Survival

Chapter 53

Then next morning, Elsa woke up to the worst headache in the world. It was so awful she could barely open her eyes and laid where she was for about an hour trying to muster the courage to open them. When she finally did, the light in the room was blinding which only made her head pound harder.

Her muscles were sore and heavy, as if she hasn't used them in weeks and they have lost their function.

Her mouth feels incredibly dry but she is too weak to reach for the glass of water by the nightstand. But Elsa knows she is supposed to take her pills. And so she does. She manages to swallow them, but she has to gag through them.

As of right now, it doesn't seem like she can stomach any food and if she tried Elsa would likely puke all the contents.

It was perhaps afternoon when Mr. Corona walks in for his usual monitoring on how Elsa is doing. When he came in, he thought she was asleep and was about to leave when he hears a whimper.

He frowns and lightly knocks to let her know he is in the room and enters.

"Elsa?"

Elsa tries to turn her head to the direction of his voice but fails.

Mr. Corona stops at the edge of the bed and worryingly asks, "Are you feeling okay?"

She musters her energy into a slight shake of her head.

"May I?" he asks before gently placing the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're very warm."

He kneels down so he's at her level and soothingly says, "I am only going to feel your tonsils." Mr. Corona reaches for her and Elsa instinctively shrinks away from his hands.

He quickly pulls his hands away and looks at her. The way Elsa looks at him, with fear in her eyes, makes him feel like a monster. It's not her fault. She can't help it. He knows this. He understands that. But it makes Mr. Corona feel terrible.

"It's fine. I want to see how swollen your throat is," he soothes. The dark shadows slightly vanish from Elsa's eyes and she lets him feel her throat. As his fingers lightly graze over her skin, he feels her throat bob as she swallows.

Not wanting to put her through any more discomfort, he lets her go and reaches for her medication pouch and looks through the contents. Mr. Corona holds an orange bottle that is mostly full, "Is this what you're taking?"

She nods her head.

"This is pretty strong and the symptoms are usually quite heavy." He puts the bottle down and outs his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to call the pharmacy and see if we can get you a refill on the previous bottle."

"Thank you."

Mr. Corona smiles at her and heads back to the door. "I'm going to get you some water first before heading back to the pharmacy."

For the rest of the morning, Mr. Corona did his best to keep Elsa company; bringing her fluids, making sure she is taking her medication, and just...being there for her so she knows that if there is something she needs, he'll be right there.

***

Elsa woke up around the evening.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Dad told me about the fever."

She turns around and spots Rapunzel by the threshold, her backpack slung over one shoulder as she enters and plops down on the edge of the bed.

Elsa slowly sits up against the pillows and takes a long drink of water. She clears her throat and answers, "Better. I still feel a little disoriented and warm."

Rapunzel looks at her and smirks, "Well, I might have something that can make you feel better."

Elsa blinks at her.

Rapunzel turns around and calls out, "Frost!"

Elsa whips her head in surprise and spots Jack appear by the door. Her heart––as if it has a mind of its own––starts to beat a little a faster when he hesitantly enters.

For a second, Elsa marvels at the sight of him—the way he looks in his black jeans and t-shirt, his messy silver air, and those eyes....

He shoots Rapunzel an annoyed glance and comments. "I have a first name you know."

Rapunzel turns to looks at him and rolls her eyes and laughs, "Yes, but "Frost" has a nice ring to it."

He chuckles and stops a few feet from the bed. His eyes look at Elsa up and down as if assessing if she is hurt or needs anything. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Elsa swallows the tightness in her throat and whispers, "I'm fine."

He puts his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry if coming here seems unorthodox. I can leave if you––"

"No!" She blurts absentmindedly. Heat rushes to her face. "Y-You don't have to go."

Rapunzel gives Jack a secretive smile and gestures to bring one of the chairs by the desk towards the bed where both the girls lay.

Jack gets a chair and brings it next to Elsa and sits. He looks at her and says, "I'm glad you're doing fine. Did you sleep alright?"

Elsa nods her head. "Mhm. I woke up with a slight fever is all."

Worry floods into his eyes and he leans a bit further and asks, "Are you okay?"

She lets out a small chuckle and and answers, "Yes. It's just a fever. I've been through worse." The last sentence was meant to come off as a joke, but instead it comes out of her mouth sourly. And when Jack's and Rapunzel's smile fade, Elsa wishes she can take it back.

Jack and Rapunzel share an uneasy and guilty look and Elsa is left feeling awkward.

If she keeps bringing up the past, it is going to appear as if she hasn't actually forgiven them. She will constantly be replaying what the Big Four did to her when it's time to move on.

Oh god, now I've made it awkward. Now they are––

"We know you have," Jack comments. "We know you've been through unspeakable pain. But we are here to do everything in our power to help you and give you what you never had." He now looks at her with sheer determination.

Rapunzel nods her head, her green eyes gleaming in the golden sun along with her blond hair. "We are, Elsa. We are here to help you in any way we possibly can."

When Jack reaches for her hand, Elsa is surprised she didn't pull hers away. Instead, she grasps his hand and squeezes it.

For a second, Elsa allows herself to marvel and remember this moment––her hand fitting perfectly in his, the way Jack's thumb grazes her skin, and how he doesn't seem to want to let go no matter how cold her hand probably feels. Jack never seemed to mind.

When there was nothing more to it than that, she closes her eyes and relaxes.

Rapunzel smiles at their joined hands and then starts to ramble about a new movie that's playing. Elsa was only half listening, she was too busy focusing on Jack holding her hand.

It felt like old times. Before everything went to hell. Back when Jack would find small opportunities to touch her. She has forgotten how much she missed when he held her. For a long time, Jack was the only person to show her a sliver of kindness.

And for that one moment, when there was nothing more to it than that, Elsa let herself relax and pretend that everything was going to be alright. Elsa let herself believe that no harm can come to her as long she is with Jack and with people who care for her.