"Neela, can you tell Weaver I left?"
"Sure, Ray. And watch your step, the floor is slippery."
It was very dark and cold outside of County General in mid-October. And wet. Very, very wet. The rain had been going since early that morning, and at 7 that night it still hadn't stopped.
"Help!" came a sudden cry. Ray had hardly made it past the front desk when he heard a young girl's cry.
In through the doors came a soaking wet 12-year-old wearing only basketball shorts and a blue windbreaker.
"Whoa, slow down!" cried Ray, but he had hardly reached the girl when she slipped backward on the wet floor, putting her hand behind her to break her fall. Choked sobs followed a subtle cracking noise caused by the wrist of the child.
Ray cautiously but quickly approached her, followed speedily by Neela. The girl had obviously been hurt from her fall and cringed with eyes shut tight. Neela ran to get a gurney while Ray tried to quiet the fallen being. Once arranged on the gurney, they rushed her into trauma four. The wrist had an obvious fracture and the girl would not stop crying.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Barnett and this is Neela," Ray chided. "We're gonna take care of you. Can you tell us your name?"
It took a moment for her to quietly speak. "I'm… I'm….. wait a sec… Barnett? Ray? Is that you?"