Star Light Star Bright, Wish I May, Wish I Might


Chapter 4

*This is the first chapter I co-authored with TehMarishal.

While Johnny attempted to gain the woman's trust, Roy looked around the room. He saw an afghan on the couch and brought it over to her. It was something soft and warm to comfort her and help build trust. And it was sure a lot better than the plastic yellow blankets they carried on the squad. He waited to see if she would let Johnny get her pulse as he held the afghan.

Donna's eyes darted around the room. She still held herself securely, and part of her looked as though she wanted to flee the room. Yet she seemed anchored to the spot she was in. Her eyes finally settled on the dark-haired paramedic crouched near her. She looked very wary. She seemed to be thinking over her options.

Or perhaps she simply figured that if she tried to run, one of the paramedics might grab her. Since she didn't want to be touched, perhaps she would feel she had more control if she simply did as John Gage suggested. Finally, with a deep breath, she slowly held out her hand toward him, keeping her eyes wide and alert.

"That's it. You're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you now. I'm just gonna feel for a pulse." Johnny spoke soothingly as he reached ever so gently for the woman's wrist.

Donna tensed slightly as his fingers touched her arm, but true to his word all he did was press a couple of fingers in the hollow place on the underside of her wrist. She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly.

"Good. Roy, pulse is 110." He looked at Donna. "Now Donna, right?" He wanted to make sure he had her name right. "We're gonna help you but we have to know what happened. Can you tell me? Were you sexually assaulted?"

As he waited for her response, Johnny prepared to take her blood pressure. He put the stethoscope around his neck and unrolled the cuff.

Roy meanwhile was watching her chest rise and fall in order to count respirations without having to touch her. He noted that they were shallow and rapid.

She squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in another deep breath. "Yeah," she whispered softly. "To both questions," she added after a moment. She opened her eyes again, and a single tear shone in the light as it slowly slid down her face. "He…" She closed her eyes again, placing a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her sobs.

"It's okay, you can tell me. I need to take your blood pressure. I'm gonna put this cuff around your arm now okay? Tell me where you're hurt." he spoke very softly and moved slowly and cautiously.

Donna narrowed her eyes. The tears were flowing freely down her swollen cheeks now, though except for her heavy breathing she made no noise. "Just take my blood pressure and then keep your hands away," she finally murmured. She held out her arm toward him again, purposely holding it away from herself.

"I understand. Thank you for letting me help you." Johnny carefully slid the cuff up her bruised arm and fastened it in place. As he squeezed the bulb inflating the cuff Roy softly spoke to her.

"Donna? I found a blanket for you. Is it okay if I put it around your shoulders? It might help you stop shaking." He didn't think she even realized she was shaking.

"BP is 100/70." It was a bit low; she was shocky which wasn't at all surprising.

Donna's reaction confirmed Roy's thought. She blinked and then glanced down at herself, and then she seemed to make an effort to steady herself. She nodded toward Roy, and then locked her eyes on Johnny again. "What happens now?" she murmured as the brown-haired paramedic came closer with the blanket.

Roy gently draped the blanket over her shoulders and then stepped back from her a ways, so she wouldn't feel threatened. "We need to know where else you're hurt. We saw blood on the rug you were sitting on. We have to treat your injuries and then we need to take you to the hospital." Roy spoke with kindness and compassion. "I'm gonna let Johnny here do most of the work and I'll stay over here. Okay?"

"I don't want anyone touching me," Donna growled out, wrapping the blanket that Roy had given her tightly around herself, protectively. "I'm not hurt anywhere. Or if I am, it'll get better on its own."

Johnny sighed. "Now Donna, you are hurt, and it's not gonna get better on its own. I know you're scared, but we only want to help. What do you say?" He wished someone the girl knew was there to support her; someone who would convince her to let them help.

While he tried to convince her, Roy returned to the biophone and reported to Rampart.

"Rampart, Squad 51."

"Squad 51, we read you loud and clear," came Dr. Brackett's acknowledgement.

