Though the doctor had a surgical mask covering his face, his eyes behind his glasses were young. Too young. When I didn’t see a seasoned man with decades of experience, my stomach knotted. After another click of his mouse, he rolled away from the monitor and faced me. “Your father sustained a work injury and came in by ambulance. The report says he slipped in oil and struck his head on concrete. Hard enough that he lost consciousness. Our primary concern with that type of injury is a hematoma—uh, bleeding in the brain that clots. An epidural or subdural can be a silent killer. He was belligerent when they brought him in. Sometimes head injuries can cause aggression.”
“No, that’s just how he is.”
The doctor arched his brow. “We always have to assume traumatic brain injury when presented with certain symptoms. Especially with someone his age.”
I sat in the chair, my arms hugging my middle. “Is he gonna be okay?”
“The scans are clear. No fractures, no signs of bleeding. He’s got a contusion, but that’s to be expected. He came in vomiting and somewhat unresponsive to our questions. Normally we’d keep him in the ER under observation and treat the nausea; however, according to the paramedics, he lost consciousness for an unknown length of time. It’s my recommendation that we keep him overnight. I went ahead and admitted him.” Dr. McGuiness patted his legs. “But he’s not very cooperative. The more I talked to him about his condition, the less he wanted to be here.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I said, ready to chain my father to the hospital bed if I had to.
The doctor stood up and rolled his stool back to the computer station. “I’ll have someone help you find his room. If he’s released tomorrow, is there someone who can watch him for a few days? There’s always a small risk of an intracranial hematoma forming, so they’ll give you an aftercare sheet. If he displays any change in behavior or develops new symptoms, you’ll need to bring him in immediately. Some hematomas require surgery, and if they’re not treated early, they can be serious. Even deadly. I recommend he doesn’t go to work. Someone should keep an eye on him or at least check in on him frequently.”
“I’ll take care of it.Ssso…he’s gonna be okay?”
The doctor nodded emphatically. “As long as he takes it easy and follows our instructions, he should be fine to leave in the morning. If he refuses treatment, someone will need to stay with him. Any other questions?” He lingered by the door, eagerly gripping the handle.
“No. I just want to see him.”
“I’ll get someone.”
When he left the room, I heaved a sigh and wearily rubbed my eyes.
Christian emerged from the corner. “Do you want me to call his friend while you go up and see him?”
“Ren?” I stood and collected my father’s clothes. “I’m taking care of him.”
“We can’t be babysitting your da while on the job. Let one of his friends take him in. He runs with wolves.”
“He’s my father. What kind of daughter would I be if I let someone else take care of him? He looked after me for my entire life.”
“Because he’s your da.”
“Yeah. And I’m his daughter. Look, I’m still on the job when Viktor needs us. But there’s no way I’m ditching my father. You know I’m the only one he’ll listen to. He won’t take orders from anyone else when it comes to staying in bed or following the doctor’s orders. I’ll figure this out. Can you move my truck?”
Christian peered through the narrow window in the door. “Aye. Do you want to stay here all night? He’s in good hands.”
“If they let me. You’ll probably have to find something to do since you’re not family.”
He put his back to the door and folded his arms. “I bet there’s a chapel in the hospital. Shall we rectify that?”
I walked into Christian and rested my forehead against his chest. “Not now.”
“I’ll call Viktor and let him know. If you want to watch your da, no one is stopping you. Come up with a plan by morning. If Viktor sends us out for the second job, we’ll have to leave your da alone. You’ll have no control if he decides to drive in the snow or go to work.”
“Then we’ll just have to take him with us.”
* * *
The pain medicinethey gave my father was prescription strength but nothing that would cause addiction. I made them well aware that my father was a former alcoholic and didn’t want any type of narcotics in his system. Crush was more embarrassed than anything and insisted he was good to go home, which he probably was, but I convinced him that he should take advantage of all the insurance he pays for. He seemed more tempted by the idea of a free breakfast than treatment. The nurse came in every few hours to check his vitals. Crush would wake up, mutter a curse, and fall back asleep. I stayed in a chair by the window. The nurse showed me how it folded into a bed. Christian had slipped in once to let me know Viktor was aware of the situation. He couldn’t stay since the hospital had strict rules and only allowed one family member to stay overnight, but he promised to stay in the building and find something to do to kill time. Even though Christian could have charmed the nurse into letting him stay, my father needed rest and wouldn’t like the idea of someone else watching him sleep.
I had a view of the highway and watched flashing lights from various patrol cars and emergency vehicles. My Mage gift told me dawn wasn’t far off.
“You been here all night?”
I looked toward the bed and noticed Crush sitting up, examining the tube going into his hand.
“Leave those in,” I insisted, stretching my back as I got up and sat on his bed. “You sleep okay?”
