“I fell off the front porch—you know how Kumar... I am.” Aisha refused to meet her gaze but kept staring down at her arm as if the injury might heal itself if she concentrated hard enough.
“I don’t think you’re well at all,” Ahana murmured. “Show me where it hurts.”
“Right here,” Aisha said, removing her left hand to reveal a darkly mottled bruise encircling her wrist. Ahana felt a little sick looking at the injury, knowing there was no possible way this had happened from a fall. She could clearly envision a man’s large hand squeezing hard enough to cause this. She’d be surprised if there weren’t a few broken bones hidden beneath the horribly discolored skin.
“Okay, I’m going to get you a cold pack for that, and I’m sure the doctor will want X-rays, too.” Ahana kept her voice calm with an effort. “Do you need something for pain relief?”
Aisha lifted her shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe a pain pill would help.”
Lalavati nodded, thinking the poor woman needed far more than a pain pill. She batted a wave of helplessness aside. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked. “Maybe you hit your head? Or your ribs?”
“No, just my wrist.”
“All right, I’m going to check in with Dr. Aahil, and then I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.” Aisha’s gaze jerked away, causing Lalavati’s stomach to knot painfully.
Ahana was a nurse and she recognized the signs and symptoms of abuse. Only too well. Dark memories from the past threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought them back with an effort. Struggling to keep her emotions under control, she grabbed an ice pack from the supply rack and then went searching for Dr. Vikram Sharma, the physician in charge of the patients on her team.
Vikram was on the phone talking to the inpatient hospitalist about a patient he wanted admitted. Ahana hovered nearby, waiting until he finished his call. Vikram hungup the phone and flashed a warm smile. “Hi, Ahana, what’s up?”
His smile was far too attractive, an effect she’d been fighting for months now. So far, Ahana thought she was hiding her feelings pretty well. “I need you to examine my patient in room four,” Ahana said in a soft tone in a voice. “I’m convinced she’s being physically abused.”
Vikram’s smile faded. “Are you sure?”
Ahana only been a nurse here at the Pinka Hospital for six months, but she’d thought she’d proved her competence by now. Ahana scowled. “Trust me, I’m sure
Vikram gave a terse nod. “All right, let me finish up this inpatient admission, and I’ll be right over
“Thanks.” Ahana hurried back over to Aisha’s bedside, squeezing the disposable ice pack between her hands to activate the chemical reaction inside. “Here, place this around your wrist, okay?” Ahana instructed. “Dr. Sharma will be here shortly.”
Aisha winced but didn’t say anything as she placed the cold pack over her wrist.
Ahana struggled to find the right words that might break through the woman’s wall of denial. “Aisha, you don’t have to put up with anyone hurting you. We have programs that can help keep you safe.”
“No one’s hurting me,” Aisha swiftly denied. “I told you I fell off the porch.” Her voice rose with indignation, and instinctively, Ahana knew she needed to back off or the woman might bow and try to understand her fear.
