Chapter 14 #3
She amused herself, and Mist, playing with a bracelet and giving fuss.
But after a couple of minutes, Mia decided she’d waited for long enough.
She wasn’t sure how long the potion-like drinks she saw other guests with would take to make, but she was starting to wonder where Aiden had got to and went to find him, politely excusing herself to Mist and putting her gently on her chair.
It didn’t take long: he was standing in a little alcove by the bar, talking animatedly on his phone.
He waved when he saw her, holding up a finger – asking her to wait.
Gone were the easy relaxed lines and his warm smile from earlier – replaced with tension and worry that seemed to radiate from him.
She rested a hand on his arm, but he tensed and flinched away. She tried not to take it personally as she listened to his end of the call.
‘I’m so sorry, Mia,’ he said as soon as he’d hung up. ‘I need to go.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘Ma’s had a fall. It sounds bad. They’re taking her to hospital…’
‘Come with me.’ She grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards their table.
‘Mia, I need to go.’
‘I know. But I need my bag. I’m coming with you. Don’t even think about arguing.’
‘Thank you.’
She grabbed her bag with one hand, and her skirt with the other, bundling it untidily around her fist so she could run without getting tangled, and set off through the lobby. ‘Come on, slowcoach.’
He caught up with her within a few seconds, his longer legs covering the ground quicker than she could.
‘I’m probably in better shape than you are to drive, if you give me your keys. Fill me in?’
‘I don’t know much more than I’ve already told you.
She fell coming down the stairs, but thankfully she had her phone on her.
’ He zapped his car unlocked and handed the keys to Mia as they climbed in.
She took a second to adjust the seat before kicking the car into drive.
‘Ma didn’t call anyone at first. I don’t know how long she sat there, trying to get up and failing, before she realised she needed help.
And then she didn’t call me. She called our neighbour over the street – I’ve no idea why because Doria’s older than Ma and not exactly able to help pick her up.
And apparently she argued with the paramedics about being taken in, and about Doria calling me. ’
Mia concentrated on the curve of the road, easing out of it and putting her foot down, grateful that she knew the way and that, for once, Hudsbury’s fog was behaving and clearing. ‘She’s on the way to the best place – and people – possible to help her. And if she’s arguing, that’s a good sign.’
‘But she didn’t call me, Mia, and she wouldn’t let anyone else call me either. She waited until she was being loaded into the ambulance before she gave in and let Doria call me. She kept saying she didn’t want to bother me, can you believe that?’
‘Knowing Sylvie, yeah.’
‘I’m so bloody angry with her.’
‘I know,’ Mia sympathised. ‘But try not to be. We’ll make sure she’s OK, then when she’s feeling a bit better you can read her the riot act. Quite probably with back-up from the medical staff.’
‘Right. Yeah.’ He focussed on the road and didn’t say much more, but every time she glanced at him, Mia couldn’t help but notice that he was getting tenser – his leg bouncing more and his hand flexing into a fist more and more often as the miles raced by.
When they got to the hospital Mia dumped the car in the staff area at the back, grabbed her skirt tightly and raced up the stairs – two at a time.
‘We’re not going to A&E?’
‘Sylvie was assessed and brought in by paramedics. She should be in the acute care unit by now.’
‘Acute? That sounds bad.’
‘It’s not,’ she tried to reassure him. ‘It just means someone’s being treated for a short-term condition. It acts as a holding ward too, while clinical decisions are made.’
‘Right.’
‘This way.’ She led him through a mini maze of corridors that had taken her weeks to learn as a trainee. She hit the buzzer on the ward door and smiled when she recognised the voice. ‘Colette? It’s Mia. I’ve not got my pass. Can you buzz me in please?’
‘Patient?’ Unfortunately, enough of her patients had ended up in acute and urgent care over the years that she’d got to know a lot of the staff.
‘Indirectly, yes.’ The buzzer sounded and she shoved the heavy door open, leaning against it to hold it for Aiden before striding towards the central island where all the ward’s admin was run from. ‘Hey, Colette.’
‘Wow, I see why you don’t have your pass. You look great.’
‘Thanks. Yeah, the lanyard didn’t go with the dress. This is Aiden. His mum was brought in by paramedics after a fall at home. Sylvie Griffiths. Have you got her here yet?’
‘One minute.’ Colette tapped a few keys on the computer. ‘Yeah, we do. Date of birth please?’
‘Aiden?’ Mia had to nudge him out of the stupor that had hit sometime on the road.
She’d been right not to let him drive. Then again, if he’d had driving to focus on, his careful compartmentalisation might not have shattered so fully.
