LITMIR.BIZ

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her and out of the courtroom. He didn’t stop until he got to his car. He sat inside for a moment, debating where to go. It was Monday, which meant he needed to put in some hours at the office, preparing for his next client’s trial. Another kid caught in the system. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t look into a kid’s eyes and wonder how someone so young and innocent could do such horrible things.

      He started the car and drove to the office, keeping himself on autopilot so he wouldn’t have to think, to feel. It was hopeless. All of it.

      * * *

      PAGE PLACED HER dirty scrubs in the bin, took her purse from her locker and punched out. It had been a long day, and her feet ached despite wearing shoes that were made to be comfortable. She slumped onto the nearest bench and debated her options. She felt pretty good, so she supposed that she should do something productive. Her next round of chemo would take the wind out of her sails for a few days, so she could get groceries while she still had an appetite.

      Her thoughts turned to Ruby as they had ever since she’d met the girl. Dr. Achatz had been called in to assist with stopping labor, and Page wondered if they had been successful. It wasn’t fair that a girl so young should face this alone, but it seemed like Ruby was determined to do just that.

      She pushed off the bench and stood for a moment until the locker room stopped spinning. She should know better than to get up so quickly, but there were times she forgot she had cancer. She caught the elevator to the first floor and found herself at the intake counter. “Hey, Janet, is April around?”

      The older woman looked up at her and glanced around the bustling room. “She’s somewhere in this madness.”

      “Did they discharge Ruby?”

      Janet’s jaw tightened. “You know I can’t disclose that information.”

      “C’mon, Jan. We used to be pals when we worked together.”

      “Until you left us for upstairs.” She wagged a finger at her. “I don’t think so.”

      Page admitted her colleague was right, but still, she needed to know if Ruby was okay. She walked toward the trauma area, but she didn’t find Ruby. She was able to track down April as she left a curtained area. “Your shift over already?”

      Page shook off the question. “Where’s Ruby? The girl who came in earlier?”

      April gave orders to a nurse, then turned back to Page. “Why are you asking?”

      “Because she’s been on my mind all afternoon for some reason. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

      April gave a nod. “She was sent upstairs about an hour ago. Dr. Achatz is keeping her overnight just to be safe.” She leaned in close. “I don’t think the girl has anywhere else to go, to be honest. And at least while she’s here, we can monitor her and take care of her and the baby.”

      “Good.” Page should have felt relief, but the knowledge left her antsy. “I guess I’ll go home.” The way April watched her made her even more anxious. “What?”

      “You should go see her. She was asking about you.”

      Really? That didn’t seem possible, since the girl had made it obvious that she wasn’t interested in anything Page had to offer. “What can I do?”

      “Talk to her. Maybe get some information that can help her.” April gave a shrug. “Maybe you could reach her where we couldn’t.”

      “I don’t see how.”

      “Try.” April turned away when another doctor called her name.

      After several stops and peeks into patient rooms, she found Ruby sitting up in bed watching a reality court show in the maternity wing. “Hey, Ruby. How are you feeling?”

      The girl turned and peered at her. “What are you doing here?”

      “I got off work and thought I’d check in on you.” Page entered the room and took a seat, placing her purse in her lap. “So they were able to stop labor for now.”

      “Yeah.” Ruby picked up the remote and started to flip through the channels.

      Page would need to do more to get the girl to open up. “Are you sure there’s no one we can call for you?” When Ruby didn’t answer, Page stood and walked closer to the bed. “Where’s your mom?”

      Ruby paused on a channel. “Dead.”

      Oh. “And your dad?”

      “Don’t know. My mom told me his name and that he was from Detroit, but I’ve never met him.”

      Page watched as the girl scanned more channels, although she didn’t seem interested in any one in particular. “There’s gotta be someone who’s worried about you.”

      Ruby turned her attention away from the TV screen and glared at Page. “There’s no one who looks out for me but me. Got it?”

      Page sure did. She had been about Ruby’s age when she realized her parents were more concerned with themselves than they were about their only daughter. They may have been living in the same house, but neglect was neglect. She’d been ignored unless it was convenient for them to use her in their continual war against each other. She’d learned to take care of herself because no one else was going to.

      “Did you run away?”

      Ruby laughed, but the sound was anything but cheerful. “You gotta have a home to run from.” She returned to flipping through the channels. “Are you done with the questions?”

      “Nope.” She took a step closer. “Where are you going to go when they release you from here?”

      “Why do you care?”

      Page gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Because maybe everyone needs someone who worries about them.”

      “I don’t need you.”

      “Well, it seems I’m the best you’ve got right now.”

      Ruby turned off the television and placed the remote on the bedside table. “You serious?”

      The strange thing was Page had never been more serious. The idea of taking care of this girl had been planted hours before, as she’d mulled over Ruby’s circumstances, and it had taken root, watered by her worry and concern. This girl claimed to have no family, and the thought of offering her a home had bloomed. Maybe it was because she wished someone had helped her when she was Ruby’s age. That an adult might have seen her circumstances and gotten her out of a bad situation. Who knows what might have happened if someone had stepped in. What pain and loss she might have avoided. “You know I’m a nurse, so who better to take care of you?”

      “I told you. I take care of myself.”

      Page well remembered what that was like. Making her own meals. Buying her own clothes with what little money she had. Taking care of her own needs because her parents had checked out of her life early on. She took a seat in the chair beside Ruby’s hospital bed. “How long have you been doing that?”

      Ruby looked down at her hands. “Almost a year. My mom died, and they put me in this horrible foster home back in Oklahoma. I ran away as soon as I could.” She sat up straighter in the bed. “You’re not going to send me back there, are you?”

      “No.” She hoped she wouldn’t have to.

      She wilted back into the pillows. “I won’t go. I’ll run away before that happens.”

      “What happened after you left the home?”

      “I started to make my way here. My mom told me stories about when she met my dad here. It wasn’t like I had anything keeping me in Oklahoma.” She sniffed and seemed to be holding back tears. “My boyfriend took off when I told him about the baby.”

      “Have you decided what you want

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