It took Bill less time than he thought to arrive at the hospital. As promised, there were attendants with a gurney waiting at the entrance of the emergency room. They took Ralph out of the car and placed him on the gurney, rushing him inside.
"Room Two," said the doctor on call in the emergency room. Bill tried to follow Ralph into the room, only to have the doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to go to the waiting room."
Bill was about to say something, but remembered that the doctor could have security throw him out if he was obstinate, so he kept quiet. The doctor softened his grip on Bill's shoulder. "Listen, I know you care about your friend, but we need to have some more information about the patient. They'll have the paperwork ready at the desk."
"Thanks doc," said Bill sadly and turned back to the reception desk. The nurse at the desk handed him the paperwork to fill out, and Bill sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. "Geesh, where did you get these from, the Stone Age," Bill grumbled. Everyone in the waiting room gave him a funny look, so Bill just smiled and started to work on the papers.
'Name: Ralph Hinkley, Age: 27,' Bill said to himself as he began filling out the paperwork as best as he could. He looked down and saw "cause of injury"on the list of questions, groaning slightly. 'Cause of injury: Car-train accident,' Bill scribbled on the page. After filling out the rest of the information, he handed the paperwork back to the nurse and sat back down to read one of the old magazines.
A little while later, the doctor came out and went to Bill. "Uh, Mr. Maxwell, can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure doc, what do ya need to know," he replied. "How's my friend?"
The middle-aged man put an arm around Bill's shoulders and walked him down the hall a bit. Bill started to panic, thinking what all could have happened to Ralph.
The doctor noticed Bill tense up and smiled slightly. "No, Mr. Maxwell, it isn't that bad. Mr. Hinkley's stable, but still unconscious. We've done some tests and found he has a moderate concussion, but there are no other apparent injuries."
"That's great, but what's that got to do with you bringing me into the hallway," said Bill.
"Well, under 'accident' in the paperwork, you said he was in a car wreck with a train. I've seen several of these accidents and more often than not, the person in the car is either in critical condition or dead. All Mr. Hinkley has is a concussion, so are you telling me everything correctly?"
Bill paused, thinking about the words he was about to say. One wrong move could expose him, Ralph and the suit. "Yes sir, I am. Ralph crashed into a train, but it was a bunch of parked ones a few miles out of the city. He was driving his car, and I was following along in my car when I saw the accident. After his car crashed, I got out of my car and ran over to the driver's side. He rubbed his head briefly, mumbling something before he passed out. I tried to wake him up, but without any success, and, being as far out of town as we were then, I realized I needed to get him to the hospital as fast as I could. So, are you sure Ralph's going to pull through?"
The doctor processed Bill's story and tilted his head. "Right now, it looks like he will, but given his head injury, we won't know how bad it is until he regains consciousness." Bill's shoulders sagged. "Listen, I'll notify you when he comes to, and I'll let the nurses know to tell you in case I'm with another patient."
"Thanks doctor," Bill said with a faint smile. As the doctor left, Bill returned to the chair and sat down to watch the TV, which was having problems keeping its reception. His head started to bob and he eventually dozed off.
About a half an hour later, Bill woke up and grimaced slightly at the pain in his back. Remembering where he was, Bill wondered if the doctor had come back to tell him anything about Ralph. He went to the nurse's station, but only to hear that there had been no change.
Bill sighed and turned to get a drink from the water fountain. As he was drinking, he heard the noise of the double doors opening.
"Bill, Bill," said the voice behind him.
Bill turned around and saw Pam, dressed in a red jacket, white shirt and bluejeans, with a worried expression on her face. "Hi beautiful" he replied.
"How is he?"