Star Light Star Bright, Wish I May, Wish I Might
Chapter 5
This is the second and final chapter I co-authored with TehMarishal.
Donna lay flat on the stretcher, her head pressed against a soft, flat pillow. The afghan that Roy had given her in her house was draped over her now, and she had to resist the urge to curl up and bury herself in it. She'd already been warned that she shouldn't move around too much, not with an IV in her arm, and especially not if she had injuries. Being strapped down was difficult and scary for her but the paramedics explained it was necessary for transport.
One of the paramedics was in the ambulance with her, along with her brother. For a little while Andrew kept murmuring softly to her, offering her re-assurances, even vowing to hunt down and kill the person who did this to her himself. After a few minutes though she began to withdraw into herself a little, even pulling her hand out of his. She then closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. After a few deep breaths she opened her eyes, staying somewhat alert yet trying to tune out the world around her at the same time.
Feelings swarmed around inside of her so quickly that it was hard to make sense of her thoughts or feelings. Images kept intruding her mind, instigating the whirlwind of emotions within her. She wished that she could simply shut everything out, to retreat into a dark black place inside her mind, yet she didn't want to go there. If she passed out or went to sleep, she wouldn't be alert. She wouldn't be in control.
Part of her was vaguely aware of Andrew muttering. "I don't want you to look at my bruise," he snapped at the paramedic.
A small part of Donna's mind tried to remember which paramedic had come into the ambulance with them, just to give her consciousness something to focus on. Who was it? Roy or John?
"Awright, now. I just wanted to check on the swelling. You could have a concussion," said the voice of paramedic John Gage.
"It's her you should worry about, not me," Andrew growled. Then he sighed. "I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance," he said for what was possibly the one-hundredth time that night. "I had my hands around his throat and I could have crushed his windpipe, I know I could have! But I hesitated and that gave him a chance to get the better of me…"
"I'm doing everything I can for your sister right now. She's going to need you more than ever. If you're hurt, you won't be there for her. Now I know you want to get even, to protect her. But then you'd be in jail and she'd be alone. Now you don't want that do you? Whaddya say? Can I please take a look at you?"
Johnny looked down at his primary patient. Her eyes were open yet she was withdrawn. Still, he was sure she was keenly aware of every move he made.
Andrew glanced in Donna's direction, obviously thinking over the paramedics' words. Finally he sighed softly, and then nodded. "Okay," he murmured, looking back at Gage. "I think my head is okay, but my nose is broken. Just so you know."
"That's it," praised the paramedic. "Now I'm gonna shine this light in your eyes, one at a time. Just stare straight ahead." Johnny flicked the light across each eye a couple of times watching for the pupils to constrict and dilate. "All right, that's good. Normal responses. That's a real good sign." John offered a small smile in Andrew's direction then checked on Donna.
"How're you doing, Donna? We're almost there."
Donna's eyes darted briefly in his direction, then resumed staring upward at the ceiling.
Andrew gave her a concerned frown. He leaned forward and reached out to touch her arm. "You okay?" he asked gently. Any anger he'd expressed during his ongoing rantathon about the attacker was mostly gone at the moment, replaced by concern for his sister.
The woman closed her eyes briefly. She opened her mouth, as if thinking about saying something, then closed it again.
"Hey now it's gonna be okay," Andrew said, flashing an attempt at a re-assuring smile. The smile faded when she didn't say anything.
"Ok, that nose probably IS broken," John agreed. "They'll take a look at it and I'm sure they'll want pictures at the hospital. But it can wait until things calm down a little, I'm sure."
"I'm not leaving my sister," Andrew murmured, leaning back a bit. "I don't like hospitals very much anyway. Mostly I'm just going for my sister's sake." He added his sentiment a bit more quietly, as if not wanting Donna to hear.
"I understand," John said. He wasn't going to argue with a patient, especially one protecting another patient. He'd let the hospital staff deal with that. "I'm sure I'd feel the same way if she was my sister."
A few bumpy and sharp turns later the ambulance came to a stop.
Donna sensed that they had arrived mostly when the motion of the ambulance stopped, and the noisy sound of sirens cut off. "Looks like we're here," she heard Andrew's voice say, confirming her assumption.
She glanced around herself. Her eyes locked onto the paramedic a moment, and then her brother. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she said suddenly. "I'm not sure if I really want to go in there." Her eyes were growing wider with apprehension.
"Come on now, you really should go in, you NEED to let them take care of you," Andrew insisted a bit sharply, then mentally reminded himself that he needed to be gentle. She wasn't in the best mind right now; she was in shock and emotionally disturbed. She could not be expected to think rationally, and the last thing she needed was to be pressured, or worse, given orders or forced to do something.
Because she'd already been forced into the very worst thing that could ever happen to a person.
She inhaled a deep breath, one that sounded almost like a gasp.
