‘So how’s Danny doing?’ she said, swiftly changing the subject. The odds on her and Rafferty sleeping together again were approximately zero so there was no point even thinking about it. ‘Any improvement yet?’
‘No. If anything, I’d say he’s slightly worse.’ Helen sighed as she pushed open the door that separated the reception area from the treatment rooms.
The clinic was based in one of the arches beneath a railway bridge and the sound of the trains thundering overhead provided a constant background noise. The space had been used as a garage before it had been taken over by the clinic and on warm evenings the smell of diesel still seeped from the walls. Bright strip-lighting and plenty of white paint had helped to dispel the gloom, however, and the staff did their best to make everyone feel welcome. Maybe it wasn’t the ideal place for a medical centre but the youngsters came, and that was what mattered most of all.
‘I’ve put Danny in the end cubicle because it’s a bit quieter down there,’ Helen informed her. ‘Piers was supposed to be here tonight but he phoned just before you arrived to say that he’s having to work a double shift because they’re short-staffed at the hospital.’
‘So that means Danny hasn’t seen a doctor yet?’ Natalie clarified.
‘Not yet.’ Helen glanced round when one of the other nurses called over to her. ‘I’ll see what Suzy wants then come and find you.’
‘Fine.’
Natalie made her way down the long, arched room to the very end cubicle, which was actually more substantial than it sounded, with solid hardboard walls and a proper door. She tapped on the door and went in, smiling as she saw Danny’s eyes widen in surprise when he saw what she was wearing.
‘I only wear this outfit for my very favourite patients, I’ll have you know,’ she told him, laughing as she twirled round so he could get a good look at her gown.
He removed the oxygen mask he was wearing and smiled shyly back at her. It had been a couple of weeks since he’d visited the clinic and she could tell that he’d lost a lot of weight in that time. He was wearing an old T-shirt and she could see how his chest was heaving from the effort of drawing air into his lungs.
‘The other guys will be really jealous,’ he wheezed.
‘And so they should be,’ she retorted, going over to the bed. She took hold of his wrist and checked his pulse, frowning when she felt how fast it was racing. It was obviously a very bad attack and she really couldn’t understand why it had happened. ‘So when did this all start?’
‘A couple of hours ago…although I’ve not felt well for a few days,’ he admitted reluctantly.
‘And have you been taking your medication like I told you to do?’ she asked, sitting down on the side of the bed.
‘Uh-huh,’ he muttered, avoiding her eyes.
Natalie sighed. ‘Look, Danny, I’m not going to tell you off if you haven’t been taking it…well, not much, at least. But I need to find out why this has happened tonight. I thought we’d sorted you out the last time you came to see us but maybe the drugs we prescribed for you aren’t doing their job properly and we need to try you on something else.’
‘The drugs are OK,’ he mumbled, but she could see tears welling into his eyes.
She squeezed his hand, hating to see him looking so upset. He was far too young to be living on the streets and she wished she could do more to help him, but she’d been warned before she’d started working at the clinic that she mustn’t try to interfere. A lot of the youngsters they treated would stop attending the clinic if they thought there was a chance that the authorities would be contacted.
‘So what’s the problem?’ she asked gently. ‘If the drugs have been working, why have you had such a bad attack tonight?’
‘Because I haven’t taken my tablets for the past couple of days,’ Danny admitted. ‘I…um…lost them.’
‘Lost them?’ She stared at him in surprise. ‘But I thought you always kept them in your pocket so they’d be safe.’
‘I do. I mean, I did…’ He tailed off and she shook her head when she realised what had happened.
‘Did someone take the drugs off you, Danny?’
‘Yes,’ he whispered, biting his lip.
Natalie tried to hide her frustration although it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Life on the streets was tough and drugs of any description were a valuable commodity. Several of the youngsters they’d treated recently had experienced the same thing and it was starting to look as though their patients were being targeted deliberately.
‘Did you go to the police and report what had happened?’ she asked without much hope.
Danny shook his head. ‘They’d have beaten me up again if I’d done that.’
‘Again? Are you saying that the people who took your medication beat you up as well?’
‘Yes. They kicked me about and that’s why I gave them the tablets. I think they might have busted one of my ribs because it’s been really hurting.’
‘And I don’t suppose you had anyone look at it, did you?’ Natalie said wearily, and he shook his head. ‘Right, I need to check you over but first of all I want you to put that oxygen mask back on.’
She helped the boy replace the mask then unbuttoned his shirt, grimacing when she saw the yellowing remains of bruising down the left side of his chest. He’d obviously taken a severe beating because she could tell how much it hurt when she gently explored the area. He’d definitely broken a rib—possibly two—and she wished she could get hold of the thugs who’d done this to him.
She buttoned his shirt again and looked sternly at him. ‘You’ve got at least one broken rib and you should have come to the clinic if you didn’t want to go to hospital.’
‘It hurt too much to walk,’ he mumbled through the mask.
‘I bet it did.’ She looked round when Helen appeared. ‘Young Danny here has a broken rib. Apparently, someone beat him up and took his medication off him. That explains why he’s in such a state tonight.’
‘That’s the third time this week it’s happened to one of our kids!’ Helen exclaimed angrily. ‘What is the world coming to?’
‘I shudder to think. Anyway, I think he should be checked over by a doctor—’ She broke off when Danny suddenly interrupted her.
‘I don’t want to go to the hospital! They’ll give me another thumping if they think I’ve told on them.’
There was genuine terror in his voice and Natalie frowned. ‘Is that what they told you would happen?’
‘Yes. And they meant it, too. They’ve given other people a real going over when they thought they’d told on them.’
Danny looked exhausted when he’d finished speaking and Natalie realised that it would do more harm than good to try and make him reconsider. She drew Helen aside while they decided what they should do.
‘Is there any chance we could keep him here overnight? I know we don’t usually allow anyone to stay in the clinic but Danny’s far too ill to go back on the streets tonight. I’d feel much happier if he was in hospital, of course, but we can’t force him to go if he doesn’t want to.’
‘I suppose we could bend the rules just this once,’ Helen agreed reluctantly. ‘Although obviously we can’t leave him here on his own. He seems a nice enough kid but you just never know, so someone will have to stay here