Page 193 of Keep This Promise
“How is that case going that had you stumped?”
Kate puts her tablet on the ledge and sighs. “You know, I struggle the most with the girls in that age range. They’re always a bit funny about telling the whole story. She had a lot of bruises, which is why I was hoping you would order the full body scan.”
“To check for what?”
“I think she is being abused. I’d like to see if she has any healed fractures or current damage even. She mentioned being with several other girls, and when I asked her to elaborate, she mentioned an ambulance. I don’t know, it raised my red flags, and when I mentioned it to George, he told me to follow my gut, which leads me to you.”
The Wilkinson case. I’m sure Emmett told George about it.
“Which one?” I ask in case I’m wrong.
“The one with the guy who killed your best friend and almost killed the other . . .”
I like Kate, but the circle on the details is really small. Until I talk to Emmett, I’m not overly comfortable sharing what I know. Although, if her boyfriend is telling her stuff, she probably knows more than I do.
“Honestly, I don’t know anything, but I’m happy to order the full body scan. We can check for previous injuries. Have a full tox screen and blood workup been ordered?”
She thumbs through the tablet for a second before saying, “It looks like this is it.”
I take it and scan through the results. White blood cell counts are elevated, but that could be anything. Then I look at her toxicology report, she has some traces of opioids, which according to her history, were prescribed. “I’m not seeing anything alarming here. What makes you think she’s linked to a case?”
Kate lets out a long breath through her nose. “Sometimes I think it’s intuition. Or maybe it’s hope that it is because then I would have a starting point with her. She doesn’t talk, not much, at least. Just says she’s better, but there’s nothing better. Her mother is trying everything she can to get her to open up, but she won’t. All we know is that she was going to school, seeing friends, and everything seemed normal. Then, one day, she just . . . never came home. Everyone assumed she ran away and was gone about three months. We know she was using during that time because of the treatment plan after to help her detox.”
That makes me wonder why the doctor would be prescribing painkillers.
“You don’t think it’s just a girl on drugs who ran away?”
“I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem like any of the normal things I see were there. Of course, her parents could be oblivious, but I think it’s something else. I want to get to the root of the issue and help her heal from what’s happened. It’s just impossible to navigate trauma without the cause. I called Mike Girardo to see if he had any ideas. Of course, he said something about electrodes and sage . . . I don’t know.”
I laugh. “He broke through with Brielle.”
“He did, and now, I . . . well, he did. He is amazing, and I have to do the same with this girl.”
I’m sure she was about to say something about Brielle, but she caught herself. There’s a level of confidentiality we try to maintain, but we’re authorized to speak about our patients if it’s related to treatment. Still, Brielle is a friend of mine, and Kate knows it, so I appreciate her not breaking confidentiality and possibly putting me in an awkward position.
“If you want, I’ll take a deeper look into her file and compare it against another case that has a similar profile. I can see if there’s a connection that was missed.”
“That would be amazing. I really believe this girl didn’t run away. I think she was held somewhere. I’ve dealt with my fair share of both, and she’s reactive much more to a trauma than a choice.”
My phone buzzes, letting me know my shift is up and it’s date night. “I’ll check it out. I have to go.”
“Got a hot date?” she asks.
I grin. “Something like that . . .”
And I hope for something a bit more.
ChapterSeventeen
SOPHIE
“Now you be a good girl for Mama James, okay?” I’m crouched down in front of Eden, attempting to say goodbye to her for the third time. There’s something about going on this date that has me rattled. I wrote in my journal about it, which usually helps.
Except, apparently, when I am writing about going on the date that’s causing my anxiety.
Holden, who has the patience of a saint, hasn’t said a word each time I’ve turned to go back.
“Yes, Mummy.”
