Who: Lita and James Where: The infirmary, La Quinta When: (Backdated) 12/10/18, 6:15 a.m. What: A doctor and her prisoner patient
Even though my mind is hazy an' my thoughts they might be narrow Where you been don't bother me or bring me down in sorrow It don't even matter, where you're wakin' up tomorrow Darlin', you just on my mind
When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear As someone who has had you on her mind
The faxes from the prison came over in the dead of night; if she hadn't been keeping an eye out for exactly this situation she's sure Warden Reason's urgent requests would have been ignored, filed, and forgotten. She leaves the hospital under the cover of darkness, navigating her Jeep through the treacherous drifts of acidic, snow-like precipitation as fast as she dares. She arrives at La Quinta without incident and is met at the gate by men with guns, who check her vehicle for contraband, stowaways, or anything remotely suspicious. Finding nothing of import, Lita is shuffled inside and is politely but thoroughly patted by a burly, no-nonsense female CO.
"Why even bother?" The CO asks, checking Lita's UMCB identification card as well as her credentials. "Why come all the way down here to patch these degenerates up when all they're gonna do is tear each other apart? They're hardly worth the gas you wasted driving over here."
Lita glances at the CO and, feigning consideration, replies.
"Been looking to give back to the community," Lita says, exuding as much charity and sincerity as she felt she could convincingly get away with. "Considering all the city's done for me, I figure keeping these criminals on their feet long enough so they can stand trial is the least I can do."
Satisfied with Lita's apparent disdain, the female CO along with a few of her cohorts escort her to the maximum security wing of the former hotel. The quality of the facility becomes more and more deteriorated the deeper they go and by the time they arrive at the infirmary, Lita isn't expecting much in terms of supplies or help. What she finds waiting for her proves to be even less than her lowest expectations. Her heart sinks; she's confident in her skills but without the proper equipment she'll be forced to MacGyver her way through a major surgery that is already touch-and-go from the beginning.
What Lita wouldn't give to have Sarge sit up and growl out some monosyllabic, passive-aggressive grunt or growl at the start. His injury is messy and his status critical and would have been difficult to maneuver even under optimal conditions, which La Quinta didn't offer by a long shot. Her assistants, CO's trained as field nurses by the military to do basic first aid, were more or less glorified band-aid appliers at best and butchers looking for a cheap thrill at worst. She relegates them to handing her instruments as to minimize any well-intended interference, or, in the very likely case of deliberate sabotage. Lita was running a one-woman show. She was on her own in the belly of the beast (figuratively and damn near literally) and she was beginning to feel the heaviness of the load bearing down on her. Inefficient help, the lack of supplies, and the sheer, backbreaking intensity of the work all led Lita to come out of Sarge's surgery exhausted, beaten down, but not bowed. The stubborn son of a bitch was going to make it and if it wouldn't have broken her cover, Lita could have kissed the beautiful bastard for pulling through.
Lita knows who is waiting for her in the next exam room. She stands outside the door for a moment, steeling herself to see him. She's never prepared to see James, not really. The two of them together is overwhelming even under the best of circumstances and this is, undoubtedly, the worst place they could ever find each other. But found each other they had. After several deep breaths, Lita pushes the door open. She tried to brace herself to what what he'd look like here, in this place, subjected to these monsters and barred cells and high walls but she's nowhere near prepared. He's somehow the absolute best thing she's ever seen and yet she's never seen him look worse. He's James and, yet, somehow, not.
Lita does not frighten easily but here, now, she is very much afraid. She's afraid of this place, afraid of being arrested, afraid of being thrown into one of these cells and being forgotten...afraid of what will happen if they don't forget her. She hides it all, every last bit of trepidation and fear. She can't be afraid, not when James and the rest of them need her.
"He's going to be okay," Lita says softly from the doorway, her eyes full of words she's not certain she can say.