::The doctor looks at the three ladies, all treated for wounds. One on each bed. Carys, feel free to wake up whenever, you are heavily bandaged around your abdomen, limiting your movement for a while. Chloe, you've just had your stab wounds treated and bandaged, you'll be fine soon. Andrea has been treated for general bruising etc.::

"Sorry I had to place you here ladies, we're running out of room in the wards. Contact a nurse if you need anything."

::With a swish of his coat, he leaves.::

::Andrea slips out of bed, quite annoyed that the doctors wouldn't listen to her protests that she was fine. She walks over and pretty much gets into bed beside Chloe, sitting up and keeping a wary eye on Carys.::

"How are you?"

::She murmurs, kissing Chloe's neck and cheeks caringly.::

"Do you feel okay? I should go to the police and tell them what happened before she wakes up. Would you be okay for me to leave you here to keep an eye on her?"

::Chloe awkwardly slips her bandaged arm around Andrea's waist, holding her. She sighs.::

"I'd much rather not be left alone with her. Could you grab a nurse or something? I don't think she'll try anything with another person present. Maybe."

::She lifts Andrea's hand and kises it softly, smiling up at her.::

"And I'm fine."

::Her face becomes more serious with concern as she touches Andrea's bruised face carefully.::

"How are you?"

::Wincing as Chloe touches her bruises, Andrea swallows and looks away.::

"I'm fine."

::She lies, knowing full well that Chloe will know it.::

(How can I ever be okay after what happened...)

"Let me uh, go get someone to, um, look after you."

::She wanders around and comes back with a nurse, explaining a made-up story that Chloe isn't feeling so hot and needs to be checked out. She returns to Chloe's side and looks at her with concern.::

"Okay?"

::Chloe nods, smiling softly. The smile fades quickly.::

"Don't be too long, ok? And be careful..."

::Her brow is creased with worry, recalling all of the crap that's happened recently, scared something might try to take Andrea away again.::

(I don't want her to leave... Isn't there another...?)

::Chloe's eyes widen slightly as an idea hits her.::

"Can't you just call them?"

"Wow, I'm stupid."

::Andrea chuckles and rubs a hand along Chloe's forehead.::

"I guess I didn't want to be an inconvenience or something... okay the uh nurse will give you that 'check-up' and I'll go and call them, alright sweetheart?"

::She kisses Chloe's cheek and heads off to the waiting room.::

::Andrea returns a few minutes later and stares at Carys laying in bed, looking peaceful and at ease.::

(She looks so harmless... she was harmless...)

::Starting to feel really strange, Andrea sniffs again and lets the nurse that was checking over Chloe go, sitting on the side of her bed and sighing.::

"They're sending someone out."

::Having been directed to Andrea's whereabouts, the police officer walks in and looks around all the beds. She comes to Carys, Chloe and Andrea, noting Andrea's empty one and checking the clipboards on the bottom to get their names. She glances up and sees the damage to each woman.::

(Jesus...)

::Looking at Andrea, she addresses her questioningly.::

"Are you the Ms. Kohr that phoned for an officer?"

::Andrea quickly gets to her feet, nodding.::

"Uh, yes, that's me."

::She walks over to the woman.::

"Thank you for coming over so fast."

"Of course. Okay, Ms. Kohr, I'm Aileen Walt, I'm going to take you into a private room to take your statement. Are you okay with keeping this private or do you wish your statement to be public, in that other ACW members can read what you said?"

(Discretion? That was one thing I didn't expect around here... aww, how sensitive!)

"I think I'd prefer to keep it private, if that's okay."

(It's going to be hard enough telling her what happened...)

"Sure thing."

::With a warm smile at Andrea, and then in turn Chloe, Aileen glances at Carys and assumes she's the attacker, since Andrea and Chloe were looking so cosy. She beckons one of the hospital staff over and tells them to get her if Carys wakes up. She then leads Andrea away to a private room to take her statement. You can return whenever, Ands.::

::Andrea walks back through, daubing at her eyes with a tissue. Recounting the events in the log cabin was hard. Really hard. She pulls in a shuddering breath and sits on her own bed, elbows on knees, looking at Chloe.::

"Well that's that."

::The officer follows Andrea through a while afterwards, writing something in a small notepad. She approaches Chloe's bed and glances up.::

"Okay! Miss uh, Aquila, I'd also like to ask you a few questions too. Would you mind if I spoke with you here, or would you like to talk in private as opposed to public?"