He looked down, surprised to see Mia’s hand in his, and squeezed back, glad for the support and anchor in reality.
‘Right, sorry.’ He rattled off his ma’s birthday and their address.
‘Brilliant, thanks.’ Colette peered at the screen.
‘She was conscious and aware when she was brought in. The doctor has already seen her, and referred her to radiology. She’s there now, and they’ll bring her back to Bay 16 for follow-up assessment.
But it’s looking likely she’ll need admitting to inpatient orthopaedics. ’
‘X-ray?’ Mia asked.
‘Yes. And a CT.’
‘For?’
Colette glanced at Aiden before answering. ‘Suspected posterior dislocation of the left hip and head laceration.’
‘How long ago did she go up?’ Mia asked.
‘About half an hour.’
‘She’ll be a while then. Thanks, Colette.’
Aiden stared around the huge room, a bit shell-shocked.
He’d walked out of what was – quite literally – the most magical night of his life to reality that couldn’t be brighter, whiter or more stark.
The elongated room they were in was probably three times bigger than the ballroom they’d just left and filled with a row of curtained beds – bays, he supposed – on one side, and strange-looking glass rooms with beds on the other.
Mia tugged him towards one of the curtained areas, though there was only a chair in it.
He guessed the bed would be in radiology with his ma.
‘What happens now?’
‘We wait.’ She leaned against the wall, looking a lot calmer and more collected than he felt.
He supposed being in a hospital wasn’t especially worrisome for someone who worked in the medical field, but it also wasn’t her mum being brought in by ambulance.
‘You might as well sit down. Or we can go down to the canteen. That’s open round the clock and, like you heard, Sylvie will be a while in radiology. ’
‘Your friend said they thought Ma had dislocated her hip? And cut her head?’ He started to pace, unable to stay still.
‘Yeah. That’s why they’re doing the CT, to make sure she doesn’t have any internal injuries.’
‘Oh hell.’ Aiden’s blood ran cold. ‘Internal injuries… Are you saying she could have brain damage?’
‘CTs check for things like concussion too.’ Mia caught his arm as he paced by. ‘Aiden, listen to me. We treat concussion all the time. And like Colette – and your neighbour – said, Sylvie was awake and talking. Please try not to worry too much.’
‘But I should have been there.’ He didn’t say the words instead of with you, but they hung in the air between them anyway, and he had no idea how to take them back. Mia’s hand dropped from his arm. Clearly, she’d heard them too.
‘I’m going to go grab some coffees. Do you want anything to eat? Or to come with me?’
‘No thanks.’
He watched her walk away, her dress streaming out behind her, like a heroine in some movie, and flopped into the chair and buried his face in his hands.
He heard Mia come back, took the coffee with mumbled thanks, but didn’t look up properly until his ma was wheeled in.
‘You shouldn’t have come,’ Sylvie grumbled before either of them had a chance to say hello or ask how she was. ‘The last thing I wanted to do was ruin your night.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’ Aiden struggled not to snap. ‘You should have called me.’
‘Like I said, I wanted you to enjoy your night and not be bothered.’
‘But you should have called me!’
‘I don’t need a bloody babysitter. I’m an adult and I manage perfectly well.’
‘This is what you think managing “perfectly well” looks like, is it? You’re in hospital!’
‘Just a silly little wobble.’
‘You were brought in by ambulance and have spent the last hour being scanned to see how much damage you’ve done to yourself!’
‘You can bloody well go home if you’re going to be like that!’
‘Sylvie, we really wish you’d called us,’ Mia interrupted, a lot more calmly than he was able to manage. ‘Aiden’s just worried about you, and so am I.’
‘I don’t like being a bother,’ his ma repeated in a quieter voice. ‘I hate how much this illness is taking away… from me… from Aiden. I just wanted you two to have a nice night without any worries, and I went and did this!’ She burst into tears that broke his heart.
‘You’re hardly a bother,’ Mia told her firmly, but she just sobbed harder.
‘Ma, please don’t cry.’
‘I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I feel so silly, but I can’t stop!’
‘It’s probably a bit of shock,’ Mia said gently. ‘That combined with the medications.’
‘Do you think so?’ Sylvie sniffed.
‘Absolutely. You’re on the hospital’s finest meds right now. They often knock people a bit silly. So does shock. You’ll feel OK in a bit. For now, just let it out.’
It took a while, but with reassurance from them both, Sylvie settled into something approaching calmness. When she had, she reached for Aiden.
‘You and Mia must be starving. Why don’t you take my purse and go get something to eat?’
‘We’re fine. I want to be here when the doctor comes.’