For Joanne Howard the past few days had been a very mixed bag. It had started with her fiancée, Monica Yuletide, being caught in a car wreck that left her in a condition that might have her paralyzed for the rest of her life when an older semi-truck driver had a fatal heart attack while at the wheel of his rig. Monica had been badly wounded, and Joanne had found it a miracle that Monica hadn't been killed by it outright. It then left Joanne nervously worrying over not just Monica but how to explain things to Monica's college age daughter Karen. Joanne and Monica had been dating in secret for a while, but had recently agreed to marry, but because of the secrecy of their dating, Karen didn't know that her mother had found someone after dealing with the issues presented by Karen's father and Monica's ex-husband. Joanne didn't want to have to explain to Karen why a woman she'd never met was calling her as though she were family.
Of course, alerting Karen Yuletide to what had happened to Monica was ultimately handled by law enforcement and the hospital as part of getting in touch with all contact numbers that Monica had, which had also included Joanne. Joanne didn't know that, and to a degree, that wasn't a problem and avoided the worst of the embarrassment. Though, Joanne was still forced to explain how she and Monica had gotten together, something that had actually be planned for over the Thanksgiving break. It was soon met with an additional surprise from Karen that she had also found love at her college in Washington, Moon Lake College. Peter Talbot was a striking and very athletic young man, and not entirely who Joanne had expected, but at first, he was polite and quiet and while wrestling with her own frustration over what had happened to Monica, Joanne didn't want to press too hard. And ultimately, having Monica wake up while Karen and Peter visited also helped Joanne out a lot.
The one thing that ultimately made Joanne nervous was something she overheard that sounded suspicious, like Peter was wanting to change Karen in some way. It was something that didn't sound right and seemed out of nowhere, and for Joanne, trying to pick the pieces after a car wreck had nearly taken Monica from her, that was enough to get her to try and find answers as to what this thing could have been and what Moon Lake was like. For Joanne knew she wasn't physically imposing or tough, and she'd often felt she relied more on Monica for those sorts of things, but she also had the sense that if something bad was happening in Moon Lake, Joanne had to get to the bottom of it and save the one bit that Monica had said was good that had come out of her previous marriage. Though, the search didn't really turn up all that much more than that the people at Moon Lake all seemed to be very healthy. Joanne worked up her courage and that was where she finally got some answers.
And in a way, they were answers that were surprising and left her unsure. In that Moon Lake was apparently a were sanctuary and that Peter Talbot was a male werelion. The changes that Joanne had overheard was likely the fact that Karen had really fallen for Peter and was wanting to become his werelioness, but the two hadn't gotten that far, yet. It also seemed like they were also working on things related to explaining that for Thanksgiving as well, which then also related to the engagement ring on Karen's finger. All of this was a surprise for Joanne, and she did privately admit to being a bit afraid when watching Peter transform into an anthropomorphic Lion before her, but he'd also managed to explain and show a large measure of kindness and intelligence that didn't fit in with all the stories of werewolves or anything like them. It was something that gave Joanne some comfort in that Karen wasn't in danger in Moon Lake.
But that still brought things back to the worrying over Monica and her condition. It also raised some private concerns that Joanne worried about and didn't fully want to say, but at times did, in acknowledging her slender frame and how that would then work with helping Monica. For she wasn't all that strong or powerful and what the doctors had said, was that it was likely that Monica would be paralyzed for a long time and any chance of her walking again was presently considered long while they were waiting for other aspects of healing from swelling and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord that resulted from the accident. Monica might have regained consciousness, but she was still paralyzed and would likely need a LOT of work just to function, and Joanne was fairly sure she wasn't physically strong enough to handle it.
"I don't know what to do," Joanne said softly to Monica, who was presently sleeping in the ICU bed that she'd been moved to.
Joanne gently rubbed her thumb over the back of Monica's hand, feeling her skin move slightly as she did so. It was one of the few places on Monica's body that was bruised or had the skin torn open and Joanne had been able to engage in the sort of things that had been a part of her and Monica's relationship before all this. And now it was the limit of what they could do for now, and maybe forever. Or at least the "forever" was Joanne's fear. She was a caring woman, and if the ability to care was all that was needed, Joanne might have been more comfortable, but Joanne also knew that wasn't all that was needed. If Monica never walked again, even once her spine had "healed" enough that she would be safe to move, she would need a lot of help just getting in and out of bed, going to the bathroom, bathing, and a host of other things, things that would require real physical strength, strength that Joanne didn't have... and it would take money she didn't have to employ those who would be physically strong enough. All of that only added to Joanne's worries.
"Karen will be fine... she's everything you told me she was," Joanne said softly, "and she's found a wonderful man that loves her... or at least I would assume he loves her. A real prince among men... Honorable and everything. They'll have a wonderful wedding and hopefully a lovely family in the future. I... I only just hope we'd even be there."
