When Kat Came Back

Chapter 41

"Teenage female, approximately 16 years old." The paramedic said, pulling the stretcher with the broken and bruised body of the teenage girl a Good Samaritan had called 911 for. "She's been beaten pretty bad, hasn't regained consciousness since we've had her. Contusions to her torso and abdomen. Stab wounds on the right lower flank, left upper chest, neck and left arm. BP is 115/72 and falling. Pupils are equal and reactive bilaterally, no crepitus, no guarding. No ID. Might be a runaway or street kid. The person who called found her crawling out of an alley on 14th street bleeding, clothes torn. You should probably do a rape kit, while you're checking her over."

The nurses and doctors in the emergency department rushed to the side of the unconscious girl. She had dried blood on her face from a bloody nose, several cuts and scrapes. The stab wounds were their main concern. They had to make sure she wasn't bleeding internally or wasn't going to bleed out. They had to make sure no major blood vessels were cut. But the girl's blood pressure was dropping. She was bleeding profusely from somewhere.

The doctors and nurses rushed around doing their best to save the life of a girl who was likely to wind up right back out on the streets in a similar situation. But damned if they weren't going to try to save this girl's life. Maybe this time she'd stay off the streets.

While they waited for someone to take the girl down to surgery to repair her wounds, staunch the bleeding vessels and repair the internal bleeding, a nurse wiped the girl's bloody and dirty face. Even if she didn't survive, she deserved to look clean.

"Lynn?" The nurse said to another nurse who was checking the machinery around the girl. "Doesn't she look familiar?"

Lynn came over to the side of the stretcher and looked at their patient.

"She does," Lynn said. "Where have I seen her before?"

"She's not a frequent flier. I don't think I've seen her here before," Janice, the first nurse, said. "And I don't think she's a street kid."

Porters came to take their Jenny Doe down to surgery. Lynn and Janice stared after her trying to figure out where they'd seen her.

Both of them would stop each other throughout the evening trying to figure it out.

While Ashlynn was laying unconscious, currently undergoing surgery, and known only as Jenny Doe, Patrick was frantic. They'd called the police from the hotel and explained the situation. The police came to the hotel and took statements. One officer was tasked with calling all the hospitals in the area.

Hours were passing. Patrick had called Patricia and told her what was happening. He told her he didn't know why Ashlynn left the hotel. Kevin was staying with Patricia to keep her from flying to New York.

Patrick listened to the officer calling around to the hospitals in the area. They'd been at it for over an hour.

"Hi. This is Officer McAllister," the officer said for what sounded like the thousandth time. "We're looking for a missing teen. Wondering if you've had any Jane or Jenny Does. Female, fifteen years old, reddish blonde hair, green eyes, freckles across the bridge of her nose. Last seen wearing blue jeans and a grey t-shirt and purple hoodie. Probably had a blue winter coat on?"

The officer listened while the person on the other end of the phone searched their recent admissions.

"You do? What's her status?  Oh."

Patrick's head shot up. He didn't like the sound of that 'Oh.' 

"I see. When?  Okay. Okay. Thanks," the cop hung up the phone and looked at Patrick. Patrick looked back at him expectantly, but afraid of what the officer was about to tell him.

"New York Presbyterian has a 'Jenny Doe', it's the name they use for unidentified minors. Approximately 16 by their best guess. She was assaulted somewhere around 14th Street. A Good Samaritan called 911. She's in surgery for multiple stab wounds and internal bleeding. They wouldn't tell me more than that."

Patrick sank into the chair behind him. Was it Ash? Had she gotten into some sort of trouble? She hadn't brought her phone with her so she wouldn't have been able to call him for help.

"We have to see if it's her," Patrick said. "I have to know. I have to find my sister."

The officer nodded and called another officer over.

"Take these two over to New York Presby. You're asking to see their Jenny Doe, brought in this afternoon."

The younger officer nodded and indicated Patrick and Carrie should follow him. They did.

The drive to the hospital felt like it took ages. The roads seemed to stretch further and further.  Patrick felt like they would never make it to the hospital. And that when they did it would either be too late or it wouldn't be Ash.

Finally they arrived at the hospital. The officer parked and escorted Carrie and Patrick inside and took them straight to the reception desk. He asked for the Jenny Doe and the receptionist looked up the information she was given. She made a call and told the three people on front of her that a doctor would come talk to them shortly. Patrick was getting frantic. The lack of information was killing him. If this was Ashlynn, how badly was she hurt? What happened?

A doctor came into the reception area, looked around and came straight to them.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Johnson. I'm an ER specialist and I worked on our Jenny Doe. You wanted to know about her?"

"We think she might be a missing teen we're looking for. I have her brother with me and if possible, we'd like to see her."

"She's in surgery right now, but I can take you up to the ICU. That's where she'll be going once she's done in surgery. Provided surgery goes well."

"What can you tell us?"

"She was brought in unconscious, clothes, well, the paramedics had cut off what was left of her clothes. She has several stab wounds including one in her neck, left chest and right flank. She took a pretty good beating and we performed a rape kit on her.  Just in case. Although there were... signs."

Patrick paled and felt his head start swimming. If this girl was Ashlynn, even if she wasn't, had she been raped?

The doctor led the three of them upstairs where they would wait with the officer to see if the nameless teen was Ashlynn. Patrick was hoping it wasn't. But he knew, he just knew, his sister had just experienced the worst thing in her life.

He pulled out his phone and dialled Andy's number.

"Andy, Patrick. I think I'm going to need you in New York," he said. And then he explained what was happening.