Of all the people to come pick him up, the hospital had to send a cop. The cop they sent wasn’t even one of the nice, friendly country kind that every Australian rural television show seemed to get from central casting. No, he had to get the pissy, tough kind who probably got confessions out of even the most hard-core offender through sheer scorn about their person.
And that man accused him of being a corrupting influence. Ugh. It made him want to strip to his tight black designer underwear and hand out party drugs to his apparently barely legal fellow apartment dwellers.
The irony of the warning was that it came about six years too late. The reason he could imagine the underwear and drugs so well was he had more than a few such memories. The seduction of the young… yeah, not so much. He had been young, of a certain undeniable beauty, and had taken the kind of drugs that rarely left the ball in his court when choosing a partner. He had definitely been more seducee than seducer.
These days he was long-term sober, long-term law abiding (recent anarchist thoughts after meeting the sergeant notwithstanding). He was also sadly long-term horny as well. Surprise, surprise. When you spend your formative dating years in a drugged-out daze floating between men, you ended up with nonexistent skill set when it came to finding responsible, respectful men who would be good partners in forming healthy relationships.
Jai shoved his bag onto the table of his new apartment, barely even noting the features of his impersonal new environment. He really hadn’t enjoyed his ride with the man who seemed to have barely tolerated his presence for the whole hour and a freaking half it had taken to get out to this bloody town.
He had to take a deep breath to remind himself he’d been glad when he’d gotten this contract. This was a place where he’d be really able to make use of all the skills he had spent four years at university and another two in Sydney hospitals acquiring. He’d wanted to do something meaningful after pissing away so much of his late teens and early twenties. This town and its isolated hospital offered him that opportunity.
If he could survive its inhabitants.
• • •
The most annoying part was how insanely attractive Sgt. No First Name McClain was. Oversized height, muscular under his uniform, and a face that would be described as handsome any day of the week, the man hit of lot of high points on Jai’s men he’d fuck list. Pity about the rude, probably homophobic personality. Jai knew he couldn’t pull off straight here—well, anywhere—but he’d been hoping for a little less outright hostility. Hell, maybe it wasn’t the gay thing, maybe it was the ex-felon thing he’d somehow decided to admit to being in his nervous chatter. That was all he needed for his fresh start in life, a cop who looked at him like he was about to either seduce the teens of the town or start handing out pills to the local high school population.
Jai took a deep breath and brought himself back to the present. He was going to focus on the here and now, which happened to be a pretty ordinary ’70s apartment that bore the marks of many students on its brick walls and laminate tile floor. On the plus side, there was a working fridge, television, and microwave as well as Wi-Fi instructions on the kitchen bench. So all the building blocks of life were here, just in a slightly less comfortable, less attractive package than he was used to.
• • •
Eight hours later, Jai was fully ready to put a curse upon the whole student housing complex. It was only a highly developed sense of pride that had stopped him writing a letter to the hospital administrator telling her that a move was essential. No, he wasn’t going to be that particular guy on his first night. Although if he was woken by just one more yahoo squealing down the hall at full volume, he was going to be the old guy yelling lessons of consideration in the hallway.
Why was it one of the essential rules of life that you brought medical sciences students to anywhere outside their normal environment and they felt the need to turn the experience into an every night rave?
At this point, Jai thought, as he used his extra pillow as a not very effective earmuff, he might be seeing one of those students in the x-ray machine tomorrow. It would depend on the outcome of the not very culturally sensitive sumo wrestling fight he could hear developing in the hall.
• • •
“Welcome to Dungoon Hospital.” Jai smiled in reply to the welcome he was receiving from hospital administrator, Martha Jenkins. This was the first person to be glad he had arrived in town. She was an efficient, comfortably dressed woman in her fifties and seemed friendly to each employee she greeted as she took Jai on the tour of the small hospital.
“We are extremely glad to have a radiologist with your qualifications and references come join us here at the hospital.”
Yep, that was why he was here. Jai listened as he got the tour. Because of the scarcity of consulting doctors, his work here would be more challenging and certainly more involved. There would be no radiologist on-site; all films would be sent off to Melbourne. So with urgent cases Jai would be expected to give an overall assessment to the treating doctor, something that would never happen in a bigger hospital. Jai was ready. He had even taken extra training for this role. He just wished last night had allowed him a little more shut-eye.
