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xp_logsSet before these emails: Betsy wakes up, to find Amanda sitting by her.
To normals, the layer between a coma and consciousness is a thin one. In a blink of an eye, the mind resurfaces from under the threshold and like magic all is well again. But to a psionic that climb up from within is like moving through the seven circles of Hell and as each circle is completed, the next layer is even more harrowing. And then through it all, purgatory is still waiting. And after two days of fighting against her own subconscious, Betsy slowly opened her eyes and croaked. "Ow."
How anyone ever recovered from a coma, she'd never know.
After a moment and a muffled thud, as of someone dropping a book, a hand holding a plastic sippy cup of apple juice appeared in her vision. "Here," said Amanda, keeping her voice soft, mindful of the headache Betsy was likely to have. "Figured you'd want this when you woke up."
The light perforating the curtains continued to tease her headache into a blinding migraine so she kept her eyes closed. Turning her head slightly towards Amanda's offered drink, she rose up slightly to drink. "Thank you," Betsy croaked before her chest seized into a coughing fit. "Can you do something about the light?"
"Gah. Sure - didn't think of that, and I needed the light to read by." Moving quickly, the girl rose, pulling down the blinds behind the curtains and casting the room into near-darkness. She had to wait a few moments before her eyes adjusted enough to see the bed, and the woman in it. "I'd ask how your head is, but I've got a fair idea after making my brain leak out my nose more than a few times," she commented as she returned to her seat by the side of the bed, reaching for a pill bottle on the bedside cabinet and waiting for the coughing to subside. "Emma's docs left you some painkillers - said you'd need them when you came to."
"How long," Betsy asked, relishing in the near black. Her eyes slowly opening enough to see Amanda before relaxing back into the bed. "It's not as bad my last so I'm assuming not the usual lay-up time."
"You mean the whole Rip Van Winkle thing where you languish unconscious for months?" Amanda reached for Betsy's hand and shook a couple of painkillers into it from the bottle. "Nah, just a nap this time - couple of days. It's Saturday afternoon."
"Oh good," Betsy said as she popped the pills into her mouth. She sank back down into the pillow, placing her hand dramatically over her face. "Thank you for being here... just then."
"Not to worry," Amanda said with a slight smile. "Didn't have anything better to do, and it got me out of reading all about Wanda's prosimian obsession. Sarah's been switching off with me. We figured it was best to make sure you didn't choke on your tongue or something like some boozer of a rock star."
"Oh," Betsy sighed, nostagically. "But what a way to go." She sat up, gingerly, and took notice of the room, looking anywhere but at Amanda directly. "Thank her for me, will you? I don't think I'll be much company at the moment and she should know I appreciate the babysitting. And you're not obligated to stay round since I'm obviously fit and conscious now."
"And leave me with the prosimians?" Amanda mock-pouted. But she was relieved any way - she had a lot of work to catch up on, and she was desperate for a cigarette. Smoking seemed to have fallen by the wayside slightly this week. "Seriously, I'll take you up on that. You know where I am if you do need anything, tho'. Just call and I'll be up like a shot."
"You'll be the first," Betsy said agreeably. "It's been a hard week for the lot of us. Get some rest."
"I'd say the same for you, only, well, you've already had a couple of day's worth," Amanda replied with a cheeky grin. She reached over and patted Betsy's blanket-covered knee. "And thanks. For what you did for Marie. If it had been down to me, well..." She shrugged, a little helplessly. "Would've taken a lot longer and might not have worked at all in the end. So, yeah, I appreciate the putting yourself into a coma, and I'm sure she does too."
"Don't worry," Betsy said nonchalantly. "I simply needed an excuse to take a holiday without putting in for the paperwork." She laughed. "So, it did work then? Marie's all right. That's good."
"Apart from a bit of telepathy for the past few days? Right as rain." Amanda knew when someone was trying to shrug off something - she'd done it a hundred times herself - so she simply nodded and left it at that. "I'll just make you a cuppa before I go."
