Actually, two
“Get well soon, Fabala.”
Galinda woke with a sob. The harsh click of a door closing, a lock turning, echoed in her mind. Her hand flew up to her mouth to stifle the sound, her breath coming in painful gasps as her eyes rapidly flickered around the room, trying to get her bearings. Confused did not even begin to cover what she was feeling.
What was that?
She squeezed her eyes shut, stomach near-heaving with the force of another sob, trying desperately to break free. The details were rapidly slipping away from her. She knew in mere moments the dream would be lost.
Was that it? Was it a dream?
Galinda tried opening her eyes again. Their room was too bright. Every sight, sound, and smell too much all at once. Her thoughts felt disjointed and frantic. She felt her chin quiver violently, and she brought a trembling hand up to cover her eyes as tears fell, rolling down her temples and collecting at her pillow. "Oz…What was that?"
Galinda had never felt heartache like this before. Grief, yes. Sadness, anger…but this, this devastation, was new and frightening. It turned her stomach. All of this from a dream? A nightmare? One she could barely even remember now?
A whimper to her left had her eyes shoot open again, the hand previously covering her face falling to the bed. She looked over to see Elphaba, still pressed tightly against her, face buried into her side. Galinda pressed her hand flat against Elphaba's back to pull her closer, feeling the heat radiating through her sweater. The blonde moved her hand up to cup the back of Elphaba's neck and heard alarm bells going off in her head.
"Elphie," Galinda breathed, shifting and unwrapping Elphaba's arm from around her waist. "Elphie, you have to wake up." Galinda sat up abruptly, wiping tears from her cheeks with one hand, not considering how roughly she had just woken the poor girl.
Elphaba gasped from the sudden awakening, breath catching in her raw throat, throwing her into a rough bout of coughing. She kept her face angled down toward the mattress - coughing, gasping, left hand shakily coming up to support her forehead as if she was too weak to hold her head up while her body fought to settle.
"Oh, Elphie, I'm so sorry," Galinda said frantically, heart hurting at how disoriented Elphaba appeared. The blonde angled her body toward her, trembling hands hovering, ready to offer comfort or support while Elphaba worked to catch her breath. "Slow breaths, sweetness. Easy."
Elphaba's coughing slowed, and she began taking careful, steady breaths. "Oz, "she croaked, wiping tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. She was trembling, her body shifting rapidly between too hot and too cold, her chest burning, and congestion creating unbearable pressure in her face. "W-what's h-happening," she stuttered, shivering, her head lolling back and to the side as she tried to find Galinda's gaze.
Galinda reached out, gently guiding Elphaba to sit up and back against the headboard. She pulled a throw blanket up from the end of the bed to wrap around Elphaba's shoulders to offer comfort while her temperature fluctuated. "You're burning up," Galinda said, sliding off the bed, surprised to find her legs shaking. "I'm going to get you a glass of water." She quickly moved to the bathroom to fill a glass with cool water and soak a washcloth.
"Drink," Galinda said firmly, handing Elphaba the glass and ensuring she had a good grip before removing her hands. She took the wrung-out wet washcloth and held it in front of her. "I'm going to lay this across the back of your neck," Galinda told her, wincing slightly. "I imagine it's going to be very cold. I'm sorry."
Elphaba nodded, somewhat dazed, but Galinda saw her tense up, bracing herself so she knew she was coherent. When the washcloth made contact, a violent chill ran through her, goosebumps rippling across emerald skin. Once the initial shock wore off, Elphaba motioned weakly to her head.
Galinda was momentarily confused by the gesture before it dawned on her—Elphaba still had her braids wrapped. She could cool down faster if her head were uncovered. The blonde quickly removed the microfiber and shook Elphaba's dry braids.
The blonde sat back, exhaling for the first time since her abrupt awakening. Elphaba's hair was down, a cool cloth on her neck, and she was slowly sipping water. Galinda took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to ground herself.
"Hey…"
Galinda blinked and found Elphaba looking at her, worried. "What's wrong?" She whispered, her voice still strained and broken. Galinda's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Elphie. I must have fallen asleep shortly after you did. I had an awful dream." Her bottom lip trembled, breaking Elphaba's heart. "I'm just having a hard time shaking it." Elphaba nodded slowly, her expression sympathetic.