"I'm sure both of you will be able to be there for your lover's daughter," came a soft female voice from behind her.
Joanne stopped and turned to see a now familiar figure in the doorway to the room. The attending doctor, Dr. Alexander stood there quietly with her white rounds jacket hanging loosely over her shoulders, though Joanne could also note the fairly athletic frame that sat under that coat... along with a few other features that on some level that she was interested in, but that part didn't stick in her mind. She loved Monica too much to care on whether or not the doctor was sexy.
"And I'm sure they'll come to yours and Ms. Yuletide's wedding," Dr. Alexander added.
"What wedding?" Joanne found herself blurting, "those things cost money... and legal or not, same sex marriages aren't necessarily going to be that much cheaper than a normal heterosexual wedding... And with all this... even with insurance, this is going to drain what funds both Monica and I have." She paused as she found herself giving a bit of a sniffle, "we love each other... but... I..."
"I don't handle the billing... but right now, that's the last thing you should worry over," Dr. Alexander spoke, "the main thing should be Monica's health and recovery. And all things considered, she's had a good start so far."
"And may still be paralyzed for the rest of her life," Joanne said weakly, "never able to walk... to swim... roll on a freshly cut lawn in the park... will need a lot of help just to do the simple things in life. And what hurts me even more... is that I'm not strong enough to lift her. I can worry... I can care and clean... but I cannot lift her."
"One can never be sure on just how strong they are until the moment arrives," Dr. Alexander offered and gave a sympathetic smile and placed a sympathetic hand on Joanne's shoulder, "and given that you've been here since Ms. Yuletide was brought here... and have been here for as long as you can... it shows genuine love for her on your part, which I'm sure she knows and feels the same for you. That's something that moves away from purely physical strength. And with that... I'm sure you'll both be emotionally fine."
"Doesn't mean I wish there wasn't a way for me to become stronger," Joanne commented, her mind drifting onto what Peter and Karen had told her about Moon Lake. That the weres there were strong and healthy, and that even the smaller ones could be stronger than the average human. It left a thought in the back of her mind that maybe if she could become a were, she'd be strong enough to care for Monica in the way that Monica both deserved and needed, assuming Monica's recovery was such that she'd never walk again. There were also some inward thoughts and ponderings of maybe find a were that would turn Monica and let that heal her, but she had promised not to reveal Moon Lake or its weres and didn't know that Doctor Alexander was a weretigress. "Become something strong... but that's not possible."
"Unfortunately, no," Doctor Alexander nodded and being quiet on the fact that she knew of medical arguments in Moon Lake's medical community that often looked on becoming a were as a means to try and cure some diseases or heal injuries, though it was one that was divisive and not openly accepted because of the risks that would come along with the process of transformation.
Joanne nodded. Becoming a were to help Monica was something that had been sitting in her mind since accepting the existence of weres and finding Peter to be a good and noble one. Being strong for Monica was a powerful thought in Joanne's mind, but she also knew that America's weres that could be easily found lived far to the north and that she couldn't just go to Moon Lake, get herself changed, and then come back to care for Monica in a day. And in that, her own job wouldn't let her go for more than a day or so, not unless it was for something like a holiday. There was also Monica's thoughts to consider, and Joanne looked back to her.
For the moment, Monica's had was resting calmly in the pillow with had been fluffed to provide support and comfort while not taking Monica's spine out of alignment. There were things that would limit Monica's ability to move, even if she were physically capable at present, but that was all part of the standard means to try and treat and control back injuries. And while asleep, Monica looked comfortable, and for the moment that was enough. Even with all of Joanne's worries on whether or not Monica would recover and how long that would take... what would be the finances needed for the recovery and all that, seeing Monica at least looking comfortable and at ease eased some of Joanne's worries. It also then let Joanne also recognize that if she were to become a were, Monica should have the choice of what were Joanne should be, as Karen and Peter had said that there were all sorts of different weres and that the choice once taken and made was one that couldn't be made lightly. And that sort of thing was also something that would also be best left to wait until after Monica was in better health and arrangements could be made so that the revelation that weres weren't just monsters on the movie screen could be done properly.
"I know... but it would be a nice wish, don't you think?" Joanne wondered to Doctor Alexander, "to hope for something magical..."
"It's always good to have hope," Doctor Alexander commented, "though we are at the point where visiting hours would be over."
"I know..." Joanne and said slowly, "you'll look after her?"
"The night staff will monitor her over night," Doctor Alexander answered, "there isn't much that anyone can really do for right now other than to let her rest and heal... Tomorrow, we'll continue to monitor things and take the scans needed to see if she will heal or not... or if we still need more time to wait."
Joanne nodded and looked over to Joanne and whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Doctor Alexander gave a small smile and said Joanne, "come on... I'll walk you to your car."