"Where is she?!" Daniel ran down the hall towards Janet and her family.
"Daniel."
"Where is she? How is she? Is she okay? What happened? I thought she was safe. Thought...." Toni held his shoulders.
"Calm down. Breathe." Daniel took some deep breaths. "She's in with the doctor now. She passed out when her chest started hurting really bad." Daniel sat down.
"They're trying to figure out why."
"She has a condition." He rubbed his head.
"What?" Janet asked.
"Vasovagal syncope. It's where your nervous system overreacts to triggers and your blood pressure and heart rate slow down."
"I've never heard of that." said Katherine.
"It's very rare. She's had it since she was a child. It caused her to faint while giving birth." He sat back.
"Wow."
"Is she awake?"
"Yes, but they're running tests." He stood back up.
"I want to see her. I need to....look at her to ease my mind."
"We have to wait, man." Toni held his shoulder. "You'll see her, don't worry." Daniel nodded and sat back down.
"Where did you come from? You're all dirty."
"Work. I got a job working at the docks."
"How's it going?"
"Not bad. I mean, for a job that hires criminals, it's not bad." He sighed and rubbed his hands. Katherine looked down at his hands.
"Sweetie, what's all these cuts and bruises?"
"Oh...just from work. Some of the things are heavy, the equipment is dangerous. You should see some of the other guys. Cuts everywhere. Some of them got moved other position because they couldn't do the physical labor anymore after their injuries."
"Mm.." she grabbed his hand. "Are you treating these properly? These could be infected."
"I don't have time. With twelve to sixteen hour shifts and then helping with my daughter. I just grab sleep when I can." Katherine grabbed her purse and stood up.
"Wait here." She walked over to the nurses desk. "Hi."
The nurse in the computer looked up at her and smiled.
"How can I help you, ma'am?"
"May I get some first aid supplies for cuts and bruises? I need to help my child over there and they may be infected."
"Of course." She went into a drawer and pulled out a bunch. "Here you are and once they are cleaned please let us know if you see anything out of the organs will take a look. You can use that room over there."
"Thank you." She went back to Daniel. "Come on. I'm gonna clean you up."
"Oh...no. It's not a problem. I can take care of it. I'm just here about Jenny."
"Daniel, get in that room and let me clean your hands." Katherine spoke in a stern voice just above a whisper. "Don't make me get you up." He stood up.
"Yes, ma'am." Toni and Janet tried to hold back their laughs. He went into the room and sat on the stool. Katherine sat everything down and washed her hands before urging in a pair of gloves.
"Come here." Daniel went over to the sink and watched as Katherine cleaned his hands. "You need to take better care of yourself. I understand it's hard, but you're no good to your daughter if you're sick or dead."
