Page 6 of Deep Down

He returned to silence. He gave Craig the pills to swallow with a cup of water and helped him to sit further back on the bed, ready for the resetting of the joint. “Your pain should recede soon. I will be back with a colleague in about ten minutes to set your shoulder. Please rest like you are doing for the while.” He aimed his gaze at Darren—Mr Corrigan, the name came to him unexpectedly. “Mr Corrigan? Could you ensure Mr Talbot stays where he is for now as we don’t want to exacerbate his injury any more than it already is? Otherwise, we may have to take another X-ray before we continue.”

The guy nodded once and went back to his phone. God knows what he was doing on it.

“Right. I will be back shortly.”

Alex blew out a breath as he closed the door and carried on to the nurses’ station. Sitting on a chair at a computer terminal, he brought up Craig’s file again. He stared at it and clicked on the additional notes section. Pausing again, he eventually listed his experience and his assumptions based on what he had seen and what Craig had told him. There was nothing to go on, especially as Craig had denied the abuse, but at least it was there in black and white in case anything further came to light.

Calling a colleague over, he explained what needed to happen, and they headed back to set Craig’s shoulder. Alex could tell the procedure hurt like hell; the pain in Craig’s eyes couldn’t be masked, but not a single word or whimper came out of his mouth. As far as Alex was concerned, there was another sign.

He fixed a sling around Craig’s arm tightly to minimise any movement and reminded him he needed to keep it on for forty-eight hours and rest it as much as he could. Craig nodded. Alex could do nothing else for him. And he hated the fact.

Craig and Darren left the room, Darren’s hand at the small of Craig’s back, and Alex stood in the corridor, watching as they made their way to the entrance. Alex clenched his jaw against the words wanting to escape, to call Craig back. Standing there for a few moments, he shook his head, wishing there was something he could do, but all he could do was watch as they walked out of the hospital.

Actually…there was one thing Alex could do. But he’d get into big trouble if he was ever found out. He hesitated for a few seconds, deliberating and headed for the computers. Bringing up Craig’s file, he paused once more before copying down some information. He could get fired for this, but he was sure it was the right thing to do. He hoped he wasn’t making a big mistake…both for Craig’s sake and for his own.