Angela awoke feeling unusually numb. She hadn't yet opened her eyes, so she didn't exactly know where she was, or how she got there. What she did know was that there was an annoying beeping sound going off in her right ear and wherever she was being held smelled strongly of bleach and other hard cleaners.
Slowly opening her eyes, she surveyed the area taking note of the overall cleanliness and order of the room. The floors were made of dark vinyl tile, freshly swept, mopped and waxed. Next to the bed there was a roller table with a plastic pitcher and a small paper cup.
The walls were each painted a light mint green, on the left wall there was window under it was a large white heater, which noisily switched on and off occasionally, as if it was on some sort of timer. The right wall was mostly blank except for one lone painting of some crying child,(who's blue eyes seemed to be staring into her soul), which rested in the middle of the wall.
Looking down at her body, Angela took notice of the many wires that stuck out of her arms and chest, twisting and connecting in odd which ways to machines that had blinking lights and beeping noises. Both her legs were bound in casts, but her left leg was propped up. Angela guessed that meant that,the leg was worse off than the other.
"Oh good, your awake"
Startled, Angela quickly looked up and turned toward the door. She was so absorbed in her injuries she hadn't noticed the presence of the nurse as she walked into the room. The nurse in turn wasn't completely focused on Angela, instead she was looking over at the complicated machinery that stood near her bed. She stared at Red and blue lines for what felt like hours before finally looking away and writing on the chart in her hand.
Without looking up from her chart, the nurse began to ask her a series of basic questions: what was her name? When was she born? What year it was? and Who was the president? She never paused in her questions, and she never looked up from her chart.
Eventually all the constant and meaningless questions began to overwhelm her and she held up her hand to make them stop. None of this was helping her right now; she needed to know where here son was.
"S-stop, stop... just stop with all the questions. I need... I need... to know where is my son. Do... you, have my son?" She asked her voice came out strong despite the drugs coercing through her system, but it reeked heavily of desperation. Nevertheless she remained steadfast in her efforts staring the nurse dead in the eyes.
The nurse, on her part, looked to be completely and utterly confused. She looked down at her chart flipping through the papers, checking over the facts, before looking back up at Angela.
"Son? EMT didn't pull anyone else from the wreck except you. Shortly after we got you out the car went up in flames, anything inside was burned beyond recognition. Before that happened EMT'S report seeing no one else in the car"
Angela shook her head, this wasn't good. This was not what she wanted to hear.
"You don't... have my son? You don't, have my son! My baby... is still... out there... Missing!" Her breathing had escalated as her body began to shake and tremble with hysteria.
"Ma'am you need to calm down. Just take deep breaths-"
"Don't... tell me ...to calm... down!"She glared at the nurse, her eyes flashed with thinly veiled rage. "My baby... is... missing"
The nurse moved to administer a sedative, but Angela reached out and grasped her arm stopping her.
"Please... Please, my baby... he's missing. I need... I need you, to call his uncle... He's a detective.. he'll find him... he's a good detective...He'll find my baby."
The nurse reached over her arm and injected the sedative into her I.V. before turning back and acknowledging her patient.
"Does this, Detective have a name?"
Angela nodded sluggishly, her eyes began to droop. Those drugs must have been fast acting or something because they were really kicking in.
"Yeah... yeah, his name's Danny." Her words slurred together and her eyes were becoming heavier, but still she pressed on. " He's a detective... Detective Danny Reagan... He works at the NYPD... you got... to call them... Tell him... Angela called...He'll know who you're talking about."
Angela's words tampered off at the end as she faded into unconsciousness. The nurse sighed as she watched her patient's breathing even out,before walking out the room and to the nearest nurse's seemed she had some work to do.
Danny strolled into the bullpen with a pep in his step and in a unusually good mood. He'd had a good night with Linda, the boys were fine and safely at school,and the coffee today was hot and strong. Just the way he liked it.
Shuffling over to his desk,he'd just barely managed to sit down and take a sip of his coffee when his phone rang.
"Detective Reagan"
"Hello, is this Detective Danny Reagan"
Danny sighed and rolled his eyes. He really hated stupid questions.
"Yes, I just said, who is this?"
"Right, this is nurse Lynn Simons, from the New York- Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital"
"Okaaay, why are you calling me, nurse Lynn Simons from the New York- Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist hospital."
"We have a patient, no last name given, but first name Angela."
Danny took a sharp inhale of breath at the mention of her name. Angela, that was the name of Joe's girlfriend. Despite the many Sunday dinners she came to they never really caught her name, but he did Know that her first name was Angela. Then again last time he'd seen her she was on her way back to Portland so maybe not. This could very well just be some random girl he'd met at some crime scene named Angela.
"She came in yesterday at around 10:00 p.m., she'd been in a severe car accident and only just woke up this morning. Upon awakening she had an hysterical episode and requested your presence."
"Alright, well I can be there shortly-"
"Oh, no sir", she said cutting him off " that won't be necessary, at this time"
"I thought you just asked me to come in"
"Yes sir, I did sir, but you see we had to sedate her to get her to calm down coming in now would be useless, I'd advise you to come in later between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. that's when visiting hours are over"
Danny shook his in objection, before realizing the nurse couldn't see through the phone and projecting his disapproval. Loudly.
"'I'm a cop, a detective,lady,how do you expect me to be there between those hours I don't get off until 9:00p.m. on a good day, and I never have a good day!"
The nurse began to sound flustered and nervous on the other end of the line as Danny continued to yell at her. Eventually she agreed to allow Detective Reagan into the patient's room after visiting hours as an exception.
Annoyed Danny hung up on her before she could finish talking and turned his chair facing away from his desk. It wasn't even 7:30 yet and he already had a headache. Pressing his hands into his face he closed his eyes and wondered why exactly were people stupid.
Turning back around he stared at the smiling face of his partner, Jackie Curatola, and scowled at her.
"What was that all about?"
Hey shrugged, waving off her question for now and gestured to the stack of folders in her arms.
"Ah, it was nothing, just something about a hysterical patient, an inconsiderate hospital with a dumb visiting hour schedule and a less than bright nurse who enforces it. What's in your hands"
"Recent case Files, yours to be specific, Sarge said you did them wrong and to do them over. What do you mean what hospital? What nurse? It's obviously not Linda."
"Of course it's not Linda, Jackie, if I needed to see my wife I wouldn't have to have to request an exception for visiting hours at the hospital she works at, and what do you mean I've got redo all those files I've already done them they're finished."
"You did do them you just didn't do it right. Sarge says he wants them completed by the end of the day, the right way this time, and back on his desk tonight before you clock out."
Dropping the stack onto his desk she smirked at him in false encouragement before sitting back down at her desk.
Danny huffed and reached for the first file on the top of the 'd better get started now if he wanted to make it out of the office and to the hospital by 10:30p.m.