A/N: The story of what happened to Maureen is true. It happened to Amy Racina. The thing about endorphins is factual as well.
"Benny?" Mimi asked. She was in the waiting room, gently rocking a sobbing Joanne. Lauren was asleep, though tears still rolled down her tan face, making her cheeks sparkle. Mark had laid his jack over her as a makeshift blanket and had claimed the chair next to hers as his new bed. Roger was pacing, and Collins was staring at a wall, mumbling things to Angel.
"And Alison," whispered a girl, trying not to wake anyone. She stepped out from behind Benny. Her long, straight, dark brown hair was loose, held off of her deeply tanned face with a headband. She wore a spaghetti strap blue top and tight jeans.
"Alison?" Joanne managed. Alison smiled weakly.
"Yeah."
"You know about... Maureen?"
"Yeah."
"Is anyone here for Maureen Johnson?" The doctor's sharp voice woke everyone.
Alison, Benny, Mimi, Joanne, Roger, Collins, Mark, and Lauren all stood and said, "I am."
"Um, just family,"
"We are," they spoke in unison.
"Wow, this is weird," Roger finally said.
"Yeah."
"How about you pick two of you at a time?" advised the doctor.
"Okay, um, Joanne, definitely..." Mimi said. Everyone murmured their consent.
"And Lauren," Joanne said softly. Lauren walked over to her, taking her hand.
"Are you sure, Jo? You can go alone, if you want."
"No, you should come."
"Thank you."
They followed the doctor into a room. Joanne stifled a sob again, and Lauren clenched her jaw, trying not to cry out.
Maureen was on the bed, bandaged from head to toe. Her face was half covered in a sort of cast so that one eye was covered and only a few stray curls of hair could be seen. Both of her legs were covered. She was, surprisingly, awake. She attempted to raise a hand, but could not move it well due to the bulky cast.
"Hey," she rasped out. "Doctor, what level of suckage am I at now?"
"You've broken a lot of bones. Your jaw was fractured on the left side, and you cracked your skull. Your right femur, left ulna, right radius, and scapula are all broken. Your knee shattered, disintegrating in some parts. Your thigh is broken, and you tore some muscle tissue in your foot. Your legs were already in bad condition, so you had to go through surgery to fix that."
"Oh, wonderful," she sighed. Her eye searched the room. "Lauren, can you get me some water?" The doctor left and Lauren fetched Maureen a cup of water. Maureen tried to lift it, but couldn't.
"Let me help," Joanne pleaded, not waiting for a response before raising it to Maureen's lips.
"Thanks, Joanne. Did you guys know that they wanted to wire my mouth shut? I wouldn't let them. What good am I if I can't talk?"
"Yeah," Joanne managed. Lauren's phone started to ring. Maureen and Joanne watched her as she turned bright red.
"Um, Lauren? Your pocket's trying to sing." Maureen frowned. "It's a little off key."
"I'll be right back," Lauren blushed and exited. As soon as she was gone, Joanne flew to Maureen and hugged her. Maureen stiffened, wincing in pain.
"Oh, sorry, Mo!" Joanne gasped, withdrawing.
"'S okay."
"What happened?"
"I was hiking." Maureen explained. Joanne gave her a look. "What? I was! I used to hike all of the time with my friends before I met the bohos. It calmed me. Well, I went hiking with my crutches – and before you say anything, yes, I know it was stupid, okay? I lost my footing and accidentally dropped one. I can't stand without both, so I fell. It was 60 feet. I was alone; didn't know what to do. I didn't feel any pain – the doctor says that my endorphins blocked off the pain so I could survive. I had no knee, I broke my hip in two places, all that bad stuff. But I felt nothing, so I bound up my knee and used my arms to drag myself to a trail, where I could be found. It took two days. I thought I was going to pass out when I came across a river, but I slogged across it. I finally got to a trail and was delivered by airplane to the hospital."
"Oh my God, Mo," Joanne whispered. Maureen closed her eyes and leaned against the pillow, out of breath. "I'm sorry I left you. I should have stayed." Joanne clutched Maureen's hand.
"It isn't your fault; I was stubborn."
"Yeah, but you would be unemployed had you left, unlike me. Plus, you have so many friends that love you here."
"So do you."
"Well, I don't need them to keep me from falling off of a cliff, do I?" Joanne teased. Maureen let out a hacking cough. The door swung open, and the doctor came back in.
"Hello again, Mrs. Johnson!"
"It's Miss," Maureen wheezed between coughs.
"Excuse me?"
"It's Miss Maureen Johnson," Maureen answered, closing her eyes and leaning back again.
I hope you liked it. Please review!