Page 12 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes

“The nurse has just been round. Danny’s out of surgery and the doctor is on his way to speak to you.”

I nod and hand Maddie’s hoodie back to her. “Thank you,” I whisper.

She takes it and pats my shoulder “Of course.”

I wait impatiently for another ten minutes, until a doctor finally appears in the doorway.

“Mr Tristan Everett?”

“That’s me.” I stand and feel Maddie and Sonia rise with me. “Danny Hayes is my boyfriend. Please… is he okay?”

The man gives me a calm, professional smile. “He’s doing well. He took a bit of a knock to the head, but we’re satisfied there’s no immediate danger. There’s no evidence of swelling to the brain, so we’re probably just looking at a concussion. He’s also got some cracked ribs and a lot of bruising to the torso from the seatbelt and the airbag, but it was his leg that was more of a worry.”

“His leg?”

“Took us a while to fix it up, and he’s now the proud owner of a few metal plates and pins. He has a broken foot and a couple of nasty breaks to his tibia and fibula, plus a dislocated knee. We’ve repaired all the damage, just waiting for the swelling to go down so we can get a cast on. He may require a little physio with the knee—it’s too early to tell—but after that, his recovery hopefully will be fairly straightforward.”

Honestly, I’m pretty sure my knees would have buckled with sheer relief if Maddie and Sonia hadn’t been holding me up. “Thank you,” I whisper. “Can I see him?”

“Certainly. The nurses are just getting him settled in one of the rooms on the next floor, I believe. He’s still groggy from the anaesthetic and from the concussion, so you may find it takes a while for him to come around, but the best thing for him right now is to rest. I’ll be by to check on him later.”

He nods, and as he turns and leaves the room, a nurse appears in his place. “If you want to follow me, I’ll take you to him,” she says.

She leads us down to the floor below and along a twisting corridor, past bays and open wards, before stopping next to a side room and reaching for the door handle.

I stop dead at the threshold and my breath catches. Danny is laid out on the hospital bed and hooked up to various drips and monitors. He’s so still and his skin so pale.

I cross to his bedside and reach for his hand. I’m so used to the cold hard flesh of the corpses I deal with every day that for a second my heart jolts in fear. I shut down that thought immediately. Danny’s here.He’s going to be okay, I tell myself. I curl my fingers around his and the warmth of his skin is reassuring.

His eyes are closed, and his chest rises and falls in a steady, reassuring rhythm beneath the hospital blanket. There is a wound dressing taped to his forehead just below his hairline and my stomach clenches at the dried blood I spy in his blonde hair near the bandage. Most of his body is covered by the hospital gown and the blankets, but his left leg is exposed and elevated, wrapped with temporary dressings and held immobile until they can get the cast on. Even from here, I can see his knee, in particular, is really swollen.

I swallow hard as I drop bonelessly into the chair at his side, still grasping his hand. “Oh, Danny.” I murmur.

“I’m so sorry,” Maddie mutters inconsolably and as I look up, I see her eyes are fixed on Danny.

“It’s not your fault.” I shake my head. “They’re called accidents for a reason, Maddie. You’re both still here and that’s all that matters. Bruises and broken bones heal. Danny wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. It could have easily been him driving.”

I watch as Maddie leans over Danny and gently kisses his head. It’s telling. Maddie’s not one for being terribly demonstrative when it comes to her emotions, but I can read them etched into her face as plain as day, and it’s not just guilt. She genuinely cares about Danny, and I’m glad that he has her to watch his back.

She straightens up and sways slightly. Her skin has a grey tinge to it, and I can see the lines of pain beneath her eyes.

“You should go home,” I tell her. “You’ve been hurt too. You need to rest.” She doesn’t argue, which I’m guessing means she has to be in a fair bit of pain herself.

Sonia frowns. “Are you sure you’ll be alright alone?”

“I’m fine.” I release a slow breath and try not to cough. “Now I know he’s going to be okay, I’m just going to wait here until he wakes up.”

“Are you sure?” Sonia repeats, clearly torn between wanting to take care of her injured wife and not wanting to leave me on my own.

“I’m sure.”

“We’ll call you later and be back once Mads has rested,” Sonia says. “Is there anything you need?”

I shake my head and give them one last reassuring smile, then watch as they head out of the room and close the door quietly behind them.

Finally alone, I turn my attention back to Danny as he sleeps. Lifting his palm to my burning cheek, I let the tears come.

All I want to do is kick off my boots, climb up into the bed next to him, and wrap myself around him. Instead, I rest my aching head beside Danny’s thigh and cling to his hand.