Page 15 of Deep Down
Darren sighed. “Fine.” He redirected his gaze to Craig. “Okay, sweetheart, I’m heading home. I’ll be back first thing to see you, alright?” He brushed a hand against Craig’s cheek and kissed the bow of his lips. He glared at Alex and left the room, not waiting for a reply from Craig.
“Let’s have a real quick look at you before we get you settled.” Alex tried to offset the silence. “Where are you hurting right now?”
Craig frowned again. “My head, my hand and my back.”
“Alright. Your head is understandable as you have quite a gash on there; your hand has a burn on the back of it. Your back, however, I don’t know. If I help, can we roll you to one side so I can see?”
Craig nodded. Alex lifted the opposite side rail of the bed before helping Craig to roll over. Alex placed a pillow at his front to have something for him to rest against and walked around to the other side of the bed. The hospital gowns opened at the back; therefore, he already had access.
“Fuck me!” he mouthed silently. Craig had a red, no doubt soon to be black, vertical line down the length of his spine and into the waistband of his briefs. As far as Alex was concerned, there was no doubt he’d been pressed—or slammed—against something hard.
“I’m going to touch along your spine to check for any issues,” he warned Craig. Feeling along, it was a small comfort to discern there didn’t seem to be any damage other than the bruising, which Craig would be experiencing for several days to come. Again. “Alright, let’s get you laid down again.”
They reversed the process until Craig was lying flat once more, eyes closed.
“That’s all I need tonight. I’ll let you get some rest.” He headed to the door.
“Dr Wick?” Craig’s voice was soft.
Alex wheeled back, eyebrows raised. “Yes?”
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
The wealth of information behind the statement made words stick in Alex’s throat, and all he could do was nod. He confirmed with the nurse which ward Craig would be moved to.
As late as it was, Alex went home to sleep for a couple of hours before pouring himself back into his car by eight the next morning. He wanted to get in to see Craig before Darren arrived, although it wasn’t his best idea as he had a night shift that evening. Checking the computer for any changes overnight, he was happy to see Craig had woken not long before his own arrival.
He headed to Craig’s room and knocked quietly, waiting for the ‘come in’ before opening the door. Craig was positioned on his side, resting on a pillow as they had done last night for his back examination.
“Is your back hurting?” Alex asked as he glanced at the monitors around the room. Most had been switched off now; however, the blood pressure one was present.
“Yeah, it’s been twinging on and off all night. The nurse suggested this position might ease some of the pain.”
“And has it?” he prodded when Craig didn’t continue.
“Yeah, some.”
“If you’re in pain, Craig, ask for medicine. There’s no point suffering when there is no need.”
“I will.”
Alex knew Craig wouldn’t ask for anything. He studied the file and saw he’d had some pain relief early that morning, but he’d be able to have some more now. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
He asked at the nurses’ station where to find the medication trolley and headed towards it. Gloria was manning it today, luckily for him.
“Good morning, Sister Pendrake.”
“Dr Wick, how lovely to see you. What can I do for you this early in the morning, especially on your day off?” Gloria gazed at him, one eyebrow raised.
“I can’t stay away from you.”
“Try again.” Her voice stern, although her expression smiling.
“Could I have some more pain relief for Mr Talbot, please?” He could remember his manners with the best of them.
Gloria pressed a few buttons on the computer, then reached into the dispenser and gripped a bottle of pills. Decanting two into a small clear cup, she passed it to him. “Sign here for me, you know the rules.”
Alex smiled as he signed to say he was administering the medication to Craig. “Thank you, my sweet,” he crooned as he walked away.
