“No. You will just have to excuse my idiot brother I am afraid,” laughed Steph until a voice called to them all.
“Are you the family of Mr Pryor?”
They all turned together and in unison said “Yes.”
“Oh my God, Stephanie Pryor, I had no idea,” said the registrar that stood in front of them and leaned forward to hug Steph tightly. “I only ever met your dad fleetingly and didn’t recognise him.” Still leaning in against her ear he said, “You look amazing.” He released her and drank in her appearance. “Very corporate.”
She looked down at the suit she was wearing, the same one she had worn for work earlier that day, the same one that Jon had removed after telling her that he loved her before making love to her on the floor of her office. The cough from behind her brought her back to the present and although unsure who had made the noise, Jon was certainly laying his claim to her now by draping an arm around her behind and resting a hand on her hip.
“Sorry,” muttered Steph. “This is an old friend of mine Chris Patterson, Dr Christian Patterson,” she corrected reading hisname from his hospital I.D. badge. “Chris this is my brother Jason and my boyfriend Jon.”
“I vaguely remember you, Jason, although we only usually met when one of us, or both of us were drunk,” laughed Chris.
“You were the med’ student that Steph used to sneak in and out of the house when she was home from uni,” Jason said, pleased with himself for recalling the tall, broad blond man with sparkling blue eyes smiling back at him and nodding.
“Guilty as charged,” laughed Chris.
Steph became aware of a pain in her hip and suddenly realised that Jon was digging his fingers into her skin firmly, although she was unsure whether it was intentional or not, but it prompted her to refocus. “Are you my dad’s doctor?”
“One of them. Look why don’t you all come with me into the office on the ward and we can talk properly about your dad,” he suggested and Jason headed towards the ward doors with him followed by Jon and Steph.
“You really are a constant source of surprise, Stephanie,” whispered Jon flatly, making her feel a little nervous that he was going to overreact to the coincidental run in with her former boyfriend.
They all satat a low round table as Chris began to explain exactly what the situation was with Roger. Jon pulled out a notepad and pen and ignored the looks of surprise from the others.
“You don’t mind do you, Dr Patterson?” he asked politely, but somehow made the question sound intimidating. Chris shook his head. “For Stephanie’s family’s information,” he added and waved a hand for Chris to continue.
“So, your dad has sustained a number of broken bones, cuts and abrasions, which are of little concern. However, the scan wedid earlier shows a brain injury which is the most likely cause of his unconsciousness. He also has a fracture to the skull, but that in itself isn’t a major concern. We’ll continue to monitor him and treat him with drugs. We’re hoping that the swelling at the site of the injury will subside in its own time.”
“What if it doesn’t?” asked Jon.
“Well, if it doesn’t then we may have to perform an operation to relieve the pressure, but that’s not something we’d want to do unnecessarily, especially as he is currently stable,” explained Chris.
“What is the prognosis for Roger?”
Steph was suddenly beyond grateful for Jon’s presence; he was calm and collected and knew exactly what needed asking. Even when faced with an ex-boyfriend who had been completely unknown until about ten minutes before, he was still acting in her best interests and taking care of her. She almost subconsciously slipped her hand into his and felt surprisingly relieved when he gripped it tightly.
“We would be guarded in any kind of prognosis now, just because of the fact that Roger hasn’t yet regained consciousness, but his vital signs are good and he is breathing unaided which are all good indicators.” Whilst it was Jon’s question he was replying to, Chris smiled at Steph.
“So, you’re the registrar, but who is the main man, the consultant?” asked Jon.
“That would be Mr Wright, but I am a qualified doctor.” Chris sounded slightly offended and terse.
“I appreciate that,” replied Jon tartly. “I understand the medical hierarchy system, but I prefer to deal with the people in charge so where is Mr Wright?”
“At home in bed with Mrs Wright I would imagine.” Chris did nothing to hide the sarcasm of his tone.
“As he should be. So, we will meet with him in the morning.” Jon glanced at his watch. “What time?”
“You may not see Mr Wright tomorrow,” explained Chris.
“Oh, I think we will Dr Patterson, so if you can get me a time I would appreciate it. I am a very busy man,” he said seriously.
“As is Mr Wright and people’s lives depend on him . . .” started Chris defensively.
“Of course they do, but people depend on all of us in one way or another, but if you’re unable to set up a meeting at a pre-arranged time, I will.” Jon immediately pulled out his phone and began texting or emailing for a few moments, then he returned his attention to the conversation between Steph, Jason and Dr Patterson.
“Will our dad be okay though? He won’t die will he?” Jason’s voice broke as Steph hugged him tightly.
