Web of Lies

CHAPTER 1 THE PATIENTThe young girl wrapped her arms around herself as she fought the cold of the evening in the Newport shopping strip. Her skimpy tank top offered little warmth. There were holes in her jeans, and the soles of her sports shoes wore out. Coming across a pizza box in the trash bin, the girl pressed her nose against the box, her mouth salivating at the leftover Margherita pizza that was still warm. She took a bite and savoured the cheesy, basil and mozzarella flavour. A few bites later, she threw the box back into the bin and wandered towards a laneway. She wondered where she would sleep tonight. Winter would end next month, so sleeping rough was tolerable as she looked forward to warmer days. She frowned. A man in the distance, wearing multiple layers of clothing, walked towards her. He slowed down and looked around. The girl waited; her curiosity aroused. She missed talking to people. “Excuse me, ah...just wondering where I can find a bakery. I have to get a cake for my daughter and I am afraid I have left it to the last minute.” The girl strained to think. “Sorry. Haven’t the faintest.” The man smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, damn.” He turned around, but quickly faced her again. “You know what? I am looking for something else, too.” The girl stepped forward, ignoring her unease. “And what is that?” “Listen, if you need some quick cash, I run a business I need to promote. I am looking for someone to deliver leaflets in the local area. Would you be interested?” The girl pondered the question. But boy, did she need the cash for food and basic living expenses. She couldn’t go back to her parents so what choice did she have? Imagine making money and buying the warmest pizza on the planet. She would love to buy new shoes, and clothing, too. At least something to keep her warmer at nights. It was a dream come true, and she really needed a job to support herself. It was a no-brainer. “Sure. I would be interested.” The man beamed and gave her a thumbs-up. “Well, you can start now if you like. Come to my van and I’ll give you the leaflets.” The girl again ignored her uneasiness at the man’s strange demeanour as she thought about the money that could pay for all her needs. The van was parked in an isolated part of the area, but she waited for the man to open the sliding door, knowing that her luck was about to change. *** Jamie Porcelinn glided along the shiny grey and blue flooring of the hospital and entered a small cubicle. Leaning forward, she pulled surgical gloves from a box on a plastic shelf nailed to the wall and put them on. She closed the blue curtain behind her and approached the patient, picking up a blood pressure device. She smiled. “Hi, I am Dr Porcelinn. How are you feeling?” The bald, elderly man lifted himself from the bed. “I am feeling better after the medication you gave me.” Jamie became serious. “Great. This medication is stronger and should help with the reflux going forward.” She moved closer. “I will check on your blood pressure and see how it’s reacting to the change.” The elderly man nodded, looking worn-out after a bout of extreme reflux. “It’s all fine.” She turned to him. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting for a few minutes I’ll give you a letter, outlining the medications I am prescribing for the pharmacy. The stronger medication should settle your symptoms, but if you run into any further issues, please contact your doctor or come back to emergency. Do you have any questions?” “No, thank you, Doctor. You have been extremely helpful and kind, as always.” “Thank you, Mr Jones.” She put away the blood pressure device. “I’m happy to be of service.” She straightened her shoulders. “I’ll be back shortly with the letter.” Jamie walked out of the cubicle, flung off her gloves and threw them into the white rubbish bin. She entered her patient’s case notes on the computer, ignoring the ambient sounds of voices and footsteps surrounding the emergency ward. After keying in her notes she typed out a letter, printed it off, then returned to the patient. “Here you go. And remember to contact us if you experience any of those symptoms again. Keep your stress levels down, too. Good luck, Mr Jones.” Jamie left the cubicle, passing by the glass enclosed administrative area filled with filing and storage cabinets, medical equipment, and computers set on white desks. The space offered privacy for administrative tasks, but paperwork easily became overwhelming for Jamie, and every other medical staff member, too. On the way to the staff lounge of the emergency ward, she prepared herself a cup of coffee and was adding milk when a cheery voice sounded behind her. “Hi, Jamie. I could do with one of those, too. I’m beat.” Jamie turned and straightened, drawing a hand through her short, red hair. “Hi, Diana. How are you this morning?” Diana, an emergency nurse in the ward, flicked her long, wavy black hair. Her hazel eyes were piercing, focusing on Jamie. “Get ready for a doozy. Apparently, a young girl’s coming in shortly. Pretty serious wounds. The paramedics think she might not make it, but we have to try.” Jamie frowned, shifting uncomfortably, as she took a sip of her coffee from her personal mug. “Oh, Christ! I was hoping for a simple day today. Do we have the details on her?” Diana shook her head, with trembling lips. “No. Only that she is pretty bad, but it makes me think...if I had a daughter, how devastating it would be to know my daughter got hurt like that. There is so much bad stuff out there. I worry for the young ones, but quite a few take silly risks with their freedom and think they’re invincible. They have to learn to watch out for predators, don’t you think?” Jamie took a seat on the empty couch and Diana followed suit. “You’re right, Diana. But they do deserve a measure of freedom, too.” Diana’s eyes darkened. “I know. They do. But, then again, you get those parents who neglect their children either in the home or leave them as children. They grow with this sense of abandonment, and it is a shame. They never get the opportunity to bond with their parents and feel unloved and unwanted.” She squeezed Jamie’s shoulder and changed the subject. “And how are you really? You look tired, young lady. Are you getting enough sleep? Eating well?” Jamie chuckled. She admired Diana’s nurturing attitude, but she was not a child, even though sometimes she wondered how she would feel if Diana was her mother. Quite the opposite of her own mother, who was loving in her own way, but self-absorbed. She had never shown much concern for Jamie’s welfare while growing up. Her father was aloof and distant, and she had struggled to gain his approval and attain his perfectionist standards. Her friends, Bella and Liz, would attest that Jamie herself was a perfectionist who had obtained her medical degree under challenging circumstances. But the wealth of her family afforded her advantages. “I’m fine, Diana. You don’t need to worry.” A moment of silence ended with a frenzy of movement outside the staffroom. Jamie and Diana both rose and headed back into the ward. She sanitised her hands as the paramedics wheeled in the young girl. When Jamie saw the patient, she fought back a wave of nausea at her injuries. “What have we got?” The short male paramedic stopped beside her. “A young Jane Doe with no visible ID on her. She appears to have blunt force trauma, burns and knife marks on the upper parts of her body, and facial beatings. She’s in a bad way.” “We’ll take it from here, Gerard. Thanks.” She turned to Diana whose face paled as she helped wheel the patient into the operating room. Jamie eyed her medical staff. “We need to get her to the operating theatre now to assess for internal injuries and do a forensic medical examination. She might have been sexually assaulted.” Wheeling the young girl towards theatre with her team, she pushed down her own demons. “Tina, can you please report this to the police right now. Let’s move.”