Joanne Howard just sat in the Intensive Care Unit's waiting room, staring at Doctor Moria Alexander as she thought over everything concerning the condition of her fiance, Monica Yuletide.
The Doctor just sat and waited, knowing that sometimes family needed a chance to digest new developments.
It was still over another minute before Howard spoke again.
"The trucking company that owned the vehicle that put my ba... that put Monica in here is paying for everything, so that's one less worry on my mind," Joanne said, releasing a breath she didn't know was being held. "And I do realize that Monica has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but how long are we actually talking?"
Moria looked at the lady and said as pleasantly as possible, "We should have Monica at least out of ICU before the end of the year at the latest. But actually out of the hospital? Hopefully by early Spring of next year, although I would recommend a stay at a good rehabilitation center between here and home."
"I see," said Joanne, staring at nothing in particular.
Even if she wasn't a weretigress, Dr. Alexander could still tell that Howard's breath was coming quicker and her heart was starting to beat faster.
"I'm not a strong woman," Joanne began. "I'm not talking just emotionally, I mean physically too. Not that I don't want to, far from it, but I seriously doubt that when the time comes that I'll be able to push a wheelchair or—"
"We can always make arrangements in that area," began Moria.
"But you don't understand," Joanne said, looking directly at both the Doctor and Monica's daughter Karen, who was sitting next to her. "I LOVE MONICA! She's my EVERYTHING! But I don't want to let her down and risk losing her, or—"
And then she began to cry.
"We're all under a lot of stress," said Karen, trying her best to console her mother's fiance, something and someone she didn't know about until coming to San Diego.
"Maybe we should call it a night and come back fresh tomorrow," suggested Moria.
"Good idea," said Peter Talbot, Karen's fiance, who was sitting next to her but had stayed silent for most of the conversation. He rose and kissed the younger Yuletide woman on top of her head before turning to face Doctor Alexander. "I'll walk you out, if you don't mind."
"Thank you," said Moria, realizing that it would give the ladies time alone to compose themselves, and her a chance to talk to the werelion prince of Moon Lake alone too.
OUTSIDE THE ICU WAITING ROOM...
Moria looked around and saw no one within normal human hearing distance. Although neither were displaying their fursonas at the moment, she kept her voice low enough so that only a fellow were (and as far as she knew, the hospital didn't employ any others) could hear their conversation.
"I assume Joanne Howard knows nothing about our... special nature?" she asked.
Peter just moved his head negatively.
"What about Karen?"
"Everything except the Town Council's decision Friday night to develop a plan to intentionally expose were existence to the world in a positive light before it's too late to do otherwise," Peter whispered. "While we knew there was a meeting scheduled for that night, we were on our way here and unable to attend it."
"And Karen does intend to join you, in more than just holy matrimony?" Alexander asked.
"We were going to have a romantic weekend to do just that when she received the call about her mother's accident, and we rushed down here as fast as we could."
"Oh. I'm sorry," said Moria. "When's the wedding?"
"Tentatively, Valentine's Day."
"Tentatively?" the Doctor repeated.
"In light of recent events..."
"Oh," was all she said, but with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Well, there's no reason that Monica Yuletide shouldn't live a relatively normal life for several more decades. Granted, it's still too soon to tell whether or not she'll regain full use of her lower extremities..."
"You mean, whether or not she'll ever be able to walk again."
"Sometimes I find it easier to deal with things strictly in medical terms," admitted Moria. "I'm a weretigress by birth, but I became a doctor by choice because I was tired of seeing my normal human friends get hurt."
Peter raised an eyebrow at that. "You've never been tempted to..."
"Tempted is another matter. I once saw a 15 year old girl come in here, beaten to a pulp by her own father because she got a C on her report card."
"Gods!" he exclaimed.
"I won't deny seriously thinking about it if she had recovered from her injuries, but she died on the operating table," Moria said, taking a deep breath to keep from losing control of her emotions. "But despite the few desperate situations like that crossing my path, I have never turned anyone to save them. In fact, I go out of my way to make sure I don't create any new tigers even accidentally. I haven't completed my first century of life yet, but I have always thought that we all have been put on this earth for a reason, and mine is to help others the best I can."
"A noble idea," said Peter. "Any family?" he wondered.
"My parents and other immediate relatives are back in Moon Lake, but if we have any kin beyond that..." and Moria just shrugged her shoulders in uncertainty.
Then the Doctor stared at Peter and asked, "Karen hasn't asked about inducting her mother, has she?"
"No," Peter answered, although he was lying. He and an emotionally distraught fiance had already discussed that, and it would always remain a private matter between them, never to be spoken of ever again.
"Good," said Moria. "Even if Monica Yuletide was healthy enough to give legal consent by Moon Lake and were laws, she wouldn't be able to survive her first transformation in her present state, regardless of what were she became. Besides, worst case scenario if it doesn't happen medically, becoming a were wouldn't guarantee Monica regaining the use of her legs, and there's still her fiance to consider..."
"Who we didn't even know about until coming here," said Peter.
"There's something about that relationship..." began Moria. "Granted, I don't know all the details myself, but it seems to me Joanne would emotionally shatter and become as helpless as a newborn cub if she were to lose Monica."
"Like the life/soul mate bond of the Skulk. From what I've heard, the surviving partner somehow manages to move on in time, but they never show any emotional interest in anyone beyond casual friendship and never remarry," observed Peter.
"I thought of that, but both ladies are 100% normal human. In this case it's definitely their version of true love, and something I'd like to experience myself someday."
"You've never married?"
"Not yet. Don't even dare to around here. Unless I meet that 'special someone', I'm waiting until I can no longer hide in plain sight and have to move back to Moon Lake, where I'll presumably be safe among fellow weres. Then, regardless of how this reveal development turns out, I'll let my fur down and find someone, let alone continue in medicine somehow back there. But until then..."
Then Moria Alexander glanced at her wristwatch and said, "It's getting late. Take care of your lady Peter and I'll see you all sometime tomorrow."
With that, the Doctor turned to leave the Intensive Care Unit.