Keith had to rush off to another emergency room visit visitor. Jan started to look through phone messages, but when she got to the "OMG, it’s a bad one," she realized she had reached her limit, and closed her eyes.
They wheeled little Brady back, and he seemed scared, but sleepy. He didn’t seem as if he was in too much pain, but he sought her reassurance by grasping her hand, little fingers curling around hers, the IV taped to the top of his hand.
“Mommy?” Brady asked, in Jan’s heart clenched a little bit.
“No, honey. Mommy and Daddy will be here soon. It’s Miss Jan.
“Oh. I like you, miss Jan. Why didn’t the man stop?”
Oh, God – what that one hurt. She had no idea what to say, she couldn’t implicate her boss, and the child didn’t need to know any of that. He was six and he was hurt, for God’s sake.
“It was an accident honey,” she whispered tears again pricking her eyes. She loved these kids.
“Oh,” Brady whispered, and then he sighed.
Only a few minutes later, Brady’s parents rushed in. Mrs. Carson clutched Jan’s arm, her face flushed, her eyes brimming with tears. “What happened?” She asked trying to keep her voice down Brady’s father leaned down over the bed, kissing his son’s head. Both of them tried to avoid looking at the splinted leg, Jan noticed.
“Can we talk about it outside?” Jan asked, and both parents nodded. Mr. Carson broke off and his wife took his spot at the head of the bed.
“Hi honey, Mommy’s here. It’ll be okay.”
“Thank you, Miss Jan. Mommy, I hurt.” Jan’s heart clenched at that that little boy should’ve never been hit.
Keith met them right outside the room. He gave Jan a reassuring smile and she nodded in acknowledgment. It was so good having his presence here
“Mr. Carson, this is Dr. Gordon. Not only is he an incredible ER doctor, is also a friend of my family for a very long time. He saw to Brady’s injury, and he’ll tell you more about it.” It was very easy for Jan to go into, teacher mode, even if she didn’t feel it. She was anything but calm.
“Mr. Carson, let me explain Brady’s injury to you while we wait for the orthopedic doctor to get here.” He glanced over Jan. There are some chairs right down the hall,” he said. “Why don’t you go sit there?” Jan gave him a significant look. Now that the parents were here, shouldn’t she wait in the general waiting room, outside the exam area? Keith seemed to anticipate her questioning glance and shook his head.
“Thank you, Jan. We need to know what happened. But my little guy is more important now. Can we talk to you in the next few days?”
“Of course,” Jan said, just in the moment she remembered both of the Carsons worked in a law firm. Oh boy, that was going to be interesting. “If you need any information, I’ll be right over there, or we can talk tomorrow.” She gestured to the area Keith had mentioned she ought to sit.
“There’s going to be somebody here to talk to you,” Keith said in an undertone after Mr. Carson and back into the room to check on his son. “Some men in blue. The testing the whole of your establishment. A witness said the car deliberately drove onto the playground.”
Jan closed her eyes and nodded; she’d expected this. At least she knew she was in the clear. God, why was even thinking that way?
“Are you okay?” Keith pulled her into his arms wrapping her in a tight embrace. Jan snuggled in to his warmth, the scratch of his scrubs comforting, the scent of one of her favorite people blotting out the antiseptic smell of the hospital.
“I will be.” What else could Jan say?
“Watch what you say to the police, okay? One of the nurses will be by to take a blood sample.”
“What are they testing for?” Jan asked.
“Substances.”
Substances. That word rang in Jan’s mind she walked down the hall and sat in a chair. She put her purse on her lap, and considered pulling her phone out. She really needed to talk to her mom and dad. Some things never changed, and even though she was closer to 30 than 20, she needed those reassurances. Especially when her job, possibly even her career, could be on the line. Oh, God could it really be on the line? This was so, so bad.
Keith couldn’t believe Jan had come in, accompanying little boy. The little guy would be okay, although surgery was in his future.
Keith wrapped up his paperwork and walked to his locker, pulling out street clothes and dressing quickly. He shrugged on a light jacket, ran his hands through his hair, and gave himself a squirt breath spray. He tried not to examine why he was primping, or his version of primping anyway. Jan was family, not quite a kid sister, definitely not a daughter. But she was family nonetheless.