Bennie heard voices around her and felt the sensation of being lifted and borne forward. She opened her eyes, and a nurse in blue scrubs was rolling her into an examining room with medical equipment. They stopped when another nurse in pink scrubs appeared, and Bennie tried to stay awake, but couldn’t. She wanted to call the police and go find Alice, but she could barely stay awake long enough to listen to what they were saying.
“What do we have here?” one nurse was asking the other.
“A Jane Doe. Not an emergency. A farmer found her in a field, drunk. BP and other signs are normal. I started the drip and tried to get her to talk to me, but she kept passing out. Vomited on herself. God, she stinks, doesn’t she?”
The other nurse said, “Hmm, looks like a dog bite on the right hand. She’ll need a shot, and we’ll clean her up. She looks like she’s been in a fight, from her hands. Odd. Definitely smells like she tied one on. I’ll take blood, for a tox screen.”
“That right hand looks broken, doesn’t it? I’ll get her on the sked for X-ray. That’s the farmer’s shirt she’s wearing, with her skirt. He thinks she’d been with her boyfriend. She was almost topless when he picked her up.”
“Jeez, think it’s a rape? Should we call the cops, get a kit?”
“Triage put in a call, but the cops are on skeleton, with vacations and all. Playtime for everybody but us, eh?”
“Everybody’s gone to the moon. You know that song? My dad loved that song. Wow, she has nice veins. She must work out.”
“I don’t think we need the rape kit. It’s so intrusive, and her skirt’s not ripped or anything. Undies intact, no other signs.”
“Good. Did she tell the farmer she’d been assaulted?”
“Not that he told us, so no. No ID, wallet, handbag, phone. She didn’t give him any other information except that she was from Philly.”
Bennie felt her right hand being manipulated, and miraculously, it didn’t hurt at all. She opened her eyes. “I’m feeling no pain.”
“Understatement of the year,” the nurse in pink said, setting her hand down. “What’s your name? Do you remember how you hurt your hand?”
“Uh huh.” Bennie wanted to tell them about Alice, but it was hard to form coherent thoughts. “I drank too much and… Alice put me in a hole.”
“What? Can you repeat that? Are you on any medication? Miss? Miss?”
Bennie felt herself doze off.
“Miss, did you take any street drugs? Miss?”
“Wicker.” She’d been trying to say whiskey and liquor, but it came out wrong.
“Did you take street drugs of any kind?”
“No, no, no.”
“Are you on any medication?”
Bennie wanted them to call the cops but couldn’t make the words. “I want to get… Alice. I have to tell you about Alice. We have to-”
“Miss, what is your name?”
“Bennie.”
“Bonnie?”
“Bennnneeee!”
“Stay calm, don’t shout, I hear you. Penny, what’s your last name?” Bennie let it go. “Rosato.”
“Risotto?”
“Rosato.”
“Arzado? Okay, Penny Arzado.”
Bennie nodded. Close enough. It didn’t matter. She had to get Alice. Throw her in prison.
“Penny, do you have health insurance? Do you know what kind of insurance you have?”
Bennie couldn’t answer any more questions, or listen. She had to go to sleep.
“Penny, talk to me. Penny?”