Maddox is next to me a moment later as Will starts reporting stats to the staff around him. They have Erin inside the hospital emergency room a few moments later.
“Put her in room four,” one of the nurses says. “Sir, you’re going to have to wait out here until we get her all checked out. You can come in for your interview as soon as the doctor is done with his evaluation.”
“I’m her friend,” I say quietly.
“Well, stay here, and I’ll come out with an update as soon as I have one. Okay?”
“Fine,” I mumble as the nurse heads into the room, shutting the heavy door behind her.
And so the waiting begins. I pace back and forth, up and down the small hallway as Maddox gives a status update to dispatch. Will walks up and slaps my shoulder. “She’s going to be fine, man. Just a bump on the head and they’ll probably check her out and make sure she doesn’t have a concussion before they send her home.”
“I know she’s gonna be fine. I just want to be in there with her.”
Will’s lip curls up on one side in a slight smile. “You’ll see her shortly. Hang in there, man,” he says as he turns and heads back out towards the waiting ambulance.
“So, dispatch says they caught the kid. They found him hiding in the tool shed on the back of Martha and Jep Cordell’s property. Apparently, their dog wouldn’t stop barking so they called the cops. Kid is nineteen and from St. Charles. They’re talking to him now at the precinct.”
“Well, at least they caught the little bastard. Thank God he didn’t hurt her more than he did.”
“Mr. Stevens, you can go back now. Miss Anderson is asking for you,” the polite nurse says. I follow her back down the short hallway but hesitate when I reach her doorway. “Go ahead,” she says politely with an encouraging nod.
I knock as I step through the door. “Hey, how are you feeling?” I ask as I approach her bed. She looks so small in the big hospital bed, but at least some of the color has returned to her face. They also have her in one of those one-size-fits-all blue hospital gowns. Even with the oversized gown, she looks breathtakingly beautiful.
“Okay. We’re waiting on the CT Scan to make sure everything is fine before they’ll let me go. Did they catch the kid who did this?”
“Yeah,” I say as I grab a hold of her hand and sit down in the chair next to her bed. “They caught him hiding inside a shed a few blocks away.”
“Good.” Erin closes her eyes for a few minutes, and I think maybe she’s dozed off, but then she starts talking again. “Thank you for coming with me to the hospital. It was nice to have someone with me.”
“No problem. I’m sorry I jumped your shit earlier. It just made me crazy to think you could have been seriously hurt over a few bucks.” I stroke the soft skin on her palm with my much bigger, calloused fingers.
“Yeah, well I have to account for every penny I spend at the library, and I didn’t want to lose any just so some kid could score a hit.”
“I understand why you did it, but that doesn’t mean I like it or that it was a smart move.”
“So what happens next? Do you have questions to ask me?” Erin asks with her eyes still closed.
“Yeah, Maddox and I have to conduct the interview. Are you up for a few questions?”
“Sure.”
After Maddox joins us in the room and the questions have all been asked and answered, the radiology staff come down to get Erin for her CT Scan. Maddox and I return to the waiting area, but this time, I’m much calmer as I wait since I got to talk to Erin.
When she’s returned to the ER, the doctor comes in and tells us that the scan came back clear. She’s ordered to take it easy for a few days and take Motrin for the headache.
Since I’m still on duty and in the squad car, I call my mom to come get Erin from the hospital and take her home with the promise to stop by as soon as I’m off work.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine when I get home and can get some rest.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I’m off work,” I reiterate, leaving no room for any more arguments from her. That earns me an eye roll of those beautiful green eyes.
When Mom pulls up to the ER entrance, I help Erin into the front seat of her car. I lean down and can’t help but inhale the wonderful scent of her hair. It smells like something tropical, and I’d love to dive my hands into it again. Since I don’t want to hurt her head further, I settle for a gentle kiss on the crown on her head.
“Thank you,” she says with a shy smile.
“I’ll see you later. Get some rest and I’ll bring over some take-out for dinner.”