Hot and Cold (Julian)

[Lyra Newbury]

She couldn't quite open her eyes yet, they felt heavier than a ton of bricks and Lyra was too weak to fight against the weight. But she heard a high pitched squeal that she recognized as Mimsy. The other noises were foreign and she couldn't place them. There was a beeping that seemed to be consistent and she could hear the distant sound of people talking though she couldn't make out any of the words or voices clearly.

She moaned again as if listening to her surroundings had taken the energy from her. That elicited another squeal from Mimsy and then there was a slight shaking and the sound of Mimsy's tiny feet scurrying out the door.

"Mistress is waking up," she said to Samantha, which was her second choice. She wanted to get the doctor first but Samantha had already scolded her plenty. When Mimsy noticed Nicolas, Samantha was instantly pushed to third on the list of people Mimsy wanted to tell. She didn't wait a response and returned promptly to Lyra's side.

[Nicolas Everhart]

"I can only imagine." Nik said glancing off in the direction the officers had left. When Mimsy alerted them to Lyra's status they all collectively moved back to the room. Samantha was the first to enter, followed by Nik.

"Lyra..." Sam said waiting to witness for herself Lyra's improvement.

[Lyra Newbury]

She recognized Sam's voice and moaned softly in response. Lyra tried to open her eyes again but the only fluttered, the darkness behind her eyelids lightened then darkened again as she fought against the weight. She made a tired sound from the back of her throat as she broke from attempting to pull herself out of the deep sleep she was in.

Rohan had followed Samantha and Nicolas into Lyra's room and watched as Lyra struggled to wake up.

[Samantha Montgomery]

"Mimsy, go get Dr. Reed outside." she ordered. She wanted their private doctor to look at Lyra first.

"Hey kid..." Nik said coming to Lyra's side and taking her hand.

[Lyra Newbury]

Mimsy took her orders in stride, happy to fetch a doctor if it meant Lyra would be okay. "Yes, miss," she said as she climbed off the edge of Lyra's bed where she was once again sitting, and headed to find the doctor.

Lyra felt the shaking again as Mimsy climbed off her bed and then she heard Nik's voice. She moaned again as she finally succeeded in opening her eyes. They were heavy and her eyelids sagged, but she could make out Nik's face.

"Julian?" Lyra's voice was quiet and she didn't have the energy just yet to string together sentences. But she had had a terrible dream about Julian and another woman, and she knew if she could just see her not-boyfriend it would lift this weight off of her.

[Samantha Montgomery]

Nik didn't know what to say, but his expression spoke volumes. He looked at her, then at Samantha and Rohan, before looking back at Lyra.

"How are you feeling?" Nik asked, skipping over Lyra's inquiry about her not-boyfriend.

***
Sam saw Nik's expression and kept quiet. She had heard Mimsy's confession about Lyra having come from Julian's and she knew that whatever happened between them had caused Lyra's accident. She hated that she had ever brought that man into Lyra's life, and she would never forgive him for this.

[Lyra Newbury]

Rohan shook his head as Nik looked to him. Lyra was too weak for any real discussions, there was no use in talking about Julian now. However, Rohan did worry that Lyra might fixate on her boyfriend and if that happened she could spin out again. Nik was right in redirecting the conversation.

"Tired," she answered, but she found the strength to turn her head and saw Sam. She tried to smile.

"What. Happened?" Her words were slow and spread out, each one taking what felt like all her strength just to whisper. Her eyes closed again for a few seconds before she found the will to open them again.

[Samantha Montgomery]

Sam looked at Rohan again as Lyra asked what happened. For someone who had been in complete control of the situation since they walked into the hospital, Sam was decidedly lost for words now.

Nik too wasn't sure how to proceed. The last thing anyone wanted to do was say the wrong thing even if Lyra couldn't self harm with all of them present, the situation was pretty dire.

"Doctor..." Nik said essentially asking the man for guidance on what to say.

[Rohan Nadeer]

Rohan stepped forward and smiled kindly at Lyra. He spoke calmly in a soothing voice as he patted her hand.

"You're in the hospital, Lyra. You had an accident and your friends brought you here. But Samantha thinks you might be more comfortable at her house. Is that alright with you?"

Lyra was too weak to be surprised by Dr Nadeer's presence or the fact that she was in a hospital. She simply nodded and gave a small smile as her eyes closed again from the effort.

[Samantha Montgomery]

"Maybe we should let her rest." Sam said to the others.

Nik nodded, "Get some sleep love. We've got sparring practice on Wednesday." he teased her.

[Lyra Newbury]

Lyra's head rolled to the side and she was again unconscious even before Nicolas' teasing. Her sleep was not restful as her bad dream returned and her head was filled with images of Julian kissing another woman.

Rohan stepped further from Lyra's bed and spoke to the others in a hushed voice. "I'd like for someone to be with her, even when she's sleeping. If she wakes up she should have a familiar face to keep her calm and talk to her. I will check in on her, but if she wakes up and is feeling stronger please ring me right away."

[Samantha Montgomery]

"Thank you Doctor." Sam said ushering Rohan to the door. "I'd like to move her into the estates as soon as possible. And, whatever the costs we will pay it of course, but I am concerned about her accident and whether or not I did the right thing by keeping her from being observed. I'd like it if you could stay with us for a couple of days to help with her recovery."

Sam was certain Lyra's actions weren't a suicide attempt, but she also didn't trust the girl alone. Sam was also completely lost as to how to help her friend. Having a professional within reach felt safer.

[Rohan Nadeer]

One of the primary differences between Rohan's private practice and the hospital's mental health staff was the office hours. Rohan had an ethical duty to ensure he did his best within the scope of his professional duties to ensure the wellfare of his clients. Another psychologist might have denied Ms Montgomery's request and opted for more frequent house calls, but Rohan struggled with maintaining the expectations he felt were put upon him by his family and himself and so he agreed to stay at Montgomery Manor for the time being.

"Of course," he replied with a gentle nod. Rohan took stock of the time and the occupants of the room, realizing that Lyra had been in the hospital for several hours and neither of her parents had been in to check on her yet. He kept this observation to himself and smiled at those who had come to see to Lyra. "She's very lucky to have you."

[Samantha Montgomery]

Samantha gave a small smile, and didn't contradict the good Doctor, but truthfully she was lucky to have Lyra. Lyra was also unlucky to know Sam in a sense because Sam had brought Julian into Lyra's life, and Julian had been the cause behind Lyra's accident. No, Lyra was not lucky.

"Well take care of her. Thank you again."

[Lyra Newbury]

Lyra would have agreed with Dr Nadeer. She was blessed to have Sam and Nicolas in her life. And Mimsy. They had shown up; they cared about her well-being unlike her parents who had been notified when Lyra was brought in and simply chose not to come. If Lyra could have seen Samantha's fierce protection in action with the witch at the front desk or the MLE officers, she would have laughed and hugged her friend. If she had had the energy she would have mocked Nik for something or other.

But Lyra still considered herself lucky to have Julian as well. She wouldn't realize until the morning that her nightmare had been reality, and when that truth set in she would desperately need her friends.