And then we were at the hospital. The paramedic that had asked me if I was okay guided me out of the ambulance and set me to the side. I watched as Gaze was pulled out on a bed that had wheels that popped out as it left the vehicle. The male paramedic from the other side went in with Gaze, spouting information as they rushed.
I wrapped my arms around myself but stopped short of the comfort. My bloody hands. My pajamas. I was so cold.
The female paramedic reached into the ambulance and opened a metal cabinet. She came over to me and tossed a scratchy blanket over my shoulders. “I know you said you’re okay, but let’s get you inside and make sure.”
“Oh. I can’t—I have school tomorrow.” I tried to wriggle out of the blanket to hand it back to her.
“Sweetheart? You’re likely in shock, and I think you might actually have some injuries. I think school is out of the question for tomorrow.”
There was no one to call. Both Mom and Bic were traveling. I nodded because I wasn’t sure I really could walk home in my pajamas and bare feet.
The paramedic guided me into the hospital and shared some private words with a nice looking nurse.
The nurse took over and walked me to a bed with a curtain around it. “Hey, let’s clean you up and get you nice and warm.”
It sounded lovely, so I let her do just that.
_______________
An ER seems like an entirely different world. This late at night, people were buzzing all around like it was the middle of the day. Pam, the sweet nurse, had hunted me down some scrubs and two pairs of socks with rubber grips on the bottom. Then I had three blankets that felt toasty tucked around me. My hands were cleaned off and I did have a few cuts that she bandaged.
All the while, she spoke to me. Asked me about school, about Gaze and my favorite things. After introdocing herself as Pam, she tried to find out about my parents. Even with as soothing as she was, I knew not to say anything. I mean, technically, I was old enough to be alone, but not for the length of time that Mom had to travel.
Pam gave me updates about Gaze, that he was being treated and he was in the best place possible, and I felt my eyes closing despite the bright lights.
A police officer and the nurse opened my curtain and stepped inside my little bubble. I wasn’t tired at all anymore. The officer made a lot of noise as he moved, he had so much stuff on his belt.
“So, Pixie, right?” He nodded at me and pulled a rolling stool over. He sat down on it.
I nodded. I was going to be in over my head soon. And I knew I’d already said too much. Gaze didn’t want anyone to know his father hit him. And I didn’t see any way to get around that reality right now. My brain felt both hyperalert and sluggish at the same time.
“I need to ask you a few questions about this evening. You were at the apartment of the victim, correct?”
Nurse Pam stepped back into the cubical. “Sam, you’re not trying to interrogate her right now, are you?”
“Hey. No, just have some conflicting reports coming through, and I knew that Pixie here could settle things for me. Just tell me the facts.” He pulled his phone out and tapped on the screen. It was tilted so I could see he was taking notes on it.
Pam’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m Officer Sam, and Bruce was down at the station saying you were the one that attacked Gaze. Just checking on that whole situation.” He leaned forward a bit, watching my face.
“No. That’s not just checking and you and I know it. This kid needs to visit with her parents and stuff before you grill her. She’s my patient, and right now, I need her calm while I observe her for shock and injuries.” Nurse Pam stepped between Officer Sam and me. I watched as her positioning forced him to roll back in his stool. “And I’ve seen that little boy. She didn’t do that to him. Come on. Use common sense.” She kept stepping toward Officer Sam until he was forced to back up a few steps.
He leaned around Nurse Pam. “Okay. That’s fine. I’ll be back tomorrow in the neighborhood. And we’ll talk then, Pixie. Quite a few people know who you are.”
He smiled, but his words sounded threatening. Nurse Pam put her hand on his chest. “Hey, big man, she’s not even a teenager. So maybe tone it down. Not everyone is a perp.”
I was loving Nurse Pam right then. I glanced past the scuffle by my bed toward the corridor. If the cops were here to see me, then Gaze must be bad off. They didn’t make time for small injuries. To come here to talk to me… it was extra effort for sure.
When I tuned back into the conversation, Nurse Pam was still moving Officer Sam toward the other end of the ER.
When she came back, she touched my forehead in such a motherly way it made me ache for my mom. My pre-Bic mom.
“Can I call your parents to pick you up?” She had a metal clipboard in her hands now and was jotting things down on it.
“No. I’ll get myself home.” I looked down at my hands. I didn’t have normal clothes and no funds to get on the subway. I leaned my head back and regarded the ceiling. “I was hoping Gaze and I would be going home together.”
She touched my arm above my bandages. “He’s not going to be out of surgery tonight. And he’s certainly not going home for a little bit. We have to make sure he’s all set for healing, you know?”
“Okay. I guess that makes sense. I was hoping to have him home tonight.” I pushed myself to sit, and Nurse Pam put her hand behind my back to support me.
“Where are you headed, sunshine?”
She looked skeptically at my gripper-socked feet that I swung out of the bed.
“I mean, you need me gone, right? Is that why you want to call my parents?” I slid the rest of the way out of the bed until I was standing. The size small scrubs were a little loose in the waist, so I gathered them in my less injured left hand.
“Hey. Relax for a bit. I have to get a cab home this morning, and I bet I drive right past your place. I’ll drop you off.” Nurse Pam inhaled deeply while she waited for me to make a decision.
I crawled back into the bed. She tucked the blankets around me and took my temperature and counted out my pulse. “You’re doing well. I’d just love to let your whole system just relax for a few hours. It’s been a big night, right?”
She was so comforting. So sure that the right thing was to stay in this clean, safe, warm bed. I nodded. I was losing my fight with fear and uncertainty. I closed my eyes. “Will you let me know if you hear anything about Gaze?”
“Sure thing. Just rest, baby doll.”
And then I was asleep.
Chapter 26
Pixie Rae
NURSE PAM WOKE me up. My neck was stiff from the way I had napped on it. Other muscles in my body ached as well. Crossing the ramp and fighting Gaze’s dad took more out of me than I thought.
“Gaze is out of surgery and he’s in recovery. He’s not awake yet. And he won’t be for a few days. They want to keep him sleeping so his body can heal.”
“But he’s going to be okay?” I was instantly awake now.
“He’s going to have a fight on his hands, but he’ll make it. You need to get home, take a shower, and sleep in your own bed for a few hours. You did your job, your friend is here. And safe.” Nurse Pam put a jacket around my shoulders. “On another note, I’m not supposed to take patients home, but the process to get you where you belong is long and drawn out and requires some paperwork with our friend Officer Sam. So, let’s just get you to your place. Do you have a key to get in?”