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A few seconds later, a young woman in green scrubs entered. “Yes, Dr. Carmichael?”
I removed my oxygen mask. “What day is it? How long have I been here?”
“It’s Thursday evening. A little after eight p.m. Your doctor’s here, doing his rounds. He’ll be in to see you in a minute.” She smiled. “Can I get you anything?”
I attempted a smile but couldn’t quite get there. “Maybe a drink? I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but for some reason, I’m craving something with sugar.”
“Of course. A soda? Maybe some fruit juice?”
“Apple juice, if you have it. Thank you.”
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.” She turned, and a young man entered. “Here’s Dr. Hernandez now. He’ll update you on your condition.”
The tall young man approached me. “Dr. Carmichael, I’m Mark Hernandez. How are you feeling?”
I cleared my throat. It was dry and scratchy. “Thirsty. Slightly light-headed.”
“Not surprising.” He picked up my chart and examined it. “You did have carbon monoxide in your bloodstream, although not enough to do any lasting damage. I’m surprised you remained conscious as long as you did, however.”
“Adrenaline does amazing things.”
He chuckled. “Indeed, it does. The CO should completely leave your system within the next twelve hours. We’ve X-rayed you. No lasting damage to your hands, and as for your ankle, it’s bruised and swollen, but there are no fractures. Just a light sprain. It will feel much better in a few days.”
Light sprain? It hadn’t felt so light when it had happened or when I had been hopping around that garage. I simply nodded.
“Did the blood test show anything else in my system?”
He glanced at the chart again. “Nope. Why do you ask?”
“I was…drugged. Injected with something late Tuesday afternoon.”
“Looks like they ran the standard drug panel. We can run it again, but if it was something like Rohypnol, it’s probably left your system by now.”
Of course. Rohypnol. The date-rape drug. It induced amnesia, impaired judgment, and left the system quickly.
I’d been wondering how the masked man had gotten me out of my apartment without anyone noticing. I hadn’t passed out after all. I’d walked out of the apartment on my own. I just didn’t remember. That was also why he hadn’t given me any food until quite a bit later. I would have thrown it up.
“Run the test again anyway,” I said. “Please.”
He nodded. “Of course.” He cleared his throat. “All we know from the police officer who wrote you up is that you said you were kidnapped from your home and then forced into a garage with a running car.”
“Yes, that’s correct. And if today is Thursday, I was gone for almost forty-eight hours.”
“I see. Now that you’re awake, we’ll bring in a police officer, and you can make a statement.”
“At the time I was pulled over, Doctor, the officer in question wanted to arrest me for grand theft auto. So you can understand if I’m not too excited about speaking to the police again.”
“We’ve verified your identity,” Dr. Hernandez said, “and your injuries are commensurate with what you described. I don’t think you’re going to be arrested.” He gave me a big smile.
“Still, you don’t know for sure.”
“If the police thought you were any kind of risk, they would have someone posted at your door. Possibly have you cuffed to your bed. I’m pretty sure you’re in the clear. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yes. When can I get out of here?”
“I’d prefer to keep you overnight, for observation. We want to make sure the CO gets out of your system in a timely manner. But I don’t see any reason why you can’t leave tomorrow. We’ll get you a soft boot for your ankle. You’ll probably only have to wear it for a week or two. Maybe only a few days.”
Since I had no idea what my loft would look like when I got there, staying another night in the hospital didn’t sound too bad. “Can you get me some food?”
