“No ID and no money? No medical emergency.” He claps my shoulder and continues walking. “Discharge her.Tomorrow.”
“But—”
“She’s homeless, Oliver. Not ill. She’s lost her memory, but she is not incompetent, legally or otherwise. If we make an exception for her, I hope you intend to make an exception for every person in this town down on their luck. And before you do,” he stops and glances back. “Don’t. We are not a charity, and this is not a sustainable business model. Every bed with a body in it costs us money. It’s your job to collect that money, or empty the bed.”
“My job is totreatthe bodies! Finance is in a different department.”
“I’ve made my decision.” He turns and strolls along the hall, dipping his chin in hello for the nurses, and clamping his lips shut as he passes Jane’s closed door.
At least he doesn’t go in.
“Dammit!” I tilt my head back and groan, a vibrating grunt rolling through my chest and up until italmostmakes me feel better.
Not really.Fuck!
“Schumaker wants her out?” Janine darts along the hall, her head on a swivel as Schumaker makes his way through the front doors. “He’s done?”
“He sees dollar signs, not patients. And if we don’t identify her soon, her stay will become a write-off he doesn’t wanna deal with.” I scratch the back of my neck and look toward her door. “It’s only been two weeks since she got here! Three days since we put her on the news. He’s expecting miracles, while I’m just trying to delay the inevitable long enough to make her less of a target the second she walks out of here. She’s got nowhere to go.” I lower my hand. “No money. No possessions.” Besides a mini library, card games, a handful of puzzles, and a suitcase of clothes. “If she walks out those doors,” I point toward the very doors slowly closing again, trapping the icy wind outside, “She’ll end up right back here within a day. Exposed to the cold. Starvation. Confusion. And that’sbest-case scenario.”
Worst case, my aching gut acknowledges, would have her swept up by some fucking cretin pond scum who enjoys hurting women.
Do what I want, and I’ll provide you a place to sleep at night.
Please me, and I’ll get you three meals a day and a clean bathroom to use. Maybe.
“Discharging her without a safety net is ethically and morally wrong,” I snarl.
“Right. So I started looking for a net. Ya know, since I knew the board was getting impatient.” Janine grabs my sleeve and drags me back to her desk, snatching up a handful of wax-paper brochures and slapping one against my chest. “There’s this place in the next town over. It’s like a halfway house?—”
“Nope.” I toss the brochure down again. “Absolutely not.”
“It’slikea halfway house, but not for criminals. We have to dosomething, Ollie, but our options are limited and our time isup. He wants her gone,so either you lower your standards a little, or you’re gonna be the reason she has no net at all.”
“I’m not sending her away, Janine! She’s not a damn puppy, abandoned on the side of the road. She’s not a drug addict. She’s not even suffering a mental health crisis. She was hit by a fucking car and deserves somewhere safe to recover.”
“Hence—” She digs through the pile of brochures and snags a different one. “The Wallflower. It’s a home for women trying to get back on their feet. Sure, it caters to the rehab crowd, too, and those struggling with their mental health, but it has amazing reviews online, is headed by a renowned female-only team of psychologists specializing in trauma-informed recovery,andthey’re willing to make room for her. We just have to sign the paperwork.”
Dread burns a hole in the side of my stomach, aching and spreading in a way I never knew before Jane ended up in my ER. “I don’t want to send her away,” I groan. “I don’t want to pass her along like she’s a nobody.”
“They have twin share rooms.” Carefully, Janine opens the brochure and reveals the inside. “And single, private rooms, for those who prefer to be alone. They match residents up only after a week or two of getting to know them, to ensure personalities gel and no harm will come of the pairing. They keep the residents active with a large, productive garden where they’re encouraged to grow and harvest much of what is served at dinner each night. They have access to counseling weekly, at the very least, and daily for those who need or want it. They donotallow men into the facility outside of one hour a day visitation, during which these men are signed in, formally identified, and supervised within a secure rec room. Outside of those hours, they’re not allowed to visit. Not to work. Not even if a patient is married or related. These women share the load of cooking and cleaning. They’re taught practical skills and trained how to use a computer. They learn to write a resume, and when the time is right, assisted in applying for jobs and shopping for clothes to wear to a potential interview. The very essence of The Wallflower is to help these women regain their independence in a safe, controlled way.”
“Janine—”
“If Jane’s memory never comes back, then she’ll forever be who she is right now. She’s smart, Ollie. She’s determined. It would be like starting her adult life again. She can learn something new, earn a degree, find her way to whoever she wants to be. She’s cognitively capable in every way. She just needs time to figure things out.”
“You just… I…”Fuck.Frustrated, I take a second look at the pamphlet. At the pretty pictures of a colorful garden and lush green grass. At whatappears to be a recreation room with walls of books, a large screen television, a dozen computers in a row, lining one wall, and a ping-pong table on the far side. “You would just send her away? Like she never mattered?”
“She matters.” She places her hand on my arm. “But we have to be realistic here. Setting her up at a place like The Wallflower is way smarter than ignoring Schumaker’s warnings and leaving her completely unprepared. If shehasto go, don’t you think we should get ahead of the situation and help her face it with a positive outlook?”
“Well—”
“Just take this.” She presses the pamphlet to my chest. “Read up on the place. Maybe check them out online when you’ve got a second. You’re off shift in half an hour, Ollie… you should take the time to prepare yourself, so you can prepare her.” Her brows wrinkle above gentle, pitying eyes. “Your greatest strength is in how much you care for your patients. Be careful it doesn’t become your greatest weakness instead.”
“So you’d have me become like Schumaker?”
She shakes her head, her lips crinkling at the side. “Not for all the treasure in the world. But I need you to get through this one without hurting yourself. And without hurting her, too. I spoke to The Wallflower’s director earlier, just so you know. They’re willing to take her as soon as tomorrow. They’ll even send a car for her.”
“Big of them.” I grit my teeth and peek toward Jane’s closed door. In the cracks, the flickering light of a television screen announces what she’s doing. “She has no money, no job, and no memory. Why the hell would they go out of their way to help someone who won’t financially benefit them?”
