A/N: So I broke a couple of fingers (stupid embarrassing story... me vs wall... wall won!) and I tried typing this up with the cast on but it took ages. So its only a week chapter. Gonna try to sort something out for the next one. Hope there aren't too many typos.
"So he was living abroad, in Europe pretty much since we left school. He trained as a chef in France then moved to Italy and worked in a bar, he ended up running that bar."
Andy spoke fast with excitement as she and Sam drove around in the patrol car. Since they had left Doyle's bar she had been filling him in on all the wonderful things Neil had been doing since she last saw him.
"He moved back to Toronto when his dad got sick and now he runs Doyle's bar. Isn't that amazing?" she asked as she turned to him with a wide smile. Sam nodded. "He's done so much in so little time."
"And all you did was become a copper." Sam finished for her.
"That's not what I was going to say."
"No?"
"No of course not. I love my job, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!"
Sam glanced over and was pleased by the stricken look on her face. "Good." Was all he said.
They drove in silence for a few minutes. Then Sam looked over and saw her looking out the window with a wistful look on her face.
"So, you and Neil…high school sweethearts?"
"Ha!" she covered her mouth to stop any more laughter from coming out. "God no. We had a fling for a while but it didn't work. We were to busy getting into trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Oh the kind that shouldn't be on a coppers record."
"Intriguing." Sam smiled at her and she knew that wasn't going to be the end of that interrogation. But before he could continue the radio buzzed for attention.
"Car 15-oh-5, report location, over."
"This is car 15-oh-5," Andy responded. "Were just past the corner westbound on Bloor st and Bay st."
"Report to Toronto General for a consultation. Call came in from Dr. Jefferson requesting a unit immediately."
"Copy that. Car 15-oh-5, responding, over and out."
Sam flicked on the sirens and sped up to get there as fast as he could. They parked in the drop off zone and hurried through to the ER reception. When they asked for Dr Johnson they were shown to the back area and to the nurses' station there.
"Thanks for coming so fast. We can't get hold of her parents, we're not even sure if she has any. She's doesn't match any of the missing kids we have on BOLO report, and she's not talking to anyone." The doc started to walk through the ward, and gestured for them to follow. "We can't even examine her but there are obvious signs of sexual trauma."
"What?" Sam tugged on the doctor's arm and forced him to stop walking and face them.
"The girl. There are obvious signs of sexual trauma, but we can't complete an examination without her being traumatized further."
"What happened to her?" Andy asked.
"We don't know. She walked in the door and collapsed." The doctor shrugged off Sam's arm and continues to walk. In the corner there was a small room with the label "Suture Room" on the frosted glass door. The doc opened the door and slowly pushed it open. The room was small, just big enough for a hospital bed. It was well lit but stocked with floor to ceiling shelving that made it seem even smaller than it actually was. A young girl lay on the bed in a small ball, her knees up to her chest and her head bowed between them. She was wearing a skirt and a tattered jumped. A scruffy pair of converse sneakers was on the floor and her feet were covered with grimy gray socks. She couldn't have been more than 13 years old.
Sam and Andy approached the bed. Andy walked around the foot of the bed to the other side. "Honey?" she said as she approached the girls head. The girl looked up at her but didn't move. Her eyes were wide with fear. "My name is Andy. I'm a police officer. I'm here to help you, ok?"
Andy reached a hand out to the girls shoulder but the girl shied away from her touch.
"Okay, I won't touch you." Andy held her hands up defensively to show the girl. She looked over at Sam who shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Did someone hurt you?" The girl didn't respond. "Are you hurt?" Still no response. "Okay, how about I sit here with you for a while."
Sam gestured for the doctor to follow him out of the room, leaving Andy alone with the girl.
"Did anyone come in with her?" Sam asked once they were out in the hall.
"No one on my staff saw her with anyone. She was found in the parking lot, dazed and she collapsed just outside the door. One of the porters carried her in but while she was being wheeled into the ER she came to and started screaming and trashing about."
"And the sexual trauma?"
"Bruising and scraping on the inside of her thighs. Her nails and hands are scratched and there are contusions on her wrists, as if she was tied or held down."
"What's the plan of action?"
The doctor wiped his head with his hand then brought it down to rest on his hip. "I honestly don't know. We could sedate her for examination but she had been through enough."
"Did she have any bags or ID of any kind?"
"No, nothing."
Sam covered his mouth and closed his eyes. "We'll need to have her examined. Have you called child services?"
"Yeah, they are on the way."
"Okay, we'll stay with her until they get here."
The doc walked off and Sam returned to the room where Andy was sitting on a foot stool beside the bed. She had her arms folded on the bed beside the girl and was resting her head sideways on it. Sam could hear her talking but stepped closer to make out what she was saying.
"Sometimes things happen that we can't control. But that doesn't mean it's our fault. And they don't happen because we are bold, or because we are bad. They have no reason, they just happen. And all we can do is try to pick ourselves up…"
"Can't control." The girl spoke so softly Andy wasn't sure if she heard her.
"That's right honey." Andy moved her hand across the mattress closer to where the girls hand was, but let her close the final distance. After a moment's hesitation the girls hand snaked across the bed and closed over some of Andy's fingers. "What happened?"
"I was over at Queens Park last night." Her voice was trembling. "Someone hit me on the head with something…When I came to, someone was…jumping on top of me…it really hurt."
Andy looked up and Sam who was gripping the bar at the sides of the bed with such force that she thought it might break.
"Did you see who it was?"
"No…it was dark." Tears fell down the girls face and onto the pillow.
"That's ok." Andy reached up and stroked the girl's hair away from her face. "But the doctor needs to check you out. Would that be ok?" The girl shook her head vigorously. "I'll stay with you, the whole time. I'll be right here." The girl slowly nodded her head and squeezed Andy's hand. Andy looked up at Sam to go get the doctor.
Sam paced the hallway while a doctor examined the girl, whose name they found out to be Karen Walker. She had been changed into a gown and after the examination Andy stayed by her side while a nurse washed her gently with a soft sponge. Karen cried and screamed, but held Andy's hand throughout.
When it was all over she fell into a deep sleep. A porter came and pushed her into a semi private ward and Andy re-joined Sam in the hallway. She found him leaning against a window, his forehead pressed to the pane of glass.
"Sam…" Slowly he turned to face her and she saw granite determination on his face. "She's gone back to the ward. The doc says there is scraping right up her inner thighs, slight tearing on her inner wall and blood and smearing too."
"God dammit…" Sam closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. "She's just a kid."
"She is sleeping now."
"Children services are here. Making calls to see if they can locate her family."
"She said she is in foster care in York. But she only moved there a week ago so she didn't know the address."
"I'll let CS know."
He moved to walk past her but she took his arm and stopped him before he left.
"Sam…"
He stopped and looked down at her. His face was still hard and clear of anything but fury. She squeezed his arm but slowly he shook his head, urging her to let him go without question. She understood so she did.
Sam stood still for a moment even after her hand fell off his arm and down by her side. He wanted to say more to her, anything, but the words wouldn't form on his lips so he didn't. When he left she watched him go then turned back to follow the porter who took Karen to the other room.