In Kate We Trust// The Night Shift

Chapter 38

Control

"Knock. Knock." Shannon's voice spoke as she knocked on the door of my office before letting herself. I leant back in the computer chair and sighed. "I can come back later if you want."

"No, you're fine." I assured her. "I could do with a break from that screen. What's up?"

"I've got a patient with a facial abnormality. I was wondering if you could help me." Shannon asked.

"Yeh. Let's go." I locked the computer and pushed the chair back before heading out of the office with Shannon to find Paul waiting too. "You on this two?"

"Yep. Scott's off for the night so it's just me and you." Paul replied as we walked down the hallway.

"Here's her MRI." Shannon said as she handed over the scan.

"Looks clear." I examined it before handing it over to Paul and he agreed.

"Tina. This is Dr Allister and Dr Cummings with surgery." Shannon explained as she opened the door to her patient's room.

"Hi, Tina. We want to let you know we took a look at your MRI and it's cleared which is really good news." I told her as she turned around and sat on the edge of the bed facing me as I fixed the glove on my hand. "But before we move forward, I wanted to take a look at your neurofibroma. Which is the fancy way of saying-."

"This thing on my face." She finished for me.

"Yeh, I'll go with that." I agreed before I started to examine her face. "Yeh. Dr Rivera I believe you're initial diagnosis is correct. This does not look like it extends beneath the surface layer."

"Which means we can take it off for her." Paul continued causing the girl to smile.

"Thank you." Tina spoke before a knock came to the door.

"Excuse me doctors, this is Tina's grandfather, Carl Mills." Molly said as she opened the door and let the man in.

"You left without telling me." Her grandfather told her as he walked in.

"I knew you wouldn't let me." Tina replied.

"Whoa. What's going on here?" I asked looking between Tina and her grandfather

"This is my granddaughter. And I want her discharged now." The older man told me. "Come on, get up, we're leaving."

"No I can't." Tina spoke as she pushed her body back further on the bed.

"Mr Mills, you're granddaughter is a grown adult. I think she can make her work decision." Shannon said to the man.

"Grown? Is that what she told you? Tina is 16 years old." Her grandfather corrected Shannon.
"Go on tell them, tell them how old you are, Tina, tell these people."

"I'm sorry I lied. I just want this thing off of me." Tina apologised.

"Come on, let's go baby. Get your things." Tina's grandfather tried to get her to stand up.

"I can't grandpa." Tina told him as she tried to fight back.

"Can you promise she won't need a transfusion?" The older man asked as we tried to convince him to let Tina get the surgery after he said they were Jehovah's. I said nothing as I knew he had a point. "Then I'm taking her home."

"And I said I'm not going." Tina exclaimed as she pushed away from him before grabbing a scalpel from the tray. "I want it off."

"Tina don't." I warned as I knew what she was going to do. But we couldn't stop her as she lifted the blade to her face and cut through the neurofibroma.