Chapter 2
READY FOR BATTLE
“Dr. Ridgeway, so glad you’re here today.”
“The same, Erika,” he said to the nurse at the front station. He’d worked with her for about six months now. Friendly to him and everyone around, even if nosy, but that was normal for Glens Falls.
Though much bigger than his hometown of Warrensburg just twenty minutes away, even Lake George less than twenty minutes away, it still had the small town feel of gossip, rumors, and a fair share of intrusiveness.
“I love it when you say that.” Erika Johnson sent him a flirty smirk.
The same one she sent most of the men she worked with.
Might have been a time he thought she was hitting on him, but he soon realized it was her nature to be the center of attention.
Besides, she talked about her boyfriend all the time.
“Did you bring us any donuts since you were off yesterday?”
“Sorry. I had a lot going on and haven’t gone to the cafe.”
His mother’s cafe on the apple orchard he’d grown up on. It was now Ridgeway Hard Cider, owned and operated by his brother Clay.
“You better bring them for us tomorrow,” Erika said. Her hands were on her hips, and the giggle escaped even if she was trying to be firm.
“I don’t think I’m going to have the time.” He sent her a smile back, caught the eye roll of Maddy who’d been his savior in the ER for the three years he’d been here.
“Get back to work, Erika,” Maddy said. The minute the young nurse was gone, Maddy turned to him. “Girl would rather stand back here and flap her lips than check on patients.”
“She’ll never have the stamina you did.”
“Did?! Are you saying I’m old?”
He backed up a few feet, his hands out in front of his chest. “Nope. Just that with the promotion of yours, you’re back here more than you’re by my side. I sure do miss it.”
Maddy’s forced snarl dropped and she winked. “I miss our teamwork with the patients. I thought being a charge nurse would be less stress. Guess I didn’t get the memo that it’s worse.”
“No one can handle it as well as you.”
“That’s right. Which means you need to stop gabbing and get going.”
He’d already had his laptop out and was checking the charts and open cases. The minute the doctor on duty came out, they’d turn over patients and he’d catch up with what was going on.
Fifteen minutes went by before Dr. Monroe came to the desk. “I just discharged the patients in Rooms 2 and 6.” Dr. Monroe was scanning his notes. “Room 3 is waiting on X-rays, should be soon. Room 5 is waiting on cardiology. Was a quiet morning.”
“Looks it,” he said. X-rays on an elderly woman brought in by her husband for a fall and hurt wrist. Patient in Room 5 came in hours ago with chest pains but was stable now.
“I’m out of here. There is a fluffy pillow calling my name.”
Blaze scanned the two open cases, then went to see both patients and let them know he was the doctor on duty now and checked how they were doing.
Three hours later, all the rooms were full, but thankfully were minor cases.
“Dr. Ridgeway.”
“Yes, Erika.” She pulled him to the side. “The little girl in Room 7.”
“The cut on her hand? I’m heading in there now.” One thing he hated. Kids tended to be the hardest with injuries. With any luck, he could glue it closed rather than stitch. It’d be better for everyone.
“About that,” Erika said. She put her hand through his arm and pulled him to the side as if it was a friendly talk rather than a medical statement. He wasn’t sure if that was her nature or for anyone watching to not be aware of the conversation. “I think she’s being abused.”
“How so?”
“I overheard her mother telling her she deserved the cut for talking back. And for dropping the glass. The little girl is crying. It’s just horrible the way her mother is talking to her.”
He sighed. It was a fine line to take steps over words without proof. “Do you know if there is any physical abuse? Have you talked to the child alone to find out if what was said was true? That she cut her hand picking up the glass?”
Which sounded plausible to him.
“No. Her mother won’t leave her side.”
“Why don’t I pull her mother out to talk and leave you with the patient?”
“That was going to be my suggestion,” Erika said, her smile lifting. “I’m good with kids.”
“Yes, you are.” He followed her in. “Hi, I’m Dr. Ridgeway. I see you’ve got a cut on your hand? Abigail, correct?”
The little girl, who was eight, nodded her head, then looked at her mother and back to him.
Lots of reasons to be fearful so he wasn’t going to jump to conclusions.
“She cut her hand when she picked up the glass after she had dropped it,” the mother said.
He sat on the stool and rolled closer to the bed. “Can I see it?”
He held his hand out as if she was a wounded animal just testing his scent. No reason to spook anyone.
“Do it, Abigail,” the mother snapped.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “We’ve got the time.”
“I don’t want stitches,” Abigail sobbed.
“You know what?” he said, his voice much softer. He put his hand on the side of his mouth. “I don’t like stitches either, but I can do it fast. If you let me look at it, I might be able to glue it.”
“Glue?”
“Yep. Medical superglue. I call it the wonder tube. Can I see your hand to find out?”
He held his hand out closer to her, Abigail moved her much smaller one to his and he pulled the gauze off of it. It wasn’t bleeding as much now. He touched, prodded, then moved the skin, blocking out the flinching from the child. He couldn’t let those things hinder him from doing his job.
“Can you glue it?” Abigail asked, her voice just a faint sound as if she thought she’d get in trouble for talking out of turn.
“Why don’t you put this back on and I’m going to talk to your mother quickly,” he said.
“What’s wrong with it?” the mother asked.
He angled his head to bring her out into the hall. “Why don’t we chat out here and Abigail will be fine with Erika. She’ll keep her entertained.”
Abigail’s mother walked out with him, and he moved them a few feet away so that Erika could get some information.
“Do you have to stitch it? I told her not to touch it, but she never listens to me.”
“I can glue it, but she’ll have to keep it dry. And not use or move her hand much. That’s not always easy for kids.”
“She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it. If she has to give up swimming and playing at summer camp, that’s on her.”
