Chapter Text
Swann sits in the enclosed courtyard, feeling the breeze just barely brush the top of her head.
She toys with the cheap fabric of her hospital gown as she watches the other teenagers mill about the courtyard.
Just her luck to be in a hospital apparently stuck in the 50s, with these frankly humiliating clothes, and supervised outside time In a tiny courtyard with one tree.
It honestly feels more like a prison than a hospital.
The one saving grace is that, being open air, birds can fly into it and perch on said tree.
Swann has always been fond of birds, she loved watching them go about their carefree bird lives.
Thankfully for her, birds loved Swann too, so she often had a friend sat beside her or even perched on her head.
Her auburn hair does look a lot like a bird's nest, she supposed.
Today, Swann had a beautifully red Northern Cardinal on her shoulder, and a couple of American Robins chilling by her feet, pecking at the dirt.
She’s broken out of her thoughts by a thump and a soft “oof” and someone sits suddenly beside her.
“So… what are you in here for?” the stranger says, putting on a low grouchy voice. This scares the robins away, but thankfully, the cardinal stays perched right where it was. Swann looks up, before her heart stops for a moment. This girl is very pretty, and she was talking to Swann.
The girl has mid length blond hair up in a messy high ponytail, fair skin with freckles, and foam walkman headphones around her neck.
Swann can’t help but stare, searching for words to say, until the girl snaps her fingers in front of her face.
“Hey, you in there?” Swann jolted at the sudden sound, before tearing her eyes away.
“Sorry!” Swann said, blushing profusely.
The girl chuckles, “I really left you speechless, huh?” she says with an overexaggerated eyebrow wiggle, before snorting and saying “So, bird-girl, if my first joke didn’t land, can I at least ask your name?”
“Huh? Oh– I’m Swann”
“Swann? Like the bird? Wow you really are a bird-girl huh?”
“Lik–like the bird, but with two Ns.”
“Neat, my name’s Kat. With a k though, not like the animal.”
“Oh, uh– cool! Sorry for being so… awkward.” Swann mumbled, fiddling with her hands
“Nah, don’t apologize, it’s chill. I came over to you anyway. Speaking of…” Kat pulled out a second set of headphones. “Wanna listen? You looked bored as hell over here.”
Kat offers the headphones out, and Swann gladly takes them and puts them on.
The music coming from the headphones isn’t like anything Swann has listened to before. Grainy and grungy, but also powerful and aggressive, Swann can’t help but bob her head along.
After the song ends, Kat looks over at her expectantly. “So? Wha’d’ya think?”
“W-wowzers, that’s cool as heck! I don’t normally listen to music, I prefer films and books… bu-but that's really good! What’s it called?”
“The song is called Rebel Girl and it’s by a band called Bikini Kill. They’re part of the Riot Grrrl scene, I have to show you some zines I have of them at some point.” Kat said, excited now that she actually had someone to talk to.
“Th-that’s cool! Can- can we listen to some more?”
“Of course! I gotta get you up to speed on them now.”
Time passed quickly now that Swann had someone to talk to, so it was far sooner than expected that a nurse came over to collect Swann for her appointment.
“I guess I’ll see you around then.” Kat said slightly wistfully.
“Yeah, uh– bye! It was nice talking to you.” Swann responded, before being led off back into the hospital proper.
｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆
Swann didn’t get an opportunity to see Kat the next day, because her mother came to visit. Swann’s relationship with her mother was… not very good.
Even less so since she was diagnosed with ALL and her mom sent her to stay at a hospital. What she wouldn’t give to be at home with her cat, spending her time hiking through the woods, and filming on her camcorder.
She wasn’t allowed to record in the hospital so she had to leave it behind, which felt like losing a limb. But alas, her mother claimed that this was all for her own good.
“Hi mom…” Swann said with a forced smile.
“Swann! Are you feeling better now?” her mom said, walking in and hugging her.
