Double Jeopardy (Hero Book 4)

by MA Comley

  The nurse stood beside Hero and stroked his arm. ‘It looks worse than it is. This is all a precaution. His heart is too weak for us to risk bringing him out of the coma. We’re monitoring him every half an hour.’

  ‘And have his vital signs improved any since his arrival on the ward?’

  ‘Not yet, but we’re hopeful there will be an improvement soon.’

  ‘Hopeful? It’s not guaranteed?’

  ‘We work with the facts we’re given. We don’t believe in issuing family members with false hopes and promises. It’s only been a few hours since he suffered the horrendous crash which caused the heart attack. It will take time for the body to begin the healing process. In the meantime, the machines will help him to breathe. It’s too soon for you to give up on him; we certainly haven’t.’ She smiled sympathetically.

  Hero appreciated her no-nonsense explanation. It was how he preferred to receive the news – straight up and to the point, so there would be no unrealistic expectations on his part. ‘We understand. It’s tough seeing him like this. We had a family picnic today, and he was so happy playing with his grandchildren …’

  ‘I’m sorry, that really must be hard to take. Keep the faith, please. I can’t emphasise that enough.’

  ‘Thank you, Nurse. Is it all right if we sit with him for a little while?’

  ‘Of course, I’ll leave you to it. If you have any questions, please ask, no matter how silly you think they are.’

  ‘We will, thank you.’

  The nurse stepped away from them. Cara and Hero took a few paces closer to the bed to stand alongside their sleeping father.

  Cara swept the hair back off her father’s forehead. ‘Oh, Hero, he looks so old and frail. I’ve never noticed that before. Even after his hip operations, he bounced back and was his old self again. I can’t see that happening this time round.’

  Hero placed an arm around her shoulders. ‘Nonsense, his body is dealing with the pain at the moment. That’s going to take its toll on how he looks outwardly, love. I have faith in Dad’s capabilities. He will pull through this. You wait – we’ll come back in a few days, and he’ll be sitting up in bed on another ward, teasing and pissing off the nurses.’

  Cara smiled. ‘I hope you’re right. They won’t know what’s hit them once he feels better. Is it worth staying here? I’m torn. I think we should stay with Mum until she’s had the op.’

  Hero agreed. ‘It’s not worth staying here with Dad. Different matter if he was conscious. We’ll be better off giving Mum our support right now. Why don’t we stay here for five minutes? Talk to him, let him know that we’re here for him, then we’ll go back downstairs.’

  They spent the next few minutes reflecting on their day, hoping that the words would resonate with their father in his comatose state. Unfortunately, Hero didn’t notice any kind of reaction like the one he had witnessed with their mother. They kissed him on the forehead, offered words of love and encouragement, and made their way over to the nurse’s station on the opposite side of the room.

  ‘Can I leave you my business card? Any changes for the better or if he gets any worse, will you ring me? My mobile number is on the card. We’ll be here for the next few hours anyway, as our mother is due to go down to surgery soon.’

  ‘Of course. Fingers crossed for your mum. She’s in safe hands.’

  Cara and Hero descended the stairs. ‘We need sustenance. You go back and sit with Mum, I’ll get us both a coffee.’

  Cara agreed and walked down the corridor, her shoulders slouched and chin dipping to her chest. Hero knew it would take all his strength to keep his twin from getting down over their parents’ conditions. He strode past the reception area, where the local news was on the TV on the wall. He paused when something caught his attention. There was a crash scene on the screen, and he walked closer and stood in front of it. His head pounded, and his eyes widened at the devastation he was witnessing. His parents’ car was a total write-off. He had no idea the accident had been that bad. He listened as the newsreader relayed the events of what had occurred. Apparently, the driver of the other vehicle was nineteen and was found dead at the scene. The police had recovered drugs from his car, and the early indication was that he was driving under the influence of drugs. Hero kicked out at the chair leg in front of him, surprising the other people sitting in the waiting area.

  ‘Hey, mate, there’s no need for that,’ said a man, holding up his bloody arm that was wrapped in a red-and-white tea towel.

