Re: Middle of the Lobby
Joanie resented being taken to the ER, because that's where very sick people went. But when the nurses insisted that she wouldn't be separated from Luther or Sam, she once again played nicely and did as she was told.
After the nurse assigned to her surveyed the state of her face and hands, she pulled a curtain around Joanie's bed in order to inspect her entire body. Sure enough, she was covered in little knots and scrapes, small cuts and budding bruises. When the nurse determined that nothing had been broken - the cracked ribs would simply heal on their own - she allowed Joanie to get dressed once again and await discharge. Her injuries indicated that she had clearly been beaten, yet the nurse seemed only concerned with Joanie's immediate survival. When it was clear that these injuries were superficial, she lost interest and moved on.
Joanie reluctantly pulled on her ripped and worthless clothing, tugging the jacket around her shoulders and buttoning it up. It acted as her dress, as the dress itself had been shredded in the riot. Tugging the coat down until it covered her to her knees, and wrapped the blanket around herself and peered out of the curtained area, moving over to Sam.
The nurses were finishing up with dressing his wound, so she took a seat beside him. She noticed that Luther had moved to the other side of the ER, where she could vaguely see Rosalie. Just as she was about to say something, the blonde's piercing screams silenced her. Gasping, Joanie grabbed Sam's hand between her scraped, scabby, stepped-on hands and bit down on the inside of her cheek. The shrill cry brought back Russia in a heartbeat, and she did not like it.