"Donna I'm sorry," Andrew added quickly, dropping down onto his knees and touching her arm. "I'm sorry. I…" He trailed off, as if unsure what to say. He looked like he was slowing succumbing to emotion himself.
"I know you're scared," Johnny said. "Your brother will be with you and I promise you, you can have a woman do the exam. Nurse McCall is on duty and she will take good care of you. Why don't you take a few deep breaths and gather yourself, then on three we're gonna take you in there, okay?"
The doors to the ambulance started to open as the driver had come around back but John put a hand up to tell him to wait as soon as the driver could see him.
Donna squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply and exhaling. She felt dazed, as if all of this were a nightmare, something that happened in stories or at least to other people. But it had happened to her. Somehow part of her just couldn't wrap her mind around that fact.
But the proof was all around her, wasn't it? She hurt, she'd been looked over by paramedics, and now she was in an ambulance about to go into the hospital. This was no dream. If only it was a nightmare, she could wake up and escape it. But there was no escaping this.
"Donna," her brother's voice broke into her thoughts, "please, will you let them take care of you?"
Another part of Donna's brain kicked in then, reminding her that she couldn't simply stay in the ambulance forever. That wouldn't help anything at all. Nor would it change anything. "Okay," she finally said with a slight nod, then resumed staring heavenward.
"That's it. They're gonna take real good care of you here. Ready? One... Two... Three." Johnny motioned to the driver to help him now and together they withdrew the stretcher from the ambulance. Roy had just arrived and poked his head in after Donna was out to offer a hand to Andrew as he climbed out. He got out of the way fast so that Andrew could stay along side of her and hold her hand.
Just inside the doors, Dixie was waiting anxiously to get her first glimpse of a patient she knew must be frightened. When she saw her she spoke reassuringly and firmly.
"You're going to be okay now. You're safe. Take her to treatment two, boys. It's all set up. I've got a counselor on the way."
Donna squeezed Andrew's hand, gripping it tightly as if for dear life. She found her gaze staying on Dixie for a moment though, even as the others proceeded to wheel her into one of the rooms.
After they passed through the door into the treatment room, Donna turned to look at Andrew, who was still holding her hand. "She reminds me a little of Mama," Donna whispered, so softly that her brother had to strain to hear.
Andrew blinked a little, glanced over his shoulder in the direction they'd come from, then turned back to his sister. A small smile spread across his lips. "Yeah I guess she does," he murmured. "She even sounded like her a little."
Dixie followed her patient, both patients actually, into the treatment room. She approached Donna carefully and took the hand her brother wasn't holding between both of hers.
"Donna, I'm Dixie. I know you've been through a lot but I promise you, the worst of it is over. But I'm not going to lie to you; this isn't going to be a picnic either." Dixie proceeded to tell her what the exam would consist of and what evidence they would be attempting to gather. She could see that her young patient was uncomfortable with the idea, understandably, but she did her best to reassure her and comfort her, promising to go slow and be gentle and talk to her through every step. She promised that she would stay through the entire process and that she would make sure a female doctor was brought in to make her more comfortable.
"I think it would be a good idea though, if your brother went and got checked out while we work with you. This is something I think you'd feel better about keeping private and his nose looks pretty bad. We could get you both taken care of at the same time. So, what do you say? Will you be brave for me?"
Donna looked at Andrew, who looked back at her. Obviously he was leaving the decision up to her. Donna looked back at Dixie, then nodded slowly. "Okay," she whispered. She looked back at her brother. "You should probably get that fixed up," she murmured. "No offense but you look awful." She did not smile, at least not with her lips, but there was just a trace of humor in her eyes. Most likely only her brother, who knew her so well, noticed though.
Andrew smiled a tight smile, then nodded. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back to check on you once I'm through though, okay?"
"Okay," Donna murmured.
Dixie poked her head out the door and called to the nearest nurse she saw. "Sharon, will you take this gentleman to treatment four? Have Doctor Brackett take a look at his nose and get Dr. Varner for Donna."
"Right away," Sharon answered. "Will you please come with me?" she said to Andrew.
When the two of them had left the room Dixie asked Donna if she had any questions for her while they waited for Dr. Varner.
Donna was silent for a moment. She seemed to be thinking about something. Finally she looked directly at Dixie and softly asked, "Will it hurt, and how long will it take?"
"It should be less than 30 minutes though it could take longer. It just depends on what we find. It will be uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt unless we find injuries that we are not expecting, then I cannot promise, but we'll be as gentle as possible and you just tell us if you're feeling any pain, okay?" She smiled at her patient as she spoke.
Donna did not smile back, but she nodded simply. A couple of moments later, another woman entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Varner. She approached Donna's bedside calmly, offering a gentle smile of reassurance, then began to speak softly as she prepared to begin the examination.
