Sapphire Eyes ~ 10 Chapter Challenge

Code Purple ~ Deb

"Great job in there," Frank says to me.

I replace Willow's chart and crack a smile. "Thanks, Frank, but you and your people had it pretty much under wraps before I even got here."

"Don't be so modest. We always appreciate the help of a specialist. By the way, how is your new cushy specialist job?"

"Being a specialist isn't all that cracked up to be. Sometimes I really miss working here." I bite my lip. Why am I blathering? And since when did lying come so easily?

"In the ER?" Frank's eyes bug out. "Are you crazy?"

"No, just tired of treating the same thing every single day. The ER is exciting. You get a different unique case every day. It keeps you on your toes."

"I think the past seven months have left you a little hazy on the details," Frank says with a grin. "Anyway, it was great to work with you again. Stop by again sometime, Deb!" He hurries off to help an orderly keep an old dementia patient from trying to scramble out of his wheelchair.

I wave and head for the closest exit, back through the ER public entrance. I'm halfway to the door when a woman with curly brown hair rushes up to me. "Please help me; I'm missing my son. I turned around for five seconds, and he disappeared."

"Calm down, ma'am," I say. "We'll find your boy. What does he look like?"

"He has curly black hair and brown eyes. He needs stitches on his chin." She's starting to sound frantic. "He has uncontrolled epilepsy and daily seizures and he's alone."

My senses go on overdrive. "Do you remember what he's wearing?"

"Um." She closes her eyes. "A white shirt and black basketball shorts with yellow stripes down the sides."

"Okay, make sure you stay right here. We'll bring him back here for you." I give her a reassuring smile and spin back to the counter. "Maddie, we have a possible Code Purple, confirmed missing child. A boy with black hair wearing a white shirt and black shorts, last seen in the ER waiting area."

"Alright, I'll page it for you," Maddie says.

"Thanks." I spin around and search the waiting area, just in case the boy is hiding in the crowd. Maddie's voice comes on the overhead speakers, paging the Code Purple. I spot a couple boys, but none matching the description. I go to the back, searching in all the rooms and checking behind all the curtain areas. Every spare nurse is doing the same thing. Someone should have found him by now.

Where did that little boy go?

Maybe he went outside. I spin back and jog down the hallway for the waiting area.

"Hey, Deb!"

I stop and whip around. Mirna is waving at me from down the hallway.

"Mirna? How did you get here?" I walk over, preoccupied with finding the lost boy.

Mirna smiles brightly and asks me for a favor.

"Um, sure, just a moment, okay?" I try to smile, but I'm too distracted.

"What's wrong?" Mirna asks.

"Oh, just looking for a lost boy," I say as Maddie pages the Code Purple again. I point up at the ceiling and shake my head. "This is ridiculous; we've been looking for nearly ten minutes. I hope someone didn't abduct him."

Mirna cocks her head and stares into the lounge ... and I finally notice the kid with shaggy black hair, wearing a white shirt and black shorts.

He needs sutures on his chin.

This is our Code Purple. No wonder no one found him! Code Purples are always children. This kid is a teenager! I'm suddenly incredibly embarrassed. I forgot to ask how old the missing child was. I got the whole ER frantically searching for a little lost boy when we could have simply paged this kid to return to the ER admin desk.

Mirna is laughing. Obviously, she realized that her friend is the Code Purple. He shoves his hands into his pockets and goes red in the face. Suddenly, I am reminded of when I met Jim. Maybe it's the bruises and cuts, or the embarrassed look on his face, or maybe coming back to this place has something to do with it, but for a split second, I see my husband in this complete stranger.

"Your mother is looking for you," I say, all too aware that I may be embarrassed, but this kid is mortified. He nods at the floor and turns to head back to the admin desk. Mirna seems to want to follow him, but she only watches him leave.

"I'm ready to go. Let me give you a ride home."

"Um, sure." She sighs with disappointment.

"Cancel Code Purple," Maddie announces over the PA system.

Then suddenly, I'm reminded of what the missing boy's mother said. He has uncontrolled epilepsy and daily seizures. "Mirna, how do you know that boy?"

Her mouth pops open for a split second. "I don't; he's just some guy at school."

I narrow my eyes. "Then why were you two back here together?"

She sighs. "I guess he saw me and followed me back here. We have art together at school, and ... and he saw me at the clinic on Thursday. Is he in trouble?"

Then I see what's really bothering her. She doesn't want that boy to get in trouble because of her. "Oh, no," I say. "It's nothing like that. Let's just go home." I turn to leave. As we walk down the hallway, I'm surprised to find that I'm still distracted by that teenage boy. Mirna said he's in a class with her, so I ask her for his name.

"Kaden ... Hasting? I think?" she says.

I almost miss a step. "I think I have a consult with him next week," I say, so intrigued with the coincidence that I break physician-patient confidentiality. My face burns up, but I brush off the embarrassment. "What are the odds of that?" I wonder. Then I realize that this was meant to be. Mirna saw that kid in the clinic last week, and we both saw him again today for a reason.