Author's note: This is a work of fiction. I don't believe for a minute that taking advantage of someone's fragile mental status could affect her as profoundly as I present it in the story. So please... don't try that at home (or anywhere else)! I hope you otherwise enjoy the story!
~~~
Winter holiday break: several days to get your head back together, but not enough time to do much of anything else while having to visit relatives. Oh well, Scot hoped he would enjoy the next couple of days before New Year's. Then if everything went to plan, he'd really celebrate!
His girlfriend, Emma, was in Virginia visiting her family and promised to be back on New Year's Eve. They were planning on celebrating the change of the calendar by just staying in and trying to keep each other warm... or hot! Scot had additional plans he kept secret for that night.
He was thinking about all of this while stepping out of the corner store and walking the two blocks to his apartment. The part about keeping each other warm was a fond thought while he shivered and held his jacket tight around himself, the collar high around his muffed ears. The driving snow and blowing cold shot right through him while he walked.
Scot needed some food for the next couple of days, and was glad the family store was still open. That was the only thing that could have gotten him out in this mess. The storm was predicted to rage for a while and was quickly bringing the city to a halt. The streets were devoid of traffic, buses, cabs, or anything or anyone else with the quickly piling snow. He'd heard there was already two feet on the ground. The storm hit only a couple of hours earlier!
He was just about home and passing by the alley next to his building when something caught his eye. A cardboard box flew open but remained in its spot, flapping in the wind. He swore he saw what could be fabric... a jacket under it. He shook his head and kept going. Couldn't be...
The feeling was nagging at him and 10 feet past the corner he turned back and went into the alley. The flapping box was about 25 feet down, and when he was half way there he sped up as much as he could in the deepening snow. There was indeed a person being buried in it!
It wasn't moving, and he put down his reusable shopping bag to shake the person's shoulder. He yelled out trying to wake the form, but there was no movement. He didn't think, scooping his arm back through the handles of the bag and around the person's body. He lifted and stood, carrying it back to his building.
Scot rushed inside and put the body down on the tile of the foyer, checking for any signs of life while quickly reaching inside his coat for his phone. He jabbed at the screen, dialing 911, and waited for them to answer. He removed the person's snow covered hat, finally revealing the first signs of gender.
The operator answered and he tried to remain calm as he anxiously relayed the emergency into the phone. The problem was that the storm had indeed effectively shut down the city and getting a snow plow to bring in an ambulance would take quite a while.
"You need to get her cold, wet clothes off of her. Careful not to tug any of them off if they seem stuck to her skin. Get her warm as soon as you can, preferably in a warm tub.
Not hot
and
not dry
heat!" the operator told him.
Scot picked up the girl and carried her into the elevator, jabbing his floor number and wishing for a quick ride. He stayed on the phone with the operator while he carried her into his apartment and into the bathroom. Turning on the tap in his smallish tub he put her down on the floor. Hitting the speaker, he started to remove her clothing.
This was Scot's first real opportunity to really realize that she was still alive. She struggled against his attempts to strip her.
"Young lady, we need to get these off of you. You might have frostbite," he pleaded with her. She just hugged her arms tighter. "Please..."
She relaxed her arms a bit and opened her eyes for the first time. Something sparked in her eyes and her lids widened, only to quickly close again. She went limp.
Scot quickly took the opportunity to comply with the operator's instructions, and told the lady what he was doing. He removed her coat. A teddy bear was underneath her coat and he set that aside. Next were her boots and then other pieces of clothing. They didn't seem too threadbare. In fact it looked like they might be in fairly good shape. Scot wondered just how long this poor girl had been on the streets.
When he had her stripped down to her panties and bra he quickly removed his coat and picked her up again, starting to lower her into the water. The moment the warm water hit her skin she yelped in pain, waking in his arms.
"It's all right. The water will help you," Scot said. "Please, let go and lean back into it."
She looked up at him and nodded but caught his hand before he could pull it away. Even in the warm water she was still shivering. She was very dirty, and some of it started dissolving into the water from her dark brown hair and skin. Bathing the dirt off of her was out of the question since he was specifically told not to rub her skin.
Scot told the operator that he had her in the water. She informed him that help would still be another half hour away. When they were closer she would call Scot back to let him know. They hung up.
"Get down into the water as far as you can," he instructed the girl.
She complied, staring at Scot intently. He figured she was scared with a stranger taking care of her in this way, and kept watch for any funny business. He started to scoop water onto her face and head with his free hand while her body became mostly submerged in the water.
Still her eyes were glued to him. He turned off the tap with the water finally up near the top. Her face was exposed from her nose to her forehead, but other than that she was completely in the water.
Scot just tended to the girl, making sure to drain and warm the water as needed. He couldn't get over how much she gripped his hand and stared at him. Something was starting to become familiar... something about the way she stared and her eyes, but he couldn't figure it out. He mentally shrugged.
