What Goes Around (Bulldogs MC #3)

5: I'm Such A Girl!

^^ Smiler ^^

I don't know how long we waited for Banjo to come back from surgery, but it felt like hours. By the time he's wheeled back to his room, it's dark outside and the hospital has a completely different feel to it. In the daytime, everything is rushed and noisy. The later it gets, the more peoples voices drop, and the slower everything seems to get. The beeping from Banjo's heart monitor is reassuring in the daytime, but right now it seems like an unbearably loud reminder of where he is, and why. Jay has been pacing the whole time. The only time he isn't wearing a hole in the tiled floor is when he goes outside to smoke and make phone calls. No one knows yet exactly what happened, or why, or who, but I think Jay's phone bill will be in four figures at this rate. Smiler pushes his hand down on my knee and I realise I'd been bouncing my leg. I grab his hand but don't take my eyes off Banjo. He now has a large cast on his arm, and I can see metal bars poking out of the sides. It looks like something from a medieval torture room. I look up when Dr Ryan approaches again, still in the scrubs he wore to operate.

"The surgery went well. We managed to realign the bones and remove the pressure on the nerve. We've put some plates and screws in there to keep his bones in the right place while they heal. There's still some swelling on the nerves but with rest and the anti-inflammatory drugs he's on, that should resolve by itself,"

"So he can ride again?" I ask, knowing it will be the first thing Banjo wants to know.

The doctor nods. "It looks good. He may have some loss of sensation and movement for a while until the swelling's gone, but there shouldn't be any permanent damage. With rehab and patience, he should regain full use of that hand."

I thank him and smile gratefully, and he makes a note in the chart before excusing himself. Smiler puts an arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple, while I concentrate on the rise and fall of Banjo's chest. I look around and watch the nurses as they fiddle with machines all around the ward, and can't help but wonder about the other patients. There are only three others, and two are alone. I notice a woman sitting with the third patient. I can't tell if the patient is male or female because their face is hidden behind tubes and dressings. I see the lady searching through her bag, and realise she is crying so hard she can't stop her shoulders shaking. I grab the box of tissues off Banjo's nightstand and take them over to her. She jumps when I tap her shoulder, and I find myself staring for a moment. She looks so much like my mother that I feel like I'm ten again, watching her cry as she tries to explain cancer to me. I hand her the box and smile when she thanks me, before returning to my seat.

"You okay?" Smiler whispers in my ear.

"Yeah. She's just alone, you know? We all have each other, but she's on her own,"

Smiler nods and taps my shoulder, pointing to the doorway where Jay has entered. The other thing I've noticed about the ward at night time is that the nurses are a lot more lax about the two visitors rule, as long as we're not noisy or in the way.

"Hey. Any change?" Jay asks when he reaches us. I shake my head and he nods towards the door. "That brain doc is gonna come in and have a chat," He must see the panic on my face 'cos he rushes to continue. "Nothing bad, just to keep us updated." I sigh and nod, looking up as the doctor enters. I met him briefly earlier when they came to take Banjo down to fix his arm, but we didn't have long to talk. I can't even remember his name.

"Good evening," he smiles, and I try to return it. "There's no change, I just wanted to tell you the plan while I have a spare moment. Benjamin is stable, his swelling has decreased slightly and all his other numbers look good. The ventilator he's on shows that he's actually doing about seventy percent of the breathing on his own, the machine is just helping him,"