  Hero held up his hand to apologise. He pointed at the screen. ‘Sorry, that’s my parents’ car. It’s touch-and-go if they make it.’

  ‘Oh, man. My heart goes out to you. Bloody awful state the cars were in. All the best to them both.’

  ‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’ Hero turned back to the screen just as the picture changed.

  The newsreader looked down at the script in front of her, ignoring the autocue to deliver the news. ‘We have breaking news of a fire that’s taking place right now. A beautiful, architecturally designed mansion in Didsbury is engulfed in flames. There are four fire engines in attendance at the residence. That’s all we know at present. No news of anyone reportedly inside the building when the fire broke out. We’ll keep you updated. Wait… I’m hearing that the house belonged to Ross Spalding, who we know was reported murdered earlier on this week.’

  Fuck! I can do without this! He kicked out at the chair again and spun on his heel. He rushed towards the exit and fished his phone out of his pocket. ‘Julie, are you watching the news?’

  ‘No, I’m having dinner with some friends. What is it, boss?’

  ‘Shit! Carry on. I’ll ring the station.’

  ‘No, wait. What’s going on?’

  ‘I’d come in myself, but I’m stuck at the hospital … Rachel Elliott’s, or should I say Ross Spalding’s, house is on fire. I need one of our team to get over there ASAP. That’s all I know about the incident, Julie. Can you go?’

  ‘Of course.’ She lowered her voice and added, ‘It’ll piss some people off, but work is work. Why are you at the hospital? Is everything all right with you? Has one of the kids had an accident at the adventure park?’

  ‘No. Mum and Dad have had a car accident, their car was totalled. It’s touch-and-go, and I can’t leave them. You understand that, right?’

  Julie gasped. ‘Of course. Damn, so sorry, boss. Don’t worry about the case. I’ll ring another member of the team, ask them to attend the scene with me. Wishing your parents well. Keep me informed with what happens.’

  ‘I will. I’ll ring the super in the morning, although I’ll probably come into work on Monday. Thanks for covering, Julie. I owe you one.’

  ‘No problem.’

  Hero ended the call and went in search of a vending machine, even though he was tempted to go down for a quick pint at the pub across the road. He returned to the cubicle where his mother was and handed his sister a cup of coffee. ‘Any change?’

  ‘Nothing. The doc just dropped by to say they’d be taking her down for surgery in fifteen minutes. What’s wrong?’

  Hero’s frown deepened. ‘I caught a glimpse of the news, saw the state of Mum and Dad’s car. It wasn’t pretty, Sis.’

  Cara ran a shaking hand through her hair. ‘Don’t tell me. It had to be a write-off, yes?’

  ‘Yep. They were let off lightly; the driver of the other car was killed instantly.’ He decided to omit the fact that the driver had been taking drugs. ‘To be honest, Sis, it’s a miracle they’re still alive after that crash. We’ve gotta take hope from that. It proves they’re fighting hard to stay with us.’

  ‘Really? My God! That poor driver. Where did the accident take place?’

  ‘Down a country road, close to their home. Looks like the young driver took the corner too quickly, hit the hedge, and bounced back into their path. It was a head-on collision, love.’

  ‘How dreadful, to think someone lost their life in the accident. Looks like Mum and Dad were very lucky i
ndeed.’

  ‘That’s not all. I just saw that our latest case has taken a swerve that I wasn’t expecting.’

  Cara’s brow furrowed. ‘What do you mean? Has someone rung you from work?’

  ‘No, it’s all over the news. The victim’s house has gone up in flames. That’s as far as I know for now.’

  ‘Hmm … how strange. Anyone in the house?’

  Hero sipped at his coffee. ‘His fiancée was staying at the house. Not sure if she’s escaped the fire or not. Seems odd, though, right?’

  ‘Just a tad. Bloody hell, you could do without that with all this going on.’

  ‘I’ve passed the baton over to Julie. She can deal with it tonight. I’ll ring her in the morning to find out what the score is.’ He puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. ‘Time to concentrate on getting Mum and Dad better.’

  The curtain swished open. A young man smiled at them. ‘Sorry to interrupt. I have to take Mrs. Nelson down for surgery now.’

