Dana awoke slowly, blinking her eyes in sleepy confusion at her unfamiliar surroundings.  She pulled her arm up to rub at her eyes, tangling her IV with her arm and nearly pulling the stand down in the process.  Seeing the equipment around here brought it all flashing back:  the earthquake, the car accident, walking to find help.

Alice!  Where was she?  Dana frantically stabbed at the button that would call a nurse into her room.  She kept her finger held down on it until a nurse strode into the room.  “Well, glad to see you’re awake, Ms. Fairbanks.”

“Alice?  Where is she?” Dana demanded to know as the nurse gently pried her finger away from the button.

“Excuse me?  Alice?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, Alice!  Is she okay?  I have to see her!” Dana shouted, trying to painfully sit up, her bandaged head pounding horribly.

“The woman you came in with?  She’s doing just fine,” the nurse replied, struggling to keep Dana from getting out of bed.  “And you need to stay here and rest.”

“What’s wrong with her?  Where is she?” Dana begged to know, falling back against the pillow in pain.

“If I remember correctly, her arm was broken and she sprained an ankle.  The doctors took her to the operating room and inserted a rod and some pins to fix the arm.  Right now she’s in her room resting, which is what you should be doing,” the nurse lectured, tucking the sheet around Dana.

“Can I go see her?” Dana asked.

“Perhaps you can later, when we have a wheelchair available to transport you.  You are in no condition to be going anywhere right now.  You’re got three cracked ribs, a serious concussion, four stitches in your cheek, another seven in your head, and then five more on your abdomen,” the nurse explained.

“Fine,” Dana grumbled, watching as the nurse began to leave.  “Hey, wait!  What room is she in?  Can I at least call her?”