Read Online A Street Girl Named Desire: A Novel by Treasure E. Blue - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Treasure E. Blue
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these are old …”
Nurse Dixon's arms were folded. She looked unconvinced. Desire continued to beg.
“Please don't tell nobody, or they gonna send me to a group home again.”
Nurse Dixon was speechless as she stared into Desire's terrorfilled eyes. She broke her professional composure and threw her arms around Desire. She was torn apart by the fact that a patient who had been born in such horrendous circumstances had returned to the hospital in arguably an even worse situation. Nurse Dixon could not help but think that it would have been better if Desire had not made it, that the child's fight to save her own life was not worth the pain she continued to get in life. All she could do was give Desire a warm hug to calm her down. Desire could not hug her back.
“You poor child,” Nurse Dixon whispered as she embraced Desire. All she could think was “Why?” but she couldn't say it. She had to regain her composure in order to do her job. “Do you have any other injuries like this?”
Desire did not answer. She wanted to show and tell, but she was afraid to. However, Nurse Dixon was just as insistent with Desire as she had been with Nika years before. She wanted answers, and was not going to leave the room without them. It was a tug-of-war, but Nurse Dixon convinced Desire to show her the other wounds. Slowly, Desire disrobed. Nurse Dixon could not believe her eyes. Desire's body was a map of abuse. Nurse Dixon stared in total horror upon the multitude of purplish-black dead flesh from past beatings.
The nurse had seen it all before, but never like this. For a child that suffered at birth unwittingly and without fault of her own,only to suffer unimaginable pain that no child should have to bear, all because she fell through the cracks of human bureaucracy. In all the cases that she'd seen in her thirty-plus years, nothing, even this day, had had such a profound effect on her as the case with Nika and Desire Mitchell years ago.
Nurse Dixon was on fire.
“I know who you are,” she told Desire. “I was the nurse who tended to you when you were born. I remember your mother, like she was just here yesterday.”
The words felt strange coming from Nurse Dixon's mouth. For Desire, they hit even harder. It felt as if a searing piece of metal had pierced her insides. This was followed by an overwhelmingly warm and exciting feeling. But Desire did not want to show even an inkling of interest. She had been disappointed way too many times by people in her life pretending to care about her. She simply listened. She wanted badly to ask her how her mother had looked, why her mother had left her, and where her mother was now. But she couldn't bring herself to know any more.
Nurse Dixon didn't press Desire that day, but she looked her in her eyes and promised her that she no longer need worry about being placed in a group home.
“What, you gonna adopt me or something?” Desire asked.
Nurse Dixon smiled cunningly and answered, “No, but if God's willing, I know someone else who will.” Seeing Desire's confused expression, Nurse Dixon assured her that she had everything under control.
The next day, Mother Corley was at the hospital early. She rushed Desire to get dressed.
“Hurry up, I ain't got all day. I already missed a day of work and I ain't missing another.”
Just as Desire had finished getting dressed, Nurse Dixon entered the room, along with another woman. The nurse had a serious and concerned expression on her face. Desire quickly sized up the strange woman, relieved to know she wasn't from any of the social welfare agencies. She didn't have one of those stiff, fake smiles like the others. This woman beamed from the inside out as she stared at Desire.
Mother Corley looked at the papers in the nurse's hand. “Are those her discharge papers? I have to get to work.”
“No, ma'am,” Nurse Dixon announced. “Desire will not be leaving with you today.”
Mother Corley shook her head angrily. “Oh, no,
Nurse Dixon's arms were folded. She looked unconvinced. Desire continued to beg.
“Please don't tell nobody, or they gonna send me to a group home again.”
Nurse Dixon was speechless as she stared into Desire's terrorfilled eyes. She broke her professional composure and threw her arms around Desire. She was torn apart by the fact that a patient who had been born in such horrendous circumstances had returned to the hospital in arguably an even worse situation. Nurse Dixon could not help but think that it would have been better if Desire had not made it, that the child's fight to save her own life was not worth the pain she continued to get in life. All she could do was give Desire a warm hug to calm her down. Desire could not hug her back.
“You poor child,” Nurse Dixon whispered as she embraced Desire. All she could think was “Why?” but she couldn't say it. She had to regain her composure in order to do her job. “Do you have any other injuries like this?”
Desire did not answer. She wanted to show and tell, but she was afraid to. However, Nurse Dixon was just as insistent with Desire as she had been with Nika years before. She wanted answers, and was not going to leave the room without them. It was a tug-of-war, but Nurse Dixon convinced Desire to show her the other wounds. Slowly, Desire disrobed. Nurse Dixon could not believe her eyes. Desire's body was a map of abuse. Nurse Dixon stared in total horror upon the multitude of purplish-black dead flesh from past beatings.
The nurse had seen it all before, but never like this. For a child that suffered at birth unwittingly and without fault of her own,only to suffer unimaginable pain that no child should have to bear, all because she fell through the cracks of human bureaucracy. In all the cases that she'd seen in her thirty-plus years, nothing, even this day, had had such a profound effect on her as the case with Nika and Desire Mitchell years ago.
Nurse Dixon was on fire.
“I know who you are,” she told Desire. “I was the nurse who tended to you when you were born. I remember your mother, like she was just here yesterday.”
The words felt strange coming from Nurse Dixon's mouth. For Desire, they hit even harder. It felt as if a searing piece of metal had pierced her insides. This was followed by an overwhelmingly warm and exciting feeling. But Desire did not want to show even an inkling of interest. She had been disappointed way too many times by people in her life pretending to care about her. She simply listened. She wanted badly to ask her how her mother had looked, why her mother had left her, and where her mother was now. But she couldn't bring herself to know any more.
Nurse Dixon didn't press Desire that day, but she looked her in her eyes and promised her that she no longer need worry about being placed in a group home.
“What, you gonna adopt me or something?” Desire asked.
Nurse Dixon smiled cunningly and answered, “No, but if God's willing, I know someone else who will.” Seeing Desire's confused expression, Nurse Dixon assured her that she had everything under control.
The next day, Mother Corley was at the hospital early. She rushed Desire to get dressed.
“Hurry up, I ain't got all day. I already missed a day of work and I ain't missing another.”
Just as Desire had finished getting dressed, Nurse Dixon entered the room, along with another woman. The nurse had a serious and concerned expression on her face. Desire quickly sized up the strange woman, relieved to know she wasn't from any of the social welfare agencies. She didn't have one of those stiff, fake smiles like the others. This woman beamed from the inside out as she stared at Desire.
Mother Corley looked at the papers in the nurse's hand. “Are those her discharge papers? I have to get to work.”
“No, ma'am,” Nurse Dixon announced. “Desire will not be leaving with you today.”
Mother Corley shook her head angrily. “Oh, no,
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