Trigger Warning⚠️
This one-shot includes the topic of a car accident and the plot is presented. If this triggers you too easily or you just can´t handle the subject, I urge you NOT to read this work. I am NOT embellishing this topic under any circumstance. Read at your own risk.
You groaned in agony, dizziness unfolding as your eyes fluttered open troubled, surveying your surroundings. To all appearances, you were in a hospital room, at least that was what the strong smell of disinfectant told you from the bed you were laying in.
Your attention extended to the woman who had nodded off in the chair next to you. The blonde had her feet on the edge of the bed while her head gently rested on her closed fist. Your breath caught at the sight of the devastated face. Dry, pale lines of tears outlined the dark circles under closed and tired eyes. The sight made the heart monitor you were hooked to go horribly crazy.
"Y/n?" she was slightly dazed and confused when her eyes opened and focused on you. It was only when she squeezed your hand that you realized she was holding onto you like you were about to disappear.
"M-maya" your voice trailed off as you tried to raise your body into a sitting position. You warmly accepted your wife´s help as she slipped her arms softly under your armpits and carefully pulled you up. Maya quickly stroked your matt and dry hair before taking a glass of water from your side table.
The firefighter held it up to your lips, patiently waiting as you took your first sip, enjoying the cool water sliding down your dry and burning throat. Nodding to her, she took the glass away from you before sitting down and fidgeting with her fingers nervously. Her head was lowered, only soft whimpers and sobs escaped her.
"Four days," she began to speak softly, her voice shaking with tension. "You were unconscious for four days. Apparently, you hit your head very hard"
"That would explain the killer headache," you mumbled and the blonde smiled slightly as you grimaced while running your palm down the back of your neck. "What happened?"
"Someone figured it would be a good idea to hit the gas pedal quickly to get through a red light," she shrugged, biting the insides of her cheek hard. Her clear blue eyes darkened and pure anger flared up in them. "Was not smart of him to mess with you. You have two women by your side, one of whom has free access to every room in this hospital and might be on lookout for a minute or two while he gets to feel my fists"
You had realized that Maya seemed to be barely breathing out of sheer nervousness and just talked until she ran out of breath. You slowly reached out a hand and grabbed her thigh, which you began to squeeze gently to bring her back to reality. "It is neither Carina´s nor your fault"
"You have a nasty cut on your forehead and a severe concussion" she replied in a serious tone, frowning while a fixed and intense gaze brooked no contradiction. "Our thoughtless and completely pointless argument got you in the car in the first place"
You applied renewed but significantly more pressure to the blondes thigh, causing her to grunt out as your fingernails dug into her skin.
"Okay, I give in. Not my fault!"
Satisfied with her answer, you smiled and leaned back against your pillow, covering your upper body with the thick blanket from the cold. "Please bring me Carina. Or Amelia. Or anyone responsible for me and get me out of here!"
Squinting and eye and pursing her lips, you could see that she was not happy with your wish. But she could not refuse you anything so she nodded and jumped up from her seat. Placing a gentle kiss on your forehead, Maya headed for the door and briefly disappeared.
Pinching the bridge of your nose, you let your eyes close for a soft moment as you rode out a wave of pain that took control of your body, making you shiver. You would like to ask for painkiller immediately if your treating doctor comes in. But then Maya and also Carina would worry and insist that you would stay here for observation.
Something, you did not want at all.
"Hey Y/n," you had not even heard the door creak open through your trance as your eyes snapped open and followed the voice.
Acknowledging the well-known neurologist in front of you, you smiled at her. "Nice to see you awake again. You gave the two toughest women I know a real scare"
Amelia tapped the tablet in her hands, calling up your file before joining your bed and shining her little lamp in your eyes. The light burned like hell in them, but you tried not to let it show so as not to minimize your chances of being able to go home soon.
"They are always worried, no matter what I do"
You were impatient as she gently pulled down the thick plaster on your forehead to examine the cut for any inflammation. You hated hospitals, everything about them but most of all the atmosphere that came with them. Even though you knew everyone here and were taken care of as if you were one of them, you just could not bear to be here.
"Not always, but often enough. Because we love you" the blonde folded her arms tightly under her chest and pouted. Amelia could not help but laugh at your bickering while you rolled your eyes and immediately regretted it.
"It looks like everything is okay so far. No bleeding or other damage to your brain, though you have received a mild concussion due to the impact. I will bring you the discharge papers in a few hours. Please try to walk a few steps to get your circulation going, see if you get dizzy while standing up"
"I am fine. I can go home now," you quickly leaned forward and threw your legs over the edge of your bed. There was no way you would stay here just a minute longer. Sensing your stubbornness as she knew it from you, Maya crept back to your side. "Honey, you really should listen to Dr. Shepherd"
You slapped away your wife´s outstretched hand, and a momentary, horrible pain shot through your spine but you tried to ignore it. It was not her fault that you were here, nor that the neurologist wanted to let you walk a few steps, but she was the only one you could take your frustration out on.
"Y/n!" you stared up at the blonde, who had crowded your personal space. Along with the warm breath you could feel on your cheek, the awkward beeping pierced your ears once again. "Take it easy before you hurt yourself even more and have to stay here longer"
You were about to argue but the look on her face brushed you off. You did not have the energy for another argument so you fell back onto the bed, mimicking the blonde with your arms crossed under your chest while an annoyed frown laid across your forehead.
Your head hurt from the strain she had put on your ears, trying to understand the voices of Amelia and Maya clearer than the constant ringing while your ribs started to ache. You squinted your eyes as the soreness in your body took your whole attention before slipping close, gritting your teeth to force down a whimper that threatened to leave your lips.
This is the hard proof of the Marina Fanzine! We got it from the printer to make sure everything looked good before they start printing… and we approved it! (which means the physicals are officially on the way!)
As you may already know, we are behind our original schedule of the production of the zines and here is why:
When we first decided to try to organize a Marina Fanzine, we never imagined we’d get the support we’ve been getting from you all. At first, we weren’t even sure a physical copy would be a possibility, but we ended up selling way more than we expected — which is great, of course.
However, a project as big as what this became is a big responsibility, so we ended up having much more work than we first thought we would have.
That, added to our main designer going through major surgery, a moderator starting a new job and the other moderator going through immigration bureaucracy and our lack of experience when it comes to zine making, contributed to the production being so delayed. It's been a wild ride for us, we assure you.
Again, we're sorry for taking this long but we're thankful for your patience and support! We just want to let you know that we have been and still are actively working on this project (everyday, all the time, no kidding) and it will be here very, very soon.
