Felicite Found Read Free

stomach twisted into knots as he waited for the doctor to tell him what was going on with the girl.
    “Pierre, have you contacted a parent or guardian?” the doctor asked as he kneaded the dark circles under his eyes.
    “My mom isn’t available right now and, uh . . . my dad’s dead.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry about that.” His voice filled with sincerity. “Have you called someone else to come for you then?”
    “I called my best friend. He’s on his way now.” Perspiration started forming on his brow. What was going to happen? Was he going to get in trouble?
    “I’d much rather you have an adult come.”
    “My friend is all I’ve got right now.” He decided to dodge the subject. “How’s the girl?”
    “Sorry, I can’t talk to you about her condition.”
    “Please, I just risked my life to save her. I deserve to know what’s happening.” He glared straight in the doctor’s eyes, willing the man to talk.
    The doctor rubbed his chin and knit his eyebrows together. “The preliminary check-up is normal,” he began. “But her bruising and apprehensive manner leads me to think that she’s been abused.”
    Pierre gasped, even though he had gathered that much from his own observations of her. He balled his hands into a tight fist; his fingernails digging into his palms. “Will she be okay?”
    “I hope so.”
    “How about her memory? She couldn’t remember her name. And her ribs, I think I broke one while doing CPR.” Pierre shuffled his feet back and forth, as his head became heavy with thoughts about the girl.
    “An MRI will be performed due to her memory loss. I’m pretty sure she has a broken rib. I’ve ordered an X-ray, too, to double check,” Doctor DePaul said. “You said you’re seventeen, right?”
    “Yeah.” Pierre grimaced at the thought of having hurt the girl.
    “I’m surprised that you know how to do CPR. Not many people your age do. It’s impressive.”
    “I really want to be a police lieutenant. I took some classes on first aid to be ready. I’ve never actually done CPR on a real person. I’m really sorry.” He bowed his head, chiding himself for the bang up job he had done.
    “Breaking ribs sometimes happens, especially on a small person like her. The important thing is she’s alive. But, I think her ribs were already weak to begin with. The bruising around her ribs looks as though she has been kicked repeatedly.”
    “Are you serious?” A stabbing pain like a knife being thrust into his chest shot through his heart.
    “Like I said, her body seems to have gone through a lot of abuse, maybe for an extended period of time.”
    Pierre swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “That’s horrible.” Tears stung his eyes, so he looked away. He coughed the emotion away until it faded into a hallow numbness around his heart.
    Why am I getting so emotional? He shook his head. I hardly even know her.
    “I hate these situations, too.” The doctor raised his arm and glanced at his watch, tapping it with a finger. “Please, excuse me. I need to check on another patient. I’ll return shortly.” He turned on his heal and paced away down the hallway.
    Pierre sat with his hands covering his face until his fingers rubbed hard at his temples. A tension headache had formed, making his forehead throb with pounding pressure.
    He hoped the girl would recover from whatever had happened to her. Jumping to all sorts of conclusions, he had envisioned himself beating the snot out of whoever had done this to her. He cleared his mind by thinking about her eyes. That settled his livid emotions straight away, only provoking other, unfamiliar feelings. Heat filled his chest until it spread throughout his limbs. This warm sensation made him feel as if he had known her for . . . forever.
    Ten minutes later, Doctor DePaul returned, knocking on the examination room door and then he went in. A moment later, the two white-clad medical professionals and the girl filed out of the room into the