A Diamond For Kate

“Sure, go ahead,” Kate said as she gently lowered the girl onto the bed.

“Who have we here?” asked Dr. Davis, one of the E.R. residents.

“Can you tell us your name?” Kate asked.

“Sa...Sabrina Diamond,” came the ragged reply.

“Sabrina. That’s a lovely name,” Kate responded warmly. “I’m Kate.

Dr. Davis approached the bed and flashed the child a kindly smile.

“Sabrina and her father were in a car accident,” Kate went on. “She appears to be all right.”

“Let’s take a quick look shall we?” Dr. Davis said.

Kate stood by while the doctor examined the child.

“You’re a very lucky girl, Sabrina,” Dr. Davis finally said, but the child made no response, simply hugging her teddy bear tighter. He turned to Kate and lowered his voice. “Find out how her father is doing and then contact any family.”

After the doctor departed, Kate studied her patient more closely, noting that her eyes were the same startling blue as her father’s. She even had the same serious look about her, but there was also a deep sadness in Sabrina’s eyes that tugged at her heart. She knew the child’s mother had died in a boating accident several months ago. At the time Kate had felt an affinity with the five-year-old, having lost her own mother when she’d been the same age.

“I know it must have been scary for you being in an accident. But Dr. Davis says you’re just fine.” Reaching for a box of tissues beside the bed, she wiped a stray tear from the girl’s face.

While there was no visible evidence of any physical injury, Kate knew that being in the accident, seeing a loved one bleeding and unconscious beside her had to have been a highly traumatic experience for the child.

“Is my daddy dead?” The question was asked in a voice that quavered with emotion.

“No. But he was hurt in the accident.” She kept her tone even, then watched helplessly as Sabrina’s eyes filled with fresh tears.

“Can I see him?”

“He’s been taken upstairs for X rays.”

“What’s an X ray?”

“Your daddy might have broken his arm in the accident. An X ray is a machine that can take pictures of his bones to see if any are broken,” she explained, fighting the urge to reach out and pull the child into her arms.

“Does it hurt?”

Kate smiled. “No, X rays don’t hurt.”

“When can I see him?”

“I don’t know if...” Kate began, and immediately regretted her words, as the tears hovering on Sabrina’s lashes spilled over to cascade down her pale cheeks.

“Aw...sweetheart, don’t cry.” Kate grabbed more tissues from the box and wiped away the tears. “Your father’s being well looked after, I promise you.”

The child’s lower lip continued to tremble. “I want to see my daddy,” she stated emphatically before burying her face against her teddy bear.

Kate put her arm around Sabrina’s shoulder, easily understanding the child’s need to see her father. No doubt, with the loss of her mother still fresh in her mind, she simply wanted confirmation that her father was indeed alive.

“Hey! I know,” Kate said cheerily. “X rays don’t take very long. The nurse has probably brought him back downstairs by now. Let’s go and see, shall we?”

Sabrina sniffed and raised her head to look at Kate. “Okay,” she said.

Lifting the child from the bed, Kate lowered her to the floor. When Sabrina’s tiny hand slid into hers, Kate gave it a gentle squeeze. She led the way to the nurses’ desk where Jackie stood talking on the phone.

As they approached, Jackie replaced the receiver. “Hi Kate. Who have we here?” she asked with a friendly smile.

“This is Sabrina. She’s Dr. Diamond’s daughter. Dr. Davis just checked her over, and she’s fine. But she’s worried about her father. Is he back from X ray?”

“Yes. I brought him down myself five minutes ago.”

“Where is he? I thought he might like to see for himself that his daughter is all right.”

“Uh...” Jackie began and darted a quick glance at the child who stood quietly at Kate’s side. She leaned toward Kate. “He still hasn’t regained consciousness,” she whispered.

Kate felt Sabrina tug at her hand, and she bent to scoop the child into her arms.

“Can I see my daddy now?” Sabrina asked, anxiety threading her voice.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Jackie quickly jumped in. “But it’s against the rules.”

Sabrina’s eyes instantly filled with tears.

“I’ll tell you what,” Kate suggested, throwing Jackie a pleading glance. “If you stay here with Jackie, I’ll go take a peek at your father and see how he is. Okay?”

Sabrina sniffed and nodded.

Moving around the desk, Kate settled Sabrina into the swivel chair.

“Dr. Franklin told me to put Dr. Diamond in the old plaster room down the hall. It’s quieter and a little more private there,” Jackie told Kate. “Heather’s with him.”

“Thanks.” Kate turned to Sabrina. “I’ll be right back.”

Threading her way to the rear of Emerg, Kate paused at the door to the plaster room. Had Marsh regained consciousness? And if so, would he remember her?

Kate could still recall with vivid clarity the way he’d looked at her the night of the accident, an accident that nearly cost his sister, Piper, her life.

Piper Diamond, the popular, fun-loving and sometimes reckless sixteen-year-old, had been the only teenager at Kincade High who had made an effort to make Kate feel welcome, when Kate had transferred into the school in early March. Piper had taken her under her wing, instantly seeing through Kate’s facade of careless indifference to the vulnerable, lonely girl beneath.

Once the high school had let out for the holidays, Kate had spent a lot of time with Piper and her brother, the handsome med student who’d come home to study for his exams. Marsh had even taught her how to ride, after first helping her overcome her childhood fear of horses.

Kate had enjoyed the fact that Piper and her brother had treated her like a member of the family, but as the hot summer days passed, her thoughts and feelings for Marsh had intensified and had been anything but sisterly, because she’d developed a giant-size crush on him. Only later had she seen that his friendship was nothing more than polite tolerance.

A bitter smile curled at the corners of her mouth at the memory, a memory that still had the power to hurt. Annoyed at herself and the route her thoughts had taken, she drew a deep steadying breath and opened the door.

Heather Jones, also working part-time for the summer, glanced up from reading the patient’s chart. “Kate, what brings you here?”