Christmas Break

Chapter 4

"STEVE! Do you hear me? Open this door. PLEASE! "

"MIKE? What's going on?" Jeannie asked more puzzled than ever as to what was happening.

Mike turned and looked at his daughter realizing that his behaviour must seem very bizarre to her especially as she had spent most of the time since Steve arrived, in the kitchen cooking and hadn't had much chance to witness Steve's obvious discomfort.

"Sorry sweetheart. I know this seems strange but I think there's something wrong with Steve's shoulder. He's been favouring it since he got here and as usual he is trying to hide it. I'm just trying to get him to tell me what's up with it. That's all."

Jeannie scowled at her father much to his surprise and nudged him slightly to one side.

"Mike. If there is something wrong with his shoulder then banging on the door and yelling at him isn't really the way to get him to tell us. Is it? Leave this to me. "

Then putting her face close to the closed door she spoke softly and sympathetically.

"Steve? Please open the door. We're just worried about you. Steve? If there's something wrong, let us help you. Come on Steve, please open the door."

Mike felt his temper rise again as the door remained closed.

"Jeannie. Sweetheart, I know that boy in there and your tactics won't work. I'm telling you he'll do anything to hide what's bothering him. He always has. I don't know what gets into him but firmness is the only thing that seems to get through to him." and Mike turned to bang on the door once more.

But Jeannie reached out and grabbed his hand and stopped him but before Mike could ask her why, they both heard a distinctive click as the key turned in the lock on the other side. Mike looked at Jeannie who had a smug look on her face having proved her father's theory wrong. As they continued to look at each other, they waited for the door to open but when it didn't Mike swallowed hard and very gently turned the handle. The door opened and again Mike placed a hand on the door and pushed it open slowly, worried about what he would find. Jeannie stayed one step behind her father and as the door opened they saw Steve sitting on the side of the bath, his head hung low and his face a mixture of pain and distress.

He never looked up as the door opened, feeling annoyed that he had single handedly just put paid to the Stone Christmas dinner and suddenly long buried childhood memories of disasterous Christmases filled his mind. He could hear his overbearing Uncle's voice berating him and blaming him on spoiling everything and he felt the pain, guilt and upset building inside him all over again as he relived the nightmares of Christmases past.

When Steve never moved, Mike cast a worried look at Jeannie who looked equally at a sudden loss of what to do or say next so taking the lead, Mike stepped over the threshold and knelt down in front of the young man whose demeanor was seriously worrying him.

"Steve? What's the matter? Did something happen today at work? You weren't shot were you? Steve you're scaring me ... and Jeannie! Talk to me buddy boy."

Mike's words finally broke through Steve's thoughts and looking up he briefly looked Mike in the eye before turning away again feeling more ashamed and wishing that this evening had turned out more like he had hoped it would. But hearing that Mike was worried he knew he had to just get it over with.

"No ... it was nothing like that. It only happened on the way here this evening." Steve stammered still not catching Mike or Jeannie's eye.

Jeannie had stood by the door watching her father try to talk Steve around but he looked so sad and miserable that she couldn't keep her distance any longer. Coming into the room and sitting on the side of the bath beside her father's partner, she placed a supportive hand on his arm and spoke softly.

"What Steve? What happened on your way here?"

Again Steve cast a sideways glance at Jeannie and bit back another yell as the pain in his shoulder seemed to intensify.

"I was stopped ... in traffic and I saw a ... mugging. A little old lady was being robbed. The guy pushed her to the ground ... and took off with her bag so I pulled in and ... chased him. He was fast Mike. I chased him clear over to Folsom Street before I finally got a chance to take him down but when I tackled him ... my shoulder impacted with the wall. I got him though Mike. " Steve said looking up proudly trying to at least explain that there had been a good outcome to the whole sorry affair.

Jeannie audibly gasped and looked at Mike who seemed to be trying to get a look at Steve's shoulder while he was telling his story.

" Well then you did good buddy boy." Mike said patting Steve's knee, feeling that he somehow needed the praise from the downhearted way he was looking. " But STEVE. Didn't you get it seen to at the scene? Surely there were paramedics called?"

"I thought it was just bruised Mike ... Honest. I knew Jeannie was going to a lot of trouble ... making dinner and I figured I could get it seen to later on my way home from here. I swear Mike. I was going to get it checked out."

