Running on Insulin

Chapter 10

Craig and John got Samantha into the ambulance and I climbed in after them. Samantha wasn't unconscious but she wasn't conscious either.  Every once in a while she'd open her eyes, look around, confused, and close her eyes again. She kept murmuring something about being sorry and her dad. I tried to calm her.

At the hospital, we were taken back right away. A couple of the nurses were the same as the first time we came here.

"Samantha's back already?" One of them asked.

"What happened this time?" Another said.

"What do you mean 'this time'?" I asked.

"Sam's a frequent flier. Usually it's extremely low or extremely high blood sugar. Sometimes it's a good beating that lands her here. And every time she winds up back in the hands of that bastard who calls himself her father," the first nurse said. "I shouldn't have told you that."

"That's okay. We're her foster parents.  She told me her dad made her ration her insulin. I think she was doing that today. She's got a high blood sugar."

"That kid is really messed up. Her dad, what a piece of work. She's here at least twice a month with high blood sugar. Her school sends her because she passes out or is sick. But that bastard always gets her back."

"We're hoping that won't be the case this time. We can't let that happen."

"Good luck, sweetie," the nurse said to me. "You're not the first foster parent we've met. Somehow he sweet talks his way out of everything."

"He's got a lot of charges against him this time, though. The police said even if he makes bail, they won't let her go back."

"Yeah. I haven't heard that one before." The nurse rolled her eyes.

"What kind of a system lets a kid go back to an obviously abusive parent?  She has bruises and cuts all over her back and legs. It looks like he took a belt, buckle side down, to her."

"Really?  Has social services or the police taken pictures?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"I'll be back in a minute," the nurse said.

Tyler came in just then.

"How is she?" He asked.

"They're getting her assessed and starting insulin just now," I said. "Tyler, she's well known here. She's here a few times a month because of her father. The way he makes her ration insulin and beats her. Ty, you should see her back. It's covered in bruises. And her thighs are covered in bruises and cuts. Like he hit her with a belt buckle."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Tyler, Samantha's so-called father beats her. He complains about how expensive her medications are. He makes her ration her insulin. Which she needs to live!  He takes away her test kit at night so she can't test in the middle of the night. He only lets her test at lunch and bedtime and that's it. And she's Type One, Tyler!  She should be testing at least six times a day. Every meal, every snack and once at least at night. And if she feels high or low.

Tyler, he's killing her.  I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. She doesn't think she's going to live long enough to go to college!"

"That's... we can't let her go back to that. Can we find a way to file for custody?"

"He needs to lose custody of her before we can even find that out. And then she has to have no other relatives."

The nurse came up to me with two police officers. It was Officers Brown and Davis again.

"You again?" Officer Davis said. "I thought Samantha was supposed to be safe with you. What happened?"

"She rationed her insulin and her blood sugar shot up. We don't know how to handle that - and it was really high. The ambulance seemed safest until we learn. Although I suspect the level it was at, we'd still be taking her to the hospital." Tyler said.

"What was it?" He asked.

"410," I answered.

"Shiiiiiit," Officer Davis said.

"Wait, why are you here? Who called you?"

"The nurse. She said one of you mentioned bruises and cuts on Samantha. We didn't see those the other day. If we can, we'd like to get photos. We'll put them in our report, which will be used against her 'father' in court."

"Can you promise us she won't be going back to him?  You have no idea the damage he's done."

"I can't promise but I can promise we're trying hard to make that happen. Or, not happen?  And I've seen this kid several times. I'm pretty sure I know more than you about how messed up she is."

"Did you know she's terrified of making a mistake?  She was afraid Tyler was going to hit her because she spilled water on him at lunch. She was so reluctant to let us buy her clothes. She came to us with what she was wearing when we brought her here the other night. She didn't think she deserved clothes!  We practically had to force her to sit on the couch when we got home because she sat on the floor.  She's convinced she'll be back with him by the weekend." I said.

"That I can promise isn't going to happen. His bail hearing isn't until Monday. The problem is, if the judge is one of his buddies, he could get a low bail and be out. Social services won't let Samantha go back because they're currently investigating why she ran out in a rainstorm and the threats you heard and the neighbors heard."

"Why would he have judges as buddies?" Tyler asked.

"Her dad is Stanley Deitz," Officer Davis said. "Didn't you know?"

"I feel sick," Tyler said, leaning against the wall.

"Why? Ty? What's the matter?" I asked.

"I think I used him for a contract negotiation," he said, sliding to the floor and putting his head in his hands.

"You couldn't have known," I said.

"I remember his office. He didn't have any picture of any kids anywhere. I didn't even ask.  Ugh. I'm so angry with myself."

"Mr Joseph, he's a good lawyer, no doubt. Professionally he's a very respected and respectable man. At home, however..." Officer Davis trailed off.

"I know what those negotiations cost me. It makes me furious that he makes what he does, but makes his kid, his diabetic kid, ration her insulin?!"

At this point I didn't know who was more angry. Tyler at himself for using Samantha's father without knowing or me that this man has gotten away with so much.

The nurse brought the officers back. It was the. I noticed they had another person with them. Someone with a camera.

I decided I needed to be with Samantha, in case she woke up while this was going on.