Lincoln Hospital (Trauma #1) (15 page)

“You two think you’re hot shit, coming in here bragging about your big surgery, flaunting it in all of our faces.” He spread his arms wide to encompass the room. “Especially you, Athena.” He pointed at her and took a few steps closer. “You’re nothing but a fucking whore who spreads her legs for anyone to get ahead in this game.”  He was directly in front of her now, seething.

Athena was shocked into silence and just stared at him, unable to form words.

“And don’t give me that fucking wide-eyed innocent look.  You may have them fooled,” he motioned to the other interns again. “But you’ll never fool me.  I see you for what you really are.  A no-good piece of fucking trash that doesn’t belong here.  Unless of course, you’re willing to give me a piece too just like you were that junkie in the lab? How far’d you let it get with him, huh? I bet—”

He didn’t finish his sentence as to everyone’s shock, Oscar pulled him away from her and punched him square in the nose.  Blood spurted everywhere, spraying Athena’s face and shirt and Dick cried out in pain, clutching his broken nose and doubling over.

“Don’t speak to a lady like that,” was all Oscar said before opening the door to the locker room and walking out.

In the meantime, Sabine had come to her feet and stood in front of Dick where he was still moaning and crying out, “My nose!”

“You’re lucky that Oscar beat me to it, you limp dick, shit for brains douche.  If it were me, you wouldn’t be walking right now, let alone crying your eyes out about your damn broken nose.  Let me spell it out for you, Dick, you’re jealous.  Jealous of all of us because deep down inside you know you don’t belong here.  You’ll never be half the doctor Athena or any one of us is and you’re sure as fuck never gonna get in her panties.  So why don’t you do us all a favor and go play in traffic for a while?”  Sabine was furious and didn’t hold back her temper over his treatment of her best friend.

Dick glared at all of them and then turned and fled out the door.  Athena didn’t realize she’d been crying until Sabine came to her side and handed her a tissue.  The things he’d said...yes, she understood he’d said them only to hurt her and attempt to drag her down into the misery he was feeling, but there was some truth to his accusations as well.  Everyone did gossip about her and why she got the opportunities she did.  It was something that she despised and having it thrown in her face in front of her peers was a huge burden to shoulder.

Clarence started towards her but she raised a hand to hold him back. “I need a minute, guys.  I’ll see you all tomorrow.  Sabine, thank you.”  She walked into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it and leaning her head against the wood frame.  Shame filled her and she had a hard time forcing it back down.  There was no time for self-pity.  She’d put herself in a mess with Cian and it was up to her to get out of it.  She just had to figure out how.

Bianca left work later than the rest of the interns after spending time in the research lab pouring over articles and textbook chapters on heart transplants.  She knew the whole team was counting on a heart being found for little Sebastian in the coming weeks and when that happened, she wanted to be the best prepared intern to scrub in on the surgery.  After her shifts were finished, she liked to leave the hospital through the basement and walk along the side of the building to the bus station.  There was a set of train tracks that ran parallel to the hospital and she enjoyed watching the cars chug by while waiting for her bus home.

This part of the hospital was usually deserted and she liked to think that she’d discovered a well-kept secret.  A place she could come on her breaks to be alone and think; a nice escape from the madness of intern life.  Lately, she’d realized that by segregating herself from the group, she was starting to become invisible.  And invisible meant never picked for surgeries which didn’t fit with her goals.  She’d been making more of an effort to fit in and actually found herself enjoying spending time with the others, with the exception of Dick, of course.  That guy was a complete jerk and she hoped he sunk his own ship sooner rather than later.

Rounding the last corner before the exit, she heard low voices and stopped.  Curious, she crept forward, being careful to remain quiet as she strained her ears.

“I know, Reynolds.  This new schedule actually is working in our favor.  After we killed that last guy, Alan Hilliard, I’m more convinced than ever that we should try to convince the Chief to leave us all on this rotation.  It’s much easier to dispose of these fucks at the beginning of shift than it is in the middle or the end.” Bianca covered her mouth when she heard the name of a patient that had died on the table a few weeks prior.  Was that Dr. O’Reilly?  What did he mean they’d killed him?

“Yeah, I’ve got the next one lined up.  A real fucking winner.  This woman is a child pornographer.  Yeah, another one.  We’ll get her taken care of at the end of the month. Then after that, I want to talk to you about tracking down those two serial killers.  I think we can do it.  I’d love to get them on my table and hear them scream until they’re fucking dead.”

Bianca stumbled back, shocked and in her haste, backed into a shelf of supplies, sending a few metal buckets crashing to the ground.  Horrified at the explosive noise she’d made, she turned and ran, desperate to get away before she was caught eavesdropping.  She heard Cian chasing after her and pumped her legs harder, frantic to get away.  Seeing an exit, she burst through the door and dashed across the parking lot and into the field, headed for the train tracks.  She was fast, always had been and knew if she could make it there, she could lose him on the other side.

Fuck, he was a killer!  Thoughts raced through her mind as she ran and she remembered a news report about a vigilante somehow protecting the city from criminals that had escaped punishment for their crimes.  Was he the vigilante?  What would he do if he caught her now that she knew his secret?  Chancing a look back, she saw that he was only a few feet behind her and gaining ground.

