[ussbansheec] Broken Bird
- From: "Moria Grace" <bansheec@xxxxxxx>
- To: <ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 20:43:02 -0400
"Broken Bird"
The sky above the Grey Wolf was clear and blue as he walked in the woods. He
walked proudly and steadily until the path began to twist and turn in
unfamiliar ways. The Grey Wolf slowed so that he could watch his step but
stopped when he noticed dark clouds rolling in and filling the sky. He grew
cold and shook out his fur as he once again began to walk. Something was not
right. Something weighted heavy in his heart. Suddenly the Grey Wolf stopped
again. There was a scream. He began to run. He watched as something ahead of
him fell. He ran to it and stopped to look down. A tiny hummingbird with red
feathers lay on the path twisted and broken a tiny egg smashed beside her.
Gently the Grey Wolf picked up the small broken bird and cradled it in his paw
and howled.
Noah shot blot upright in his bed. His body was covered in cold sweat and his
heart beat painfully in his chest. "Hummingbird." He whispered in a daze.
"Moria." Jetting from his bed, his mind half lost in his dream and half lost in
fear, Noah bounded to the console and quickly dialed Joseph.
Rolling over, Joseph hit the comm-unit and grunted, "Whoever it is, this had
better be good."
"Joseph," Noah tried to keep his voice calm but the fact that he'd used
Joseph's name was a dead give away that something was wrong. "have you talked
to Moria since she and Sam went to dinner with his parents?"
Joseph was awake, like he'd been dowsed in ice cold water. "What is it? What's
happened?" Staring at Noah across the comm-link, he said in a low, shaky voice,
"What did you see?"
"We need to find out where she is, Joseph." Noah told him. "I don't know if
she's been found yet but we need to call the hospitals, and find out if Sam's
back on base."
"Fuck man, what happened?" Joseph said, already pulling on his pants and a
t-shirt. "I'll find Sam, you call the hospitals, okay?"
Noah nodded and then cut the comm. He tried to remember where Moria had told
him they were meeting Sam's parents for dinner and started from there. In the
end it was Joseph who'd found out from their base CO that Sam was in a civilian
hospital half way between the city and the coast and that he'd been in some
kind of accident. Noah actually ran all the way to the transport station where
he meet up with Joseph and then both of them were beamed to a station closer to
the hospital.
"May I help you?" Asked a nurse at the front desk.
"We're looking for two friends of ours. Commander Rodriguez at the Star Fleet
flight base said they were here." Noah told her.
"Names?" The nurse asked.
" Samual tr'Illialhlae and Moria McEntire." Noah answered.
The nurse looked the names up on her computer. "They're here. Mister
tr'Illianhlae is still in the emergency room."
"And Moria?"
The nurse looked up. "Are you family?"
"Yes," Joseph said automatically. "We're her brothers."
The nurse looked at them both skeptically. "She's been taken to emergency
surgery. Her medical records say that a Sussanna McEntire is her next of kin.
We'll need her permission before we can tell you any more then that."
"And where is she?" Joseph asked.
"Here," Anna said, her eyes red but her face dry. She'd been watching the
surgery but it was breaking her heart and making her sick to her stomach. "Tell
them what they want to know."
In two strides, Joseph was holding Anna tightly. "Where's Captain Mac?"
"Pacing." Letting her head rest on his shoulder, Anna sighed.
The nurse once again looked at her computer screen. "She was brought in shortly
before two by a medi-vac which reported on scene just after midnight. She was
stabilized in the ER and then rushed upstairs for surgery. She's listed here as
being in critical condition."
Noah went cold and numb until a loud commotion caught his attention.
No one would tell him anything. He had told them he was with her, that he was
her mate, but they still would not tell him. Romulan 'Bondings' are not the
equivalent to marriage or even Vulcan bondings. The sentence raddled through
Sam's mind until he'd heard what the nurse had said. Slumping against the wall
he turned white and gripped the IV pole he had drug out of his room with him.
Still holding Doc Mac, Joseph turned eyes full of sadness, grief but a little
anger on Sam. "What happened, man?"
Sam looked up at Joseph seeing for the first time that Moria's mother was
there. It was all his fault. "It was dark, the car was swerving, she asked me
to slow down..."
Rage filled Noah's eyes as he walked over and pinned Sam to the wall. "What did
you do!"
Joseph didn't even bother stopping Noah. Instead, he kept his arms around Anna,
who was shaking slightly. "You did this?" he let out a low growl, the only
thing keeping him where he was the woman in his arms.
"I... I lost control of the car. We.. we hit something... The car.. crushing
metal... it.. flipped... it hit something else." Sam chocked out.
"Why the fuck were you going so fast!" Noah growled deeply.
Sam just shook his head.
Noah was about to slam him into the wall when the nurses came for him.
