Prompt: He didn’t even know her name, yet he felt sorry for
her, - for the pain that she was going to live through…
“DR. O’MALLEY TO THE ER….DR. O’MALLEY TO THE ER STAT!” Shawn heard the page as he was reaching for his ringing phone. Dumping his coffee in the trash, he answered his phone as he hurried to the ER, “O’Malley.” “Dr. we have a severe trauma 2 minutes out.” “I am on my way.” Picking up his pace, Shawn rounded the corner and pushed open the door to the stairs. Hurrying down, he got there as the ambulance pulled up to the doors. “What have we got?” he barked at the paramedic. “Unidentified female multiple blunt force injuries, multiple broken bones, severe head trauma, bp 60 over 40. She coded in the ambulance but we got her back.” Shawn didn’t even think he acted on instinct. After ten years as an emergency room doctor, he had become a master at controlling his emotions and focusing on the task at hand but seeing the broken and battered body of this young girl gave even him pause. “Do we know what happened to her to cause the injuries?” “No,” the paramedic lamented, “she was found like this on the side of a road. We could find no clear indications that it was a car but …. Jesus, what else could do so much damage?” “ You would be surprised, humans are perfectly capable of doing this to each other,” Shawn replied. “Well, I am not sure I would call someone capable of doing this human.” “You might be right about that,” Shawn murmured. Turning his attention back to his patient, he began to bark orders to the nurses and residents. Doing his best, he worked valiantly to stabilize his patient enough for surgery. Time passed as they worked and he was unaware if it had been minutes or hours. What did become clear was that these injuries were inflicted over a long period and were done at the hands of a person. For some reason he felt a connection to this girl and every new discovery was like a knife in his heart. Looking at the x-rays and her multitude of injuries was gut wrenching. She barely had a bone in her body that was not broken or fractured. He heard the loud and angry voice of his favorite nurse right outside the curtain, “I don’t care what you need right now detective, we are trying to save this girl’s life!” “Let them in,” Shawn said. The detectives paused just inside the curtain and stared at the battered woman. “Do you have an identity on her?” Shawn tried his best not to snap. “Not yet. Can we get her fingerprints before you move her?” “ Yes, if you can make it quick. We are about to take her to surgery. Oh and you better take her clothes as well.” “ Why is that Doc?” “ Because this young woman was beaten, tortured, and rapped over a long period. I don’t know what you will find on her clothes but hopefully you can find something.” The detectives grimaced upon hearing the news but moved quickly to get her fingerprints. Collecting her clothing as she was wheeled to the OR, the detectives prepared to leave. Shawn watched her
roll away and then turned to the detectives. “We didn’t get to do a full kit but we
collected a partial rape kit. Nurse
Jones can get that for you.” “ Thanks Doc,” the pair murmured as they headed
for the nurse’s station. Shawn stood and
looked at the blood and debris that littered the floor. He turned and headed for the locker room to
change. Standing in the shower, he found
himself fighting back tears as he thought of what that poor girl had gone through. He might not know her name but damn he felt
sorry for her. Sorry for what she had
gone through and what she was going to go through...if she lived.
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