A part of Karen would have wished to stay by her mother's side for as long as she could. She'd loved her mother dearly and that love was heavily in relation to the fact that Monica Yuletide had been Karen's only family connection for much of her life, and practically all of her adult life. There were some surprises and secrets that were there, such as Monica's engagement to a coworker Joanne Howard, but then Karen had never gotten into her mother's sexual habits and her mother never really expressed her position on them either. Karen largely assumed this had more to do with being a good mom. And ultimately, Karen did accept Joanne and could see the hurt that the other woman was going through as a result of the car accident that had put Monica Yuletide in.
But she also knew she couldn't stay long. She still had her classes at the college and while they had some options for things being done online, there was still going to be some of the things that related to assignments that would need to be physically turned in and that would mean that she and Peter would need to return to Seattle and then drive back to Moon Lake. Peter handled the flight arrangements while they ate a rather quiet lunch with Joanne at a nearby. Joanne had also been quiet and at some times distant, though Karen also assumed that Joanne was also worried about Monica.
"There... all things are set," Peter gave a sigh as he hung up his phone, "we fly out to Seattle at four PM..."
Karen slowly nodded.
"Given travel times and collecting all your other things from the apartment," Joanne began, "that'll mean you can't stay too much longer with Monica..."
Karen sighed at that and again nodded. It wasn't something she liked, but she also knew it was necessary. For while she knew that her mother would love the attention, Karen also knew that her mother wouldn't want Karen to put her life on hold because of the accident. For if the accident hadn't happened, things would have gone on in Moon Lake as per the plans that she and Peter had arranged for a romantic evening and her becoming Peter's werelioness. For the moment those plans would technically still be on hold, even after returning to Moon Lake, but that didn't mean that their respective classes would be as accommodating. It'd ultimately mean some issues in explaining the likely changes that Karen would go through when she became a were, but that couldn't be discussed now... and at the same time, those thoughts also got picked up in Karen's desire to help her mother, and Joanne, which had included the idea of telling them about Moon Lake's secrets and let them become weres together, healing Monica's wounds and improving Joanne's strength. But for the moment, that sort of thing was more desperation on Karen's part than anything else. Peter had told her that much when she'd raised it quietly in the "master bedroom" of the Yuletide apartment.
"We know," Karen finally said after a few moments, "that's why we'll be counting on you to be there for mom... to try and be strong for her."
"I'd do anything I can to make her happy," Joanne answered and then thought to herself, "including thinking on some way to keep you safe... though everything I've found out about this Moon Lake is just so vague..."
Karen smiled at that and silently put that in the back of her mind with regard to her desire to find something that would enable her to help her mom and future stepmother, and ultimately did relate to a were's accelerated metabolism which let them heal from most wounds fairly quickly. Though for the moment that would have to wait until Monica was at least in a position where the transformation wouldn't have the potential of putting a bone through a vital organ and when telling Monica and Joanne about weres to let them then make a choice could be done in a way that wouldn't freak them out or lead them to think Karen was crazy or be fearful of Peter because he was a werelion. There was a lot that she wanted to say, but couldn't for the moment.
"That's good," Peter said with some encouragement to Joanne and rested one hand on Karen's upper back to pat it for a moment, "that should give everyone some hope for a better future." He paused as Joanne nodded to that, "Now... why don't we go back for a few moments to at least Monica know what the schedule is..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"You're looking better now that you've eaten," was the first thing Monica said to Karen when the returned to where Monica Yuletide was resting in the hospital's ICU.
Some of the sounds of the hospital were still going as nurses and doctors talked with each other in the halls, or over some intercom. There were a few background conversations that might be faintly heard by them as doctors and other patients talked in other rooms, but it wasn't close enough to know what was actually being said. In this, it was a fairly standard afternoon in the hospital, even in San Diego's ICU. Karen managed a forced smile as she held her mother's hand and looked to the eyes of the woman that had given birth to her and raised her.
"Thanks, mom," Karen answered, "you doing okay?"
"Yes... dear... all things considered, I feel... fine, right now," Monica managed with a small smile of her own.
"I wish this accident didn't happen," Karen said weakly.
"Me too, dear," Monica replied, "but it is what it is... and I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. The doctors here have seemed friendly and I'll have Joanne to keep me company. We'll ultimately be fine."
Karen managed a small smile and nodded.
"And in the meantime... both of you will have college to get back too," Monica spoke, "do your best and don't worry about me. I'll be fine. And Joanne could call you if there is anything you need to know."
Karen again nodded, "Yes... Peter and are actually scheduled to fly back at four. We just wanted to come back and say we love you before we have to focus on getting back..."
"And I'll be back to sit with you for a while after dropping them off at the airport," Joanne spoke from the foot of the bed, letting Karen have a moment with her mother and with Peter standing just behind Karen.
"Don't you worry yourself either," Monica smiled over to Joanne, "all this may mean some changes... but I still love you and that won't change. And I know you cope with the changes, I know you can, Jo..."
