CHAPTER EIGHT
"Sir, are you awake?"
Lance heard the male voice, but it seemed to come from a distance. He struggled to sit up and when a burst of pain rushed through his shoulder, he cried out in pain, coming fully awake. The sling on his arm reminded him of the injury and he groaned.
"Take it easy. Are you okay?" a male nurse asked.
Lance blinked several times and managed to nod. "Dislocated shoulder last night. Still sore." He managed to finally sit up straight.
"I'll get you an ice pack for that. It will help. I was told to get you when Mr. Young was brought in from recovery. We've just settled him in his room if you want to join him." The nurse stepped back as Lance rose quickly to his feet.
"How is he?" Lance cringed at the pain throughout his body, but he was too focused on getting to Angus to care.
"Stable, but we'll be watching him closely for the next few hours. You're welcome to stay with him. There's a recliner in the room where you can rest. Were you in the explosion last night?" The nurse held the waiting room door for Lance, then continued down a short hallway.
"Yeah, several of us. Angus's mother is upstairs with a leg injury.
She should be released today, and his father will be around, but he broke his ankle.
The others I was with got out with only some lacerations.
" Every step Lance took caused his cuts to stretch.
It was like having a hundred ants biting him at once.
"Your injuries?" the nurse asked.
"Shoulder, and some lacerations, mostly on my legs." Well, most were on his ass, but he wasn't going to share that.
"Are you on medication?"
Lance shook his head. "Didn't fill it. Don't like pain killers. My brother will bring me ibuprofen when he comes back later."
"Do you need some now? It looks like you're hurting pretty badly." The nurse paused in front of a glass windowed doorway.
Lance didn't answer. His focus was completely on Angus who he could see through the glass doorway.
He was so pale, and the bandaging around his neck bulked out, making Angus look lopsided.
Lacerations covered his face and arms but didn't look too bad.
None of the medical devices connected to Angus startled him.
He'd expected it all. He slowly moved into the room, taking in every detail of Angus's body that he could see.
A sheet and blanket covered him from the chest down.
Lance noticed Angus's chest rising and falling, which gave him hope, but until he spoke to Angus, he was going to wonder if he was really still inside his body.
Eve stood near the bed and smiled at him. "He's a fighter."
Lance nodded but was aware of the nurse behind him, so he didn't speak as he walked over and gently rested his hand over Angus's.
"Try not to jar him or the bed. We've unplugged the bed so it doesn't accidentally get moved if someone leans on a button.
He needs to stay as still as possible for now.
His vital signs have improved since surgery.
Does he have any medical issues we weren't made aware of?
" The nurse stood at the foot of the bed.
"No, none." Lance wanted to lean down and place his head against Angus's chest and listen for his heartbeat just like he did when they were in bed at night. He resisted the urge, more scared of bumping Angus's body too hard and causing more problems. "He was strong and healthy."
"And he will be again, God willing," the nurse told him. "I'm Bryan. I'll be his nurse until seven tonight. As I said, we'll be in and out, but I suggest you rest along with him. You look like you need it."
"Thanks. And did you mention you might know where to find some ibuprofen or Tylenol?" Lance asked.
"I've got a bottle in my locker. I'll bring you a few along with some water.
Feel free to call down for food if you want it.
It will be charged to the room. I'll put a note in the computer that any food will be for family.
" Bryan nodded to Angus. "Talk to him. I'm a firm believer that they can hear you. "
"I am too." Lance smiled at Eve, wondering what this nurse would think if he knew there was a ghost standing in the room. He had a million questions, but they weren't ones the nurse would have answers to.
"I'll get you those pills and something to drink. Be right back." Bryan left the room.
"He's holding on," Eve told him. "Don't worry about how he looks now. He's strong and will pull through this."
Lance rubbed his thumb over the back of Angus's hand. "You know better than making promises you can't keep when it comes to a patient."
"I'm confident on this one. I am also smart enough to know that positive thinking goes a long way in making things happen. You stay positive so he can too. Remember what the nurse said, he can hear everything you say."
"I hope so." Lance leaned down, not getting as close as he wanted, but close enough to Angus's ear. "I love you. Come back to me."
