@exsgttibbs

Belle had woken up to Kiki calling her name, bent over her, having pushed rubble from the ceiling off of her. She was covered in dust and a bit of blood from a few scratches and her whole body felt like she’d just--been tossed several feet by the wing or foot or maw of a few ton dragon. Her whole body was sore--possibly more sore than the time she’d been, y’know, stabbed and left for dead and then walked through hell for three days.

At least she’d been dead for that and hadn’t felt pain.

This was--everywhere. Every time she breathed it was a stab of pain radiating through her chest and Belle, someone who was the epitome of “I’m fine, I’m fine”--knew that she wasn’t.

“Calcifer,” she said though. Gone.

“Howl?” Gone.

“The heart?” Gone.

All of it gone. She’d failed. She had, in fact, potentially made everything much, much worse. Melaenis lost to her shadow. Howl without his heart. Her own body possibly injured (definitely injured). Kiki’s home destroyed. 

It was a good thing she could focus on the pain in her body so she wouldn’t have to focus on the pain in her heart, which hung twice as heavy as it normally did, all the way down into her stomach. It took them twenty minutes just to get her up and into a cab. Belle, in that time, badgered and badgered Kiki about having a place to stay, but the girl had assured her there was somewhere--just like Belle had assured her she was fine and could get to the hospital herself.

They’d parted ways. 

Belle had called Hades--that had been a fun conversation. It would take him about half an hour to get to the hospital. Hopefully she’d be all done by then. 

The A&E lights were bright and disorienting and she stopped in the middle of the doorway--half hunched, her clothes ripped and burned, bleeding and covered in ash--and squinted at the bright light.

“Oh, miss! Here, come sit down--what happened?” A nurse asked, flocking towards her at once. The A&E was dead silent except for her. She was led to a bed immediately, though she flinched away from the nurse’s touch at first. There were tears in her eyes, from the pain, and from the way her heart jackrabbited in her chest. 

“Is--Dr--Dr. Tibbs h-h-here?” she wheezed, instead of answering any questions. 

“Oh, he’s--yes, I can page him, if you’d like.”