It was dark and I was over (Josie, Liz, Cai)
Josie had slept a little, but, unfortunately, most of it had been in the shower.
She hadn't wanted to wait, after Cai had driven them to the hospital. Most of the fuss was around Zoe, who was in a state of exhaustion that occasionally fluctuated toward heavily annoyed before sinking back toward the barely conscious end of the spectrum. It wasn't till Josie went over to Katia to tell her that she hadn't had anything to do with Zoe fainting, honest, that Katia realised Josie's skin was almost blue, and started quizzing her about how many times she'd thrown up ("like, eight" said Cai, who had just called Liz and was in earshot) and did her chest hurt and how long had she been underwater?
Josie didn't know about the last question. She didn't know how far she'd been taken downriver and how long she'd been walking back toward the scene before Cai found her. But yes, her chest hurt, and did that mean she had to talk to a doctor, and ugh, could she have a shower first?
Eventually, she'd been allowed back to her room, where she went straight for her shower, turned it on as strong and as hot as it would go, and sat in the bottom of it and cried while she shampooed her hair.
At least waking up in the shower wasn't as horrible as waking up in the river, but Josie still awoke with a start and inhaled a couple of droplets and started coughing all over again, which only made her cry again.
She had a little sleep in her own bed, after thoroughly blowdrying her hair so she wouldn't sleep on it wet, which would make the morning even more nightmarish. It hadn't been restful sleep and it hadn't been long and she wanted more than anything to message Jinx but couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound entirely dramatic.
Although at least she wasn't calling him with, like, a knife sticking out of her gut or anything.
But also, if she messaged him now she'd have to explain and that just sounded exhausting.
In the end she sent him a picture of her sleepy face, carefully smoothed hair across her pillow, and left it for him to wake up to. And then tried to sleep herself, but all she could manage was a heavy doze, waking up so many times, each time with a jolt of panic till she realised she was in her own bed.
But it was a miserable, restless night, and Josie was grateful when it was over. She usually slept very late, but by the time morning rolled round (wet and dark and as miserable as she was) she was grateful for the excuse to get up and go and find other human beings. Shit, even Joel.
The cafeteria offered up a better option that Joel, though. The boy from last night, and Liz, sitting at a table with two breakfasts and a pot of tea and more muffins between them than they had hands. Josie dragged a chair over from the closest table and all but fell into it, collapsing with her elbows on the table. "Liz," she croaked, forgetting all the restraint she'd practised when trying not to be dramatic at Jinx. "I died."