Chapter 2
Note- Wow, thanks so much for the great reviews. It's been a hectic week and they made me smile so thanks a ton and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
The door closed behind Carter as he touched his soar back lightly. He took a few steps before looking through the blinds at the sweet little girl; she sat there innocently. Carter's heart ached as he watched her lightly rub her left shoulder and he saw a tear run down her pale cheek leaving a stained path.
"Carter?" Mark asked from behind him "Are you ok?" Mark squinted his eyes slightly showing his concern.
"I'm fine...I need some help with a patient" Carter took a quick look through the window again. "Can we..." Carter looked around. He moved down the hall and motioned for Mark to follow him. "We can talk in here" Carter opened the door to the suture room and peered in, once he was sure it was empty he held the door open and watched a Mark walked in and leaned against the counter.
"What's going on Carter?" Mark asked unsure of what to expect.
Carter moved across from Mark, he shifted lightly on his feet as he searched his mind for the right words. He looked at the floor for a moment then brought his gaze up to meet Mark's concerned eyes. "You see she has bruises up her arms. I think that its child abuse, but I..."
"Who?" Mark questioned cutting Carter off.
"My patient Jennifer, I'm not sure of what I should do, she came here alone" Carter waited for Marks counseling in the mater.
"Ok, well we can call child services and I'll talk to her about it" Mark answered as he turned to leave the room in search of the patient.
"What about her parents?" Carter asked as his feared for the girl grew with ever beat of his pained heart.
Mark held the door open and looked straight ahead as he spoke "We can deal with that when the time comes" Carter and Mark made their way to the room to talk to the innocent child "What's her name?"
"Jennifer... she right here" Carter stopped in his tracks as he quickly opened the door in shock "where is she?" he said scanning the room. He walked briskly out of the room past Mark who was entering the empty room. Carter turned around and faced him with a look of mixed emotions. Mark held his hand up to Carter who stopped dead in his tracks. "What is that?" He asked as Mark handed him the folded piece of paper.
Carter walked into the room and sat on the chair still positioned by the bed. He opened the white lined paper. In deep pink crayon was written a message for him.
I will come back. I had to go home. Sorry to take your time. Thank you.
Jennifer
There was a yellow smiley face sticker marking the end of the short note. Carter shook his head slowly taking in the message.
Carter quickly took charge "where's the chart?" he asked as he looked around and noticed it lying on the bed. He quickly grabbed it and scanned her information and his confidence faded again "Damn"
"Does it have an address or anything?" Mark asked as a few people gathered around when they noticed the commotion. Carter nodded his head and rose to a standing position. He flipped the pages with disappointment. He walked out of the room passing the chart to Mark as he left.
Carter ignored everyone as he walked past the desk and into the lounge. Kerry was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. "Where are you going?" she asked as she watched Carter remove his lab coat and hang it in his locker.
"I'm off" he said as he put on his gloves and coat. "I was only on for a half shift" He said sternly with little emotion. He ignored Kerry's questioning glare as he walked silently out of the lounge. As he rounded the corner leaving the ambulance bay all he could think about was the little girl. Her sweet and innocent voice played in his mind. It seemed to be saying his name.
He cleared his mind in time to see Jennifer standing across the street calling to him with tears streaming down her face. She ran for him crossing the street without a second thought. Carter took notice of the car that was oblivious to her presence. He took off at a sprint snatching her up and holding her tightly as he slid on his side just missing the oncoming traffic.
Note-I hope that you liked it. Reviews rock and any input is greatly appreciated. ;-)