coppelganger | ic contact; MoM

( She’s stumbled out of the Porter centre; filthy, covered in dirt and plaster and dust, and that’s before the gaze can drop to the wreckage of her arm. Sarissa can’t look at it, and she can’t stop looking st it. The sleeve of her shirt is wrapped over the stump and held tight in place by a leather belt. She knows, logically, that’s she in shock, but that does little to take away from the reality of what’s happened. It takes what feels like far longer than it could have been to get her device and contact Sarah.

Her voice is rough and quiet, feels like it’s crumbling away like plasterboard. It feels too quiet, but she has no idea if it really is or not, if it’s just being dulled out by her heart. )

Sarah? I need—

I need help. Please.

[ It's always worrying when one of her sisters goes off the radar, particularly Sarissa, but then it's only been a day—not long enough yet to go blowing up anyone's phone. When she sees Sarissa's name pop up on her phone that afternoon, Sarah's actually relieved. Sarissa is calling her, so Sarissa is alive and hasn't ported out, so everything is fine.

Ha, ha, yeah right.

Sarah is already swinging her legs over the side of the couch and rushing to grab her car keys from the hook next to the front door before Sarissa is even finished speaking. Worry is making her heart race. She's never heard Sarissa's voice sound so broken and weak before—except, maybe, the first time she revived. ]

Where are you?

Nonah. I got through the porter. Alleyway outside.

( Somehow, probably in a reckless move. )

I’m bleeding, I can’t... I don’t know what to do.

[ God, it feel like her blood is turning to ice. She unlocks the car and has it running before she's even fully in the driver's seat. ]

Okay. Riss, stay where you are, yeah? I'll be there as soon as I can.

Yeah.

( She sounds very hollow and strained in the same moment, like all the energy has been drained out of her but she's still trying so hard to wring out some more. This is doable. She can keep going.

How long it takes Sarah to get there, she really doesn't know. She's crouching down on the floor, her back to the wall, holding her left arm close to her chest. Sarah can't see it. Sarah'll freak out if she sees it, it's—

gone.

When Sarah arrives, Sarissa is still crouched on the ground and bent over her arm, though she looks up at the sound of footsteps. Her skin is streaked grey with dust, and maybe just straight up shock, too. )

[ At first Sarah can't tell what's wrong with Sarissa. Her sister is just a crouched form in the alley, bloody but whole. It's only as she steps closer that she can see why Sarissa is clutching her arm to her chest. Sarah stares at the place where Sarissa's hand should be, and for a second it's like the world flips upside down. She hears herself say "Oh, god," only it sounds like it's coming from someone else. She hesitates only for a second, and then she's moving to kneel beside Sarissa. There are a hundred questions she needs to ask, but later. Now she can only take care of Sarissa. ]

I'm here. Let me see.

Blood grosses you out.

( Somehow, impossibly, that feels like a priority - something she needs to be mindful of, respectful of, as she's doubled over. She rests her head against Sarah's shoulder, but feels frozen. How does she move? How does she do anything? )

I'm— I'm sorry.

No. No, no, it's okay. I'm fine, don't worry about me. We're both okay.

[ Sarah doesn't know what will be faster, calling an ambulance or driving Sarissa to the hospital herself. She inspects the belt tied around Sarissa's arm, and the shirt. She should have brought along a towel or something, something clean, but she hadn't known when Sarissa called that the situation was this bad. ]

Can you walk?

Uh, I— yeah. I think so, yeah.

( She straightens up, just leaning her back against the cold brick walls, and braces with her legs to push herself up slowly. It's a wavering sort of walk, unsteady, but she takes a couple steps. )

I should have said to bring plastic. I forgot, I meant to. ( She sounds short of breath and a little faint. )

Plastic?

[ She puts an arm around Sarissa's waist, supporting her, and leads her slowly to the car. Once they're there, she opens the passenger side door and lowers the seat until it's lying flat, and then she helps Sarissa onto it. ]

You're gonna lie here, yeah? It will be okay. I'm gonna call an ambulance, but I'll be right here.

To— for your car.

( So it'd stay clean.

She's aware it's a weird priority to have, and yet.

Carefully, slowly, she complies, and sort of flops into the car seat. )

I don't wanna be alone.

Keep your arm up, Riss, okay? Above your head.

[ She props Sarissa's left arm against the gear shift so that Sarissa won't have to hold it up completely on her own, and then she pulls out her phone and dials for an ambulance. While she's on the phone she holds Sarissa's other hand, rubbing her thumb lightly across the back. ]

Edited 2018-01-27 02:26 (UTC)

Above my head.

( Quietly, a mantra helping her remember, as she grits her teeth a little with the pressure from having it propped up. It's a relief, all the same, and she grips Sarah's hand. Not enough to hurt, but clinging. )

I had to use dirty tools. It might— might be infected.

[ Sarah gives the 911 dispatcher the necessary information, and then, despite them telling her not to, she hangs up the phone. She doesn't need to talk to some stranger who can't do anything else to help her. She needs to talk to Sarissa, to keep Sarissa calm. ]

Don't worry about that now. Ambulance will be here soon.

Okay. Okay.

( She'll be okay. Sarah's here, she'll be okay.

Her skin is clammy, the dust on her skin streaky and smeared from sweat. ) I thought I was gonna die, Sarah. Didn't know how else to get out.

I know.

[ She has no idea, but she's definitely not going to ask Sarissa to recount whatever happened until she's safely in a hospital bed. She takes her free hand and pushes Sarissa's hair off her forehead, and then starts to shrug her leather jacket off so she can rest it over Sarissa's chest. It's not a blanket, but it will at least do a little bit to combat the shock. ]

I'm here, yeah? I'm not going anywhere.

( The leather jacket is weirdly comforting. Thank God for that, for Sarah being here. )

I know. You’re always there for me.

( Faint, and getting less easy to understand. ) I think I’m gonna— sleep.

No. Sarissa, don't go to sleep. Stay awake for me. Tell me a story, yeah? Tell me something.

[ It's an echo of the same thing she'd said in December to Jessica Jones, but this time there's more fear in it. Sarissa can't die. Sarissa can't die again. ]

Don't sleep?

( Her speech is a little slurred, her lips tinging blue.

Sarissa clumsily reaches out with her right hand, resting her fingers against Sarah's cheek, mouth catching in a tired smile. )

Jane Austen or Bridget Jones?

Anything. Tell me about something stupid you did as a kid. I promise I won't make fun of you.

[ She smiles down at Sarissa, shaky, and then glances quickly around, trying to gauge where the ambulance is, how long it will take to get here. ]

I like when you make fun of me. It's what we do.

( Gently, she pokes Sarah's cheek. )

Once I broke into a guy's car at school and turned off the parking break. Rolled his car into the pond 'cause he was mean to a mate of mine.

[ This is the most Sarissa story ever. ]

Yeah? Then what?

Head Girl saw me do it. She made me do set painting for the school musical in exchange for not telling anyone.

( Her smile is crooked. )

I felt bad about the frogs. Took a while to clean up their habitat. Dick move by me.

Everything ended up alright, though.

Yeah. ( She smiles a little dopily, and lets her hand fall back to her chest. ) I didn't get in trouble. School musical was a success. The jerk's car was written off because it was already a piece of crap before it went in the pond.

( Her eyes are so heavy. Talking is really hard. ) Frogs did okay.

27th; cw: traumatic injury/loss of limb

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