The Shattered Girl

Celes, Katrin, Alex and Jenna put a single mother back together after she barely esacapes a violent relationship.

 

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Chapter 8: The Shattered Girl

 

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“This air is so refreshing.” I commented as me and two other nurses stood in the ambulance bay awaiting their latest client. “Almost makes you forget about how fast-paced things can get. You could really loose yourself if you’re not careful.”

 

“Still getting used to things in the Big Apple, I see.” one of the nurses remarked. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

 

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” I replied as the ambulance came into view. “That’s why I have to go back to Boston every other weekend to recharge—you only have to wait 5 minutes for the weather to change there.”

 

“Are all Bostonians that way?” the other nurse asked.

 

“Probably,” I replied with a laugh as the ambulance bay doors swung open. “We do we have today, Dennis?” I asked as we helped him unload the patient.

 

“A 16 year old girl found unconscious washed up by the water.” He replied. “Nothing's broken and she started to come around on the way here.”

 

“Who’s the kid?” I asked when I saw a little girl being carried in by the other attendant.

 

“This one’s hers.” He replied as she was wheeled into a trauma room.

 

“Can you tell me your name?” I asked the teen as I checked her pupils.

 

“My name’s Lena.” She replied “Where’s my daughter?”

 

“She’s fine.” I replied and motioned for Dennis to bring her in.

 

“Mommy!” the girl exclaimed as she help her hand.

 

“I’ll be ok, Myra.” Lena replied as she tried to console her. “The doctors and nurses will take care of me.”

 

“Can you tell me what happened to you?” I asked as the other doctors checked her for further injuries.

 

“Me and Myra were walking to catch a bus when a car came out of nowhere and almost hit me.” Lena replied. “Before it took out the people ahead of me I lost my balance and fell down the embankment. I must have hit my head and blacked out on the way down.”

 

”That explains the gash on your forehead.” I commented.

 

“She seems to be ok.” I heard one of the doctors say. “I’ll get someone to stitch the head injury and she’ll be able to go home later today.”

 

“Do you mean that?” Lena asked in amazement.

 

“That’s what it sounds like.” I replied with a grin before turning to Myra. “How’d you like to go home with Mom today?”

 

“Alright!” She exclaimed with a giggle. Cute. It made me think of my own daughter, Aeris.

 

--

 

When a more serious patient came a half hour later, Lena and her daughter were moved to an exam room so Lena’s cut could be sutured and she could be released. When I checked the schedule for the afternoon I saw that she was still on it. Apparently she’d “fallen through the cracks”, something that happens a lot in a busy ER.

 

Annoyed at the lack of consideration, I grabbed the necessary instruments from a supply room and went to do it myself. When Lena saw me, she was surprised. “I didn’t know you were going to do this.” She said with a grin.

 

“Neither did I.” I replied with a laugh. “My name’s Celes, by the way.”

 

“You were in City Year?” She asked me, taking note of the City Year watch I was wearing.

 

“Not yet.” I replied. “This was given to me by the Vice President of City Year—“

 

“Charlie Rose!” She exclaimed.

 

“Yes, how did you know that?” I asked.

 

“I was a Young Hero in City Year New York.” She replied. “Before I found out I was pregnant, I met him at Cyzygy 2006 in NYC.”

 

“I’m originally from Boston.” I said. “When I told him I wanted to work for him someday, he took off his watch and gave it to me. He said the first thing I should know if I were to work for him was being aware of the time at all times.”

 

“That sounds so nice!” She exclaimed. She winced as the gash began to close due to the stitches.

 

“Sorry about that.” I said. “A little Vaseline will keep it from getting infected until it heals further.”

 

“Thank you.” She replied.

 

“Don’t mention it.” I replied with a smile. “If my daughter had to watch me get stitches I’d be the same way.”

 

“You have a daughter?” Lena asked in surprise. I showed her a recent picture. “She looks just like you!” She gasped. “How old is she?”

 

“She just turned 1.” I replied. “I was 17 when I had her.”

