You Make It Easy

Crystal.

Maya~

"How are you feeling?" Christian asks me as I kick my legs up on the nurse's station desktop.

"Getting closer to 100%. Still a little winded but I'm fine."

"Are you working?"

"Yeah. I got stuck with a night shift."

"They're ruthless with you."

I laugh, "Did you make it back okay?"

"Safe and sound with no influenza."

"Don't count it out just yet. It'll sneak up on you. It'll knock you on your ass when you least expect it."

"I can tell over the phone that you're feeling better. I'm glad."

"Me too."

"Are you busy?"

"Not right now. But I'm sure now that that's said, they'll start coming in any minute."

He laughs, "Whoops."

"It'll give me something to do."

My phone rings. It's like our landline phones know when we talk about this. I chuckle, "Hold on," I tell Christian.

I set my phone on the counter as I pick up the other phone, "This is Maya," I answer.

"Oh thank god it's you. We have a 12-year-old coming in with a GSW to the back," Julia says.

"What? 12?"

"Maya, it's bad. We'll explain more when we get there. His mom is with us. We're about two minutes out and have about six cops following us."

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

I hang up and pick my phone up. "I gotta go. I love you."

"Be safe," he tells me.

I put my phone in my pocket just in time to get gloves on. I don't have time to fumble with a gown. The red, white, and blue lights reflect off of the building.

I meet them at the back and pull the door open. The parade line of cop cars pulls in behind the ambulance. "There's just an entry wound. It's extremely close to his spinal cord."

"What happened?"

"He locked himself out of the house and tried climbing through his bedroom window when one of the cops patrolling saw him and thought he was breaking into a house. His mom was at work when it happened. She came immediately."

"So he shot him?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Trauma room 1 is open. There should be nurses in there. I'll be there shortly. What's with the parade?"

"One of them shot him and the others are here for backup."

"I'll be in there shortly."

I go over to the brick wall-like cops, "You can't park here. This is an ambulance bay."

"We need to speak with the suspect."

"Suspect? Really? He's a child. It was his house. Not one of you goes anywhere near my patient until I say so."

"This is an ongoing investigation," one of them tells me. His hands shaking and his lips quivering. He's the one.

"I don't care. He's a human being. You can talk to him when I say so. You may have well paralyzed him. So please let me try to save his life. Move your damn cars."

I'm sick to my stomach. I go back and pass his hysterical mother. That's gut-wrenching. I can't imagine how she is feeling.

Christian~