![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
For those of you who have read Speak and have been waiting ages for the update, I have a special treat for you. I haven't quite finished the chapter, but i have the first part done. So to hold you over until I get the next part done, I'll post the first (and sort of more boring part) here.
Speak
Chapter Sixteen
The first thing I saw was the light. That same bright light was back, which was odd because it hadn’t been there for my other “flashbacks”. Next thing I felt was how stiff I felt, how uncomfortable my neck ached. Then I heard the sounds of the voices around me. I struggled to get up, to tell Hermione that I was okay, and make sure she wasn’t worrying. After all that she had done for me, I didn’t want to repay her with worry. I opened up my eyes, but this time it hadn’t been so long that I couldn’t see. I could still see some spots in my vision, but it wasn’t too bad.
“Look! She’s awake!” a man said.
“Obviously, Jonathon. What have I said about stating the obvious?” a woman said.
“And what have I said about squabbling? Honestly, what am I going to do about the pair of you!” the black woman said. It all seemed so familiar, like what had happened the first time. Was this the first time? Was all that had happened before a dream and this was really reality? Or was I still in the coma and what had happened before was reality? The black woman spoke again (if I recall correctly from last time, her name was Sarah), “At least make yourself useful. Grab Granger from the eating area.” Granger? Hermione was here!
“Now as for you, we need to put you through some tests to make sure you won’t go into a coma again. I’m going to put you back to sleep until they are done to make sure everything’s all right.” As she took out her wand to do a spell, I tried to tell her I wanted to see Hermione first, that I wanted Hermione to be the one to do the spell, but it was too late. Already I could feel myself sinking back into darkness. Fortunately, for once my sleep was dreamless. Which is good, because having flashbacks usually makes you more tired than you were before. And since I had several, it was especially bad. It felt like normal sleep this time, actually.
After a while I rolled over again, and when I opened my eyes I found Hermione sitting in the chair next to me reading a book.
I must have made less noise than I thought I did by waking up, since she barely even moved her head. "Hermione?" I said quietly. She jerked away from her book and, seeing who called her, shut it quickly and stood up next to me.
“Don’t ever scare me like that ever again! Next time you feel a relapse coming on, tell me!” she scolded, though I think she was teasing with the last part.
“Sorry. But you’re supposed to be able to tell, you’re the doctor!” I said, grinning weakly. I was still very tired.
“You should go back to sleep or Sarah’ll have my hide. You need your rest, and don’t get too overexcited.” Happy to comply, I was back asleep in minutes.
&&&
I stayed in the hospital for three days (it would have been two, but Hermione persuaded them an extra day to make sure I was still okay).
When I was finally told that I could go home, I got a barrel of salt with my joy.
"I'm not sure if you should go home with Miss Granger this time, Kendra," Sarah told me, flipping through the papers on her clipboard as if she didn't want to meet my eyes. "It hasn't done you any good, it seems, than if you were still here. It actually seems to be doing harm." Hermione stood behind her a good distance, looking as if this was no new news to her and keeping her eyes on her shoes.
I stared up at shuffling Sarah in disbelief. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and glared at her. "What harm? Just because I'm having fla- relapses doesn't mean that it's Hermione's fault! Do you know how boring it would be to stay in a hospital bed when you could just as easily go to a fun and exciting young person's flat?" My voice was starting to go squeaky, but I persisted. "What's the use of keeping me here, anyway? I'm just wasted, bored space in this damned place!”
Sarah seemed slightly taken aback by my outburst. "We could monitor you easier here-"
"Monitor?! Now that's just a load of crap," I shrieked. I was starting to attract attention from the hallway outside my door, but I didn't notice. I sat up more firmly, allowing for my arms to gesture freely. "Hermione keeps a closer eye on me than all of the hospital Healers here combined, no matter how much more certified or experienced you are! And despite what you seem to think, she is a great doctor!" Hermione started to blush, although she kept her face to the floor. This seemed to be my battle to fight.
Sarah started to back away from me, hands and clipboard held up in defense, like my anger could burn her. "I'm just following orders, Miss!" she tried to protest, but I'd had enough of the silly Healers and their idea that I was some kind of vegetable.
"I don't care," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and turning away from her. The clothes I had been wearing the last time I had fainted were on the unused other bed in the cell, and I picked up my jeans and pulled them on under my gown, aware of the other two in the room. "I've had enough of this place," I told her, pulling my jacket on and throwing down my shoes, stuffing my feet into them without caring to ties the laces. "Come on, Hermione, I'm leaving," I told her, spitting the words more at Sarah than at Hermione. "You're twelve times the doctor these people will ever be." I shoved my folded shirt and undergarments under the flap of my jacket and grabbed Hermione's stunned hand, who still seemed to be in a kind of daze from my shouting bout, and dragged her out the door, past the horde of spectators gathered around the door, and into the lift down the hall.
