River's Edge (Hope Rising Book 1) Read online

  “Boy, do I ever.” Natalie chuckled. Without a doubt, a full moon always brought the crazies out of hiding. Non-medical friends used to laugh at her. She wasn’t superstitious by any means, but experience had proven whenever there was a full moon, it would trigger an increase in the number of unusual cases.

  With the television playing an afternoon soap opera, and a steady trickle of patients presenting to the desk, the afternoon passed by without too many problems. The cases presenting to the department were minor and the doctors were able to attend to them quickly, which allowed the waiting room to remain fairly empty throughout the course of the afternoon and into the evening.

  With an hour left of her shift, Natalie restocked the shelves with paperwork, prepared armbands for the triaged patients and checked her roster for the upcoming week.

  “Let go of me!” a voice shrieked, slicing through the calm.

  The automatic doors slid open and a young couple staggered into the waiting room. The man’s hand was firmly wrapped around the woman’s arm while his other hand rested on her back. Dark roots showed through the woman’s limp platinum blonde hair. The strap of her black sequined top slipped off one shoulder revealing part of a rose tattoo.

  “Calm down,” the man firmly asserted as he led the woman, half dragging her, to the triage counter. Natalie swallowed and stood as they approached, taking in as much detail as she could. Nursing training had taught her to watch and observe as much as she could. Breathing patterns. Skin pallor. Pupil reactiveness. Even the slightest thing out of the ordinary could reveal so much. Her fingers hovered above the duress alarm hidden beneath the bench top.

  “Can I help you?” Her eyes darted between the approaching pair. The situation playing out before her could potentially be a number of things. Drug overdose. A domestic violence situation. Blowing out a breath, she forced herself to remain calm, praying for protection and wisdom.

  “Let go of me!” The woman’s voice pitched, her face flushed as she turned towards the man, squirming to escape his grip.

  “Cassie, calm down.” A deep frown creased the man’s brow as he addressed the agitated woman. Struggling with his grip on the woman’s arm, he turned to Natalie. “Hi. I’m not sure what’s wrong with my sister. I picked her up from a party, and she’s been acting completely irrational. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I don’t know if she’s taken something or …”

  “I haven’t taken anything.” The young woman swayed on her feet, her speech slurred, her eyes glazed as she weakly attempted to remove her arm from her brother’s grasp.

  “I’ll just grab a wheelchair, and we’ll take her straight through to the examination room.” Natalie buzzed for an orderly and grabbed a folder of admission papers just as she heard a thud.

  “Cassie!”

  Natalie glanced through the glass screen finding the young woman sprawled on the floor. Her brother crouched beside her, shaking her shoulder and shouting her name.

  “I need some help out here!” Natalie called over her shoulder, her hand slamming against the code button on the wall. Suddenly, the waiting room sprang to life as medical personnel arrived with the crash trolley. An orderly hurried behind wheeling a gurney. Natalie helped the man to his feet and led him out of the way as one of the senior staff doctors and team of nurses worked on Cassie.

  “Her pulse is thready. Pupils constricted, but equal and reactive.”

  “I’ve got her airway.”

  “On the count of three. One …”

  Like a smooth machine, the team transferred Cassie onto the trolley and wheeled her through the large doors of the department into the resuscitation bay.

  Natalie ushered Cassie’s brother into a nearby lounge area and poured him a drink of water.

  “Here.” She thrust the plastic cup into his hands. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name in all that commotion. I’m Natalie. What can you tell me about this evening?”

  Leaning against the bench housing a small sink, a kettle and toaster, Natalie eyed him. His collar was skewed, and the hem of his button-down shirt was partly untucked from his trousers. Black leather shoes adorned his feet. Was he a businessman of some sort?

  He ran a hand through his dark blonde hair, mussing up the neat style from when he’d first arrived. “I’m Joel, Cassie’s brother. I was working late and my sister was at a function at The Barracks. She asked me to take her home when she’d finished. I picked her up and before we even left the city, she started slurring her speech and acting weird.”

