Nirvana on Fire
Copyright© 2006 by Lellan McLemore
Chapter 6
"The girl's parents are waiting in the lounge, Doctor," the nurse said, poking her head into the room.
"Okay," Doc Mayfield replied, putting his stethoscope back into his pocket and looking an the machines around young Nicole Carter. She had been stable for a couple of hours, but took a bad turn twenty minutes ago.
Doc shook his head and pushed the door roughly open. He paused in front of the lounge and took a deep breath. He hated this part of the job.
"Is something wrong, Doctor?" the haggard mother asked nervously.
"I'm afraid Nicole has taken a serious turn for the worse. I don't think she's going to recover," Doc Mayfield said sadly, placing his hand reassuringly on the woman's shoulder.
"I thought you said she was stable, Doc," the man said angrily.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Carter. We don't know much about how to treat people with Nirvana poisoning."
"Nirvana?" the mother asked.
"A new drug, Martha," her husband replied quickly.
"Nicole wouldn't use drugs," Martha Carter said, bristling a bit at the silent accusation.
"She didn't know what happened after she got here, Mrs. Carter. I'm sure someone else gave it to her without her realizing it."
Jason Carter paled a bit.
The door burst open. Nurse Riley said quickly, "She's crashing, Doctor."
Doc Mayfield and Nicole's parents raced to her room. Mayfield tried to revive and stabilize the girl, but his efforts were in vain.
"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Carter, there is nothing more I can do." Mrs. Carter held her daughter's hand, tears streaming down her suddenly aged cheeks. Jason Carter nodded solemnly and turned to comfort his wife as Doc Mayfield ushered the nurses out of the room.
After a while, Jason Carter emerged from his daughter's room. Spying Doctor Mayfield consulting with the nurses at the desk, he walked purposefully over to him.
"Doctor Mayfield," Mr. Carter said nervously. "Is there someone I can talk to about this Nirvana stuff?"
"What do you want to know?"
"No," Carter said, shaking his head. "I meant someone in authority. Police, FBI, you know?"
"Oh, certainly," Dr. Mayfield replied and turned back to Nurse Riley. "Joanne, would you page Lt. Jamieson for Mr. Carter."
Mandy had escaped Marco's notice, but Ramon recognized her instantly. "Puta!" he hissed under his breath as Mandy walked past him toward the door.
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