Chapter 8
The nurse from pre-op came in with a plastic bag for my things and a consent clipboard she didn't hand to me. She hung a second bag on the IV pole, antibiotics, and the pump started beeping in a slow, steady rhythm. It was cold going in.
"We're booked for the OR within the hour," she said to my mom, not to me. "Doctor will be in to mark the site and get signatures."
My dad was still in the doorway. He'd tried to come back in after the CT, hands in his pockets like he was trying to look calm. "I want to see my family before they take her back," he said. "That's not unreasonable."
The pre-op nurse looked at him, then at the curtain. She didn't move. "Sir, I need you to wait in the hall for just a minute. We're setting up."
He didn't move either. "Lena," he said to my mom. "Tell her."
My mom stood with one hand on the bed rail. Her fingers were tight around it. She didn't answer him.
A different woman came in then, not in scrubs. Gray cardigan, hospital badge that said Patient Relations / Social Work, and a man behind her in a tan uniform with a sheriff's star on his chest. The deputy didn't come all the way into the bay. He stood at the entrance where the curtain met the wall, hands clasped in front of him.
The woman in the cardigan spoke quietly to my mom first. "Lena, I'm Diane. We spoke on the phone. As I told you, the hospital is required to file reports when there's a concern for medical neglect and when we witness a physical assault. That report has been filed with child welfare and our security office. The deputy is here for standby, not to take anyone into custody in the care area. I wanted you to hear that from me directly."
I felt my mom's hand tighten on the rail. My dad laughed once, short.
"For a cup of water?" he said. "You gotta be kidding me."
Diane didn't argue. She just looked at him. "The report documents what staff observed and what is on video, and the medical findings. It will be reviewed by the county. Our priority right now is safe care for Maya."
The deputy took a half step forward, but he kept his voice level, like he was talking in a library. "Ray," he said. He knew his name already. "Here's how this is going to go so surgery can happen. You need to remain out of the bay and you can't block consent for medically necessary care. The medical team can proceed with one parent's consent when the other is unavailable or when there's a safety concern. Do you understand?"
My dad stared at him, then at my mom. His jaw moved. "This is my daughter. You're not keeping me from my daughter."
"You can wait in the family waiting room," the deputy said. "Nobody's keeping you from information. But you can't be in the pre-op hold, and you can't be grabbing or threatening family in the hospital. Is that clear?"
It was quiet except for the IV pump. Then my dad looked straight at my mom and said it again, low and clear.
"You'll pay for this."
He said it the same way he'd said it before, only this time the deputy was right there. The deputy's eyebrows went up a little and he shifted his weight, but he didn't grab him. He just said, "Sir, I heard that. That's been witnessed. I need you to not direct threats at your family."
My mom flinched. She didn't look at him. She looked at me.
Diane turned to me then and crouched a little so she wasn't standing over the bed. "Maya, for pre-op hold, you get to choose who is with you. It's usually one or two support people. Who do you want with you?"
My throat was dry from not drinking anything. I swallowed. The antibiotics made my arm feel cold.
"Just my mom," I said. My voice came out smaller than I wanted. "And the nurse."
I didn't look at my dad when I said it. I felt him hear it though.
The pre-op nurse nodded like that was a normal answer. "Just Mom and staff. Got it. I'll document preference."
The deputy gestured toward the hall. "Ray, let's step to waiting. I'll walk with you. You can get updates there."
My dad didn't move for a second. He looked at my mom like he expected her to fix it. When she didn't, he pointed a finger at her, not close enough to touch. "Lena."
"Waiting room," the deputy said, a little firmer. "Now."
Finally he turned. The deputy walked beside him, not touching him, just guiding with his presence. Two steps, then they were past the curtain. I could hear their shoes on the tile getting fainter.
The nurse pulled the curtain all the way closed and then pulled a second curtain across the bay entrance. She locked the wheels on my bed and checked the antibiotic bag.
"You're doing good," she said to me. "We're going to keep you right here until transport comes. Mom can stay on this side, I'll be right here charting."
My mom pulled the plastic chair close and sat down and finally took my hand. Her hand was shaking. Outside, I could see the shadow of the deputy standing just beyond the curtain where the light came through the gap near the floor. He wasn't going anywhere.
May you like
The OR board in the hall dinged softly, and someone called a name that wasn't mine. My mom leaned in and whispered, "I'm here. Just me and you and the nurse, okay?"
I nodded. The pump kept beeping, steady and cold in my arm.
