Author's Note: Thanks for the good reviews. It's nice to know someone is actually reading this and looking forward to seeing how the story will end.
Dr. Mohadevan's arrival was greeted warmly by both men. In fact, she was surprised by the desperation she sensed in them both. Neither man was the type to over-react. She briefly wondered if Vicki's condition was worse than she had speculated.
"Show me where my patient is and please bring in the rest of my supplies. The cab driver brought them as far as the door but that's as far as he was willing to go."
While Mike was showing her where Vicki was resting, Henry quickly retrieved all of the supplies she had lined up in the hall. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't be needing everything she had brought.
By the time he had stacked everything in the bedroom, she was taking her patient's pulse but shaking her head slightly at the same time. When she looked up she almost knocked the top of her head into Mike's chin. He was hovering and Henry was only slightly better. It was clear these men would be more hindrance than help.
"Both of you outside until I'm done. I'm going to need some time to examine her properly and having you hover is just going to slow the process down. I'll tell you everything I find, but I want my patient. . . Vicki, to have some privacy while I do this. My normal patients don't care, but then they're dead. I think Vicki may care greatly about being seen in this vulnerable state."
Both men grudgingly left. However, she fully expected that they would be poking their heads into the room on a regular basis.
The exam was thorough and took more than an hour with only three interruptions from the anxious men. Minutes into the exam she realized exactly why she was here and why Vicki was not in the hospital. The puncture wounds were suspiciously placed and would have created numerous questions. The tattoo on her wrists, which she noticed was a weird design, had been joined by a burn on her lower back. It was recently placed, not cared for, and as a result, it was now infected.
After completing the exam, she took the time to clean Vicki up with a warm wash cloth. Once the dried blood was removed, she changed her into a soft flannel shirt she had found on the closet floor. She started the blood transfusion, antibiotics, and fluids which she had brought as part of her medical arsenal. An IV pole was quickly screwed together to hold everything securely in place. She tucked Vicki back under the covers and turned the light down to it's lowest setting. Peace and quiet would go a long way towards helping her heal.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and found herself face to face with both Henry and Mike. She removed her latex gloves and brought them up to speed on her findings.
"Her worst injury is the blood loss. That's causing the very low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and making it difficult for her to thermo-regulate. The blood transfusion I just started should help resolve some of those problems, but she'll probably need an additional two units of blood. They'll need to be infused slowly to give her body time to adjust. I don't expect that we'll see a great amount of improvement in her condition until sometime tomorrow."
"What are the other injuries?" Mike asked.
"You already saw the defensive wounds which I treated and bandaged. She also has a wound on the back of her head. As a coroner, I would say she was hit from behind with something to render her unconscious. The most interesting injury is a recently inflicted burn on her back. I made a sketch of the pattern for you to look at."
As Mike reached for the drawing, Henry used his supernatural speed to snatch it away. It didn't take long before he tossed it to the floor and disappeared from Mike's apartment.
"I take it he recognizes it," Dr. Mohadavan commented.
"It sure looks like it doesn't it. If nothing else it keeps him out of my hair for a while," Mike replied.
"Well, you may wish he stayed around to help. Vicki is going to need round the clock care for a bit. I'm thinking you two are the only ones around to provide it."
"There is someone else who will be able to help, her administrative assistant Coreen. I left her a message that Vicki was found and I expect her to show up as soon as she gets it."
"That's good because I imagine it's going to be a challenge to keep Vicki in that bed. She's going to be weak, but she doesn't strike me as the type of person who will be a good patient. She's an investigator at heart and she's going to want to go after the person that did this to her."
"Speaking of that, did she say anything to you? I got some small noises but nothing more," Mike said.
"She fought me a little bit during the exam but didn't open her eyes or say anything. I think she thought I might be trying to hurt her. When she realized I wasn't, she drifted back off."
A few minute passed while she packed up the remaining medical supplies that she had not needed,
"I'll be back in about eight hours to check on her and start the next unit of blood. You know where to reach me if her condition changes in a negative way."
Mike escorted her to the door and thanked her for all of her help. Once she was gone, he leaned his back against the closed door and took a weary breath. He also decided to grab the quick shower and nap he had been planning on before he had found Vicki. Once Vicki awoke he might not have the opportunity to do either.