A Time For Love (A Time For Love Series-Book 1)

The ER Patients

LENA POV

As I grabbed a cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria, the exhaustion from a sleepless night weighed heavily on me. I hadn't gone home yet, not at all. Instead, I had spent most of the night in the ER, helping the front desk with paperwork and admitting new patients.

Amidst the chaos, those three cops and that little girl solely occupied my thoughts. Despite witnessing numerous gunshot wounds and drug overdoses, this particular case resonated with me deeply.

I couldn't shake the image of the terrified look the blonde cop gave me, or the desperate plea from the man searching for his sister, who I assumed was the blonde. Not to mention the heart-wrenching sight of the little girl and the other cop they were desperately trying to revive right in front of me.

I was relieved that today was my day off, and that I didn't have any of my own patients. My goal was to find out what happened with them and if they were at least stable.

"Hey Lena, did you end up going home?" I hear nurse Erin ask and she pours herself some coffee. Glancing over at her, I force a morning smile, but with no such luck.

"No, I stayed all night to help."

"Trooper," she smiles again, putting a few scoops of sugar into her coffee. "Hard to find that now. But take it from me Lena, go home and get some proper rest. You won't be much use to anyone if you don't. Or yourself."

I put my cup down and look right back at her, wondering if she has any information, considering she was right there with me last night.

"Erin, do you know what happened to those three cops and that little girl? Are they okay?"

"Mm, yeah. Terrible. The two women were in surgery last night and the little girl too. The guy is ok. Michael Foster. He was in surgery for a bit to remove the bullets. The little girl, Francesca, is in awful shape. Was shot in both knees and her arm by the mother's boyfriend. Terrible."

"Goodness, that poor baby. Why would anyone do that?" I say, shaking my head in disbelief and feeling my heart sink. I had only gotten a glimpse of her, but she couldn't be anymore than eight or nine years old.

"I don't know Lena. There are sick people in the world. To top it off, they can't find her mother. She was there too and apparently, and according to the cops, that little girl has no other relatives. I only know because I heard them question Michael this morning."

Shaking my head, we both take a seat at a nearby table. The cafeteria isn't too crowded right now and I take a sip of coffee, knowing I should probably eat something. But my stomach can't really stomach anything right now.

"So she's here all alone?"

"Yeah, in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The nurses up there are wonderful. You know, taking care of her and keeping her company."

"Is she conscious?"

"In and out, stable though." She says, stirring her coffee.

"That poor baby. I don't even get who would do that and why. But what about the two female cops? Are they ok? I mean, after the surgery?"

"They are both very critical. Stefanie Foster was shot in the head along with her legs, torso and arm. Found out yesterday was her birthday to top it off. She's a mess and honestly, I don't even know how she's alive. The amount of blood she lost. It's insane. Had to give her a transfusion, and they induced a coma. Her partner was shot in the neck and went into cardiac arrest last night, but she's still kicking. Those two women are strong. That much I can tell you." She sips her coffee, looking right into my eyes.