Chapter 4

"Doctor Lore, I am William Melrose, Lee's direct supervisor. Can you tell us what's happening with his wife, Amanda, and their son?" Billy stepped forward before Lee had a chance to speak.

"I am aware of who you are, Mr. Melrose. The nurses have been keeping me informed." Dr. Lore flashed a smile at the two men. "And I have to say, Mr. Stetson, your aversion to hospitals and the nursing staff precedes you. There is a lengthy note in your file here regarding your… responses… to most hospital staff."

"Listen, Doc, I don't give a damn what it says in there about my behavior. Tell me what's going on with my family!" Lee struggled to keep his temper in check.

Dr. Lore nodded. "Before I get into detail about their conditions, I need to determine yours. How's the arm?"

Lee glared at the man before him. He bit back a sharp retort. "Painful."

"And your head? No headaches, pains of any sort?" the doctor continued.

"No. My head is fine. Now, please, tell me what is happening with my son and my wife," Lee pleaded.

Dr. Lore exhaled loudly and flipped open the metal records chart he was holding. "I'll begin with the boy… William. Upon a cursory exam, he presented with a six-centimeter laceration located on the left frontal bone above the orbital bone."

Lee stopped the doctor with a wave of his hand. "In English, Doc. No medical mumbo jumbo."

"Fine. He had a cut, here." The doctor indicated a spot above his left eyebrow. Lee nodded with understanding. "Because he was unresponsive to light or sound, we had concerns it was a little more serious than just a slice. The CAT scan revealed an acute subdural hematoma. A collection of blood pressing against the inside of his skull."

"So what's going on with him? What are you doing to treat him?" Lee demanded.

"We've done everything we can for the moment."

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Lee's heart rate spiked as the monitor attached to him began beeping loudly.

Dr. Lore stood and pressed a button on the machine, silencing the sound. "First, Mr. Stetson, you need to calm yourself a little bit. We brought him into surgery and performed what's called a burr hole. We drilled a hole into his skull to suction the blood and we've placed a drain in that hole in the event there is still a small leak."

Lee pressed his hand to his mouth as the gravity of the doctor's words sunk in. "Is he still unconscious?"

"Yes. We are monitoring him, and it's just a matter of time. I do want to say, that seat you had him strapped into, most likely saved his life. He's at that age where most people aren't keeping their children in car seats anymore," Dr. Lore stated.

Lee's eyes darted to the side as he uttered, "That's why Amanda insisted we buy that van. It had more safety features than anything else." He brought his attention back to the doctor and asked, "Do you know what caused it… what hit him?"

"Based on the description from the medics on scene, I believe a piece of shrapnel sliced the airbag and hit your son in the head. It could've been part of the door itself when it collapsed, but it's hard to say for sure." Dr. Lore closed the medical chart and placed it underneath the other one in his hand.

Billy bounced his head slightly, scratched his jawline before he asked, "Do you expect he'll have any lasting issues from this?"

Dr. Lore exhaled softly. "I don't believe so, but I can't say for sure. He's going to have a scar, but if you're concerned about that, we could have a plastic surgeon take a look. As far as his cognitive functions, that's still to be determined. He may need some support therapy to help him along, but he's young enough, he should respond nicely to it."

Lee's face tightened. "What do you mean, support therapy?"

"Physical therapy, occupational therapy, possibly speech, but we won't know until he wakes up. Right now, I'm just speculating." Dr. Lore gestured with one hand.

"What about my wife? The medics said she…" Lee's voice faded as a lump formed in his throat.

The doctor flipped open the second medical chart in his hand. "Amanda Stetson. She's quite a fighter."

"What do you mean by that?" Billy raised an eyebrow.

"The medics needed to perform CPR immediately after they pulled her from the car. She was already in full arrest but—" Dr. Lore began but Lee cut him off.

"But what?! What is happening with my wife, dammit?!"

"Lee, let the man explain," Billy reprimanded him. Lee glared back at him but kept silent.

"As I was saying, once they got her heart back into a rhythm, it remained strong and steady, although the rest of her vitals were weak. Now, we are keeping her sedated to try to stabilize her. We've given her two blood transfusions and her pressure has come up some. She was intubated upon arrival but is now breathing on her own so that's been removed. Her breathing has been a bit labored, and we suspect it's due to the contusion across her chest. We also suspect she may have more than some bruising to her spleen and bowel. We are waiting for the results from the MRI we performed about an hour ago. They are not uncommon injuries in motor vehicle accidents when a seatbelt has been worn. Again, it may have saved her life," the doctor detailed.

"Yeah and not wearing one may have saved mine, Doc," Lee snarled.

"I'm not going to disagree with you, Mr. Stetson. Based on the description of the vehicle, if you or Mrs. Farnsworth had been wearing a seatbelt, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"How is Emily?" Billy inserted.

"Mrs. Farnsworth will have a permanent limp, most likely, but for a woman of her age, she is doing remarkably well," Dr. Lore replied.

Lee clenched his jaw, the muscle twitching wildly. The heart monitor beside him started to climb. "When can I see my family?"

Dr. Lore closed Amanda's medical file and tucked the two silver folders under his arm. "When you can show that you can keep yourself under control." He pointed at the heart monitor. "Your blood pressure is climbing, your heart is racing. Based on what I've read in your chart, that's not a good sign for you."

Lee pushed himself to a full sitting position, groaning as he shifted his broken arm. He leveled his eyes at the doctor and in an even tone he gritted out, "I don't give a damn about anything but my family, Doc. Now, you want my blood pressure to come down, you get me to see them."

Dr. Lore inhaled sharply and glanced at Billy, who gave him a sympathetic look in return. "Fine. I'll get an orderly and a wheelchair for you. But, if I suspect you are losing control, in any way, I'll ban you from their rooms until I see fit. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yeah, I understand. Now take me to my son and my wife."