Jay handed Erin a coffee cup in a waiting room in Chicago Med. "Thanks." She murmured, taking a grateful sip of the hospital coffee. The little girl had been rushed into surgery shortly after arriving to the hospital. They had been waiting about four hours for an update on Kate, but Dr. Halstead assured his brother that the procedure was relatively straightforward and only required a few sutures to fix the vaginal and anal tearing the child had suffered. She was now subject to a variety of tests, x-rays and scans to locate any other traumas that may have been inflicted upon her.
"Poor kid." Halstead muttered, settling into a chair beside his partner. "The amount of abuse she endured..."
Erin shook her head. "It breaks my heart." She said honestly. "And the fact that those bastards are in the wind-"
"We'll get them." Jay reassured her, rubbing his girl's shoulder gently. "And-"
"Detectives." Dr. Connor Rhodes emerged from the double doors, accompanied by Dr. Natalie Manning. Jay and Erin rose from their seats and looked expectantly at the doctors.
"She's been through hell, but she's a fighter." Dr. Manning confirmed, offering a small smile. "She's going to be okay."
The detectives let out a collective breath. "Kate sustained repeated anal and vaginal trauma in addition to a few improperly healed broken ribs." Dr. Rhodes informed them. "She also has considerable bruising and is definitely underdeveloped, likely a result of the repeated abuse."
Erin nodded, Rhodes' statement confirming what she already assumed. "Can we see her?"
"A sedative had to be administered because she was in distress after waking up." Dr. Manning said, "We don't know the extent of her mental state but the trauma suggests that her agitation is a direct result of the prolonged abuse."
"But, like we said, she's a fighter." Rhodes stressed, "The fact that she survived the abuse indicates that she'll survive the recovery." Erin and Jay nodded at his statement. "Nat, do you want to show them to her room?"
"Come with me." Natalie headed down the hallway, indicating for Jay and Erin to follow suit.
"Thanks for your help man." Jay said to Rhodes before following Erin and Natalie to where Kate was recovering.
"I hope you get the guys who did this." Rhodes replied.
"Why is my patient in restraints?" Natalie hissed at the nurse who was exiting Kate's room. "She's a rape victim."
The nurse's eyes went wide. "I-I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't know. She hid in the corner and when Bill tried to bring her back to bed she wouldn't stop thrashing. She almost bit him."
"She's terrified of men." Erin informed the nurse, glancing into the hospital room. Kate was lying listlessly on the bed with her arms and legs clamped down, occasionally pulling at the restraints but ultimately giving up the struggle.
"I'll undo the restraints, right away." The nurse said, turning to enter the room.
"Don't. You've done enough." Dr. Manning said. "I'll do it." She cautiously walked into the room. "Hi Kate, my name is Doctor Manning and I'm here to help you, okay?"
Kate let out a squeak and tugged desperately at the restraints, screwing her eyes shut. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she emitted another whimper when the woman approached her bedside. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm going to undo these but you have to promise to be still, okay?" Dr. Manning carefully undid the restraints to Kate's ankles. The child didn't move, paralyzed in fear. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm so sorry someone did this, but it won't happen again."
