa's bed. A shocked, frightened expression on her face.
"It's okay. It's okay." Gerda repeated over and over as she got closer to the nurse. "Please calm down. This is what we talked about."
As soon as Gerda saw the girl nod her head, she turned to Elsa and leaned closer, speaking softly. "Dear? Can you hear me?"
When Nielsen moved closer to Elsa's bed, Marshall finally got the chance to see what had been causing all the chaos: Snowflake-patterned frost covered a quarter of the bed and it was slowly spreading to one of the legs of the bed.
The young girl seemed disturbed by the display of Elsa's powers, and Marshall couldn't really blame her. He had seen Elsa use her powers more than once already and he still had a hard time understanding them. It was a miracle the nurse had calmed down enough not to panic nor scream anymore.
"Step aside, please," Nielsen told Gerda and reluctantly she obeyed.
"Elsa." Nielsen called her name once, twice, before he asked, "can you hear me?"
There was no response so he moved closer, to try and check her pupil reflexes. As soon as he touched her face, her eyes opened wide. The icy blue of her eyes drawing everyone's attention.
"Elsa, over here." Her eyes didn't track Nielsen's hand movement.
"Come closer," he asked Gerda, and as soon as she walked in Elsa's field of vision, her eyes fell on her.
A smile drew on Gerda's face as her eyes brimmed with tears. Marshall breathed out in relief and felt positive things would turn out okay when the ice stopped spreading.
"I need you to blink twice if you can hear me clearly," Nielsen instructed. Once again, however, Elsa didn't respond, her eyes still fixed on Gerda. "Elsa?"
"Move to the side," Nielsen requested Gerda. "Slowly. Away from her line of vision."
"Nielsen, I—"
"Do as I say, please."
When Elsa could no longer see Gerda, her eyes moved around the room, desperately trying to find her. Her eyes found Marshall's then and hoping she'd recognise him, he smiled at her. This seemed to help her calm down until Nielsen stepped in between.
"Can you blink for me, Elsa?"
Losing sight of familiar faces seemed to set Elsa off and her breathing pattern increased rapidly. Steadily becoming laboured, above the ventilator's rate.
"Don't be afraid. I need you to keep your eyes on me. Gerda is right beside you."
"Doctor Nielsen, the ice." The nurse pointed to the frost spreading fastly down the leg of the bed and onto the floor. She took a few steps back and Marshall thought it was best to help her before she panicked. Grabbing the nurse by the shoulders, he forced her out of the ice's way and closer to the door, in case she wanted to leave.
Gerda moved Nielsen out of the way and held Elsa's good hand, making sure she looked at her. "I'm here, sweetheart. I know it's scary, but you're fine. Trust me."
"The ice keeps spreading," Marshall said calmly. Stating a fact with no intention of alarming anyone.
"Move." Forcing Gerda to the side, Nielsen grabbed a syringe from the tray he had brought with him earlier and injected a small dose in Elsa's IV.
Gerda's face turned red and she did nothing to hide her disapproval. "Jonnas, what are you doing?"
"I wasn't expecting her to be this responsive so soon." He informed her. He seemed unfazed by his choice and Marshall had to count to ten not to snap at the man.
"We'll run some tests. I'm positive we might be able to extubate her before she becomes fully conscious again."
"She was responding accordingly, there was no need to—"
"I'm not going to take any risks."
As soon as the ice began to melt, Nielsen called the nurse's name and listed the steps he wanted her to follow. He explained the dose given to Elsa was small —just enough to keep her calm for no more than an hour or two— and he needed to make sure everything was in order before she woke up again.
When the nurse was about to leave the room, he called her back. "I'll need you to restrain her, just to be safe."
"Jonnas…" Gerda warned, displeased with the idea.
"It's not up for debate."
Marshall tightened his fists. But he managed to remain calm. If he were to lose control of his emotions, he'd risk losing his right to see Elsa. But that didn't mean he'd silently agree with Nielsen's idea.
"Stay with her at all times." With that last order, Nielsen walked out of the room and Marshall followed. Perhaps he could speak with the man, change his last choice without a quarrel taking place
"Nielsen, I—"
"You go home."
Marshal was about to yell at the man to listen to them, but Gerda placed a hand on his arm stopping him on time. Nielsen continued walking down the hall unaware of Marshall's rage.
"It's best if you go," Gerda said in a low voice. "I'll make sure she's safe."
Tightening his fists once again, Marshall took a few deep breaths and counted to ten, in English, Norwegian and French. When the lump in his throat disappeared, he looked at the old woman, who was looking back at him with concern. She understood his indignation. He could see it in her eyes. But unlike him, she knew better than to start a fight. Knowing it was best for everyone if he left, he apologised to Gerda and disappeared down the hall, ashamed of his behaviour.
Marshall walked out of the wards at a slow pace, trying hard to focus on anything but Nielsen's choices.
Once in the main reception, he informed Andrea, who had just started her shift, he was leaving. While he waited for her to check something he didn't care about, he felt a hand tapping his shoulder. He cursed under his breath and turned around, hoping it wasn't one of his ex-colleagues.
"Marshall," Kristoff greeted him. "Have you seen my mother? She said she'd come back and— Is everything okay?" He asked as soon as they locked eyes. "Please, tell me she's okay."
Taking another deep breath, he nodded. Kristoff had nothing to do with him being annoyed and so he tried to put on a good face. Elsa was okay, after all. He needed to focus on that. And he needed Kristoff to know that was the case. "She's responding," he said with a small smile.
"Thank goodness," Kristoff breathed out in relief. "Do you think I could—"
"I doubt Nielsen will let you see her. I was just kicked out of the room."
"Are yousure everything's okay?"
It was meant to be a joke, though Marshall should have known Kristoff would get suspicious. Playing dumb, he smiled again and nodded. "Yes. I'm just tired. I guess I don't know what I'm saying. Elsa's fine. Your mother's with her."
He looked at the receptionist to make sure everything was in order, and once she told him he could leave, he began walking towards the main door.
"See you in a couple of hours," he said, hoping not to drag the conversation any longer.
"Wait, Marshall," Kristoff called after him, catching up with him by the door. "I want– Umm… Do you want to have breakfast?"
"What?"
"You've been looking after my sister for over four days now and we haven't really spoken to one another. I haven't even said thank you."
"I haven't got any money on me."
"It's on me," Kristoff said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've got an hour to kill before work and I could use the company."
Marshall wanted to decline. Go home, take a shower and sleep. But deep down he knew it was best to accept the invitation.
I'm not even sure if this is what was supposed to happen in this chapter anymore. On Monday morning I sat down to write and edit a few scenes and dialogues I had, and somewhere along the way the characters began to make their own choices and here we are.
I'm glad they did, though. I really like the final result. It was time Anna and Kristoff could enjoy an evening on their own, even if they spent more time worrying than anything else.
Thank you all for your kind reviews. I love you all and I promise I'll respond to all of them soon.
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