"Who's he talking to?" Donna whispered, looking in Roy's direction.

"He's talking to Dr. Brackett at Rampart Emergency." Johnny answered.

"Rampart, we have vitals for you. BP is 100/70, pulse is 110 and respirations are a little fast and shallow. She's scared and not wanting us to touch her. We're still trying to determine what other injuries she has."

"He's telling somebody else about me?" Donna exclaimed softly, her eyes widening. Then a look of anger began to mix with the fear in her eyes. "I don't want the whole world knowing about this!" she hissed, placing one hand on the end of the couch and pulling herself up off the floor. "My brother shouldn't have told anyone." She remained where she was, but held the blanket even more tightly around herself.

"Now calm down, calm down." Johnny said soothingly again. "He's talking to a doctor. Everything between us, the doctor and you is completely confidential. We're here to help, but we take our orders from the doctor. How are you feeling right now?"

She didn't answer him. She simply stared blankly at him.

"Is there someone we can call to come be with you? Would that make you more comfortable?" He asked her, hopefully.

Roy could just make out siren in the back ground as he waited for a response from Rampart. The ambulance would be here soon.

Dr. Bracket gave Roy orders to start an IV, treat for shock and continue to monitor vitals and told him to proceed with caution but find out about other injuries as soon as possible.

"Stay out of my way," Donna snipped, suddenly. Then in a quick, sudden burst of movement, she scooted right past Johnny and moved over to the other side of the room, near where the back door was. The door was ajar, evidently left open when someone went out through it in a rush prior to the paramedics' arrival.

Roy saw it coming and dashed to the doorway just in the nick of time. He stood between Donna and freedom with his hands up palms out. "Now calm down Donna," he said very softly. "Please, let us help you. We're not going to hurt you but you need help." He could see she was going to pass out soon. The sudden burst of motion should have caused her to get very light headed.

Right at that moment, the door swung open all the way, permitting two figures to enter. The police officer who'd assisted the paramedics with the dog outside now came in, accompanied by a man who had blood running down the front of his face, along with an enormous bruise on his forehead.

"This is Andrew," the officer said, indicating the man beside him and holding him steady.

"ANDREW!" Donna gasped, staring at the injured man with widened eyes. She pressed a hand against her mouth as if to prevent a scream.

Andrew coughed a little, and then looked over at the woman. "Sorry," he murmured, frowning deeply. "I caught up with him but he got away. After doing this to me." He pointed at his face, and then hung his head.

Roy didn't want to take his eyes off of Donna for fear that she'd jackrabbit another direction. He jerked his head the direction of Andrew and Johnny nodded and pointed to Donna, who couldn't see him from her position. Now that Roy knew Johnny would keep Donna from bolting another direction, he turned to help Andrew.

"Andrew, I'm Roy DeSoto and my partner John Gage is trying to help Donna. Right at the moment she is very scared and not allowing us to help. Do you think you can help us with that?"

He reached toward Andrew as he spoke. "Why don't you let me have a look at that nose?"

Johnny approached Donna slowly and spoke softly to her. "Donna, it's okay. You're safe now. At least let us take you to the hospital. The doctors need to check you out. You can get a woman doctor if you want."

Andrew flinched a little when Roy's fingers touched the edge of his nose very gently. The injured man already knew that it was probably broken. He'd heard a crunch when he'd been decked. "Yeah," he said simply, his eyes darting from the paramedic to the girl. "She's my sister. I should've been here to protect her."

"I've already got several men looking for the culprit," the officer spoke up.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance!" Andrew spat. "I had my hands around his neck before he did this to me."

Donna said nothing. She wasn't making any move to run, although she did back away a bit and press herself against the wall. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then she closed it again.

"Donna, I'm so sorry… I should have been here," Andrew murmured to her, taking a step toward her when Roy stepped away to get some gauze for his nose.

She shook her head and closed her eyes, although she did not seem bothered by his approach. "If he did that to you, you would have been hurt if you were here," she whispered.

