Page 93 of Samuel

“Thanks, I could do with it.”

“Okay, I’ll be off and don’t let the family stay too long.”

When he’d gone, the nurse helped me to sit up a little more and straightened my blankets.

“I’ll get that pain relief and send your family in. Your little boy is desperate to see you.”

“Frankie’s here?”

“Yes, he’s been here since very early this morning, him, your partner, your brother, his wife, and your parents.” She grinned. “You have quite a fan club out there.”

Emotion grew within in me at the thought of them all being there and I was suddenly desperate to see my son, thinking about what if I hadn’t just got a concussion, what if I’d hit my head harder than I had, what if I...? A huge lump formed in the back of my throat at the possibility that I might never have seen those I loved again and it took everything in me not to sob like a fucking baby.

Within seconds of the nurse disappearing from the room, the door swung open and everyone piled in, with Frankie at the front.

“Daddy, you’re awake.”

The volume of his voice made me wince and just as he was about to launch himself at me, Elijah caught hold of him and snagged him around the waist.

“Hold on, little man. Dad is still feeling a little fragile, so just be careful.”

“It’s fine,” I croaked and held my arms out. “Come here.”

As soon as Eli let Frankie go, he practically jumped onto the bed and flung his arms around me, snuggling his cheek against my chest.

“You wouldn’t wake up. I tried to make you, but you wouldn’t.”

His excited voice trembled a little and his grip on me grew tighter. I felt like shit, but there was no way I was going to forgo cuddles with him simply because I had a pain in my fucking head.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” I said, breathing him in. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You scared us all,” Mum said, emotion in her voice.

“If that isn’t a lesson to stop wearing those freaking ridiculous slider shoes, I don’t know what is.” Eli’s tone was derisory and I couldn’t help giving him the finger behind Frankie’s back.

Before I saw her, I felt Maisie at my other side. I could smell the faint aroma of her perfume and my heart beat sped up – thank fuck the doc had taken me off the heart monitor.

“Hey,” I said softly, turning my head to look at her.

She took hold of my hand and gave me a beautiful, tearful smile. “Hey.”

“You been here all day too?” I asked, still holding onto my boy.

“She was here all night,” Dad chipped in.

Maisie blushed slightly and shrugged. “I wanted to be sure you were okay.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “And you’re sure you fell?” she asked, concern crossing her tired features.

“Yeah why?”

As I saw concern change to fear, I guessed what she was worried about.

“Seriously, Maisie, I fell. I’d let Dave go and said I’d close up and had just mopped the floor and slipped on it. I swear.”

“Firstly,” Elijah said, “what the hell are they thinking letting you have responsibility of closing up the leisure centre and secondly, what do you mean, Maisie? His feet are too big and he tripped over his stupid shoes, what else would it be?”