Gwen
Gwen opened her eyes as the doctor came back into the room wheeling in a wheelchair. Gwen stared at it angrily, her lip trembling.
"Bonjour, comment allez-vous se sentant aujourd'hui?" The doctor asked. (Good morning, how are you feeling today?)
"Très bien," Gwen replied softly. (Fine.)
"Je vous ai pensé peut-être devrais obtenir ajusté..." (I thought perhaps you should get adjusted...)
"Ouais, quoi que," Gwen said apathetically. (Yeah, whatever.)
"Pourrais je juste... ici." (Could I just... here.) The doctor untucked the blankets from around her body. "Nous habituellement ne vous déplacerions pas tellement bientôt, mais... vous avez semblé avoir guéri rapidement." (We normally wouldn't move you so soon, but... you seem to have healed quickly.) He lifted Gwen up and placed her in the wheelchair.
Her lip started to tremble even more.
"Vous n'êtes pas en douleur?" (You are not in pain.)
"Non, je suis bien." (No, I'm alright.) Gwen stared down resentfully at her legs.
"Maintenant juste..." (Now just...)
Gwen placed her hand upon the control pad and slowly steered herself around. A tear slid down her cheek.
"Je vous aiderai de nouveau dans le lit." (I'll help you back into bed.)
"Non, I... plus tard. Est-ce que je peux juste être laissé seul?" (No, I... later. Can I just be left alone?)
Gwen's look was so determined that the doctor agreed and walked out, closing the door behind him. Gwen looked down at her legs, the long ugly purple cuts, and the bruises from the accident. She wheeled herself over to the window and stared out, feeling the grief hit her in waves. She let out a wail.
Mordred and Vortigern
Mordred had barely been able to sleep the last night. His face was haunted.
"So, we'll go back today..." he finished in a whisper.
Vortigern nodded. "Of course. I'm sure we can..."
"Oh god, Vort..." His shoulders started to shake and Vortogern enfolded him in his arms, as Mordred keened softly through his mouth. "It just isn't *fair*."
"I know, I know..."
Mordred held onto his twin, then his head snapped up. "Gwen." He teleported out of his brother's arms. "Gwen?" He made his way over to where she was sitting in the wheelchair, and put a hesitant hand on her shoulder.
Gwen
Gwen's eyes never left the window. She moved a hand up to wipe a tear away.
"Got a new toy," she said, trying to joke.
Mordred
"It's...very shiny," Mordred said, heart breaking. He rubbed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Gwen
"Yeah, it's all..." Gwen's voice cracked. "Electric. No pushing for Gwen. She's much too advanced for that. Much too..."
She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
"Are we going?"
Mordred
"Yep." Mordred nodded. "Dem's going to take everyone else. I want to be able to concentrate on you."
He kissed her cheek, then 'ported them to the labs, where he knew he'd have a clear space and flat floor to arrive on.
Gwen
Gwen sullenly looked around at the medlabs. She sighed.
"Thank you."
Mordred
"I just wanted to be sure of landing somewhere flat," Mordred explained. "We can go now."
Hank came out of his room off the labs. "Back so...what happened?"
"Car crash. We're going now." Mordred nodded at the doctor. "And uh...we got married."
"My congratulations to you both," Hank said formally.
I'll come talk to you later, alright?
Hank nodded slowly.
"Well, glad to have you back, Gwen. Mordred."
Gwen
"Thanks."
Gwen sighed and hesitantly put her hand on the control box again. She closed her eyes for a second, then directed herself out of the labs and into the elevator.
MOrdred
Mordred followed her and put his hand on her shoulder. "If you don't think you're up to meeting everybody..."
The elevator door slid shut and they started up to the house.
Bobby and Gwen
"They're gonna find out sooner or later," Gwen said quietly. "Let's just get it over with."
She took a deep breath as the doors opened and wheeled herself out and ran into Bobby.
"Never had a chance, ran right under the wheels," Gwen said, smiling weakly as she turned to look at Mordred.
"Uh..." Bobby paused awkwardly.
"I have a witness. How long have you been a pedestrian?" Gwen asked, trying to be brave.
