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Dr. Cole nodded.
I looked stared at him, refusing to sit back in the wheelchair. I threaded my fingers through Katie’s and gripped the rail of her gurney.
Dr. Cole walked past me as he said, “Take them to the treatment room.”
I walked next to Katie, holding her hand as we followed the doctor. When they had Katie situated and everyone had left but Dr. Cole, I sat down in the chair next to her.
Tears welled up, and I asked without looking away from my beautiful girl. “Do you have a SANE nurse?”
“We do. Do you have reason to believe she needs a Sexual Assault Nurse?” He asked as he sat in a chair at the foot of the bed.
Katie, while she appeared entirely out of it, must have been aware of his movements because she attempted to pull her feet away from him. It only caused her to cry out in pain. He noticed her trying to move away from him and scooted further from the gurney.
I nodded, tears choking my throat. “I know she does. I also think she has either a dislocated or broken hip and shoulder.”
Dr. Cole nodded and typed something on the iPad he was holding. “Can you tell me your names?”
“Jackson and Catherine Holt. We don’t have insurance, but I can give you my accountant’s name for billing.”
I knew we’d never avoid the media circus if we used Katie’s name—not even if we used Catherine Carter—so I lied for the time being. There were too many people to leak shit we didn’t want getting out.
“Any other injuries she has that you know of? Any allergies or medical issues?”
Not knowing what to say, I was thankful I was still looking down at Katie because she shook her head.
“No allergies or medical issues, but she probably has a concussion. She and I were both knocked unconscious, and I don’t know if I was drugged or not, but she was. We’ve both lost time.”
“Any idea how much time?”
“What day is it?” I asked.
“October 31st.”
“Halloween. How fitting.”
Katie squeezed my hand. I looked at the doctor and said, “Last time we knew what day it was, we were in Nashville. It was October 26th.” I swallowed.
How the fuck did things go so fucking wrong?
The doctor nodded, then asked, “What about you? Looks like you were put through the wringer as well. I see healing surgical wounds to repair what looks to be a gunshot, another bullet hole in your pants, and then there are all the lacerations.”
“Yeah, there are two gunshot wounds. I was shot in the chest several weeks ago. I had a, umm, hemopneumo something and then was shot again the day we were… Anyway, that one bled for a while, then quit. It hurts like a bitch, and I have a fever, so it’s probably infected. I took a couple of hits to the head, and my shoulders feel off. I don’t have any medical issues. No allergies either.”
Dr. Cole sighed and stood up, causing Katie to squeeze my hand. “Katie, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but I’m going to address you directly. Jackson has asked us to bring in a SANE nurse. Do you know what that is? Do you want the exam?”
I watched her closely. She looked at me and the fog veiling her eyes lifted. After taking a deep breath, she looked at the doctor and said, “Yes.”
Fuck! She’s so goddamned strong.
I leaned forward to kiss her forehead, but the doctor stopped me. “Jackson, you can’t. Ideally, even being in the room contaminates evidence, but you carried her in, so I didn’t say anything. Kissing her now will leave saliva behind, though. So, please refrain until the exam is over.”
I nodded. I closed my eyes to ward off the emotions rising in me.
“Katie, before we do anything, I need to check your pulse in your extremities. Can I touch your ankle and wrist? Just on the arm and leg that are injured?” Dr. Cole asked.
Katie’s chin trembled, but she nodded. Dr. Cole slowly put on gloves and approached Katie’s ankle from the side of the bed. He slowly reached out to feel the pulse in her leg. He nodded and then used the other hand to check her pulse on her wrist. He nodded again.
“Well, that’s all good. I wanted to check your pulse to decide which route to take in treating your dislocations. I’m happy to say we will be able to take our time. This means we can get you through a few tests before we do the exam. First up is a CAT scan since you were hit on the head. We will get one for Jackson too, and then we’re going to x-ray your leg and shoulder. Oncewe have the films back, we’ll reset that leg and shoulder so the SANE nurse can do the exam.”
