Kiss Me, I'm Irish {An Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction}

Chapter 25: Awakening

Hello everyone. Sorry for the HUGE delay in uploading. I have been slammed with homework, projects, exams, and work. I have hardly had time to sleep, let alone write. I've been slowly writing this chapter over about two weeks time now, and I'm finally done with it. I decided to take another turn with it, so the story will actually be a little longer than I originally anticipated. I hope you all enjoy! :)

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Diana had been awake for a while. The girl didn't want to get up, so she kept her eyes closed tightly. Although she felt drowsy, she couldn't fall back asleep. On top of that, Diana was in a lot of pain, and she could only assume it was from where the bullet had entered her chest. Admittedly, Diana wasn't even sure if she was alive. All she could remember before blacking out was Artemis' face and what she thought was an elf.

Just at the thought, Diana flew upright, eyes fluttering open in the process. The girl glanced around the room, trying to figure out exactly where she was. Judging by the crisp, white nature of the room, not to mention the IV in her arm, Diana assumed she was in some sort of a hospital. The girl felt her arm dangling over the edge of her bed, so she moved it back towards the bed. But she was surprised when she was met with resistance. Diana was shocked when she glanced over to see Artemis' hand clutching tightly to hers.

This bewildered Diana. Why would Artemis be holding her hand? Especially while she was sleeping? The Irish boy was asleep in an awkward position in his chair, his head leaning against the wall. Diana figured he had probably fallen asleep there some time ago, and although he was asleep, Artemis did not look at ease like most people do while they're sleeping. His face was etched into a frown, his brow furrowed. Diana wondered if she would be able to put his mind at ease.

"Artemis," she said quietly. "Wake up."

Diana watched the boy carefully as his eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the artificial lighting in the room. He rubbed his eyes with his freehand before looking over at Diana. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"As well as one could be considering the circumstances," Diana admitted. She paused for a moment, wondering how she should ask her next question. "What exactly happened? I... don't remember much of it," she added, not including the question she really wanted an answer to.

Artemis took a deep breath. "You were shot," he stated. "We... weren't even sure if you were going to make it for a while there. But thanks to Holly and Foaly, you'll be fine. Just some minor scarring where the bullet when in."

Diana nodded. "I figured that much. Where did I get hit exactly?"

Artemis' face scrunched up. "Well, I would show you, but it would be a bit inappropriate."

Diana slowly placed her hand where she felt the pressure of pain. The girl's hand finally came to rest on the left hand side of her chest, just slightly away from her heart. Diana flinched slightly upon touching it. "How long is it going to hurt like this?" she inquired, pulling her hand away from her injury.

Artemis shrugged. "I assume not for too much longer, but considering I've never been injured like this it's hard for me to give you an exact timetable for your recovery. I'll assume it'll probably be in pain until it's completely healed," he guessed. He glanced up at the clock. "You haven't been out of surgery very long, and Holly should actually be back any minute to check on you."

There was that Holly person again. Diana thought Artemis has mentioned her before, but she was honestly not sure when or how. And who was Foaly? Diana's brain was growing all the more curious, and she wanted answers. She didn't say anything for a moment while she pondered that. "Who's Holly? And Foaly?" she eventually asked.