Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“You’re in the ER.” The nurse has a heart-shaped face and her big brown eyes are warm and friendly, but tinged with concern. “My name’s Emily, and we’re going to take care of you tonight, okay?”
I’m being rolled down a pale blue corridor, passing door after door too quickly to tell where we’re going. But when did I get here? How?
Am I hurt? I must be. My head’s pounding like a jackhammer, and when I lift my arm it weighs a million pounds. When I finally manage to raise my hand enough to feel the damage, my fingers hit gauze and bandages.
“Was I shot?”
“What? No! You hit your head, but some nice people found you. You’re safe with us, promise.” Emily stays with me the whole time, holding my hand as they wheel me into a room and a couple of aides help move me onto the bed. “What’s your name?”
“Um, Melody.” I’m so confused. “How did I get here?”
“You were at the motorcycle rally. Do you remember?” She waits to see me nod. “Good. There was a bit of trouble, and the crowd got a little rowdy. I don’t know the whole story, but you were brought in with a few other people who got hurt. I can ask around and see if anyone else has more information, but first we have to get you patched up.”
“Patched up? What happened?”
“We were hoping you could tell us. We’re going to need to take care of the cut on your scalp, but the bandages probably make it feel worse than it is. Head wounds are a bitch. You’ve got a bit of a concussion and some bruising.” She smiles. “I’m just going to do a quick exam if that’s okay.”
All I can manage is a weak smile while I try to sort my thoughts. The rally. Red. Mad Dog and his friends. Oh God. I had a foursome. The shooting. Dad. I remember a voice and being hit. I was worried about getting caught up in the violence, but why would anyone go out of their way to attack me? And then take me to the hospital?
The evening started with a bang and ended with a whimper.
Emily is quick and efficient as she adjusts the bed and looks me over, chatting the whole way about what she finds. “Follow the light with your eyes, okay? Pupils are even. That’s a good sign. Any double vision?”
I shake my head and groan at the wave of vertigo it brings.
She chuckles. “Yeah, you really got your bell rung. You were in and out of it for a bit, so I want to keep you under observation for a couple hours to make sure nothing more serious develops.” She gently pulls away my bandages and checks where I was hit. “You’re going to have a pretty good goose egg back here, but I think we can get away with gluing you back together.
“Some bruising on your arm. Looks like someone grabbed you pretty hard. Hmm…” She puts her hand on my arm, and her voice softens further, like we’re confiding in each other. “Listen, I’m going to ask you something, Melody, and if I’m totally off-base, that’s fine.” A short pause. “Maybe you just had an unlucky fall, but some of this looks deliberate, and your clothes look like they were pulled on quickly. Think hard about what you remember and how you’re feeling. Do you want me to do a more thorough exam?”
“What? What do you mean?” I start to sit up, then think better of it.
“Honey, should I get a rape kit?” she asks softly.
I’m incredibly touched that this nice lady is asking so sensitively, and also mortified that my clothes look like this because I had to pull them on in the dark while listening to gunfire after getting down and dirty with three guys. I’m hardly going to say that out loud, though, so I stick with, “No, nothing like that.”
Emily accepts my answer with a kind smile. “Okay, good. If your answer changes? You let me know.”
The door opens, admitting a man in a white doctor's coat. His expression is kind, framed by a tight white beard and short-cropped white hair, which makes me think he might be older than his broad physique would lead me to believe. He smiles when he sees me. “Hey there. My name’s Doctor Brash, but everyone around here just calls me Doc. How are you feeling?”
I give him the same update. Dizzy, my head aches, and I’m a little confused about how I ended up here.
“Well, I can’t help much with that last part, but I hear you might need a little help. Em, can I have a word with you before we get this nice young lady patched back together?”
Emily nods. “Of course. I’ll be right back, Melody.”