PLEASE take note of all the disclaimers and stuff in the first chapter! (And seriously, if I owned them, why would I be writing here and not at NBC? I only own the patients, Samantha and Dina, and their mother.)
I.2. Brave Little Girl
"I got a owie." Samantha's voice was disconcertingly calm for such a young child with a cut that big. It was then that he realized she was the only one in the room. That's not right. Sure, at this age kids are independent, but usually Mom pipes up to talk to the doctor. There should at least be a nurse…
"Sorry, Samantha, there wasn't a blanket next door, so I…oh, hi Dr. Barnett!" Sam smiled at him.
"Well, it's a Samantha party in here isn't it?" Ray chuckled as he realized the two shared a name.
Samantha giggled. Kids are so cute. Sam laid the blanket around Samantha's shoulders as Ray put the chart as the foot of her bed and pulled a stool over.
"Well, now that you are here Dr. Barnett, I suppose I can head out?" Sam said as a statement more than a question.
"Uhh, sure." She was already stepping out the door. "So, Samantha, is your Mommy or Daddy here?"
"No, Mommy left, she said she was 'too busy for this crap,'" she blushed a little bit and couldn't hide a half smile. "I'm not supposed to say that. Don't tell her I said that." The last sentence sounded so different from her earlier singsong voice. Fear was the only word that could describe it.
"Oh." Realizing his voiced sounded anything but reassuring, he added more cheerfully, "well, let's get this owie cleaned up, shall we?" Way to not let things bother you Ray.
"Okay." Her singsong voice was back.
"I'll be right back, okay?" He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He took that as an affirmative. He stood up and grabbed the chart. Not wanting to leave her entirely alone, he stepped out of the room, but kept his foot in the door to keep it from closing all the way. "Sam!" He was relieved she was still close by at the nurses' station. He wanted to keep Samantha in eyesight, Sam inferred as much, and came over to him as he continued. "Did you know Samantha's mother left her here?"
"Yeah, that's actually why I wasn't there when you came in—I had just tried to chase her down. I said I was going to get Samantha a blanket, and when I left, the mother followed me out. All I could get her to say was 'do whatever you want with the little bitch, I don't want her.'" Sam's voice got more and more sad as she completed her sentence. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "I know I got frustrated with Alex, but I never could have left him, even in the care of a hospital," she added more quietly, more to herself than to Ray.
"Uhh, yeah, you're normal, Sam," it came out harsher than he intended. He was already angry at the woman who would just left her child, and she could hear it in his voice. Sam looked up at him, surprised at his display of emotion, however small. "Call…call social services, please…no, go wait with Samantha until I get back…Chuny!" The other nurse was reading the nearby bulletin board. Ray pushed the door open with his foot and Sam returned to the little girl's room. One could tell it was a slow night when the nurses were reading the bulletin boards. "Can you call social services for me?"
"Sure, no problem, Ray."
"Thanks." He sounded appreciative, but also obviously frustrated.
Ray came back to the room with a suture kit. Samantha was "casting" the nurse's arm with gauze, her laughter filling the otherwise quiet room. How could someone not love this child?
"Alright, Samantha, let's fix you up!"
"Okaaayyyy, Raaayyy" she giggled at the rhyme. He smiled back at her. Seriously, how is she not the perfect child?
"This medicine will hurt some, Samantha, but then it will go away, okay?" he explained to her as he filled the syringe with Lidocaine. Having pulled her attention from bandaging Sam's arm, and seeing the needle, Samantha's face dropped.
"No, no, no, Mommy says I'm not 'upposed to touch the needles! Only she gives me 'n Dina what we need." Samantha's words made Ray's stomach turn as he pulled the needle from the bottle. Placing the drug back on the tray, he looked over at Sam. She nodded at him, with immediate understanding. She slid the bandage off her arm, and pulled open the drawer behind her, gathering the colorful topped vials for taking blood.
"Should we check her for everything, Ray?" He nodded in response. She pulled down a cup for a urinalysis. "Get psych?" He nodded again. Sam quickly left the room.