"Ok, ok I believe you buddy boy. Take it easy now. "Mike said seeing Steve getting agitated and knowing he needed to calm him down. "But you need to let me look at the shoulder Steve. Ok? It sounds like it's worse than just bruised."

"Mike, I can't ." Steve pleaded, and sucked in another deep breath as a new wave of pain assaulted his injured shoulder.

Thinking that he was not going to allow him to look at his shoulder by his words, Mike felt frustrated and exasperated again and spoke accordingly.

"Now listen buddy boy. You HAVE to let me look at it ok? I have to check it out."

Knowing what Mike had been thinking, Steve breathed through the pain and explained.

"No ... no you misunderstood. I can't show you the shoulder because it's after swelling up. I can't take the jacket or shirt off Mike."

Jeannie gasped again not meaning to and Mike's shocked expression mirrored her own concerns.

"Oh buddy boy. That doesn't sound good." Then as realization dawned Mike remembered. "That's why you wouldn't take off your jacket downstairs. "

Steve looked down at the floor again and nodded ashamedly. Mike put an understanding hand on Steve's right shoulder.

"Steve? Did you hit your bad shoulder again up in the attic off that beam?"

Again Steve swallowed hard as the pain never let up and nodded at Mike through the waves of pain.

"Ok buddy boy. You're going to have to trust me, alright? I'm just going to look at it. Ok?" Mike said, while as gently as he could he pulled the front of Steve's shirt to one side and saw the beginning of the bruising and the swelling.

Jeannie saw it too and she felt her emotions fray, thinking of how he had been keeping such an awful injury to himself rather than spoil the Christmas dinner that at least to Jeannie no longer even seemed important anymore. Mike felt the tightness of the material around Steve's shoulder and knew the young man was in trouble.

"Jeannie. Go downstairs and get me an icepack will you please? We need to try to get the swelling down and then we need to get him to the ER as soon as possible. I think it's safe to assume the shoulder is broken."

"Sure Mike. I'll be right back." Jeannie answered and hurried off downstairs glad to at least have something useful to do rather than feel useless and helpless.

Hearing Mike's words Steve began to protest vehemently.

"No, no Mike. You don't have to do that. Just call me a cab and I'll go down myself and get it seen to. You two go ahead and have your dinner. I'll manage Mike. Honest."

"I'll do no such thing. I'm not going to let you head off in a cab on your own in this state. Do you really think that a meal is more important than the people we share it with? Whatever made you feel that way buddy boy?" Mike asked trying to understand why Steve was so upset about ruining their dinner plans.

Almost barely audibly Steve answered.

"My Uncle ..."

Mike swallowed hard having heard horrific stories about Steve's Uncle before when as a young lad Steve had been unfortunate enough to have had to stay with the man for a few years through no choice of his own. Mike didn't reply but instead waited for Steve to continue.

"To him, Christmas dinner wasn't about who shared it. It was about who had the best looking turkey or the most expensive looking decorations and who invited the most important guests. I was just an inconvenience at Christmas ... "

Steve trailed off not even sure why he was sharing these memories with Mike but the tiredness and pain he was in was making him more unreserved than normal. "You know one Christmas I was really sick. I had a really bad stomach bug and he made me stay in my room so I wouldn't ruin his Christmas dinner party."

Tears seemed to spring to the young man's eyes and as another screaming pain ripped through his shoulder he doubled over and grabbed Mike's arm.

"OH MIKE ! IT REALLY HURTS !" he gasped as he covered his face with his good hand.

"Ok buddy boy. I know. Try to breathe through it." Mike comforted his partner as he watched for Jeannie's return and finally he felt that he understood why Steve was so annoyed with himself for spoiling their Christmas dinner. The poor boy had always been made to feel that his needs were secondary to everyone else's enjoyment of Christmas and in that instant Mike vowed to teach the young man the true meaning of Christmas. The one he should have always been included in from the start.

As the wave of pain eased Mike placed a hand on Steve's chin and raised the young man's face to look him in the eye.

"Now you listen to me now Steve. That's not the Stone family Christmas tradition. Food can be reheated and enjoyed anytime. What's important is the people we care about. Now I'm coming with you to the hospital and I'm going to stay there as long as necessary until you've been seen and looked after. Ok?"