::Chloe purses her lips as Andrea returns, then jumps slightly at the mention of her name.::

"Hm? Oh, uh..."

::She glances at Andrea.::

"Private."

::She stands up, taking a deep breath.::

::The police officer leads Chloe away to take her statement. You can return when you please, Chloe.::

::Chloe enters the room again, her face drawn. She sits on her own bed as well, smiling weakly up at Andrea.::

"That wasn't too bad."

::She laughs at herself, shaking her head. Her face soon becomes solemn again.::

::The doctor enters with a couple of nurses, wheeling along a gurney. They pull it up to Carys' bed. She glances at Chloe.::

"She's to be put in a private room, monitered until she comes around. Then she'll be taken to the police station."

::They pull Carys onto the gurney and take her to Carys' Room. You two can leave if you wish.::

::Chloe nods at the doctor.::

"Okay."

::She then goes to sit beside Andrea on her bed, entwining her fingers with her lover's.::

::Andrea takes a deep breath, staring at the floor. She exhales slowly, barely feeling Chloe's hand slip between her cold fingers. She chews on her tongue a little, biting it slightly, then eventually blinks and seems to come to her senses. She looks up at Chloe with something of a wry smile.::

"How about we go home and play doctors and nurses here instead of this ward? You look like you could use being taken care of."

::Chloe shakes her head, speaking before she thinks.::

"But you were the one who---"

::She stops the words from escaping, controlling her anger. She looks up at Andrea, her gaze filled with worry.::

::Andrea breathes again, calm, controlled.::

"I'm fine."

::She tells Chloe.::

"Please. Let's not talk about it. Not here."

(Or ever.)

::Chloe nods slowly, standing up and ready to leave.::

"My place or yours?"

(Both are stained with memories...)

::Andrea stands too, and looks down at her hospital jammies.::

(Whatever, it's better than in my panties.)

"Let's go back to..."

(... god...)

"Why don't we... consider getting a new place? Just for the two of us?"

::Becomes panicked.::

(Okay one, she's gonna say no, and two, I should say no because... I don't really feel like company very much...)

::Chloe stops breathing for a few seconds.::

(What? Just... us? No... Eep... Too soon.)

::Her voice is small and hesitant.::

"Are you sure we're ready for that, Ands?"

(We could always just get her a new place. I can get over living in my place. I wasn't the one who was...)

"Why don't we just rent other apartment for us to kinda share, but we still have, you know, the other two?"

(That sounds lame...)

(Whew.)

"That sounds good. Better. Great."

(And I sound like I'm lying through my teeth now... or am I being paranoid...)

::She wets her lips and leans into Chloe, pausing for a moment, looking down. She then moves and kisses Chloe on the cheek instead of the lips, and gives her a grim sort of smile.::

"Let's go then."

::Chloe slips her hand out of Andrea's, thinking she might need some space. She walks out the door to the entrance. She holds back the tears that threaten to flow. They're silly.::

::With a glance at the three empty beds, Andrea frowns at the clipboards and makes her way after Chloe, following her to the entrance.::

(I've upset her.)

::Julie looks around.::

"uh..."

"Hi there!"

::Pat arrives just in time to push Julie forward.::

"She's really badly burnt and cut..."

(Like I don't feel bad enough.)

"Kitchen accident, don't ask..."

"What she said."

"Okay then!"

::The nurse pulls Julie over to a bed and pulls the curtains round it. She quickly gives her a check up and then bandages up her wounds.::

"You should be healed fully in a couple of days, and there's no reason why you shouldn't go home as long as you take it very easy."

::She smiles and then pulls back the curtains a little, addressing Patience.::

"I've just told her she can go home if she feels up to it. Make sure you keep an eye on her."

::She leaves.::

::Julie sits there frowning at Patience.::

"She didn't even give me a lollipop."

::Julie hears a whispered voice in her head.::

"That's because you're a big enough sucker..."

::Julie furrows her brows.::

(What the fuck?)

(Hey, if you want to believe she loves you...)

(What? You think she doesn't?)

(If only I looked more closely to see her checking out those other girls... happened all the time in Hong Kong, and hell, it happens here too...)

(She was very friendly with every other girl back home... and that nurse just then too... wait, no, Patience loves me.)