“How was your trip yesterday?” she asked, as she opened the door to the employee break room. It had mismatched furniture, but someone had brought in what looked like homegrown flowers, and it looked clean.
“The flight was good,” Jai said, hoping his vague answer was going to be enough.
Obviously he wasn’t that lucky. “I was so glad when I realized you were coming in on the morning flight that matched with Luke McClain’s schedule. If he isn’t escorting anyone back from court, he will usually do me the favor and save new hospital staff the bus ride.” Martha gave him another warm smile as she stood with him outside the door marked Radiology. “Such a nice man. We are so lucky to have a police officer who grew up in this community and one who is so invested in it.”
Great, so Sgt. Luke (to other people) McClain wasn’t an equal opportunity dickhead. He must save his meanness for biracial gay men. Wonderful, Jai had all the luck.
Jai could see Martha waited for an answer, so with a general positive noise in response, he followed straight up with an enthusiastic, “Is this my department? Because I’ve been waiting to check the equipment.”
He wasn’t even faking his enthusiasm as he looked around. It was only an x-ray and ultrasound room with a small wait room connecting them both and an even smaller office from which he could work, but it was all going to be Jai’s domain.
After being part of big radiology teams at the large metropolitan hospitals where he had worked, he was kind of digging the idea of being the sole radiologist and getting to run things the way he wanted.
His first morning consisted of one elderly man’s broken arm, another elderly man’s broken leg and a follow-up x-ray on a thirteen-year-old to see if his elbow had healed to the point that his cast could be removed. All very standard in the life of a radiographer, but Jai was impressed by how friendly the staff from the ER were to both him and the patients they delivered.
That lighthearted attitude meant he was surprised then when Sarah, one of the nurses from the ER who had been cracking jokes less than half an hour ago, arrived looking far more serious. She was pushing, in a wheelchair, a primary-school-aged girl who appeared more grimly in pain than the usual free-flowing tears that were common in that age group.
“Hi, Jai. This is Megan,” said Sarah. “Her teacher, Mrs. Roberts, is here with her today to keep her company.”
Sarah passed over the file after parking the chair near the x-ray. She lowered her tone so she was audible only to Jai. “Eight-year-old patient. She isn’t communicative about the injury, but there is an obvious right arm fracture. The doctor also wants a full trauma series to rule out further injuries.”
Jai nodded at the stressed out looking chaperone before setting himself on his haunches in front of the chair. “Hi, Megan.” He kept his voice moderated and gentle. “In a minute I’m going to get Mrs. Roberts to help you get up on this table over here. My machine is going to take some pictures of your bones so the doctor can figure out the best way to make you completely better.”
Despite his soothing words and tone, the little girl wouldn’t meet his eyes. However, she submitted to his and Mrs. Roberts help in getting her up on the table and didn’t complain, despite her obvious discomfort.
Jai was glad he had spent six months working at the children’s hospital as he positioned the in-pain child as comfortably as possible and worked quickly to get the films as speedily as he knew how. Whatever had happened to that child, she needed to get back to the ER and have her bone set. A child who seemed so used to enduring pain certainly shouldn’t have to endure more.
• • •
Just as he was finished, Sarah poked her head around the door. “You’ve got someone waiting for you outside, Jai. Don’t worry, I’ll take Megan back to the ward and get her settled in.”
Jai said goodbye to his still pinched-faced patient as he headed to the radiology doors and thanked Sarah.
He came to an abrupt halt as he swung the door open and couldn’t help the “seriously,” that came under his breath at the sight of Sgt. McClain standing in the empty waiting room.
“What are you doing here?” Jai asked, having decided that graciousness wasn’t a necessity with this idiot. Unfortunately this particular idiot stood tall and imposing, dominating the small space in a way that made Jai want to step back farther with his back against the wall. Adding to general effect of his sheer size was the black police uniform that fit a little too snugly for comfort on muscular thighs and biceps, and the gun, Taser, and radio that sat slung from his belt.
“I need some help,” said Sgt. McClain, his commanding tone at odds with his words. “Is there somewhere where we won’t be disturbed?”
Jai didn’t reply and turned on his heel, expecting the sergeant to follow him. He opened the door to his office where he electronically stored the files so he could forward them to the city radiology department where the reports would be compiled.
