Long Away

Chapter 55

The day finally came, and the friends drove to the hospital. Joe wasn't usually one to get car sick, but the mix of excitement and nervousness did the opposite of calm his stomach. While one part of him couldn't wait to finally see Ben again, another part was afraid of how he would find him. Just imagining him injured and tied to a hospital bed was awful.

He took a deep breath once they stepped out of the car and onto the parking lot in front of the building.
"Are you alright?", Rami asked with concern written on his face.
"I will be. Just give me a second."
"I could go in first and announce our visit, if you need a few minutes," Gwil offered.
"They'd probably send us to the waiting room for a while anyway."
"No, it's okay, the fresh air is already helping."
Joe wasn't being entirely honest, but he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Rami and Gwil took Joe in their middle when they entered the building, and both kept a close eye on him. Inside, they walked up to the receptionist's desk.
"Hello, how can I help you?", the woman working there asked. Gwil stepped in front of Joe and Rami to do the talking.
"Hello, Miss. We are here to visit our friend, Ben Jones."
"One second," she said, scrolling through a list on the computer screen in front of her. When she looked up again, Joe noticed an apologetic expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, but it looks like your friend is not allowed any visitors at the moment."

Joe's heart sank. He, Gwil and Rami exchanged confused glances. This had to be a misunderstanding, right?
"And why is that?", Gwil inquired.
The woman shrugged.
"I don't have any insight on that, I'm afraid. You would need to ask his doctor, but I doubt he has the time to talk to you right now."
Joe didn't want to believe his ears. For a whole week, he had been counting the days and the only reason he didn't lose his mind was because he was certain he would get to see Ben today.

Thankfully, Gwil didn't give up so easily.
"You see, I talked to a gentleman last week, Dr. Hidgens I believe, and he told me it would be possible to visit Ben today."
"It says here on the patients list that he is not yet ready to be visited. I can call Dr. Hidgens, but like I said, it is unlikely he has any time right now."
"If you could do that, that would be great," Gwil said, with a hint of defeat lingering in his voice.
"Of course."

While she dialed up the doctor, Gwil turned to Joe and Rami.
"Great," he sighed.
"I really hope this is just a misunderstanding," Joe said. He tried to keep his voice in check, but the light tremble wasn't lost on his friends. Rami put a hand on his back.
"Hey, it's going to be alright. We will get to see him when he is ready."
Joe swallowed.
"I know that. But I need to see him now." He spoke quietly, hoping that at least the other people in the entry hall wouldn't notice that he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Joe," Gwil began, but the secretary interrupted him.
"Gentlemen? The doctor said he has ten minutes for you if you come to his office immediately. You'll find it on the third floor, room 303."
A wave of relief washed over Joe. It probably really was nothing but a misunderstanding. They would still be visiting Ben today. They had to.
"Thank you so much," Rami said to the woman.
"No problem," she replied, before going back to staring at the screen in front of her.

"Are you okay now?", Gwil checked in with Joe as the three made their way over to the elevator.
Joe nodded emphatically.
"Yes, of course. Don't worry about me."
Rami's face fell into a frown.
"I get the idea that we have to."
Gwil pushed the elevator button.
"Joe, it's going to be okay," he said.
"The secretary doesn't know Ben's case, and Dr. Hidgens said we could see him. Even if that won't work out today, you will see him soon. I'm sure of it."
"But what if his condition got worse and that's why we can't see him?", Joe asked.
Gwil and Rami fell silent. Joe could tell by their faces that they shared his fear.

The elevator door opened and they stepped inside. Joe selected the third floor, keeping his head held low, so he wouldn't have to look his friends in the eyes after what he just said. He felt Gwilym's hand on his shoulder and briefly looked up. Gwil opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find any words. The floor began to shake under their feet as the elevator came into motion.

Joe and Rami followed Gwil to the correct room. When he knocked, a deep voice sounded through the door.
"Come in."
They entered the small office. A silver haired man looked up from his paperwork.
"Ah, Mr Lee, was it?"
"Yes. I'm here with Mr Mazzello and Malek, they are also friends of Mr Jones."
The doctor gestured towards the chairs on the other side of his desk.
"Please, have a seat gentlemen. Unfortunately I do not have much time before I have to check on some of my patients again."

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to us," Joe said, as he sat down between Rami and Gwil.
"We were just told at the reception that we can't visit Ben today," the latter said.
"Now we are wondering why that is."
Dr. Hidgens shifted in his seat.
"As I previously told you, your friend is in a medically induced coma. At first it seemed that one week would be enough time, but we discovered other internal injuries, which will require a few more surgeries. Therefore it is easier for us, and most importantly, causes less stress and pain for him, if we keep him in this state for now."

Joe's breath got stuck in his throat. So Ben's condition really had gotten worse. Gwil placed his hand on Joe's when he noticed the change in his expression.
"And about how much longer will it take then?", he asked the doctor.
"I can't tell you exactly how long. That depends on how the surgeries go, if there are any complications, how long we will need to wait between surgeries, and so forth. But approximately another week or two, I would guess."
Joe swallowed. His throat had gone dry.
"Would it be possible for us to see him before he wakes up?", he asked in a quiet voice.

"Unfortunately I can't allow you to. I am already stretching my legal limitations by giving you any information about his condition. And I am only doing so because Mr Lee showed me proof that you four are in fact work friends. The only people who are allowed to see Mr Jones at the moment are his direct relatives. When he is awake, he will have to give permission for you to come see him."

"But he will be alright, won't he?", Rami asked in an urging tone. The doctor hesitated for a moment. Joe felt the panic rising inside him again. His heart was beating faster. The grip of Gwil's hand tightened around his own.
"Again, I am not allowed to say too much about his injuries. But they aren't anything I haven't dealt with before. Don't worry too much about your friend. He is in good hands here."
His calm voice didn't fool Joe. He was clearly hiding how serious it was. Joe's breaths became quicker, shallower. He felt as if he was suffocating.
"I need to get out of here." He jumped up, freeing his hand from Gwilym's grip.
"Joe?"
"Joe, wait!", Rami called out.
But Joe ignored them, and darted towards the door.

***

Hey guys! Did you miss the drama already? I sure did. Don't worry, there will be more in the upcoming chapters.
See you then!

Tay