"How was... uh... your trip?" Bobby asked.
"We got married," Gwen replied, ignoring the issue he was probably most curious about.
"Wow, congratulations."
"Yeah." Gwen fell back into silence, unable to be strong anymore. "Well, I'm going to the room." She wheeled off without waiting for Mordred, just needing to be away from other people.
"Um... is she... she ok? Are you?" Bobby asked Mordred, concern in his eyes.
MOrdred and Vortigern
"She..." Mordred closed his eyes for a moment. "We'll be fine. I hope. Get Vort to explain. Please." Vort, please come talk to Bobby.
Rightio then wolf. Explaining it is then.
Mordred hurried after Gwen.
"Gwen, love..."
Vortigern looked at Bobby, being a very fast walker when he needed to be. "You want to go somewhere and sit down so we can talk?"
Gwen
"I'm fine."
Gwen looked up at the door and opened it, then wheeled herself in.
"See, I'm good at this already. Not surprising, I'm just good at everything. And hey, I even ran someone over... that's gotta be... fun, right?"
She shifted in her seat, looking at her legs, wanting them to twitch, anything. Anything was better than nothing.
"My... my back hurts," she said softly.
Mordred and Vortigern
Mordred rubbed her shoulder. "Want me to get someone to lift you into the bed, love? I can't, at the moment..." He glanced down at his broken arm and strapped ribs. "Spike could though. Do it gently and not drop you."
Vortigern tilted his head, and started off. "C'mon then."
Gwen and Bobby
Gwen nodded.
"Yes..."
She closed her eyes. It didn't matter. Nothing did. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Her tears started to fall heavier as she struggled to understand what was happening. Her back hurt, she couldn't feel her legs, but right now she'd give anything for her legs to hurt, as long as she could feel them.
Through her pain, she could sense something was breaking inside her, but she wasn't sure what, not noticing when her hand crackled slightly with electricity.
Mordred was still touching her, so she struggled to keep it under control. But as soon as he let go, she was going to as well.
Bobby nodded and followed after Vort, until they found seats and sat down.
"So... what happened?"
Mordred, Vortigern and Spike
Mordred nodded and went to get Spike. "Spike could you come lift Gwen into the bed?"
"Sure, mate..." Spike followed the teen back to his room. "Up you get, Sparks..." He knelt to put a hand under her legs and the other behind her back.
"The car hit them when they were driving from the ceremony," Vortigern said, eyes dry. "Mordred went through the windshield. Gwen was trapped inside the car. The French police are almost certain that the people in the other car were drunk...they drove off. Leaving Gwen in the car and Mordred on the road unconscious."
Gwen and Bobby
Bobby sighed. "Oh... that's... but they're both... both ok, I mean, it could've been worse, and they still have each other."
A tear sparked with electricity as it fell from Gwen's eye. She let go of the control of her powers as Spike lifted her up, and stared blankly at the wheelchair. Hating it. Hating she was it's prisoner. As Spike touched her and she let go of his powers, she felt the same thing she had with Angel.
A kickstarted heartbeat.
Spike and Vortigern
"I only just managed to stop Mordred from going back, finding the drivers and ripping them into pieces with his bare hands." Vortigern sighed. "It's just...god, it's not fair."
Spike blinked down at her. "What the hell, electrogirl?"
Gwen and Bobby
"No, it's really not," Bobby agreed. "So... nothing, it's been... how is it emotionally?"
Gwen looked at Spike.
"Oh, I made his heart go pity pat. I have that effect on vampires."
Mordred, Vortigern and Spike
"He blames himself. You know, for not being able to get her out of there, cos he was driving..." Vortigern shook his head. "Blames himself because he can still walk and she can't."
"Ah." Spike's eyebrow arched elegantly as he laid her on the bed carefully. "Need anything else?"
"No, thanks, Spike," Mordred whispered, sitting on the bed next to her.
"Call if you do." Spike left.
Bobby and Gwen
"And her?" Bobby asked, holding back his tears. "She seems... she's holding it in, isn't she?"
