Razorblade Kisses(71)

“Hi. I’m here for Lucas Lord,” she spat out as she ran into the ER, breathing hard. “Lucas Lord.” Emery showed her DFCS ID. “I’m his caseworker.”

A male police officer approached her and nodded at her. “I’ll take you back,” the officer said, and his voice made the hairs of her arms stand on end. She dismissed it and followed him quickly through the lobby back through the doors and into the ER.

She didn’t like hospitals, but wanted to make sure Lucas was okay. Emery’s eyes went from room to room, searching for Lucas.

She saw the little boy lying on a bed to the right and ran past the officer to get to him. He looked younger than eleven and she wanted to hold him. Throwing down her bag and files on the floor, she hugged the frail little boy.

“Lucas, are you okay? You had me driving around like the Flash,” she said, exasperated. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his jaw and ear.

His hands started moving around wildly, signing. He told her he was okay, but that Jerry had pushed him into a bookshelf and he’d fallen.

“That doesn’t look like a fall face,” she said. “That looks like a punch face.”

He hesitated and his eyes left hers, looking at something behind her. She turned and saw him looking at the cop.

“Look.” She pointed at her face. “You’re okay. Tell me what happened.”

His eyes closed and signed that Jerry and his mother were drunk and Lucas kept telling them he needed to eat. It was ten at night and he hadn’t eaten since lunch at school the day before. So Jerry punched him in the face just a couple times. It broke her heart that Lucas phrased it as “just a couple times.”

Emery stepped to the side and looked away so that Lucas wouldn’t see the anguish on her face. She wouldn’t cry in front of this kid who was so strong. She examined the officer’s black uniform shoes. They were shiny, standard issue. Taking a breath, she leaned over Lucas. “I’m going to hug you now,” she declared.

Lucas smiled and nodded at her. She hugged him. He signed for her to sit next to him on the bed.

“You got it.” She leaned down and pulled off her UGG boots, leaving her Wonder Woman socks on, and crawled in the bed.

Lucas’s face threatened to break in two with the size of his grin when he saw her socks. He pointed at them enthusiastically. She smoothed his hair.

“Ma’am? Can you tell me what he just told you? We’ve been having a difficult time getting him to talk to us.”

Emery barely acknowledged the officer. “You would because he doesn’t talk.”

“He can hear, though, right?” The voice kept penetrating her brain, sending chills down her arms.

“He hears perfectly.” She inched down the bed so she and Lucas were on the same level and she could look him in his caramel eyes. “What do you say, bud? I need to tell this nice police officer why you were hurt. That okay?”

He fervently shook his head no. He started humming.

She put her arm on his. “Okay.”

A nurse came in a moment later and cheerfully announced that they needed to give him a shot. Lucas’s entire body started shaking.

“Hey, man, you can handle a little shot,” Emery comforted.

He started humming and hitting himself in the head.

“No, Lucas. No,” Emery said, putting her hands on his to stop him from hitting himself. “How about if I get a shot too? Will that work?”

Lucas stopped hitting his head and looked at her. Signing, he asked if she would really do that.

“Of course.” She grinned. “You know what? I bet that strong police officer will get one too.” She pointed at the officer standing off to the side of the bed.

The officer nodded once and smiled, showing a dimple just to the left of his mouth. He looked familiar to Emery; she’d probably seen him around.

“We can take blood, will that work?” the nurse asked.

“Sure. Right, bud?”

Lucas nodded hesitantly.

“I’m sure Officer...”

“Flemming,” the officer filled in, smiling at Lucas.

“I’m sure Officer Flemming wouldn’t mind going first. I’m kinda scared myself,” Emery admitted, focusing her attention on Lucas.

“Sure.” The officer moved farther into the room and quickly unbuttoned his shirt and took off the Kevlar vest he was wearing. He stood in a t-shirt that read Southland Brewery. It was sort of tight and hugged his biceps.

“I’ve been there. Great beer,” she commented. She finally really looked at him and used every ounce of willpower for her face to not react to his.

“A buddy of mine from college works there, so I hang out there a bunch,” the officer said, smiling at her. He walked toward the bed and sat in the chair so that the nurse could take blood. She’d gone to get what she needed, so they just sort of sat there awkwardly.