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I thought he’d be long gone by the end of the week, not stuck in the same hospital as me while potentially healing from another operation.
I sigh and nod. “Okay.”
“Does he have family, somewhere he can go when he leaves? If they choose to put him in a cast, he might be okay, but to be honest he’s got to be in a whole world of pain with the other breaks. And if they do opt to operate… I can’t help but think he’s struggling mentally. He’s very quiet. Is that normal?”
I swallow, dropping my eyes to my lap. I think about his mum and Elliot and Luce. Charlie, who although would never say no to helping, has not even been in to see Lance yet. “It’s not something you should be asking me about.”
Her eyes widen guiltily. “Right. I’m so sorry. With—”
“Don’t apologise, Mia.I’msorry. It’s just really hard right now.”
“Of course it is.” She nods, and I know she understands. “How’s Ave handing it all?”
“She doesn’t understand why she can’t meet him.” I scrub at my face, already knowing I’ve given up on my lunch. “I think it’s best to wait until he can go home. Or at least until he’s visibly better. I can’t have her meet him here. Can I?”
I watch as Mia thinks on it. “I guess it depends how long he’s here for. It’s not like he’ll be magically better when he goes home. He’s going to have some nasty bruising for a while.” She gives me a sympathetic smile. “It might even perk him up a little bit.”
She’s right. Lance won’t be magically better when he leaves this place. Physically or mentally.
“I need to think about it some more.”
She watches me, trying to gauge my mood and maybe my thoughts. “You have time off at the end of next month. Didn’t you say you might get away? Why don’t you? You probably need a good break.”
Ave would jump at the chance to head out to the lodges. It’s hard being a single mum to a seven-year-old when you’re trying to balance a career. I work long hours, sometimes seven days a week, meaning my days off fall on weekdays when she’s at school. I love my job, and I know that Ave is doing just fine, but mum guilt is impossible to ignore at times. “I’ll think about it,” I tell Mia.
Lance
“Morning.”
I look up as the blonde-haired girl steps into the room, her smile pinched but there. Mia, I think her name is. She walks to the end of my bed and picks up the folder there, checking everything over. It’s all they seem to do at the moment.
The last couple of days have passed in a blur. I’ve felt pain I never knew was possible to feel and have barely slept more than five minutes at a time. I feel trapped in the hospital room, unable to even get out of bed to use the toilet.
“How are you feeling today?”
Like shit. “Mostly the same.”
“We don’t mind the same.” She smiles, not looking up. I watch her and wait, wondering if she’ll shed any light on Scarlet after I asked about her days ago. “Are you managing to get any sleep?”
I shake my head.
“Well, I have some good news for you. The surgeon had a look at your x-rays from yesterday and, providing your leg heals as it currently is, you’ll be able to head home by the end of the week. Monday at the latest.”
“No second operation?”
She shakes her head. “Nope.”
That is good news. The idea of getting out of this room. This bed.
They’ve not been telling me a lot, probably to avoid getting my hopes up when the chance of a second operation was highly likely.
“I want to get you down for another chest x-ray this afternoon. It will depend on how the day goes.”
I sigh and sit back in the bed. “Sure.”
“Fed up?” she asks, placing the folder back.
Fed up isn’t the word I’d use. “Is Scarlet in today?”
