Page 17 of Deep Down
Chapter 7
Craig
As soon as the words left Dr Wick’s mouth, the door opened, and Darren entered. Craig sighed with relief at not having to answer the doctor’s question; he didn’t feel like he was in danger, but the doctor’s inflection made it appear like he should.
Darren crossed the room to his side, his smile wide and cheerful as he held up the punnet of grapes he’d brought with him. “I brought refreshments.” He placed them on the bedside unit. Craig wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to swallow them with his throat being sore, but he could try later. He didn’t want to hurt Darren’s feelings, after all.
Craig smiled back at him. “Thank you. I’m sure they’ll be nice later.”
Darren leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, prying his mouth open and deepening the kiss, moving and exploring for longer than was appropriate for having company in the room. “I missed you last night.” Darren pulled away.
“You, too.”
Dr Wick cleared his throat, and Darren whirled towards him. “Oh! Sorry, doctor, I didn’t see you there.”
Craig held back a smile, knowing Darren was lying and had been laying a claim to him in front of the doctor. He had no idea why, but it thrilled him all the same.
Dr Wick gave a tight-lipped smile and explained what was going to happen that day. “Mr Corrigan, to keep you up to date. Mr Talbot will be tired throughout the day and may fall asleep mid-conversation. It’s his body’s way of healing. Don’t take offence, you’re not boring him, it’s the way it works.” He chuckled.
Craig gave a small smile, while Darren harrumphed.
Opening a folder, Dr Wick continued, “We will also be undertaking a multitude of tests during the day, so expect doctors, nurses and orderlies to be in and out. We’ll be testing for your alertness, how your pupils react to light, any changes to movement in your limbs and the usual breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and so on. This morning, you will be sent for a CT scan to double-check there is no damage below the surface of your head.” Dr Wick rushed on. “This is standard. I don’t believe there is anything there, but we need to make sure.”
Darren nodded. “Definitely. Is there anything I can do?”
Dr Wick closed the folder and crossed his arms over his chest, facing Darren. “Yes. Be patient with him. His memory has not recovered at present, but please try not to provide information about what happened since you had dinner last night. We want to see how long it takes for the memories to come back by themselves, instead of being prompted. It’s a sign of how serious the injury was.” There was an inflection to his voice, which Craig didn’t understand; Darren didn’t respond to it, so Craig ignored it.
“When will I be able to go home?” Craig asked, desperately wanting to be away from there.
Dr Wick’s voice lightened, and he smiled. “If all goes well, possibly tonight. But I think it’s better to assume it will be tomorrow at the earliest. The test results may not come back as quickly as we’d wish, especially with it being a Sunday and busy, but we will get it done as soon as possible.”
“Alright. Thank you, doctor.” Darren was dismissive in his tone.
Craig watched as the doctor’s jaw clenched, and Dr Wick shook his head gently. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you later.” He left the room, softly closing the door behind him.
“I don’t like that doctor. What’ve you told him?” Darren’s voice was quiet but whip sharp.
“Nothing. You heard him say I couldn’t remember anything. I’ve not told him otherwise.” Craig rolled over onto his back, gritting his teeth but wanting to be able to see all around the room.
“I told them I was training you as we do every week. And we did a headlock manoeuvre, and we tripped on the rug.” Darren pulled out his phone as he said it.
“Okay. I’ll ‘remember’ that later today.”
Darren squinted at him, face softening. “I am sorry about what happened.”
“I know. It’s fine.” Craig smiled. He knew Darren never meant to hurt him; Darren hadn’t yet learned how to get rid of his anger properly. He would, eventually.
“Why did you have that missing hour?” Darren cocked his head, eyes narrowing.
Craig took a breath. “I was sick. I didn’t mention it at dinner because I didn’t want to worry you. And I was feeling better by then.”
“You need to tell me because I can help you. I hate that you were ill, and I didn’t know about it. I want to take care of you. It’s my job.” Darren’s mouth pouted slightly.
“Okay. I’ll let you know in the future.”
They were silent for a few moments, Darren tapping away on his phone before he spoke again, “I have to go into work today.”
“Oh, no. Is everything okay?” Craig asked, worried one of the other staff was poorly.
