Maureen gently held Joanne's hand in her own. The comforting hum of Roger and Mark's low voices drifted past the thin curtain that separated Mark's room from Joanne's. Maureen felt Joanne's hand twitch. Her head whipped around. Joanne's chocolate eyes were focused on her.
"Hey Pookie, how are you feeling?" Maureen asked quietly.
"A little sore. What time is it?"
"Eight thirty at night." Maureen kissed the back of Joanne's smooth hand. "Do you need anything?"
"Water." Joanne's voice was scratchy and quiet. Maureen poured her a glass of water from the pitcher on the table next to the bed. She grabbed a straw and held up the cup for Joanne. Joanne took a small sip. The cool liquid slid down her throat; soothing it slightly. "Thanks."
"Anything else?" Joanne shook her head. "You rest then." Maureen held Joanne's hand until she fell back asleep.
Maureen stopped by Mark's side of the room. As usual, Mark and Roger were talking and joking around like nothing was wrong.
"Is Joanne asleep?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, she's pretty worn out." Roger stood up and patted Mark's leg.
"I'll see you tomorrow, man," he said.
"Yeah, bye," Mark said. Maureen stayed rooted to the floor.
"I'll be right there," she told Roger. Roger nodded and left.
Once Roger was out of sight in the hallway, Maureen leaned over and pecked Mark on the cheek lightly.
"Thanks, Mark," she whispered in his ear. Mark rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.
"I wan only trying to help," he replied.
"Angel would be proud of you." Mark nodded. He felt himself drifting off to sleep. Maureen quickly caught on to this. She said goodbye to Mark and left to go meet Roger in the hallway.
Outside, Roger was leaning against the wall casually with his hands shoved in his pockets. His brows were furrowed in deep concentration.
"Don't think so hard, you may hurt yourself," Maureen joked as she patted Roger's arm. Roger's head shot up. Smirking, he whacked Maureen playfully.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"I'm going to stay here for the night; just in case Joanne needs me." Roger gave Maureen a hug and left to go home to Mimi.
A harsh florescent light flashed through the waiting room. Groaning, Maureen looked at her watch. It was seven thirty in the morning. Maureen flopped back down and tugged the cheap brown blanket from the hospital over her head. Soon, she was fast asleep again.
The next time Maureen woke up, there were a few people scattered around the waiting room. The TV was on, presenting the world with the latest examples of how mankind has digressed. Maureen sat up. She ran her fingers through her unruly hair before standing up. After returning the blanket and pillow to the Nurses' Station, she went down to Mark and Joanne's room to see them.
The curtain separating Mark and Joanne was pulled back. Mark was propped up in bed slowly eating his breakfast. Joanne was lying down watching the news.
"Hey Mark," Maureen said.
"Hi Mo." Maureen went over and gave Joanne a loving kiss on the lips.
"How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, better than yesterday." Joanne entwined her fingers with Maureen's.
"How about you, Mark?"
"I'm fine, not as bad as I thought I would be." Joanne squeezed Maureen's hand. "Did you sleep here?" Maureen nodded.
"Yeah, there was no point in going home. The couch here is more comfortable than yours at the loft." Mark sneered.
That afternoon, Collins, Mimi and Roger all stopped by to see Mark and Joanne. Unfortunately, Joanne was heavily medicated and pretty wiped. The only upside was the lack of pain she was feeling. The pain medication not only helped with the pain but also made Joanne feel numb. She found it difficult to focus on what Mimi was saying to her. Finally, the Bohemians all left for the day; leaving Mark and Joanne alone in the noisy hospital.
A/N: Only one more chapter left.
Tina101