Page 12 of Accepting Fate
I’m trying my best to maintain my composure, but he just brought in a little girl that is teetering the line of life and death. Big red warning lights are flashing in my head as I continue walking, my quick pace probably feeling like a leisure stroll to this giant next to me.
He clears his throat before speaking, “Her name is Lily Carson. She’s four. I helped Lily and her mother out of a bad situation. She has a broken arm and leg. When I got her to the truck, she was fine but once we buckled her in the car seat a few minutes later, she passed out. We got her to wake up and booked it here. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, her mother lost her pulse and she went limp.”
Holy fucking shit.
I try to dissect everything he just said, suspecting that he may be the cause of Lily’s injuries. I don’t want to think that way. I want to believe him because he sounded devastated during his explanation, but working in this environment – the odds of him being the good guy are not very likely. And in my experience, it’s better to have your guard up so you don’t get yourself into a bad situation.
We reach the exam room; I see Lily’s eyes flutter open and everything else fades away. My main priority is to get this baby girl healthy.
Rushing to her side, I gently brush her hair out of her beautiful eyes, “Hi, sweet girl, my name is Logan. Can you tell me your name?” Her eyes dart around the room at the doctors and nurses flying in every direction, hooking her up to various machines, placing an IV in her arm, and assessing her injuries. Her chest starts to rapidly rise and fall.
Bending down so I’m right next to her face, I take her hand in mine and whisper, “Hey, focus on me, okay? You are safe here. I won’t let anything happen to you; I promise.”
I wipe her tears away and she gives me a tiny nod. “Good job, sweetheart. Now, can you tell me your name?”
Her voice is soft and raspy as she says, “My name is Lily.” Her voice sounds strained like she’s been crying for days.
“Good job. I know it’s hard to understand what’s going on right now, but can you tell me where you are?”
“Um,” she says, sounding unsure and panicky. “At the doctor place?”
“That’s right, you are at the doctor's,” I say cheerfully.
Leaning back to see if the mystery man is still there, I see him standing in the corner of the room and motion him over with my free hand.
I look back at Lily. “Do you know this man, sweetie?”
When he reaches my side, Lily’s face brightens and she nods her head. “Yeah-h. That’s Grayson but I call him Gray. He saved me and my mommy from the evil man.”
Everything in the room stops as the nurses and doctors freeze and stare at the man, Grayson, as they try and piece together how he is involved.
Who the hell is the evil man this little angel is talking about?
My need to protect her is sky-high now. I catch Laura’s eyes across the room, her face mimics the rest of the rooms, hurt and anger for this poor baby. The room quickly comes back to life, and I see Laura pull her phone out, which I’m sure is to have security get down here as soon as possible.
Looking back to Grayson, “Grayson, is it? I want to warn you that you will be questioned by the police soon to get your story. First, you said you rescued her mother. Where is she?”
“She’s in my truck out front. She can’t walk. I rushed Lily in here and didn’t want to leave her until I could report back to her mother that she was…” Scrubbing his hands down his face, the night’s stress clearly wearing heavy on him. He mouths to me, “alive.”
Understanding he doesn’t want to scare Lily more than she already is, I nod.
Damn, this night is going to be hard to forget.
Walking over to Grayson, Laura asks, “Grayson, we need to have Lily’s mom here to provide consent for Lily. Can you tell us where you parked so someone from my team can go get her?”
“I think I may need to go with you. She’s terrified. It took me a while to build her trust to come with me.” Shifting his focus to Lily, “Sweetheart, I’m going to get your mommy and bring her to you. I promise you will be safe.” Smiling, Lily nods and Grayson runs out of the room followed by security and a few nurses.
Tonight's stress is clearly tearing this girl apart bit by bit. Her hand tightens around me and her eyes flutter close. My eyes dart to the monitor that is hooked up to her chest and it shows that everything is okay, she is just sleeping. Relief floods me and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Having a break from her terrified eyes, I stand up and take an assessment of her. Grayson says that she is four but due to what I assume is starvation, her frail body makes her look years younger. Almost every bone in her body is visible and, on top of the obvious broken bones, there are bruises on top of bruises. My heart sinks at the thought of someone abusing this little girl.
What kind of sick fuck does this to a mother and child?
Well, I know one.
I beg the universe that Grayson's story is true.
Taking advantage of Lily’s nap, the team works quickly to get her x-rays and bloodwork. Luckily this room is equipped to do everything right here. I would hate for Lily’s mom to come back and see her baby girl not here.