The doctor ignored my tone.
“When is the last time she ate?” he asked.
I didn’t answer right away.
Because I didn’t know.
That irritated me more.
“She’s been eating drugs, I don’t fucking know,” I said flatly.
The doctor nodded, which confirmed everything he needed.
“Her body is severely malnourished. Dehydrated. Her blood pressure dropped when she exerted herself.”
He looked at the monitor again.
“Her kidneys were beginning to shut down.”
That made my head lift.
“What?”
“She has been starving her body. Another few days without proper hydration and this could have ended very differently.”
My hands slid into my pockets so nobody would see them tighten.
“You’re saying she could have died?”
“Yes.”
The room went quiet.
The nurse adjusted the IV line and slowly pushed the medication through.
“She needs fluids. Rest. Food,” the doctor continued. “And no stress on her body.”
I looked down at her.
Her face looked peaceful in sleep.
Too peaceful for someone who had been screaming at me ten minutes ago.
The doctor glanced at me. “You can step out if you like.”
I didn’t move.
“I’m fine here.”
He didn’t argue.
The IV pump started its quiet rhythm.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
