Melas, Virginia...
"There it is Melas General Hospital. It sure doesn't look like much does it?"
Erin Parrish pulled into the ER parking reserved for family members, then parked. Turning to her dad Benjamin, who inhabited the body of an overly friendly Great Dane, she frowned at the bigger than a bread box facility. "Alright, let me get in there and see that Izzy gets the care she deserves. Engines on, plenty of gas. Just pull up some back seat and take a nap in the air conditioning. Want the radio on?" Odd to see a canine nodding like a human but it was pretty cool, she found a classic rock station with a clear signal.
"There! Your favorite era. Ironic, isn't it? They're playing the Grateful Dead. Let's hope that isn't an omen, Izzy looked pretty bad. I can't keep losing friends, first Brimley, well, first you, second Brimley. You know what I mean. The girl hasn't even had a chance to live really. I just hope the Belltower cops can track down that manager. Surely, he couldn't have gotten too far. As long as he doesn't come here to finish the job." Opening her door, she patted her dad on the top of his canine head. "Don't put the Rover in gear by accident... Rover." The Dane just shook his head at her humor. His body was big and clumsy so it might have been right to warn him. "Love you dad. Be back to check on you soon."
Closing her door Erin tugged her shirt down as low as it could stretch then made her way toward the ER entrance. Standing at the door was a police officer watching her. A Tom Cruise looking pretty boy around 45. As the automatic door opened to let her in, he stopped her. "Miss Parrish?"
"Yes! Hi!"
"Officer Dan Moody, Melas PD. The Belltower team phoned ahead for me to meet you. They said you might need pants." He grinned then handed her a pair of sweats. "They're mine! I hope you don't mind. I was at home when I got the call. Better than you showing off any goodies and my writing you an indecent exposure ticket."
"Thank you so much Dan. I left home in such a hurry I wasn't thinking. All I cared about was getting to Isabel. You can still cite me if you need to, I'd totally understand."
"Cite has more than one spelling Miss Parrish." He watched her put his sweats on and caught glimpses of her twat facing him, as well as her reflection in the glass of her ass cheeks. "So, I reckon a cite for sore eyes."
"Oh, come on Dan. I do not make your eyes sore." She laughed. "Any word on my girl Izzy?"
"Just got here myself, Let's go find out together." He gallantly waved her in first, "Beauty before age."
"Just a number Dan. Keep this up, I'll give you mine."
"And I would shamelessly accept it." He took point once letting her enter. "The place may not look like much, but we have some pretty topnotch Doc's here. Aftermorn Agnes." He stopped at the front desk to say hello to an older woman who looked to be in her sixties. The woman smiled with missing teeth but was pleasant regardless.
"Hello Danny Boy" A serious rasp in her voice gave Erin the chills. Holding up her sweatpants Dan being much bigger than her even with a taunt drawstring she greeted Agnes on her own.
"How is Isabel?"
"Miss Montoya?" That was the first Erin had heard Izzy's last name. A nod prevented her looking naive. "It's probably too soon to tell. Are you family?"
"She only has a brother in the state. I'm kind of her godmother. Good friend! I look out for her, her father's overseas in the Army. Her brother is supposed to be on his way, he's been in jail."
"I see. As long as Danny there vouches for you."
"I'll stay with Miss Parrish. Mind hitting the button Ms. Bloom?" A buzzing noise allowed them entry. The second they had entered Agnes Bloom winced with interest as if she knew the woman. An eerie sensation crept over Erin suddenly, enough to lift her necklace to see the gem glinting blue off and on faintly, almost as if a heartbeat. Maybe even Morse Code! Surely not!
"You felt it to didn't you Gemma?" She thought in her head wondering if her necklace really did hear her. She truthfully knew nothing about her guardian angel, it had only recently come to establish itself with what seemed to be a sentience. What that meant remained to be seen, but thus far it had appeared to be helpful. It sure let Erin knock Genevieve for a loop. "Help me keep Izzy alive... if you have the power to do that. One of these days you and I need to meditate and talk Missy." Presumably a female. She really had no idea if it even had a sex.
"There's the Doc... go take a seat over there in the waiting room. I'll enquire!"
Dan left her and walked over to an older Doctor standing with a clipboard writing on it. "Sorry to bother you Princeton."
"Daniel! Good to see you, my boy."
"How's the girl?"
"Very serious I'm afraid. She's lost a lot of blood. Her immune system is very low at the moment, BP of concern. Contusions look bad she might have internal issues but right this second, it's about stabilization. I'd say the next four hours will give us a better outlook. If she gains a better set of vitals, we can do x-rays and see if there's any internal damage. Whoever did this to her looked to be very strong. There could even be broken ribs. Does she have kin nearby?"
"A brother in route. Her friend sitting over there."
"Oh, she is a pretty one."
"I know right. I actually think she was flirting with me awhile ago. I might stand a chance."
"Good luck Son. Tell her to say a few prayers."
Dr. Princeton Chalker stepped away after a pat on the officer's shoulder and went in to see his next patient. Dan returned to Erin with the news. Entering the glassed-in waiting room, he took a seat next to Erin and sat forward, elbows on his knees. "Not looking great but there is hope. Dr. Chalker said we should know if she's in the clear in maybe four hours. She's lost a lot of blood. Possible internal injuries to be determined once her vitals get stronger. Have you had lunch?"
"No! I'm fine though. I might need to take some water out to my dog though. I left him in the car with the air on."
"Oh yeah? What kind of dog?"
"Great Dane! Scooby Boo." She chuckled.
"I have me a boxer named Forman. After George."
"Nice! I would have read you as a German Shepard kind of guy."
"Naaa! Too military for my tastes. I wanted a sidekick with personality. Reversing that I'd have thought you might be a lap dog kind of gal."
"I have a poodle at home. Best of both worlds." Wasn't that the truth, living and the dead. All wrapped up into one. "I was in the Army, two tours in Afghanistan before I wizened up. I got tired of desert life. The only positive thing was it was easy to get a good tan. Barracks roof on my day off. Me, sunscreen and a whole lot of Privates."
"By that I presume soldiers to oil you up?"
"There was that kind too." She laughed. "Officer's loved me so I got to sunbathe nude. And for the record? It was rarely the Privates oiling my privates. Top brass, emphasis on my ass."
"You are quite the forward woman Miss Parrish."
"Tough as nails even when I break a few. Someone just suggested I apply for the Belltower PD. Military Police overseas, so I do have the alley cred. That's street cred. Where I was stationed it was all alleyways. I do need a job though. I had a healthy savings but I bought a house 15 miles from Belltower."
