Inked in the Steel City Series(7)
Mina gripped the edge of the counter, struggling for the right words as anger began to replace the panic that had filled her as she’d raced to the hospital. How the hell did an entire group of girls accidentally run into someone in a wheelchair with enough force to tilt the sturdy base and throw the occupant’s head against the locker bank? “Was it an accident?”
Jess appeared extremely fascinated by a jar full of wooden tongue depressors, but her fidgeting hands gave her away. “I don’t think so.”
“Who did this?” Mina asked through clenched teeth.
The woman in the corner finally spoke up. “Ms. Carson, I can assure you that I’ll be looking into this and that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if it’s determined that your sister was deliberately harmed.”
“It’s Lee,” Mina replied, “not Carson. And what do you mean if? Do you know how hard you’d have to bump into her to tilt her chair like that?” She’d hefted the chair in and out of her car’s trunk often enough to know exactly how heavy it was. It wouldn’t be easy for teenage girls to tip unintentionally, especially not while Jess was sitting in it. “If she says it wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t an accident.” She turned to Jess. “What are the names of the girls who did this to you?”
The teacher looked uncomfortable, and the door swung open, preceded by a quick double-knock that saved her from having to reply. The doctor stepped in; tall, slender, middle-aged and cleanly dressed in blue scrubs and a crisp white lab coat. “Jessica Carson?”
Jess nodded and he stepped forward, glancing down at her chart. “Let’s see.” He took a few moments to examine her injury. “Well, the good news is that it’s not a very large wound. I should be able to close it up with four stitches, tops.” The friendly smile he flashed Jess didn’t seem to have much of an effect.
She made a feeble attempt at returning the gesture. “Do you think you could use one of, you know, those butterfly bandages instead of actually stitching it shut?” Jess’s hopeful tone played dangerously with Mina’s emotions and spiked her anger. As she thought of the girls who’d inflicted Jess’s injury, she couldn’t help but feel capable of snapping the brats in half like so many cheap, wooden tongue depressors.
“Although the wound isn’t long, it’s too wide for just a bandage,” the doctor explained. “Without suturing it would take a while to heal and you’d probably end up with a very noticeable scar.”
“Oh.” Jess held her own hands in her lap, both white-knuckled.
“Here,” Mina said, forgetting her anger for a moment. “I’ll hold your hand.” She pried Jess’s hands apart and inserted one of her own between them. “It won’t take long, will it doctor?”
He shook his head. “Not long at all. We’ll be done before you know it.”
Jess didn’t seem convinced, but she nodded, white-faced. “I don’t want to see the needle.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “But tell me before you give me the shot, OK?”
The nurse agreed and began to prepare a syringe full of anesthetic. The sight of the long needle made Mina want to cringe despite the fact that she’d just come from spending two hours having her own skin pierced continually. This was different – the numbing needle looked sinister and painful. Where exactly did all that length go when someone was receiving an injection in the head? Mina looked away as the nurse delivered the shot, squeezing Jess’s fingers in what she hoped was a comforting manner when Jess began to wring her hands.
“There,” the nurse said. “The worst is over with.”
Jess opened her eyes just a crack. “You’re done?”
The nurse nodded, setting the syringe aside on a tray.
Jess winced. “It feels like the needle is still inside my skin.”
The doctor assured her that was normal and turned to a tray of gleaming silver instruments. The actual suturing was over within a couple short minutes. “That’s it,” he said as the nurse prepared a bandage. “This should heal up nicely.” He left a few moments later, leaving Mina, Jess and the teacher alone with the nurse, who handed Mina a yellow sheet printed with care instructions. “If you have any problems or questions, you can take her to your family physician or bring her back here.”
Jess nodded, accepting the papers she’d need to drop off at the front desk before they left the hospital. “Just a minute.” She turned to the teacher, who had risen from her chair and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Miss—?”