Marissa had her eyes closed when she heard the door opening. She could hear something clicking on the floor, and immediately knew that Bull had come into the room. She relaxed and opened her eyes to give him a smile, but was surprised to see the rest of the team also in the room.
"Hey, Rissa," said Bull as he dropped into the chair near her bed.
"Are you sure that you're okay, Bull?" Marissa asked in concern.
"I'm fine. How are you feeling? Dr Sanders mentioned that she finished stitching up the wound in your head."
"I'm alright. Morphine is a wonderful thing. Danny, are you okay?"
"My ankle is twisted, that's all. We're fine, Marissa," said Danny as she sat on the bed with Marissa and leaned back against the pillows. "This is comfortable."
"We could swap places if you want. I'm happy to go home."
"Not happening. The doctor said that you need to stay a few days, and that's exactly what is going to happen. Although, Cable and I might come and spend lots of time here, since our building is a little damaged."
"A little?" Chunk asked incredulously. "Did you see what I saw?"
"Relax, Chunk," said Danny after laughing. "I was being sarcastic. You know, trying to lighten the mood?"
"Sorry. I guess I'm a little shaken."
"It's alright. We all are," said Benny as he stepped forward to give Marissa a hug.
Marissa smiled as she and Danny both tried to hold in their laughter a moment later. They could see Cable inching forward, her hands outstretched to grab Benny and pull him away to hug Marissa. Both ladies, now joined in their laughter by Bull and Chunk, burst out laughing as Cable dragged Benny away from the bed.
"Something wrong, Cable?" Bull asked through his laughter.
"It's my turn. I want a hug now," Cable pouted. "She's my best friend."
"It's alright, Cable," said Marissa. She held an arm out to Cable. "Come and get a hug."
Cable grinned as she climbed onto the bed on the other side of Marissa. Her arms immediately snaked around Marissa and held on tightly, her face buried into the hospital gown. Marissa could feel the young woman's tears soaking through her gown.
"Hey, Cable, what's wrong?" Marissa asked softly as she rubbed her back.
"I thought you were gone when I couldn't see you," sobbed Cable, who had tried to be brave earlier for her friend.
Marissa smiled. "It's okay, Cable. I'm alright."
Bull clapped his hands. "Good job, Rissa!" he stated. "You finally realised it!"
"Shut it, Jason," said Marissa happily.
"Thank you for getting Marissa to realise that she's okay, Cable."
Cable lifted her head and laughed softly. "You're welcome, Bull. Can I stay here with Marissa?"
"Sure. None of us are going to be able to work at the moment."
"Great! I'm not leaving Marissa's side then." Cable moved herself closer to her friend. "Are you really okay, Marissa?"
"Yes, Cable. I'm really okay."
"Good. You're my best friend."
"What about Danny?"
"She's my best friend too."
"And the guys?"
"All of them can be my best friends as well."
"You certainly have a lot of best friends."
"I know I do. I don't care." Cable smiled. "Is that a problem?"
"No. Why would it be?"
"It's just that you guys are all a generation older than I am. That's not a bad thing, but sometimes I feel like we're really far apart in our lives."
Marissa nodded. "I can understand that. Look, Cable, even with all our differences, we are a family. We're all friends. It doesn't matter what generation we are, alright?"
"Okay. Thanks, Marissa."
Marissa smiled. She put her arm around Cable and hugged her again. "Now, who's interested in dinner?"
Several long hours later, Marissa awoke in a sweat. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and the rapid speed had registered on the heart monitor she was still attached to. It was beeping like crazy, and, before she could calm down, Marissa noticed a nurse rushing into her room.
"Ms Morgan, is everything okay?" the nurse asked softly.
"Yeah... I think it was just a nightmare," said Marissa. She felt ashamed to admit it.
"Okay. No need to be embarrassed, Marissa. We all have nightmares now and again. And, certainly after what you've just been through, nightmares are normal and expected. Do you think you need something to help you calm down?"
Marissa shook her head. Despite her initial worry about discussing her fears, talking to the nurse had helped her to feel much better. "No, thank you. I'm feeling better already. Thank you."
"Of course. Try to get some more rest. Your doctor should be around in a few more hours to check on you before she decides whether to send you home or not just yet."
"What time is it?"
"Almost four am."
Marissa nodded slowly. Her eyes were drooping. "Alright... I'm just going to try and sleep then," she said through a yawn.
"Good idea. Good night, Marissa." The nurse smiled, then left, leaving the door ajar just in case Marissa needed anything before the morning.