Set in Stone

Wilson didn't look at Elisa. As far as he was concerned, from the bit of the story that he knew, she was alright being there as a friend and as someone with more experience in the real world than the brother had. Maybe if he made like not noticing her she'd stay there for what he had to say.

"Her left arm's shattered just behind the wrist. It's going to need pins. Her back's not broken, but she twisted it badly and her tail bone is. And the X-rays also picked up a lot of old breaks, some that seem to come from early childhood."

His eyes were questioning.

"She's been fighting a long time," was all Simon said, though inwardly he was wincing and cussing himself out for not watching her back better in that last fight.

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It was, unfortunately, a breaking point for Elisa. She pointed an accusing finger toward Simon. "Why? She's just a kid. What's out there that she's got to fight again?"

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Simon turned a scowl toward her, then turned back to his sister. "She calls 'em goblins."

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Elisa could push this and part of her feels that she should, but... she holds back. Yelling at Simon isn't going to do River any good. She's even about to challenge him on why he didn't seek better help for her.

But not now. It's neither the time or the place.

Instead, she returns her attention to Wilson. "She will recover, though, right? You can fix everything?"

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He nodded, dark eyes fixed thoughtfully on Simon. "Yes. Like I said before, it'll take time, but she should recover." Then he cleared his throat. "Mr. Tam, did you know your sister's partially blind?"

"WHAT?" Simon looked at him.

"Some sort of head trauma caused a blood clot at the back of her right eye, which caused nerve damage."

"But she can see just fine." Simon scowled.

"She was probably so young when it happened that she's never known any difference. She compensates."

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"Whatever she needs," Elisa says, "she gets. Money's no object." Oh, she was probably going to catch hell for this one, but it was, ultimately, the right thing to do. It could even be done without informing Xanatos about the Nexus--something, as much as they had come to trust him, they had unilateraly decided he didn't need to know about.

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Simon shot her a suspicious look, one that plainly wondered what she wanted in exchange.

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Nothing, of course, other than knowing that River was going to be okay. She is, however, good at reading that look.

"She's my friend, dammit," Elisa snaps. "And because that's what decent people do. They help each other."

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River started and opened her eyes muzzily. "Huh? Oh... hey, Simon." She licked her lips and blinked a bit. "Thought I heard Elisa."

"Yeah, she's here." He scowled down at her. "How you feeling?"

"Stoned." She quirked him a slight grin that actually showed in her eyes.

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Elisa moves closer to River. "That'd be the painkillers, kiddo," she says, with a small grin of her own.

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River gave her some of the dozy grin too, then sighed and closed her eyes.

"Don't go to sleep yet," said Wilson gently. "We need you to sign some papers."

"Uh? 'Kay." She moved her good hand to make sure of where it was.

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Well, at least she could say she'd done some good tonight.

"Thank-you, again, Doctor," she says to Wilson. "For all of this."

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He blinked and looked up from watching the girl's intent concentration on her signature, his slightly bushy eyebrows lifting. "I'm just doing my job."

-Setting a time-line straight....-

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"You're gonna have a media circus eventually, you know," Elisa says, now that things have had time to set in. "'Girl Rescued by Gargoyle.' Plenty of people saw me bring her in. Word's gonna get out."

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"We've tightened security." He cocked his head, mentally requesting more information about Gargoyles, then frowned slightly. "We won't be able to do the surgery till tomorrow, are you going to be alright?"

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"I'll be fine," she says, almost an automatic response. A glance at the clock tells her she still has a little before sunrise. Time enough to go back to the Castle, if that's what she decides to do. Probably a good idea, rather than trying to roost somewhere here. Too much attention and the strange appearance of a statue equals smashed Gargoyle.

"I'm going to have to leave before too much longer... Won't be able to make it back until after dark again. But I'll leave a number where you can leave me a message in case of an emergency."

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River frowned and got her head turned so that she could see her. "Something... wrong?"

Simon looked too, watchfully.

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Gargoyle thing," Elisa says, after a moment. She certainly feels like she can trust Wilson, and River probably already knows anyway. "The whole 'turning to stone come sun-up' thing. Safer for everyone if I have somewhere to roost that isn't here."

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"Right." She sighed, then dozed off despite herself.

Simon looked like he was trying to figure out what they were talking about, but he didn't say anything.

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Elisa just smiles slightly at the sight of River at peace. She hopes it's something the girl will get to know more often.

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Wilson cleared his throat and took the clipboard from under River's hand. "I'll go get these turned in."

Eyes on the board, he wandered out of the room.

"I do what I can." Simon's voice was low so as to not disturb his sister.

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"I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have been so accusing," Elisa says, after a moment.

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"Not everybody lives in the pretty world." He picked up River's chart and tried to read it, but most of it was handwriting, and he sucked at reading that at the best of times.

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