A/N: This happens near the end of "Skin", right after Abby is brought by the gangsters to County.
BEEEEEEP, then BANG the phone went for the fifth time that night. Her temples throbbed with her heartbeat, and massaging them couldn't get rid of the pain. Bile headed its way up to her throat, the acid burning holes on her stomach. Anger from her walking out of work turned into worry. What if she never comes back? Worse, what if she comes in a body bag? Susan shuddered at the mere thought of it.
Susan mustered everything she could to do her job, but visions of Abby lying in a pool of blood, or tied up and gagged in a dark alley were simply too much for her to handle. Blind to everything on her way, she dashed for the bathroom and released what's little left of her lunch.
Devoid of any expression, she ran out of the stall and washed her face. She gripped the sink and took a good look of herself on her reflection. The bags under her eyes seemed to grow overnight, her usual radiant complexion now a pasty shade of pale.
The thoughts came back with a vengeance, each image more vicious than the last. The ceiling spun around her. She her head felt light, as if she's about to faint. Vivid pictures of Abby tortured and raped by a group of gangsters was the final thing she saw before everything became pitch black. She opened her eyes to a sight of Abby and Kerry looking down on her. She looked down and noted the generic polka dot hospital gown. "Kerry... Abby..." Her voice broke with each word. "Why am I on a bed?"
Kerry limped to the pitcher nearest her and poured water into the glass. "You gave us quite a scare last night."
"Wh- What happened?", Susan said, noticing the IV hooked on her. Abby told her about how they found her lying unconscious on the floor. Susan stared at no one in particular. She sat up to a more upright position. "Must be all the stress from everything.", she said.
Her stomach growled loud enough for the two others to hear. "And I'm hungry. You have any burgers around?"
Kerry and Abby chuckled."That seems to be a pretty good sign. Wait there, I'll get you some food in a while." Abby said as she took out her wallet before she walked out.
"Abby?", Susan said. "Are you sure you're okay?"
The intern gave a small smile, wiping sweat and tears from her eyes with her green scrubs. "Yeah, Susan. I'm just fine."