To normals, the layer between a coma and consciousness is a thin one. In a blink of an eye, the mind resurfaces from under the threshold and like magic all is well again. But to a psionic that climb up from within is like moving through the seven circles of Hell and as each circle is completed, the next layer is even more harrowing. And then through it all, purgatory is still waiting. And after two days of fighting against her own subconscious, Betsy slowly opened her eyes and croaked. "Ow."
How anyone ever recovered from a coma, she'd never know.
After a moment and a muffled thud, as of someone dropping a book, a hand holding a plastic sippy cup of apple juice appeared in her vision. "Here," said Amanda, keeping her voice soft, mindful of the headache Betsy was likely to have. "Figured you'd want this when you woke up."
The light perforating the curtains continued to tease her headache into a blinding migraine so she kept her eyes closed. Turning her head slightly towards Amanda's offered drink, she rose up slightly to drink. "Thank you," Betsy croaked before her chest seized into a coughing fit. "Can you do something about the light?"
"Gah. Sure - didn't think of that, and I needed the light to read by." Moving quickly, the girl rose, pulling down the blinds behind the curtains and casting the room into near-darkness. She had to wait a few moments before her eyes adjusted enough to see the bed, and the woman in it. "I'd ask how your head is, but I've got a fair idea after making my brain leak out my nose more than a few times," she commented as she returned to her seat by the side of the bed, reaching for a pill bottle on the bedside cabinet and waiting for the coughing to subside. "Emma's docs left you some painkillers - said you'd need them when you came to."
"How long," Betsy asked, relishing in the near black. Her eyes slowly opening enough to see Amanda before relaxing back into the bed. "It's not as bad my last so I'm assuming not the usual lay-up time."
"You mean the whole Rip Van Winkle thing where you languish unconscious for months?" Amanda reached for Betsy's hand and shook a couple of painkillers into it from the bottle. "Nah, just a nap this time - couple of days. It's Saturday afternoon."
"Oh good," Betsy said as she popped the pills into her mouth. She sank back down into the pillow, placing her hand dramatically over her face. "Thank you for being here... just then."
"Not to worry," Amanda said with a slight smile. "Didn't have anything better to do, and it got me out of reading all about Wanda's prosimian obsession. Sarah's been switching off with me. We figured it was best to make sure you didn't choke on your tongue or something like some boozer of a rock star."
"Oh," Betsy sighed, nostagically. "But what a way to go." She sat up, gingerly, and took notice of the room, looking anywhere but at Amanda directly. "Thank her for me, will you? I don't think I'll be much company at the moment and she should know I appreciate the babysitting. And you're not obligated to stay round since I'm obviously fit and conscious now."
"And leave me with the prosimians?" Amanda mock-pouted. But she was relieved any way - she had a lot of work to catch up on, and she was desperate for a cigarette. Smoking seemed to have fallen by the wayside slightly this week. "Seriously, I'll take you up on that. You know where I am if you do need anything, tho'. Just call and I'll be up like a shot."
"You'll be the first," Betsy said agreeably. "It's been a hard week for the lot of us. Get some rest."
"I'd say the same for you, only, well, you've already had a couple of day's worth," Amanda replied with a cheeky grin. She reached over and patted Betsy's blanket-covered knee. "And thanks. For what you did for Marie. If it had been down to me, well..." She shrugged, a little helplessly. "Would've taken a lot longer and might not have worked at all in the end. So, yeah, I appreciate the putting yourself into a coma, and I'm sure she does too."
"Don't worry," Betsy said nonchalantly. "I simply needed an excuse to take a holiday without putting in for the paperwork." She laughed. "So, it did work then? Marie's all right. That's good."
"Apart from a bit of telepathy for the past few days? Right as rain." Amanda knew when someone was trying to shrug off something - she'd done it a hundred times herself - so she simply nodded and left it at that. "I'll just make you a cuppa before I go."