Andrew moved closer to her, raising his hand as if to touch his nose, then immediately thought better of it. He lowered his hand, and then placed it on her shoulder. She flinched a little, but remained still. "Look Donna," he said softly, ", I know he… um… hurt you." He lowered his head again. "I'm sorry."

Donna opened her eyes, looking at him. "Look I just want to be left alone. I want them to leave, and I just want to go to my room and be alone."

Andrew glanced at the paramedics and the police officer, and then turned back to his sister. "Donna," he said, "I think you should let them take a look at you, at least. Just to see if there's anything wrong."

"I don't want them to." Donna snapped then pressed her lips into a thin line.

"I know that," Andrew murmured soothingly, then placed a hand on her other shoulder. "But I think they know what they're doing. They just want to see if you're okay. And if you are okay, you won't have to go anywhere. But if something is wrong, wouldn't you want to know now, before it gets worse?"

His sister was silent. She stared at him for a long moment, and then her eyes darted toward the others in the room, then back at her brother.

"I'll be outside if you need me," the officer said, graciously excusing himself. He silently headed out the back door.

"I'll be here every minute," Andrew assured her gently. "I'll hold you while they look at you, if you want."

A few moments passed. At first, judging by the expression on her features, it seemed that she was going to refuse. Everything about the way she looked strongly indicated she wanted to say no. But under Andrew's compassionate, determined gaze, she finally gave in. She sucked in a deep breath then slowly nodded. "Just… don't leave me," she whispered, barely audible.

"I'll be right here," Andrew murmured. "Now come on… let's sit you down on the floor." She allowed herself to be gently lowered onto the floor, into a sitting position, and then Andrew wrapped one arm around her shoulders and then gently took her hand into his free hand.

Roy handed Andrew something for his nose. "Keep this over your nose and apply as much pressure as you can stand to stop the bleeding. Lean forward so the blood doesn't go down your throat," he instructed.

Johnny looked at Donna. "Tell me how you're feeling. I need to know your symptoms. And I need to elevate your feet higher than your head. Your body is going into shock and that means that your blood isn't circulating the way it should. Elevating your feet is going to help." He grabbed some couch cushions to put under her legs.

Andrew held the compress against his nose, keeping his face aimed downward as instructed. He kept his free arm wrapped around his sister's shoulders, holding her securely. Donna lifted her legs a little, allowing the paramedic to slide the cushions underneath them.

"Can you lie back for me?" Johnny asked and Andrew scooted himself away so that as she leaned on him her torso gently lowered. He kept a hand on her shoulder and stayed as close to her as he could in the process.

"Come on," her brother whispered softly into her ear. "Tell him where it hurts."

"I've been bleeding from my…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, were you bleeding before your attack? Are you... menstruating?"

Donna scowled at the paramedic. "No," she stated firmly. "What kind of a question is that for you to ask me anyway?" She looked at her brother, as if getting ready to say something to him, but he cut her off.

"Donna they're just trying to help," Andrew told her gently, squeezing her shoulder a little. He made a sniffling noise, and then pressed the compress against his nose once again.

"Sorry, I have to ask. I can't assume anything. I know it's personal but I have to make sure the bleeding is under control." John tried to look between the cushions and her backside on the floor to see if there was much blood presenting. It seemed to be minimal so he said to her, "I think they can check that out at the hospital. There are nurses trained in that sort of thing and you'd probably be more comfortable. But I still need to know how you're feeling and re-check your blood pressure. If it drops too low I won't be able to wait." He hoped she would take that information calmly and that with her brother there to reassure her she would cooperate.

"We've got to talk to the doctor and get that cleared, too." He warned her so she wouldn't get so upset when Roy called it in.

"I don't want to go to the hospital, where somebody will be touching me there," Donna snapped. She started to move a little, taking one of her legs off the cushions as if to try and get up, but her brother held onto her, dropping the compress and placed that hand on her other shoulder as well.

