Chapter 17

~Cause for Concern~

The ambulance pulls into the emergency bay at the hospital. The paramedics pull the gurney out and roll Bella into the ER. I clamber out the back doors and run after them, keeping track of where they go. I finally catch up as they pull the gurney next to a stretcher in a curtained off exam room.

One of the paramedics stays with Bella while the other goes out to the desk. I stand by the part in the curtains and listen.

"Got a bleeder in here. White female, twenties, bleeding from the left arm. It's slowed with pressure but hasn't clotted. The guy that found her said she has a bleeding disorder but doesn't know which one."

"Great. I'll page someone. We've got a full house tonight. I'll get someone to relieve you as soon as possible."

I poke my head out, wondering if Alice is here. Doctors and nurses bustle around, working on charts, moving from patient to patient. A red light blinks outside one of the rooms, and a group of medical staff runs by.

The overhead PA system comes to life: "Rapid Response, Emergency Room. Rapid Response, Emergency Room. Rapid Response, Emergency Room."

A minute later, another larger team bursts on the scene with a rolling cart and makes a beeline for the room with the blinking light.

I fall into a chair beside Bella. The adrenaline is wearing off, and I'm starting to feel like a ragdoll. A nurse slips through the curtains and talks in hushed tones to the paramedic. She takes his place next to Bella, and he leaves. Bella is still unconscious, but the monitor she's hooked up to shows a steady heartbeat.

The nurse asks me some questions, but I don't know most of the answers. I try Jimmy's cell, but there's no response. I don't want to alarm him, so I just leave a message asking him to call me back.

I feel helpless and stupid.

"The bleeding has stopped. I have to check on another patient. I need you to watch her and call out right away if she starts bleeding again. Can you do that for me?" The way she's looking at me, it seems as if she has doubts I'll be able to help.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, good. Step over to this side."

We change places, then she leaves the room.

The ragged slash on Bella's arm looks raw and wet with blood, but there's no active flow. I train my eyes on the wound, afraid to look away even for a moment.

Several minutes later, the curtain parts and Alice walks in. "Isabella Swan?" She stops short when she sees me. "Edward!"

"Hey, sis." I try to smile, but it's more of a grimace.

"Well, what do we have here?" Alice goes into medical mode, looking over the chart, her expression serious. "You found her on the floor on top of broken glass? Any idea what happened?"

"I was leaving the shop, and I heard a crash and a thump upstairs—"

Alice looks up sharply. "She was in the apartment above your shop? Who is she?"

"Jimmy's girl. He was called away on business and asked me to look after her."

"Why does she need looking after?"

I remember the pages Jimmy left and thank God I snapped pics with my phone. "Bella has a blood disorder. She sometimes has seizures and other episodes. I have a picture of the instructions on my phone." I pull it out and hand it to her.

Alice reads it over, her brow wrinkling. She mumbles under her breath, looking more concerned as she goes. She glances at me, and her eyes widen as if seeing me for the first time. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

I lift up my bloodied T-shirt. "I used it to put pressure on the wound."

"What medications is she on?"

"I don't know. There are color-coded bottles." I sound like a jerk, and I shrug. "It's just the first day Jimmy is gone, and look what happened!" I slouch in the chair and rake through my hair roughly.

"I'm forwarding these pics to my phone, so I can go through them more thoroughly. I need to examine Bella, so you'll have to hang out in the waiting area. This way." Alice leads me out of the exam room and points to the waiting room up the hall. She turns to someone behind the nurse's station. "Rafael! Can you get my brother a scrub top?"

Rafael doesn't miss a beat. "Sure thing." He sizes me up with his head tilted. "Be right back."

Alice disappears behind the curtain, and I stand awkwardly by the desk, very aware of my naked torso. The staff doesn't seem to notice, maybe because they see a lot of oddball things in the ER.

Rafael returns in a few minutes with a blue scrub top. I pull it over my head, and it fits perfectly. "Thanks, man."

"No problemo."

I sit in the waiting room and watch the news. There's a woman sniffling in the corner, wringing a well-used tissue in her hands. A harried man keeps telling his three young children to quiet down. A nurse calls the woman, and she follows her down the hall.

The kids start chattering again, and the man offers me an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry."

I wave a hand. "Don't worry on my account."

The man and his kids eventually leave, and I'm alone. I try Jimmy again, but his voicemail picks up. I send a text, asking him to call me.

"Edward." Alice stands in the entrance, looking grim.

"Is Bella okay?"

"She's awake. We drew some blood, and I sent her for a CT scan of the head. Let's go talk in my office."

Alice leads me to a short hall at the back of the ER. The moment the doors close, a hushed silence takes over, and I breathe a sigh of relief, feeling calmer. I didn't realize how badly the constant dings, urgent voices, squeak of shoes, and overhead announcements jangled my nerves.

Her office is small but homey with pale green walls, recessed lighting, and family photos. A small fountain on the bookshelf trickles quietly, and I have the urge to close my eyes and let my problems wash away.

Alice sits and folds her hands on top of the desk. She takes a few breaths, looking perturbed. "Edward, Bella has Thrombocytopenia. It's a blood disorder that needs care and monitoring and can be kept under control with medication. Thrombocytopenia causes a low platelet count. Platelets aid with the clotting of blood. When there are too few of them, simple injuries can become dangerous—lethal even."

"Shit."

"The documents you have indicate Bella has occasional seizures, and mentions vague 'episodes' that sound to me as if they might be caused by side effects of a medication or possibly a medication interaction. The list doesn't say what drugs she's on, only to follow instructions for color-coded bottles. That concerns me."

"Yeah. I've tried to reach Jimmy, but he hasn't responded."

Alice looks grave and isn't quite meeting my eyes. She drops her head down for a few seconds, then raises it slowly. "There's something else."

"More?"

"Bella has some bruising."

"I'm sure. She fell on top of shattered glass."

Alice shakes her dark head. "Some of the bruises aren't fresh. The marks are in places the general public doesn't usually see. There are also some scars on her back."

My mind is reeling. Bruises in places that are usually hidden? What is Alice insinuating? "Wh-what kind of scars?"

"It appears Bella has been whipped."

~oOo~

We're inching closer to what's happening with Bella. Alice is involved now, which will affect the dynamic. Keep on sharing your thoughts and theories. I love reading them (and some of you get close sometimes)! See you next week!

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