 

“I had Myra when I was 14.” Lena replied. “After she was born I quickly discovered people can be so cruel to girls like us. Being treated differently just because you had a baby…”

 

“I know that feeling.” I remarked. “Still, I wouldn’t trade Aeris away for anything. I love her too much.”

 

“I’m the same with Myra.” Lena replied. “I’d sooner kill anyone who would even think of taking her from me.”

 

---

 

After finishing the dressing I had Lena fill out the necessary paperwork. The police caught the man who almost hit her and because of the number of witnesses, calling in her in for a testimony wouldn’t be needed. Not that it would help much—right after she finished signing forms, Lena and Myra walked out of the hospital and disappeared. When I got home at 9 that night, only Katrin was still awake.

 

“How was your day?” She asked.

 

“It was very rewarding.” I replied before telling her about Lena. Katrin listened intently and was amazed as well.

 

“Who knows, Celes?” Katrina said. “I think you two would make good friends.”

 

“That’s what I was thinking.” I replied. “I hope I see her again soon. I’m sure there is more we could talk about.”

 

“You look as if you’re going to drop where you stand. “Katrin remarked. “Go to sleep and we’ll talk about things tomorrow.”

 

“Oh!” I exclaimed as I held me stomach. 5 seconds later I was throwing up everything I ate for lunch and more into the toilet.

 

“Are you feeling ok?” Katrin asked ask she came in.

 

“I think so.” I replied when the feeling passed. Then another thought crossed my mind. A thought that felt too real.

 

“What is it?” Katrin asked.

 

“I need a pregnancy test.” I replied. “And I need one now.”

 

“I see…” She replied before going into her room. She came back a moment later with an unopened test. “Before I knew about Talen I bought this. It turns out I didn’t even need to use it, so…:”

 

“Thanks a lot.” I replied as I opened it. “Now get out so I can use it!”

 

--

 

After doing as the package said I took the test into my bedroom, woke Alex and told him what had happened. The results were supposed to come momentarily and I wanted him to see it. We stared at the disposable instrument and after what felt like an eternity the results finally came:

 

Not Pregnant.

 

“That’s a relief.” Alex said after the reading appeared. “Until we know for sure I’m going to start using protection.”

 

“You know I’m allergic to that stuff.” I said with disdain. “Why must you tease me like that?”

 

“Sometimes it can’t be helped.” He replied before laughing. Without giving a reply, I ran to the bathroom and threw up again. If I wasn’t pregnant I had a serious case of the stomach flu. I opened the medicine and took out the second pregnancy test I used.

 

The first one I purposely did not pee in—there was already some in the toilet. This time the results were what I already expected: I’m Pregnant. “Looks like Aeris is going to have a brother or sister soon.” I muttered.

 

“Well, that's good news.” said Katrin as she came out of the bathtub wrapped in a towel. “You're well on your way to being the next Brittany Spears.”

 

“What--are kidding?!” I shot back. “Mom and Dad are going to be really upset when they find out! On top of that, Alex is still settling in to his new job and my work at the hospital is demanding more and more of my time!”

 

“Who says they have to know?” she asked. ”Right now, I mean. You could wait until things have calmed down a bit and then tell them about the new arrival. There can't be any harm in doing that so long as you tell them before you start to show.”

 

“That was my first idea, actually.” I remarked thoughtfully. “It worked for you, after all.”

 

“My case was much different from yours, actually.” Katrin replied. “That, and my boyfriend's from another planet...”

 

---

 

After I left the hospital, I took Myra and went to catch a train bound for another part of Brooklyn. I don’t know how but I somehow managed to get out of the hospital without having to give too much information. Celes was nice but if that Doctor knew I was not only homeless but was being hunted by my ex-boyfriend, the hospital might have tried to take Myra from me and I was not going to let that happen. “Where are we going, Mommy?” Myra asked me when we emerged from a different subway station.

 

“I’m taking you to school and then I have to go to work.” I replied. “We should get there just in time.” Myra’s school was four blocks from the station we came out of. We walked the stairs to Public School #54 and I took her inside.

 

“You know, you’re late Ms. Davis.” The secretary said. “I thought we agreed Myra would be coming to school on time?”

 

“I know, but something came up.” I replied as I pushed back my hair so she could see the bandage on my head.