"Doctors," I muttered under my breath as I punched the button for the ground level repeatedly and emphatically. Hermione's hand covered mine, and I stopped punching.
Speak
Chapter Sixteen
The first thing I saw was the light. That same bright light was back, which was odd because it hadn’t been there for my other “flashbacks”. Next thing I felt was how stiff I felt, how uncomfortable my neck ached. Then I heard the sounds of the voices around me. I struggled to get up, to tell Hermione that I was okay, and make sure she wasn’t worrying. After all that she had done for me, I didn’t want to repay her with worry. I opened up my eyes, but this time it hadn’t been so long that I couldn’t see. I could still see some spots in my vision, but it wasn’t too bad.
“Look! She’s awake!” a man said.
“Obviously, Jonathon. What have I said about stating the obvious?” a woman said.
“And what have I said about squabbling? Honestly, what am I going to do about the pair of you!” the black woman said. It all seemed so familiar, like what had happened the first time. Was this the first time? Was all that had happened before a dream and this was really reality? Or was I still in the coma and what had happened before was reality? The black woman spoke again (if I recall correctly from last time, her name was Sarah), “At least make yourself useful. Grab Granger from the eating area.” Granger? Hermione was here!
“Now as for you, we need to put you through some tests to make sure you won’t go into a coma again. I’m going to put you back to sleep until they are done to make sure everything’s all right.” As she took out her wand to do a spell, I tried to tell her I wanted to see Hermione first, that I wanted Hermione to be the one to do the spell, but it was too late. Already I could feel myself sinking back into darkness. Fortunately, for once my sleep was dreamless. Which is good, because having flashbacks usually makes you more tired than you were before. And since I had several, it was especially bad. It felt like normal sleep this time, actually.
After a while I rolled over again, and when I opened my eyes I found Hermione sitting in the chair next to me reading a book.
I must have made less noise than I thought I did by waking up, since she barely even moved her head. "Hermione?" I said quietly. She jerked away from her book and, seeing who called her, shut it quickly and stood up next to me.
“Don’t ever scare me like that ever again! Next time you feel a relapse coming on, tell me!” she scolded, though I think she was teasing with the last part.
“Sorry. But you’re supposed to be able to tell, you’re the doctor!” I said, grinning weakly. I was still very tired.
“You should go back to sleep or Sarah’ll have my hide. You need your rest, and don’t get too overexcited.” Happy to comply, I was back asleep in minutes.
&&&
I stayed in the hospital for three days (it would have been two, but Hermione persuaded them an extra day to make sure I was still okay).
When I was finally told that I could go home, I got a barrel of salt with my joy.
"I'm not sure if you should go home with Miss Granger this time, Kendra," Sarah told me, flipping through the papers on her clipboard as if she didn't want to meet my eyes. "It hasn't done you any good, it seems, than if you were still here. It actually seems to be doing harm." Hermione stood behind her a good distance, looking as if this was no new news to her and keeping her eyes on her shoes.
I stared up at shuffling Sarah in disbelief. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and glared at her. "What harm? Just because I'm having fla- relapses doesn't mean that it's Hermione's fault! Do you know how boring it would be to stay in a hospital bed when you could just as easily go to a fun and exciting young person's flat?" My voice was starting to go squeaky, but I persisted. "What's the use of keeping me here, anyway? I'm just wasted, bored space in this damned place!”
Sarah seemed slightly taken aback by my outburst. "We could monitor you easier here-"
"Monitor?! Now that's just a load of crap," I shrieked. I was starting to attract attention from the hallway outside my door, but I didn't notice. I sat up more firmly, allowing for my arms to gesture freely. "Hermione keeps a closer eye on me than all of the hospital Healers here combined, no matter how much more certified or experienced you are! And despite what you seem to think, she is a great doctor!" Hermione started to blush, although she kept her face to the floor. This seemed to be my battle to fight.
Sarah started to back away from me, hands and clipboard held up in defense, like my anger could burn her. "I'm just following orders, Miss!" she tried to protest, but I'd had enough of the silly Healers and their idea that I was some kind of vegetable.
"I don't care," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and turning away from her. The clothes I had been wearing the last time I had fainted were on the unused other bed in the cell, and I picked up my jeans and pulled them on under my gown, aware of the other two in the room. "I've had enough of this place," I told her, pulling my jacket on and throwing down my shoes, stuffing my feet into them without caring to ties the laces. "Come on, Hermione, I'm leaving," I told her, spitting the words more at Sarah than at Hermione. "You're twelve times the doctor these people will ever be." I shoved my folded shirt and undergarments under the flap of my jacket and grabbed Hermione's stunned hand, who still seemed to be in a kind of daze from my shouting bout, and dragged her out the door, past the horde of spectators gathered around the door, and into the lift down the hall.
"Doctors," I muttered under my breath as I punched the button for the ground level repeatedly and emphatically. Hermione's hand covered mine, and I stopped punching.