This is a story about Artemis and a new girl, just after he and Holly rescued his father from the Russian Mafiya. Who is this new girl? Why was it Artemis’ touch that woke her out of a coma that many medical staff and their equipment couldn’t? And what did she have to do with the People? It starts off in the hospital, when Artemis is visiting his father. Please write comments and tell be about any mistakes

Artemis Fowl paced the corridor nervously, along with his huge Eurasian bodyguard, Butler, and his little sister, Juliet. After sitting in the hospital room for 16 days, Artemis had learned to read the monitors connected to his father, and noticed at once when his brainwaves began spiking. After calling a nurse, they were ushered from the room to admit a large medical team comprised of two heart specialists, and anaesthetist, a brain surgeon, a psychologist and several nurses.
Artemis Fowl the First needed no medical attention; he only sat up and uttered a single word: Angeline. Angeline Fowl, Artemis’ mother, was admitted, and he, Butler and Juliet were forced to wait outside.

On passing an open door, the voices of a doctor and an intern could be heard, talking sadly.
“…A coma, poor one. She’s lucky to be alive.”
“Not for long, though. Is it true? Are they really going to pull the plug?”
“If she doesn’t come out in….” The doctor checked his clipboard. “3 days.”
“But she was doing so well!”
“Well, not really, Amy. There hasn’t really been any improvement or deterioration.”

Amy gasped. “Really? So there’s absolutely no way she could come out? Oh god, that means we have to talk to the parents – make them decide. I really hate that.”
“That’s the problem. Any relation she had died in the crash, and we haven’t been able to get any information on her. All we had was a name, and it’s very common.”
The intern looked over his shoulder at the clipboard, reading out a name. “Rachel…Andrews. Yeah, I see what you mean.” She sighed again, straightening her shirt. Suddenly, she stopped, as though a thought had just occurred to her. “If she does come out, what will happen to her?”
“Another problem. She’s too old to go to an orphanage to be adopted, and too young to live by herself. She might have to be taken on as a maid or something.”
“Oh no! Poor girl, I pity her so much.”
“Yes.” They stood watching the sleeping form for a minute. “Well, let’s go. We have to be on our rounds by now.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Amy looked back over her shoulder as they left. “Come on, kiddo. You can make it. We’re all praying.”

Curiosity piqued, Artemis walked over to the door, checking that there were no staff around. Although he hadn’t specifically been told not to go into another hospital room, he wasn’t sure any staff would be particularly pleased.
The door was still ajar, and the only sound from within was the slow, deep breathing of a sleeping person, and the hum and beep of the electronics surrounding the bed.

Underneath all the tubes, cords and wires was the sleeping form of a girl. She was very pretty, with long blonde hair fanning out on the pillow, and tanned skin, although it was pale from lack of sun and sickness. She had a largish nose, tawny, slim eyebrows and a small, dark mole on her forehead.
Her cheeks were high, and glowed a strange colour from the light from the monitors, as well as pale pink, thin lips. She was wearing small silver sleepers in her ears, and she had a long, thin neck and collar bone. From what Artemis could see, she was wearing a white hospital robe. Her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, and long, thin arms extended from the sleeves of the robe; tan like the face, but with the pale pallor of sickness.

There were tubes protruding from her nose, and a drip in her arm, as well as many electrodes attached to her chest, under the blanket and robe.

Having learnt to read the monitors in his father’s room, Artemis immediately noticed the signs were not good. Her blood pressure was extremely low, her heart rate down, her breathing shallow and thin. Her brainwaves were at a minimum – she was deep in a coma, and it would take a lot to bring her out.

Before he realised what he was doing, Artemis started towards her. She seemed to call to him; to emit a glow, a signal that she was special; important. He reached out a hand towards her, and before he could stop himself, he touched her hand.

The effect was instantaneous: Her brainwaves spiked, her breathing quickened, and her heart rate jumped – but only for a second. Artemis yanked his hand away, as though she had stung him. What was he doing? His father lay injured in the next room, waiting for him, as were Butler, Juliet and Angeline, while here he was, in a completely different room, touching a complete stranger, as though he could do something to help!

Artemis stepped back, breathing hard. What was happening to him? This girl, or Angel, as he found himself describing her as, had some profound effect on him, and he could do nothing about it.

Deep breaths, Artemis told himself. He sat back in the hospital chair next to the bed, feeling faint. Think. What happened?

He had felt a pull towards her that he associated with magic, with the People. When he touched her, she seemed to get…better? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that she was special, and he wanted to help her in any way he could. Maybe, strange though it seemed, his touch helped? He could try it. No harm in trying, right?

