2008-01-22: The Messenger

Starring:

Heidi_icon.gif Kory_icon.gif

Summary: Kory drops by the hospital to visit a mute Heidi, who can't communicate. Or can she?

Date It Happened: January 22, 2008

The Messenger


Mount Sinai Hospital - Heidi's Room

Kory is a conscientious visitor. Particularly since Mrs. Petrelli isn't someone who knows her. She checked first for the visiting hours, and having acquired them, stopped by a florist to pick up a modest display. That and some herbal teas.

After arriving at the hospital and getting directions to Heidi's room, she knocks politely. "Good morning, Mrs. Petrelli…" she says, apprehensively. "Don't mean to disturb you. I'm…I'm a friend of Peter's, and I promised him I'd look in and see how you are doing." She holds up the flowers and a little brown bag which must hold the aforementioned teas.

Heidi doesn't look so good, really. Given the scope of the accident, she's hooked up to so many machines that it's hard to tell what wires go where. Add that to the ventilator, and she's unable to speak.

When Kory walks in, though, Heidi opens blue eyes, which rest on the unfamiliar face for a moment, before looking away. Her focus is distant, and she seems lost, but that shouldn't be surprising, given the morphine drip that she's on. Ever since Angela visited, she's been sort of abusing it. But why wouldn't she? After all, she's in quite a bit of pain.

Still, she manages to hold up a hand, which rises from the bed a couple inches so she can at least acknowledge that someone's here, and her eyes glance back at Kory, as well. A friend of Peter's. Where's Peter at, anyway?

Kory smiles tightly at the woman. She's no stranger to seeing people this way; her mother is a nurse, after all, but her empathetic nature means she sympathizes very strongly. She sets the little colorful spray of flowers down amongst the other umpty-ump displays that fill the room with color and fragrance, and sets the bag of teas on the sideboard. "Just rest, ma'am," she tells the other woman, offering a hand. "I brought a book if you'd like me to read to you." Since the woman obviously can't talk, it must be one tap for yes, and two for no. "Or just some soft music…?" She doesn't suggest TV. The news can be so stressful.

What Heidi wants is to be able to tell everyone why she's here. Or maybe she wants to catch the clouds that are swimming by in her vision, which direct her eyes back upward to the ceiling. What was that guy's name? The one in the book that— book. Book.

Her attention returns to Kory as she very gently curls a couple fingers around Kory's offered hand. Even this causes her arm to hurt, though, and the visitor is quickly released. Heidi's hand settles back down to the blanket. It's nice to have company, she supposes, so she nods when Kory asks about the book.

It doesn't look like she'll be conscious for long, though.

It was Kory's fervent hope that Heidi might drop off to sleep. Peter has his suspicions about the accident. Kory has selected a book of Japanese poetry, translated into English. It's short and pleasant, and she modulates her voice to that gentle, sing-song tone one uses to lull a baby to sleep, as she reads about cherry blossoms and snow. She glances up every so often to check whether Heidi's still awake.

Whoever this friend of Peter's is, she's really quite nice. It's not long before all thoughts of anger and of the accident and of Logan are drifting away, to be replaced by that dream-like hallucination of clouds and colours, courtesy of the morphine and Kory's voice. It's probably better that she sleeps, anyway, and it's not too much longer before she is asleep, indicated by slower blips coming from the heart monitor, and a much more relaxed appearance.

Kory can feel it. The alpha waves of the brain slowing down. She sets the book aside, and gently nudges her consciousness into Heidi's dreamstate. It's a little more difficult for her, given the morphine, but with time and perseverance, she manages it. In the dreamstate, she looks like a nature girl. Her hair falls long and free down her back, and she's got a toga-esque gown on, no shoes. She floats, until Heidi's dreamscape resolves around her.

Always down to earth and practical, Heidi sees herself in the dream as she is - a middle-aged woman with black hair and startling blue eyes. She's seated on the hospital bed, though without the machines attached to her. She's whole and unhurt, though - perhaps thanks to the morphine, the walls are blue, and the room filled with fluffy white clouds.

Seeing Kory, her eyes narrow, she blinks, and stares. "Hello?" she says, voice still clear, almost young, despite her physical age. "You were reading to me. You're Peter's friend." It's more that she's repeating what she thinks she heard, to see if she can get the facts straight. Kinda weird that she's dreaming the same thing she saw while she was awake.