Gwen looked at Mordred, trying to control her powers again. She opened her palm and a ball of electricity formed and she shifted her gaze at it. Come on, come on, you can hold it, come on, you can control it. She clenched her fist, around the ball and it disappeared. She had control again.
Vortigern and Mordred
"She's holding it in. They both are." Vortigern hesitated and gnawed on his lip. "Mordred can come to me...but she doesn't really have anyone. She's not going to talk to him about it. Can she...will she be able to come to you? You seem to be good friends..."
Mordred held her hand in his. "It's ok, love. It's ok."
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, I'll always be here for her... and I hope she knows that."
Another tear slid from Gwen's eyes.
"It's not ok. It's not ever going to be ok."
She turned her head away from him, unwilling to let him see her in this much pain.
Mordred and Vortigern
"It's good to hear," Vortigern said softly.
Mordred bit his lip and just held her hand as his head bowed. He didn't know what to do...
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby sighed. "I'll go and see her tomorrow."
Gwen's lip started to tremble again and she squeezed Mordred's hand harder.
"Can... can you just lie with me?" she asked softly.
Mordred and Vortigern
"That would be good..." Vortigern stared at his hands for a moment. "It's good, you know? That you're willing to be there for her as well..."
"Of course I can, love," Mordred said gently and he slowly eased his way onto the bed. He put his arm under her head. "That alright? Tell me if I'm hurting you..."
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby shrugged. "Well... she needs someone, she doesn't have anyone really, and I know that bothers her more than she lets on. But it's good that Mordred has you."
Gwen closed her eyes and reached for his hand.
"Never hurt me..."
She frowned as she realised she couldn't turn over. She wanted to, but she couldn't. And if she tried, she was just going to pop her stiches.
Mordred and Vortigern
"It does," Vortigern said softly. "But me and Mordred...we just are. I wish that she had someone she could talk to like we do, but she cant talk to Mordred cos he's too mixed up in all of this. And he's hurting as well."
"Love you." Mordred kissed her forehead lightly. "Here, budge up a little." He used his hand to shift her carefully onto her side. "Your stitches still alright?"
Bobby and Gwen
"Yeah, well..." Bobby looked at the ground. "She needs someone, and she's... I guess I'm the closest person aside from Mordred that she could talk to. Oh..." Bobby clicked. "You know what? What about that green demon guy..."
Gwen nodded.
"I love you too."
She took a deep breath.
"Yeah, they're ok."
Tears spilled from her eyes again.
"Please don't leave me," she whispered.
Vortigern and Mordred
"You mean, Lorne?" Vortigern frowned thoughtfully. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."
"I'll never leave you. I love you." Mordred kissed her cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears. "Always yours."
Bobby and Gwen
"Yeah... the one they sing for. It might help. I'm not sure how. But it might." Bobby looked confused. "I shouldn't think. It just confuses me."
Gwen's shoulders shook as she started to cry harder. She was so pathetic, and Mordred didn't deserve that. He deserved someone who could walk. Someone who wasn't helpless. Damn her. Damn her and her helplessness. "I love you," she managed to get out between sobs.
Vortigern and Mordred
Vortigern chuckled slightly. "No, it's a good idea. Maybe he can figure something out..."
Mordred held her, trying to make sure she didn't disturb the stitches. "Shhhh, shhhh, love. Don't cry. Don't cry. I'm not going to leave you. I love you."
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby looked pleased. "I had a good idea. Cool. Well... uh... yeah, because he's all... anagogic or whatsit."
Gwen took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. She turned her head to look at Mordred.
"Um... I need... I need to pee."
Mordred and Vortigern
"Yeah..." Vortigern nodded, amusement in his brown eyes. "Actually, calling the LA people and telling them isn't a bad idea. I might let Gwen do it though. We...all didn't exactly get along."
"Uh, ok..." Mordred thought about how he would handle this as he eased his arm out from under her head. "Maybe...I can port you into the bathroom. How did they do it at the hospital? I don't want to hurt you."
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby smiled slightly. "Um... is she going to be up to that? I could, if she's not... if I just had the number... although it's probably in Xavier's file on her."
