Page 58 of Operation: Integrity

“Kelly . . . pray about it.” Anna touched her arm. “All that worrying won’t do you any good. It will only give you an ulcer.”

An EMT came out of the back of the ambulance. “She’s right. I’m done with what I can do out here. Both of you really need to have more fluids. I’d like a doctor to take a look at that laceration on your collar bone, and?—,”

Kelly interrupted him. “I know, the kit has to be performed there at the hospital. Can you blame us for not wanting to go? When we were here, we were trained exactly what to say to any medical professional so that no one ever knew what was going on. We both know that you’ll do your kit and nothing will happen. Nathan and Nicolas won’t ever see the inside of a jail cell. It’s just not fair.”

Her emotions were getting to her. She had to calm down and breathe until she found out if Sam was all right.

Edwyn came back, looking sheepish. “Hey, sorry. I know you really wanted to see Sam. He’s being detained right now because of what he found in the basement garage. He’s having to answer for why he went down there without any police. I don’t think they’ll take him to jail, but that’s where he is.”

She breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t dead somewhere and that Viceroy must not have known he was down there. “So, he can’t come back?”

Anna gave her an encouraging look. “He’ll be here when he can. He’ll have to answer questions, then he’ll come over and find you. Don’t worry.”

Except there was a very real possibility that she’d have to go to the hospital without him because he’d gone after people instead of coming with her. He’d literally said he wouldn’t leave her side, then did. Kelly bit her lip. “I know.I just wanted him here now. I don’t like being here. I’m scared. I hurt all over.” Her hands trembled and she grasped them together so no one would notice.

The EMT came over and casually checked her pulse again. “Heart rate is spiking.” He glanced down at her, then over to his partner.

“Both of these two need to go in, anyway. Are you with either of them?” He directed the question at Edwyn.

“No, sorry. Kelly is a friend.” He took a step back. “Can I ask which hospital so we can see Kelly after she’s been checked over?”

The EMT frowned. “Due to the nature of this call, I can’t give you that information. I can’t stop you from ambulance chasing, but I can’t hand you information.”

Edwyn held up his hands. He wouldn’t force anyone to break rules, even if it meant his life would be easier. “Kelly, just keep on keeping on. We’ll find you. You won’t be alone for long. Okay?”

She nodded quickly, still feeling overwhelmed by too many emotions to speak. The EMT came around and pushed her gurney into position, then slid her in place. Anna followed, her gurney close enough for Kelly to reach out and touch it.

One of the EMTs stayed in the back with them. He was perched on a built-in metal cabinet behind them. Riding facing backward without the ability to see anything left her even more disoriented than the stress. “I’m sleepy.” And she desperately wanted a shower to scrub the last 24 hours away.

“The nurses will have a bed waiting for you as soon as you’re finished being looked at. They all know that you won’t start getting better until they’re done doing what has to be done.”

Kelly snorted. She’d never felt like clinics or hospitals were great places to heal. Whenever she’d been to one, she’d had to lie. Nothing in her chart from the last few years was the truth. She suspected that they knew what was going on, but couldn’t do anything. Accusing people of human trafficking with little to no proof didn’t do anyone good. If they were right but couldn’t prove it, life could end up much worse for her than if they’d kept their mouths shut.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the ER dock. The door swung open and both Kelly and Anna were wheeled into the emergency department. Kelly braced herself by going into what she called her blank space, the part of her mind where no one and nothing could enter. She was alone there. Unfortunately, there also weren’t comfy chairs or light, but at least she could block out most of what was happening around her.

Once they finished and got her into a room, she closed her eyes as the nurse brought out a warm blanket from the warmer and tucked it in around her. “Can I shower? Is that allowed?” She felt filthy, and the bedding was all white and pristine.

The nurse screwed up her lips in thought. “You can, but your blood sugars were really low, your blood pressures were really low, and you’re wobbly. I understand why you want a shower, but I recommend you wait until you’re fully stable.”

“Is there a seat in the shower?” she pressed.

“I can get a stool for you. If that’s a compromise that will work, then I’ll do that for you.”

Kelly closed her eyes, imagining the hot water washing away everything, hopefully even her memories,of the last day. “Please. And I know there’s a call button in there. I won’t get too far from it.”

The nurse smiled. “Thanks. That makes my job easier.” She left the room and the silence soon felt heavy around Kelly. She needed to do things. Everyone had talked about nothing but her healing the last few weeks, but that seemed even further away now. What Nathan and Nicolas had done to her would leave scars far deeper than those on her skin.

The nurse came back a few minutes later and Kelly had drifted into a semi-dream state where she felt heavy and sleepy, her eyes were closed, and moving was difficult.

“I’ve left the chair for you,” the nurse whispered.

Those words, giving her the go-ahead to shower, gave her the energy she needed to get out from under the heated blanket and semi-comfortable bed. She stripped off the hospital gown and turned the water as hot as she could stand, then inched it up a notch more.

Steam poured from the shower as Kelly stepped inside. Meticulously, she lathered her hair and left the shampoo in for maximum effect while she washed her body from her face down to her toes. Then, she rinsed her hair and did the same with the conditioner, leaving it for five minutes as she let the heat of the shower penetrate down to her bones.

When she pulled back the curtain and the cool room air hit her, dizziness threatened for a moment, and she gripped the sides of the stool to keep upright. Once her head stopped swimming, she fished her arms back through the sleeves of the gown and tied it in the back. She wished they’d left her with a robe or a spare gown she could wrap around herself the other way. After what she’dbeen through in that room waiting to die, having her back exposed was a painful reminder.

After about a half hour, the same nice nurse came in and pulled two things from her pocket and laid them on the tray next to the computer, out of Kelly’s reach. “The doctor prescribed some sleep assistance for you. Though you look sleepy enough as it is, I can’t go against his orders. You’ll feel heavy for a little bit, then you’ll drift off. I’ll be here when you wake up. Is there anything you want us to tell visitors if they come?”

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