Page 11 of Just My Puck
“When is that?” she asks in a faint whisper. “What day is it?”
“Today’s Friday,” Dr. Silva says.
The woman’s eyes widen in horror. “Wait, that means the appointment is in three days. Where am I supposed to go until then? I don’t even know if I have a home,” she blurts, her voice high-pitched.
“Don’t worry,” Dr. Silva reassures her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll keep you here until you remember.”
Her eyes drop to her lap, and I’m pretty sure a tear just slid down her cheek.
“Could she check into a hotel? I’d absolutely pay for it, or a rental. It’s a little crazy in here,” I say, glancing at the door. “It took me a solid half hour just to find her in this maze.”
“I know it’s not ideal,” Dr. Silva says, her mouth twisting. “But this is procedure in a case like this. Even if she’s lucid, we can’t release her unsupervised. And she does have a minor concussion that’ll need to be monitored for the next few hours, at least.”
Garrett nods in agreement.
“We’re a bit overwhelmed at the moment,” Dr. Silva continues. “But it should get better next week. We’ll either find you a room here, or we’ll transfer you to another hospital—maybe the psych ward.”
“A social worker will be in touch to find a more permanent solution,” Garrett adds. “But with the holidays approaching, the one assigned to you has more urgent cases at the moment.”
“The psych ward.” I guffaw. “She doesn’t belong in there. She already had some random guy burst into her room earlier. Who knows what could have happened if I wasn’t here?”
“Yeah,” the girl says with asmall voice. “I second that. I’m not liking this psych ward idea, or the hospital, to be honest. Not without a bodyguard.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Silva says. “It’s not always this chaotic, and I’m sure things will fall into place in a few days.”
“Could she come home with me?” The words leave my mouth before I can think them through, but I don’t regret them. I’ve always been a man who takes responsibility for his actions, and that’s not about to change. “I can look after her, and I have friends who can help too.”
Garrett and Dr. Silva exchange a look.
“Is it really such a bad idea?” I ask. “If you’re willing,” I add to the girl, “you can come home with me, and I’ll make sure you’re safe between your appointments.”
She bites her lip.
“Caleb,” Garrett says, “it’s very unusual to release a Jane Doe to someone who is not a relative. I mean, even if she’s willing to go with you, what would that look like?”
“I have an extra room she can use, friends who can stop by, and a great support system. I’m sure they’ll jump in and help. And if they can’t, I’ll hire someone to look after her. You don’t have to come with me,” I add, glancing at the girl. “But it just feels wrong leaving you here.” I turn back to the officers. “And Garrett, you can vouch for me, right?”
He nods. “Caleb is an upstanding citizen. Known him since he was a kid, and I trust him. So, I guess we could make an exception. That is, if you’re interested,” he asks the girl. “We could release you into his custody. We’d also keep a close eye on you, of course, and have the social worker check in. If you decide it’s not a good fit, we’d find another solution.”
“And I’ll bring you back here for all your therapist appointments,” I add.
“Actually, Dr. Stuart also has a private practice,” Dr. Silva says. “It might be closer to your place.”
“This is a lot to take in. Maybe we should give you a minute to think about it?” Garrett suggests to the girl before nodding toward the rest of us, prompting us to leave the room.
“Press the call button when you’re ready for us,” Dr. Silva tells her before closing the door.
Once I’m in the hallway, I lean against the wall. I hope she seriously considers my offer. I get how weird it is, but I also don’t think she’s safe here. And as much as I’d like to, I can’t stick around and protect her. It’s strange. For some reason, I have this need, this pull, to make sure nothing happens to her.
She has no one right now. No safety net, no familiar shoulder to lean on. And I want to be that for her.
It won’t undo what happened, nor will it make up for the harm I caused. But maybe, just maybe, it’ll help her get through the challenges to come.
5
“Aye, aye, matey. Let’s sail away.”
Jane Doe