Gwen shrugged slightly. "I can't remember. But I... I could probably use a shower or something too."
She paused, and her lip quivered.
"I'm sorry for being such a hassle."
Mordred and Vortigern
"It would be." Vortigern nodded. "Thanks. For saying that you'd..."
"You're never a hassle," Mordred insisted. "I love you." He thought about how he was going to do this. "Ok...I'm gonna port you into the chair, alright?"
Bobby and Gwen
Bobby stood up. "Yeah... I'll go ring now. Uh... thanks for filling me in." He disappeared to go ring Lorne.
Gwen nodded.
"Ok."
Vortigern and Mordred
Vort sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. And he'd have to do this again, and again, and again...cos there was no way Mordred and Gwen could at the moment.
"Ok." Mordred closed his eyes and concentrated. She appeared in the chair. "You alright?"
Gwen
"Fantastic."
Gwen reached for the control pad again and started to wheel herself out the door and to the bathroom.
She stared at the bars that had never meant anything to her before, with resentment. Unfair, that's what it was. Unfair.
"How... how do I..."
Mordred
"Ah..." Mordred walked after and eyed them consideringly. "I guess you kinda...use your arms and swing onto the toilet seat. I can try and give you a hand." He came and stood next to her, waiting for her to start making the first move, ready to help her if she needed it.
Gwen
"Ok, I can do this... I'm a thief, I use my arms a lot. And they certainly got a lot of use while we were in London."
Gwen gave a small smile as she grabbed at the bars and hoisted herself out of the wheelchair and onto the toilet.
"Wow, this was something we never did... watched each other pee."
Mordred
"Ah, I'll leave now..." Mordred turned to go, then looked back. "I'm only a thought away, remember. If you need a hand." He closed the door behind him to give her some privacy.
Gwen
Gwen went to the toilet and stared at the shower. She hoisted herself from the toilet, flushed it and then swung herself back into her wheelchair, wheeling closer to the shower and sliding the door open.
Damn, this was going to be hard.
"Mordred?" she called in a scared voice. "I don't think I can shower by myself... not yet."
Mordred
Ok, love. I'll just put some plastic over my cast, and I'll be right in. I need one anyway.
Mordred undressed and put a bag over his cast, taping it securely. He wraped a towel about his hips before he opened the door. He went to Gwen and kissed her affectionately.
"Let's get your kit off then, love. Can't shower with it on. Well, you could. But it'd get awful clingy."
Gwen
Gwen looked at Mordred in mock exasperation.
"Go on, laugh at my pain."
She kissed him back and then looked helpless.
"Uh..."
She looked down at the hospital gown she was wearing.
"I can't... it's under me and I can't lift myself up and take it off. Um... little help?"
She let out a bitter giggle.
"You know the thing that just popped into my head? No sex. We can't have sex. Out of everything, that bugs me."
Mordred
Mordred kissed her forehead. "It'll be fine, love." He lifted her slightly and helped her out of the hospital gown. "Now..." He reached into the shower and turned it on, waiting for it to reach a good temperature.
Gwen
Gwen stared at the wall of the shower as she moved herself onto the stool in the shower. She looked at her legs, and winced as the water hit the cuts on her face and arms.
"I hate this."
Mordred
"I know, love, I know..." Mordred soothed as he hung the towel over a rack and stepped inside with her. He started to wash her carefully, minding her cuts and bruises, and his cast.
Gwen
"Ah."
Gwen winced as he came in contact with her stitches. She took his hand and kissed it, then looked up at him with pain-filled eyes.
"Thank you. I love you."
Mordred
"It's not a problem," Mordred insisted again. "I love you too, mo cariad." He stepped back into the spray and let it run down his back, hissing slightly as it came in contact with the numerous small scratches his dive through the windshield had caused.
Gwen
Gwen reached up to pulled Mordred's mouth to hers. She kissed him tenderly, tears falling from her eyes.
"Why is this so hard?"
Mordred
"I don't know, love, I don't know..." Mordred closed his eyes briefly in pain. "You want me to wash your hair, love?"