When the phone rang it startled them both. Scot answered it and found out that the ambulance was pulling up to his building. He hung up and looked at the girl.
"Young lady," he had no idea what else to call her and wondered why he didn't yet ask. "What is your name?" She just stared at him unmoving for a moment. The buzzer went off, startling the girl, and Scot tried to stand and move away. She just held his hand. "I need to let the paramedics in. I promise I'll be right back!" He said with a reassuring squeeze of her hand.
Her face did not change at all but Scot felt the pressure on his hand lessen and then her hand was gone. He made a comforting swipe across her forehead as he stood to go to the buzzer. Propping open the door he returned to the girl, taking her hand again.
It took only a moment for the paramedics to walk in the apartment and into the bathroom to start to attend the girl. She was frightened when Scot tried to release her hand to let the men work. "It's ok. I won't go anywhere," he said feeling her squeeze. She slowly released his hand again and he stepped back, picking up her clothes along the way.
The paramedics were blocking her view of Scot so he took an opportunity to clean up a little, remove his soiled and wet shirt, and put his perishable groceries away quickly. A minute later he was looking through her clothing to find any kind of identification. Locating a wallet in her inside coat pocket he pulled it out, returning to the bathroom.
"I'm glad you're back, sir. She was becoming agitated without you here," a paramedic said. Scot was confused, and it must have shown on his face.
The girl relaxed a lot seeing him. She reached out a hand for him. "Let these men work on you, ok? I'll stay right here." He saw her nod slowly.
He took the opportunity to look through the wallet he found. There wasn't much in it, just a couple of cards. He pulled out a card with a familiar color and saw that it was a student ID for Johnson Memorial High, the school in which he taught mathematics since he graduated college two and a half years earlier. 2015-16, Senior... Scot recognized the name and school photo on the ID. "Holy shit!" he hoped he said under his breath.
He looked up and saw the paramedics raising her out of the water a bit, her eyes still on him. They were trying to get her to talk but she just stared at Scot unregistering. "What is your name?" one of them asked.
"Mona Kelly," Scot answered for her, handing her student ID to the paramedic with the clipboard. She should have graduated the previous May but... well things went wrong and she disappeared. She was such a cute girl in his classes, those blue eyes always staring at him... That was it! That was what he recognized! The cute girl with bright red hair! He looked over at the girl with the dark brown, dirty hair.
He felt the realization soften his face. Mona's also softened a bit seeing it.
"She has a few areas of what appear to be minor frostbite. More importantly she has signs of malnutrition and dehydration. We're going to take her in for care," the paramedic said to Scot, helping her stand.
"How long will she need to be there?"
"A couple of days."
The other one moved in with a towel but Mona backed away shaking her head. The paramedic stopped and she pointed at Scot.
"Mona, please let the men do their job," Scot said. Mona still stared at him, but eventually nodded.
This girl was a mystery and he wanted to know more. With the weather outside he knew... "I'm going to pack a bag and come along with you." He turned to one of the paramedics. "I should have asked first, is that all right if I join you for the ride?"
"If she agrees, yes."
Scot and the paramedic looked at Mona, who was nodding vigorously and almost begging with her eyes. He had no idea why Mona was like this around him, why she was so trusting of him. "I'll be right back, ok?"
She nodded and he left the room. The girl was very filthy, and he had no idea with staying at the hospital with her for a day or more due to the storm when he'd be able to shower again. He ran to his room to change and pack an overnight bag.
Scot finished in the bathroom with his toiletries and grabbed his spare winter jacket. He returned to the paramedics, who had Mona on a stretcher and were working quickly to cover her in bandages and blankets, putting a warming blanket over her.
The paramedics started to push the stretcher to the elevator, riding it back down. Scot held her hand, walking beside the stretcher until they were out in the cold behind the ambulance.
She had to release his hand for the paramedics to get her on board. One climbed in after her and the other went to drive. Scot climbed in and took the seat as he was told. Her hand immediately sought his again. They drove mostly in silence behind the snow plow to the hospital, fifteen blocks away.
The ER docs weren't going to let Scot in but Mona's death grip on his hand convinced them. She did have to let go of his hand, however, so they could work. Scot stayed close but out of the way and she stared at him. Those eyes were always staring at him.
Some doctors worked on her skin while nurses got out bags of fluid and IVs. One of them removed what was left of her clothing, thankfully blocking Scot's view while they worked. Another asked her questions. Mona never said a word and just kept staring at Scot. One of the nurses asked a question and motioned toward Scot. She shook her head a little. The nurse asked another question and she nodded. A clipboard was brought near her and Mona looked away long enough to sign it and another two pages that were flipped over for her.