Joanne managed a small smile as Monica then looked up to better and gestured to him. Peter then came forward and looked down to Monica Yuletide with a polite and nervous smile, as these sorts of conditions was NEVER the sort of conditions in which he'd expected to meet his future mother-in-law. Some things related to what changes Karen would go through when she becomes a were would be there, but a part of Peter figured that could be handled... and the back of his mind also figured that if this reveal went well, certain things that related to weres would get easier.
"You'll be good to her, right?" Monica asked, getting the sense of closeness between Karen and Peter.
"Until the end of my days, ma'am," Peter promised, "I love her very much."
Monica then patted his hand and then urged them on, "Okay then... go on. If your flight leaves at four... you'll have some travelling and packing to do just to get out on time."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The drive back to the Yuletide apartment didn't take super long, but given the nature of traffic, the turning off and on bigger interchanges to get onto the smaller streets and then getting into a parting garage near the apartment complex, the group of travelers could see the four o'clock flight time as a clear warning. The drive was relatively quiet while Joanne focused on the route and everything else, though her mind continued to race on questions, questions that she'd overheard from a few mornings before, but Joanne also really didn't know how to bring that up. For the conversation she'd overheard was clearly intended to be private and at the same time, Peter Talbot had displayed no aggression, cruelty, or any major vice. Thus if Joanne brought what she'd heard up directly, she might come off as though she were listening in or had been deliberately suspicious from the start, which she wasn't.
But at the same time, the conversation she'd overheard included some mention of "induction," which sounded like it came out of some specialized club or secret society. And if it was only a club, that wouldn't be too bad, as those sorts of things happened all the time and they could often have their secret handshakes and so on, but Joanne couldn't be certain that it was just a club. She'd thought she'd heard things about "differences" being in there as well and it just came off as odd to her, and checking Moon Lake out online only added to her concerns, as while nothing seemed criminal, there were enough things that seemed odd and vague that she couldn't make heads or tails of it. There were just too many things that weighed on her mind... and that ultimately left her pacing the living room, glancing over to the couch where she'd been sleeping while Peter and Karen were there while the two college students were packing.
"There has to be something... something I'm missing," Joanne whispered to herself while clinching her fists as she tried to go over her thoughts. Trying to think over some rationalization over something to make sure her lover's daughter wasn't in over her head with something weird, regardless of how things seemed on the surface.
"Missing what?" came a male voice from behind her making Joanne jump with surprise.
She turned to find Peter standing there with one small bag under his arm. It looked like something was in it, but there didn't seem to be too much in it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Karen moving by into the kitchen and carrying a laptop's travel bag as she went.
"Sorry... I was just thinking over something," Joanne spoke as she then glanced over to the clock that was on the VCR which had 2:10 PM on in blue lights, "weren't you packing?"
"Karen and I didn't bring much down," Peter said slowly, "we were on something of a date when someone... I'm guessing either the EMTs, the police, or the hospital... called to tell Karen about the accident. We came down straight away and really didn't bring much. It's why we've tried stay clean... The biggest things that we need to pack are more the laptop and its assorted wires which we brought down from the college."
"So you prepared for potential school work but not clothing?" Joanne wondered.
"We didn't know fully how bad things were and Karen was worried," Peter answered, "there is the very real potential that we could have come down with nothing."
"Well... if that's all the case, we have some time for the moment," Joanne said slowly, "I wouldn't think you'd have to be out the door here until about 2:45 at the latest, given traffic and getting through the gates."
Peter slowly nodded as Joanne bit her lip as she tried to collect herself after getting so distracted in her thoughts that she said something out loud and not noticing that anyone could hear her.
"Yes... but you said you're missing something..." Peter said slowly as Karen came back into the living room while zipping up the laptop's travel bag, "Did you leave something at the hospital?"
"What!? No! I --" Joanne began, her voicing falling into a semi-nervous warble as she tried to find something to say that wasn't "I overhead you saying something about inducting my fiance's daughter into something which would make her different. Fess up!" Peter hadn't done anything that actually deserved that and it all could ultimately be something rather innocent.
"You're missing something?" Karen asked to her from the other side of the couch.
"No... I didn't... I..." Joanne said weakly, unsure of what to say and feeling trapped.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked to her, "we can get a taxi if you're feeling down or ill or..."
"No... I'm fine... I..." Joanne answered before finally sighing again before just sitting down as she couldn't think of a a way out of it. Eventually she figured she couldn't just hide it and trying to hide it was only making her argument sound worse and thus she decided to tell the truth. "I just overheard the two of you talking about something weird the other morning... something about you inducting Karen into something weird and would change her. Don't try to deny it. I KNOW I heard it."
"Well..." Karen gasped and glanced to Peter remembering the conversation from a day or so before. She and Peter had been up early and had been discussing some things along those lines that related to her induction into were society. They also related to the idea that maybe Peter could induct Joanne and her mother to cure her mother of the injuries she'd suffered.
"It's complicated," Peter spoke with a bit more firmness and a a bit less hesitancy.
"I'm more than happy if it means that by fiancee's daughter isn't in danger," Joanne managed as she realized that by actually speaking on it she was actually gaining some bravery on it. "Please tell me..."