Patient Privilege Read Online Free PDF

scrubbed his hand over his face, and then let the breath slowly ease through his pinched lips. "Okay… all right, I'm going to the hospital. I'll call as soon as I know something."
    Roni nodded as Erik turned to head out to the parking lot. He got back in his nondescript beater and headed toward the county hospital. He couldn't help but think about missing his date with Marshall, as selfish as that sounded. That poor kid needed his help, needed the therapist side of Erik to be there without distraction, but the rest of him couldn't stop thinking about his ex-lover.
    "God, get over yourself, Erik," he muttered, white-knuckling the steering wheel at two and ten.
    He arrived at the hospital, still trying to shake the thoughts of Marshall away while navigating through the emergency room. He'd been there a thousand times before, but today he felt like a mouse in a maze. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate or even clear his head. Maybe he should've just stayed home. Maybe leaving the bed had been a bad idea. How was he supposed to help heal someone when he couldn't heal himself?
    "Dr Daniels?" a petite feminine voice called from behind him. Erik turned to find a nurse—who was just as small as her voice—standing there with a file in her hands. "Are you looking for your patient?"
    "Yes. Yes, I am," he stammered. His mouth dried, throat squeezing off the breath he'd taken. He tugged at his collar as she waved him down a hallway. He felt so damn ridiculous.
    "We've been expecting you," she said as she handed Erik the file. "A state representative should be on her way, but your nurse, Veronica, thought you would want to have a word with him before they came."
    "Thank you," he mumbled as he cracked open the file folder.
    They reached Chris's room, and the nurse waved him in, closing the door behind him. Erik sat down next to his patient's bed. The kid slept soundly. He seemed to be okay, content and taken care of. Erik wouldn't wake him. No sense in disrupting the first restful sleep the kid had had in God only knew how long.
    Erik looked over at the red ring around his patient's throat and sighed. He couldn't believe Chris seriously wanted to die. After all the time they'd spent together, Erik honestly thought he'd gotten through to the kid. Sure, Chris had had a hard life. He'd been born addicted to crack and followed in his mom's footsteps with the habit. At thirteen, he'd been in and out of foster care, in and out of Juvenile Detention, and had absolutely no home to call his own, but Erik really had hope for the kid. He'd finally seen a light in Chris's eyes that hadn't been there before.
    And the heartbreaking part of this situation—Erik would've gladly taken Chris home and shown him what having someone to care about him felt like. To make sure he ate right and did his homework and had someone there for him when he needed them. Erik would've taken him home and called him son, even though rules and legalities stood in his way.

Chapter Six
     
    Hours later, Chris finally woke up and Erik had a chance to speak with him for a bit before the social worker arrived and chased him away. Chris told him that he was tired, that's all, just tired. He said he didn't have it in him to fight anymore so he'd given up.
    Erik's heart broke. They'd made so much progress together and Chris seemed to be doing so much better. He wasn't having the night terrors anymore. The sickness had passed and he seemed to be on the road to full recovery—then this happened. What Erik wouldn't give to take that poor child away from this life.
    Before leaving the social worker to do her worst, Erik asked about adoption, what his chances might be of taking Chris into his home. She asked a bunch of questions that he'd almost been too embarrassed to answer, but he did for the sake of the kid. She looked at Erik and said, "I know you have the best intentions. I know you want to help him, but honestly, with your background and single-parent