Page 26 of Deep Down
He indicated for Casey, who had not left the room, and Angie to help move him. “If you can steady his left arm, Casey, to minimise movement while I investigate what we’re working with. On three. One, two, three.” They lifted Craig to his side, amid groans from him, and Alex got the first view of his back. “Fuck,” he mouthed as he saw the whole of Craig’s spine littered with the redness of initial bruising, the same as it had been the first time he’d been in A&E. He made a quick check of the head wound while Craig was moved.
“Right, let’s lay back down on three. One, two, three.” Craig was laid flat again, his breathing uneven through the exertion.
Alex swallowed before continuing his audio description. “Severe initial bruising the length of the spine and all surrounding areas.” He couldn’t say anymore, he was…he didn’t know. He wiped a hand over his face.
A nurse came in. “CT is available now if you wish to take him?”
Alex nodded. “Thanks. Can you send in an orderly, please?”
The nurse nodded and retreated again.
He stumbled over to Casey. “Holy fuck, Casey.” He tried to keep calm when all he wanted to do was burst into tears for Craig’s sake. He wished the anger would come streaming through his body again. He needed to keep his cool, and crying wouldn’t help anything.
Casey gripped the back of his neck. “Keep it together. I have a call to make, but I will be back shortly, alright?”
Alex nodded and watched Casey exit the room, leaving the beeping of the machines, Angie’s movements and everyone’s breathing sounding loud in the quiet.
“Alex?”
He quickly moved over to Craig’s side. “Hey.”
“I’m tired.” His voice was soft, the whisper seemingly coming easier than normal vocals.
“I know. I need you to stay awake for a little while longer, alright? We’re going to take you for a CT scan, and then we will be able to figure out what other pain relief we can give you.” Alex wanted to touch him but didn’t want to create any unnecessary pain.
Craig didn’t respond, but Alex could see he was watching him. As close as they were, Alex couldn’t miss when a tear left the corner of Craig’s eye and slid into his hairline.
His heart broke. He gently grasped Craig’s hand of his uninjured arm. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” They stared at each other for a split second before a throat clearing took Alex’s attention.
The orderly went to the opposite side of the bed, nodded a greeting to Craig and unstrapped some of the equipment. Alex took the file from Angie and headed out with them to the scan. Alex didn’t want Craig to be out of sight at all, although he knew that wouldn’t be possible. His mind was all over the place, and the thought which kept him sane was that Darren had been arrested, something Casey had divulged when they’d initially entered the room.
The scan didn’t take long, and soon they were back in the treatment room, Craig being hooked up the equipment again; they needed to keep an eye on his blood pressure and his oxygen levels. Once the orderly left, Alex collected what he needed to wash Craig; he had blood all over his face, which had yet to be cleaned properly.
“Right, Craig. Let’s get you cleaned up.” He readied a wet cloth. Carefully washing the areas he believed would be the least sore, he gently swiped across the skin to clean the blood, taking the cloth back to the basin to rinse and repeat until all that was left were his nose and eyes. “This might be slightly uncomfortable now. I’m going to try and clear up your nose.”
Alex wiped as gently as he could, taking note of every wince and groan and wishing he could alleviate all the pain Craig had. It wasn’t his job to clean him up, but Alex couldn’t bear to see him bloody for longer than he had to; it was selfish of him, but he needed something to help keep everything locked away. Otherwise, he’d be on the floor, rocking in a corner from everything he was feeling.
When Craig’s features were once again visible, Alex took in his injuries. “You don’t seem to have a broken nose. I’m going to press it gently to check if there is something I can’t see. I’m sorry to hurt you again.” He palpated his nose, not feeling any broken bones, thankfully. “No, you’re all good there. Your eyes are possibly bruised from the knock to your nose, but we will have more information when your results come back.”
Alex didn’t know why he was talking; Craig probably wanted to rest in silence, but he couldn’t help it. Alex wanted Craig to realise he wasn’t alone anymore. It helped to keep Craig awake until the CT results come back. Once there were confirmed, Alex would know the next course of action.
“Can you tell me what colour the sky is?” Alex cleaned Craig’s hands.
There was silence. “Purple.”
Alex gawked at Craig, relaxing when he saw the small tilt to one corner of his mouth. “Ha, ha, very funny.” He returned to cleaning, a few superficial scratches catching his attention.
There was a knock at the door, and Alex called out for them to enter, whoever it was. Casey popped his head around the doorframe, smiled, and came in, closing the door behind him again.
“Hey, how’s the patient?” Casey looked down at Craig.
“Cocky.” Alex grinned.
Casey glanced over at him, then returned to Craig. “Good for you. Don’t listen if he starts telling jokes; pretend you’re asleep. They’re awful.”
“Hey!” Alex was not in the least bit upset.
“What? It’s true!” Casey argued.
