The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 18

"Wednesday!" Enid said. "Did you hear me? We have to go."

her friend simply shook her head. "I'm not leaving."

"Don't you want to go search for clues while the scene is still fresh? Don't you want to find Tyler? Bianca said she saw drag marks—"

"Tyler is going to wish he was never born when I'm done with him," Wednesday snapped. "But I'm not leaving this hospital until I see Xavier"

"Okay, I get it" Enid sighed. "I'm sorry. I know this must be so hard. So let us help. Me and the Nightshades. We can go scope it out."

"Take Thing with you."

Enid nodded. She hesitated for a moment, then reached for Wednesday's hand. Her friend allowed it. "I can stay with you if you want."

"No. You should go. Keep me updated."

"I will." Enid hugged her roommate tightly, and for once, Wednesday welcomed the embrace. "He's going to be okay."

"You don't know that."

"I'm sure of it."

Wednesday wanted to believe her.

Once her friends were gone, Wednesday found a seat in the waiting room. It was a quiet night , only a couple of people were waiting with her. An older lady was snoring across the room, a giant purse clutched between her arms. A few seats away from her was a man, maybe in his forties, who kept glancing nervously at her.

A nurse approached her after a while; she seemed scared. "Miss... if you follow me to a bathroom, you can clean yourself up. I'm sure we can find you some clothes, too."

"My clothes stay right where they are... But I guess I could wash my hands." She looked down at her arms, covered in blood all the way up to her elbows.

The nurse led the way, and Wednesday thanked her. Once she was alone, she allowed herself a look in the mirror. She looked scary. Not just the blood, but her expression; it was glum, even by her standards. She looked like a ghost. She felt like one too. Stuck waiting in a boring, beige room with other silent sufferers, not knowing when, or if she'd get some relief.

Just focus. She got to work scrubbing her hands. She scrubbed and rinsed several times, even picking at her nails, until there was no trace of blood remaining. She couldn't bear to look at it; it was most unusual—she normally loved blood.

She also took the time to wash her face and redo her braids, not because she cared what she looked like, but because it gave her something to do; something to take her mind off of everything else.

Unfortunately, she was quickly out of distractions, and there was nothing else for her to do but return to her seat and hope that every time someone opened the door, it would be with news of Xavier—good news. But it was never what she hoped, and the TV was set to a channel made for boring housewives, so it wasn't long before sleep won the battle against her.

———————

The nurse seemed genuinely terrified. After nudging her; she leaped back, as if scared she might lunge and bite her for waking her up. Wednesday jumped, startled. It took her a second to remember where she was—then she saw the nurse.

"Xavier?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, he's waking up. You've been asleep for a while."

Wednesday glanced at her watch. It was 7 AM. You wouldn't be able to tell in the windowless room. She looked at her phone, inundated with messages from Enid and Ajax. But those would have to wait.

After navigating through a maze of hallways, the nurse led her to Xavier's room in the ICU. She gave her a warm smile and stepped away. "You know, it's a miracle he made it. Whatever you did must have worked."

Wednesday nodded, and the nurse walked away. She stood outside the door for a second, bracing herself for what she was about to face.

Stop being a coward. She pushed through the door, and closed it quickly behind her. She turned and took him in. He was lying in bed, partly upright. The left side of his torso was covered in bandages and plaster. There was a tube attached to his left arm, connected to an IV drip; a heart monitor beeped in the background. At the sight of her, the beeping increased in tempo.

"Wednesday."

She was overcome with relief at the sound of his voice, raspy and weak as it might sound. "Hi."

"Hi," he whispered.

As she stepped closer to his bed, a goofy grin spread across his face. It occurred to her that whatever medication they were giving him might be the cause of his reaction.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, though she chastised herself for asking such a stupid question. He almost died.

"I can't really feel much, to be honest with you," he told her.

Wednesday smiled. "That's good to hear."

"Doctor said I'd be okay. You know, eventually."

She nodded, trying not to show how overwhelmed she was feeling.

"Won't be able to do archery for a while though," he said sadly.

"I never thought I'd say this, but let's try to look at the bright side," she said.

Xavier let out a breathy chuckle. "Maybe we should get you checked out while we're here."

"Very funny," she replied dryly.

Xavier's smile faded, and he let out a deep breath. "Wen?"

"What did you just call me?"

He ignored her. "I'm really happy you're here. That someone is."

"Your father hasn't...?"

Xavier attempted to shrug, but half his body was immobilized. "I'm just happy you're here. Forget my father. Who needs a father? I'd much rather have a Wednesday for company."

She smiled. "Things are going to be a lot less fun in a few days when you're off these meds."

"How bad could they be?" he asked. "I'm not dead. You're not dead. That's all I wanted."

"You need to dream a little bigger," she teased.

Xavier grinned. With his good hand, he took hers. "I have big dreams, Wednesday. Don't you worry about that."

"Care to share?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No! That's bad luck."

"I think that's birthday wishes," she argued.

"Nope. Not risking it."

"Fine," she relented. It was probably the drugs talking anyway.