 

“Oh, you poor dear.” She said when she saw it. “What happened to you?”

 

“Some nut with a car almost killed me.” I said. “Myra wasn’t hurt, though.”

 

“Did they catch him?” she asked.

 

“Of course.” I replied. “Look, I know this is sudden but can you keep Myra for a few extra hours? I have an interview for another job after work.”

 

“Is it the one?” She asked with a look of surprise. When I nodded she grinned. “I can keep her until 8:30. Is that enough time?”

 

“More than enough.” I replied. “And thank you for doing this.”

 

“Anything for one of our best students.” She replied. “And don’t worry about it, honey. You may have only been 14 when you had Myra but you are so smart and responsible for your age. If one of the older unemployed parents asked me the same thing I’d tell them no. You have something that sets you apart and that is why you are destined to succeed.”

 

“Thank you, Ms. Evans.” I said, moved to tears by her words. Giving Myra a hug, I turned and left the school. If Ms. Evans knew the job interview was the only thing I had for the afternoon I wondered if she would’ve reacted differently. I still wondered how I kept from that nurse the fact that I was also pregnant.

 

Right now I was starving and walked into the first pizza shop I saw and ordered a large pizza. Even though I wasn’t even showing yet this baby demanded I eat more and eat a lot. I hadn’t eaten since before the accident and by this time I was famished. As soon as the pizza were ready I ran into the alley across the street, opened the box and started eating. After I finished the pizza I was finally satisfied and hopefully the baby, too. I dumped the box and I walked out the alley, nearly running into the two women who were walking by. “Excuse us!” One of them said. I took a second look and recognized one of them as that Doctor from the hospital.

 

“Celes, right?” I asked.

 

“Lena!” she exclaimed. “This is a pleasant surprise!”

 

“I’ll say.” I replied, regarding her companion.

 

“Jenna, meet Lena.” She said. “I’m the one who closed that gash on her head.”

 

“Pleased to meet you.” Said Jenna.

 

“The pleasure is mine.” I said before turning to Celes again. “Were you on your way to work?”

 

“Yes, and my friend here works part time at the firehouse across from P.S. #54.” She replied.

 

“Myra goes there for preschool.” I remarked.

 

“Really?” Celes asked in surprise. “Do you live close?”

 

“Actually, I—“ I said and then I stopped myself. Did I really want to tell her that I was homeless? Did she really want to know I was being hunted like an animal by my ex-boyfriend? I began to really question if lying about my living situation would help in an emergency. I must have made my thoughts a little too plain because when I looked back at Celes she knew I was hiding something. “I need to be honest with you.” I said to her. “But when I tell you this, you have to swear not to tell the cops or anything.”

 

“Of course.” She replied. “My family finds them a waste of time, anyway. I don’t know what you want to tell me or why but if you really feel up to it, I’m fine with it.” I then told her everything that led up to now. She was especially horrified when I told her it was my ex-boyfriend who ran me over. All things considered, she took it well.

 

“That’s pretty deep…” Celes said after I finished. “Reminds me of that girl my brother adopted in Little Rock awhile back on her story's a lot more tragic. In any case, I'd be willing to examine you at my house. I have the necessary supplies in my basement. Would you mind stopping by my place in Brooklyn later today?”

 

“I have a job interview in the afternoon.” I replied. “Afterward I have to get back here and pick up Myra.”

 

“I’m sure Katrin won’t mind if they came by.” Jenna remarked. “She did comment on wanting to get someone to move into one of the spare bedrooms.”

 

“That's certainly good news.” I said. “I can come by after I get Myra.”

 

“Alright, I’ll give you the address, then.” Celes said as she took out a piece of paper. “I’ll also give you my spare Cell Phone. If something happens, call me and I’ll come get you right away.”

 

“Are you sure?” I asked.

 

 

“Of course.” She replied as she handed it to me. “Anything for a friend. Besides, let's just say that if this boyfriend of yours and I meet, he probably won't walk away alive.”

 

“I thought you guys weren’t allowed to get personal with patients?” I asked teasingly. “And isn't there a rule against you guys killing people?”

