Page 7 of Guarding Over You
“That’s fine. We would have gone there, but they couldn’t get us in and urgent care had too many cars in front.”
Erika came out and nodded her head to the side. “Okay, I’ll be back in to glue it, if you want to have a seat.”
“How much longer is it going to be? I’m missing work right now.”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” he said. He moved toward Erika. “Well?”
“She said it’s the brother. A younger brother who hits her all the time and scratches. She showed me the bruises and said he threw the glass at her and her mother didn’t believe her. That her mother never does. She tried to pick it up so she didn’t get in trouble and in her rush cut her hand.”
He blew the air out of his cheeks. “You saw bruises on her?”
“She pulled her sweatpants up and there are old bruises on her shins and thighs. She said it’s from being kicked. And it’s hot and she wants to wear shorts, but her mother won’t let her because people would see the bruises.”
If the last part hadn’t been added he’d still be on the fence, but it was obvious they were covering up injuries. He thought it was odd the little girl had sweats on when it was almost eighty out now.
“I’m going to stall and call the social worker to pay them a visit.” He needed a second assessment before they took any further steps.
“It’s the ER,” Erika said. “It’s always behind. No one is going to say anything.”
He moved to the nurse’s station, waited for Maddy to finish what she was doing, then said, “Can you get a social worker down here for my patient in Room 7. Erika is updating her notes now with the conversation she had with the little girl. I’m trying to see if I can go back in and see the bruises without alerting her mother.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Maddy said. “Hang on.” Maddy picked the phone up, made the call, then hung up. “She’s on her way down. I’m going to get the mother and tell her I need some information out here. Then you can check on the patient.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I knew I could count on you.”
He stayed where he was while Maddy went into the room, then returned with Abigail’s mother behind her, keeping the woman’s back to the room while he slipped in.
“Hi there,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Are you going to fix my hand?”
“I will in a minute,” he said. “Before I do that, you told my nurse that your brother kicks you. Can I see your bruises?”
Abigail looked frantically toward the door. “She promised she wouldn’t say anything.”
He sighed. Not the best tactic on Erika’s part. “I know. But it’s our job to keep our patients safe and I just want to make sure that you’re okay. It won’t hurt. Can I lift the pant leg up?”
“My mom is going to be mad. She said that Corey can’t help it and that it’s my fault to get him wound up.”
“Is Corey your brother?”
“Yes.” Abigail nodded. “He’s just mean. He killed my fish.”
His head turned swiftly. “How did he kill your fish?”
“He took him out of the water and then put him on the floor and stepped on him.”
Jesus. “When was this?”
Abigail shrugged. “Around Christmas. It was a gift from my friend. He doesn’t have friends and he was mad.”
He couldn’t address that just yet. He leaned down and gently pulled up her pant legs, saw the bruising on her shins, then the same on her thighs. It was enough for him to know they were inflicted by feet and not from a fall.
He looked up when the door opened, and the last person he expected was the sharp-as-steel woman kicking what looked to be her ex-husband off her driveway yesterday.
She was just as startled as him, but the patient came first. “Dr. Ridgeway?” she asked putting her hand out.
“That’s me.”