Meanwhile, in room four, Andrew was… well, being a rather impatient patient. "Look, Doc," the red-haired man growled a little, "can't you just look at it and figure out what's wrong without touching it? I don't like it when somebody touches me where it's bleeding. It HURTS. You're a doc, you should know that."
"Look, I'm a doctor. It's my job to examine an injury and make a diagnosis then treat it to the best of my ability. I can't help you if I can't look at it, and that will include touching your nose. I'm sorry." Kel tried to be gentle about it, but he was irritated at what a wuss this big linebacker-looking patient was being.
"I can give you a little pain medication but I've got to look and touch to take care of that nose, all right?"
Andrew turned his head away, grimacing. "This is why I don't like hospitals," he grumbled. "All the poking, prodding, stabbing of needles, touching things that hurt… make me want to just let things get better on their own." He scowled at the doctor. "Are you a Dr. Frankenstein?" he jibed.
"NO Mr. Fletcher, I most certainly am NOT a Dr. Frankenstein. Now quit being such a big baby and let me take a look at that nose!" Doctor Brackett's feathers had been ruffled now!
Andrew looked up at the doctor from where he sat, on the edge of the bed. He frowned a little, and something about the way his eyes looked, along with the corners of his lips turned downward beneath his bloody nose, made him look not like a strong, grown man, but like a preschooler who'd gotten into a fight and was now being scolded by Daddy.
"Who's a big baby?" he moaned. And somehow his tone only added to the child-like look.
Doctor Brackett was very annoyed but this was so pitiful it was almost funny. He suppressed a grin, took a deep breath and tried again.
"I'm sorry. I know you're not a baby, but for Pete's sake let me take care of that thing."
"Well…" Andrew sighed, then spread his arms in sort of a resigned shrug. "Fine. Just… don't poke at it too much." He then proceeded to stare straight ahead, though at least he kept his head still.
"Now that's more like it. Do you want a shot for the pain or do you want to just get this over with?"
Andrew scowled but didn't move. "Don't be a vampire," he grumbled. "Just look at my nose."
"All right." Doctor Brackett carefully examined his patient's nose. He had no doubt it was broken. He told his patient he would need to x-ray it before he could treat it and then proceeded to take a closer look at the bump on his forehead.
"X-ray?" Andrew exclaimed, shaking his head and interfering with the doctor's examination. "You mean you're gonna put my face up against one of those radioactive machines? I've heard those are dangerous." He paused for half a second. "Not that I've ever seen one before," he added quickly.
"Mr. Fletcher, may I remind you that this is a hospital and I am a doctor? We are not in the business of putting our patients in harm's way." As an irresistible after thought he added, "And besides, it will only make you glow for a little while!" He couldn't suppress the smile when he said it.
The red-hair's eyes widened. "My whole face, or just my nose?" he asked in wonder.
"Your whole head! But it will only hurt a little." He smiled again, obviously trying to lighten up this brave giant.
Andrew seemed to consider what the doctor was saying very seriously. "Wow," he finally breathed. "And you do stuff like that all the time?"
"All the time." Doctor Brackett knew the red haired giant would consent. He opened the door and summoned the nearest nurse. "Please get an orderly to take Mr. Fletcher to x-ray." He told the nurse what views he wanted and turned back to the patient.
"Seriously, x-ray won't hurt at all. And if you're really good, I'll give you a lollipop when you get back."
Once again, Andrew seemed to consider his words. "Okay sure," he nodded.
"Good man." Doctor Brackett barely resisted the urge to say "good boy."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Dixie was waiting for Donna to return from the restroom. She thought maybe she ought to check on her, she'd been in there an awfully long time. Then again, after what she'd just been through, that really wasn't such a surprise. Still it had been nearly 15 minutes.
"Excuse me," she said to the student nurse who was nervously yammering away in her ear. She turned and headed straight for the restroom. She knocked on the door. No answer.
"Donna? Are you okay in there?" Still no answer. She tried the door. It opened to reveal... nothing. It was empty.
"Son of a..." she didn't finish. She turned and went straight to the desk, calling security. She made the report of a missing patient then went to find Dr. Varner.
She found her a few minutes later, exiting treatment room 1.
"Dr. Varner," she said. She was nervous but she didn't let it show. "I'm afraid our patient has bolted."
"How did that happen?" Dr. Varner asked, irritation in her voice.
"She slipped out during a visit to the rest room. I was distracted by a student nurse and when I realized she had been gone a long time, I checked and she'd somehow managed to slip out. I've informed security."
Dr. Varner sighed. She knew Dixie took her job seriously. Sometimes the best of them had something or someone slip by.
"It's okay Dixie. Thank you for telling me. I guess now I get to tell her brother."
"You want me to handle it?" offered Dixie.
"No, you have other duties to attend to. I'll take care of it."
With that, Dr. Varner headed back to find Mr. Fletcher.
