by Elouise East
“He told me they had him on the ground at one point and stomped on him,” Darren confirmed.
“Hmm.” The warmed hands left his body, and Dr Wick returned to stand in front of Craig again. “I’m not happy with those bruises. I’d like to request a scan to be done to check there is no bruising on your kidneys.” He pivoted to the computer again, clicking a few more buttons. “Have you noticed any blood in your urine today?”
Craig shook his head.
“Good, it points more towards minor bruising and nothing more serious.” Dr Wick paused. “Alright, I have requested the tests. You will have to wait a short time, but hopefully not too long. I will hurry things as fast as I can in order to provide you with some pain relief.”
“Thanks, doctor.” Darren stood.
“No problem. Right, stay here for now. I will be back with more information as soon as I can. But please, be prepared for a wait. We will get to you as fast as we’re able.”
“Okay, thanks.” Darren nodded, jaw clenched.
“Mr Talbot, would you like to lay back to rest for a short time? It might reduce the pain in your back and shoulder.” Dr Wick came over the table, and Craig glanced at Darren before answering.
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. Let me support you as you go. Hold your left forearm with your right hand and keep it tight to your body. I will take your weight as you go back.” The doctor placed one hand between Craig’s shoulder blades and the other on the back of his neck, and between them, managed to lay him comfortably.
The blinding pain from the movement lessened immediately as he reclined and rested, and Craig let out a quiet sigh of relief. His head was throbbing now, and pain relief would be welcomed when he could have it.
“Alright. Stay put, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Dr Wick nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Craig closed his eyes against the bright lights, breathing easier for the first time since last night. And not simply because he was in a position which reduced the pain.
Chapter 2
Alex
Alex moved away from the door of the treatment room but didn’t go far. He leaned against the wall opposite, crossing his arms and frowning at the floor. Something didn’t feel right about the couple in there. And he usually trusted his instincts when it came to work. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something.
Knocking his head back against the wall, momentarily, he pushed away and headed to the nurses’ station. He needed to push for those tests to be completed as soon as possible, because the guy—Craig—was in serious pain, regardless of what he was outwardly showing.
“Hey, Dr Wick. How’re things?” one of the nurses asked.
“Sister Pendrake. How many times have I said to call me Alex?” Sister Pendrake was a lifer—a nurse forever and ever—and Alex loved her to bits. She had been there longer than he had and would, in all likelihood, be there long after he left. She loved her patients despite hating the shifts.
“And how many times have I asked you to call me Gloria?” she countered, placing a hand on her cocked hip.
“Touché, my dear. Touché.” Alex snorted as he sat at a computer to input his comments.
“You look deep in thought.” Gloria sat next to him.
Alex smiled over at her. “Thinking about what will be sitting in my stomach in an hour. I’m starving already.” He couldn’t express his concerns yet, he had no evidence to prove his instincts correct.
Gloria patted her rounded stomach. “I’ve had dinner. Brought with me a spicy soup and some homemade bread. Mmm!” Alex laughed. Gloria always complained that if she didn’t quit devouring the food her husband made, she’d never lose the weight she wanted to, but she couldn’t find it in herself to deny him his need to take care of her. Her husband was a chef in a Caribbean-style restaurant and made Gloria homemade meals every day; Gloria lamented her weight was piling on—which it was, but not dangerously so—but she didn’t want to upset him.
“Sounds nice. I keep telling you to get Kazembe to send in extra food for us all!” Alex drooled every time Gloria described the food her husband made. “I’m dying to try some.”
“You’ll have to come by the restaurant. He’ll more than happily feed you.”
“I never get time, Gloria! I keep trying, but work gets in the way more often than I’d like. One day, I will.”
Alex completed his notes and flagged the file, which would notify anyone who reviewed it that he wanted to be paged when something happened. He would be keeping an eye on Mr Talbot and his boyfriend.
He clapped his hands together as he stood. “Right. I’ve got a head injury to deal with. I’ll catch you later.” He squeezed Gloria’s shoulder as he passed by.
