2/4/2025 I'm really sorry guys, I'm having major issues with this. New chapters are refusing to post. I'm really sorry for everyone's notifications while I try to fix this.
Hey guys, I'm back! I'm rewriting this to make it a bit better. I have also changed this to a cross over, Chicago Med and my brand new book, Bonds of the Hunted.
Warning: story will mention child abuse.
Thump, thump, thump. My heart pounded like a war drum as I raced through the dense woods, branches whipping across my face, trying to escape my chasers. My lungs burned with each ragged breath, the autumn air sharp and cold in my throat. My legs felt like they were on fire, each footfall sending jolts of pain through my feet as if I were running on shards of glass. Every instinct screamed at me to curl up behind one of the gnarled oak trees, to hide in the carpet of dead leaves, but terror pushed me forward.
"RIGHT THERE, GET HER!" A rough voice shattered the forest's silence, closer than I'd hoped.
When I risked a glance over my shoulder, my stomach dropped – there, through the thinning trees, the ground simply vanished. A cliff edge loomed before me. I tried to stop, my shoes sliding on the damp earth, but my momentum betrayed me. My legs, already beyond my control, carried me straight over the edge into empty air.
The fall seemed to last forever and no time at all. The wind rushed past my ears, drowning out my screams, until I plunged into the churning river below. The water hit me like a thousand icy needles, stealing my breath. I thrashed against the current, fighting to keep my head above the frothing surface, but the river was a living thing, determined to pull me under. Through water-blurred eyes, I caught sight of a massive boulder, its surface slick and black, rushing toward me. Then darkness claimed me, swift and complete.
"Do you think she's alive?" A concerned voice cut through the fog of unconsciousness, trembling with worry.
"I don't know, Isaac." A rough hand pressed against my side, gentle despite its callused touch. The owner of the hand let out a relieved breath when I managed a weak groan. "She's still with us. Call 911, get them out here now!"
"Will do, Richard." The sound of fumbling followed by rapid button presses pierced the haze. "Yes, I need an ambulance at the Starved Rock State Park." Isaac's voice rose with urgency. "We have a girl here who washed up on the shore – she's unconscious." His words tumbled out frantically. "I'd guess she's around thirteen... We found her while white water rafting. Please hurry!" After rattling off their location to the dispatcher, he shoved his phone away and dropped to his knees beside Richard.
"She's hypothermic," Richard murmured, his voice heavy with concern. His rough fingers pressed against my neck, checking my pulse. "If help doesn't get here soon..." He left the grim thought unfinished, but his meaning hung like morning mist.
"You look like crap," Ethan joked when Connor walked into the doctor's lounge. His eyes scanned Connor, the man looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep in several days; Which wasn't uncommon for them.
"I pulled a double shift," Connor mumbled.
"You should take a short nap," Natalie glanced up from her baby book.
"Hey, guys!" Will shoved his way into the lounge. "Did you guys hear about that girl who was found a couple of days ago?"
Connor shook his head, "the only news I've gotten the past few days is, this patient threw up. This patient is complaining about a hurt knee, this patient is complaining about the noise." He scruffed.
"There was a girl who was found washed up in the Starved Rock State Park," Will explained.
"Wait, what do you mean, washed up?" Natalie's eyes filled with concern.
"A couple who were white water rafting came across a body laying on the shore. At first, they thought it was a log, then realized it was a child. They think she's around thirteen." Will glanced over at his crush, she looked like she was about to be sick.
"That poor child," Natalie laid her hand on her belly bump. "I couldn't imagine what her parents must be going through."
"That's just the thing," Will went on, excitedly. "They have no idea who her parents are. The child is still unconscious, so they can't ask her. The police checked missing child reports, but none were made. The park rangers went around talking to families, but no one has claimed her. The police think that she's a runaway who could have been from an abusive home. Or maybe even a foster child."
"If she was from an abusive home, she's going to have a hard time when she wakes up," Connor replied, a hint of sadness filled his voice.
"What's even better is, she's coming here! They decided to transport her here until she gets..." Will's voice trailed off, at the sound of Connor's pager started going off.
"Looks like that child is already here," Connor shoved his pager back into his pocket then rushed out of the lounge. Two paramedics pushed a gurney into the hospital, there laid a small child. A child who was no way thirteen years old, she had to have been younger than that.
"We had that same look on our face, Dr. Rhodes. She's extremely malnourished, which caused her body not to develop as a thirteen-year-old child should be." The paramedic replied.
"Put her in there," Maggie called, as she pointed to an empty room.