She found him just finishing up with treatment from Dr. Brackett.
Dr. Varner stepped into the room after taking a deep breath. "Excuse me, Dr. Brackett, could I see you for just a minute?"
Dr. Brackett was preparing to release the patient, but was distracted by Dr. Varner. Noticing her concerned tone, Kel momentarily turned his back on Andrew, who was still seated on the edge of the stretcher. "Sure," he said, stepping away from the side of the bed, though not too far away from his patient. "What is it?" he asked quietly, not quite noticing Mr. Fletcher's eyes trained on the back of him. He was also unaware of the patient's keen hearing.
Doctor Varner took another deep breath and stepped toward the corner of the room farthest from the patient and waited for Kel to join her. When he did she whispered.
"I'm afraid we have a bit of a problem. Donna Fletcher has gone AWOL."
Dr. Brackett blinked, then his eyes narrowed. "AWOL?" he echoed, in a mixture of surprise and irritation.
Andrew didn't hear the female doctor's whisper, but he did overhear Brackett's somewhat louder exclamation.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. She sneaked out of the restroom when Dixie was talking with one of her student nurses."
Mr. Fletcher DID managed to catch that, at least most of it. "Excuse me, who went AWOL?" he demanded, getting up off the bed and taking a step toward them. "Was it my sister?"
"Mr. Fletcher," Brackett began, but was cut off.
"No I want to know," Andrew said, then took another couple of steps forward, looking directly at Dr. Varner. "You, I want to know what you're whispering about. Was it my sister? Did she leave?"
Dr. Varner lowered her eyes for just a moment then made eye contact with the growling bear of a man in front of her. "Yes. She slipped out when she went to the bathroom."
Andrew's eyes narrowed and his features grew dangerous. Somehow the bloody nose and the bruise on his forehead simply made him look all the more intimidating. His large hands clenched at his sides and he scowled at both doctors, but mostly at Dr. Varner. "How could you let her escape right under your nose like that? What kind of an incompetent bitch are you?" He took another step closer, closing in the distance between them. "You don't even have ANY idea where she went? You should have been watching her!"
"Now wait just a minute!" Growled Dr. Brackett. "I will not tolerate you speaking to one of my doctors like that. Let's just hear what she has to say and then we can start to figure this out!" He stepped between his patient and his doctor in a protective gesture.
"Alright," Andrew growled, folding his arms across his chest and glowering down at Dr. Varner. "Tell me what happened to her exactly."
"Very well. We had just completed the exam and treated her injuries. She had been reluctant to speak with the crisis counselor until after the exam so while I was informing the counselor that she could meet with your sister, Donna asked to use the restroom. While she was in the restroom, Nurse McCall had to deal with an upset nurse in the hall and she didn't see your sister slip out. She called security as soon as she realized your sister was gone."
"Well shit load of good that does since she's already GONE!" Andrew bellowed. "Did it not occur to either of you to ask someone ELSE to watch out for her while you were both busy? Sounds to me like you're ASKING for people to wander off!"
"Mr. Fletcher, you are out of line!" Dr. Brackett bellowed.
Dixie heard the yelling from her desk at the nurses' station. She made a beeline for the treatment room and walked right in.
"Excuse me Dr. Varner, we have an emergency in treatment room 5," she said firmly.
Kel turned to his doctor and said, "Go! I've got this," grateful that his head nurse was right on cue.
The large, red-haired man was still fuming where he stood. "I'm leaving this hospital RIGHT NOW," he shouted. "I'm gonna go out there and find my sister myself!" He stamped his foot, making a move toward the door.
"She's probably on her way home to a long hot shower," Dixie offered. "That is what most sexual assault victims do first. I would suggest you get your temper under control before you see her. She needs your patience and understanding more than anything. Anger is only going to make things worse!" Dixie had a knack for telling things like they were.
"She wouldn't go home," Andrew growled, grabbing the door handle and swinging it open. He paused, glowering over his shoulder at them both. "I know a couple places she'd go, and it's not to her house. I'm going to find her myself." It was almost as if he hadn't heard Dixie.
As Andrew Fletcher stomped out the door, Dixie muttered a parting shot. "Knock yourself out, Champ."
Kel turned to face Dixie. "Thanks for the save."
"Don't mention it. I'm sorry she got away from me."
"Dix, we both know it wasn't your fault. She's a grown woman. She had the right to leave any time she wanted to."
"I know, Kel. I just don't like that it happened on my watch." She started to head out the door. "I'm getting a cup of coffee. Care to join me?"
"Don't mind if I do," he answered and the two of them headed off to the lounge together. It had already been a very long day.
Thank you for reading this story. Please leave any comments, questions or suggestions by clicking on the green feedback button below or, if you are more comfortable in doing so, please feel free to send me private messages. Thank you. -Hotflash
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