The Thing About Timing (The Becoming of Elliott Goode)

Chapter 42

"Have you seen Elliott?" Cordelia asked, walking into the kitchen a few days later and looking at Misty, who had her mouth full.

The swamp witch held up one finger as she continued to chew her food and swallow, which made the supreme smirk, "Last time I saw her she was still sleepin'."

Cordelia's eyebrows furrowed, it was almost noon, and Elliott wasn't exactly one to sleep in, "This late? She went to bed early last night too."

"Maybe she isn't feelin' good? She was crabby as all hell last night." Misty replied, recalling the previous night. For whatever reason Elliott had been very moody, which was unusual for her. Even she was getting frustrated with herself, which is why she had finally decided to call it a night far before her usual bedtime.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing we have a doctor's appointment today." Cordelia said with a shake of her head, smiling at her girlfriend before walking upstairs and pushing open the door to her daughter's room, spotting her still tangled up in the covers. "Elle? You have to get up babe." She said from the doorway, getting a grunt in response, "Come on, it's almost noon and we have the appointment at one."

"Tired." Elliott grunted, rolling over and covering her face with the blankets. She had definitely been feeling off lately, but she couldn't figure out why. She had been on edge for the past day, like a rubber band pulled too tight, ready to snap at any moment. "Why do I even have to go to the doctors? I won't get my cast off for another two weeks." She moaned.

"You need vaccines love. Plus, with your multiple concussions they want to monitor you and get some scans." Cordelia said gently, chuckling a little when the girl grunted once again.

"Don't want to go. Sleep." She groaned.

"You have to, Elle. Now come on, up." Cordelia said sternly, walking over to the bed and sitting on it, dragging the covers off her daughter's face, then placing the back of her hand on Elliott's forehead, checking for a fever.

"What are you doing?" Elliott asked, pulling her head away.

"Just checking. You slept for over 14 hours straight. That's not like you, love." Cordelia said softly, brushing the hair out of Elliott's face.

"I'm fine." Elliott said, obviously irritated as she rolled away and sat up, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers, something Cordelia had come to learn she only did when she was stressed or exhausted.

"Are you sure?" Cordelia asked, getting a look from Elliott.

"I'm not sick." She said shortly, making Cordelia sigh. The supreme knew it was going to be a rough day. She tried to cut the girl some slack, it wasn't very often she had off days. In fact, Elliott was one of the most even tempered teenagers Cordelia had ever met. She rarely got angry or fussy, but that day it was definitely noticeable.

"Ok." Cordelia said cautiously, "I'll be downstairs, get dressed then head down, alright?" Elliott nodded and the supreme stood and left the girl on her own, heading back to the kitchen.

"Was she still sleepin'?" Misty asked, Cordelia nodding, "That's not like her."

"I know. She says she isn't sick but she is definitely in a mood, that's for sure. I'm going to talk with her doctor about it, see if she can figure it out. I'm hoping she's just crabby but it might be the concussion."

"She would still be havin' problems this long after?" Misty asked, Cordelia nodding again.

"They said it could go on for months, especially since she had two so close together. She's had this happen before, getting so angry for no reason. But usually it only goes on for a few hours, not this long." Cordelia said, shaking her head, "I don't know. I don't know what to do. I can't get mad at her for something she can't control."