"They're gonna take care of you, and I'll be there with you too," Andrew murmured. "Please let them help you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Donna insisted stubbornly. "I just want to go back to Mom's house and keep the doors locked."

Roy dropped his head down, frustrated but trying to present calmly for his patient's sake.

"Donna, there is nothing more we can do for you if you don't let us. Now the doctor has asked me to start an IV to help with the shock your body is experiencing. If we don't treat you now, you're going to pass out. When you do, we are required to treat and transport because shock left untreated is life threatening. The hospital needs to examine you and determine why you are bleeding and treat that. They need to prevent infection. They will take samples of blood and any other... fluids during the exam so they can gather evidence for prosecuting the guy that did this to you. They will have a rape counselor on hand to walk you through this process and it will be a woman. If you choose not to let us help you now, you're only delaying the inevitable."

For a moment the woman was silent, considering his words. She then looked at her brother, who was eyeing her expectantly, awaiting her answer. She looked back toward the paramedics. "Can…" Her voice caught in her throat. She closed her eyes, swallowed, then opened her eyes and tried again. "Can a doctor and counselor just come here instead?" She spoke in a small voice, like that of a child afraid to get out of bed in the dark for fear of there being monsters underneath it.

Johnny took over for Roy. "Now Donna, I know that would make you feel a lot more secure, but they have everything they need there to make sure you're well taken care of. You're in a bad way. You really need the care they can provide there, and you need it right now, okay?" He smiled his best smile at her trying to put her at ease, hoping some of the famous Gage charm everyone teased him about would work. He held up the IV set up that Roy had handed him to show her he was going to start it and prayed she would stop fighting them.

Donna rolled towards her brother and then practically threw her arms around him. She began to cry softly against his lap while he held her, murmuring softly to her and shushing her gently. After a bit he whispered something into her ear, and she nodded.

Still holding her, Andrew nodded toward the paramedics. "She says to do whatever you need to do," he said quietly, stroking his sister's hair as she continued to cry against him.

Relief flooded the hearts and minds of the paramedics. Now they could take care of her. Roy began to look at the large bruise on Andrew's head and check his pupils while Johnny asked Donna one last time, "How are you feeling? Do you have any physical pains or discomforts right now?"

"I feel… like I'm gonna be sick."

Johnny quickly and efficiently got the IV started that would start to improve the shockiness. Roy got an ice pack for Andrew's head while Johnny got ready to take Donna's blood pressure again on her other arm.

Donna had untangled herself from her brother, although he kept his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were half-closed, although the expression was more resigned than anything else. Some of the fear still lingered on her face, though. "I don't know, it hurts… down there," she murmured. "Maybe a little bit in my abdomen too."

Johnny explained what he was doing as he prepared to take her blood pressure again. As he squeezed the bulb he could hear Dr. Brackett's voice from the biophone demanding a response and an update. Roy waited for the reading from Johnny as he took her pulse. He again watched her chest rise and fall to count respirations. After that he got up to return to the biophone.

Johnny talked to her. "There now. That wasn't so bad, now was it? We're gonna have the stretcher brought in now and get you ready to go to the hospital. Your brother can ride along with you and I'll ride with you, okay?"

"Rampart, Squad 51, sorry for the delay," Roy apologized to the doctor who's voice had continued barking at him for a response.

Doctor Brackett responded sharply. "Go ahead 51!"

"Rampart, patient has finally consented to treatment. She is shocky but has not lost consciousness. IV was established a couple-a minutes ago. There has been no change in BP, her pulse has gone down to 90 and respirations are normal. She has some vaginal bleeding that appears to be minimal and is complaining of some pain there some pain in her abdomen."

"10-4 51. Continue to monitor vitals and transport immediately."

"Monitor vitals and transport. 10-4" Roy hung up the biophone. He went to the door and summoned the ambulance attendants in so they could transport their patient.

Johnny smiled at Donna. "Let's get you on your way, shall we?"

Thank you for your continued interest in this story. Please leave comments or reviews. If you prefer to leave private messages, they are always welcome too. Thank you. -Hotflash

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