  Hero and Cara kissed their mother on the cheek and whispered good luck before stepping aside to allow the porter to wheel their mother off to the operating theatre. Cara walked into Hero’s waiting arms. They remained in that same position for ten minutes, until Hero said, ‘We should make use of the time and get some rest. It’s going to be a long night, love.’

  9

  Janet Nelson’s surgery lasted well into the night. Afterwards, she was transferred to the women’s ward, where Hero and Cara sat with her until she regained consciousness, which was around two in the morning.

  ‘Hello, stranger,’ Hero said, kissing her on the cheek.

  His mother’s eyes were bloodshot and wide with bewilderment. ‘Where am I? What’s happened?’

  Cara sat on the edge of her mother’s bed and held her hand. ‘It’s all right, Mum. You’re safe now. You and Dad were in an accident. You’ve just come out of surgery.’

  ‘What? Where’s your father?’ She struggled to sit up. ‘I want to see your father. Where is he?’

  Hero gently eased his mother back against the pillows. ‘He’s okay, Mum. It’ll be a few days before you can get out of bed to see him. We’re keeping a watchful eye over him. Don’t worry about that.’

  ‘Is he all right?’

  ‘Yes, he’s fine,’ Hero lied, ignoring the way Cara’s head snapped around to look at him. The last thing he wanted was to upset his mother when she’d not long come out of surgery and was still in recovery herself.

  ‘I need to see that for myself. Help me get out of this damn bed.’

  ‘I can’t allow that, Mum. The nursing staff would string me up by the balls if I helped you. Please, just lie there and rest. You’ve had a long surgery, and your body needs a chance to recover properly.’

  His mother stared at him, her mouth alternating from gaping open and closing, until her shoulders finally relaxed into the pillow. ‘Okay, I haven’t got the energy to fight anyone right now. Why do I feel so weak?’

  ‘Don’t you remember what happened, Mum?’ Cara asked.

  She shook her head, her brow wrinkling as she tried to recall the incident.

  ‘No. The last thing I remember is … oh, wait. It’s coming back to me now. That boy … he came around the corner too quickly, hit the hedge, and his car bounced into the front of ours before your father could do anything to prevent it.’

  Hero nodded. ‘That’s right, Mum. Was the lad going fast?’

  ‘I don’t think so, although everything seemed to happen quickly at the time. I don’t think he saw us. His eyes looked … oh, I don’t know. I only saw him briefly before the impact. He didn’t seem alert to me.’

  ‘I saw a news report earlier about the crash. Apparently, he was on drugs and under the influence.’ Hero placed a hand over his mother’s.

  ‘He didn’t survive, Mum. You and Dad were really lucky in that respect.’

  His mother’s other hand flew up and covered her mouth as tears moistened her eyes. ‘Oh dear God. No one deserves to go like that. His poor parents will be devastated.’

  Hero smiled. His mother was always thinking of others, even when she was riddled with pain and suffering herself.

  ‘Enough talk, Mum. You should try and get some sleep. It’s gone two in the morning,’ Cara said, jumping off the bed.

  ‘Yes, and you two should be at home, too, especially you, Hero. Fay and the kids need you.’

  ‘Don’t worry about them, Mum. They don’t need me at this time of night. Cara and I have been talking. Either one of us will be here with you during the day, if that’s all right with you.’

  ‘No, I won’t hear of it. I’ll be up and about soon. Get on with your lives as usual. I insist.’

  Hero shook his head. ‘Not going to happen, Mum. How insensitive would that make us look to the staff?’

  ‘Sod what the staff think. I know how busy your lives are. I’ll be up and about in a few days and able to visit your father. You haven’t told me what’s wrong with him.’

  Hero and Cara exchanged glances.

  ‘I know that look, you two. It means you’re covering up something. I’m ordering you to tell me what’s wrong with your father. If you don’t, I’ll scream the ward down and wake up all the other patients.’

  Hero sighed heavily. ‘You’re a stubborn old woman, and we really didn’t want to tell you this so soon…’

  ‘Now you’re worrying me. Just tell me, Hero. I deserve to know the truth.’

