Page 77 of Bronx

The resident on duty comes into the room and greets me. He has an odd name for a doctor. Actually, it’s an odd last name for anyone. It sounds like an actor’s name or a name for an old-school rapper.

Doctor Captain on the M.I.C.

Not to mention he’s kind of got this hot salt and pepper beard thing going on, but I digress.

“I’m his, uh, friend.”

“Your name?”

“Karma Moore.”

“Hi, Karma. Are there any other family members I should be speaking with about Mr. Porter’s condition as well?”

“No, there’s only me.”

“Do you have a medical power of attorney?”

Damn, do I need that?

“No, sir, I don’t even really know what that is, but if you look in his chart, then you’ll see that I’m listed as his emergency contact.”

“That’s not necessary, Miss Moore. I’ll just share with you what I can. They brought your friend here to the hospital in serious condition. It looks like he was assaulted. He has a concussion, sustained some major injuries to his left arm, left calve and ankle, his ribs, and as you can see, his face was badly bruised.”

I feel ill. I quickly scan the room in search of a wastebasket in case I need to suddenly vomit. I did this to him.

The doctor gives me a once over just like the nurse did earlier.

“Were you a witness to the assault?”

“No, sir.”

“Because if you were, the police were here earlier, and they’ll be back to get a statement from you. The person or people who did this should be apprehended.”

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t there,” I say through choked tears.

The doctor checks some of the numbers on one of the machines attached to Ray.

“May I ask why is he on the stroke floor?” I ask out of curiosity, wondering if the hospital is so full that they’ve had to juggle patients around.

“He had an MRI over an hour ago and the results suggest that Mr. Majors probably had a minor stroke due to the trauma to his head.”

“But he’s only twenty-six years old.”

“The brain is a delicate organ.”

“Oh my God,” I quietly mumble.

“Any history of high blood pressure or other major medical conditions?” he asks as he makes notes on Ray’s chart.

“Not that I know of.”

“We won’t know the extent of the damage until he gets a full evaluation from the stroke team tomorrow.”

I just nod my head in basic understanding because I’m speechless. Ray had a freaking stroke because of a physical confrontation with Bronx?

Ruby was right.

What have I done?