"Has anyone seen Betty yet?" Eve asked.
Lance shook his head. "I've got a bad feeling about her. She'd never leave Lizzy at a time like this. She'd be here if she could."
"Don't give up on her yet. We need to keep Lizzy positive as well. She's struggling with being confined to bed when she wants to be here with you two," Eve told him.
Lance noticed Eve was now wearing a pale blue sweatsuit with bright pink shoes.
He wondered how often she changed what she appeared to wear.
"Go tell Lizzy he's in his room and I'm with him.
Hopefully, she'll be released soon and can come down and see him.
I'm sure Martin is struggling to decide where he should be.
Let him know to take care of Lizzy and I'll get them if anything changes here. I don't want them to worry."
"I'll let them know. Do you need anything? I can always contact Dr. Christine if you need anything," Eve offered.
Christine was a pediatric doctor he'd met a while back who could also see ghosts. She was dating Brayden, the intern at the Medical Examiner's Office.
"I'm good for now. Jackson will be back with clothes for me." He stared down at Angus. "Can you sense his spirit inside him?"
"No, but that's not unusual. I don't sense them in the living. I think for someone to be alive, they have to have their spirit. He's in there. Don't doubt that."
But he did. He couldn't block the memory of seeing Angus float from his body. He hated that he was staring at Angus right now and still wasn't sure things would ever be the same. He wanted to go back in time, refuse the dinner, and stay home where they would have been safe.
"How is he?" Martin asked from the doorway.
Lance turned to find Martin in a wheelchair and a nurse behind him. "He's holding on. I'm told his vitals are improving. Did Megan warn you they'd induced a coma to keep him from moving around for a while?"
Martin nodded but didn't speak as he stared at his son.
"I've got him. Thanks." Lance took the wheelchair from the nurse and pushed it closer to the bed. "Careful not to jar his body. He needs to stay as still as possible. "
Tears filled Martin's eyes as he rested his hands on Angus's bed. "He's so pale."
"That's normal after an injury like he had. I'm sure he lost a lot of blood." Lance wanted to get hold of the file eventually and look it over so he could know exactly what had happened in the operating room.
"Your mom will be here soon, Angus. She wants to see you.
She's just waiting for her release papers.
She sent me down here now so you wouldn't have both of us crying over you at the same time.
" Martin smiled. "Leave it to your mother to take charge and plan something as simple as visiting you in the hospital. "
"Any news from Betty?" Lance asked, then wished he hadn't when he saw the pain form in Martin's eyes.
"Nothing. Lizzy's convinced Betty's gone into the light.
She thinks that somehow Betty saved Angus, but in doing so, she went into the light.
I don't know what to think. I don't see how it could happen, you know, one going into the light but not the other.
" Martin wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
Lance handed him a tissue from the box beside the bed. "I agree with you. I don't think she'd leave Lizzy, even to save Angus. Something else happened. I just don't know what."
"Betty loves Angus like a son. She'd do anything for him, but I just don't see her accidentally going into the light.
She's been dead too long to not know how to control that.
I don't know where she is, but I don't believe she's moved on.
I refuse to believe that." Martin stretched his hand out so his fingers rested on Angus's.
"Did they say how long he'll be in a coma? "
"They'll reevaluate in a few days. I'm sure it will be a matter of how quickly his neck heals.
I have a lot of questions to ask but didn't want to keep the surgeon after such a long surgery.
I want to know more about the damage and if his vocal cords will be affected.
If he'll be able to swallow normally, things like that. "
"I'll learn sign language. I don't care as long as he lives." Martin sniffed. "If we hadn't gone to dinner or if we'd made a later reservation…"
"You can't blame yourself for this. We don't know what happened yet, but it wasn't your fault," Lance told him despite having the same thoughts.
"Angus would hate you blaming yourself for this, so don't. He needs us to be positive right now.
" Lance took a seat in the recliner, feeling weak and still too tired.
"How are you? What did they say about your ankle? "
"I'm in a cast for a few weeks, then they'll move me to a walking boot. Said I will need physical therapy once it's healed. Had the nerve to tell me I might not make it out on the golf course for a few months." Martin smiled, letting Lance know he was teasing.