  ‘I know you do, Mum. It doesn’t look good. Dad’s in ICU. He’s suffered a major heart attack and is on life support.’

  His mother buried her face in her hands and sobbed. ‘No, not Bob. It can’t be true.’

  Cara stared at Hero, her eyes full of accusation. He shrugged and mouthed, ‘She had to hear the truth sooner or later.’

  ‘I think you better go, Hero,’ Cara stated flatly.

  ‘What? I can’t leave now,’ he replied, dumbfounded at his twin’s dismissal. He thought over the conversations he and Cara had had while his mother was in surgery and realised they had never discussed what they would tell their mother about their father’s condition. Cara had no right to blame him for telling his mother the truth. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.

  ‘Mum and I will work this out. Please go.’

  Dejectedly, Hero kissed his mother’s forehead. He looked up at Cara and motioned for her to join him outside the cubicle. Cara, however, refused to budge an inch. Hero left the ward, an increasingly heavy weight burdening his shoulders as he made his way through the hospital hallways back to the car. Once he was in the car, he rested his head on the steering wheel and reprimanded himself for being such an idiot. Why didn’t I stick with my original plan? It was too soon to break such news. Christ, I hope they can both forgive me.

  He drove home and went into the lounge. Sammy came to greet him. After letting the dog into the garden, he poured a large whisky and sat on the couch. When Sammy jumped up beside him, Hero buried his face in his companion’s fur. ‘I screwed up, boy. They’re never going to forgive me for what I’ve done.’

  Sammy licked the salty tears leaking from Hero’s eyes then lowered himself across his lap. His glass half-full, Hero drifted off to sleep.

  He felt the warmth of Fay’s lips on his cheek several hours later. She removed the glass from his hand, shooed Sammy off the couch then sat down beside him. ‘What time did you get home?’

  ‘Around two thirty.’ He kissed his wife and held her tightly.

  ‘Hey, your parents are both okay, aren’t they?’

  He pushed away from her and sighed. ‘No change with Dad. Mum’s had her surgery and seems bright enough.’

  ‘So why are you so glum?’

  ‘I blurted out to Mum what Dad’s condition was, which was wrong in Cara’s eyes. We should have discussed it, but we didn’t.’

  ‘Oh dear. How did she take the news?’

  ‘Badly. So did Cara. She asked me to leave the hospital. I feel such an idiot, Fay. That�
�s putting it mildly, by the way. Damn, why didn’t I just keep my bloody mouth shut?’

  ‘Because you don’t like lying to your mum. I’m sure everything will turn out all right, love. They’ll come around soon. Please don’t beat yourself up. You’ve done nothing wrong except tell the truth, which they’ll realise once everything settles down. Come on, I’ll make you some breakfast. That’ll help ease the disappointment.’

  ‘Thanks, love. It might go some way towards it. I think I’ll be in their bad books for a few weeks.’

  ‘Are you going back to the hospital today?’

  ‘I doubt I’ll get a warm reception if I did. I’ll leave it a few days, let things cool down. The nurse in ICU has my number. If there’s any change in Dad’s condition, she’s going to ring me. He looks as though he’s aged ten years since the crash.’

  Fay touched his cheek. ‘That’ll be the pain, love. He’ll be back to his former self soon enough. You wait and see.’

  ‘I hope you’re right. Now, where’s that breakfast you promised me?’ Hero replied, his tummy grumbling at the mention of food.

  He followed Fay into the kitchen and watched as she assembled all the ingredients together to make a top-notch breakfast, which he bolted down when she placed it in front of him. The children walked into the kitchen not long after he’d finished.

  After the children had eaten their breakfast, Fay sat down at the table and told them what had happened to their grandparents. Although, Fay’s rendition was far more tactful than Hero’s delivery to his mother.

  The children were understandably upset, so Fay and Hero decided to take everyone’s mind off the situation by going to the park, which was relatively close to home, in case Hero received a call from the hospital. He tried to ring Cara’s mobile to check how his mother was, but the phone went into voicemail straight away. Hero got the impression it was intentional and wondered how long his sister would keep up the punishment by ignoring him.