The Haunting of Forest Lane

Chapter Thirty Four

Three nurses heard her screaming including MJ who was helping cover a shift. MJ and another nurse Emily took it upon themselves to run into her room, they found her shaking and her breathing was shallow and fast. 

Emily placed her hand on Camden's shoulder.

"Don't touch me get the hell away from me!"

MJ engaged in a conversation with the other nurse, "go get her mom, she's down in the waiting room, she was waiting until Camden woke up to come back here."

Emily exited the room and MJ sat down and tried to verbally calm her down without injecting her with medicine to relax her, which she was unsuccessful. She went to the hallway to grab the charge nurse on the floor, Maxwell. 

"Max, I need your help. Camden is an 18 year old patient in room 12, she's recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest, I know you're new to the floor, but she was asleep and just woke up and I can't calm her down, I don't want to inject her with medication, she's been on so much and she's finally able to have conversations without dozing her, she had a nightmare but she's in so much distress I need help."

"Maxwell didn't stop typing he asked, "Who's on call for psych?"

MJ rolled her eyes, "Maxwell, she's not crazy! I know this girl personally. Remember the house I told you I had lived in before and my fiancé Elizabeth died?"

Maxwell stopped typing and looked at her, "Yes why?"

"She lives there! Something in that house shot her! She didn't shoot herself. I know this girl. You have to help me please I can't even get her to breathe and don't want her to have a panic attack. Her fiancé did and she had a seizure please Max."

Maxwell noticed Mj was in distress. He locked his computer, "let me see if I can get through to her."

Maxwell entered the room and found Camden sobbing and holding her Nemo toy and a pillow, she was shaking still.

"Hi Camden, I'm Maxwell I'm new to the ICU floor and I was really interested in meeting you. I come from the pediatric unit, I used to take care of kids, but the ICU needed some help. The nurses here, including MJ brag about you and how you are there favorite patient, and they tell me you love banana popsicles, those are my favorite! I've never met someone else who likes them. I see you've been progressing well after that little accident you had, I am going to be one of your primary caregivers here at night. So I am really looking forward to getting to know you and seeing what we can do about this situation you're in right now."

Camden looked up at Maxwell with red eyes snd tears running down her face, "I've made a bad first impression haven't I?"

Maxwell shook his head, "You know I met my wife 3 years ago in a bar, after 2 drinks she started feeling sick and her friends left her, I offered to take her home and she threw up in my brand new Tesla I hadn't even put permanent tags on it yet and my floor mats were stained with her vomit. You didn't make a bad impression Camden, my wife made a bad impression, you made a memorable one."

Camden smiled and put the pillow down and Nemo on her lap. 

"Nice to meet you Camden."

"Nice to meet you too."

"How about I grab you a water, a banana popsicle, and a new blanket that isn't covered in your tears and I'll check how that chest tube is doing and change your wound dressing, I know it sounds like a lot for 5am but since you're awake I'll take care of everything now."

Camden nodded, "that sounds good to me."

Maxwell closed the door softly and met Camden's mother outside the room.