22. Chapter 22
twenty-two
Amanda sat next to Mona in a private waiting room in the hospital where Beau was being treated. Earlier, a nurse had given Mona a cursory examination and found her fairly uninjured and well, while maybe in need of a good shower, hydration, and a full meal.
That surprised Amanda. With all the possible reasons a fifteen-year-old and twelve-year-old would hide in the woods churning in her head the past few days, she’d expected some kind of evidence of injuries or past abuse.
Mona looked somewhat better after the nurse allowed her to use the bathroom and given her a set of scrubs to change into at Amanda’s urging. A bag of Mona’s dirty clothes sat on the floor by her trembling body. The girl was a wreck.
“Mona, try to eat something,” Amanda urged, handing the girl the turkey sandwich she bought from the cafeteria. “You’ll feel better after.”
Mona shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
Amanda studied the girl and decided not to push her.
“You heard Dr. Rowland said your brother’s gonna be okay, right? I’m sure you can see him soon.”
The girl wouldn’t look at Amanda. She kept watch on the door of the small room.
“Mona, can you tell me why you and Beau were out in the woods all alone?” Amanda asked.
She probably should wait for Patrick to ask the questions, but the police detective hadn’t answered their phone calls since they’d found the kids. Since the kids were unaccompanied by parents or guardians, the hospital had contacted children’s services.
When Mona didn’t answer, Amanda tried again.
“Mona, I’ve been looking for you ever since I almost hit you with my car last Sunday. Do you remember that night?”
Mona finally looked at Amanda. Her eyes widened with fear as she registered the healing cut on Amanda’s forehead.
“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“No, don’t worry.” Amanda patted Mona’s arm gently. “I’m fine. But I’ve been worried about you. You looked so scared. You’re still scared, aren’t you?”
Mona’s head hung as she stared down at her tensed hands. Amanda covered those hands with her own.
“I shouldn’t have gone back to the house…” Mona trailed off. “… but he caught me, threw me onto the back of a truck, and drove away. I was so scared, but I got the tie off my wrists and jumped off.”
“You jumped off a moving vehicle? Who was it you were running from?” A shocked Amanda prodded, but Mona stopped talking. “You don’t have to be scared anymore. Just tell me what happened, and we can talk to the police or—”
“No! Don’t call the police. Please!” Mona pushed Amanda’s hands off her. Her whole body went on alert, shocking Amanda.
“Why not?” Amanda asked, keeping her voice level. “Whatever trouble you’re in, they can help you.”
“No, no. They’ll hurt them.”
“Who? The police?”
Mona shook her head so hard Amanda was afraid she’d hurt her neck. Tears streamed out of the girl’s eyes.
“Mona, you’re safe. Beau’s safe. Nobody’s gonna hurt you,” Amanda assured her. “I’m gonna be right here with you both, okay?”
“You don’t understand.” The girl sobbed. “They’ll know.”
“Who, Mona? Your parents?” The girl didn’t answer, but became more upset. “It’s okay, Mona.” Amanda quickly said and put her arm around the girl’s shoulders, trying to calm her down. But the girl was inconsolable.
Gene walked to the waiting room the nurse left Amanda and Mona in while waiting for news on Beau. The ER was busy, per usual. Though he had to push back on the red tape and charm some nurses to let him stay with Beau and Amanda with Mona, though they weren’t blood relations, he was glad the staff were attentive and handled Beau’s bite efficiently.
Mentioning he worked with Dr. Bloom was also helpful. The good doctor had some privileges at the hospital. Being one of the most trusted family doctors in the area, it wasn’t uncommon for someone like Dr. Bloom to have courtesy or even surgical privileges with the local hospital. But since Gene himself didn’t have that agreement, he’d stood aside and watched.
No matter. I was there to make sure Beau got what he needed.
It was an interesting moment for him to check with himself whether he’d be able to step away from the urgency and adrenaline inducing ER work. Family practice came with its challenges, but would he get the satisfaction he’d been looking for?
