Detective

Chapter 15

36 hours later

Jason woke up in a room with white walls and the bright sun creeping through a half-closed window. At first, he panicked and began to breathe quicker, but when he heard Stephanie's soft voice, he knew that he was safe.

He shifted, and found tubes bandaged to his right arm. He tried to move his left arm to sit up but then realised that his arm was in a plaster cast from the elbow down. He could feel a bandage wrapped around his head, and he moved his right arm to touch it, cautious of the IV.

He was a little confused, and couldn't remember some things clearly.

He looked up at Stephanie who had a gentle smile on her face. "How are you feeling, Jason?"

Jason slowly sat up, ignoring the throbbing in his head. "Felt worse." He said weakly, swallowing. He looked over at the bed across from his, and saw his brother lying motionless on it.

Stephanie followed his gaze, and then reached for Jason's hand. "The doctors said that he went through a rough time during surgery," she said softly. "And that his heart had stopped."

Jason looked down at his hands and felt her squeeze his in hers. He slowly looked back up at her, looking into her earthly eyes and searching for the answer to the question he was too afraid to ask.

She bit her lip. "They told me that there is a chance that he might never wake up," she moved her other hand and put it under his. "They just said that he's been through too much, and that he's too weak."

Jason looked down again and fiddled with the blanket, trying to stay in control of his emotions that were threatening to spill. "But he could still wake up, right?"

Stephanie nodded. "They said that there is a good possibility that if he goes well during his next surgery, he should be fine."

"What if he doesn't?"

Stephanie squeezed his hand more. "Then they'll keep trying."

Jason nodded and looked at the itchy cast on his arm. He didn't know what to do or what to say.

He looked back at Stephanie's pale blue eyes. "So what happens to me now?" he asked.

She sighed and looked down for a split second. "Well, for now, you have to remain at the hospital for another week."

Jason felt like a brick hit him across the face. "A week?"

She nodded. "You as well as your brother lost a lot of blood, and if you haven't noticed, you were shot twice on the same arm," she continued. "You also have a mild concussion, and you have some rib bruising."

Jason closed his eyes, and then reopened them. "Is that all?"

She shook her head and lowered her voice slightly. "When the doctors were fixing your arm, they said that there is a chance that your nerves in your arm might have been damaged."

Jason looked at her, confused.

She sighed again. "It means that you might have to take physiotherapy because you might not be able to move your fingers properly."

Jason looked down at his arm, and tried to move his fingers. They did not move. He began to grow panicked. He didn't want to not be able to move his fingers. He tried to clear his thoughts, and asked another question that has been nagging him.

"Who's paying for all of this?"

Stephanie half smiled. "The government is. Because we asked you and your brother to help us with a case, and it's technically our fault that you got hurt, the government is paying for it through the health department." She replied simply.