Elsa's POV
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Over and over again did the beeping go, stirring me from my slumber, which introduced me to a bright light that I mistook for Heaven. But no. As my eyes adjusted, I realized that I'm not in Heaven at all. I'm in a hospital room. Where exactly am I? Why am I here? How did I get here? What happened? What's going on? Where is my family? Where are my friends?
As these questioned raged on in my head, over and over again like the beeping, I look at my surroundings. The room is just like any other normal hospital room; a sink, equipment, TV, window, bathroom, and a curtain separating my bed from the other bed. Do I have a roommate or is it empty?
My gaze then turns to linger on myself. My costume from yesterday was replaced with the hospital's specialty gowns, which would put Edna into tears, my hair is fully down, pulled over my shoulders like curtains on a window, and I'm hooked up to an IV. At least I think so. I hate hospitals and I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to their equipment and terminology.
Wait...costume...I was wearing a costume...for...for Halloween!
And just like that everything came flooding back. Every single moment. Edna and Gabriel arriving with my outfit, going to Mavis's party, talking with Tooth, finding Jack, spending time with him and his siblings, going to the ice rink, skating for the first time in years, kissing him, driving back to his house to return his car and then booking an Uber, reuniting with our friends, experiencing the scary Haunted Rooms, staying the night at the hotel, having a Halloween movie marathon, and then the next day...getting attacked by Hans when I confronted him.
Hans. Oh my god! Where is he?
The beeping of the monitor, my heartbeat, sped up, which caused someone to gasp and throw open to curtain, making me jump in surprise, which I think caused my heart to skip a beat.
"Elsa!" She said my name in a worried panic, but freezes when she sees me, her eyes instantly building up with tears, and then she's saying my name in relieved happiness. "Oh my god! Elsa! You're awake!"
Anna's arms are around me before I even had time to blink, and she's squeezing me tightly, which makes me hiss out in pain. I didn't get the chance to hug her back because she's suddenly pulling away at the sound of my discomfort. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! Are you in pain? Should I get Aunt Arianna? Or the doctor? I should probably get the doctor first, right? Wait, do you need to pee? I'll help you walk to the bathroom if you're too sore. Wait, are you thirsty? Hungry? Do you want me to get you something from the Cafeteria? Or have a nurse get something? Just tell me what you want and I'll gladly do it. I'll--"
I was going to let her continue her rambling, but it quickly got to the point where she was speaking way too fast and way too loud for my throbbing head.
"Anna, what I want is for you to breathe," I say, chuckling a little since it should be me freaking out. My little giggle was cut short though when pain in my ribs followed after. I held back from wincing so Anna wouldn't worry. A tear had fallen down her cheek from when she had hugged me, almost completely soaked into her skin now, but I reach up and wipe the remaining dampness away. "Okay?"
Anna leans in to my hand and brings her own hands up to gently wrap around my wrist and forearm, keeping me in place for a little longer. She closes her eyes contently, and inhales deeply to calm herself. "Okay."
And while I knew exactly what happened to me, I am left unsure what happened after I blacked out, so I asked: "So...tell me what happened."
A flash of worry sparks her eyes and she lowers my hand from her cheek to hold in her lap. "I was hoping you'd tell me? Elsa, do you not remember what happened to you? Oh my god, do you have amnesia?!"
I'm sensitive to the word since Anna had it long ago, still unaware of what happened to her and Jack's dad on the pond, but I force a smile and say: "No, I remember everything perfectly clear." Downward my lips go into a frown. "But...I'd like to tell the whole family so I don't have to repeat it, so I'd like to know what happened when you found me first."
She's going to need our aunt and uncle's comfort and wisdom when she finds out that Hans is not only cheating on her, but is also the reason why I'm here.
Anna nods, agreeing to my terms, and says, "Well for starters, it wasn't me who found you. It was Hans."
My body tenses and I think my heart skipped a beat again. "W-what?"
"Uh...Elsa? You're kind of hurting my hand. You're squeezing pretty hard there." Anna says, her brows narrowed into a pained look. I released her hand quickly as guilt filled me.
"I'm sorry," I say, folding my hands together and resting them in my own lap. I was going to say more, but my throat suddenly felt very tight and I am only just now realizing how dry it is too.
"It's okay," says my sister as she takes a seat at the end of the bed. "It's karma from when I hugged you too tight a minute ago. But yeah, Hans found you. He said that he caught some guy trying to harass you. He then said that before he could interfere, the man is suddenly throwing you down the stairs. That's when he stepped in and beat the crap out of the guy. Only the man got some good hits too. I mean, oh my god, Elsa you should have seen Hans's face. It was so bloody, and his nose was broken. He ended up getting stitches too like you." She gestures to my head and my hand goes up to feel.