"Do you-" Elphaba swallowed carefully, closing her eyes momentarily against the pain. "Do you have nightmares often?"
Galinda's short laugh came out, sounding closer to a sob. "No. No, I never have nightmares." She ran a trembling hand through her hair, roughly undoing the remnants of her messy bun, shaking her loose curls out. "I guess that's why I'm so…" she trailed off, waving her hand vaguely toward herself and her fragile state.
Elphaba nodded slowly. They sat quietly while Galinda's breathing evened out as she collected herself. Finally, the older girl spoke, voice dropping in and out as she was on the last leg of losing it altogether. "I have them… fa..irly often." She gave the blonde a sad smile. "I feel awful for quite a while afterwa..rd usually. I'm sorry you had one today."
Galinda looked up from where her eyes had been trained on a corner of her quilt. Elphaba was still trembling, her eyes bloodshot and tired. The blonde reached forward, pulling the ends of the throw blanket draped around Elphaba's shoulders tighter, wrapping her more snuggly before brushing a few loose braids behind an emerald ear.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Elphaba's voice continued to break every other word, but Galinda could still follow. She shook her head, sighing.
"I don't remember it."
~~~
It took a bit of cajoling from Elphaba before Galinda agreed to step away and take a shower, but eventually, she did, returning refreshed and in much better spirits. While letting her own hair air dry, Galinda got to work on Elphaba's, lightly moisturizing her scalp and gently squeezing oil into her braids before passing her silk scarf to wrap her hair so she could lay down comfortably. Galinda held Elphaba's face, thumbs brushing against hot cheeks.
"You're so warm," she mumbled, eyes dancing across emerald freckles. "We need to get you into something lighter, I think." Galinda stood from the bed and moved to her wardrobe, selecting a thin nightgown for Elphaba to change into, handing it to her, and turning around to give her privacy to change while she quickly started French braiding her own hair.
"You haven't really eaten anything today," Elphaba whispered, prompting Galinda to turn around as she finished her braid. Galinda smiled at the sight of Elphaba in her nightgown before quickly frowning as she considered what the other girl had said.
"That isn't true, I had-"she motioned toward the tray on her desk before stopping. The second bowl of soup sat full and ice cold on the tray. "Oh! Well, look at that." She turned back to Elphaba, dimple popping out as she cracked a smile. "I suppose it's time for dinner!"
The blonde buzzed around the suite, dressed in casual but still Galinda-appropriate public attire, and whirled around to face the green girl. "I'll pop down and pick up a few light options for us. Can I get anything else for you while I'm out?"
Elphaba shrugged. "Nothing I can think of. Hurry back?" She whispered, absolutely delighting Galinda. The blonde bounced forward and planted a loud, indulgent kiss on her forehead before twirling up and out of their suite, leaving Elphaba chuckling.
~~~
"This is…gross, right?"
Galinda turned to Pfannee in line beside her with a polite smile. He stared at the lackluster meal options before them, eyes darting between the buffet line and the golden dispensers distributed around the seating area for those less picky.
Pfannee and ShenShen had accosted her upon entering the cafeteria. After spending the better part of ten minutes explaining that she would not be eating down there, why she would not be eating down there, and why, and why again, she finally allowed them to attend the buffet line alongside her and share the precious minutes of her time they so desperately sought.
"Oh, I don't know about that…" she said while selecting only a basket of mixed bread rolls, butter, and cheeses. Today's offerings were terrible, but Galinda wasn't too concerned. She knew Elphaba wouldn't have much of an appetite right now anyway, so bread and some of the fruit she still had upstairs would likely be more than enough for her.
ShenShen's coughing in front of her distracted Galinda from Pfannee's whining. "How are you feeling, Shen?" she asked, genuinely asking about the girl's well-being. After seeing how the last 24 hours had been for Elphaba, she felt bad for everyone currently afflicted with this cold—except for Fiyero.
ShenShen whirled and almost looked embarrassed. "Fine! Just fine, Galinda, wonderfiying in fact." She led the way out of the buffet line once Pfannee had made his selection - unsurprisingly, a basket of mixed bread rolls, butter, and cheeses. "If you wanted to sit with us I'm certain there'd be no risk of you contracting this horrendible cold."
