Page 20 of Deep Down
Chapter 8
Alex
Alex trudged out of the hospital room, suitably chastened but shocked in equal measure. He couldn’t believe Craig had shouted at him; it made him debate everything about the case and Craig’s situation. In all the abuse cases he had dealt with before, all the victims had some things in common: softly spoken, would offer endless help and had quiet demeanours. None would have yelled at him like Craig had. Did that mean Craig was telling the truth, and Alex was looking for trouble where there wasn’t any?
“Dr Wick, can I speak to you please?” Gloria’s whip-sharp voice came from behind him. He led her to a room that he knew was currently empty. He pivoted when the door shut.
“What the hell, Alex?” Exasperation coated her every word.
“Oh, now you call me Alex.” He shook his head and hung it, examining the floor, arms crossed over his chest. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I…” His gaze wandered around the room, trying to gather his thoughts. “Everything is pointing towards him being abused, Gloria, as you know. I’m attempting to provide opportunities for him to talk to me. But he keeps protecting the asshole!” His hand pointed in the direction of Craig’s room.
“What happened in there?” She halted next to the door.
“I asked him if he’d had any other injuries he’d never been checked out for, and he started yelling that I was going on and on at him about being abused when he wasn’t.” He paused and frowned at Gloria. “I don’t know whether I’m looking too hard for something that’s not there,” he admitted softly.
“Oh, Alex.” She came over to him and enveloped him in one of her hugs. “You need to trust your instincts. You’ve told me time and again that your instincts have saved the day on many occasions. Why is now any different?” She pulled away but kept her hands on his biceps.
Alex avoided her gaze, not wanting to admit what he was thinking and what Casey had eluded to previously. “I don’t know. My instincts are telling me something is off about the situation. But then Craig goes and yells at me—”
“Craig?” Gloria’s eyebrows rose, and a hint of a smirk curved her lips.
“—Mr Talbot,” he glared at her, “yelled at me, which doesn’t convey the usual personality of a victim of abuse. I’m all turned around about it.”
“I know what you’re getting turned around about, all right.” Gloria smiled, then sobered. “Trust your instincts, Alex. Don’t go obsessing. Stick with whatever your gut is telling you.” Alex nodded. “But no more shouting at the patients.” She glared, pointing a finger at him.
“Sorry.” He blushed.
They exited the room and walked to the nurses’ station, allowing Gloria to deal with her work and Alex to write up his notes. He entered the details of his concerns, the interactions he witnessed between Craig and Darren, but left out their argument.
Alex worked steadily through his shift, his thoughts never too far away from Craig and the situation, as could be seen from his continued checking of Craig’s file for updates. Gloria sought him out when her shift finished to let him know the latest and, while snickering, reminded him about his promise to not shout at the patients.
****
He started his rounds at nine the following morning. He went around the rooms and checked to make sure everyone was settled and doing well. He fielded questions, calmed worried thoughts and enlisted the help of nurses for extra pain relief when needed. He left Craig’s room until last, knowing he was going to be the most difficult to leave.
Knocking on his door, Alex entered when Craig replied. He bid good morning and went about his usual checks, not interacting any more than he usually would. Using his pen-light, he checked Craig’s pupil reactions, surreptitiously checking the bruising around his eye as well. The bruising was healing well, but Alex found himself falling into those sea-green eyes. He made himself pull away. Although the black eye was visible, it was fading and didn’t appear as angry, but it showed how good-looking Craig was. It made him flush and spin away because it was highly inappropriate, for one thing, and added another check against his reasons for wanting to help Craig.
He shook his head, startling when Craig’s voice pierced the quiet.
“Have you been here all night?” he asked.
Alex nodded. “I’m heading home after I finish these rounds.”
“Have a good sleep.”
He gaped at Craig and saw him smile hesitantly. A peace offering? “I apologise about earlier…uh, I mean yesterday.”
Craig tilted his head to stare at him. “But you’re not going to let up, are you?”
Alex didn’t take his gaze away. “You rest up.” He sashayed away to the musical sound of Craig’s quiet laughter; it made Alex smile.
After finishing up the notes from his rounds, he collected his belongings and headed home. He was exhausted, which was about normal for him. The drive took ten minutes, and he locked up behind himself, took a quickshowerand dropped to his bed.
Next thing he knew, the alarm woke him at seven o’clock that evening. He sat up straight away, knowing if he lingered, he would be falling asleep again. He threw on his workout clothes. He didn’t have a large set up at home, but his spare room held a treadmill, some weights and a rowing machine. Spending an hour loosening his muscles and working up a sweat made him feel better than he had in days. He hit the shower again and readied himself for his next night shift.
Alex was eating his porridge when his phone rang. Casey wanted to know how things were going.
“Well, in all honesty, Casey, I was second-guessing myself last night.”