  “And you decided to bring her here?”

  “Yes. I told her to stop being silly. But then she started getting worse, and her eyes seemed glazed over. I thought I’d bring her here to get her checked out.”

  “That was good thinking, Joel.” A single fluorescent bulb flickered from the ceiling. Natalie jotted down the details, all the while providing reassurance to the distressed man before her.

  “I’ll let the staff know you’re here. The treating doctor will want to talk to you as well.” And maybe the police. The incident reminded her of one in Melbourne where a young woman had been drugged and left in a park across the road from the hospital. That had been a horrible night on shift with the innocence of a young woman taken away, and the swarm of police asking questions. It had left her uneasy for months.

  Pushing the vivid memories aside, she ensured Joel was settled before leaving the patient lounge. After passing the information on to the in-charge night nurse, Natalie returned to the triage counter and relieved the nurse who had stepped in while she was attending to Cassie.

  A few more patients had arrived with minor ailments, and she processed them quickly, adjusting the waiting time on the sign on the wall to reflect the most recent arrival.

  After helping the last patient with a dislocated elbow through to the examination room, Natalie gave report to the night staff before grabbing her bag and bidding goodnight to her colleagues.

  8

  The thin material of her scrubs did little to protect Natalie from the crisp night air when she stepped out the front doors of the hospital. Yawning, she slid her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and adjusted her satchel across her shoulder.

  The undercover walkway winding along the front of the building was well lit. Moths and other insects danced around the light bulbs, and her footsteps echoed on the path as she made her way out of the hospital grounds towards the bus stop at the top of the hill. Cloud covered the full moon, blanketing the surrounding streets in darkness. Only a few cars drove by, and she drew her jacket tight around her chest, shielding off the breeze blowing up from the river. By the time the bus arrived, her fingers were numb.

  The doors hissed open, and Natalie tapped her travel card on the electronic scanner as she boarded the bus. Three other people sat towards the back, their heads lowered and engaged in a screen of some sort. Sliding onto a seat in the second row, she clutched her bag on her lap and gazed out the window. The reflection in the glass revealed a pale, fatigued face surrounded by wisps of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. It hadn’t been too bad a shift, considering it was a full moon. She suppressed a laugh. Maybe it was too cold for all the oddities that usually occurred.

  City lights flickered by as the bus followed its route down the hill and away from the hospital. Natalie’s body swayed with the motion of the bus and her thoughts turned to the young woman who’d been brought into the ED by her brother. She offered a quick prayer of thanks for God’s protection, and prayed that He would provide healing for Cassie.

  Someone’s initials were scratched into the back of the vinyl seat in front of her. A wad of grey chewing gum clung to wall underneath the window ledge. Covering another yawn, Natalie stretched her legs out. It had been a long day - up early with the breakfast van, and then finishing late at the hospital. It had been tiring, but fulfilling. And she couldn’t wait to shower and fall into her bed.

  After three stops, Natalie pressed the bell, adjusted her satchel on her shoulder
s, and disembarked when the bus slowed to a stop. Several darkened shop fronts stood between her and her apartment building halfway down the street. Clutching her bag to her chest, she hurried along the footpath, sticking as close to the kerb as she could. A bus drove past in the opposite direction, whirling leaves and scraps of rubbish in its wake. A gust of wind rushed by, and the roar of the engine drowned out any other sound along the street.

  “Got a light?”

  A scream welled in Natalie’s throat and she hastened her steps. With her heart hammering against her ribs, her eyes darted around the street, hoping to find someone else out late and somehow grab their attention. She could see the entrance to her apartment building two blocks away. She just needed to get there. Oh, Lord. Please protect me. Please!

  The strong stench of sweat mixed with alcohol and cigarette smoke hit her nostrils. And then a body brushed against her arm. Natalie pressed her lips together, holding in a scream as she darted away from the road, continuing her frenetic pace towards home.

