Free A Fallen Heart by Cate Ashwood

cities meant they’d drifted, geography more to blame than anything else.
    “It’s my first week,” she said. “I just transferred in from the ICU at Eagle Ridge.”
    “Their loss,” Ford said conspiratorially. “How are you liking it here so far?”
    “The clientele is a little different, but overall it’s not too much of a change. All the staff has been incredibly nice.”
    “The Saint Joe’s family is pretty tight. I’m so happy you’re here. It’s been way too long since we hung out.”
    “It has,” she agreed. “I’m assuming you weren’t popping by to say hello. Is there something I can help you with?”
    “I was wondering if the kid is still here… Joel? He was brought in last night. He came into the ER and transferred here before the end of my shift. I wasn’t sure if they’d transferred him out yet.”
    “I just got here, so I’m not sure. I’ll ask. Helen’s been here all night. Hey, Helen,” she called to a woman who was deeply entrenched in whatever she was doing on the computer in the office adjacent to the main room.
    Helen strolled into the nurses’ station, her pale purple scrub pants swishing as she walked. “What’s up?”
    “Did we get a kid in last night?” Maddy asked.
    “Name?” Helen scanned the binders set up in a row on the shelf behind them, hospital labels stuck to the spines.
    “I only have a first name. Joel. When they brought him through the ER, he wouldn’t say much. He was brought here to detox.”
    “Ah yes. He’s in room two,” Helen said, pulling his chart and opening it up. “Looks like he’s through the worst of it. Judging from the timeline, he’d started into withdrawals sometime before he arrived. The acute symptoms had already started by the time he was brought here.”
    Ford bit his lip. The memory of Joel succumbing to the physical ramifications of his addiction was seared into his mind.
    “You want to see him?”
    “Yeah, if I could. I wanted to check on him. He seemed pretty scared last night.”
    “No problem. If more nurses cared as much about their patients as you do, the hospital would be a much healthier place.”
    “I don’t know about that,” Ford said. It came from a place of honesty, not modesty. Most patients didn’t hit him the way this kid had. Lately the constant stream of familiar faces through the ER had him feeling frustrated. The first time he’d saved a junkie’s life, only to have him pushed back through the same doors the following night, had been a slap in the face. Now it was maddening. There were only so many times he could be told to fuck off or screamed at for trying to help before it began to wear him down.
    Maybe it was because Joel looked so much like Aaron had when he was a kid, or maybe it was his age, but whatever it was, Ford felt like this was a different situation. Making sure he was all right was important to Ford.
    He thanked Helen and Maddy again and stepped past them to the hallway of doors that branched off the main room. Room two was on the left, just past the locked supply room. The door was solid and shut, but there was a window at eye level, which allowed Ford to see through to the sleeping form inside.
    Joel was curled up on the cot, blankets tucked tightly around him. Even from the doorway, Ford could tell his color was more pink now than gray. He was clean and resting peacefully. The stark look of terror was missing from his face, and Ford felt a swell of relief that he seemed to be doing better.
    He backed away and returned to the nurses’ station.
    “He’s sleeping,” Ford said.
    Helen looked up from her computer screen. “He’s been sleeping most of the day. He woke up for a few minutes to have some toast but was out like a light soon after. I thought for certain he would have been awake by now. The police stopped by earlier and have been calling every few hours since. They want to talk to him, but he still hasn’t said anything. Diana came to visit him, but she couldn’t