“Do the others know? Where is Janice?” asked Jon still confused.
“All except Steph, and we’re all pissed off about it, but Stephie is likely to flip about it more than the rest of us,especially when she finds out that Janice is in there with the old man and it is strictly one visitor at a time and she is refusing to come out and let any of us in,” said Eddie shaking his head.
“Is she his next of kin though?” asked Jon, thinking that although they were all his children and the next of kin in terms of blood, Roger may consider Janice his actual next of kin.
“Not really, she is his girlfriend, but they don’t live together, so I guess we are really,” Eddie surmised.
They were interrupted by the doors to the ward opening and as they glanced across Jon noticed Janice walking alongside a trolley being pushed by a porter and a nurse. Steph was the first one to step in their path.
“Daddy,” she whispered as she tried to recognise the man beneath the bandages, tubes and bruises.
“Steph we need to take your dad for a scan so sit down and come out of the way!” said Janice with nothing but irritation.
Jon and Eddie had joined her now as the others assembled around her.
“What happened? What’s wrong with him?” Steph glancing between Janice and the nurse.
Janice sighed. “I don’t have time for this. He might not have time for this. Now be a good girl.”
“Tough shit!” spat Steph as Jon put an arm around her waist and turned his attention to the nurse.
“Look, what my girlfriend means is that she has just got here and this is all a shock and the whole family could do with some details on Roger’s injuries and prognosis, so maybe the doctor could come and speak to them,” he said calmly.
The nurse returned his smile. “I do understand that, but Mrs Pryor is right. We do need to get Roger downstairs for a scan, but as soon as I get back I will page the doctor and see if he can come up and speak to you.”
“Thank you,” said Eddie and Jon together.
Steph stared for a few seconds, then spoke calmly and politely, “She is not Mrs Pryor, our mum was Mrs Pryor.”
“Sorry,” said the nurse as Janice huffed loudly. “But she is his next of kin,” said the nurse smiling kindly at Steph now, but clearly hoping to avoid getting stuck in the middle of a family feud.
“No, she’s not. I think you will find that we are, specifically my brother Eddie, as he is the oldest,” said Steph as her voice began to falter causing Jon to tighten his grip around her waist.
“I will get the doctor to come up and speak to you all,” reassured the nurse again. “But let’s get your dad sorted first.”
Steph nodded her agreement. “But one of us will go with him, not her,” spat Steph obviously furious with the other woman now. “Eddie, you go,” Steph suggested.
Eddie nodded and although Janice opened her mouth, words never followed.
“We’ll be as quick as we can and try not to worry, your dad is strong and he has already got through the first twenty-four hours so that is a really good sign,” said the nurse, hoping to convey reassurance as the porter pushed the trolley into the lift followed by the nurse and Eddie.
Steph looked around at the others as the lift door closed and finally Janice. “What did she mean, he has got through the first twenty-four hours? When did this happen and why didn’t anyone tell me what had happened sooner? He is my dad too you know,” she cried as the tears began to fall again.
It was Tricia who now intervened in addressing Janice. “Yes, why don’t you tell Steph why she has only just found out what happened toourdad?”
Jon shook his head as he tried to calm the potentially explosive situation down. “Steph, sit down please, and you, Janice, you must be exhausted,” he said hoping to defuse the moment.
They both sat and Janice calmly said, “I didn’t want to worry any of you so I was waiting to get some news before I called you.”
“When did this happen?” asked Steph with apparent calmness.
“Yesterday afternoon, he went for a walk and got run over,” babbled Janice as if she was trying to get all of the information out in one sentence.
“What? Is this your idea of a joke? Our dad got run over yesterday and you didn’t tell us until today? Unbelievable! I didn’t actually think you could stoop any lower but you have surpassed yourself this time,” cried Steph.
“She certainly has because she didn’t actually tell us, Marge next door told Jess when she popped round to see Dad,” revealed Tricia who was quickly led away by their brother Paul.
“You fucking evil bitch!” screamed Steph as she lunged towards Janice but was stopped by Jon’s arms capturing her and pulling her away into the lift that had just arrived carrying a mass of people.
