Unmasking The Mafia

Chapter 33

The drive to the hospital is silent. William sits in the front, his hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed straight ahead. His jaw is tight, his expression strained with worry and anger.

Ethan sits in the back, his body curled up in a semi-fetal position, clearly still in pain. He alternates between hissing and whimpering whenever the car makes a particularly violent turn or bump.

William glances in the rear view mirror, watching as you soothe Ethan. There's a mixture of worry and appreciation in his expression, grateful that you're there with their son, providing him comfort in a moment of pain.

Eventually, the three of you arrive at the hospital. William parks the car and helps you get Ethan out, looping his son's arm around his shoulders to support his weight as they walk into the ER.

The ER is busy, as usual, doctors, nurses and patients rushing around as they attend to the various cases. William walks up to the receptionist's desk and gives the necessary details before you are told to wait.

William helps Ethan take a seat in the waiting area, sitting him down as gently as possible, trying not to jostle or cause him any further pain.

You sit down beside Ethan and soon enough he leans against you, clearly finding comfort in your presence. His breathing is still shallow and choppy, pain etched into every feature on his young face.

William, for his part, is pacing back and forth in front of you, impatience and worry etched clearly into his every movement. He checks his watch every few minutes, his restlessness growing by the second.

Finally, after several long minutes of waiting and pacing, a nurse calls Ethan's name. William stops his pacing, his gaze immediately snapping towards the nurse. Without a word, he lifts Ethan from your lap, looping his son's arm around his shoulders once again as he walks towards the nurse.

The three of you follow the nurse into one of the examination rooms. She checks Ethan's vitals, asking questions about the amount of pain he's in and how long it's been bothering him. William remains on edge, his body coiled tight like a spring, his eyes fixed on his son's every move.

After a while, the nurse steps out of the room and returns moments later with a doctor in tow.

He introduces himself before walking over to Ethan, giving him a cursory examination, asking similar questions as the nurse.

Then, he turns to William and you, a note of severity in his voice, "could I have a word with you two outside?"

Once outside, the doctor closes the door behind him and motions for you and William to step farther away from the door so the three of  you can speak privately.

"I'm afraid the news isn't good," he says bluntly, his face grave as he looks between the two of you.

"Meaning?"

The doctor sighs, rubbing a hand over his face as he prepares to deliver the bad news.

"Your son's injury is quite serious, I'm afraid. He has a severe case of a subdural hematoma. It's causing inflammation and extreme pain. We will administer some pain medication, but it won't do much for his problem. He will most likely need surgery."

"What?"

The doctor nods solemnly, sympathy in his gaze as he looks at your and William's horrified expressions.

"The only way to treat a subdural hematoma this large is through surgery, like I said earlier. We'll admit him and perform the surgery as soon as possible to prevent any further complications."

William's jaw clenches, his eyes darkening as he processes the news. The thought of his son, his 17 year old boy, having to undergo surgery is clearly a difficult pill to swallow.