 

“I’m not bound by the Hippocratic Oath.” She said with a laugh. “That, and I think that all doctors should have a personal relationship with their patients.” After saying goodbye to Celes and Jenna I walked to the subway station and went to the City Year Office in Manhattan. If things worked out I would be a Corps Member next Fall.

 

I wore a suit I’d bought a few weeks ago for the interview and was in high spirits. As I waited to be called I got a text message. When I saw who it was my face went pale. “You've gotta be kidding me...” I whispered. “Please don't do this to me now....”

 

“Lena Davis.” Someone said. I got up and followed the woman into a conference room. It was a large room with a lot of chairs and tables. She sat down at one of them and I sat across from her. When I spotted John's car outside I shuddered. After easing through introductions she began asking me the job-based questions. I kept an eye on the door every now and then but I refused to stop until the interview was complete. “Are you feeling ok?” The woman ask suddenly. I realized then that my skin had gone pale and I was sweating profusely.

 

“I-I’m really nervous about this.” I lied. “I’ve been looking forward to it for months and now look at me.”

 

“You’re doing fine, dear.” She replied with a smile. “You have no idea how many people have told me that today.” I smiled weakly and eased through the last round of questions.

 

When she asked me if there was anything that may make my year a challenge, I told her I had a two-year old daughter and was expecting another baby. “Congratulations.” She replied. “Do you know what it is yet?”

 

“The lady I’m living with and her sister Katrin said they’ll take care of Myra and the baby during the day.” I said.

 

“You know Katrina Toss?” She asked. “She was just rehired as a Team Leader for CYNY. How do you know her?”

 

“I’m actually friends with her sister, Celes.” I replied. “She’s the one who fixed this gash on my head.”

 

“You know, we have her down as doing City Year next year, too.” The woman said. “If you and Katrin are living together then that may increase your odds of getting in.”

 

“Thank you!” I exclaimed. There’s no way I was getting turned down, now! After answering a few final questions the interview was over and a confirmation letter would be sent to Celes’ address. I took the subway back to Myra’s school and picked her up. She showed me the landscape picture she made in Art. “Would you like to visit the nice lady who helped mommy?” I asked her.

 

“You mean Celes?” She asked Me.

 

“That’s right.” I replied. “She invited us to stay with her for a few months. She has a little girl, too and I know you can be friends.”

 

“Alright!” Myra said as we rode the train to another part of Brooklyn. The area we were now in was more spacious and rural than the rest of Brooklyn. You had to have quite a bit of money in order to live out here. After finally emerging from the long, winding subway station we were a few blocks from where Celes lived.

 

“Maybe someday we’ll have a house just like one of these.” I said to Myra as we walked down the street. “If we’re lucky, anyway.”

 

After turning on the right street I had to stop and rest. The baby was asking so much of my body and I was irritated. The silhouette of John's car turning the corner only heightened the feeling. “Are you ok, Mommy?” Myra asked with concern. Then she saw what I was looking at.

 

“I’ll be ok, sweetheart.” I replied as John emerged from his car. “I won't let him hurt you.”

 

“You should never have left me, Lena.” he said as he held what looked like a sledge hammer. “How you die!”

 

“Not in front of Myra!” I exclaimed she let out a scream. There was no one around and I knew it wouldn’t matter—if someone was dying, the neighbors saw nothing. “Oh!” I moaned after being hit over the head. It happened so suddenly I didn't have time to react and fell on my back.

 

“Daddy, no!” Myra screamed before getting getting between us. He just managed to stop before hitting her. At least I knew he had no intention of hurting her.

 

“Get out of here Myra!” I screamed as I handed her the paper with Celes' Address. “Go get help!” She didn't need to be told twice and ran down the street. That's when John took a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at her. I managed to shove the gun out of the way before he could fire.

 

“You always were a stupid b***h.” he said before hitting me in the face with the gun. When I saw the sledge hammer rise again, I realized I might never see Myra again.

 

---

 

“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for taking all this stuff?” Katrin asked me after I turned a section of the basement into a mini Trauma Center with all the stuff I ‘borrowed’ from the hospital. I had always wondered what would happen if I had my own private treatment room in the house and now that I did I was very proud of myself.