"Go lay down, Sam, before I kill you myself," Joseph said calmly. "And if she
dies, you will learn what mnhei'sahe means to a Ghaladriel."
Sam said nothing he simply went back to his room with the nurses' help.
Going over to Joseph and Anna, Noah tried to rein in his anger and fear. "Can
we get you anything, Doctor McEntire?"
"My daughter fixed and free from pain?" Anna said softly as she tried to pull
away from Joseph. Looking up into his swirling, angry eyes, she said, "What did
you say to him?"
"I told him that if she died, I'd invoke the Ruling Passion and take a life for
a life," he said simply.
Noah nodded though something in the back of his mind told him he would feel
differently once his anger and fear had passed. Though he would never forgive
Sam for this, he wouldn't wish him harm. Moria wouldn't want that. "She isn't
going to die, Hawk." Noah said firmly. He tried to remember his dream. Had the
little bird been breathing?
"You saw that?" Joseph asked. "You know for sure?"
He couldn't remember, had he even noticed? The Grey Wolf had picked up the
broken little bird and howled, but why? "I'm not Nightwalker."
"Then ask him," Joseph said in a low whisper, full of fear and need. "Call over
subspace."
Noah nodded. He needed to do something, anything, and if that something was
calling Dorvan then so be it. He put a hand on Anna's shoulder for a moment and
then headed down the hall.
"Are you going to let me go now?" Anna asked.
"Nope, you're my beautiful Doc Mac," Joseph flirted, using it to keep his worry
at bay.
"No, I'm Mac's beautiful Doc Mac," she pointed out.
"Ie, but one day I'll steal you away from him and you'll be all mine."
Noah closed his eyes a moment as he listened to the fading banter but the reply
he was waiting for never came. The familiar back and forth seemed alien with
out Moria telling Joseph to stop his shamelessly flirting with her mother.
Stepping into a comm unit he began to punch in the codes for Dorvan V but his
hands were starting to shake.
Another day, another report of increased Cardassian movements. Nightwalker
sighed heavily. He hadn't slept in over seventy two hours, a darkness bringing
fear to his old heart. It was an all too familiar shadow too. As his comm-unit
beeped at him, he sighed and waited for whoever it was to turn out to be some
Gul demanding tithes from the colony.
When Nightwalker's face appeared Noah's heart stopped. "The little bird is
broken." He didn't know what else to say. "And I can't remember if she was
breathing."
"I haven't seen it," Nightwalker told him. "I will walk the Night and tell you.
Wait there, I will not be long."
Noah nodded and then leaned his head back against the comm unit booth. In a
voice barely louder then a whisper he began to chant a prayer to the Prophets.
She had to be ok, she had to make it. She was so young had so much life to
live. Her family would be devastated, as would his tribe, she had to come back
to them all.
Nightwalker left the link open and strode into the little round room that most
had only seen the inside of when their tattoos were done. Taking out a smudge
stick, he lit it and cleaned the area quickly. Unlike the first time, he didn't
need the mind altering drugs to reach the Realms so he simply laid down and
closed his eyes.
Dry heat pressed down on him and he opened tired eyes. Desert stretched out in
all directions and the pounding rays of the sun pushed against his skin. He
frowned. There was no large, wide warrior to greet him and the whole Realm was
too oppressive. In the far distance he saw a large white shape trotting toward
him. As it got closer, he could make out that it was a buffalo. He set out to
meet it, gaining ground quickly. It was moving toward Night and it carried a
small red hummingbird. Lifting the bird from the beast, he felt it struggle
weakly against his hands. It didn't fly, but it breathed. Clutching it to his
chest, he returned to the little round room, a fine sweat over his face.
Back in the office, he sat before the comm-unit and said, "She breathes."
Noah lifted his head and sighed a little breath of relief. "Will she live?"
The little bird had been weak but... "Yes, she'll live."
Tears sparkled in Noah's eyes. "Thank you." He replied simply.
"Now go and pin that cousin of yours down before the good doctor slaps him,"
Nightwalker said in an attempt at humour. "And don't worry. It will take a
while but you'll get her back."
Noah nodded and thanked the old man again before cutting the comm and heading
back to the waiting room where Joseph and Anna were. There was now relief and
hope in his eyes as well as concern. When he reached them he nodded his head.
"She's going to make it. Nightwalker says so."
Anna bit back her automatically caustic remark. If it helped those boys to
believe the mumbo-jumbo of some cooky old man, then she wasn't going to argue
about it.
Slowly, Joseph breathed again. "Thank the Elements."
"And the Prophets and that old white buffalo and whoever else we need to make
good with to make sure Nightwalker's vision is true." Noah added as he sank
into a near by chair. Closing his eyes he listened to the overly loud ticking
of the clock on the wall across from him. Tick, tick, tick. Why are those
things always so loud?
