Chapter 5
Almost afraid of what he would hear, Randy slowly followed the young doctor into an empty room.
"I should introduce myself. I'm Dr. Phillip Johnson. I attended to Joy Robertson in the ER," said Dr. Johnson.
"Thank you, Dr. Johnson, for saving Joy," replied Randy.
"First off, Joy isn't out of the woods, yet," said Dr. Johnson, "second, I'd like to discuss why Joy attempted to kill herself."
"I have no idea what sparked this," said Randy, confused. "I have only had custody of her for a few days."
"Well, to get to the root of the problem, what do you know about her past?" asked Dr. Johnson, pen and paper ready to write.
"Her family…well, her older brother, Trent, was my best friend at the Police Academy," started Randy, as he was pulling up memories of Trent and his family. "His parents were the perfect couple. I never met Trent's father, Ken. He died before Joy turned one. His mother, Maggie, raised Joy by herself. She never remarried. Trent and Joy's sister, Julie, helped their mother with Joy."
"I take it Trent and Julie are older than Joy?" questioned Dr. Johnson, interrupting Randy.
"Yes. Trent is…was my age," said Randy, quietly.
"What happened to him?" asked Dr. Johnson, aware that something terrible had happened, causing Randy's and Joy's paths to cross.
"He was killed in a shootout, a few years ago," replied Randy.
"Ok, so Joy's brother is dead. What about her mother and sister?" questioned Dr. Johnson.
"Maggie was diagnosed with leukemia and died shortly after. Julie was found murdered a year ago. Joy's caseworker said that Joy witnessed the murder," said Randy, softly.
"Oh, boy," sighed Dr. Johnson, "We have a lot more work cut out for us than I originally thought."
"I have some questions for you, Dr. Johnson," said Randy.
"Ok, go ahead," said Dr. Johnson.
"How long will you be keeping her here?" began Randy.
"Well, until her injuries have healed. She did some damage. So maybe a week for those," stated Dr. Johnson.
"And after that? What happens after that?" asked Randy.
"Optimally, I would like to see Joy receive some counseling and therapy while still here. So, I could hospitalize her for treatment. She would be on a 24/7 suicide watch. The therapists she sees will prescribe medication to help balance her," said Dr. Johnson.
"Who would you recommend as a counselor?" asked Randy.
"We have several good counselors and therapists here at Frisco General. I can refer her to Dr. Amy White. She is the best counselor we have," said Dr. Johnson.
"Thank you. When will I be able to see Joy?" asked Randy.
"You can see her now, if you'd like," said Dr. Johnson, rising from the chair. "Follow me."
Randy also stood and followed Dr. Johnson out the door, past Monk, Sharona and Stottlemeyer. Glancing at the trio, Randy stopped and said, "I'll be right back."
With that, Randy followed Dr. Johnson into the CCU. There Dr. Johnson pointed to a cubicle. Through the glass Randy could see the small body of Joy, surrounded by machines. Seeing her this way, made his heart ache. Softly, he pushed open the door to her room. The dim light passed shadows over the room. The sound of machines beeping was all he could hear. The room was almost deathly quiet. It was unnerving to Randy. Randy didn't like hospitals for this reason.
Walking over to Joy's bed, he glanced down at her. Her small face was even paler than normal. The perpetual defiant look was replaced by a pale, sickly look. Her brown hair was matted to her head, unlike its usual spikey hairdo. Her slim body was engulfed in a hospital gown. The bed almost overwhelmed her body, looking as if it was ready to swallow her whole. An IV tube ran from her left arm up to a bag, where fluids dripped to replenish her body. EKG tabs were dotted all over her chest, tracking her heart rate. A blood pressure cuff would, every ten minutes, pressurize, making sure that her blood pressure stayed normal. An oxygen mask was over her nose, helping the transfused blood remain healthy.
As Randy looked down at her, feelings of guilt and remorse coursed through him.
