confusifying | wicked | book 3/3

Elphie

Carefully, I push the door open to my sisters hospital room and am greeted with an unusual sight.
My sisters bed is at a smaller angle that it was before and she's looking straight up at the ceiling.
An old woman, probably a nurse, is holder her hand and my sister squirms and fidgets.
"Nessa?" I croak from my side of the room.
My sister sighs heavily.
"For Oz's sake!" She cries "Elphaba why are you here?"
I feel slightly hurt but I chose not to shout back at my obviously in distress sister.
"Miss Nessarose, do be kind to your sister." The nurse chuckles back.
The nurse let's go of my sisters hand much to her dismay and walk over to me.
"You must be Elphaba." She whispers "I'm Marigold, your sisters nurse. Would you come over and hold her hand for me."

I do as I'm told and grasp my sisters hand tightly and notice the pain in her face.
"Marigold I can't do this, this is ridiculous!" My sister snaps angrily.
"I know but you have to wait an hour."
"Well clearly I'm not ready to have it removed so put it back in!" Nessa cries.
Suddenly, she clutches my hand with both of hers and looks at me desperately.
"I can't do this Elphaba, I really can't do this." My sister whispers pitifully, she turns her head towards Marigold and begs for her IV to be put back in but is sadly denied her request.
Abruptly my sisters face changes to pure fear.
"Marigold!" She cries, "please can you just get out for a moment."
Marigold scurries our the room and I turn to my sister as she lets out the build up of pain and powers from within her.

I'm thrown violently to the floor and trays and pictures rattle in their places, A large large crack rips through the clock face on the wall.
My sister screams and Marigold rushes back in and I scramble back to my feed.
"Ma'am?" She squeaks.
"Please," my sister whispers defeatedly "please I can't do this."
Marigold looks at the clock on the wall suspicious before analysing the time.
"Twenty minutes Miss Nessarose," She says sweetly, wading over to hold my sisters hand.
Protectively, I grasp onto Nessas other hand and feel her trembling.
"Elphie you shouldn't have come," my sister whispers, "just go home and tell everyone that I'm fine."
I shake my head viciously.
"I'm not going anywhere when your in this state." I reply strictly.
Nessas shaky little hand clutches tenderly at mine, she turns her head towards Marigold who gives her a wizened smile.
"Your doing brilliantly my dear."

A after a while, my sister lets out a meek little cry, as Marigold reinserts the needle into my sisters arm, followed by a small dosage of sleeping medication.
I watch my sisters eyes flutter closed and Marigold ventures over to a chair, sits down upon it and sighs sadly, I sit down in an adjacent chair.
The old woman turns to me and I notice how young and kind her eyes are, even in such an aged face her eyes are still youthful and glowing.
Though in saying that she can the too old, perhaps in her fifties like my mother.
"She's a sad story your sister." Marigold mumbles, I don't know how to respond and I'm not sure if the look that she's giving me is because of my sister or because I'm green.
"She's such a kind person" marigold continues "she thinks herself such a burden but she's actually quite good company."
I clear my throat and stop marigold from talking.
"Is she improving?" I ask bluntly.
The woman ponders for a moment.
"No, but we weren't expecting her to" she replies "we're doing what we can to make her comfortable, Miss Elphaba."

Comfortable.
I've heard doctors say that before, when our mother was experiencing terrible fatigue and morning sickness with Nessa, we had a permanent doctor in the house with us and they always told us to make sure she was comfortable.
"Comfortable?" I question fearfully "you don't mean that she's dying, right?"
The nurse shakes her head but sighs sadly and turns her gaze back to my sister.
"She's not dying but she's not exactly thriving either." Marigold responds after a while "it's a difficult question because she got drastically worse when we took her off the IV so we don't know when she will be stable without it."
"And what about her coming home?" I query, trying to remain calm. "She has a family who miss her very much."
Marigold looks over at my sisters regal wheelchair.
"The first step would be getting her out of bed, but she can't come home until she's off of the IV because you can't administer it to her."
I listen to what the old woman is saying but I'm just so desperate to bring my sister home, it's terribly selfish really.
"Couldn't you just give me enough fluids to give her at home?"
"We've considered that Miss Elphaba, but if your sister needs them for a very long time, it wouldn't be practical." Marigold responds wisely, she tilts her head towards the broken clock. "Your sister should be waking up any minute now then."

Looking at Nessas bed I can see that her nurse was completely right, I watch as my sister scrunches up her face and slowly opens her eyes.
I stand up to be with her but my sister shakily raises her hand to stop me.
"Elphaba I'm fine, don't get up." Nessarose croaks bluntly.
"Good sleep ma'am?" Marigold asks.
Nessa chuckles.
"Well I do feel well rested," my sister replies "Elphaba, you should be going soon, mother will begin to worry."
I nod, knowing that my sister really just wants to be left in peace for a while.
Hesitatingly I stand up and make my way towards the door.
"I think Bocs coming in a few days." I mumble "I've tried to space out everyone's visits so your not crowded."
"I love you sister," Nessa mumbles. "Thank you for taking care of me."