"Please follow me, Dr. Strand," said a youngish lady in powder blue scrubs, blonde hair in a high ponytail and a kind smile on her face. "My name is Rachel. We're going to set Miss Brooklyn up in the SANE area. It's quieter there," she added, more for Alex and Richard's benefit than for Brooklyn's, since they would know better what that meant. "Less like a hospital."
Brooklyn had been through that enough to know what he meant, so she nodded again but refused to relinquish her hold on him until she had to. Thankfully, other than the nurse coaxing her out of hiding to get her on the bed and into a little pink hospital gown patterned with tiny green flowers, no one really tried--and even then Brooklyn just went from Richard's arms to a slightly surprised Alex's, who wasn't sure what to do for a moment or two, having absolutely zero experience with kids. Instinct kicked in, however, and kicked in hard when Brooklyn sniffled and buried her face in the curve of neck.
"I can help her," she assured the nurse, soothingly stroking Brooklyn's tangled, slightly dirty hair. "It's okay. We'll just pull the curtain real quick. Dr. Strand will be on the other side. Okay?"
The nurse nodded--she was nice, Brooklyn could tell, but she just wasn't ready to trust yet--and handed Alex a couple of plastic bags. "If you would, put her clothes in this. For the detectives."
"Can you--can we clean her face?" Alex asked quietly, helping Brooklyn with her jumper and her tights, taking care with her injured knee.
"We're gonna have to take photographs first," the nurse replied apologetically, wheeling a cart over. "We'll get it over with as fast as we can, I promise. Could you wait on the other side of the curtain, please?"
"I'd rather not leave her," Alex protested but Brooklyn, having spent the entire time contemplating the nurse in silence said, "It's okay. She's nice. You won't go far, right?"
"I promise I won't," Alex confirmed, fussing the sheets into place and joining Richard on the other side of the pulled curtain. Once she was out of Brooklyn's eyeline she crumbled a little, ducking her head and pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. The nurse was good at her job, she could tell just by listening--Brooklyn giggled softly a time or two while the nurse talked to her and made jokes throughout the exam, took her photographs and swabs and fingernail scrapings and whatever else, though Alex knew they weren't going to find anything useful. "What was that all about?" she asked Strand in a low, near whisper, lifting her head after a moment. "With the social worker?"
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2019-08-06 01:48 am (UTC)Brooklyn had been through that enough to know what he meant, so she nodded again but refused to relinquish her hold on him until she had to. Thankfully, other than the nurse coaxing her out of hiding to get her on the bed and into a little pink hospital gown patterned with tiny green flowers, no one really tried--and even then Brooklyn just went from Richard's arms to a slightly surprised Alex's, who wasn't sure what to do for a moment or two, having absolutely zero experience with kids. Instinct kicked in, however, and kicked in hard when Brooklyn sniffled and buried her face in the curve of neck.
"I can help her," she assured the nurse, soothingly stroking Brooklyn's tangled, slightly dirty hair. "It's okay. We'll just pull the curtain real quick. Dr. Strand will be on the other side. Okay?"
The nurse nodded--she was nice, Brooklyn could tell, but she just wasn't ready to trust yet--and handed Alex a couple of plastic bags. "If you would, put her clothes in this. For the detectives."
"Can you--can we clean her face?" Alex asked quietly, helping Brooklyn with her jumper and her tights, taking care with her injured knee.
"We're gonna have to take photographs first," the nurse replied apologetically, wheeling a cart over. "We'll get it over with as fast as we can, I promise. Could you wait on the other side of the curtain, please?"
"I'd rather not leave her," Alex protested but Brooklyn, having spent the entire time contemplating the nurse in silence said, "It's okay. She's nice. You won't go far, right?"
"I promise I won't," Alex confirmed, fussing the sheets into place and joining Richard on the other side of the pulled curtain. Once she was out of Brooklyn's eyeline she crumbled a little, ducking her head and pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. The nurse was good at her job, she could tell just by listening--Brooklyn giggled softly a time or two while the nurse talked to her and made jokes throughout the exam, took her photographs and swabs and fingernail scrapings and whatever else, though Alex knew they weren't going to find anything useful. "What was that all about?" she asked Strand in a low, near whisper, lifting her head after a moment. "With the social worker?"