Before the Moon Rises by Catherine Bybee Page B

homeless. That was a given.
    So why was he naked in the busy streets of LA? No matter,
    it didn't change what she needed to do.
    "Is LAPD coming in?" she asked the medic before he left.
    "They were on scene and took a report. They'll come by
    later for a follow up." Mitch reached for his radio. A series of
    beeps told them both he had another run. "Man, tonight is
    never gonna end."
    "You can say that again," Janet agreed.
    "See ya in a few minutes."
    Janet watched as he high-tailed it out the doors.
    With her attention back to her patient, she started
    pressing buttons on the monitor and studied the different
    leads on his EKG.
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    Normal.
    Yanking the stethoscope off her neck, she quickly checked
    his lungs and heart.
    Normal.
    She placed a knuckle to his sternum and gave a deep turn.
    He grimaced but didn't wake up.
    Looking around first, Janet picked up his arm, placed it
    over his head and let it drop.
    Down it went, right on his face.
    Damn!
    "Humph." Janet studied the man's face for the first time.
    He had deep-set features with a firm jaw. His five o'clock
    shadow was more like a 7:00 AM shadow, but hell, it was
    almost 7:00 AM. She opened his eyelids and checked his
    pupils. When she did, she found the deepest midnight blue
    eyes she had ever scene.
    His dark hair, somewhat long, was well-kept. His even tan
    made her wonder if he spent most of his time on the beach.
    No, he definitely wasn't homeless.
    Even his skin held the scent of some exotic cologne. It
    wasn't something she could point out, but it certainly wasn't
    'Eau de Street.'
    After checking to make sure his IV ran freely, Janet went
    to find one of the ER doctors for a consult.
    "Well, let's start with a CT and a full set of labs. Drop a
    catheter in him and get a urine analysis and a serum drug
    screen. We'll see what we get then." Dr. Henry followed the
    same triage assessment she had done before sailing out the
    door.
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    Within minutes, the patient's blood was on its way to the
    lab and radiology wheeled the man into CT before loaded him
    onto the x-ray table. Janet stood in the wings waiting for the
    test to finish.
    Jack, the radiology tech, talked through the entire exam.
    "Damn, did you see the last guy?"
    "Yeah, he was completely FUBAR," Janet said while
    watching John Doe's monitor.
    "What's FUBAR?"
    Jack glanced over at his trainee and then started to laugh.
    "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition."
    The kid's face went green with the memory. Janet had to
    admit, the scene was really grotesque. Right out of a horror
    novel.
    "Do you think it was an animal attack?"
    Janet glanced up from her paperwork and shook her head.
    "Had to be, but I'm not sure what kind of animal."
    "Looked like a dog to me. Probably a Pit." Jack tapped
    buttons on the massive keyboard in front of him. Black and
    white images of John Doe's skull appeared.
    "I don't think it was a dog. The bites were deeper and
    more vicious. Besides, if he'd been mauled by a dog I would
    have started sneezing the minute he came in." Everyone in
    the Emergency Department knew about Janet's allergy to
    dogs. Whoever worked triage understood not to give her
    patients who had run-ins with biting dogs.
    Jack scanned the pictures and shrugged his shoulders. "I
    don't see anything."
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    "Let's get him back to his room. I need to get a Foley in
    him before day shift arrives. I don't need them bitching about
    me leaving work for them."
    Alone with her patient, Janet removed the catheter kit
    from the supply cabinet and placed it on the bed. She closed
    the curtain to insure privacy. Not that he would complain; he
    was still completely out.
    She tossed back the covers and took the time to dress the
    man in a hospital gown. The stranger was built. Tan,
    muscular and good lord his package was something to be
    reckoned with. Janet didn't make a habit out of really