Steele Reeling: An Unpublished Rewrite

The stench of death overwhelmed Laura, when she realized the carriage was where the Ripper had his victims. She covered her mouth with her hand, her tears threatening to spill.
The only words of reassurance to Mr. Steele was spoken in a muffled, "I'm fine."
As detectives led Galt away, Laura accepted a proffered hand down from the cab.
With feet planted firmly on the ground, Laura took a breath and then suddenly took a step back to retch right behind the rear wheel, narrowly missing Steele's midsection. He could only look on helplessly.
At the first wobbly step, Steele took Laura by the elbow and guided her towards the waiting paramedics.

Later in the hotel room ...

On instinct, Laura tensed up in defense, arms ending up in two fists, until she opened her eyes and stared into Mildred's concerned gaze.
"Mildred! Oh!" she sighed with relief and relaxed in the older woman's arms, trying to will the thumping in her chest to quiet itself.
Seeing that Mildred had her in a cradle hold, "What am I doing on the floor?" she asked.
"You tell me, Hon. When you didn't return, and police reports of another attack." Mildred noticed the bruising on Laura's face. "Are you OK?"

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To get back into the practice of writing, it is always good to do a rewrite. Written above are some re-imagined scenes from one of my fan fictions.