Did it take a crime of some kind to elicit more than three syllables at a time?
“Can you wait here, while I go over the x-ray with her? I’m going to make my case. If she’ll agree, I’ll bring you in. If not, I’ll make the report myself after she goes.”
“I’ve got time.”
Not sure what else to say for the moment, Miranda gestured to a chair. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Keisha met her in the hall with the radiograph and followed her back into the exam room. Miranda slid the x-rays onto the lightbox to view them. The hairline fracture wasn’t a surprise. Perhaps the bigger shock was that it wasn’t any worse. Given the bruising, he’d cranked his hand around her fragile wrist like a vise.
“Well?” Rene asked softly.
Miranda used a capped pen to point. “It’s fractured. See that line right there? You’ll need a cast for a few weeks.”
“Can you do that here?”
“Yes. The bones aren’t separated or out of alignment. If it was any worse, I’d have to send you to an orthopedist.” She glanced at Keisha. “Non-displaced wrist fracture.”
“On it.”
As her nurse slipped from the room to retrieve supplies, Miranda spoke again. “Rene, I want you to look here, too. See that?” She pointed to several thick, white lines across the ulna. “Those are previous healed fractures. This has happened before.”
Rene hunched her shoulders. “I told you, I’m clumsy.”
“I’m sure that’s what he tells you.” Miranda dragged a stool over to the exam table and sat. “Are you aware you’ve been in here seven times over the past year for injuries? Three times since Thanksgiving. And I know I saw you in the emergency room once last year. Your records at the hospital indicate that wasn’t your first visit. Harley is getting violent more often.”
“Holidays are hard. Since he got laid off from the factory, he hasn’t been able to find steady work.”
The fact that Harley was seldom sober probably had a lot to do with that. “You don’t have to stay with him. You have options. The women’s shelter out at Hope Springs has both room and resources.” Well, not as much room as they needed, but they were nearly done constructing an expansion, and Miranda knew that Lily Mae Pollard, the woman who ran Monarch House, wasn’t about to turn away anyone in need.
“I took vows.”
How many times had Miranda heard that from Rene and others like her? “So did he. And he’s breaking them. He assaulted you. You need to report this.”
“The police can’t do anything. What happens in a man’s home—”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The law doesn’t stop at the doorway to a residence. Assault inside the home is still assault. Now you can ignore this like you’ve been doing. You can go on home and tiptoe around his moods, hoping you can anticipate what will set him off. But one of these days he’s going to snap, and it’s going to be worse than a fractured wrist and some bruising. Based on the escalation I’m seeing here, that’s not far off. He could kill you, Rene.”
Miranda’s hope that the words would shock her patient into action were dashed when she only lifted a stubborn chin. “He wouldn’t. Harley loves me.”
Maybe he had once, though Miranda questioned how much a man like that could really love. She chose her words carefully. “He probably wouldn’t mean to, but he gets aggressive when he’s been drinking. He’s not in control of himself. He needs help.”
Rene brightened somewhat at that. She wouldn’t reach out to take help for herself, but she’d think about it for him? Miranda didn’t like what that said about the woman’s self esteem, but she pushed for whatever advantage she could get.
“If you report him, a judge could order him to counseling, to treatment for alcohol addiction, if he thinks it’s necessary.”
The woman chewed her lip. “Harley would be really mad about that. He doesn’t trust therapists and head doctors.”
“Maybe not. But if a judge says he has to go, he doesn’t have a choice. And while he’s there, he could deal with his anger issues and get the drinking under control.” Miranda knew perfectly well a hostile, court-mandated patient wasn’t a good candidate for any of those things, but if they could get him out of the house and away from Rene long enough, they could maybe finally convince her to leave his ass and go to Monarch House.
“You really think it could help?”
I really think it could help you. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
Repressing the urge to do a victory dance, Miranda rose. “Okay. I know you don’t want to go into the station, so I’ve called someone to come take a statement. Meanwhile, we’ll get started on that cast.”
In the hall, she snagged Keisha. “She’s agreed to report it.”
“Praise Jesus.”
“I’m not taking any chances that she’ll change her mind. If you’ll set out the casting materials, I’ll do it when I bring in our guest.”
“You got it.”
After putting Delaney on duty in the hall to see that none of their patients left their exam rooms, Miranda went to grab Ethan. “She’ll talk to you. She doesn’t have the self-esteem to pursue it for her own sake, but I convinced her it was in Harley’s best interest. I may have implied that a judge could order him to treatment.”
His dark brows winged up faintly and an expression of respect crossed his face. “Not inaccurate, even if not guaranteed. Good move, Doc. I can work with it.”
Wow, three whole sentences.
He followed her back down the hall to room three.
“This pink wrap is gonna look so nice and cheerful,” Keisha said as they opened the door. “Doctor Campbell is gonna put this on you now.” She’d already fitted Rene with a plastic drape to keep her clothes dry during the process.
“Thanks, Keisha.”
With a raise of her eyebrows that clearly said good luck, the nurse stepped out.
Ethan stepped quietly into the room in her wake. Rene’s eyes went wide at the sight of him. He shut the door and nodded at her. “Ma’am.”
Again, Miranda had the ridiculous notion that he ought to be wearing a cowboy hat so he could take it off in the presence of women. His pause had that air of polite respect.
“Rene, this is Chief Greer. He’s here to take your statement. Chief, this is Rene Forbes, Harley Forbes’s wife.”
He kept his focus on Rene as he came over, folding himself into the visitor’s chair as Miranda started the casting process.
Good move. Make yourself look less intimidating.
His eyes fell on the bruises as Miranda tugged up her sleeve. “I understand you’ve had a little trouble.”
Rene instinctively clutched her wrist against her chest, covering the bruising with her other hand. But Ethan had already seen. Gently, Miranda nudged the wrist back down and slipped the stockinette over her hand. “I need you to hold your thumb and forefinger together. Yes, exactly like that.”
“No, no trouble.”
Ethan just offered a reassuring smile. “You know, I’ve met your husband.”