Coffee

Part 35: A Fix

After a morning like the one I just had- my mind is more or less fried. Focusing on one thing at the moment is beyond hard and thankfully Max is more than understanding of it. Taking a walk around the outside of the building, the chilly November air really helps bring me back to what I'm supposed to be focusing on: work.

Coming around the south entrance's garden, There aren't very many people out here like usual. A typical breeding ground for impatient guests and family members usually crowds the garden. Slowly meandering you the walk, my attention is drawn to a young woman strewn across one of the benches.

"Excuse Miss? It's quite cold out here...do you want to come inside the Dam to get out of the cold?" She doesn't respond. In fact she doesn't even more or seem to breathe. "Miss...Hello? Miss?"

I shake her slightly and find very quickly she is in fact barely breathing. Taking out my phone I call the ED.

"Hi! This is Dr. Sharpe! I need a gurney out in the South Garden. I have an unresponsive woman, about early twenties!" Relating the message they hang up and it takes only a few moments for them to come rushing out to me with what was asked for. Getting her up and on the gurney, we head inside and into the ED which is just down the hall and to the right of the entrance.

"Found her on the bench. Unresponsive." I state and Candelario comes over and listens to her heart.

"Looks like an opioid overdose. Let's get Inter-nasal Narcan." She calls out and Mariana brings her a puffer. Administering it into her nasal cavity the young blonde haired girl shoots up, coughing and breathing rapidly. Frantically looking around she's definitely hopped up on something.

"My bag!!! Where is my bag????!!!!!! Where's my bag?!!!!" Her tantrum rings out in the ED.

"Ma'am....Ma'am..." I try to calm her but it's not working.

"I need my bag!!!" She yells in our faces.

"Probably looking for her stash..." Candelario whispers to a nurse.

"I'm going to get it. I'll be right back." Racing out the doors, it's better to comply with her before she becomes too aggressive. Spotting her duffel bag under the bench she was on, I kneel to grab it and stop.

What the Hell?

Slowly sliding the bag across the ground, I open it up and find a baby crying and shivering.

"Dear God...." Grabbing the bag, I carefully cradle it to my chest as I take it inside. She just had her baby in a duffle bag in just a white puked on onesie with a thing little blanket over it. What the hell is wrong with people? Walking in the girl is frantic.

"That's my bag!!! That's my bag!! I need it!" I go over to her with the bag and everyone who is with her stares widely at the crying baby in my arms.

"This baby is yours?"

"Yes...yes...she is...I just had her...please...give her to me..." She begs and I just look at her- upset and pissed off.

"What are you on currently?"I ask.

"What? Give me my baby!" She yells and everyone in the ED stops and looks at me.

"First tell me what you're on." She looks around and sits back against the bed she's in. It's as if answering is worse than having a stranger holding your baby. "Are you going to answer my question?"

She shakes her head and curls away from me.

"We need to know...so we can treat...." Maybe she'll do the right thing...but I doubt it.

"Oxy...."

"What's your name?"

"W...Wendy...Wendy Marshall."