As the elevator doors closed behind Joshua’s gurney, Casey grabbed Colin’s arm, dragging him backwards as he struggled to follow his husband. “You can’t go with him!” Adam told him. “He’s going upstairs to get a CAT scan, and you’re not allowed in there. Nobody is!”
He shoved Colin into a chair. “Listen to me. I have to determine whether or not he has a fractured skull or a bleed in his brain.” Colin gasped in horror and Casey hastened to reassure him. “I don’t think he does! But he took one hell of a whack to the head and this is hisbrainwe’re talking about! I’ve got to be one hundred percent sure there’s nothing worse going on before I do another damned thing.”
The doctor shook his head and tried to smile. “God, I’m sick of seeing you two in my ER!” He clasped Colin’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Relax, Irish. From what I saw in my preliminary exam, Josh is going to be fine. I’m erring on the side of caution here. You need to take a breath and try to summon some patience, because he’s going to be upstairs for a while. After the CT scan, we’re going to x-ray his arm, his eye sockets, his chest and possibly his left knee. Then we’ll bring him back down, and I’ll suture his head wound and maybe put a couple stitches in his face where the lacerations are deep.”
Colin moaned and bent forward over his knees, and Casey laid his hand on Colin’s shoulder. “Colin, as far as I can tell, Joshua hasnolife-threatening injuries.” Colin lifted his head and stared into Casey’s eyes. “Life-altering, yes. He’s going to be here for a while. But he’ll be OK.”
“How bad is his arm broken?”
“It’s a hairline fracture so he won’t require surgery or a cast. Just a strong brace.”
Colin sucked in a breath and clutched Casey’s arm. “Is hecritical?”
“Oh,hellno!” Adam told him. “Nothing even close to critical. His condition is serious but stable.” He nudged Colin with an elbow. “Tookyoutwo days to get to that point!” He got to his feet and glanced at David and Nate who hovered nearby. “I take it that you two...”
“We’ll be here,” David told him, then sat down beside Colin who reached out and grabbed Casey’s sleeve.
“Adam, can’t Ipleasesee him?” he begged. “He was calling for me!”
“Colin, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Josh isn’t fully conscious at this point. But as soon as he comes down from Imaging, I’ll let you sit with him.”
Colin bowed his head and ran the fingers of both hands through his tangled hair.
“It’s going to be at least an hour before he gets back,” Casey told them. “Maybe more. Try to relax.”
“I’m going to call Miranda,” David muttered. He lifted his phone and wandered away from his friends.
“What happened to Lenny?” Colin asked.
Nate dropped into the chair next to Colin. “He stayed at the church to handle Page and investigate the building.”
“You mean thecrime scene,” Colin muttered.
“Whatever. That’s where he is. David will call him.”
“I bet he’s pissed as hell at me,” Colin said.
Nate linked his arm through Colin’s and leaned his head against his shoulder. “Why, for Christ’s sake!”
“For whamming Page against the wall.”
“Did you?”
Colin snorted and Nate couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t think I hurt him, at least not badly. Not sure though. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention.”
“Are you going to be in trouble?”
Colin shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care.” He shot to his feet as he saw the distinctive blue of a policeman’s uniform enter the ER. “Don!” he yelled. “Over here!”
Thompson wandered to where Colin and Nate were waiting near the exam room. “How is he?”
“Serious but stable is what I was told,” Colin said, his voice thin with stress and exhaustion. He collapsed back into the chair. “He’s upstairs in X-ray. I can’t see him ‘til he comes back down.” He looked up into Donald Thompson’s eyes. “How bad is Page hurt?”
Don laughed out loud. “Not half as bad as he deserves.” He shrugged. “He’s a little bruised and spewing about police brutality, but he’s fine.”
Colin snorted. “He got off cheap.”
