Coraline Jones

There were fourteen patients; three in critical condition, nine stable and two ready to be discharged. There were ten bunches of flowers; four mixed rose bouquets, one tulip bouquet, three lily bouquets and two wild flower bouquets. There were four nurses on shift, one orderly and a tea lady named April who did in fact know how to make a proper cup of tea and of course there were the Other Doctors who Coraline mostly seemed to ignore especially the handsy one. Some of the Other Doctors were idiots, the nursing staff on the other hand were quite good and April, April was a saint. Especially when she bought her a cup of tea in the middle of an eighteen hour shift.

"Hello Miss Spink," Coraline asked, brushing her hand on the shoulder of one of the new nurses before leaning across the desk to take the mug from her. Taking a mouthful Coraline let out a low happy moan, her hand tightened on the shoulder before she let go and smiledbrightly at the tea lady. "Miss Spink you are a lifesaver. How's your knee?"

"Oh, you know can't complain. It's Miriam's hip that are the problem, when we used to tread the boards we never had any troubles but now everything aches and creaks." Coraline smiled, turning before hopping up onto the desk swinging her long legs back and forth as she drank the tea. Looking down startled at the handsome man staring up at her, Coraline flushed as he stared intently at her. No one really looked at her like that before not like they wanted to... um, eat her. It was kind of creepy and a little bit hot. "Here Aidan dear, I made you a nice cup of coffee."

Coraline swallowed her tea as he reached over to take the coffee, his intense stare lightening as he smiled at Miss Spink.

"Have you met Aidan yet Caroline? Aidan is one of our nurses, he's taking over some of Rebecca's shifts. Aidan this is Doctor Jones."

"It's Coraline actually, Coraline Jones. Hello," Coraline said offering her hand.

Coraline was quick, nimble. She sprinted ahead of the others, disappearing like a ghost as she passed through the trees. They only saw her from the flash of blonde hair or when she dropped in on them the safeword tumbling from her lips. She wasn't the strongest or smartest or deadliest of the three girls but she was the quickest.

Until now.

She was running ahead of the girls, her breath coming short as she leaped over branches and ducked beneath the slow arm of one of them. It was Polly or what was left of her. Coraline gagged on the smell of rotting flesh as she made herself smaller and ran straight ahead. The crowd turning behind her away from something else and towards her instead. She was it, she was fresh meat.

Coraline whistled, high and long, a warning to Grace and O-Ren as she leaped and grabbed hold of a branch hauling herself up into the tree even as its clammy fingertips brushed against the sole of her shoe and reached for her. Coraline moved quickly pulling her legs and body up and moving higher into the tree out of reach.

"Shit, shit, shit." Coraline swore as she scrambled up higher as the crowd surged away from the thing they were pressed tight against towards her. Standing up on the branch Coraline brushed aside some of the leaves to stare at what they had been looking at her. Coraline almost staggered back at the sight in front of her; Atlantis. And something else, something familiar and long forgotten. "Johnny?"

Coraline looked straight across at the boy-man staring right back at her. Lifting her hand up, she smiled at him and waved.