As the paramedics dealt with the teenager, Jen retrieved the torn pages of a British Passport from the trap in the toilet. The other guy, Mike, went through the teens bag. A couple of changes of clothes, some photos, a phone, an iPod and a wad of cash, half in American currency, half in British. The phone and iPod were secured by passwords. In the kids wallet was a US Residency Card and enough cash for necessities. Travelling light, the Residency Card meant they would be able to get the kid's home details from the US Department of Immigration.
The boy remained silent as his injures were assessed and his vital signs monitored. Blood Pressure low, running a slight fever and the paramedic was not happy about the kid's exhaustion. The patient was prodded awake twice by the concerned paramedics. Alex really wanted to close his eyes and wake up to find this was just another horrific nightmare. Still prone on the floor of the men's room in clear view of a large puddle of his own blood congealing on the floor of the toilet cubicle. "Alex, stay with us, Ok. We are going to take you to Vancouver General Hospital Emergency Department."
Jen was travelling with him. As the ambulance sped north on the Vancouver-Blaine Highway, she spoke of what was arranged "I will hand you over to a Representative from the Ministry of Children and Family Development at the Hospital. As an at risk teenager, you have emergency temporary residency. A Temporary Custody Hearing in the Family Court will take place next week and that will address your status in Canada and when or if you will be returning to your foster parents in California. Yes, we have their details, but the Social Worker will talk to Mr and Mrs Pleasure."
The arrival at the Emergency Department saw Alex wheeled straight into a cubicle to an awaiting team of three nurses and two doctors. He only half listened as the trauma doctor discussed the case with the paramedic before handover. At least the annoying Border Guard was not there. He noted the words self inflicted wounds, major blood loss, loss of consciousness on two occasions, dehydration, low blood pressure and lethargy. The Primary survey then started, as the blood stained jeans, sweatshirt and shirt were cut off to leave Alex in his boxers. His boots and socks had been removed at the Border Crossing. A line was put in for saline, blood samples taken and then the doctors started asking questions.
"Hi Alex. I'm Chris, a trauma doctor at Vancouver General. I'm going to ask you Some background questions"
Alex answered the same questions the paramedics had asked, did he take any regular medication, did he drink alcohol regularly and in particular in the last 24 hours or taken any recreational drugs. As he had stopped taking all the pills prescribed by the idiot psychologist he could answer all with a negative.
"So, you have some quite impressive scarring, serious burns and open heart surgery, were both quite recent?"
"In the past year, yeah, but separate incidents." The teenager left out the reasons for the injuries were classified under the Official Secrets Act. "Medical details, last October my carotid artery above my heart was damaged and repaired. In February, I broke my ankle and was badly burnt. Both times I was treated at St. Dominic's Hospital in London."
The doctor then progressed to Alex's current situation. "What happened this morning?"
Alex sighed and closed his eyes. "Plan C, after I was refused entry at the border, 'cause I had no parental consent letter."
"Plan C?" The doctor enquired, it sounded like the fifteen year old had thought this out and was more serious than the cry for help the paramedics assumed the kid had resorted to rather than go home.
"Plan A - my current foster placement, not working and so I arranged for Plan B, to go stay with my friend Tom, who lives at Port Moody. We met at school in France last year, that school sucked and blowed big time. Plan C came into affect when Plan B crashed and burned;" Alex took a deep breath. "but, I fucked that up. Dropped the knife before slitting my throat. I can guess your next question, given the opportunity would I still carry out Plan C. Too right I would. I'm eying up the tray of your nice super sharp scalpels in that tray over there. Turn your back and I'll paint the floor, ceiling and walls with my blood." Alex opened his eyes and looked at the doctor, no lies were being told. Would the man believe him.
"Thank you for being so honest. Seeing as you are still a danger to yourself, I'm going to restrain you with Wrist and feet restraints attached to the gurney. Do you understand that this is for your safety?"
"And to save on huge clean up cost. Yeah, sure, go ahead, tie me down. Its not like its a novel experience for me. In fact getting tied up is getting to be very boring."
With the nurse securing him , the doctor then asked, "When was your last check up with a heart specialist?"
"Errr, never." Alex frowned, there was no problem with his heart, was there?.
"And are you seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist in San Francisco?"
"Meant to be, the guy is a joke. Thinks I'm delusional and making up fairy stories over how Jack died in Cairo."
"Who is Jack?"
Alex could imagine just how she would have reacted to this stunt, then if she had been alive he would not have done that to her, "Jack Starbright, she looked after me before the Pleasures. My uncle employed her to look after me because he was too busy to be bothered. So, it was basically Jack and me from just after my seventh birthday until the beginning of July when she died. She's fought to keep looking after me after Ian died in March last year. I liked school in Cairo, it was better than London anyway. Not that school in California was much better. Sabina stopped talking to me because I was affecting her popularity by being Mr. Depressed."
"I think I'll stop with the Q&A and wait for the Ministry Representative and/or the on call psychiatrist to turn up."
The next person to visit, was a harassed sounding woman. Alex suddenly alert when he heard his name mentioned. Her first words to the doctor's were no nonsense orders. " Alexander John Rider is officially under the temporary custody of the Province of British Columbia. Anyone wanting to interview him, including the Psychiatrist, I have to be informed, preferably only when I am present. I have just had two jokers from Ottawa and one from Washington DC claiming that a fifteen year old child is a National Security Asset and classed as Top Secret and Need to Know only."
The tall, thin woman, who entered Alex's cubicle, had aristocratic features and grey hair up in a chinon, was wearing a classic pant suit, court shoes and still sporting sunglasses. She then looked at the thin, gaunt and very pale boy restrained on the gurney. "Good Afternoon, Alexander. I am Melissa Durant, Representative of the Ministry of Children and Family Development and your acting temporary guardian. The Law in British Columbia classifies all under eighteens as 'children'. Do you have any questions?"
To this Alex shook his head. He really just wanted to go back to sleep.
"Alright, I will be sorting out your placement details, but it looks like you'll be in hospital for a couple of days, the Standard Period for Psychiatric Assessment as stated in the 1999 Mental Health Act. I will be here until you're placed on ward. If you have any questions, I'm sure one of the medical staff will find me."
She then stepped out of the cubicle, with only the thin curtain separating the patient from the busy Emergency Department. Alex could hear as her discussion with the doctor continued.
"Has he been violent?" asked Melissa.
"No. He was restrained with his cooperation. In our assessment, Alex clearly stated his desire to end his life. His injuries were not a cry for help. He has stated that he would use another sharp implement to finish the job of slitting his throat."
"Right, so psychiatric assessment is our top priority. Any other medical concerns?"
"Underweight, exhausted, severely anaemic, we are waiting on the lab results for his blood match to begin a transfusion and his wounds still need stitching. You got here very fast, Melissa."
"I swear the phone was ringing non-stop in the office within minutes of the phone call from the Douglas Border Crossing."
Alex suddenly felt very anxious, his breathing increased into sharp stabbing breaths, his heart rate to soared. He was trapped and the CIA and their Canadian equivalent knew he had tried to kill himself.
The doctor immediately entered again with two nurses. "Deep breaths, Alex. Try to calm down." His soothing words not helping as the teenager's pulse was now over 150 beats a minute and he was gasping for breath in his panic. An oxygen mask was put on his face, but Alex started to struggle.
The doctor was barking orders for tranquillisers. The drugs administered via the stint on Alex's arm, meant he began feeling woozy almost straight away. He then could not help himself as for the second time that day he vomited, the nurse only getting the breathing mask off just in time.