Hours had passed with very little word. Joseph had gotten them coffee and tea
from the cafeteria but Anna's tea had gone untouched. Noah sat in yet another
chair and looked up at the woman as she looked out the window. The sky was
starting to turn it's first shades of morning grey and the color reminded him
of Moria's eyes.
"McEntire?" Called out a tired sounding voice.
"Yes!" Anna span around. "That's me."
A tall sandy haired man in red scrubs covered in blood stepped closer to the
group. "We were able to repair most of the internal damage to her lungs, liver,
and kidney. They're seeing to her broken shoulder and leg now. There's still
some swelling in her brain that we're going to watch closely for the next
twenty-four hours." He doctor paused, sympathy washing over his face.
"What's wrong?" Anna asked automatically.
The doctor looked at Anna and shook his head. "I'm sorry, we tried everything
we could, but... there was just no, way with the amount of damage done, to save
the baby."
Noah actually staggered back as if someone had just hit him.
"The baby?" Anna whispered. "No..." She felt strong hands wrap themselves
around her upper arms as she started to shake. "She was pregnant."
The doctor nodded. "Roughly seven weeks. She might not have even known."
The crushed egg. Noah felt the lose as if waves were drawing him.
Joseph pulled Anna back against him, squeezing her tightly. "But Moria will be
alright?"
"She's still in critical condition. We'll know more when she wakes up." The
doctor answered. "She's lucky to have made it this far. Most of the damage was
to her side of the car. It's what struck the guard rail, and then the tree." He
looked at the girl's mother. "You'll be able to see her once she's in a room.
We're asking only one at a time and immediate family only."
"I have to find my husband," Anna said, pale and scared as she pulled out of
Joseph's arms. Striding off, she disappeared from view.
"You knew," Joseph said to Noah. "And the baby."
Noah looked up at his cousin and nodded. "I didn't understand it but yes. The
broken bird was laying next to a crushed egg. It didn't make sense until just
now."
"Is she completely broken?" Joseph asked in a tiny voice. "Will she... will she
be able to have kids?"
Noah looked at the doctor who had just turned to leave. "Will she?"
The doctor nodded and then walked away.
Turning back to look at Joseph, Noah sank into a chair again. "Do you think she
knew?"
"I dunno, maybe. I've not been around much, been stuck with extra class because
Chuck's flunking everything in sight. You'd know better'n me. D'you think she
knew?"
Noah shrugged. Thinking back over the past several weeks he could see the
signs, the stomach flu, the tiredness. But what was it his Mom says... Hind
sight is always 20/20? "Would it be wrong to hope she didn't and that no one
tells her?"
"Yes because then she can't grieve. You know what Nightwalker says: grief
poisons the soul. You've got to let it go, or you might die of it."
"But if she doesn't know there was something to grieve for..." Noah shook his
head. He didn't want to see her hurt anymore. "I'm going to kill him."
"No, you're not," Joseph stated. "Because if you did, his family would kill
you, or ask me to kill you for them as the closest Rihannsu. And that, cousin,
would kill me. I won't let that happen."
"He did this to her and I will never forgive him." Noah stated firmly. "This is
all his fault."
"That's fair but she lives and if her kin demand it, I'll kill him for the
death of her child, but you will stay out of it. Am I clear on this Noah?"
Joseph said, trying to keep his controlled mask on.
Noah didn't reply or respond for a long time. Finally he nodded.
"Good, now go find somewhere to sleep, I'll stay awake until we can see her,"
Joseph ordered, sounding less and less sure of himself.
"You need to sleep as well, Cuz. I think I saw a room with some cots back there
somewhere." Standing Noah jerked his head towards the hallway. "Her mother's
not gonna leave her side for a while anyway. One of us can fill in while she
gets some sleep."
"Okay," Joseph said as he followed Noah. "It's gonna be okay. It has to be. I
demand," he stifled a yawn, "a happy ending."
Noah put his arm around Joseph's shoulder. "Somewhere out in the great unknown
the Elements, the Prophets, and a great big white buffalo and a wolf are
laughing at you."
"Why's that?" Joseph blinked at him.
"Because happy endings only happen in stories." Noah replied as the flopped
down on one of the cots in the little room.
"You used to believe in happy endings, cuz. What changed?" Slumping down on the
cot next to him, Joseph propped a hand behind his head and stared at the
ceiling.
A tear rolled down from the corner of Noah's eye. "A tiny bird was broken and
her helpless egg smashed in one wicked blow."
"The tiny bird will heal and the egg will be honoured among the dead, like my
father," Joseph told him. "Happy endings happen. They just take time. If I
didn't believe in them anymore... let's just say I'd turn out a bit more like
Tab."
"One Tab is plenty thank you." Noah sighed as he closed his eyes. "I hope we
get that happy ending of yours, Hawk."
"We will."
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