A while later, there was a knock on the door, and The Wizard stepped inside. Elphaba pulled up the covers to hide her pajamas; they were perfectly modest, but she knew that white lace wasn't exactly the right choice to make him take her more seriously.

"Just checking in on you. Everything alright?"

"Yes, she seems better," Madame Morrible told him before Elphaba had the chance to speak.

"Good, good. Listen, kiddo, I know being stuck here is the last thing you want, so, uh, I could get in touch with any friends of yours, if you want me to. No point in being lonely while you're here."

"No." Her father and Nessa had been so excited for her when they waved goodbye at the station; they were the last two people who needed to know she was in any kind of controversy. And Fiyero…well, Galinda probably checked his mail with the thoroughness of The Wizard's guards. Any letter she sent him would find its way to the fireplace, even if it was sent from the palace.

"I don't…have anyone," she clarified, not wanting to sound rude. Madame Morrible was right; he was being far more merciful than she deserved, and he was even taking time out of his day to check on her and send letters on her behalf, so she owed him some modicum of politeness.

The Wizard smiled again, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in a way that made it impossible to dislike him, at least for that instant. "Well, now, Elphaba, that's not, uh, strictly true. You've got a visitor, if you're up to seeing anyone."

"What? Who?"

"Kinda ruin the surprise if I told you, wouldn't it? You up to it?"

"Okay."

"Gosh, you don't seem too sure, maybe I should tell him you're too tired or—"

"No! I mean, yes, I'm sure," she blurted out, his choice of pronoun piquing her curiosity. Nessa was the only person she could think of who might actually want to visit her.

"Good, I'll go get him for you."

"It's not my father, is it?" Elphaba asked Madame Morrible once he left the room.

"Of course not. The Wizard offered, but I gathered from the way you've spoken about them that he and your sister wouldn't be welcome."

Fiyero. Could it be Fiyero? It had to be Fiyero. Maybe Madame Morrible knew they were friends; obviously she paid attention to what Elphaba said. Maybe Galinda allowed him out of her sight to visit her. Maybe he could stay a while; he hardly cared about his studies. He could stay and they could talk and get to know each other, and maybe…

She sat up at the sound of footsteps. But they weren't footsteps, they were—

"Dr. Dillamond!"

"Miss Elphaba." His voice was weaker than she remembered, but it was him and he was safe. She reached out and leaned down, giving his neck an awkward hug from her bed.

"What happened? I thought—"

"It seems I was arrested by mistake, that I'm," he cleared his throat, "'one of the good ones'."

"Yeah," The Wizard cut in, stepping inside again. "When Madame Morrible told me what happened, of course, I, uh, cut through all the red tape to get him out as fast as I could."

Elphaba allowed herself to smile back at The Wizard for the first time, glad that justice had been served.

"We'll leave you two to get caught up, okay?" The Wizard and Madame Morrible left, and Elphaba hugged Dr. Dillamond again.

"You're really alright? They didn't hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine now." He spoke slowly, his eyes darting around the room. But he was safe, he was probably just overwhelmed like she was when she first arrived at the palace.

"And how are you, Miss Elphaba? Is the city everything you dreamed it would be?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't gotten to explore much." She wanted to tell him what she had learned, but if he started speaking out against The Wizard, he would just get in trouble again. Maybe she misunderstood, she must have misunderstood, or else The Wizard wouldn't have been so nice to her or let Dr. Dillamond go. She couldn't start spreading rumors, not when she still couldn't think straight. After all, she had mutilated those monkeys; the only one who went around attacking animals was her.

"How did you hurt your head, if I may ask?"

"Oh, it was silly, I…don't remember. I got overwhelmed and I must have fallen. But they're taking care of me, The Wizard and Madame Morrible."

"Good."

Elphaba wondered if his voice had always been so flat. Maybe that was how he talked normally, maybe he forced himself to sound more impassioned while he was teaching. "Are you going back to school?" she asked.

"Yes, Madame Morrible and I are taking the train tonight. It seems my job has been restored."

"I'll see you in a few days, then. I just have to stay here until my head gets better. Two days, the doctor said."

"I see. Yes, that will be lovely."

"I'm so happy you're okay," she repeated, unsure of what else to say while his mood was so somber. He could at least pretend to be glad to see her. She thought they were friends; he'd said they were friends, but maybe that didn't actually mean anything.

"Elphaba, please," he whispered, "I'm worried that you're—"

"Sorry to interrupt," The Wizard announced as he opened the door. "But you understand, Doctor, she needs to rest if she's gonna go back to school. And we don't want you to be late for your train, do we?"

"No, I suppose not." Dr. Dillamond inclined his head toward her and walked out the door.

"It was good to see you!" Elphaba called out to him, flinching at the sound of her own, overly cheerful voice.

"It was good to see you too, Miss Elphaba," Dr. Dillamond responded before leaving her alone with The Wizard for the first time.

"Thank you! Really, I was so worried about him, I just…I can't thank you enough!"

He shrugged. "I knew he was someone you cared about, so, uh, you know, I figured…You want me to read to you a little bit?" he asked, eyeing the book Madame Morrible left on the nightstand.

"I guess."

"I don't have to if you don't want me to."

"It's not that, it's just—don't you have more important things to do?"

"No, you're, uh, kinda the most important thing right now. So, what's this about, anyhow?" He picked up the book and flipped it open before she could take in what he'd said.

"It's about a convent."

"Oh, sure, all those nuns getting up to no good. Yeah, that, uh, sounds like fun"

"It's not that kind of book," she gasped, her cheeks flushing at the thought of even bringing a book like that into The Wizard's palace, let alone asking him to read it aloud to her. "It's nonfiction! It's-it's very…serious, and…" her voice died down as The Wizard laughed at her outrage.

"Alright, I, uh, I'm very sorry. Let's read this, uh, incredibly serious book about nuns who get up to absolutely no mischief whatsoever."

She leaned back on her pillow, fighting the urge to smile again. Within a few minutes, she found herself getting tired, and eventually let herself fall asleep to the sound of his soothing, deep voice.