The woman wasn’t doing that great of a job keeping her sarcasm at bay nor sympathizing with the injury to her child.
“Then we’ll glue it shut, but you can come back if it opens up or go to her primary doctor.”
“That’s fine. We would have gone there, but they couldn’t get us in and urgent care had too many cars in front.”
Erika came out and nodded her head to the side. “Okay, I’ll be back in to glue it, if you want to have a seat.”
“How much longer is it going to be? I’m missing work right now.”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” he said. He moved toward Erika. “Well?”
“She said it’s the brother. A younger brother who hits her all the time and scratches. She showed me the bruises and said he threw the glass at her and her mother didn’t believe her. That her mother never does. She tried to pick it up so she didn’t get in trouble and in her rush cut her hand.”
He blew the air out of his cheeks. “You saw bruises on her?”
“She pulled her sweatpants up and there are old bruises on her shins and thighs. She said it’s from being kicked. And it’s hot and she wants to wear shorts, but her mother won’t let her because people would see the bruises.”
If the last part hadn’t been added he’d still be on the fence, but it was obvious they were covering up injuries. He thought it was odd the little girl had sweats on when it was almost eighty out now.
“I’m going to stall and call the social worker to pay them a visit.” He needed a second assessment before they took any further steps.
“It’s the ER,” Erika said. “It’s always behind. No one is going to say anything.”
He moved to the nurse’s station, waited for Maddy to finish what she was doing, then said, “Can you get a social worker down here for my patient in Room 7. Erika is updating her notes now with the conversation she had with the little girl. I’m trying to see if I can go back in and see the bruises without alerting her mother. ”
“I’ll take care of it,” Maddy said. “Hang on.” Maddy picked the phone up, made the call, then hung up. “She’s on her way down. I’m going to get the mother and tell her I need some information out here. Then you can check on the patient.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I knew I could count on you.”
He stayed where he was while Maddy went into the room, then returned with Abigail’s mother behind her, keeping the woman’s back to the room while he slipped in.
“Hi there,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Are you going to fix my hand?”
“I will in a minute,” he said. “Before I do that, you told my nurse that your brother kicks you. Can I see your bruises?”
Abigail looked frantically toward the door. “She promised she wouldn’t say anything.”
He sighed. Not the best tactic on Erika’s part. “I know. But it’s our job to keep our patients safe and I just want to make sure that you’re okay. It won’t hurt. Can I lift the pant leg up?”
“My mom is going to be mad. She said that Corey can’t help it and that it’s my fault to get him wound up.”
“Is Corey your brother?”
“Yes.” Abigail nodded. “He’s just mean. He killed my fish.”
His head turned swiftly. “How did he kill your fish?”
“He took him out of the water and then put him on the floor and stepped on him.”
Jesus. “When was this?”
Abigail shrugged. “Around Christmas. It was a gift from my friend. He doesn’t have friends and he was mad.”
He couldn’t address that just yet. He leaned down and gently pulled up her pant legs, saw the bruising on her shins, then the same on her thighs. It was enough for him to know they were inflicted by feet and not from a fall.
He looked up when the door opened, and the last person he expected was the sharp-as-steel woman kicking what looked to be her ex-husband off her driveway yesterday.
She was just as startled as him, but the patient came first. “Dr. Ridgeway?” she asked putting her hand out.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Arden Bellamy. I read the notes quickly.”
“I’ll be adding to them and concurring with what the nurse wrote.”
Arden nodded. “And the mother?”
“Talking with Maddy.”
This woman didn’t appear soft and gentle. The no bullshit attitude was going to scare his patient.
“I’d like to talk to Abigail if you don’t mind?”
“Do you want me to stay with you, Abigail?” She nodded her head yes.
Arden didn’t seem to mind, pulled out a stool and reached for the stuffed teddy bear next to the little girl. “What’s his name?”
“How did you know it’s a boy?”
“Because of the blue shirt,” she said. “My daughter, she’s got an orangutan named Marshall. Carries him everywhere. He’s got a blue band on his wrist so no one thinks he’s a girl. Tells everyone that Marshall is sensitive like that.”
He’d heard the name Gracie but hadn’t seen the child Arden was talking about. He’d been trying not to intervene but was damn close to it with the way the asshole was talking to her yesterday.
Not just the words but the stance. One that could tip the scales of veiled control to regrettable rage in a snap of the fingers.
Abigail giggled. “His name is Theo.”
“I bet Theo is a great companion,” Arden said, her voice low, soft and soothing. Exactly what a scared child would need.
“He’s always with me. Corey will take him if I don’t have him with me.”
“Corey is your brother?” Arden asked. “Is he older than you?”
“Younger. And he’s mean.”
“Is he mean to you?” Arden asked.
Blaze stood there when he should be with other patients, but he couldn’t leave. The woman talking to this child was nothing like the woman who gave a man twice her size what-for.
Abigail’s mother came back into the room five minutes later. Maddy had bought them more time than he’d expected.
“What’s going on in here?”
“Mrs. Oliver,” he said. “This is Arden. She’s a social worker with the hospital. We are going to have to ask you to stay and answer some questions concerning the welfare of your daughter in regards to the other children in your house.”
“You have no right to do that!”
“Actually,” Arden said, “we do. This is just a conversation. It will go easier and be less traumatic for you and your daughter if we could keep it peaceful.”
“I don’t need to keep anything peaceful. We’re going.”
“I can’t let you do that,” she said. “Abigail is a minor and she hasn’t been discharged.
We are mandated reporters and until we are satisfied, Abigail will not be allowed to leave.
We can involve law enforcement if we choose, or you can have a conversation with us to clear some things up peacefully. ”
Damn. This was the woman from yesterday.
Her tiny frame braced and ready for battle. He stood in front of the door, crossing his arms, and joined her.