"I'm sorry, Joy," began Randy, "I never meant to make you go to this extreme. If I had known what that scrapbook meant to you, I would never have taken it. I was just curious to know what you were looking at and what made you upset. Despite what you may think, I do care what happens to you. And not just because of my promise to Trent, either. I know what it is like to not have a father, too. And when my mother dies, I will be all alone in the world, just like you. I hope that you can one day come to call me friend."
Pacing back and forth in the room, Randy continued, "You don't know how scared I was when I found you on the floor, blood all over the place. I was afraid that I had failed you and that you were dead, too. I was relieved to find a faint pulse. I think I broke every traffic law there is in getting here to the hospital. I guess it's a good thing I'm a cop."
The machines started beeping and whirring wildly. Frantic, Randy rushed out of Joy's room, shouting, " I need a doctor immediately!"
Nurses came running from everywhere in response to Randy's declaration. Overhead, the sound system was calling, "Dr. Johnson to CCU. Dr Johnson, please report to the CCU, immediately."
Randy rushed back into Joy's room as the head nurse of CCU barreled through the door, followed by Dr. Johnson. Spotting Joy twitching in bed, Dr. Johnson went over to her IV line and injected a sedative into the line. Slowly, Joy's body relaxed and settled down; the machines, that startled Randy in to action, resumed their low drone.
"What just happened?" exclaimed Randy, agitated and angry.
Dr. Johnson continued to look at Joy's readouts, ignoring Randy's outburst.
"Excuse me! I said, what just happened?" demanded Randy, a little more forcefully.
"She was coming out of her anesthesia and was fighting the tubes and wires we had on her," explained Dr. Johnson. "That is why the machines were going crazy."
"That's a good thing, right?" asked Randy, pacified.
"Yes. A very good thing. It means she shouldn't experience any long-term ill effects," stated Dr. Johnson. "However, I would like to keep her sedated for another twenty-four hours until her injuries can heal a little bit more. I don't want her trying to tear the stitches out."
"Ok," said Randy and he sat back down to digest everything.
"Why don't you go and get something to eat and talk with your friends out in the waiting room," said Dr. Johnson.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," said Randy, rising. "And you're positive she won't wake up?"
"No. She will sleep through the night," assured Dr. Johnson.
"Well, thanks for everything," said Randy, as he shook Dr. Johnson's hand and walked out the door.
Emerging from the CCU, Randy glanced around for Stottlemeyer, Sharona and Monk. Spotting them over in a corner, Randy walked over to them.
"Hey, thanks for waiting," said Randy.
"How's she doing?" asked Sharona, concerned about the fatigue she saw in Randy's face.
"Sleeping for now, although she started to wake up and gave the machines a fit," chuckled Randy, laughing now that the emergency had past.
"Have you eaten anything, Lieutenant?" inquired Stottlemeyer.
"No. The doctor just effectively booted me out of the CCU to go eat," replied Randy.
"Smart man," replied Sharona, a little slyly.
"Well, there is a restaurant nearby. Why don't we all go and grab a bite to eat," said Stottlemeyer, starting to walk out of the hospital.
"You mean, eat in the restaurant?" asked Monk, panicking.
Everyone turned to glance at Monk as Sharona said, "Well, ya know, you could always eat in the car."
"No, no. Eating in the restaurant will be fine," stammered Monk, appalled that Sharona would even suggest such a thing.
Twenty minutes later………
Sitting in a booth, Sharona and Adrian share a side with Stottlemeyer and Randy on the other.
"See? This isn't too bad, Adrian," said Sharona to Adrian, who was looking around at his surroundings.
A young girl, around eighteen, came up to their booth and said, "Hi, I'm Cheryl. I'll be your waitress. What can I get you to drink?"
Stottlemeyer and Randy both said, "A beer" in unison. Sharona asked for an iced tea with lemon. Cheryl looked at Adrian, waiting for him to reply.
"Umm, do you have any Sierra Springs in the bottle?" asked Adrian.
"No, sir, I'm sorry but we don't. Would you like something else?" asked Cheryl.
"No, no thanks," said Adrian, dejectedly.
"Well, I'll be back with your drinks and take your orders then," said Cheryl, walking away to fill their drink order, as shots, from a gun, began to ring out.