Joanne's work day went relatively calmly and quietly as she managed to divide up the cases that Monica Yuletide had to work on. She was glad that her employer wasn't going to fire her while there was still a chance of recovery, but Joanne also knew that could only last so long, and that was one of the things that still hung over her mind as she went through her day. There was also the concerns that she had about Moon Lake and what she'd overheard earlier in the day from Monica's daughter and her fiancée. It had sounded odd and Joanne had tried to find out more about this town in Washington state, but found little that would be definitive of anything, and that was a bit frustrating.
It stuck in her mind as she drove home, originally with the idea to drive Karen and Peter to the hospital where Monica was, as she knew that Karen did care about her mother and even Peter Talbot seemed remarkably concerned and supportive. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it didn't absolve some of the things that she'd overheard that sounded rather suspicious to her. Though, Joanne also knew that she couldn't just blurt it out to both her own fiancée's daughter and her fiancée face to face, as they could deny it and think her crazy or Peter could reveal whatever this secret initiation was and put both of them in real danger, which would make Monica's life worse. However, as she arrived home at the apartment she normally shared with Monica, she found things dark and quiet. No lights were on and the only thing she could hear was the building settling.
"They must have taken a cab to the hospital," Joanne sighed as she set about changing from her work attire into something more comfortable and setting her own briefcase down by the couch. "Hopefully it wasn't too costly for them..."
From there, Joanne finished changing and then drove to the hospital where Monica was taken after the accident. She parked her car in the visitor's parking lot that was the closest to the ICU part of the building made her way in. The hospital was hectic and busy, as hospitals in large cities could be with nurses and staff moving about their assigned roles along with various visitors or patients coming in or out. As she made her way into the ICU area, Joanne felt herself sort of vanish among all the activity and did her best to avoid listening on any conversations going on and keeping her focused on the route to the room where Monica was supposed to be rested. As she reached the door, though, Joanne was surprised to find the bed empty. There was a digital display that held Monica's name written on there, but the equipment that monitored things like pulse and other vital signs were all flat, as there was no one there. The bed looked like it'd been cleaned, but there was no one else in the room either.
"She's not here..." Joanne said weakly, "she's not here..."
She stepped back with her heart in her throat. She had her concerns about what she'd overheard, but Monica was more important, and while she might not be physically strong enough to fully help with some of the things that might be required when Monica was released if she didn't regain feeling in her legs that didn't fully mean she was ready for any sort of relapse. In fact, Joanna had shed more than enough tears to be worried about what might happen if Monica had died.
"The patient you've come to see might just be in the bathroom or in an operation that would be part of his or her recovery," a voice spoke making Joanne jump and turn to find a young intern there behind her. "Sorry to startle you... but if you're here visiting someone and they're not in the room... it'd be likely that they're using the restroom or had some additional operation related to their recovery. If you could go to the waiting room for this area, the attending doctors and secretaries can help you there."
"Oh... thank you," Joanne managed and then took a calm step away from the intern and then walked on.
Joanne made her way to the waiting room on the floor that they were presently on for the ICU to wait and see what happened. She was still a bit on edge and nervous that something had happened with Monica to the point that most other things were far from her mind. Even the fact that she hadn't run into Peter or Karen hadn't crossed her mind at the moment, though as she entered the waiting room, she found the pair seated together and holding hands. From what Joanne could see, it looked like Peter was comforting Karen, though it didn't look like they'd been saying anything at the moment. Of course with a fair number of other people in the waiting room, it'd be likely that whatever they'd been discussing earlier in the morning would be talked about. Joanne also knew that she couldn't act too suspiciously about things and moved toward the open seat next to Karen and they both noticed her as she approached.
"Hello, Joanne," Karen said to her and turned in her chair to move her purse from the seat of the chair to her right and putting it underneath her own seat, "sit down..."
"Monica..." Joanne managed as she got closer and carefully sat down beside her fiancée's daughter, "is she?"
"She's still alive as far as we know," Karen answered.
"But they did have to drain some of that additional fluid putting pressure on her spine," Peter added, "they've taken her back for that... they haven't gotten back to us yet on what the results will be."
"Well she walk again?" Joanne asked, hopeful that some good news was there... even if Peter might have technically already answered her question. She just needed something that would be positive... something that would give her hope for a better and brighter future, especially as she really hadn't found anything of note regarding what secrets Moon Lake might have, good or bad.
"That is what the doctor hopes for," Karen managed, "that by draining this excess fluid the pressure on her spinal column will go down... or something like that. And with less pressure on her nerves, they will return to normal... which I guess would mean weren't completely damaged. But the doctor didn't know for sure on whether that would work."
Joanne only looked down with a sickening feeling forming in her gut. Her day started with overhearing something that worried her that her daughter might have gotten into some kind of trouble she couldn't get out of in another state, and in a place where the vast majority of the people seemed to look to be highly athletic and toned in ways that normal people generally weren't and that the women in this town appeared to also have curves that wouldn't really easily balance with the fact that they were also well toned and fit. All the while, Monica Yuletide's health was also on edge, and that worried Joanne even more.
It was like there was no good news anywhere. And there were enough people in the waiting room at the moment that she couldn't even directly inquire into what she'd overheard in the morning, which might be the only way of getting anything accomplished there. For if she did, it would either be denied or would start a scene that Joanne knew wouldn't end well. Even if people just assumed it was stress from Monica's condition, it wouldn't do well.
"And while it may be all we have at the moment," Peter offered while reaching across Karen to take Joanne's hand. She found his grip soft, yet firm, and giving off some sense of reassurance, which Joanne did take positively. It partially made her all the more curious about this Peter Talbot and Moon Lake, as he did seem quite polite and helpful in his own way, though Joanne was unable to really complete her thoughts as Peter finished his comment, "Sometimes... hope is the most important thing and something you can't give up. No matter what."
"Thank you," Joanne answered, as she couldn't disagree with that.