Page 45 of The Road Home
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Orson wake up."
Orson rolled over, trying to slip back into the darkness, his mind wanting to sleep longer.
"Orson, wake up. The hospital called." Jared's voice was soft and gentle as he gripped Orson's arm.
Hearing the word hospital, Orson opened his eyes, rolling to his back. "What?"
"The hospital called just a few minutes ago. Harry has woken up. Get dressed and we'll go as soon as you're ready." Jared stepped back.
Orson sat up, the sleep finally fading at Jared's words. "He's awake? Is he okay?"
Jared's expression softened. "They said they had to restrain him. We'll find out more when we get there, but I think seeing you might help calm him down."
"Shit." Orson jumped out of bed, not caring that he was in a pair of the new boxers that Jared had bought him just hours before. "Let me get dressed. I'll be right out." He was already pulling his pants on as Jared walked out of the room.
His pulse raced as he wondered why Harry would respond violently or crazy enough to have to be restrained. Maybe he woke up thinking he was still under attack. Whatever it was, Orson needed to get to him. Being surrounded by strangers and tied down was the last thing Harry needed.
Not even bothering with his hair, Orson walked out of the room still pulling his shirt over his head. His feet were in the new shoes he had, but he hadn't bothered with socks or even lacing them up. He could do that once they were in the car.
"Ready?" Jared was already at the front door with his car keys in hand.
"Yeah, thanks for waking me and not waiting until morning." Orson followed him outside.
"They asked us to come." Jared got into the car. Once Orson joined him, he continued, "there is more I hadn't told you, but you need to know before you see him."
Orson's stomach knotted. "What?"
Jared glanced over at him as he backed out of the driveway. Once headed down the road, he sighed. "It seems Harry can't hear anything. Whatever happened caused deafness."
"Fuck!" Orson's eyes filled with tears. "It's temporary, right?"
"I don't know. They don't know yet." Jared stared straight ahead. "They'll have to do some testing. It could be a number of things causing it. Sadly, it's not that uncommon with severe head trauma. Right now, all we can do is keep him calm until they can get him down for tests in the morning."
Orson closed his eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like to wake up in the hospital after being attacked and not able to hear anything while being surrounded by strangers. No wonder he freaked out. "Did they say anything else?"
Jared shook his head. "I promise once we get there I'll find out everything, but I figured it was better to wake you and get you to the hospital and deal with the rest later."
They couldn't get there fast enough. Orson kept glancing at the speedometer, feeling as if the car was hardly moving when Jared was actually speeding. Trying to relax, Orson thought about what he would say, then sighed, because he realized he couldn't say anything if Harry couldn't hear.
"He's going to be okay. He's awake. That's huge. We can deal with everything from here." Jared reached over and rested his hand on Orson's knee. "I don't dare try and guess what is going on. It could be a temporary thing, it could be long-term. Until we know what damage was done to the ear or nerves I just can't tell you more."
"What do I do? I can't say anything to him if he can't hear me."
"I hope just seeing you will help, but we'll have a notebook there. If he's able to read, you can write him whatever you need to say."
"What do you mean able to read?"
"He just woke up from a traumatic injury. His vision could be off, he could be groggy, or just confused. I didn't mean anything by it that should worry you. He's been through a lot. It's going to take time for his body to heal and his mind to catch up with things."
Orson stared out the window, trying to sort the millions of thoughts racing through his head. Why Harry of all people? Why the one person who helped others? There were thousands of bad guys on the streets, not that he wished anyone harm, but it would be easier to see one of them go through this instead of Harry. Harry deserved nothing but good to rain down on him.
"You okay?" Jared asked as they neared the hospital.
"Yeah, just worried."
"He's going to need to see you calm and supportive. Take a few deep breaths before we get there. He's going to be confused and scared. You need to walk in as if you have no worries and know he's going to be just fine. Even if you don't know it for sure, seeing that you think it, hearing you say it, will do amazing things for his recovery."