“Don’t work too hard.”
“Yeah, yeah. As if anyone could stop me.” He plucked the file off the desk for the little boy who cut his head when he fell off his bike, chuckling as he drifted away.
He entered the treatment room, closing the door behind him before introducing himself to the calm eight-year-old and his not-so-calm mother. Inspecting the cut, Alex saw it needed a couple of stitches but nothing major. He explained what he was going to do and asked them to wait there while he fetched all the supplies. He went back to the nurses’ station.
“Gloria, do you have someone who could help me with this head injury, please? The mother is freaking out about it, and I don’t want her to mess something up when I’m trying to stitch the little guy’s head,” he asked.
“Sure. I’ll send Lisa to you in a few, she’s finishing up with Abi.” Gloria’s eyes were fixated on the screen in front of her, but she acknowledged him with a wave of her hand.
“Thanks.” Alex strode to the supply cupboard, grabbed what he needed and hustled back to the treatment room. “Thank you for waiting. We’ll get you sorted in no time, buddy, and you’ll be free to go. I have a nurse coming in a few minutes to support while we do this, alright?”
“Why is someone else coming in? Are you in training or something?” the mother asked, her voice hiccupping her questions.
“Not at all. I’ve been a qualified doctor for four years now. It’s in case I need some extra supplies which she can fetch for me. No need to worry about it.” Alex had learned from the best how to twist the truth for patients or their carers. He wanted the nurse in here because he was sure the mother was going to freak out when her child started hissing with pain, and Lisa would be able to deal with her while he finished stitching.
The situation went exactly as he anticipated, with the mother calling him all names under the sun when the boy started wincing and gasping despite it being numbed. Lisa had to hold her back to allow him to finish while he was explaining what she needed to keep an eye out for overnight; concussion was no joke after all was said and done. She made a complaint to Gloria on their way out.
Alex shook his head. He understood it was a parent’s job to care for their child, but not when someone was helping their child in the first place.
He glanced up at the board to see if there was anything or anyone he needed to attend to, but the night had slowed down—not that he would ever say those words out loud, he knew better, doctor superstition and all.
“Gloria, I’m heading for lunch.” He patted the top of the desk as he passed.
“Lunch? It’s eleven at night!” She tittered.
“It’s my lunchtime. I got up at five this afternoon. Makes it lunchtime for me.” He grinned as he walked past her to the doors leading to the rest of the hospital and weaved along the stark white corridors, which had the occasional splash of a coloured poster or the tempting view of lit courtyards showcased through large windows. When it was nice weather on his day shifts, he spent some of his time in those enclosures trying to soak up the mood-lifting rays of sunshine and smelling the flowery scent of the plants while he polished off his food.
The fourth-floor cafeteria was quiet, and he quickly chose a sandwich, fruit bowl an
d yogurt, along with a coffee that he wished could be fed to him through a continuous drip throughout his shifts. Moving to a window seat, he squinted out across the city, the twinkling of the streetlights, passing cars and interior house lighting creating a sea of different colours spread out before him.
He bit into his sandwich as raised voices caught his attention. Surveying the café, he saw a man and woman standing next to the food display case. The man pointed at her as he barked; the woman stood, staring at him before raising her hands in a calming gesture. The man’s voice overtook hers, and she flinched as he raised his hand in the air.
Alex paused his chewing and stared at the scene in front of him. Alarm bells rang with the woman’s reaction, and he tensed, ready to step in should the man do anything to hurt her or anyone else. But the man shook his head, slashed his hand through the air and stormed off, the woman trailing after him quickly.
His chest heaved as he eyed the empty doorway where the couple had disappeared. That. That was what he’d overlooked. That was the missing link. All of Mr Talbot’s—Craig’s—mannerisms and reactions had been hesitant, as if he awaited confirmation or approval. When Alex had been checking over Craig’s injuries, the other guy had been stood behind him…in Craig’s eye line, but not in Alex’s. He’d seen Craig peer over to the other guy—he’d forgotten his name—when Alex had asked a question but had not thought anything of it at the time. But now…it was as if Craig had been seeking answers from the other guy instead of providing his own. Several times the other guy had answered for Craig, too.
