Crimson

hospitals are never fun

The woman's shoulders slumped, her eyes softening as she sat at the girl's side, wrapping her in a hug.

"It's okay, моя девушка (my girl), it's okay."
The blonde allowed herself to melt in the motherly embrace, a single tear winding down her cheek and falling to the ground.

"I'm not worthless."
She whispered, her gray eyes meeting the hazel of the orphanage's headmistress.

"You are not."
The woman affirmed, brushing runaway strands of gold away from her face.

"I'll never be worthless."
The spot of crimson leaked through the bandage as she clenched her fists, determination setting in her eyes.

"Never."

⚡️⚡️⚡️

At first, the only thing Pippin could feel was the crisp linen under fingers, her other hand nestled in something rough and warm.

She could hear her sharp exhales, the faint ringing in her ears, and the amplified beeping of a monitor.

A dull pain throbbed down her leg, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to move.

"Hey, hey."

She cracked one eye open at the familiar husky voice, managing to get it halfway open.

Bright light blinded her for a second, her hand instantly trying to cup her eyes from the light.
The monitor beeped, fingertips clutching her other hand.

"Pippin."
She felt a hand cup her cheek, a thumb dancing across her cheekbone.
Her eyes slowly opened, sluggishly, images swimming as the room started to spin around.
She closed her eyes, quickly, blinking a few times before her vision began to focus.

The room smelled sterile, clean, with an overwhelming sense of bleach.
It stung her nostrils, making her eyes water.
The first thing her eyes managed to fix on was a pair of warm green eyes that studied her in a mixture of concern and relief.

Barry.
She opened her mouth, attempting to speak but the only thing that left her throat was a crackly squeal.

Panic bubbled in her stomach as she clutched her throat in concern, Barry quickly sitting up from his previous position of laying across part of her legs.

"You strained your larynx,"
His fingers fell on hers, tugging her hand from her throat.
She glanced at her other hand, already finding it intertwined with his.

"You strained it during the fire."
He relaxed in his seat, Pippin wincing as memories flashed through her mind.
Smoke, flames, Reese, pain, and-

"Hey,"
Barry squeezed her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"You're okay now."
She managed a weak smile, her head throbbing dully to match the pain in her leg.

The shelf, her ankle.
Her breathing increased as she weakly ripped away the blankets, her heart pounding in her ears at what she might find.
Or what she wouldn't.

"Pip, hey, look at me."
She felt her eyes stinging as she saw the crimson-coated bandage covering from her calf down to her toes which she couldn't move.