Galinda turned to face her two friends but stepped away to indicate she'd be leaving the cafeteria. "Well, I'm happy to hear you're feeling well, Shen." She nodded toward the main entryway. "But I'll be heading back to my suite for the evening. Enjoy dinner, won't you!" The blonde spun and quickly left the cafeteria, kindly returning greetings to fellow students along the way.
She had almost made it around the corner when she heard her name called out again- this time by a more familiar voice. Galinda turned and happily greeted her roommate's sister. "Hello, Nessa!"
Nessa smiled up at her. "Hi, Galinda. I like your hair like that. The braid is nice." The blonde beamed and opened her mouth to thank her, but Nessa beat her. "How is Elphaba doing?"
Galinda pursed her lips. "She's running quite a high fever but is in mostly good spirits, I'm happy to say." The blonde held up the tray. "It's not the most exciting fare, but I've managed to collect a few items for a light meal. If you'd care to join us, I'm sure Elphie would love to spend a little time with you."
The brunette visibly froze, somewhat alarming Galinda. "Oh no, no, that's alright." Nessa flexed her fingers as she prepared to spin around quickly and move away. "I'm sure she needs to rest. Will you tell her I hope she feels better?"
Galinda felt something stir in the back of her mind. She cocked her head and gave Nessa her kindest smile. "Of course I'll pass your well wishes along, yes. But I still think she'd appreciate hearing it from you. Or to see you?" Galinda tightened her grip on her tray as she heard a faint ringing in her ears. "While I know Elphie positively adores my company, I'm certain seeing her sister would only help lift her spirits and aid in her recovery. Shall we?" Something in Galinda was pushing her on this. To insist Nessa join her.
Nessa hesitated momentarily but finally relented. "Sure, yeah. I'd love to see her." She gave Galinda a weak smile - almost resigned - and nodded, directing Galinda to walk ahead and lead the way. Galinda smiled fully and pivoted to continue down the hall. She had the strangest feeling that she was on the precipice of something - like when a word is on the tip of your tongue and you've almost got it. That, combined with the growing ringing in her ears and the sound of Nessa's wheelchair following behind her, had the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.
~~~
Elphaba caught a sneeze in her handkerchief just as the door opened, followed by two more right as she heard two sets of voices come into the room. She realized Galinda had come back with someone. "Oh! Blessyou, Elphie!" Galinda exclaimed as she entered and briskly walked toward Elphaba's desk to set down the new tray. Elphaba turned her head and was surprised to see her sister there, nervously flexing her fingers around the wheels of her chair.
"Hey, Nessa," Elphaba strained to say, her voice coming out as a squeaky whisper. She rolled her eyes and vaguely waved toward her throat. "I'm not in prime form today."
Nessa laughed, shaking her head. "Oh no, you certainly are not." She came forward until she was right beside the bed, close enough to reach out and take Elphaba's hand if she chose to. "Are you alright?" her sister asked, eyebrows furrowed, concern swirling with…something…on her face. I mean, I know you're unwell. But are you alright? Sleeping alright?"Nessa awkwardly fumbled through her questions.
Elphaba shrugged. "I haven't really been able to sleep today at all." She looked to Galinda, who was buttering a bread roll at the desk. The blonde held it out to her in an offering, but the green girl refused, not yet hungry or really interested in eating. Galinda took a small piece of roll for herself and leaned back against the desk to watch the two sisters speak.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, hopefully, you'll get to rest tonight." Nessa said politely, although she appeared distracted, her eyes searching around Elphaba. "Why are you in Galinda's bed?"
Elphaba glanced around and realized this may not be normal roommate behavior. Not that she and Galinda were only roommates, of course. And not that Elphaba cared about what behavior was perceived as normal by others. But still… it potentially warranted an explanation, considering no one knew what Elphaba and Galinda actually were—including Elphaba and Galinda, not officially, not in words—the only issue is Elphaba didn't have an explanation. She looked to Galinda for help, lifting a brow as they made eye contact.