Gwen
"Yeah, if you could."
Gwen closed her eyes, to avoid anything going in them, feeling her pain well up in her chest.
Mordred
Mordred carefully worked the shampoo through her hair, then rinsed it. He washed her hair silently, letting her have some space. This couldn't be pleasent, even if they loved each other. Having to depend on him for everything...
Gwen
Gwen sighed as she felt the familiar itch come back in her arms. The wanting to cut herself open and feel something. Anything was better than nothing. Anything was always better than nothing.
Gwen shivered, and winced in pain.
"After this... could you get some pain killers or something?"
Mordred
"I'll go see Dr McCoy. I'm sure he has something," Mordred said quietly as he rinsed the last of the conditioner out.
"Ok..." He soaped himself up then stepped under the water to rinse it off.
Gwen
Gwen sat helplessly, then glared at the wheelchair through the shower door. Stupid thing. Stupid legs. Stupid car. Stupid everything.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
Mordred
"S'alright love. Really." Mordred turned off the shower, then shook hsis head, sending water droplets flying. "Let's get you dry, and then I'll go see the sawbones."
Gwen
After Gwen was dried and dressed and back in the hateful wheelchair, she kissed Mordred's hand and then wheeled herself back into their room. She looked at the bed and frowned. She could do this, she could. She tired lifting herself out of the chair, but her arms gave out, tired, and she fell onto the floor, her stitches splitting and blood poruing out everywhere. She shrieked in pain.
Mordred
"OH GOD!" Mordred ran, grabbed her and ported to the medlabs, not caring that all he had on was a towel...which was slowly but surely slipping down his hips. "BEAST!"
"What...oh my stars and garters! Put her on the bed, quickly," Hank snapped, moving into doctor mode. "What happened?"
"She was getting into bed, and she fell, she fell," Mordred said hysterically.
"She'll be alright. Now Gwen, I'm going to have to sedate you..."
Gwen
"IT HURTS, OH GOD, MORDRED MAKE IT STOP!"
Gwen's head moved violently from side to side, her eyes closed tightly. And that's when the memories came back, hitting her in one giant sweep.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MORDRED! WHERE'S MORDRED?!"
Mordred
"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here," Mordred chanted holding onto her hands. "She's in pain! Do something!"
"I don't want to end up inadvertantly hurting her," Hank snapped as he fitted a needle to a syringe. He made sure there were no airbubbles in it, and slipped it into the vein in the crook of Gwen's arm.
Gwen
Gwen's scream trailed off as she started to be sedated. Her head stopped moving and her grip on Mordred's hand loosened.
"Mordred..." she whispered before everything blacked out.
Mordred
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Mordred shook.
Hank looked at him. "I need room to work. I suggest you go and get dressed."
"I, I. Ok." Mordred 'ported out, looking dazed.
Hank got to work.
Mordred ported back in and watched silently as Hank's paws moved deftly, repairing and restitching. Finally, he was done.
Gwen
Gwen opened a pained eye and again tried to move her legs. Damn, that hadn't been a bad dream.
She looked around desperately, not seeing Mordred.
"Where's Mordred?" she asked, a panicked tone in her voice. "I want Mordred."
Mordred
"I'm here, love, I'm here." Mordred moved to her side so fast he might as well have teleported. He kissed her ferverntly. "I'm right here. I'd never leave you..."
Hank coughed slightly and cleaned his glasses.
Gwen
Gwen kissed him back and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"Can we... can I go to sleep now. I'm kind of tired."
Mordred
"I really would prefer it if you slept the night here. Under observation," Hank said quietly. "That was quite a nasty fall..."
"Only if she wants to." Mordred looked at Gwen. "Well, love? We don't have to stay if you don't want."
Gwen
Gwen shrugged slightly.
"I don't care as long as you don't leave me."
Mordred
"Never leave you, love," Mordred said.
Hank made the prepartions he needed to make so the two could sleep together on the same bed.
"Thanks, doc," Mordred said quietly.
"It wasn't a problem," Hank answered softly, then left the two of them in peace.