Kory settles back into the chair she occupied in the real world. "Yes, Mrs. Petrelli," she tells the older woman politely. "That's me. My name is Koray. Everyone calls me Kory." She settles easily in the chair. "You're dreaming."

Heidi doesn't smile. In fact, she looks sad, though most people would after the accident she was in. Okay, so she's right, this is a dream; her eyes take in the room, which is exactly like the one she's in when awake, except for one thing. Reaching out, she finally manages to catch one of those clouds.

Maybe the barest of smiles appears on her lips, but it's gone quickly. "Everyone calls me Heidi," she replies. And, knowing something about abilities, she asks, "Is this real? Are we talking?"

Kory's eyes widen faintly; though it's fleeting. Peter's mother is Company. Why wouldn't his sister in law also know about abilities? "Yes," she tells Heidi. "It's real. We're talking, if you're up to it." As badly injured as she is, a long conversation might be ill-advised. "Figured this might be better for you than being awake and not able to communicate."

Well, she didn't find out about abilities under the best terms, but know about them she does. When Kory confirms her questions, she nods, understanding. Even in the dream, she's tired, though, almost wanting to sleep within the dream, rather than speak, but this is important. Heidi stands, heading over to Kory's chair. "I have something important to tell you. You need to tell Peter— I haven't been able to — To contact him. You have to tell him, please. I wasn't driving the car."

Kory concentrates, visibly, and takes a little of the effort out of the dream for Heidi. It's not an easy trick, nor one she can hold for long, but the woman's suffering already, and if this makes things easier for her, Kory's happy to do it.

But she listens, as Heidi approaches her. "Go ahead," she encourages the woman, falling silent. She nods, though, expression troubled, as Heidi indicates she wasn't the one driving. "…who was driving, then?"

This isn't easy for her to say. She meant to keep the secret, but she can't anymore. If he could do this to her, what will he do to others? There's a long pause before she says, "It was Nathan." Then, "But it wasn't Nathan, it was Logan. Tell Peter that Nathan is Logan." How can she explain this? "My husband has another personality. It's dangerous. Logan. He tried to kill me. He can fly. He left the car before it crashed. Nathan's still there - he can't do anything. He can't fix things on his own."

Kory leans forward, to show the other woman that Kory's undivided attention is hers. "Nathan?" Senator Petrelli? Her husband, Nathan? She nods, to show she understands but doesn't say anything else as Heidi continues. "Logan. A …split personality. And Nathan's too weak to stand up to it? Is that it?" She wants to make sure she understands. It's obviously very important to Heidi.

Heidi's affirmation is a minute nod, as she reaches to take Kory's shoulders. She seems a little addled now, like she's not quite sure what's going on. Even with the help, it's hard for her to stay asleep for more than a few minutes at a time. Mostly, the pain jolts her awake; in this case, though, she's also fighting to remain in this dream.

She nods again.

"I told him I wouldn't tell anyone. I thought I could help him, but I couldn't. In the end, he just… He was puppeting Nathan the whole time." That sadness is back. At the moment, she's not sure she can forgive her husband for not being strong enough. At the same time, Heidi knows she will. Eventually. "You have to tell Peter. He'll know what to do."

Heidi settles back into the bed, sitting on the edge of it, breathing slowly. "I don't know why you did this, but thank you. I'm sorry to put this on your shoulders, Kory. If you don't tell Peter, I think a lot of people will be in trouble. I think people might die."

Kory fashions dream clouds into a soft cushion around Heidi — a mental block against the pain for a little while, at least. She meets Heidi's gaze when the other woman takes her shoulders. "I'll tell Peter immediately. I promise," she says solemnly. "We'll sort this out somehow and help Nathan." She smiles, though. "This is my gift. This is what I'm good at. This is how I help." She reaches up to pat Heidi's hand comfortingly.

She has never in her life been so thankful for people like her husband and brother. This gift is far more important right now than Peter's ability to heal or ease pain - both could have helped of course, but Peter— Peter isn't here. She's angry, but she needs him.

The alleviation from pain draws a soft breath from Heidi. It's a dream, and she's going to have to go back to being stuck in that hospital bed for god knows how long. She'll hold on to this as long as she's able. "Why can't I contact Peter? I tried."

Kory bites her lower lip, guiltily. Peter didn't say not to mention his situation, but telling Heidi would only agitate her, unquestionably. "He's incommunicado right now," she answers. It's the truth, and it's as much as she's willing to give up to the woman without giving her anything else to handle.