The attractive police officer closed the door behind them, dropping down in the visitor’s chair. It had been only twenty-four hours since Jai had last seen him, but he looked infinitely more tired with his full lips pressed into a worried frown.
Jai broke the quiet of the room. “You said you needed my help. Remember it’s my first day here, so I’m can’t imagine what I can do.”
“I need to get some information about Megan Lewis, the girl who you just examined.”
Jai’s response was immediate and adamant. “Not in a million years am I discussing a minor’s condition with an officer of the law without her guardian’s permission.”
“That minor came into the school today with her arm in two pieces. Her parents certainly didn’t bring her here to get treated themselves. They are probably sleeping off whatever bender got that kid hurt.” Sgt. McClain raised his eyebrow at Luke, challengingly. “You don’t have to worry about your pretty city-type legalities. We are in mandatory reporting mode, and I’m the child protection contact.”
Jai had figured something approximating that story when he had seen the stoic way the child had tried to endure pain. There was a distrust of the world in the way she hadn’t looked for adult reassurance or help. It didn’t stop it from being sickening to have it confirmed.
His defensiveness had dropped, a little, where the police officer was concerned, and his voice lowered. “There isn’t much I can tell you. I took the x-rays and we have to wait at least six hours for the radiologist’s full report. I can ask for a rush, but as her condition isn’t life threatening, I doubt that there much that I can add which will speed it up.”
“In the next six hours, that girl’s life will have seriously changed. Her parents will probably have some story about her falling off her bike when they are sober enough to tell it, and Child Protection and I will have to decide if we release her back into their care while the investigation is ongoing. I need that information now.”
“I’m not qualified to give it to you,” Jai said, frustrated. “It needs a specialist to look at it and make a report.”
“You went to university for four years and you can’t read an x-ray. I’m just a cop, but I don’t think it takes that long to learn how to take pretty pictures.” Sgt. McClain’s voice softened, and for the first time Jai could hear the country in it. “I won’t put it in my report, but I need to know for my own decision-making what happened to that girl.”
Jai knew it was against official policy for him to be giving out his own opinion. And he wouldn’t have, except he had met that girl and seen her small hurt body for himself. He swung his office chair around and started pulling up the films. “If you can sit there quietly for ten minutes, I’ll tell you what I can.”
Jai wasn’t used to feeling as off balance as he did. He had cursed the man, sitting with his legs stretched out in front of his oversized body, for the last day, now he was breaking the rules to help him. To help a child, he reminded himself. But it was the police officer in the room with him now, all that muscle, looking uncomfortably constrained in his office chair, and even as Jai forced his eyes back to his computer screen, he could feel Sgt. McClain’s gaze on his body like a physical touch.
Less than ten minutes later, Jai could see the truth of Megan’s life as told by her bones. He knew the truth even as he started with the usual disclaimers. “I’m not a radiologist, and even they will tell you that there could be mitigating factors like a bone density disorder which would alter their initial findings.”
Sgt. McClain made the universal signal for “come on.”
“At Megan’s age more than two broken bones would be unusual. Looking at her films, I’ve counted twelve historic breaks. Aside from the number of breaks, most have not cleanly healed, which means that she didn’t get medical treatment.” Jai took a deep breath. “The most likely scenario is that this girl has suffered significant physical abuse, but if you can’t make that case, the radiologist’s report will give you enough ammunition for a child abuse case through neglect.”
Sgt. McClain had listened to his words with a calm that Jai knew wasn’t reflected in his own face. After he had heard all Jai had to say, he got to his feet. “Thanks for that,” he said. “You’ve given me enough to back my own judgment, and that girl won’t be going back to that house anytime soon.”
“I’ll stick a note on those x-rays and see what rush I can get through so you’ll have a medical report to back you up as soon as possible.”
“Thanks, Jai,” Sgt. McClain said. “I know I was asking a lot of you on your first day, so I do appreciate the effort.”
This time he offered his hand to shake. Jai almost started in surprise as they touched for the first time and he was the one to take a physical step back. Supposedly, he was an emotionally healthy guy now, so men who were rude to him weren’t supposed to make his hand tingle. By the time he had finished that thought, Sgt. McClain had already left the room. Jai absently wiped his hand across his tailored pants. He definitely had to keep his distance from that man. He was determined not to find that straight, rude cop attractive.