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Five minutes later, she was wheeled from the triage room to a larger space in the emergency department. Another nurse and a doctor came over to stand on each side of her gurney.
For a moment, she remembered being in a similar situation. Only back then, her entire body had reverberated with pain. Especially in her pelvis, hip, and legs.
“Ms. Murphy, do you have any allergies?” the nurse to her left asked. “There are none listed in your chart, but I’d like to make sure that hasn’t changed.”
“None that I’m aware of.” Which really wasn’t saying much since she couldn’t remember anything. Other than being in the hospital once before.
“Great.” The nurse smiled as if she’d passed some sort of test.
Before she could tell Doc what she remembered, a man in scrubs crossed over to join them. He peered at her wound beneath the dressing. “My name is Dr. Arnold. What caused this gash on your temple?”
Before she could admit she had no idea, Doc spoke up. “She fell off a boat into the Kentucky River. That’s likely the source of her infection.”
Arnold swung to face Doc. “Fell or was pushed?”
Doc didn’t look away. “I’m not sure. As I told the triage nurse, Ms. Murphy has had amnesia since the moment she showed up on my doorstep drenched from head to toe and bleeding from the wound on her temple.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” she quickly interjected. “He saved my life.”
“Hmm,” Dr. Arnold grunted, then turned toward the nurse. “Let’s get a dose of IV Zosyn started right away. We may have to add a Carbapenem if her symptoms don’t improve after the first dose.”
“Understood. How about Tylenol for her fever?” the nurse asked.
“Not until we see how the antibiotics are working.” Dr. Arnold turned back to face her. “You really have amnesia?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I can’t remember much about my past or what I was doing on the boat.” If she even was on a boat. For all she knew, she dove into the water to escape whoever was following her.
“Let’s add a neurology consult too. And a CT scan of her head.” Dr. Arnold held her gaze. “Do you want me to have your visitor wait outside?”
“No, it’s okay. I’d like him to stay.” She glanced over his shoulder to look at Doc. He still looked grim but stepped forward to take her hand. When his warm fingers curled around hers, she sighed, feeling better.
The medical team hurried away. She stared up at Doc. “I remember being in a hospital like this before, only that time I was in a lot of pain.”
“That must have been when you fell off your horse.” He glanced around the room. “They obviously have your medical records on file, as that’s all electronically available now, but there’s no way to know if you were brought here or somewhere else.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes again, the bright light overhead making her headache worse. “Thanks for being here.”
He sighed loudly. “You shouldn’t be thanking me when I delayed seeking proper medical care.”
“I didn’t want to come in.” She spoke without looking at him. After a few minutes, he released her hand. She opened her mouth to protest but realized the nurse had returned with her antibiotic.
The next two hours passed in a blur. Fiona vaguely remembered being taken to the scanner for a CT scan. Then she was moved back to the emergency department. Through it all, Doc stayed close by.
“Ms. Murphy? I’m Dr. Grimaldi, the neurology resident on duty.”
She opened her eyes to see a young man standing over her bed. He didn’t look old enough to be a doctor, but who was she to judge? It wasn’t his fault she felt eighty years old.
“I understand you’re having some memory issues?” His words were polite enough, but she got the impression he didn’t believe her.
“Yes.” She steeled herself for the barrage of questions. She was able to tell him who the president was, and the date, but that was only because of the Keeneland Fall race being scheduled for the following day. She did not know her middle name, her birth date, or the city where she was born.
After what seemed like forever, the resident tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and stepped back. “Your CT scan is negative for brain bleeds or lesions. I’ll discuss your case with my attending, but I suspect you suffered a traumatic event that is causing your memory issues. Placing yourself in familiar surroundings should help.”
“Thanks.” She had no desire to go home, wherever that was, which was telling. Maybe Doc was right to believe her father was somehow involved in this nightmare. It was the only thing that made sense.
As soon as the neurology resident left, the nurse returned. “Dr. Arnold would like you to be admitted to an inpatient unit at least overnight to receive three doses of IV antibiotics. Once those are finished, we’ll switch you over to oral meds.”
“Okay.” She had started to feel better after the first dose, so she felt certain her stay here would be short-lived. Still, she felt bad for Doc having to sit there at her bedside. After she was moved to a regular room, and that nurse had checked her over, she looked at Doc.
