squeezed it.
As the sister drew one of the curtains aside they found a nurse was setting up a drip and they had to wait until she had finished.
One of Sam’s arms was heavily bandaged and the wrist of his other arm was in splints and supported above his head. One of his legs was encased in a plaster cast from ankle to thigh and there was a metal cage over it to keep the bedclothes from pressing down on it. His face was badly lacerated and both his eyes were surrounded by dark bruising. Lucy could see that his mouth and lips were very swollen and she wondered if he had lost any of his teeth.
His eyes flickered open as they approached but although Lucy spoke his name he simply stared vacantly into space and moaned as though he was in pain.
‘He doesn’t even know me,’ Lucy whispered in a shocked voice as she stood helplessly at the bedside staring down at him.
‘Your brother is heavily sedated at the moment, Miss Collins,’ the sister told her.
As the tears began to trickle down Lucy’s cheeks Robert put his arm around her shoulders and gently drew her away from the bed.
‘I would suggest that you go home and come back tomorrow or the next day and hopefully by then you will find he not only recognises you, but is also able to speak to you,’ the sister advised.
‘Does he know what happened and that our parents are both dead?’ Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.
‘No.’ The sister shook her head firmly. ‘He was unconscious when he was brought in.’
‘Who is going to break the news to Sam?’ Lucy asked, her voice full of concern. ‘He’s going to be so terribly upset,’ she added with a deep, shuddering sigh.
‘It would be best not to tell him about what happened until he is much stronger,’ the sister said firmly. ‘Next time you come we will discuss the matter; perhaps it would be better to leave it until he is on the road to recovery himself.’
‘He is going to be all right, isn’t he?’ Lucy gulped.
The sister hesitated for a second. ‘Your brother is young and healthy and if he was quite fit and strong before the accident then he should make good progress given time and patience.’
‘Will he make a complete recovery?’ Lucy repeated, emphasising the word complete .
Again the sister hesitated. ‘He will need a great deal of nursing care for some considerable time after he is discharged from here,’ she said evasively.
‘I think we should go now,’ Robert suggested, taking Lucy by the elbow and propelling her away from Sam’s bed.
‘Yes, that’s very sensible,’ the sister murmured giving Robert a grateful look.
‘It is all right to come back tomorrow, though?’ Lucy asked.
‘Yes, but there may not be a great deal of improvement in his condition by then, so it might be better if you left it for a day or two.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘Please don’t ask me to do that,’ she begged. ‘I’d like to stay now and sit by his bedside so that I am here for him when he does waken.’
‘No, no. You can do nothing for him at the moment,’ the sister told her firmly. ‘He needs complete rest. Come back tomorrow, if you really feel you must. Mid-afternoon would be best. By then I hope you will see some improvement in your brother’s condition,’ she added briskly as she ushered them out of the ward.
Once they were outside the hospital Lucy seemed to be so overcome with grief that Robert wondered if he ought to get a taxi cab to take them home. As soon as he mentioned this, though, Lucy shook her head emphatically.
‘No, Robert, I would prefer to walk. I’ll be all right in a minute,’ she told him, taking great gulps of air and scrubbing at her tear-stained face with her handkerchief.
‘Are you quite sure? You were so brave when we went to the mortuary.’
‘It was because they only seemed to be asleep. It was such a shock when Sam opened his eyes and didn’t recognise me, or even look at me, that was what upset me the most,’ she babbled.
‘The sister
As the sister drew one of the curtains aside they found a nurse was setting up a drip and they had to wait until she had finished.
One of Sam’s arms was heavily bandaged and the wrist of his other arm was in splints and supported above his head. One of his legs was encased in a plaster cast from ankle to thigh and there was a metal cage over it to keep the bedclothes from pressing down on it. His face was badly lacerated and both his eyes were surrounded by dark bruising. Lucy could see that his mouth and lips were very swollen and she wondered if he had lost any of his teeth.
His eyes flickered open as they approached but although Lucy spoke his name he simply stared vacantly into space and moaned as though he was in pain.
‘He doesn’t even know me,’ Lucy whispered in a shocked voice as she stood helplessly at the bedside staring down at him.
‘Your brother is heavily sedated at the moment, Miss Collins,’ the sister told her.
As the tears began to trickle down Lucy’s cheeks Robert put his arm around her shoulders and gently drew her away from the bed.
‘I would suggest that you go home and come back tomorrow or the next day and hopefully by then you will find he not only recognises you, but is also able to speak to you,’ the sister advised.
‘Does he know what happened and that our parents are both dead?’ Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.
‘No.’ The sister shook her head firmly. ‘He was unconscious when he was brought in.’
‘Who is going to break the news to Sam?’ Lucy asked, her voice full of concern. ‘He’s going to be so terribly upset,’ she added with a deep, shuddering sigh.
‘It would be best not to tell him about what happened until he is much stronger,’ the sister said firmly. ‘Next time you come we will discuss the matter; perhaps it would be better to leave it until he is on the road to recovery himself.’
‘He is going to be all right, isn’t he?’ Lucy gulped.
The sister hesitated for a second. ‘Your brother is young and healthy and if he was quite fit and strong before the accident then he should make good progress given time and patience.’
‘Will he make a complete recovery?’ Lucy repeated, emphasising the word complete .
Again the sister hesitated. ‘He will need a great deal of nursing care for some considerable time after he is discharged from here,’ she said evasively.
‘I think we should go now,’ Robert suggested, taking Lucy by the elbow and propelling her away from Sam’s bed.
‘Yes, that’s very sensible,’ the sister murmured giving Robert a grateful look.
‘It is all right to come back tomorrow, though?’ Lucy asked.
‘Yes, but there may not be a great deal of improvement in his condition by then, so it might be better if you left it for a day or two.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘Please don’t ask me to do that,’ she begged. ‘I’d like to stay now and sit by his bedside so that I am here for him when he does waken.’
‘No, no. You can do nothing for him at the moment,’ the sister told her firmly. ‘He needs complete rest. Come back tomorrow, if you really feel you must. Mid-afternoon would be best. By then I hope you will see some improvement in your brother’s condition,’ she added briskly as she ushered them out of the ward.
Once they were outside the hospital Lucy seemed to be so overcome with grief that Robert wondered if he ought to get a taxi cab to take them home. As soon as he mentioned this, though, Lucy shook her head emphatically.
‘No, Robert, I would prefer to walk. I’ll be all right in a minute,’ she told him, taking great gulps of air and scrubbing at her tear-stained face with her handkerchief.
‘Are you quite sure? You were so brave when we went to the mortuary.’
‘It was because they only seemed to be asleep. It was such a shock when Sam opened his eyes and didn’t recognise me, or even look at me, that was what upset me the most,’ she babbled.
‘The sister
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