Still confused slightly, which was very unlike him, Artemis stood up, and started towards the bed again. Breathing quickly, he reached out a hand towards her. Easy does it, he said to himself. No need to rush.

Just as his hand touched hers, Amy, the intern who was there before, rushed in.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” she shrieked. “That girl is deep within a coma, and could possibly die in 3 days! Do you want her to go quicker? Is that it? Huh?”

“No no no, of course not,” Artemis gulped, hurriedly back-pedalling away from the bed. “I just thought…well…maybe if I…” It wasn’t often that Artemis was intimidated, but the intern had a scary look on her face. Remembering her words, and how she probably almost considered the girl her daughter, Artemis thought it would be best to just go along with it.

“Well, you obviously thought wrong. What have you been doing?” Amy glanced at the monitors. “Ohhh no. What have you done? She…wait. Is that…?” The intern scurried around the bed, knocking past Artemis. She picked up the printout of the heart monitor, then the brain, and sat down, clutching them to her chest. “Thank the gods, it’s a miracle. She…” Amy was lost for words. Turning to Artemis, she exclaimed, “How? How did you do it? Oh, thankyou. Thankyou!”

Surprised at this sudden change of attitude, Artemis thought fast. He knew if he told the intern what really happened, she would tell all the other medical staff, and he, as well as Angel, would be carted off to be examined. How could he explain what happened? Artemis, of course, could grasp the fact, but he knew what adults were like. They only believed what they wanted to, and what made sense.

“I just heard some beeping, and I came in to investigate. Her heart rate and brainwaves had skyrocketed, and I wanted to know what had happened. That’s all. Really.”

Amy looked at him scrupulously. “I don’t know what you did, but I’m glad you did it. You seem to have… well, from what the readings show, you have woken her up, but she might not stay awake. So…” She glanced around anxiously, as though someone might see them, and leaned in closer. “I’m going to finish my rounds. If you know what you did… well, just try. That’s all we can hope for, right?” She bustled around, gathering up her clipboard and papers. “Goodbye… and good luck.”

Artemis watched her go with a feeling of apprehension. He wanted to help the girl, but his father was there waiting. Thinking that either it would work, or it wouldn’t, he started towards the bed once again.

The girl looked different somehow. Her subconsciousness was awake, he realised. Her eyes rolled around slightly, and her brainwaves were spiking repeatedly.

Reaching out a hand, Artemis speculated where she came from. No relatives, the doctor had said. And a very common last name. Who was she? And what caused her to be in this coma? They had talked about a crash, but what of? And with who? Sighing deeply, Artemis brushed his fingers against her pale face.

The monitors flicked, and her eyes rolled. He grasped her hand with his other hand. Her heart sped up, her brainwaves spiked again, and Artemis clutched her more tightly. Her face twitched, and the lights flickered and dimmed. With a deep, shuddering gasp, her eyes flew open and stared straight ahead, into Artemis’ deep blue ones. They were the colour of the sea, he thought. Deep blue, with green, grey and light blue swirls; ever-changing.

She gave a cry of surprise, and tried to sit up.

“Who are you?” She looked around. “Where am I? Where are they?” She suddenly noticed the tubes connecting her to the monitors, and her eyes widened in surprise and recognition. “Monitors. A drip. I thought I was… how…?” she looked up at Artemis, then to his hands, which were now holding both her arms. “Why are you holding me?”

Artemis quickly relinquished his grip. “To answer your questions, I am Artemis Fowl the Second, you are in room 301, Ward 2 of the Helsinki Private hospital, (is that the right hospital his father was in?) I don’t know who ‘they’ are and…” He trailed off, suddenly conscious of his hands. “And I was holding you because you were pitching about so much – I had to hold you still.” He quickly invented.

“Oh. Well… thankyou… for whatever you did. I’m Rachel, by the way,” She tried to stick out her hand, but it got caught in the tubes and wires.

“Yes, I already know.”

“You do? How? Oh, don’t tell me – it’s on the board at the end of the bed. I know the general layout of hospitals,” she said in answer to his questioning glance.

Butler’s deep, gravely voice drifted through the open door. “Artemis? Artemis! We can go in now. Where are you?”

“Who’s that?” Rachel looked suddenly tired under the soft light from the monitors.

“My bodyguard, good friend and mentor, Butler.”

“You have a bodyguard?”

Artemis felt suddenly self-conscious. “Yes. I have to go now – that’s my father in the next room. So… goodbye.”

“Uh, ok. ‘Bye. I might see you round sometime.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

Artemis left the room, feeling thoroughly confused.