When Gloria opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a bed. The plain white ceiling above was familiar. She had seen it enough times to know she was at Judy Perkins Memorial. Which probably meant... "Big Sis?"
"I'm here," Marie answered from her bedside.
As expected.
"How many times have I woken up here in hospital with you by my side?" Gloria asked.
Big Sis smiled. "Four times. Three this year alone."
"We've got to stop meeting like this," Gloria grumbled. It was a really bad habit.
Big Sis chuckled softly.
Gloria pulled herself up. Other than some dull pain in her limbs, she had no trouble moving.
She looked around the quiet room. There were a few other beds, a few of them occupied by resting patients, one of whom had a visitor. Near the double doors was a desk where a nurse sat, attending to some paperwork. There was a small cabinet next to Gloria's bed. Outside the window on the opposite wall, rain could be seen falling.
"How badly am I hurt?" Gloria asked her sister. She saw that she was dressed in a hospital gown, changed out of her clothing which were probably wet and dirty from her fall on the road. Antiseptic had been applied to her scratches and a bandage was plastered to her arm.
"Other than a few cuts and bruises, you're perfectly fine," Marie told her.
"I got hit by a car," Gloria pointed out. And she had only cuts and bruises for that?
"I heard the car stopped in time," Big Sis told her, "You were lightly bumped. You shouldn't have even been knocked out cold."
"How long was I out?"
"Two hours, maybe."
So if Gloria had decided not to return, Annie Billings was going to die from being tapped by a car!? She might as well have been killed by a falling feather!
After the doctor had examined her, Gloria decided to go home. The doctor, concerned that she had fallen unconscious, had recommended that she stay overnight for observation. Gloria surmised that it had been caused by that cowled stranger in her dream so there was no need for concern. That was assuming that what she had seen was not just a dream.
Mother was there to drive the sisters home. It was still raining outside as the night approached.
Then Gloria noticed that Mother had that mischievous smile and that twinkle in her eyes again.
"No, Mother," Gloria told her parent before she could even suggest a mother-daughter bonding session.
"But..." Mother tried to plead.
"No," Gloria repeated firmly, "I'm well and capable enough to take care of myself, thank you." Having a supernatural pervert watching her shower was bad enough.
Mother put on a very cute pout the rest of the journey home. It was the kind of expression that would invite a teasing pinch on the cheek. Gloria just could not imagine herself pinching her own mother, though.
***
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