𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐔𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘐𝘐

15: Somewhere III

"So your name is Girl?" Beth asked, the two sitting side by side on one of the beds in the room they now shared.

Girl nodded.

"But it's also Susanna?"

Girl nodded again.

Beth looked stumped, tapping her chin.

They'd spent the day following Dawn's orders as they showed Girl around the hospital, explaining what her duties would be. She was whisked through the hospital, being shown different rooms and procedures in quick succession. She'd even been thrown directly into a medical emergency when one of the patients went into cardiac arrest. It was good luck that Girl was not easily rattled, or else the man convulsing on the bed might have scared her. He'd ended up being okay, the doctor had been summoned and he'd started barking orders at both Girl and Beth, expecting the girls to quickly start helping save the man's life. Girl didn't see much choice but to join by Beth's side and try her best to copy the other girl's actions.

Throughout all of this, Beth had helped to avoid any questions about Girl's name, reuterating to Dawn that she couldn't speak and skirting around the name question at every turn.

Now they were settled for the night, Dawn having decided that they'd had enough excitement for the day.

Beth had sat on her bed, kicking her legs absently. Girl was seated with her whiteboard, both girls had shed their scrub shirts, left in their pants and long sleeves.

"So why don't you pick a new name?" Beth asked, not thinking that 'Girl' was suitable.

Girl shrugged, scribbling away on her whiteboard to form a response.

Carl tried to come up with one, but none of them seemed to fit.

"Well, maybe you need to use the old one," Beth suggested, "that one feels right, doesn't it? Just not right?"

Makes sense, but I wouldn't know what to do. I'm confused.

"Well, Susanna is a no, right?" Beth asked, glancing to Girl for guidance. Girl nodded in confirmation, that name would most likely always be a no-go for her.

"So what about something else? Something that still comes from your old name?" Beth offered, "like Susie?"

Girl shook her head again, almost more violently than before.

"Alright, maybe something else like that? Something else that comes from your name- Anna? Or Sanna, maybe?"

Girl perked up at the last suggestion, some part of her latching onto the name. She nodded excitedly, feeling something new with the suggestion. Every time Carl had put forth a name, Girl had felt completely detached, completely disinterested.

But with this? She felt a real connection. She felt like it was hers.

"Sanna? You like it?" Beth asked excitedly.

Girl nodded, a huge smile overtaking her face.

Sanna.

"That's it, then. Sanna," Beth nodded.

Thanks, Beth.

"No problem, Sanna," Beth giggled, tossing an arm around Girl's shoulders.

Sanna.

It was a good name, one that felt just right.

--------

Sanna and Beth had proved to make a pretty good team. Dawn seemed to almost behave in an almost cautious manner towards them, as if she were afraid of what they would do. She kept a close eye on them,

Sanna grunted when her head whipped to the side, a slap hitting her hard as Dawn glared down at her.

"You have to do better," Dawn ordered, "you can't let this shit happen, do you understand?"

Girl- Sanna, nodded her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. One of the other "residents", a former patient like herself, had dropped a glass syringe, spilling a dose of medication on the ground.

Sanna had quickly pushed the poor man aside, taking up his position and motioning for him to stay quiet as Dawn came around the corner.

Sanna had acted like it was her fault, like she'd made the fatal mistake. Dawn had scowled, grabbing ahold of her arm and dragging her away.

Beth had caught sight of the scene, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of her friend being hauled off by Dawn. Sanna had waved Beth off, silently assuring her that everything would be okay.

This had all led here, Sanna kneeling on the floor of Dawn's office, holding a bleeding lip.

"No more clumsiness. No more mistakes. Watch yourself," Dawn warned before pulling her up and pushing her out the door.

Sanna huffed, wiping her lip with the back of her hand and touching her bruised cheek. She made her way towards her and Beth's room, knowing that Dawn was done with her for the night.

"Sanna?"

Sanna was suddenly yanked into her room, yelping at the unexpected motion.

"Oh my gosh- are you- gosh, what did she do to you?" Beth asked, hands cupping Sanna's face as she sat the other girl down on her cot

Sanna reached for her whiteboard, scribbling out a response as Beth reached for some gauze and tape.

She just roughed me up a little.

"This isn't like her. All you did was drop a syringe," Beth mumbled, "and you didn't even do that. You were just covering for someone who did. She knew that."

It's okay.

Girl underlined the words a couple times, trying emphasize how much she meant them.

"No, it's not," Beth said, taping a butterfly bandage over a cut on Sanna's forehead as well as the cut that extended down below her lip.

We need Dawn to see us behaving.

"We are behaving," Beth said, teeth clenched, fists tight.

I'm sorry. I know you've been here a while. I'm gonna make this work for you. I'm gonna get us away.

"We can't live like this," Beth said quietly, sitting next to Sanna, head in her hands, "you, me, everyone else. We can't let her do this."

You said that she was worse before. When Gorman was still here.

"It was only Gorman that made it worse," Beth said, "he was bad. But Dawn let him run free, which made him worse."

Your last plan was good. Noah got out.

"But I'm still here," Beth sighed.

We wouldn't have met if you'd gotten away.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Beth smiled, "without Gorman there'd be no you and me."

Without Dawn there'd be no us, either, she's the whole reason we're unionizing.

Beth laughed, grabbing Sanna's hand.

"Stay out of trouble, Sans," Beth smiled, "we both know that we don't need any of it."