Sure enough, there they were, stitched together above my right eyebrow, going down the temple. But the stitches aren't what matter. "S-So Hans...he said he...saved me?" But on the inside, I said so much more.
That disgusting, lying, son of a motherfu--
"Yes!" Anna exclaims, happily. "Isn't that just so heroic of him?"
Heroic? HEROIC?! I couldn't hold back from releasing a bitter laugh. "No," I say, shaking my head and blinking back the burning tears that formed at the memory of his hands around my neck. I can still feel them, squeezing the life out of me. "It's not heroic at all."
Anna's face falls and she looks at me in more shock than confusion. "Wait, what? Elsa..." she pauses, most definitely trying to find the words to say or maybe to see if I'm joking. Why would I joke about this?
When I think Anna is about to continue speaking, eyes gleaming back at me in betrayal, a person walks in and interrupts her before she could speak her mind. Rapunzel stops in her tracks, one foot in the room and the other still in the hallway, and her jaw drops. "Oh my god!" She looks over her shoulder and shouts: "Mom, dad! She's awake!" And then she's dashing toward me and has me in her eyes.
I didn't have time to stop her or tell her to be careful, she's just as fast as Anna, and at my pained hiss, she's quick to let me go. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
I tried to hold back a grimace, but knew damn well I failed. "I'll be fine," I say as I snuck a glance at Anna, who got off the bed and went to stand by the window. "I'm just sore is all."
"And you're lucky for that," came my uncle's voice from the doorway, a smile on his face. "So very lucky. You could be dealing with broken limbs or ribs, or worse. Dead."
Aunt Arianna smacks his arm. "Frederick," she hissed, "I'm sure she's well aware. There's no need to remind her." She smiles kindly at me as she makes her way inside, her smile making me feel warm and safe.
Following his wife and shrugging, my uncle says: "She's going to be reminded anyway when she tells us and the police what had happened to her. The man who did this must pay."
"And he will," Arianna says as she sits in the chair next to my bed. She reaches for my hand and I gladly accept her touch, reminding me so much of my mother who I wish was here. Does she and father know what happened? "I promise you this, my love." Arianna says to me. "We will find him."
I gulp, nervous beyond belief at how they all will react, Anna especially, when I tell them that it was Hans, but I did not let my nervousness hold me back from speaking the truth. "The man who did this...is the one who said he saved me."
" What?!" The four of them screech in unison, but my eyes land on Anna.
"Anna," I say, desperately hoping she'd believe me, "Hans is no hero. It was him who did this to me."
Her eyes widen and they fill with tears as she stares at me like I'm...a monster. "How...how could you say that?" She puts a hand on the wall to keep her steady. "You...you've never liked him, Elsa. You're lying! Hans would never hurt you--"
"Then why am I here?" I interrupt, my voice cracking in emotion and my heart shattering at how bad this is turning out. She doesn't believe me. She needs to believe me! "Anna, you're right; I've never liked him, but I would never lie about something like this. You know I'm not like that--"
"But the other man--" She starts.
"Is my real savior," I finish for her, taking notice of the pain in my fingers from how tight I was holding on to the sheets. "I don't know who he is. I didn't see his face or hear his voice, perhaps Hans did. What I do know is that it was Hans who attacked me and that..." I pause, unsure if I should even add the part of his disloyalty to her
"And that what?" Anna asked, her eyes and voice hard. "What else did my boyfriend allegedly do?"
I close my eyes and take a deep breath in. Preparing for the worst. "He's cheating on you. I...I saw him with Lara last week at the fair."
The silence is thick, everyone's breath caught in their throats, and it seemed to last for eternity, though it was only a few seconds. All eyes were on my sister, whose eyes were on me, the anger and sadness still clearly evident in her teary eyes until she closes them tightly and shakes her head lowly.
As her tears fell down her cheeks, she releases a sob and says: "Elsa, I can't...I can't do this anymore! Every time I think that we...I need to go. I-I can't--" and then she's running out of the room before anyone realizes.
"Anna, wait!" We all say in unison, but my sister doesn't listen.
Frederick starts to run after her, but Arianna stops him and says, "I'll go after her. You call the police." And then she's running too.
And my uncle is fumbling for his phone in his pocket.
And I'm sitting in my bed, eyes filling with tears and heart racing.
And my cousin is watching the both of us, unsure of what to do or say.
Until she and I locked eyes and I suddenly break.
Then her arms are gently around me, and it's me who's hugging her tight this time, crying so loudly that I'm sure it can be heard through the halls.
Everything was perfect on Halloween. It was all a dream.
And now...
Now the nightmare has begun.