Page 26 of Hearts & Embers

"He landed hard."

Cody rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

"They were worried about his shoulder straight away. There was concern about internal injuries too, which is why they moved so quickly."

The explanation answered several questions while creating new ones.

"Was he conscious?"

"Mostly."

The answer seemed carefully chosen.

"He was talking to us during extraction and the pain medication kicked in pretty quickly once the paramedics got hold of him."

Some of the tension eased from my chest.

Not all of it.

Just enough to breathe normally again.

The waiting room settled into a strange rhythm after that. Nurses moved in and out periodically and spoke with families occupying chairs throughout the area. Conversations occurred quietly around us, each person carrying concerns of their own. Time seemed to move differently inside hospitals. Minutes stretched unexpectedly while entire hours disappeared without warning.

Eventually the surgical doors opened. A doctor stepped into the waiting area and looked around before approaching our group.

"Family for Jasper Cartwright?"

Nobody moved immediately. Then Cody stood.

"I'm his colleague. His parents are overseas and there’s no other family."

The doctor nodded.

"That's fine."

The exhaustion visible on the surgeon's face suggested he’d had a long night.

"Mr Cartwright is doing well."

The relief that accompanied those words was immediate and overwhelming.

"The surgery was successful. He suffered a fractured clavicle, several cracked ribs, and a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Fortunately, there was no spinal injury and no significant internal bleeding. The shoulder required surgical repair, which is what we've completed this morning."

I listened carefully to every word.

"Will he recover fully?" I asked.

The doctor looked toward me.

"That's the expectation."

The answer loosened the tightness I’d felt in my chest ever since Cody had called.

"He'll need rehabilitation and follow-up treatment. The shoulder will require time to heal properly, and he'll be restricted from work for at least two weeks, possibly longer depending on how recovery progresses. He’ll be available for light duties only for at least eight weeks and then we’ll reevaluate."

Two weeks.

Considering the alternatives, two weeks sounded remarkably reasonable.