Page 10 of Deep Down
Casey clutched his shoulder and squeezed. “Any time. You know that.” And he zipped away, leaving Alex to stumble down the hallway.
Alex wanted nothing more than to sink onto the bed and sleep, but he wouldn’t mess up the sheets. Instead, he headed for the bathroom, beer bottle in hand. Placing the bottle on the cistern, he stripped and switched the shower on as hot as it would go, groaning in relief when he stepped in, and the heat relaxed his muscles. He stood there for a short time, the water beating down on his shoulders and upper back, then lifted his head to wet it. He gripped the shampoo and washed the smell of the hospital out of his hair and off his skin. Nobody but those who spent any length of time in a hospital understood what it felt like to wash it all away after leaving.
When Alex felt more human, he switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, downing some more beer before drying his hair. He exited the bathroom and searched in his bag for a change of clothes, pulling on the comfortable joggers and t-shirt and leaving his feet bare. Hanging up the towels on the heated towel rails back in the bathroom, he strode to the front of the apartment, meeting Casey coming down the hallway.
“Ah, I was coming to get you. Takeaway’s here.” Casey pointed over his shoulder towards the kitchen.
“Brilliant. I’m starving.”
They helped themselves to some food and got situated on the sofa in the living room. Casey flicked an action movie on low before shifting towards Alex, curling one leg beneath him.
“So, what’s up?” he asked before taking a mouthful.
Alex wasn’t sure where to start. He stared at his plate for a few moments. “I fucked up.”
His declaration had Casey lowering his plate to rest on his legs. “What do you mean?”
Alex sighed. “I attended to a patient in A&E three nights ago who had a dislocated shoulder, a black eye and bruising to his lower back. I was told he’d been mugged the night before.” Alex ground his teeth as his pulse sped up and muscles clenched at the thought of that Darren guy. “My instincts were telling me something wasn’t right. While we were waiting for him to be sent for an X-ray, I figured out he acted like someone who was being abused.”
“Fuck.” Casey rubbed a hand over his newly close-shaven hair. “What happened?”
Alex took a deep breath, food thoroughly forgotten now. “I flagged his file. When they came to take him to X-ray, I was notified and went with him, persuading his partner to stay behind in the treatment room.”
“Okay. All sounds right so far. But I have a feeling there’s more to it.”
Alex nodded slowly. “Yeah. I paused on the way back to his room and asked the guy outright if his partner was abusing him. After a brief hesitation, he said no.”
“Alright…?” Casey appeared confused. “How did you fuck up?”
He rubbed a hand across his mouth. “I made a house call.”
Casey said nothing, then leaned forward to practically dropped his plate, hard, on the coffee table. “What the fuck, Alex?”
Alex shifted towards Casey, ready to plead his case. “I know, Casey! But my instincts are blaring to life with this guy. Everything I saw points in that direction, despite him denying it. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Did you flag it on the system?” Casey stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Yeah.” Alex deflated.
“Fuck.” Casey exhaled loudly. “What happened? At the house call?”
“He wasn’t wearing his fucking sling for starters!” Alex threw his hands in the air.
“That’s beside the point, Alex. ‘Fess up.”
“Damn it!” Alex inhaled roughly. “Okay, the guy remembered me from the hospital and let me check him over. His demeanour was better, but there were signs of violence in the house that I couldn’t deny.”
“Like what?”
“A fist-sized hole in a wall in the front room, a crack in the plaster and a spotless house.”
Casey frowned. “They could easily be explained away, Alex.”
“Maybe, but put it together with the guy’s reactions—”
“What’s the guy’s name?” Casey interrupted.
“What? Oh, Craig.”