Craig had seemed extremely calm for someone who had been mugged the previous night. In fact, Alex hadn’t asked why they had come in now and not earlier when Craig’s shoulder must have been dislocated all day. It was something he would ask when he returned.
Alex stared at his sandwich, the sweet scent of fruit creating a sour note in his stomach. If his instincts were taking him in the right direction, Craig was being abused by this other guy. And if that didn’t piss Alex off, nothing did. There had been many abuse cases over the four years he’d been here, and he’d been significantly involved in several of them, being the main point of disclosure for numerous victims. Hoping he could be the same for Craig, he had to figure out how to speak with Craig alone, without the other guy being present.
At the thought, his pager went off. Checking the display, he’d been called back to A&E. Re-wrapping his sandwich and snatching the other items, he took them with him as he dashed back to his work. He burst through the doors of A&E, expecting to be assaulted with chaos, but all was quiet. He headed to the nurses’ station.
“Hey. I was paged?” He checked in with the nurse sat at the desk.
The nurse glanced up. “Oh, yes, Dr Wick. The patient in treatment room four is being taken down for the X-ray. A note on the file said you wanted to know when something happened with him?”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Thank you.” He placed his food on the counter. “Do you mind stashing these here until I get back, please?”
“Sure thing, doctor.”
He nodded his thanks and stalked towards Craig’s room, breathing deeply to calm himself. When he got there, he saw Craig being wheeled out of the room, the other guy following behind.
“Hi, there. I see you’re off for your X-ray, Mr Talbot. Good, good.” Alex focused on the other guy—Darren somebody, he remembered. “If you would like to wait here, we will be about ten minutes. These seats are more comfortable than the ones we’re going to, and you’ll have a better signal for your phone, too.” Alex indicated the phone in the guy’s hand.
“It’s okay. I don’t need to do anything on it. I can come with you.”
Alex pressed. “Honestly. We will be there and back in no time at all. You could buy a brew from the restaurant while you’re waiting for Mr Talbot.”
The guy hesitated, poised to argue, staring at Alex as if he could see right through his scheme, but acquiesced and spoke to Craig, “I’ll wait here for you, sweetheart.” He smiled.
Craig nodded and returned a small smile himself. Alex let out a silent breath, glad his plan had worked. He would be able to get a few minutes to speak with Craig alone and see whether he would divulge any information.
They headed to the X-ray department, Alex and the orderly pushing the wheelchair joking around as they strolled. Craig did no more than nod his head. When they arrived, Alex told the orderly he would take Mr Talbot back to his room once the test was completed.
Alex couldn’t do anything while the test was being done, after all, the reason he’d gone along was to have time to speak with Craig. He paced the corridor, his footsteps clicking against the tile, his coat swishing as he pivoted at the end of each pass. As he’d told that Darren guy, it was over and done with quickly. Alex collected Craig and took the long route back. He didn’t initiate conversation and saw some tension seep out of Craig’s body, consequently stalling by a window for a breather.
“Let’s sit here for a few minutes.” Alex perched himself on the wide windowsill, legs spread with his elbows on his knees and fingers linked. He didn’t stare at Craig directly but observed the tension creeping back in again from the corner of his eye. “Mr Talbot.” He hesitated. “I need to ask you a couple of questions.” He didn’t explain further but fixed his gaze on Craig’s face.
Craig didn’t say anything, merely stared out of the darkened window as if it held more fascination than a lamplit view of trees and shrubs should. When the silence continued, Alex carried on.
“I understand you may not wish to answer, but it is my duty to ask the question nonetheless.” Alex paused again to see if Craig would acknowledge anything he was saying. Nothing. “Okay. Is your partner, Darren, abusing you?” He got right to the point.