 

“They won’t care.” I replied. “People steal stuff everyday.”

 

“Yeah, but still…” Katrin replied uneasily. “An MRI, X-Ray Machine, Ultrasound, Surgical Instruments, over $500,000 worth of Medicine. You’re looking at some serious trouble if you get caught.”

 

“They already replaced everything.” I replied. “Someone tried to set the Abortion Clinic on fire again last month. There was no serious damage but they bought new stuff anyways.” The ringing of the doorbell cut our talk a little short.

 

“Jenna, could you get that?” Katrin yelled up the stairs.

 

“I’m on it.” She replied as we heard her running through the house. A few moments later we hear Jenna yell, “Celes, you’d better get over here quick!” I ran up the basement stairs with Katrin right behind me. When we reached the front door I was surprised to see Myra standing there by herself.

 

“Where's your mother?” I asked her.

 

“Daddy's hurting her.” she said. That was all I needed to hear.

 

“Stay here.” I said to her before turning to Katrin. “I'm going to need you for this.” I grabbed the Lunar Blade from my room and then ran down the street with Katrin close behind me. When we got there, only Lena remained—in a pool of blood.

 

“Oh, my...” Katrin trailed when she saw her.

 

“Please, help me.” She said I picked her up.

 

“Looks like we’re going to give your Home ER a test run.” Katrin mused. I shot her a look and carried her back to the house. Jenna helped her onto a bed while Katrin took off her now ruined shirt and pants. I grabbed the ultrasound machine and pushed it closer to the bed.

 

“You can grab some replacement stuff from my Supply Closet.” I said to Jenna. I then turned to speak to Lena. “How far along are you? You didn’t even look pregnant when we saw you earlier.”

 

“I’m 4 months.” She replied. “We were on our way here when he came and did this to me. It frightened Myra half to death.” After applying gel to the instrument I had Lena lie down as I pressed the scanner against her skin. What I saw shocked me into silence.

 

“Oh my god…”

 

“What is it?” Lena asked, a bit frightened at my prolonged silence. I turned the screen so everyone could see.

 

“Your baby's dead.” I replied. “Or I should say one of them is. You're carrying twins.” Her face went white.

 

“What about the other one?” she asked.

 

“I won’t know any more until I can run some tests.” I replied.

 

“Will they hurt?” Myra asked me.

 

“Not really.” I replied after turning the machine off. “We just want to make sure your surviving sibling is alright.” After adjusting the bed so Lena was flat on her back I took my stethoscope and listened. I only heard one heartbeat, which confirmed that one of her babies was indeed dead. She was not going to be happy.

 

“Well, at least I know I don't have to do an X-Ray.” Jenna remarked. “I'm impressed she's still breathing after so bad a beating...” The sound of a window upstairs breaking averted my attention to the guy who did this to her. I ran upstairs with my Lunar Blade.

 

“Celes!” Jenna and Katrin exclaimed, knowing I was about to kill someone for the first time. When I reached the hallway I saw him. Behind him was the front door, which he'd broken.

 

“Are you Lena's boyfriend?” I asked him.

 

“Soon to be ex.” he replied calmly.

 

“Good answer.” I said as I walked over to him. “Your life is mine.” When he raised his weapon, I cut his hand off, making the hammer fall behind him. “Feel the pain...” I said before cutting into his chest with surgical precision. “Of Lena and Myra...” I said as I cut is abdominal cavity open. “As you burn in hell!” I then slashed his throat before sheathing my sword, blood covering the floor.

 

“What the hell...!” Alex exclaimed as he came downstairs with Resolve. When he saw the sledgehammer, the broken door, the body and me covered in blood, he knew at once what had happened.

 

“Such is the fate of all who do evil in the sight of the Lord.” I said before returning to the basement.

 

“Celes, what did you...?” Jenna asked.

 

“He won't be hurting anyone anymore.” I replied. That was all that needed to be said. “How is she?”

 

“She's resting.” Katrin said.

