Chapter 7
Lena
I had been working at Saint Charlotte’s Hospital for two months now and I loved every single shift that I worked, I got to help bring babies into the world and be amazed at their very first moments.
Even though I loved my job, what I didn’t like was working in a different department because I didn’t know where anything was kept.
Luckily, we were able to make a few changes so we could do our jobs, which helped tremendously.
Which was why, today, due to a massive pile-up out on the interstate, the emergency room was flooded with patients.
It was all hands-on deck.
And I meant that literally.
We had nurses from seven different departments down here, and doctors from four different departments, and still, it felt like we were getting nowhere.
When in reality, we were.
But for five minutes, everything in my world stood still.
Because I needed those five minutes after the patient I had just seen alongside Dr. Becker.
The patient was a four-year-old little girl who was brought into the emergency room by a Police Officer.
On the outside looking in, the little girl looked healthy, just a bit underweight. However, when the blanket that the baby was wrapped up in was taken off there was blood smeared on the blanket where it had been wrapped around her.
We all tried to find any scrapes or marks, but nothing was found, it wasn’t until we began the examination on her.
She had apparent scarring and stretching, also a slow trickle of blood coming from her anus. But that was nothing compared to what was going on between her legs.
Some of the nurses had to walk away and throw up, I didn’t blame them but what stopped me from joining them was the little girl’s mighty fist grabbing ahold of my scrub top. I wasn’t leaving her, no way, no how.
The Police Officer who brought the little girl in finally told what she had walked in on while doing a Welfare Check on an older gentleman.
She said the older gentleman had duct tapped the little girl’s mouth shut and was abusing and raping her. The little girl had no one protecting her.
We were told no more on the matter because it was still an ongoing investigation but he wanted us to know to some extent what the little girl had already been put through so we could give her our best and gentlest care.
And after those five minutes, I returned and did my job to the best of my ability.
And I wasn’t going to apologize for getting off shift, curling in a ball on my couch with a pint of ice cream, my girl Skylar, and listening to one of my favorite authors.
That little girl needed a lawyer like Nina Sheridan.
Over the past few days, we have all taken our time with the little girl, we showered her with all the love we could.
However, due to the only male approaching her room, she let out a squawk, therefore, no males were allowed to enter her room.
Now as to why today was the most horrible day so far. A woman who looked strung out on everything showed up with the same Police Officer to take the little girl home. She looked familiar but as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t place her.
She put on a show when she saw the little girl, but she looked so smug the entire time. I didn’t want the little girl to leave at all, but it was apparent that she was her mother.
I was sick to my stomach at the thought of her being out of our sight after what she had endured.
It took everything I had to not run after them, grab that child, and run away with her. Give her a better life. The sickness and the depravity in this world made me sick.
For the rest of my shift, I had moved on autopilot.
After I clocked out, I drove home, holding the tears at bay, however, that was dashed when I walked in the door.
I was met with my girl who knocked me on my butt, she knew what I needed instantly as she buried her nose in my neck. I didn’t hold back the tears any longer. Skylar sat there with me while I cried into her fur at the thought of everything that little girl had been through.
I even forgot to shut my front door.
I was startled when my name was called, and Skylar was on alert instantly but calmed down immediately when she realized who it was. It took me a second, but I realized it was Storm.
“Precious?” His raspy voice made me cry all the more.
Through the tears in my eyes, I watched as he knelt at my side, and in a low tone, he whispered, “Talk to me, you don’t, I can’t fix it.”
At his words, at this man who was larger than life, I cried even harder.
Storm didn’t hesitate as he picked me up and kicked my front door closed with his boot. He carried me to the couch and sat down with me in his lap.
He let me cry my eyes out into his flannel shirt for a good hour while he rubbed my back. Skylar was even up on the couch cuddled up against my feet. When the crying was done my eyes felt swollen.
“Thanks, Storm. It’s been a rough few days at work and today was the worst.” Seeing that little girl look at me while her mother carried her from the hospital caused a fresh wave of tears to form in my eyes.
“Wanna tell me what happened? Anyone’s ass I need to kick?” His raspy voice never wavered, I still wanted to know why his voice was so raspy but that’s a story for another day.
It took me a bit to gather all my thoughts and not bawl my eyes out to tell him.
So, I told him. It took me a good half an hour to get through the story. When I was telling him about the blood trickle and about the woman who came to pick her up, he tensed up and held me tighter.
Once I was through, I let him absorb everything I told him. His hair was styled the same as always, inky black hair that had a few strands of gray, his hair was shorter on the sides and longer on top.
He had on a blue flannel button-up that now housed all my tears under his kutte. He had on dark-washed jeans and his iconic black leather motorcycle boots.
“I’m sorry, precious. That must have been rough, I…” Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the ringing of his phone. He had to lift me to answer it, but he put me back in the same position.
I began rubbing my temples; I could feel a headache coming on from all the crying I had done.
“Yeah?” He listened intently; I watched as his eyes flared but that was the only emotion he showed.
Once his call was over, he hung up the phone and said, “I’m sorry, Precious, but I gotta go.”
He lifted me up and carefully placed me back down on the couch beside Skylar. He then went into the kitchen to my medicine cabinet, how he knew where that cabinet was, was beyond me.
He then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and brought me some aspirin. When I looked at him funny, he said, “For your headache, you were rubbing your temples. Drink the water and go to bed. Call me if you need me.”
I was looking down at the aspirin he put in my hand when I felt his finger under my chin to lift my head. “I mean it Lena, you call me.”
He brooked no room for argument, so I nodded.
I watched as he opened the door, locked it, and left. And with him went all the warmness I was feeling.
I let Skylar out into the backyard, took a hot shower, changed into my pajamas, a t-shirt, and boy shorts, let Skylar back in, and climbed into bed.
The moment I lay down, I grabbed my phone and texted Storm.
Me – Thanks Storm, I needed that.
Storm – I’ll always be here.
Me – K. Goodnight.
Storm – Goodnight, precious. I’ll see you soon.
I thought for a few moments about what that could mean, how soon? I didn’t think about it too long. As soon as Skylar jumped up on the bed, she cuddled into me, and we were both out like a light.