  Streetlights cast long shadows on the ground, and Natalie caught her reflection in the darkened shop windows as she rushed by. Her eyes travelled to the man keeping pace beside her. His hair was cropped short - it was too dark to tell if it was blond or light brown. A dark long-sleeved shirt and ripped jeans covered a lean build, and scuffed joggers adorned his feet.

  Lowering her head, she focused on her steps, trying to block images from her mind of women who’d come through the emergency department after being assaulted. Their bodies, bruised and battered through no choice of their own. She didn’t want to be another victim - to end up on a stretcher in her own emergency department. Or worse.

  “Come on. I asked you a question. Have you got a light? That’s all I want.” Her skin crawled as his stench wafted around her. A hand closed over her arm and her throat went dry. Even if she wanted to scream again, she couldn’t. Oh, God! Save me!

  “Hey!” Two men stepped out from a nearby alley. Tears burned Natalie’s eyes as she tried to pull away from her assailant. Tightening his grip, he pulled her firmly against his body. She forced the bile down her throat as his warm breath tickled the back of her neck.

  Surely this couldn’t be happening. Did he know these other two men? Was this planned? She was defenseless against three people. Keeping her head lowered, Natalie focused on the cracks in the footpath and listened for any approaching vehicles that might be a distraction to the men and offer some assistance to her. Oh, why was the street so empty?

  “Let her go, man.” Anger tainted the voice of one of the men. Natalie continued to pray silently, all the while telling herself to remain calm.

  “Hey, I was just asking the lady for a light.”

  “Does she look like she’s got one? I told you to leave her alone.” Natalie’s arm flopped against her side as the assailant released his grip. Raising his hands, he stepped staggered backwards.

  “Just chill, okay? I wasn’t doin’ no harm.”

  Natalie dared to raise her eyes ever so slightly and glance around. She was trapped against a shop front, with the assailant on one side, and the other two men standing in front. They remained in the shadows, and the hoods of their jumpers shrouded their faces, making it difficult to discern any features.

  What would they do to her if the other man went away? Her senses heightened as she mentally took in her surroundings. The street was completely empty. Lights from her apartment building taunted her. Cars drove across the intersection at the end of the street, and she willed one of them to make a turn towards her. She was blocked in at the front and both sides. If anything happened, no one would hear her scream. She braced herself for the worst.

  “You’d better be on your way then.”

  Muttering a few curse words, the man lunged at the others with a sneer before staggering away. An unlit cigarette dangled from his lips. Footsteps scuffled down the footpath, echoing along the empty street as they disappeared into the night. Perhaps she should seize the opportunity and make a run for it. Tightening the grip on her bag, Natalie took a step backwards.

  “Are you alright?” The stranger stood still, remaining in the shadows. Would she be able to outrun them? It was two against one. She didn’t like her chances.

  “Y …” She cleared her throat. “Yes. I am. Thank you.” Should she be thanking them? They hadn’t harmed her. Yet.

  “Good. Have you got far to go?” His voice was gruff, but with an edge of tenderness.

  “No.” Natalie avoided looking towards her apartment building. She wasn’t about to let the strangers know where she lived.

  “Be careful then.” The men turned and without another word, disappeared into the dark alley.

  “Th … Thank you,” she murmured. Lowering her head, Natalie ran the last block towards the apartment building. Her satchel slapped against her body. Her heart pounded against her chest. With trembling fingers, she entered the code into the security panel and willed the door to open, all the while glancing over her shoulder.

  Once inside her apartment with the door locked and the security chain in place, adrenaline thundered through her veins. Tears splashed down her cheeks as Natalie slid down the wall and drew her knees to her chest. She needed to call someone. But who? Graham and Sue would no doubt be asleep. Her father and brother were out of contact range in the middle of Africa somewhere. Naomi, her sister in Perth, would be asleep or attending to her own family. And her mother …

  She sucked in lungfuls of air as sobs wracked her body. Never had she felt so alone. So isolated. So overwhelmed.