“Bianca!  Stop, wait! Come back here!” he yelled after her.  She refused to listen and kept running, intent on getting as far away from him as possible until she had time to figure out the truth about what was going on.  Reaching the chain-link fence, she thankfully found a hole small enough for her to wiggle through and climbed under, confident that he wouldn’t be able to fit.  She kept going and raced towards the tracks, looking behind her to see him climbing up the fence, trying to avoid being cut on the old barbed wire.

Panicked, she turned back but lost her footing and fell hard onto the tracks, bashing her head off the ground.  She momentarily saw stars and her vision swam in front of her.  There was a loud buzzing in her ears and she was dimly aware of someone yelling her name but she couldn’t make sense of the words.  Looking up, she saw Cian racing towards her from several yards away, waving his arms like a madman.

Confused, she looked up and saw the train barreling down on her at top speed.  She screamed and tried to get up, but found her pant leg had got caught in the tracks, trapping her.  Wiggling, her movement sluggish due to the pain in her head, she tried to get free but it was no use.  Cian was screaming her name, the train was inches away and all she could do was close her eyes.

“Nooooooo!” Cian bellowed just as he reached the tracks and the train hit her.  He was seconds too late and she was obliterated by the force of the train; a sickening sound echoing around him. Sinking to his knees, his head dropped to his chest and he pulled at his hair with both hands.  What the fuck had she been doing in the basement?  He wasn’t going to hurt her, only explain and hope that she could understand that the work they were doing was vital; important.  Now, it was too late and a young life had been cut short unnecessarily.  Guilt washed over him and his head spun with a gut-wrenching sense of shame.  He may not have pushed her onto those tracks but he was responsible nonetheless.

Bianca Sullivan was dead and her blood was on his hands. How he was going to explain this to Reynolds and the others he didn’t know, but he knew he had to make himself scarce before the train operator called it in and the police arrived to investigate what happened.  Her death was a tragedy, but it couldn’t get in the way of the higher purpose he served; to rid the streets of New York of the ruthless criminals that escaped the punishment they deserved.

T
HE NEWS OF Bianca’s death rocked the hospital.  Athena was playing cards with Sebastian early one morning before finishing a night shift rotation when Sabine came to the door, her complexion gray and her eyes glazed over.  Instantly concerned, she ruffled Sebastian’s hair, which was getting thinner by the day, and told him she’d be back to see him the following afternoon.  He nodded and gave her a brave smile, trying not to show his disappointment.  Feeling her heart crack a little, she pulled a baseball card from her pocket and slid it across the bedside table for him.

“Ellsbury!” he cried out. “My favorite player, thank you, Athena!”  This time his smile lit up his whole face and warmed Athena’s heart.  She really did love that little boy.

Following Sabine out into the hall, she reached out and rubbed her arm, concerned about what was going on that had her best friend so distraught.

“What is it? What happened, Sab?”

“Bianca’s dead.” she said it simply, no leading up to it, just a one-two punch that hit Athena right in the gut.

“Wh—what? Dead?  What do you mean she’s dead?  I just saw her yesterday.” Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled over, as she fought to understand what Sabine was telling her.

“They found her...on the train tracks.”

Horror filled her and she covered her mouth to keep from being sick.  “Oh, God no.  Sabine, tell me that’s not true.”

“I wish I could, Thene.  I don’t know all the details but the rumors say she was stuck.  The operator saw her trying to get free to run, but...”

“Stop.  I can’t.  Oh, Jesus fuck, no.”  Images of Bianca trying to get herself free to run flashed across her face and had her heart dropping down to her stomach.  The sheer torture she must have felt, the panic to try and get free before the train...

“Athena.” She turned at the sound of someone calling her name and spotted Seth standing a few feet away.  She immediately rushed over to him, hoping for a miracle.

“Tell me it’s not true, Seth, please.  It can’t be true.”

“I wish I could do that, but I can’t.  We confirmed that the remains are hers.  I’m so sorry, I know she was your friend.” He cupped her face in his hand and rubbed his thumb lightly across her cheek, catching one of her tears.

“What happens now?” she asked.

“Well, I needed to get a few statements to find out why she was still here so late, but it’s an open and shut case as far as we’re concerned.  The operator states she was stuck on the tracks, trying to get away.  We confirmed his story with the evidence that was left behind.” He didn’t go into it any further, wanting to spare her the graphic details.  “This is just a senseless tragedy.  I wish I had more to tell you, to offer you some comfort, but all I can say is that you should know that she didn’t suffer.  It would have been very quick.” Athena nodded, grateful for what little information he gave her.  It was still a shock, but it helped some knowing that she didn’t suffer.

“Listen, I’ve got to get going.  There’s been another abduction and Babbs and I split up to cover both cases.”

“Another abduction?  But I thought those killers left town,” Sabine said.

“We thought so as well, but this is the same MO as the previous abductions.  We’re concerned after the...outcome of the last kidnappings.” Seth sighed and rubbed a hand down his face.  For the first time, Athena noticed how haggard he looked and her heart went out to him.  Working as a detective in New York City couldn’t have been an easy job, not with the rising crime rate.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she told him sincerely. “And thank you, for the information about Bianca.”

He squeezed her hand and then left them, promising to get in touch later that week. She locked arms with Sabine and they headed to the locker room, intent on finding Webster and the others. When they entered, Clarence, Dick and Oscar were all there and Webster was seated with them on one of the wooden benches.  Dick’s eyes were bruised and his nose had a thin strip of white tape across it from where he’d been hit by Oscar.