> Julia:
> "Rachel," Julia closed her eyes and touched the woman's forehead, holding
> her as still as possible as she explained what she was doing "We're going
to
> give you some medicine.. I need you to drink it down and let it take the
> pain away okay? Can you do that for me?"
>
> She winced when Rachel's nails shifted but she kept her tone calm and
looked
> at Derek with a silent plea to open the bottle for her, at the same time
> shaking her head at Nick. They didn't need Rachel kicking up again and
> moving her from person to person right now would surely do it.
>
> When the bottle was opened she moved the hand she had had against Rachel's
> forehead and used it to tilt the bottle to Rachel's mouth.
>
> "Drink, Rachel. Drink."
>
> Rachel heard her but as if from far away and swallowed whatever it was
Julia
> was giving her until Julia took it away from her mouth, then she fell back
> into the half fetal position and continued to be gripped by pain.
>
> It wasn't for another few minutes that the pain and cramps started to
> subside and she felt herself starting to relax, her hands becoming lax.
>
> "Take care of Kat." she whispered, even as sleep started to fall on her
and
> her words slurring "Derek...Julaa... t'ke care... Kat."
>
> Then she fell asleep.
>
>
> Julia eased her wrist from her hold and slowly worked herself out from
under
> Rachel, promising low "We will."
>
> She looked at Alex and stepped back, hiding her wrist from her friend's
gaze
> as she walked over to the end of the bed and uncovered Rachel's feet "Can
> you get a bath towel and clean her up a little.. and maybe get something
> easy to change her into."
>
> She picked up one foot and then the other, finally grimacing and motioning
> with her head for Derek to take a look.
>
> There, between first and second toe, were the marks left by a syringe.
>
Derek:
Derek had moved to the bedside to open the bottle of medicine and taken it
back when Julia was finished with it. He was also ready to intervene if he
noticed the matter becoming too much for her. Now, he placed the bottle on
the nightstand and moved around to take a look at the needle marks Julia had
located. "We should have her blood screened. She hasn't been injecting
those pills Alex brought home." He lowered Rachel's foot gently back to the
bed and reached out taking Julia's arm and turning it to inspect the damage.
He looked at Alex, "can you get her cleaned up?" He then led Julia to the
bathroom and began searching for a first aid kit. Once he found it, he
began to clean the scratches on her wrist. Some of them were rather deep.