  Did she need to call the police? What would they do? Nothing had happened. And yet something had … hadn’t it? She was too tired to think straight. Tomorrow would be a new day and she would figure it out then. For now, she was okay. She was alive, and she hadn’t been harmed. God had certainly protected her.

  9

  Silver sequins of sunlight danced on the rippled surface of the water as Ben hooked his pack over his shoulders and made his way along the familiar path adjacent to the river with Smiley lugging his trolley beside him. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d walked the same path, day after day for months on end. Each day taking him further away from his family and any future job prospects. He’d tried so hard at the beginning. But now, the rejection was a constant voice in his head reminding him of how much he’d failed.

  Crickets chirped from clumps of grass along the water’s edge, and dry leaves scattered across the ground as autumn hastened towards winter. Adjusting the collar of his jacket against the brisk air caressing his neck, Ben kept his gaze lowered. He hoped his friends had found a warm place to shelter. With the cold change sweeping through the city, many of the homeless would be at risk of becoming sick, or worse.

  Fortunately Smiley suggested a small shelter further up from their usual place by the river for them to call home – until they found an alternative. It wasn’t the five-star hotel that mocked him from across the river, but at least it provided some protection from the sudden drop in temperature at night.

  That’s where they’d been heading earlier in the week when they’d heard the woman’s frightened voice on the deserted street.

  As he and Smiley walked in silence, Ben couldn’t shake the look of fear in the young woman’s eyes from his thoughts. It had shocked him when he’d realised it was Natalie. Why she’d been walking the streets so late at night, he didn’t know. Although he and Smiley had remained in the shadows, the streetlights had given him a good indication of how terrified she’d been.

  With his fists balled by his side at the sight of the man’s hand gripping her arm, and Smiley’s hand resting on his shoulder willing him to calm down, it had taken all of his self control not to pummel her attacker. He wasn’t a violent man, but his protective nature had kicked into gear at the sight of someone hurting a woman. The anger coursing through his veins at the thought of anyone laying a hand on Natalie had surprised him. He’d only interacted with her a few times at the breakfast
van, mostly avoiding her because she’d sparked something in him that he wasn’t deserving of.

  Ben was aware of just how much he’d failed Krista and Millie, and he wasn’t about to be that man again. He certainly didn’t want to fail the dark-haired beauty who’d gotten under his skin in a short amount of time.

  The breakfast van was in its usual place at the edge of the carpark, and already a small group, rugged up in beanies, scarves and jackets, had gathered nearby. Smiley remained with their gear underneath the picnic shelter, claiming he was too tired to queue for breakfast after the previous night’s walk around the city as they searched for a warm place to bed down out of the wind.

  Ben was concerned for his friend and the cough he’d developed over the past few days. He’d have to ask around and try to obtain some medicine from somewhere. Eyeing the familiar crowd, he walked across the dew-laden grass towards the van.

  Graham and Sue were serving breakfast with their familiar warm smiles and hearty laughs, but there was no sign of Natalie. His pulse quickened. She hadn’t been at the van all week. Was she okay? Perhaps she was just working at her other job. He’d seen her enter the apartment building from the shadows of the alley, so he knew she’d arrived home safely, assuming that’s where she lived. Perhaps he should try and find out which apartment was hers and pay her a visit just to make sure she was unharmed.

  Don’t be stupid, Ben. You’re just a homeless bum. You can’t just knock on her door. She might think you’re a stalker and call the police. Besides, why would she want to talk to you, anyway?

  “Ugh. This cold change has given my hip a bit of grief. Where’s Smiley?” Esme limped over with her paper bag of breakfast. Rubbing her left hip with one hand, she settled next to Ben on a bench seat at the edge of the grass.

  “He’s not feeling too well this morning.” Ben took a bite of his sandwich and cast a glance towards the shelter where Smiley’s boots poked out from the end of one of the seats.