Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
I shifted my weight, drawing the attention of both women. My gaze moved past them to Lily, who lay quietly watching the adults argue over her. Her thin arm was still encased in the bright pink cast, but now I could see more clearly the pattern of bruises dotting her pale skin. They did look like fingerprints in places, but something about the way they clustered didn’t feel right to me. I’d seen plenty of abuse in my time, both as a kid and later when women showed up at Haven. This felt different.
When Lily spotted me, her whole face transformed. The wariness vanished, replaced by a smile that lit up her tired features. “Cash,” she said, her voice rising with excitement. “You came back. Will you sing to me again?”
The social worker’s head snapped toward me, her eyes narrowing as she took in my appearance. Her gaze lingered on my MC cut, the Kiss of Death patch prominently displayed on the leather. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked me up and down, taking in the tattoos visible on my neck and hands.
“Sing?” Ms. Jans asked, looking between her daughter and me with confusion.
“He has pictures all over his skin,” Lily informed her mother. “And he sang me to sleep when you had to go talk to the doctors. He has a pretty voice.”
The social worker’s stylus moved rapidly across her tablet, and I didn’t need to see what she was writing to know it wasn’t good.
“Ma’am,” I said, addressing the social worker and keeping my voice respectfully low, “I’m just the janitor. Part of the community service program.” I gestured to my volunteer badge. “The kid was crying alone in her room a couple nights back, so I sang her a lullaby until a nurse could come.”
Ms. Jans looked at me with a mix of gratitude and new wariness. The circles under her eyes looked even darker up close, and I noticed her hands were rough and reddened, the nails clipped short.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I had to speak with the doctor about her new medications. The nurses said they’d check on her, but --”
“Budget cuts mean they’re always short-staffed,” I finished for her, understanding all too well how systems failed the people who needed them most. “Probably thought she’d sleep through you being gone.” I glanced at the social worker. “Sounds like you got set up to fail. They make you leave your child to go talk to the doc then fail to stay with her.” I had no idea if I was right, but judging by the way the social worker flushed, I was pretty close.
“And you are?” she asked, her gaze flicking meaningfully to my cut again.
“Johnny Kingston,” I answered, deciding against offering my hand. “Everyone calls me Cash.”
“Mr. Kingston,” she said, emphasizing each syllable as she wrote my name down, “are you regularly alone with pediatric patients as part of your community service?”
The implication in her tone made my jaw clench, but I kept my expression neutral. Getting angry would only make things worse for Lily and her mother.
“No, ma’am,” I replied evenly. “I mop floors and restock supplies. The door was open, and hospital security monitors the entrance to all the pediatric rooms.” I pointed to where the camera angled across the hall to be able to see the entry of this room and the room next to it. “I stayed where the camera could see me at all times. Besides, I just couldn’t leave a crying kid alone. Not without making sure she hadn’t fallen or hurt herself in some way.”
Ms. Winters made another note, then turned back to Ms. Jans. “I’ll be submitting my report to the department today. Given the circumstances, we’ll be opening a full investigation. In the meantime, Lily will remain here under hospital supervision until we determine the next steps.”
The color drained from Ms. Jans’ face. “You can’t keep me away. She needs me here. She gets scared in hospitals.”
“Whether or when you can stay with the child will depend on the findings of our investigation,” Ms. Winters replied coolly. “If you have nothing to hide, you should welcome a thorough examination of the situation.”
I watched as Ms. Jans seemed to shrink before my eyes, the fight visibly draining from her small frame. I recognized the look too well. She knew her guilt had already been decided. Likely because investigating deeper took effort from an overworked system.
“Mommy?” Lily’s voice trembled slightly. “Are we going home soon?”
“Yes, baby,” Ms. Jans said, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her uncertainty. “As soon as the doctors say it’s OK.”
Ms. Winters tucked her tablet under her arm and moved toward the door where I still stood. As she passed, she paused and lowered her voice.
“Mr. Kingston, I suggest you stick to your assigned duties. Your association” -- her eyes flicked to my cut again -- ”could complicate matters for everyone involved.”