Page 20 of Pierre (Voodoo Guardians #40)

When Conn and Fish showed up with the young boy, the medical team couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Ajei, Doc, Jane, and Kennedy carried him inside, sound asleep. They did a complete work-up on the boy to ensure there had been no physical or sexual abuse.

When they were done, Ajei gave him a bath and some clean clothing. When the helicopter arrived at the ship, his distraught parents were relieved and thrilled to see that he was well.

Just when they thought they were going to be able to relax, chaos ensued on the docks once again. Trucks and cars loaded with people, who had been brutalized in riots in the early morning hours, were now trying to get through the gates.

“I’ll prep the rooms,” said Kennedy.

“I’ll help,” said Marjorie.

Everyone else met the masses at the gates, deciding who should board the ship and who was fine to leave behind. Most had minor wounds that needed cleaning and possibly stitches. Others were far more severe.

“How long can they keep this up?” asked Doc.

“What do you mean?” said Jane.

“I mean, this ship can’t sit here forever. It’s here because of Pierre’s team trying to stop the kidnappings, worried that there could be action against them. When they leave, what happens to these people?”

“I don’t know that we can answer that, Doc. It’s been like this for as long as I’ve been alive.”

“That’s what worries me,” he frowned.

“Where is the lady?” asked one of the patients, writhing in pain on the stretcher.

“I think he’s got internal injuries, but I can’t be sure,” said Doc. Jane nodded, pressing on the man’s stomach.

“The lady! Where is the lady?”

“What lady?” asked Jane. “Who are you talking about?”

“The drug lady. She give me drugs to help my pain. Give me drugs.” Jane looked at Doc, then back at Elliott and Ambry.

“Oh, shit,” muttered Elliott. “Judy.”

“Yes. Judy. Judy give me drugs,” said the man.

“I’m sorry,” said Doc. “Judy is gone. We’re not going to give you drugs. You need to seek other help.”

The man tried to shove Doc away, but he underestimated the older man’s strength and power. His eyes went wide, and he rolled off the stretcher, turning to run away.

“Should we go after him?” asked Elliott.

“No. We’ll let security know that he cannot come through the gates again. But you’ve got another problem. You’re going to need to do an inventory of the drug cabinet to see what she was giving or selling.”

“Shit,” muttered Elliott. “Marjorie will end up taking the fall for this. She’s the head nurse.”

“We’ll be here to help defend her,” said Jane. “Come on. Let’s get this chaos controlled, and then we’ll figure out just how bad the situation is.”

“Well, I’m glad that wave is done,” said Marjorie, sitting back with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“You might not say that when we tell you what we have to say,” said Doc.

“Oh, oh. What now?”

“A man who came in with the others claimed he was in extreme pain. Jane and I both deduced that it was nothing, but he insisted. At first, I thought it might be internal injuries. He kept asking for pain meds.”

“That’s not unusual,” said Marjorie. “Drug use is rampant here.”

“Yes, we know,” said Jane. “The man was looking for the lady with the drugs. He was talking about Judy. We didn’t want you to worry about it with everything going on, so we did the inventory for you.”

“Oh, shit,” whispered Marjorie, swallowing. “What did you find?”

“It will be no surprise,” said Doc. “You’ve got missing vials of morphine, codeine, and other pain relievers. It doesn’t match what was entered in the computer for patients. We think she was selling vials to them.”

“Damn,” muttered Marjorie, shaking her head. Her hands were shaking, her face pale. “Damn, damn, damn!”

“Marjorie, we’ve spoken to the chief medical officer. He has to report it, but he knows it’s not your fault,” said Jane.

“The Navy won’t see it that way. I’m in charge of the nurses. What they do is my responsibility. I didn’t see it. I didn’t stop it,” she said in a shaky voice. “I knew she was trouble, but when she was working, she was a good nurse. I needed the help, but at what cost?”

“Marjorie, it’s not your fault,” said Ambry, holding her hand.

“She’s right,” said Commander Patterson. “It’s not your fault, but it did happen on your watch. I’ll file a report, Marjorie, but all of these people have vowed to come to your defense. Including me.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Come on. Let’s get some dinner, honey,” said Ambry. “There’s nothing we can do about this right now.”