Here you go guys, another chapter for you:
Eric returned to the hospital at midday, he was about to enter Horatio's room when the doctor stopped him. "Mr Delko, is it possible to have a word with you please?"
Sensing that something was wrong, Eric's mind immediately envisaged Horatio dead or dying. "What's happened, doctor? Is something wrong?"
"Ah…..not entirely, Mr Delko" the doctor saw the look of confusion on the other man's face and tried again, making an effort to be clearer in his meaning. "Mr Caine woke up this morning and for all intents and purposes he seems quite coherent, if a little confused. We need to run a number of tests to ascertain the likelihood of any permanent damage to his body" the doctor paused and took a deep breath, "Unfortunately, Mr Caine is being less than co-operative with my staff. He's been very agitated and aggressive this morning, he even sent one of your colleagues packing earlier today, I'm afraid"
"Is it normal?" Eric asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't follow. Is what normal, Mr Delko?" the doctor responded.
"His reaction. Is it normal in these kinds of situations?" he asked, praying that the answer would be 'yes'.
"Considering what Mr Caine has been through in the last eleven days, I would be more surprised if he wasn't reacting in this way. I take it that he is quite an independent man?" the doctor asked.
Eric let out a humourless laugh, "You could say that"
"Well, the fact that he's weak and confused is certainly not helping his mood. I take it that he's not the kind of man who accepts help from others very easily?"
Eric shook his head sadly, "No, he isn't"
"Unfortunately, Mr Caine is being reminded of his own mortality. I think he's having a hard time admitting that he needs help and so he's lashing out at those around him. I was wondering if you would come with me to speak to Mr Caine and try to talk some sense into him" the doctor smiled encouragingly.
"Sure" Eric replied, "Not sure how much use I'll be though"
Eric followed the doctor into Horatio's room, he glanced over to the man in the bed and found him staring intently at the ceiling.
"Mr Caine?" the doctor began, walking slowly over to the bed. "I've brought someone to see you"
Horatio continued to stare at the ceiling, taking particular interest in a damp patch on one of the ceiling tiles.
The doctor tried again, "Mr Caine, I understand your frustration but you must let my nurses do their jobs, we're trying to help you"
Horatio turned his head and locked eyes with the doctor, "I don't need your help, doctor" he spat with venom in his voice, "What I need is to go home and be left alone"
"Mr Caine, you're in no condition to be going anywhere at the moment" the doctor tried to reason with him, "You need to let us help you, otherwise you won't be getting out of here anytime soon" he told the stubborn redhead a little more firmly. "We need to carry out a number of tests to ascertain if there is any long-term damage, but we can't do that unless you're willing to co-operate" The doctor looked at Eric, signalling for him to step in.
"H, you need to let them do their job. They're trying to help you"
Horatio sighed and turned his head towards Eric, looking him straight in the eyes. Eric was taken aback by the sadness the other man's face conveyed. "I want to go home, Eric" he told him dejectedly.
"You will, H. I promise, but you've got to let them do their jobs first"
Horatio knew Eric was right and he made a mental note to add that to the list of failures he was currently compiling about himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Fine. Do whatever you have to then leave me alone" he told the doctor tersely.
Eric sat outside in the waiting area as doctors and nurses came and went from Horatio's room throughout the day, several times the bed was wheeled to another department where more tests and assessments were carried out. Each time he saw Horatio moved back into his room Eric's heart broke a little more, he could see the other man had closed his eyes and was pretending to be asleep but Eric could tell from the stiff set of Horatio's jaw that he was awake and hating every minute of it.
Having been subjected to a barrage of tests and scans Horatio was finally transported back to his room permanently by early evening. Eric has sat with him even though he had been told several times to leave and go home; he decided to ignore the icy stares that his friend was shooting him from his bed. The doctor knocked quietly on the door and entered the room, clearing his throat to gain the attention of the two men. "Excuse me gentlemen, I was hoping I might have a word with you?"
Having been poked and prodded all day long and subjected to a battery of tests and scans Horatio was tired and irritable, right now all he wanted to do was sleep and then wake up the next morning to find that it had all been a horrible dream. "Come to give me the bad news I take it?" he asked bitterly, the self-loathing in his voice evident.
"Mr Caine" the doctor began, trying to keep his tone neutral. "I know that you have undergone a number of tests and scans today and that it can be very tiring, especially for someone in your condition" The doctor mentally kicked himself for his lack of tact when he saw the looks on the faces of the two men.
"And what exactly is my condition?" Horatio growled, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the doctor, giving him an icy glare that would make most suspects quiver.
"Mr Caine, your body has been subjected to a vast amount of stress recently, as you know you are experiencing a lot of muscle weakness at the moment. The heroin had a serious effect on your heart; the good news is that there doesn't appear to be much in the way of permanent damage to any of your vital organs"
"Is that it?" Horatio asked, his eyes closed.
"I'm afraid not, Mr Caine. First of all I should tell you that you're extremely lucky to be alive and as coherent as you are. Many people who suffer from a drugs overdose either end up dead or in a vegetative state. Your MRI scan showed no major damage to your higher brain functions although you have sustain some minor damage to the amygdala which is the area of the brain that controls muscle function, memory and moods"
"What does that mean, doctor?" Eric asked.
"Well, the brain is capable of retraining itself to bypass damaged areas of it. As the damage is minor there is a strong possibility that with intensive physical therapy that Mr Caine will make an almost complete physical recovery"
"What do you mean almost?" Eric said, his tone wary.
"It's much more difficult to assess damage and recovery periods when it comes to long-term memory and emotions, I'm afraid it will just be a case of 'wait and see' but I assure you that the hospital has a number of specialist who will be able to provide treatment" The doctor once more made his excuses and left the room, allowing the two men time to digest the information he had given them.