Chapter 19
Greg dozed lightly in the chair, Declan's parents having taken a break and gone down to the cafeteria. He was slouched down so that his head rested against the chair back, his long legs stretched out with his feet crossed on the edge of the bed, the book he'd started reading open and forgotten on his chest.
"Hey." The soft weak voice coming from the bed sounded so loud in the silence that Greg almost fell out of the chair. He sat up and looked at his friend, whose drawn and pale face regarded him with wan humor.
"Look who finally decided to join us. Have a nice nap?"
"You might say that. What time is it, anyway? I'm starving."
Greg glanced at his watch. "Almost noon."
"How long have I been out?"
"Since you got here. It's Monday."
Declan groaned. "Fuck. No wonder I'm so hungry!"
"Not sure they're going to let you eat anything just yet. Let me go get a nurse."
Greg went out to the nurse's station. He let the charge nurse know that his friend was awake and wondering when he'd be able to eat something. The nurse followed Greg back into the room, checking Declan's monitor readings and his vital signs before heading out to the phone to contact his doctor.
When the Hanovers returned from their break, they were surprised to see their son sitting up sucking on ice chips and weakly joking around with his friend. Greg sat back in his chair and watched as Declan's parents hovered over their son, his mind drifting back to the janitor and how he had made the right diagnosis despite having only examined Declan for only a couple of minutes. He put those other doctors in their place, Greg thought. They treated him like shit, but still brought him in because they had no other choice. They needed him. And he was right.