Exhausted didn't begin to describe it.
Exhausted was what she'd been by the time the Haranguetank took a nose dive into Venture's Pit of Death. After spending all day running back and forth, then being dragged back and forth, then being literally thrown back and forth as her own limo swerved while Sheila was standing unsecured on the seat? Her nerves were so burnt out that she hadn't even been able to muster an outward reaction.
Everything had been a haze after the impound. There were a few moments there where she sincerely thought she might die. She'd probably just seen someone else die? And apparently Rusty fucking Venture was responsible? It just…
How was this her reality? Nothing made sense lately.
Despite her exhaustion, though, her night had still been far from over.
First, since they were right there, she could hardly justify leaving the bodies until morning. And it was a very good thing she didn't, because- miraculously- Battleaxe survived. Think Tank- poor guy, she hadn't even seen him get caught up in all this- was not so fortunate.
The time between calling the ambulance and its arrival had been spent demanding to speak to Dr. Venture, but the boys- the fucking children- brushed her off as they headed upstairs to hear their fucking bedtime stories, and no one else gave her even that much time of day.
Whatever. She'd get the rest of the Council on board tomorrow and send him a request he couldn't refuse. For the time being, she had to accompany Battleaxe.
That turned into a debacle in and of itself. Having purchased one of the cheaper options, Battleaxe's insurance was not the best, and as such neither was the hospital. Had Watch and Ward not insisted on tagging along, she'd have thrown a fit and insisted on paying for better care out of her own pocket, but she was far too tired to bother thinking of all the ways that would reflect poorly on her as a leader if word spread.
So she'd sat in a crowded lobby for what felt like hours, surrounded by sick and injured people, grieving or anxious loved ones, and two idiots who thought this was the perfect place to discuss something they called 'headcanons' for some ridiculous cartoon they apparently watched together.
At one point, she nearly fell asleep sitting up, but the feeling of someone suddenly touching her nose had shocked her back to consciousness. Not quickly enough to see which of the Two Stooges had done it, but her money was on Ward. Both were doing a pretty bad job of trying not to laugh, though.
...And yet, for as much as she wanted to strangle them both multiple times on a daily basis, she was kind of grateful to have them there? They were brash and irreverent and seemed to speak their own language half the time, but she knew they were both deeply reliable when it counted, and she couldn't entirely deny that- as much as they were also a huge embarrassment- the levity they brought to such overwhelming situations could occasionally be a breath of fresh air, if only a short fleeting breath.
And it had certainly been better than being alone.
At long last, they received word that Battleaxe was stable and shouldn't need to stay more than a few days. That was a relief.
However, they didn't want to admit Sheila to see her. "Family only," they said. That was a problem.
Finally, when ample insistence and attempted lies about relations didn't work, she'd just resorted to having Watch and Ward cause a diversion while she snuck in.
Fortunately, Battleaxe was awake, if still disoriented, when she did.
Unfortunately, she was also a blubbering mess. Apologizing for running off on her own, still grieving the loss of her husband, lamenting now losing the Haranguetank, too.
"Oh… H-hey, it'll be all right, you'll see," Sheila had weakly tried to reassure her, gently taking her hand. "Don't you worry about a thing. I'll take care of all the paperwork myself, and we'll have you a nice new place set up by the time you're back on your feet."
In her neck brace, Battleaxe could not shake her head, but from her expression and the way her face twitched, Sheila imagined she wanted to. "I can stay in the loft above me bar just fine. But the Haranguetank was home…" The sobbing only grew worse. "Our home…"
And it was that moment that stuck with Sheila most through the rest of the night. Someone who romanticized that- that putrid- Sheila hadn't been able to stand being inside it. But to Battleaxe, that was home. It was… to rely on the old cliché, where her heart was. And that…
She didn't have the energy to cry with her right now, but a few tears managed to find their way out all the same.
When a doctor came by and finally caught her, Sheila was ready to say her goodbyes and leave anyway, but to her surprise, Battleaxe bought her a little extra time to do so by firmly insisting that Sheila was, in fact, family.
After the hospital, it was back to the Ventech building to go retrieve the Haranguetank, salvage what they could from it (somehow, her laptop was only slightly banged up? What company did the Guild use, some secret child of Nokia?), and then paperwork… So much paperwork… Most of it was mandatory. Some was just to make things easier on Battleaxe. Much of both could have been put off until tomorrow, but, even though she was running on fumes and Determination at this point, Sheila just wanted it to be done. She didn't want to have to deal with this incident again any more than she had to. Better to get it all done in one fell swoop.
And then there was the commute back to Newark, during which she had to admit she'd ended up dozing for the last few minutes- taking off her jacket to use as a blanket, even- until Watch and Ward woke her to let her know she was home.
Now, as she mustered the strength to stand, and then somehow walk, and then somehow walk up stairs, Battleaxe's attachment to that awful RV came to mind again. And here Sheila was, with a literal mansion that she'd been counting as little more than another on her long list of headaches.
And it was at that point that she opened the door to find a sincerely beautiful room awaiting her. It wasn't just finished, but vibrant, polished. She'd been objectively aware they had bought a throw rug to match the wallpaper they'd picked out, but seeing both together in place looked so much better than she had imagined. The chandelier, too, seemed to shine a little brighter than she'd expected.
Or perhaps she was just seeing it all through new lenses. Either way, she felt so very grateful, and so very, very fortunate.
Her hat and coat were tossed down on the floor the moment she entered her bedroom, for she found herself far beyond the point of caring about such things. The plan had been to sit on the bed next to take off her boots, but when she noticed the Monarch shivering, that was discarded in favor of immediately lying down and cuddling up to warm him. "Someone had a very busy day," she cooed. She hated to wake him, but she just...
The way she'd left that- yesterday- morning, she needed him to know she wasn't angry anymore, to remind him how valuable and loved he was, as soon as she possibly could. "The vestibule looks great, honey."
As she continued, he took her apology better than she could have hoped. He really had come so far and calmed down so much lately, and it only made her all the more grateful to have him. "You're not the enemy, sweetie," she told him, still a little rueful she'd ever let herself believe he was.
He lazily leaned over to kiss her cheek, and although it barely brushed against her, in that moment it felt like the sweetest and most satisfying gesture she could have received.
She rolled over, partially to get more comfortable and partially so he wouldn't see just how beyond drained she was as she muttered, as much to herself as anything, "I know who my enemy is…"
He said nothing, and she didn't expect him to. It was still so early. He was probably about to doze back off, and she really should join him.
...After taking off her boots, finally, and getting undressed, she reminded herself.
…. She was… definitely going to do that.
In just a minute.
But the bed had gripped her in such a sweet embrace, and surely it couldn't hurt to enjoy it for just a moment longer before getting back up….
In the end, she fell asleep fully clothed, shoes and all.