Within the ivory rooms of Destiny City hospital Aurora Namid slept away the days silently since she’d first collapsed. The constant clatter of nurses in and out, the blips and beeps of machinery hooked to the worst off patients, and the light drip of IV’s made up the only real sounds in the ward she slept in. In some of the rooms the soft sound of crying or hushed voices of family members added to the symphony.

The coma had hit her while at the grocer, her body collapsing with fruit still in hand, she’d been found within the hour and moved to the hospital. Family money had helped to keep her in a private room, though ‘private’ in the current situation still warrented her two similarly silent roommates. The rooms all around were overflowing, the doctors and nurses looking more and more fatigued themselves as the days passed. Aurora did not notice or care for these things however, she simply slept and slept.

Though she made no noises, no appearance that she would awaken, on occasion an appendage would twitch on the young girl. Her toes would curl, her fingers would flex, her chest would rise and fall particularly heavily, and her eyes often they twitched and moved frantically beneath her eyelids. It was a good sign in a way the doctors might say, that her brain was active, perhaps she was even dreaming peaceful dreams? Perhaps indeed…

Mr Namid’s voice was gruff on the phone as he spoke yet again with head of the hospital, his patience melting with each day that passed. He wasn’t one that left his home, not for vacations, not for anything. But when he’d received the call that his daughter, his one and only baby girl, had mysteriously passed out and was unconscious he’d been ready to board a plane at that moment. It didn’t matter that they said he couldn’t do anything about it. He didn’t care that she wasn’t the only one, that it was some epidemic or something. His language had been downright obscene as he’d argued with the sheriff over the strict no entrance and no exit policy that had been put in place while they tried to investigate the incident. No amount of money offered had swayed anyone, no threat had tettered their resolve, and as the large man sat staring at the calendar his words were gruff and full of pain. He was pleading... It was her birthday. He’d be on a plane in a second, he’d charter a ******** private one if necessary, if they’d just let him come.

The bed was comfortable, white sheets pulled up to her chest, her usual braids and intricate hair all unraveled into a cascade of ivory that melted into her pillow and sheets. Her eyes were closed, her breaths soft and slow, she didn’t move as the door opened and the nurse made her way in. Didn’t stir as the click of keys filled the air and the laptop was set on her chest. She couldn’t see her father, the awkward way he stared at the webcam as Bodaway instructed softly from the background. Or the absolute grief that marred both his and Lallo’s face. Somewhere deep down she hear the words, whether she registered them or not, as he began to speak.

It was short, he’d always been a man of few words, but the few words that were there were heartbreaking, enough to make the nurse turn away before he’d finished. A man that had lost his wife. A man that had sent away her darling treasure to protect her and keep her safe from the hardships of life, now having to face the facts that she hadn’t been protected. That he hadn’t protected her either. She would have seen tears in his eyes if hers had been open. Aurora sighed heavily as his words drew to a close. The laptop was taken and the room exited, leaving nothing but the quiet solitude again.

Sleeping beauty, locked away in eternal slumber until her prince might come.

Happy birthday Aurora, sleeping princess.