Kaia Blanc
"Hey Sammy, how are you feeling?" I asked the small boy in front of me who wore a cast from hip to toe on his left leg after a femur break.
"Better. Sleepy." He whispered.
"Well you're still looking very pale. Can I get you lunch? I'll hand you a menu, pick what you want, then you'll be out of here soon." I smiled, handing him a folded menu.
"Okay." He whispered.
His mom smiled at me.
"Thank you. So much."
"Of course. Treating you was truly a blessing, I wish the best of your recovery." I turned and walked out.
I walked to the room beside his which held a trauma victim.
This was heavier. Not a femur break of a child.
Rather a teenage boy who was kidnapped by three men, beaten, stabbed, with many fractures who was on the brink of death.
He came in yesterday and went into immediate surgery for internal bleeding.
He was only 14. Wrong place, wrong time.
But I had to question him.
I knocked on his door softly before walking in.
"Dante, hello, may I come in?" I asked.
He looked at me through tearful eyes.
"Do you want me to leave the door open?" I asked.
"It's okay." He croaked.
I shut it softly.
"It's lovely meeting you awake and present. I'm Doctor Kaia Blanc. Kaia is fine though, I'll be taking special care of you and making sure everything goes smoothly and your comfort is my priority. May I wipe your eyes?" I asked and he nodded.
I dabbed the tears gently avoiding the bruises and swelling.
I pulled up a chair beside his bed and sat level with him.
"I truly don't mean to be a pain, if you can't speak about it, don't. But is it okay if I ask some questions for the benefit of your health?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Water." He barely murmured.
"I'm gonna need you to spit it back out though, you have damage to your insides." I said and made sure his IV was full.
He nodded.
I helped him slowly sit up only a bit to swish and spit, blood still in his mouth and on his teeth.
I sat.
"How are you doing, darling?" I asked.
Slow, tortured, broken tears.
I very carefully placed one of my cold hands on his wrist, rubbing my thumb in a comforting motion.
He shook his head, growing physically distressed as he couldn't remain still.
"Honey I'm gonna need you to breathe and relax. I know you're hurt, I'm so sorry and I'm so happy you're here, but I can't have you hurt yourself further." I whispered and he shook his head.
"I just need yes or no answers. These are things I can't check until you're better healed but I also want you aware of what's happening. Can you do that for me?"
He nodded.
"In the week you were... gone, did any sexual act occur?" I asked.
He nodded.
"K-kissing. Grabbing my privates." He nodded.
"Okay, anything on your backside?"
"No ma'am."
I wrote that down.
"That's all for now."
"Are they gone?"
"They are. When you called the cops, he cops arrived a few minutes after they came back." I told him.
"I-I wish I wasn't there-"
"I know. Dante, things happen. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You did nothing wrong, you did everything right and everything you had to do to keep yourself alive. You're so strong and so brave. I'm very proud of you." I smiled.
He looked at me.
"Yeah?" He sniffled.
"Yeah." I nodded.
He moved a shaky hand to grab mine.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"Thank you for being you. This is a hard battle, but remember you're always gonna win. You won the last one, you'll win the next. I'll be back, but for now rest. Your parents and sister sit in the waiting room."
"Can I see?"
"I'll get them right now."
-
I sat at lunch, eating my home brought pasta from last night.
"Doctor Blanc?" I heard over my walkie.
"I'm on lunch, Rose. Is it an emergency?"
"No but I have someone here to see you. Her name is Zoe Morozov."
"Morozov? Uhm, I'll be there, give me a minute." I've only ever heard that name once.
Once I came to America and it was in a club I was at.
With my friend at the time, about a famous man. And something surrounding something I didn't understand at the time since I wasn't fluent in English.
I finished my dish, cleaning the Tupperware and putting it away in my locker.
I walked out to the front.
A beautiful woman, dark straight hair to her shoulders, deep brown eyes, pale skin, large lips, a slim but long nose smiled at me.
"Hello, I'm Zoe Morozov. I was wondering if we could speak somewhere private? I don't have a crazy amount of time but I can move around your schedule?" She had a thick Russian accent, hard for me to understand as I only really grasped the American accent.
"Sure, I'm on lunch, I have about 15 minutes unless something goes wrong." I nodded.
"Perfect! Walk with me outside?" She asked and I nodded.
We walked outside and she stepped in front of me.
"I am the elder sister of my brother Zion Morozov. He runs an... empire of sorts. He was doing research I suppose although I don't know much and he saw your name. At 23, best trauma doctor around with a nursing minor in college to be able to do IV's and things typically doctors don't do." She said and I nodded.
"He wants you to work for him personally. I'm not sure the details other than to hand you this card and tell you that you'd make a little over a million a year." She nodded.
I paused, taking the card.
"Million?"
"Yes, six zeros." She laughed.
"But he is in New Orleans?" I asked.
"Mmhm."
"Did you come here for this?"
"Of course. Money does a lot of things, Kaia. But if you're interested, call him. If it goes well, you get a free flight. No cost for travel, etc." She nods.
"Uhm, is this a scam?"
She pulled out her ID.
It was real and her name.
"He's... demanding in some ways. So be quick. But I hope to see you in the future. Do svidaniya." She squeezed my arm before walking away.
Goodbye.
A million.
In the state of Washington I didn't even make half that. I made a a lot for here which was about a third.
But damn.
I'd definitely call for details then make my choice.
Once in a lifetime deal...