"I know how to get ahold of him. And I will. You concentrate on getting better, okay? I will get what you said to Peter. Don't worry." The dreamwalker smiles at the injured-but-whole-in-dream-form Heidi, injecting as much reassurance into words and expression as she is able to.

It would probably be heartbreaking for her at the moment to hear about what Peter's going through. Heidi cares for him deeply, and she'd like to be able to help, while at the same time resenting him for not being there for her. It's a silly thought to have, since she wouldn't have told him about Logan, anyway, but pain brings about illogical thinking. "Okay. Tell him I'm mad at him," she adds, though not entirely seriously.

Kory cringes a little. "I'm sure he already knows, and would be here if he could," she says apologetically. She doesn't want to burden the already stressed Heidi with the knowledge that the Company has taken Elena. How could this woman bear the additional knowledge with what she already is suffering. "I'm sure he'll be here the second he's able." The second it's safe, more like. "But I'll tell him you're mad at him." She smiles, seeing the woman isn't completely serious.

"Tell him," Heidi says quietly. "Tell him to tell Nathan that I still love him." It's a lot for Kory to remember, Heidi knows. But this is really her only chance to get the message across. It's all important in her mind, nothing ranking higher than anything else. Get the message out, save the world, one person at a time.

Finally, Heidi does smile, an easy expression, straight from her heart. "Kory… Thank you. I didn't know how to tell anyone. I was just… I was trapped. I think you're a hero. We'll have to meet up when I'm out of the hospital."

Not that much, really; it's the stuff that's important to her right now. She loves the boys even if they're not here for her right this minute. Perfectly understandable it'd be urgent to Heidi. The easy smile makes Kory respond in kind.

"Everyone has a little hero in them," she says modestly. "I'm just glad I could help. And I'd be delighted to spend time with you when you're well again." She concentrates, fluffing up the clouds again. The dream seems more vivid, as if it were soaking into Heidi's memory so even through the drugs, with an effort, she'll be able to recall it. "I should let you get some real rest now, though."

She can see and feel, hear, smell the medicine in the hospital room, taste the irony blood still left in her mouth. It's all very real, which is surprising, despite the fact that she's experiencing all this through a dream. The knowledge that she's going to have to wake up hits her like a train; in the dream, there are tears in her eyes. She's afraid; still, the tears go unshed, because she has to be strong. She'll get through this, and now, Heidi has the hope that Nathan will, too.

She breathes again, closing her eyes, remembering without really meaning to. The feeling becomes painful, and she knows very well that she's right on the edge of that dream world and the waking world. Still, Heidi holds on for as long as she can before—

She opens her eyes in the hospital room. At first, there's no recollection of the dream, just the intense pain that she's now experiencing. Soon, the timer on the morphine will inject another blessed dose into her system so that she can rest again, but for now, she's awake and still, staring up at the ceiling as the memory starts to return to her—

Kory? Her eyes glance to the chair where she last saw the woman.

And there she is. Kory. Sittting where she was last, book on her lap. "Message received," she says in a sepulchral whisper. "And it will be delivered. Puppets, strings, and double Ps." It may be a little hard to suss out in the waking world, but she has a feeling speaking out the whole thing to confirm it for Heidi's sake might not be the wisest idea. She pulls out her cellphone, and quickly thumbs something into it.

Must speak with you soonest. Usual time and place? - Kory

Her mind is muddy again… Then again, it was hardly entirely clear in the dream. Kory could only do so much to stay the effects of medicine and pain, but the good news is that now Heidi's real dreams will be much more pleasant. Message received…

The blue eyes narrow in confusion. Kory appeared to her in the dream, that much she remembers. Why?

Logan.

It comes back to her, and there's as much of a sigh as Heidi can manage with the ventilator tubing down her throat. She got the message across. People will know what happened to Nathan now, and with any luck, they can fix things. Peter will know what to do.

Her eyes close, and the tears from the dream finally roll down her cheek, soaking into the pillow. These are tears of relief, though. Of hope. Looking at Kory, she gives another small nod. She can't vocally thank the girl, but it's all there in her eyes.

Kory stands, and gives the woman's hand a gentle squeeze. "You sleep well. Rest and recover. I'll see you again soon." Kory must return, after all, to let the woman know what Peter said. But she's off like a shot after those parting words, the better to get things done before her appointed meeting time with Peter.

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