Those greatly concerned about the fate and future of Monica Yuletide did not get a good night's sleep in San Diego.
Her fiance Joanne Howard (surprise!) attempted to sleep on the living room sofa while Monica's only child Karen and her fiance Peter Talbot shared the bed in the master bedroom.
Of course, since Karen was still a normal human being and had yet to become Peter's werelioness, all they did at most was just cuddle, with Peter making promising of standing by Karen no matter what to see her through this crisis.
Regardless of how much, if any rest, they managed to obtain, the three of them somehow managed to eat something and were back at the hospital by 11 that morning.
They went straight to the Intensive Care Unit, where the nurse on duty told the trio that there was no change to Monica Yuletide's condition.
"She's stable, and the drugs we gave her to medically induce her coma should start wearing off within the hour. We do prefer that patients wake up naturally on their own, but we will be monitoring her condition closely and if there is no change by dinner time, her physician will consider artificially waking her up," the nurse said, referring to Doctor Moria Alexander, who only Peter and his father knew was also a weretigress.
"Do you mind if we wait?" asked Joanne, staring through the ICU room's glass wall at the woman she loved.
"No. Of course not, if you don't mind doing so in our waiting room," replied the nurse, pointing to the facility down the hall. "But there is another matter to discuss first."
"What?"
"We have a request from the Billing Department for anyone connected to Monica Yuletide to visit them as soon as possible."
"Are they open now?" wondered Karen.
"Yes," said the nurse on duty, before giving them directions to the first floor office.
Back downstairs, Peter held the door open as the ladies went in first.
"Can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked.
"Yes. We were told someone down here needed to talk to us about Monica Yuletide," explained Karen.
"Okay," the man said, turning to his computer. "Let's see, Yuletide. Y-U-L... yes. Here it is. The reason we, and I use that pronoun in regards to the hospital in general, is because of Monica Yuletide's bill."
"Oh?" said Joanne, as her face went pale. Both she and Karen had feared this moment, but somehow they would work things out as the family they would be once Joanne married Karen's mother.
"Yes," the man said, looking over his computer screen. "We've already been in contact with Monica Yuletide's insurance company, and they'll be paying what their coverage allows. As to the deductibles, exclusions and other expenses..."
Even if he wasn't a werelion with all the unique senses that included, Peter could feel the tension building within the two women.
"Despite him having a heart attack via natural causes, the trucking company who owned the vehicle that caused the accident Monica Yuletide was involved in is acknowledging responsibility for their driver and has sent us a certified promissory note to remit the outstanding balance of any debt she incurs while a patient of this facility," the man announced.
"What?" said Karen, as Joanne exclaimed, "I don't believe it!"
Both women were greatly relieved at that news. That was a stress and burden neither would have to deal with.
"However," the man behind the counter said, which gave the trio pause, as he reached for a file beside the computer.
"After we received that guarantee, a bonded courier delivered this certified cashier's check for $50,000 with instructions it be applied to Monica Yuletide's account. Under the circumstances between the insurance and the trucking company's guarantee of payment, we obviously cannot accept it too, so need to return it," the man explained. "Yet there's no record of sender with either the courier or the local bank it was issued by that they will acknowledge, and since the check is made out directly payable to Monica Yuletide, the hospital must return it to either a blood relative or next of kin. Do any of you qualify?" the man asked.
"I do," said Karen, before showing him her ID cards for both California state and Moon Lake College.
"Then just sign this receipt and the check is yours," the man announced, presenting Karen some paperwork.
With that over, the three of them left the Billing Department, the check still in Karen's hand.
"Wow," was all Joanne said, staring at it. "Any idea who could of sent it?"
"I'm not sure," replied Karen, while looking at Peter.
Peter just shook his head negatively.
"We should get this to the bank," said Karen, turning to look back at Joanne.
"Agreed, but who's?" asked Joanne.
"Yours and mom's," she replied. "The check's made out to her, and even though everything here at the hospital is now covered, mom's going to have plenty of other expenses in the weeks to come that this will help out with."
Joanne looked at her wristwatch and said, "There's a bank branch in the grocery store that's open till three, so if we hurry..."
As they started to walk back to Howard's car, Peter got out his cellphone and made a call.
"Hello son," said Leon Talbot on the other end. "Any news?"
"Father, your generosity surpasses only your kindness," said Peter.
"Well, I thank you son, but why do you say that?"
"For the check you sent to help cover Monica Yuletide's medical expenses."
"Son, while you know we'll help in any way possible, I'm still reaching out to all our family members to see what we can raise together," revealed his father.
"Then you didn't..." began Peter, before explaining everything that happened so far today.
"No son, but Karen's right. In time her mother will have other expenses on her long road to recovery, so whatever I can raise here will be held to cover them. Anything else?"
Father and son conversed for a couple of more minutes before mutually ending the call.
"It wasn't him," announced Peter, putting up his cellphone.
"Then who?" wondered Karen.
"It couldn't of been the real estate company your mom and I work for," said Joanne. "They would have not only been unable to go with such a substantial amount, but would have insisted on making a big production out of displaying their generosity."
"Then that puts us back to then who?"
"That can wait. The grocery store's up ahead and the sooner we get that check in the bank, the better I'll feel about it," said Joanne, pulling into the shopping center's parking lot.