By the time she reached the waiting room, Alice’s defenses — the wall of sarcasm and intellect — had crumbled, and the horror of what she’d seen and heard roared through her like a flash flood through a canyon.  She stumbled and fell into Marina’s arms, crying.

“She’s gone.  Jesus God, she’s gone.”

“Shhhhh,” Marina stroked the back of Alice’s head and rocked her standing.  “It will be all right.”

“No,” Alice mumbled against Marina’s shoulders, “No, it won’t.”

Tina stood helplessly to the side, not knowing what to do or say.  Alice’s misery washed through her and called up her own grief and she began to quietly cry.  She moved forward and wrapped her arms around Marina and Alice, and the three women stood in a circle, rocking and grieving until there were no more tears to be cried.

Marina eased Tina into a seat, and took one hand while Tina took the other, and let silence enfold them until Alice was finally able to speak.  “It was…. It was like she wasn’t even there at all.  She just lays there, staring and breathing.  And peeing in a bag!  It’s like she just walked off and left the motor running.  I don’t understand.  What the fuck happened to her?”

“Cherie….”

“Omigod,” Alice clapped a hand over her mouth.  “Cherie!  She’s here too.”

Marina’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Yes!  Her husband!  He beat the holy crap out of her!”

“Jesus,” Tina whispered.

“I think she coded while I was back passing myself off as Shane’s sister.  The doctor knows, by the way.”

“Knows what?” asked Tina.

“Knows I was lying my ass off.  She seems willing to let it go for now.  I think she was scared.”

“Scared?” Marina whispered hoarsely.  “Of what?”

“Of what’s happened to Shane.  What will happen if she can’t bring her back.  What will happen if Shane does come back and finds out about Cherie.”

Marina ran one hand through her long hair.  “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Alice said.  “Dr. Varga said that if any of us know anything that might her help reach her, we need to tell her.”