Death's Captive: Will she escape eternal confinement?

CHAPTER 7

A/N: I couldn't wait any longer and decided to post early because of my three 5 star reviews I've received today from Reader's Favourite. Remember to share the love by voting and commenting so my work becomes more visible to others. 

When I get into the building, Dr Matthews is assessing a barely conscious young woman who is splayed across a trolley bed. Her two friends who brought her into Emergency look on with glazed panda eyes. Their strappy dresses battle to contain their breasts and barely cover their legs. They both look like the evening has taken its toll on them too.

"How much has Emma had to drink?" Matthews asks as she scribbles on the girl's chart.

The blonde is leaning against the bed to keep her balance in her red six-inch Jimmy Choo stilettos.

"Not much. She must have like totally had her drink spiked. She usually drinks way more. Right Cassandra?"

"Yeah, way more," Cassandra agrees, nodding her head and chewing gum as she talks.

"What time did she start drinking, and what did she drink?" Matthews asks politely.

"Well, we had a couple of ciders around four this afternoon when the boys came over, then we went out to dinner and shared a bottle of white wine. Then we met up with Cassandra and went to this party and we started doing shots with these guys, Cassandra was like 'Hell no, Jagar is just ick...' but Emma was like crushing on the guy that was pouring them so she had five with him so that she could like, impress him or something..."

"He wasn't even that hot," Cassandra interjected.

"Yeah, I know right? Emma could totally do better, but anyway. So after that we drank a few double bubblegum vodka shooters and like..."

"Ok, Stop." Dr Matthews said.

"Rude much? Like, I wasn't even finished..." the blonde one says.

"We are just trying to, you know, help our friend. She could have been like raped or something worse if we weren't with her." Cassandra said.

"She's drunk," Matthews says.

"No, she usually drinks, like, twice that amount," the blonde one replies.

"Oh my God! Our friend has totally been drugged and you don't even care!" Cassandra pouts.

I burst out into laugher at these ridiculous women. The entertainment value of this hospital just got better.

Matthews strains to continue being polite. "Your friend has drunk enough alcohol to make two men fall down drunk. I've given her fluids and I can do a drug screen if that will help put her mind at ease, though anything she's taken will come up in the screen."

The blonde and Cassandra exchange looks, "No, I'm sure she'll be fine. Thank you," Cassandra says.

Dr Matthews walks away, and under hear breath I hear her say, "Yeah bitch, that's what I thought."

I quite like Dr Matthews; she's clever and is funny at times. Sometimes I have to jog beside her because my short legs can hardly keep up with her long tanned ones. She's quite attractive, but looks somewhat like a boy with her blonde hair cut short, and her loose-fitting clothes hiding her bosom.

I follow Matthews as she tends to two other patients, both routine and nothing of interest to me. Then she comes to a young boy who is looking slightly green and clutching his stomach. Matthews picks up the chart and looks over what's been written. "So... Alex, not feeling very well?" Matthews asks.

"No, it's my tummy. It really hurts," the small child says.

Matthews talks to the mother who says that he hasn't been eating much but that she wasn't concerned because Alex is fussy about his food.

"Does he eat a lot of bread?" asks Matthews, the mother nods.

"I can't get him to eat vegetables or fruit, I've tried everything." The mother is clearly distressed.

Matthews leans down and asks the boy if she can have a look at his 'tummy', and he nods. I can see his abdomen is swollen and hard. Matthews asks Alex to sit up and as he does the boy vomits bile all over Matthews's shirt and pants. I see Matthews roll her eyes and the mother apologises profusely. Matthews smiles her most sincere smile and the little boy apologises and vomits again, Matthews manages to step out of the way in the short few seconds available.

"Nurse!" Matthews calls.

A rotund nurse, Susie, opens the curtain and takes in the mess on Matthews' uniform.

"Nurse, could you please arrange some fluids and an x-ray of Alex's abdomen? I'll be back on the floor shortly; I just need to clean up."

"Certainly Doctor, and I'll arrange an orderly as well to ah, clean up."

In the background the young mother mutters her apologies. Matthews wipes the excess bile off her shoes, shirt and slacks. She heads for the doctor's mess to shower and I stay on her heels.