God.
The cats.
“Your friends have been here all night. They’ve been taking turns sitting with you, policy is only one at a time.”
“The police?”
“When you’re up for it, I’ll call the detective, and he’ll come take your statement.”
“Do you know…you said they stopped it? They caught him?”
She nodded. “That’s what your friends told me. I haven’t spoken to the police other than to inform them they would have to wait until you were ready to talk.”
I licked my lips. “Did they tell you who?”
“I’m sorry, no. We can ask them, when you’re ready. I can stay with you while you talk to them, too. If it will make you feel better.”
“They won’t hurt me.” They knew already. If they found me, they knew already.
“I believe you,” she said with a smile. “But like I said, it’s what makes you comfortable.”
When she offered me the ice chips again, I took them and sucked on a couple. My mouth really was so dry, and I felt—off. “I’ll do the urine test.”
“We can wait for your mom if you want,” Denitra offered, and I shook my head.
“It’s fine. I’m old enough to make that decision for myself, right?”
“You are,” she said carefully. “But it might be easier for you to wait for your mother.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Do you know where my phone is?”
“Your friends have it. We had to take the little clutch purse though.”
That meant they had my keys and my ID and stuff. “That’s fine.” I tried to sit up more and winced. Oh. Wow. It felt like someone had piled me on the football field.
“Careful,” she said. “You want some help?”
Everything about Denitra was warm and caring. She didn’t just reach over and help me up, she asked.
“I think I got it.”
“Okay. I’m right here.”
With her monitoring me, I made it to my feet. She disconnected the tube from the IV and hung it up.
“We’re just hydrating you at the moment, but we’ll put that back in when we are done, all right?”
I nodded.
Every step seemed a little rocky, especially since the hospital gown seemed to gap. She didn’t try to help me, just followed me to the bathroom and then she put on a pair of gloves and got out a little plastic cup.
With a marker, she wrote something on the side of it.
“Do you have to watch me?” I’d really rather just pee on my own.
“You good to do this?” She nodded to my wrist, and I looked at it all wrapped up. It was my right, and it would make it a little tricky, but I could do it one-handed. I really wasn’t going to have her hold a cup for me to pee into.
Not. Happening.