 

“Good.” I replied. “Alex is cleaning up the mess upstairs. Katrin, why don't you take Myra to get something to eat? I need to go over the reconstruction plan with Jenna.”

 

“Not a problem.” she said as she took Myra by the hand.

 

---

 

“Lena, we need to talk.” I said when she awoke.

 

“Where’s Myra?” She asked.

 

“Katrin has her upstairs.” I replied. “We need to talk about how Jenna and I are going to put you back together. More than half your bones are broken and you're going to need a new Lung, Pancreas, Liver and Kidney. Luckily, we have a donor who just died who won't mind sharing.”

 

“Really?” she asked in surprise.

 

“Your boyfriend.” I said. “He's dead and well...let's just leave it at that.”

 

“Funny when you put it that way.” Lena remarked. “He always said he couldn't live without me. Now he doesn't have to.”

 

“That's one way to look at it.” I said as I wheeled her into the bigger trauma room for surgery. “Now I'm going to pull off the biggest solo multi-organ transplant and reconstruction job in Medical History.”

 

“Have you ever done this before?” Jenna asked me as we stood over Lena after she’d be prepped for surgery.

 

“Nope,” I replied as I waited for the anesthesia to take full effect. “Worst-case scenario is I cut a major artery and she bleeds out. Best-case is I set all the broken bones and transplant the organs without any complications.”

 

“Let’s hope we get lucky, then.” She replied sarcastically as I started the first incision. I was doing the difficult task of first removing all the bone fragments. I used Force Energy to work quickly and precisely on her. We also decided that since we'd opened her up, we would extract the dead fetus as well. When I got to it, it looked worse than it's mother. The job done, we moved on to the next stage of the procedure—Organ Transplants.

 

“Now comes the complicated part,” I said as I got started on her Kidney and Liver at the same time. “Focus Energy!” With that, time slowed almost to a stop as I switched the failing organs with fresh ones. I did the same with her Pancreas and Lung as well. After doing so, time resumed.

 

“What the—you just transplanted four organs in 20 seconds!” Jenna exclaimed.

 

“We're not done yet.” I said as I began working her broken bones. I started on her ribs and then moved to her arm and leg. With that, we were finally done. After I closed her back up, Jenna pushed her into recovery. The job finally done, I collapsed in exhaustion.

 

--

 

“Ugh...what happened?” I said as I came to. I also noticed I was in my bedroom.

 

“You collapsed after you finished working on Lena.” Katrin replied. “Alex found you and brought you here. You've been out of it for days.”

 

“That's nothing compared to the major reconstruction I did on her.” I said as I got up.

 

“Where are you going?” Katrin asked.

 

“To check on my patient.” I replied with a smile. I went downstairs and entered the recovery room just as Lena woke up.

 

“How did it go?” She asked me.

 

“You’re going to be just fine.” I said with a smile. “It looks like Katrin did something about the scars from the surgery, too. Your baby will be fine as well.”

 

“Thank you.” She said tearfully. “I owe you my life.”

 

“Think nothing of it.” I replied. “I just did my job is all.”

 

“Mommy!” Myra exclaimed as she came over and hugged Lena.

 

“Everything’s fine, now.” Lena assured her. “I was taken care of the best doctor in the whole world.”

 

“All in a day's work.” I said. “My sister made the scars disappear and you can deliver your baby naturally. Oh, and if anyone asks, you have no idea where I got all this medical stuff from.”

 

“Ah, so here’s our new guests.” Alex said as he came in. “I noticed how quiet upstairs was and guessed there was something going on down here. Too bad I missed it.”

 

“Don’t worry—you didn’t miss much.” I replied as me, Jenna and Katrin exchanged a smile. “This is Lena and her daughter, Myra. They’re going to be staying with us for awhile. Lena, this is my soon-to-be-husband, Alex.”

 

“Pleased to meet you.” Lena said as they shook hands,

 

“The pleasure is all mine,” He replied. “With so many women this place is turning into a fraternity!” Everyone burst into laughter at that one.

 

“Except for Celes and Alex we’re all single.” Katrin said.

 

“And eligible!” Lena added before everyone laughed again. There was no mistaking that one, alright.