"What's her BP?" Connor asked, with Natalie following closely behind.
"Her BP is 90 over 60." He turned his attention to the child, "on the count of three." He waited until everyone was ready to transfer the child to the bed. "One, two, three." They gently lifted her up, then placed the fragile body on the bed.
Connor brushed the blond hair behind the girl's ear, "how much does she weigh?"
"She weighs 60 pounds," the paramedic sighed.
"A girl her age should be around 76 and 148 pounds," Will said, as he stood beside the others.
"The other hospital made her stable, they are just waiting for her to wake up." With one last look, the paramedic rolled his gurney away, leaving Connor, Will, Natalie, and Maggie in the room staring at the child.
"You look like crap," Ethan joked when Connor dragged himself into the fluorescent-lit doctor's lounge, his scrubs wrinkled and surgical mask dangling from one ear. Dark circles shadowed Connor's usually alert eyes, and his shoulders slumped with the weight of exhaustion that only back-to-back shifts could bring.
"I pulled a double shift," Connor mumbled, collapsing into a worn leather chair that had seen countless weary doctors before him. The familiar antiseptic smell of the hospital clung to his clothes, mixing with the stale coffee aroma that perpetually hung in the lounge air.
"You should take a short nap," Natalie glanced up from her baby book, her face glowing with the warmth of impending motherhood.
The door burst open. "Hey, guys!" Will shoved his way in. "Did you guys hear about that girl who was found a few days ago?"
Connor shook his head, his voice rough with fatigue. "The only news I've gotten the past few days is that this patient threw up, this patient is complaining about a hurt knee, and this patient is complaining about the noise." He scruffed, running his fingers through his disheveled dark hair.
"A girl was found washed up in Starved Rock State Park," Will explained, his usual confident demeanor tinged with unease.
"Wait, what do you mean, washed up?" Natalie's eyes widened, maternal instinct already kicking in as her hand protectively covered her belly bump.
"A couple who were white water rafting came across a body lying on the shore. At first, they thought it was a log, then realized it was a child." Will's voice dropped lower as if sharing a secret. "They think she's around thirteen." He watched Natalie's face pale.
"That poor child," Natalie whispered. "I couldn't imagine what her parents must be going through."
"That's just the thing," Will continued, his eyes bright with the intensity of sharing crucial information. "They have no idea who her parents are. The child is still unconscious, so they can't ask her. The police checked missing child reports, but none were made. The park rangers went around talking to families, but no one claimed her. The police think that she's a runaway who could have been from an abusive home. Or maybe even a foster child."
"If she was from an abusive home, she's going to have a hard time when she wakes up," Connor replied, a shadow crossing his face as memories of his own past flickered behind his eyes.
Connor's pager's sharp, urgent beeping cut through the heavy atmosphere like a scalpel. "Looks like that child is already here," Connor said, pushing himself up with renewed energy. He rushed out of the lounge into the stark white corridor, where two paramedics were wheeling in a gurney. The small figure lying there seemed to disappear into the white hospital sheets, her frame so slight it barely made an impression on the mattress. Her skin was pale as morning frost, with a bluish tinge that made Connor's heart rate quicken with professional concern.
"We had that same look on our face, Dr. Rhodes. She's extremely malnourished, which caused her body not to develop as a thirteen-year-old child should be." The paramedic's voice carried the weight of experience, but he couldn't entirely hide his own distress.
"Put her in there," Maggie called.
"What's her BP?" Connor asked, with Natalie's soft footsteps following closely behind.
"Her BP is 90 over 60." The paramedic turned to the child, his movements gentle despite his burly frame. "On the count of three." He waited until everyone's hands were positioned correctly, their bodies tensed in practiced synchronization. "One, two, three." They transferred her with the delicate precision of handling spun glass, her slight frame barely requiring their combined strength.
Connor's practiced fingers brushed the tangled blonde hair behind the girl's ear, revealing a face too thin for childhood. "How much does she weigh?"
"She weighs 60 pounds," the paramedic sighed, the number hanging heavy in the air like an indictment.
"A girl her age should be around 76 and 148 pounds," Will said softly, his usual energetic presence subdued as he stood beside the others.
"The other hospital made her stable; they're just waiting for her to wake up." With one last concerned glance, the paramedic rolled his empty gurney away, its wheels squeaking softly against the polished floor. Connor, Will, Natalie, and Maggie remained in the room, their collective gaze fixed on the small figure in the bed, each lost in their thoughts about what circumstances could have led to this moment.