Jeff hesitated before reaching down and picked the lipstick up with a shaking hand. What was this? Why, why was his son clenching this so tightly? He examined it absentmindedly while listening to the EMT talking, but the thought was soon chased from his head as the ambulance arrived at the hospital and Jeff put the lipstick safely away – for now.
He was hustled from the ambulance as the EMT's moved Scott into the emergency room and beyond for treatment, leaving Jeff pacing the waiting room. While he pace he took out the lipstick, unknowingly spinning it around in his hands just as his son had done a few hours earlier. He really needed to work out what the hell was going on with his son. With his sons.
Some minutes later he was joined by the sheriff. Eli clapped his hand on Jeff's shoulder, stopping him pacing, leading him over to a corner and forcing him into a seat. He disappeared for a moment, not that Jeff realised, and reappeared with a plastic cup of coffee. Jeff glanced up as he accepted the cup, offering a weak smile as thanks.
Nothing was said as both men sat waiting, Jeff grateful beyond words that his good friend would stay with him despite being a busy man himself.
John had called his Grandma while he drove home, and she had promised to be there within the hour, and then he called the sheriff, remembering his dad had done so earlier. Sheriff Williams had promised to get to the hospital so his dad wasn't on his own.
There was some relief, pulling up in the driveway, and as John got out of the car, Virgil opened the front door. Seeing John by himself, the teen frowned and stepped out of the house, looking for their father's car. He turned back to John just as he reached the door; and squawked when John pulled him in for a quick hug.
If the non-appearance of their father had Virgil concerned, the hug from John had him downright worried. Although he knew his brother loved him, physical contact was usually limited to a hand on a shoulder or arm. He couldn't remember the last time John hugged him, and he began to bite his lip in worry.
John's spontaneous act may have given Virgil the wrong idea, but right then John needed it. He didn't hold on for long, tugging his brother back into the house and to the kitchen, where he set about making hot chocolate for them both. Virgil kept quiet, allowing John the time to consider how he would announce what had happened, and he really appreciated that patience. His other brothers, even Alan, would have been jumping up and down in frustration by now.
'Dad found him. Looks like Scotty was mugged, and Dad's gone to the hospital with him.' Virgil nodded. Ok. One problem solved. Scott hadn't deliberately stayed out – a thought that had been plaguing him since he'd found out his big brother had not come home, the idea that Scott had been so mad that he stayed away deliberately. Now he just needed to know how injured Scott was.
'I called Grandma, she'll be here shortly.' Another nod. That was good thinking on John's part, because both their younger brothers would be difficult to deal with when they wake up later and find both Dad and Scott missing. But no one would defy Grandma. They carried their drinks over to the fire, savouring the dying warmth.
John stoked the fire a little and they settled, not talking but enjoying each other's company in the silence. Sure enough, by the time they had finished their drinks and washed up Grandma was opening the door. She must have broken some speed restrictions to be there, but no one was going to say anything.
Sally wasted no time hustling her grandsons off to bed, determined that they would get some sleep tonight. She had no doubt that the two would end up together, after the shock of John's phone call she knew that they would need that comfort while knowing Scott was injured. Once they had gone Sally set about preparing meals for tomorrow, knowing full well that the Tracy clan would be off school and descending on the hospital en-masse, no matter what the hospital rules were.
Using the time to make six packed lunches, despite knowing that Jeff would probably not eat his, allowed her time to plan out the next few days. One day off school and then the weekend, then it would depend on Scott's injuries. She paused while rolling pastry, wiped her hands and messaged Jeff's PA to cancel his appointments for the next three days, knowing Jeff wouldn't think about it.
Pies made and in the oven, now was the time to see if there was any news from the hospital, and Sally made herself a cup of iced peach tea, sat at the now clean table and called her son.
Jeff answered on the third ring.
The wait was awful. Jeff wasn't sure if it was bad because he had some idea of the injuries Scott had suffered, or because of the potential injuries he did not know. Scott definitely had several broken bones in his hand, some cracked ribs at the least, a head injury. That was what he knew, and that was frightening enough.
Eli had sat with him for the first hour, then had disappeared for almost half an hour, returning with coffee that was definitely not hospital-grade, and Jeff gratefully sunk it as fast as me could manage the scalding liquid. The Sheriff had taken notes from what Jeff and John had found, and one of the first things he had started his deputy on was tracing Scott's phone.
If Eli had wondered why his friend was distractedly rolling a tube of lipstick around his hands he never mentioned it.
They had now been waiting almost three hours when Jeff was approached by a doctor and the pair were ushered into a consulting room. The doctor was a kindly older man, whose name Jeff couldn't retain, and he sat them down to talk about Scott's injuries, making sure that Jeff was alright with the police being there as well. Jeff nodded for him to continue, Eli would need the details anyway so it seemed best to have him here.
The doctor confirmed all that the EMT had said. Of the 27 bones in the hand, Scott had 11 broken and another three cracked. Some of these bones were difficult to break, but the injuries were consistent with the theory that he had been clasping something when his hand had been stamped on.
He had four cracked ribs on his right side. They were not bound, but the hospital had said that they would provide a cool pack that would be used once he was conscious.
There was a head injury, possibly caused by a kick to the head. It was a laceration that had needed cleaning, but it was a straight line that was easily treated by using his own hair to pull the scalp together and gluing the wound. The glue would fall off naturally after scabbing, and it meant that Scott hadn't needed to have his hair shaved.
These were the injuries Jeff already knew about.
Bruised kidneys. It appeared that his right kidney was severely bruised. There would be blood in his urine for a while, and Scott would need careful watching to make sure he didn't have any urine retention, a common issue with this kind of damage. If he did, the hospital would insert a catheter for a short while until his kidneys were working again.
These were his serious injuries. There were lots of contusions and lacerations consistent with a beating as well.
How long would Scott need to stay in the hospital? Hard to say really, but a minimum of three days for his kidneys and head injury to be monitored. After that, it depended on how well he was doing.
Jeff sighed, pinching his nose. His boys were absolute trouble magnets, without even trying, and he turned as Eli placed a hand on his shoulder. The sheriff smiled at his friend and got up, needing to pass the information on as soon as possible. Jeff stood up and shook the doctor's hand.
'Give me another five minutes, and I'll send down a nurse to take you to Scott's room.' This elicited a genuine smile from the father, and as Jeff left the room his phone vibrated. Looking at the screen to see it was his Ma calling, he exhaled a breath he didn't realise he had been holding.
'Ma.' His voice sounded weak and cracked a little, but Sally didn't call her son out. It wasn't the first time Jeff had ended up in hospital with one of his boys, and certainly wouldn't be the last. They were Tracy's after all.
'Tell me everything,' she commanded, and Jeff unburdened himself. Just as he was telling her about the length of time Scott would need to stay, a nurse appeared at his side, ready to direct him to Scott's room. Sally told him not to worry about tomorrow, that they would be there first thing (which would mean about 9am if they could get Virgil out of bed) and that all Jeff needed to do tonight was to message her the room number.
She led him to a private ward, and a room that was not the usual hospital white or beige. This was all blues, and Jeff took a moment to appreciate that Scott would like this. The nurse showed him the call bell, explained visiting hours for the rest of the family – 9am would be the earliest anyway – and left him to it.
Jeff sat next to his son, one hand holding Scott's undamaged hand, the other still turning the lipstick over and over. Eventually the rhythmic beeping of the monitors and his son's breathing lulled Jeff asleep.
He didn't notice when the lipstick fell from his fingers and rolled away.