"But Mike ..." Steve began to protest but Mike cut him off immediately.

"Ah ah. No arguments. Ok?"

Jeannie arrived back at that moment with the ice pack and stared at the two men wondering what she had missed in her absence. Taking the icepack from her Mike smiled and looked at her intensely and as he spoke to her his eyes gave away the fact that he needed her to back him up verbally.

"Thanks sweetheart. I've just told Steve here that we are coming to the hospital with him whether he likes it or not and that we can always have the dinner again. Isn't that right?"

Raising his eyebrows and throwing a very concealed look towards his partner Jeannie smiled and piped up enthusiastically.

"That's right Mike. The food will keep but that shoulder won't."

Mike beamed proudly at his daughter and was thankful to see Steve's misgivings ease a little as both members of the Stone family seemed to be in agreement that the young man hadn't done anything to upset their Christmas plans at all. Although he didn't quite understand why they weren't more upset with him, he was none the less grateful for it at the same time.

With Steve's misgivings dealt with as far as he was concerned, Mike turned his attention back to Steve's physical pain. Feeling the shoulder very gently through the two layers of clothes and apologizing twice as Steve jumped visibly from the pain that Mike's probing had caused, he made an announcement.

"Steve, I think we can get your jacket off if we're careful and then I can get a better look at the shoulder itself. "

As he saw the horrified look on Steve's face at the pain removing the jacket would cause he quickly countered.

"Now trust me ok? Otherwise you're just going to get another of your fancy jackets ruined when the Hospital staff have to cut it off you later. Ok?"

Steve nodded for Mike to go ahead but Mike noticed how tightly Steve was gripping the side of the bath in anticipation of the impending pain and he sympathized with the young man while at the same time admiring his bravery.

Very carefully, Mike took Steve's good arm from his jacket and pulled the jacket right around behind him until it was just attached to the bad shoulder and arm. Then very slowly and watching for signs of terrible discomfort on Steve's face at the same time, he carefully peeled the jacket down over the shoulder and down Steve's arm while supporting the sore shoulder with his other hand as gently as he could. Apart from one distinct yell as the jacket came off the shoulder and a few winces as it came down his arm, Steve was no worse off when the jacket finally came away. Mike heard Steve sigh with relief when the procedure was done and even managed a pain filled smile as he realized that Mike had saved one of his favourite jackets from a worse fate. Looking at the distinct swelling on Steve's upper arm that was swollen into his shirt, Mike knew that his shirt would not be so lucky.

"Steve, I'm going to have to cut the shirt off , I'm afraid. Jeannie get me the first aid kit would you please? It's under the sink over there."

Steve looked increasingly apprehensive as Jeannie raced to the cabinet and handed the first aid kit to Mike. Opening the green, white cross adorned box, he retrieved a small scissors and with careful precision he cut the shirt sleeve away from Steve's shoulder. The purple bruising and pronounced swelling that action revealed was not a pretty sight and it brought tears to Jeannie's eyes as she could only imagine the pain Steve was experiencing. As Mike reached towards the shoulder, Steve startled him by yelling.

"MIKE! DON'T TOUCH IT! ... Please don't touch it."

After Steve yelled he leaned forward and covered his face with his good hand. The pain was becoming unbearable and he just wanted it to stop hurting.

"Ok buddy boy. I won't. Ok? Just take it easy but I need to get the ice on it. The ice should numb it a bit and ease up the pain a little. I know you're hurting Steve but let's just get the ice on it and then we'll leave for the hospital. Alright?"

Steve didn't move but nodded feebly not looking forward to anything touching off his painfully sore shoulder even ice. But he trusted Mike and just wanted the ordeal to be over. Mike very carefully but quickly placed the icepack on Steve's swollen shoulder and at the same time placed a firm hand on Steve's other shoulder and just as well he did because Steve nearly hit the roof when the searing cold ice burned his already bruised and battered shoulder.

"OH MIKE! That's not helping." he screamed trying to stop the tears that threatened to come.

His breath was coming in ragged gasps and he had started to shake violently to Mike's horror. Mike immediately flew into action. Still holding the icepack gently against the swelling, he threw Steve's jacket around his shoulders and spoke urgently to Jeannie.

"Come on sweetheart. We need to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. I don't like the way this is going. He's looking a bit flaky and he's in an awful lot of pain. "