“Who are you here for?”
Traci looked up and blinked. There, standing right in front of her, was a movie-star handsome man in light-blue scrubs and a white lab coat. A stethoscope hung around his neck.
Getting to her feet, Traci pointed to the closed curtain. “I escorted that woman.”
He pulled down the chart. “Gwen Camp?”
“Yep. She’s obviously pregnant.”
“How far along is she?”
“I don’t know. I found her on the floor in a house we just raided. I’m guessing she’s on a number of drugs.”
He was writing notes. “Any idea what she took?”
“No. My guess is meth, but it could be opioids.”
“Okay.”
“Um, she looks malnourished too. She’s really skinny.” When he looked up again, she held out her hand. “Sorry. I should have done this at the beginning. I’m Traci Lucky.”
“Good to meet you, Officer,” he replied as they shook hands. “Matt Rossi.”
“Good to meet you too.” She lowered her voice. “Just to let you know, Gwen isn’t exactly here willingly. She’s a flight risk.”
Worry instead of disdain filled the doctor’s eyes, which made Traci feel even worse. She should have more compassion for the girl. And, she was a girl. Definitely younger than she’d initially thought, probably not yet twenty-one.
Her feelings of guilt ratcheted up. Honestly, where was her compassion? Obviously something awful had happened to put Gwen in this situation.
“Officer, are you going to be here for a while?”
She nodded. “I’m staying until you give me an idea of what I should do with her. I’m pretty certain if I walked out now she’d run.” Plus, she’d promised Gwen that she wouldn’t leave her.
“Okay, then.” He turned and walked through the curtain, greeting Gwen as he did.
Not wanting to hear any more, Traci took a few steps to the right, finally ending up leaning against the closed door of a supply closet. And as the orderlies, doctors, and nurses passed by, she reminded herself that Gwen’s life was not her mother’s. Gwen’s baby was not going to be Traci.
Every child born in such a heartbreaking situation didn’t end up growing up in a succession of mediocre foster families before eventually ending up in a group home. Some, no doubt, did just fine.
And then, because she was alone and no one could see, she closed her eyes and said a little prayer for that baby.
Almost forty minutes later, the doctor came out.
Traci strode forward. “How is she?”
“Struggling.” He sighed. “You were right, she is badly malnourished and on something. Her blood pressure is elevated and she complained of some light cramping. After we got some blood, we did an ultrasound.”
“Yes?”
“I thought she might be around four months pregnant. Based on the size of the baby, I’d say she’s at least five months. Maybe closer to six.”
“That far along?” The girl was such a little thing.
“My main concern is the low amount of amniotic fluid and that elevated blood pressure. She needs to be admitted.”
“All right.” Honestly, that was for the best. If Dr. Rossi had released her, Traci didn’t know where she’d place the girl.
The doctor continued. “As I said, we took some blood and ran a couple of tests. Her baby’s heartbeat seems strong but I’d still like to know what’s in her system before we go any further.” He ran a hand through his hair, making the short dark strands stand up on end. “I’m going to recommend she get some more tests. We need to see some of those results before we decide anything else.”
“So, it’s likely she’ll need to be here at least twenty-four hours.”
He nodded. “I’m going to recommend she remain hospitalized at least until Saturday. But, like I said, we need some more answers until you can get her someplace better.”
Until she found someplace better for Gwen.
Though a part of Traci had known this was the likely outcome, the responsibility hit her hard. For the near future, she was in charge of Gwen Camp.
It seemed no good deed ever did go unpunished.
But instead of reacting, she kept up her professional demeanor. “Thank you for seeing her so quickly, Dr. Rossi.”
“It’s what I’m here for.” His gaze was warm as he suddenly smiled. “Hey, good job on getting her here.”
Maybe it was because he was so nice. Or he cared so much and was making her want to be better, too. But whatever the reason, she found herself smiling back. And, feeling a little bit better about the world.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll say goodbye but be back tomorrow.”
He looked surprised. “Really? Do you make follow up visits for everyone you bring in?”
“No, but I’m committed now. Plus, I’ve got some personal reasons for getting so involved.”
“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“I hope so,” she replied before she caught herself. After all, this wasn’t some meet-cute. She was doing her job and so was he. They were working.
“Dr. Rossi, we need you,” a nurse called out.
“I’ve got to go. See you, Officer Lucky.” He smiled again before walking down the hall.
Traci stayed where she was and watched him disappear. But as she turned to walk back to Gwen, she realized that the future didn’t feel as bleak as it had just an hour ago.
Huh.
CHAPTER 2
waltz: This is the most commonly thought
of dance when someone mentions ballroom dancing. It is twenty-eight bars per minute,
done in a 3–4 time, and can be fairly romantic.
Monday
“Officer Lucky’s down the hall, Dr. Rossi,” Marissa, the head nurse on duty announced as Matt arrived on the obstetrics floor.
“Has she been there long?” Matt asked.
“Over an hour.”
“And our patient? Miss Camp?”
Marissa scanned through her computer screen. “She’s been stable. Her baby is hanging in there, too.” She read out loud the latest results from the blood tests.
Matt sighed in relief. The numbers were almost normal. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Anytime, doc,” she said before turning to a nurse who’d just approached the station.