A deer in headlights expression crossed Craig’s face as he directed widened eyes to Alex. It was the worst time to notice, but Alex was momentarily lost in the sea-green of eyes, which, lit as they were by the feeble lighting, appeared as deep as the ocean itself. Alex saw him swallow and shake his head.
“No. Why would you ask that?” No other answer was forthcoming, and Craig turned back to the window scene.
Alex bit his lip and flicked his gaze to the floor, then back up again. “Okay, one more question and I’ll take you back to your room. Why did you wait all day before coming to A&E?”
Craig licked his lips, eyes moving rapidly across the display through the window. He cleared his throat. “I was asleep most of the day.”
Alex waited, but Craig provided no more information. He sighed and stood, observing Craig blanch slightly with his sudden movement. Alex slowed his actions and rounded the wheelchair, pushing Craig back towards his room. He couldn’t keep him any longer than they’d already been because the other guy might suspect something. Alex wasn’t happy about the responses Craig had given, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Entering the treatment room showed Darren sitting on the same chair he’d previously occupied, fiddling with his phone again. Alex helped Craig back onto the bed.
“Right, Mr Talbot, I’m going to administer some pain relief, and once it has kicked in, we’ll get your shoulder set back in place. Once it has been done, I’ll affix a sling which you will need to keep on for at least forty-eight hours to rest it enough for it to heal inside.” While Alex was talking, he’d kept an eye on them both, wanting to see any reactions to his news. Nothing outwardly showed from either of them. “Right, I will go get the pain relief. I’ll be back.”
He headed out the room, holding back his annoyance by clenching his jaw. He noted on the computer that he was about to administer pain relief for Craig—he needed to start calling him Mr Talbot in his head as well as out loud—and picked up the pills from the medication trolley.
He returned to silence. He gave Craig the pills to swallow with a cup of water and helped him to sit further back on the bed, ready for the resetting of the joint. “Your pain should recede soon. I will be back with a coll
eague in about ten minutes to set your shoulder. Please rest like you are doing for the while.” He aimed his gaze at Darren—Mr Corrigan, the name came to him unexpectedly. “Mr Corrigan? Could you ensure Mr Talbot stays where he is for now as we don’t want to exacerbate his injury any more than it already is? Otherwise, we may have to take another X-ray before we continue.”
The guy nodded once and went back to his phone. God knows what he was doing on it.
“Right. I will be back shortly.”
Alex blew out a breath as he closed the door and carried on to the nurses’ station. Sitting on a chair at a computer terminal, he brought up Craig’s file again. He stared at it and clicked on the additional notes section. Pausing again, he eventually listed his experience and his assumptions based on what he had seen and what Craig had told him. There was nothing to go on, especially as Craig had denied the abuse, but at least it was there in black and white in case anything further came to light.
Calling a colleague over, he explained what needed to happen, and they headed back to set Craig’s shoulder. Alex could tell the procedure hurt like hell; the pain in Craig’s eyes couldn’t be masked, but not a single word or whimper came out of his mouth. As far as Alex was concerned, there was another sign.
He fixed a sling around Craig’s arm tightly to minimise any movement and reminded him he needed to keep it on for forty-eight hours and rest it as much as he could. Craig nodded. Alex could do nothing else for him. And he hated the fact.
Craig and Darren left the room, Darren’s hand at the small of Craig’s back, and Alex stood in the corridor, watching as they made their way to the entrance. Alex clenched his jaw against the words wanting to escape, to call Craig back. Standing there for a few moments, he shook his head, wishing there was something he could do, but all he could do was watch as they walked out of the hospital.
Actually…there was one thing Alex could do. But he’d get into big trouble if he was ever found out. He hesitated for a few seconds, deliberating and headed for the computers. Bringing up Craig’s file, he paused once more before copying down some information. He could get fired for this, but he was sure it was the right thing to do. He hoped he wasn’t making a big mistake…both for Craig’s sake and for his own.