“Yeah… I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“Apology accepted, just don’t do it again dear.” she walks to the other chair and sits “How has your stay been since we last talked? Made any friends? Met any boys?”
The implication of her last word was about as subtle as a firework at midnight.
“Uh, actually I did kind of made a friend yesterday…” Swann said, desperately trying to steer her mother away from that dreaded conversation.
“Oh that’s excellent dear! I’m so proud! Would you tell me about her?”
“Her name’s Kat, we just met yesterday so I don’t know much about her, but she’s super cool. She brought a walkman in with her, so we listened to some music together. She has such a cool taste in music and she’s super pretty. She introduced me to a couple of bands that I want to check out –” Swann rambled on for a bit, before catching herself.
Looking up, she noticed her moms smile falter a bit.
“That’s nice dear.”
Swann’s mom suddenly looks down at her watch “Oh goodness, I’m running late! I’ll talk to you next week dear, and you can tell me all about your new… friend.” she says, not even trying to hide her dislike of that implication.
“*sigh* Goodbye mom. See you next week.” Swann says half-heartedly, but her mother has already left.
She leans back in her chair with a slump. Her mom shows up once, sometimes twice, a week and spends the whole time not-so-subtly judging her, before rushing off.
Swann knows she’s really busy, but come on. She stands up from her lazyboy and walks to her window to watch her mom drive off.
｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆
The following afternoon, Swann got to see Kat again. She was out in the courtyard with the birds like normal, (this time with a bluejay! One of her favorites) when she heard a familiar soft oof as Kat sat next to her.
“How come the birds like you so much? You fiddle so much you would think they’d be scared off.”
“I dunno… They just always kinda have. It-it’s not like I can’t scare them, I uh– still can’t get too close or reach for them without them taking flight, but when I’m just sitting they don’t seem to mind me. Uh– My mom says it’s because my hair looks like a bird's nest.”
“I think your hair looks cool! The color is really pretty.”
“Oh! Uh- thanks! You’re pretty– I mean your hair is pretty as well”
“So I've been told, but it doesn’t really matter if I'm gonna lose it all anyway.”
“What d’you mea–... oh.”
“Yep. So that’s why I'm stuck here, what about you?”
“The same actually. I’ve got ALL.”
“Guess we’re leukemia buddies then” Kat gives a forced smile
“Th–that's a bit morbid isn't it?”
“Eh, all the best writers are.”
“You uh- write?” Swann says, desperate for a change in subject
“Not much else to do here. Mostly poetry, how about you? Any hobbies?”
“Oooh I like poetry too! Bu-but I mostly spend my time filming… My dad got me a camcorder for my birthday a while back, and I just love filming things back around town and in the woods near home, mostly birds.”
“Sweet! Do you have your camera with you?”
“Oh, uh– no sorry… I wasn't allowed to bring it…”
“Man that sucks, well, I guess poetry it is. Hey, have you read Emily Dickinson?”
“‘Hope is the thing with feathers’” Swann recites,
“‘That perches in the soul’” kat continues
“‘And sings the tune without the words’”
“‘And never stops, at all.’”
Kat smiles genuinely this time “of course you had to pick one of her least morbid poems.”
“Oh no, that wasn’t supposed to be me disagreeing with you! Oh geez I didn't mean it like that. I like her more serious poems too, I just thought that one was fitting. Sorry…”
“Jesus Swann, chill out. I’m not upset, I like that poem too. And I’m not so fragile that I’d be insulted by you picking the wrong poem from my favorite author.”
“Right… uh– sorry.”
“Stop apologizing!”
“Oh, sor– uh– geez-o…”
Kat bursts into laughter. “Dude, you’re a hoot, but you need to chill.” Kat stretches up to pat her on the head “I don’t bite, don’t worry.”
They sit there like that, until a nurse comes to take Kat off to an appointment.
"I'll uh- see you tomorrow then?" Swann asked
"I hope so!" Kat said with a smile
As Kat is walked away, Swann can't help but smile at the idea of seeing her again...