Gene was about to enter the glass enclosed room but stopped short when he saw Amanda embracing the sobbing Mona. Without caring about the girl’s dirty hair, Amanda rested the girl’s head on her shoulder, stroking her arm and just letting the girl cry.
Amanda didn’t even know this girl. But Gene knew she felt somehow responsible for her and Beau. She’d made it her mission to find them over a moment that had led to her car crash. Most people would curse the girl for costing them a car and a trip to the doctor.
But not Amanda. She had a huge heart.
Gene knocked on the door, alerting his presence before pushing it open. Mona jumped off her seat, her face blotchy with tears.
“Where’s my brother?” she demanded.
“Beau is resting. They gave him the anti-venom he needed. He’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks. It didn’t look he got that much of the venom in his system.”
“I wanna see him,” Mona said.
“I’ll take you.” Gene gestured for her to come with him.
They walked back toward the ER area, and Gene showed her into Beau’s room. The boy was sleeping, and Mona went straight to his side. After giving the girl a chair to sit by her brother’s bed, Gene joined Amanda just outside the curtained area.
“Is Beau really gonna be okay?” Amanda asked.
Gene nodded. “He’s exhausted from lack of sleep, dehydration, and not enough nutrition in the past week. He’s on mild pain meds and IV. Mona probably could use some sustenance herself.”
“She drank some juice but wouldn’t eat. Maybe now she’s seen her brother, she’ll eat something.”
“We can offer her again.” Gene studied Amanda. She looked tired herself. “How are you feeling? You look like you could use some food yourself.”
“I could use some coffee, but I don’t want to leave the kids.”
“I’ll grab you a cup.”
“No, it can wait.” She stopped him with a touch of her hand on his arm. “Mona begged me not to call the police. She said they’d hurt them.”
Gene pulled her further away to make sure the kids couldn’t overhear them.
“That’s strange. What did she mean by that?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t get her to tell me who they were and who would they hurt. The police? Their parents?”
“It’s gotta be something to do with the parents.”
Gene’s jaw tightened as he swallowed the bitter bile in his throat. He knew the most common reason children ran away was abuse.
“Maybe, but I have this feeling we’re missing something.” Amanda looked at the closed curtain. “Mona was escaping from someone when I almost hit her. If it was her father, wouldn’t she be relieved if the police or social workers get involved?”
“Not always. I’ve seen cases where the parents convinced the authorities the kids were delusional and acting like spoiled children. Affluent parents especially could get away with it more. They tend to be respected members of the community. It’s hard to believe someone with a good public image may be rotten inside.”
Uncertainty still colored Amanda’s face.
“Did they find any signs of physical abuse on Beau? Because there’s nothing on Mona.”
“Parental abuse isn’t always physical. Besides, the doctor didn’t order X-rays. There’s no reason for them. Who knows what might’ve happened before? Injuries heal. And if we couldn’t give them a thorough examination, we would never know the whole story unless they told us.”
“Mona won’t talk.”
Gene put an arm around Amanda’s back and rubbed her arm.
“Not yet. Maybe she’ll open up to the social worker. They should come soon.”
“If she doesn’t want us to call the police, why do you think she would respond well to a social worker?”
“It’s out of our hands, Amanda,” Gene said. “Whether we like it or not, we’ll have to trust the social worker and Patrick to do what’s best for them.”
“I’m not leaving until I know for sure they’ll be okay,” Amanda stubbornly said.
Gene smiled. “I didn’t think you would.”
Smiling back at him, Amanda was appreciative that he understood her.
“Talking about Patrick, have you heard from him?” Gene asked. “I was focused on Beau, but I did text him we found the kids.” He fished out his phone from his pocket and checked for messages. “Nothing from him. I got a bunch from my mom.”
“I also got messages from Liam, Jo, and your mom. But not Patrick. I called him, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“Strange.” Gene wondered what was going on. “He said he’d check out the parents this morning. That’s why he wasn’t at the park searching with us.”
“Right. That shouldn’t take all day, should it?” Amanda glanced at the hospital clock. “It’s almost one.”
“I think you’re right. There’s something going on we don’t know about.”