Galinda smiled slowly, almost flirtatiously, as she popped another piece of bread into her mouth. "Because I wanted her there. To keep a close eye on her," she said, looking to Nessa, prepared to give her a blinding, nonplussed smile if necessary. "Help keep her warm and cozy." Elphaba shook her head, feeling a smile stretch across her face.
Nessa shrugged, unphased by the actual answer, but still seeking something more. She opened her mouth to say something else but hesitated when she saw Elphaba's eyes flutter shut, one hand bringing the handkerchief to her face while the other held out one finger. She waited while her sister fought with the blooming sneeze, breath hitching once, twice… then nothing. Elphaba groaned and leaned back, opening her eyes and finding Nessa's with a whispered, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
The younger girl smiled. "It was nothing. I should probably get going and let you rest. I just wanted to say hello," she rolled backward and swiveled toward the door, waving Galinda off as she moved to come forward and open the door for her. "I got it." She reached forward and opened the doors, looking back to Galinda. "Thank you for inviting me up and taking such good care of her." Nessa gave the blonde a grateful smile. Strange. Galinda nodded and smiled back. Nessa looked to Elphaba, who was back to fighting off a sneeze, and bit back a smile as she observed her sister's plight.
"Get well soon, Fabala."
Elphaba waved in the general direction of the suite doors at Nessa's farewell comment, eyes still shut as she waited to see if the sneeze would bloom or leave her miserable absent the release. She heard the doors close just as the tickle tipped over the edge. "Hehh… TSCHhh!" She waited. Huh, just the one. That's refreshing.
When she opened her eyes, Elphaba saw and felt a strange new tension in the air. She looked to Galinda still standing by her desk and froze. The blonde's face was blank, eyes shifting rapidly in all directions as if she was watching or calculating something unseen. Her hands twitched around the half-eaten bread roll she still held, little pieces falling off occasionally. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and turned away from Elphaba as if trying to hear something more clearly in the other direction.
Then, it all stopped.
Her hands, the muscles in her cheek that were twitching moments before, her eyes no longer moving beneath her lids. No more than a second or two had passed, but it was enough to alarm Elphaba.
"Galinda," she said, trying to vocalize loudly for the first time since her voice began going earlier that day, but her voice was still only coming through as a hoarse whisper. "Galinda, what is it?"
“But who will care for dear Nessarose…”
"Governor, please…"
"No, no, Dulcibear! We are all leaving today."
"Yes, Father."
"Get well soon, Fabala."
Galinda's eyes opened suddenly, but she continued facing away from Elphaba. "What was that," she whispered to no one, but pieces were beginning to come together.
“Get well soon, Fabala.”
"Galinda…?" The blonde jumped and turned quickly to face Elphaba, the older girl's tone startling her out of her stupor. Elphaba looked almost painfully concerned for her, a little pale, her bloodshot eyes standing starkly out against her emerald skin. "Are you alright? What's going on?" She pulled the blankets back and got up, approaching Galinda on unsteady legs but intent on reaching her.
Elphaba reached for the blonde's hands, putting the bread roll aside and grasping them tightly to get her attention. "Galinda." Her breath came out as a slight wheeze with her effort to be heard.
Galinda stared at her, eyes filling with tears, mouth dropping open as if to say something, only to close again as her chin quivered uncontrollably. "Elphie," she breathed, voice breaking, squeezing her hands back.
Suddenly, the younger girl's arms were wrapped tightly around Elphaba's trembling frame. Galinda held the back of her head in one hand, her other hand pressed firmly against the middle of her back. "Galinda, you're scaring me," Elphie whispered, feeling the blonde tighten her hold and tucking her face against Elphaba's feverish neck. Elphaba held her, not knowing what else to do.
Galinda’s mind was overloading.
“Elphie,” she whispered. “I think I remember my dream.”
~~~
A series of sharp knocks at her door caught Nessa's attention quickly, as she wasn't expecting anyone. "Come in," she called out, closing her textbook and turning to greet her visitor.
Galinda stood in the doorway, hands clasped primly in front of her. She smiled - no dimple to be found. "Nessa." The blonde said, stepping into the girl's room.
"Question for you," Galinda intoned, turning to close the suite door. "Actually, two."