Bad Omens: The Aftermath (Novella)

Spicing Things Up

Eden's arm was finally healed and to celebrate, her parents helped her walk downstairs and into the kitchen. She outright refused the wheelchair.

She was now sitting in a chair that was placed by the stove. She was going to be helping her Papa cook in the kitchen for the first time in months. Eden's restlessness had been increasing after her birthday, and her frustration was mounting due to Bella telling her parents to make sure that her freshly healed arm did not leave the sling so the movement it would entail would not aggravate her stomach wound. Which didn't seem like it was ever going to heal....

What was even more frustrating, the only thing that Eden would be helping her Papa make was her herbal broth. The water was starting to bubble now. She was getting sick of the stuff but she didn't have the heart to tell her Papa who was simply too overjoyed to have his "little helper" back in the kitchen.

Eden mostly just sat in her chair and would pass Aziraphale a wooden ladle whenever he would ask for it, using her good hand of course. Sadly, she couldn't help with the chopping of the medicinal herbs so she just talked with her Papa. But their conversation was often interrupted by the angel asking if Eden's stomach wound and other injuries were causing pain.

"No Papa, I'm fine." Eden reassured him for the millionth time.

Aziraphale let out a sigh of relief then said. "I just realized I forgot a few ingredients, I need to go to the pantry to get them. I'll be right back Little One." The angel kissed her freshly scarred cheek, feeling a pang of sadness and left for the pantry.

Once Eden was sure he was gone, she got up from her chair, grateful for all of the exercise that she had been doing with the help of her parents and Gabriel.

With her good arm, Eden dragged the chair over to the spice cabinet and climbed onto the chair. She pulled the door open and slipped her other arm out of its sling and began her search. Some zest should make the bitter broth taste a bit better and more bearable. The chicken stock could only do so much....

"Ugh, they haven't been to the store lately...." Eden muttered. Normally, the spice cabinet would be filled with a variety of spices. But then she remembered the top shelf......

"Now we're talking!" Eden grinned, of course all of the good spices were on the top shelf! She began to stuff the spices she wanted into her now empty sling which served as the perfect pouch for her ingredients. Just a couple more spices, a quick little sprinkle in the broth and she would be treated to a much tastier broth....hopefully!

"Sorry I put those herbs on that top shelf angel." Eden froze. It was her parents, they were coming!

"It's alright dear; I probably should have put a stool in there in case that happens agai-EDEN!" The angel broke off with a hoarse scream, dropping the herbs he had fetched on the floor when he saw his injured daughter standing on a chair, her arm out of her sling.

"Shit!" Crowley swore as he and Aziraphale dashed to their daughter, who looked a little pale.

"Eden Alexandria Queen Fell, what the fuck are you doing?!" Crowley demanded. Aziraphale looked like he was going to faint.

"Uh, spicing things up?" Eden replied with a feeble smile. Crowley saw the spices in her sling. "You shouldn't have your arm out of that sling....you shouldn't even be standing without someone with you!"

"Eden, please, please come down!" Aziraphale begged, his blue eyes round with fear, realizing that any sort of persuading would be pointless she sighed and began to put the spices back one by one.

"Crowley, get her down from there!" Azirpahel suddenly snapped. "She could fall or..."

Eden was doing her best to put the jars of spices back as neatly as possible until she was hit by a stab of pain.

"ACK!"

"Eden!" Aziraphale cried as Eden doubled over with pain. Spice jars fell, scattering on the countertop and the kitchen floor.

"I got her angel!" Crowley exclaimed as he climbed up onto the counter and helped Eden down.

"Where are you hurting Little One?" Aziraphale demanded his voice high pitched with panic.

"I-I'm okay Papa." Eden grunted, hoping to reassure the angel. "It's just a little twinge." She tried her best not to wince as Aziraphale guided her arm back into the sling.

"Just a twinge my ass!" Crowley retorted. "I'll get the wheelchair..."

"Daddy no..." Eden murmured.

"Daddy yes!" Crowley said when he returned seconds later with the wheelchair. "Sit."

Aziraphale helped Eden to sit down in the chair and Crowley pushed her to the stairs.

"Can I at least walk upstairs?" Eden asked, hopeful.

"No." Crowley said curtly, forcing himself not to grimace at the look of disappointment that crossed Eden's face.

"I just wanted to help....and do more than just hand you the ladle...." Eden rasped as Aziraphale frantically checked her stomach wound.

Aziraphale didn't know what to make of his daughter's injuries. Her broken ribs were healed. Her broken arm was completely healed and the gash on her wing was healed as well, the feathers on both wings had grown back at long last. And her head injury had healed as well....

But the dreadful stomach wound, the fatal wound that had caused his daughter's death, didn't seem to want to go away anytime soon.

"You can help by not hurting yourself Little One." Aziraphale said, his voice tight with concern. He was afraid that Eden had aggravated her injury.

"Where's Daddy?" Eden asked.

"He's giving Bella a call." Hopefully the young doctor would be able to stop by for an emergency check up.

"Now you lie still and rest easy." The angel said as he pressed a cold compress against her forehead. He knew that she didn't have a fever but there was nothing else he could do for her other than this.

"Bella will be here in twenty minutes." Crowley said as he came back into the room.

"Good, then I'll go finish her broth. I'll be back my loves."

Now that they were alone, Crowley sat on the bed and stared into his daughter's blue eyes. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I-"

"First you go charging off to fight Satan all by yourself and get yourself killed, nearly get burned out of existence, nearly die of fever, break your stitches, get out of bed and fall on your broken arm and now this! I can't take much more of this Eden!" Crowley snapped.

"I-I'm sorry...." Tears stung Eden's eyes. She didn't mean to be such a bother.....she just wanted to get better....

"Fuck." Crowley said, realizing that he had gone too far. "I didn't mean to snap Eden, you really scared me back there....you could have really hurt yourself and I don't know if I could bear that again...."

Eden gave a curt nod, signaling that she understood and a moment later, Aziraphale returned with a steaming mug of broth and a cup of tea on a tray.

"Crowley, why?!" Aziraphale gasped when Crowley revealed the emotional episode that occurred when the angel had left the bedroom. He and Crowley were out in the hallway. Eden was fast asleep. Bella had come over and as Aziraphale had suspected, Eden had indeed aggravated her stomach wound and as a result, would have to be confined to bed for two whole weeks.

Eden did not take the news well.

"I lost my cool angel, I admit it." Crowley continued. "I apologized and I'm going to be spending the rest of my immortal existence making it up to her."

"As you should." Aziraphale huffed as he returned to Eden's bedside.