CHAPTER 38. ENOUGH
Mathew Reece had a black eye, left side, holding an ice pack to a swollen right wrist, most likely broken. Mathew kept his head down when asked questions he only looked over at his father as if needing the man's approval. John Knew something was very wrong, and his own life experience and doctor's instincts told him exactly what was going on.
Nurse Tori had stepped out unnoticed, to call security after the line of questioning had gone from John asking the boy his birthday to the boy's father suddenly spouting off obscenities. John had only tried to defuse the situation, using the excuse of x-rays, which wasn't really an excuse, the boy did need x-rays. This led to the boy's father already agitated to start swearing at John, and that's when things got ugly, going from bad to worse.
John appeared calm and unafraid on the outside but inside his heart threatened to pound out of his chest, he eyed the boy's father who had produced a utility knife from one of his pockets and stood directly beside the young boy.
"You think your better'en me?" the larger man growled.
"Da-" the ten year old boy with the greenest eyes and very red hair tried to calm his father. The pleading voice cracking, made John wince, memories from his own childhood threatened.
"Shut it!" the man warned. "Not another word from you! Worthless brat, look at the trouble you keep causin." For a moment John thought he heard his own father speaking, saw his own drunk of a father ready to strike at any supposed sign of disrespect or disobedience.
John had learned to stand still to try and not to breath too loudly, knowing what happened if he drew the attention of his volatile parent. That was when he was a child, he wasn't a child anymore and his father wasn't in this room.
He needed to focus, the sound of Nurse Tori calling to someone in the hall snapped John out of his memories.
"Just calm down Mr. Reece." Doctor Watson needed to get the man to focus his anger on a different target, one who could swing back, one that wanted so desperately to put that utility knife in the mans heart. For all the good it would do, he probably didn't have one.
Swearing at his own stupidity, he should have see this coming. He pegged the man right off as an abusive parent; the damn falling down the stairs story was so played out. Did that even convince anyone?
Was there an abusive parent's hand book with a page dedicated to generic explanations? The old reason, he fell down the stairs, he fell off his bike, out of a tree, all of them, John had heard and it sickened him to remember how his doctor's always believed it or they just didn't care.
Sherlock was right, people often saw but did not observe. Reading the boys fear and there it was the resignation made John feel as if his lunch was going to come up. Green eyes briefly avoided the Doctor's blue, before moving back to the man looming over him, with a utility knife.
So now it was a stand off.
"He doesn't go anywhere with out me! Now, just wrap it! They always just wrap it!" the man demanded pointing it at the Doctor then the boy.
Again John clenched and unclenched his hands, then with the steadiest of voices he spoke to the child's father.
"I understand that Mr. Reece and you can join Matthew as soon as the nurse finishes prepping him for the x-ray. Now let's put that away. There's no need for it. No one's taking anything from you." This was a deliberate lie but John would do anything to convince the man at this point. All that mattered was that frightened kid getting out of this in one piece.
"Yeah? Why'r ya asking me all these questions. You making accusations."
"Dad, the nurse only wanted to know when this happened. Please-"
"I said ta shut up!" that's all John needed instincts took over when the man brought his left arm up to back hand the boy. The Doctor caught the meaty man's wrist, grabbing for the left was a mistake seeing how it left him open for attack by the utility knife in the man's right hand. Still John would rather be cut to shreds then see this kid hit by a grown man's heavy hand.
"None of that now." John growled wrenching the man's wrist back hearing a familiar snapping. John knew he needed to get this monster away from the young boy and quickly. "Hurts doesn't it" John grunted, disarming and shoving Mr. Reece hard against the far wall knocking over one of the silver trays that held instruments for sutures and plasters of several sizes.
Thinking quick the ex army Doctor, picked up the shiny metal tray and swung hitting the now charging larger man hard across the left side of the face.
This was enough to stun the bastard, causing him to tumble backwards against the door frame.
The young boy watched in astonishment, the kid looked up at John with a sense of awe from the exam table. Apparently no one had put his bully of a father down like that before.
"Come on Matthew I think your dad needs to sleep it off." John offered a hand to help the boy off the table but Matthew flinched away, choosing to jump down from the table instead.
Still the young boy gave John a quick grin, "Will they take him away?" said with a heartbreaking hopefulness.
"They better." John replied breathlessly. "I wont let him hurt you."
"You wont take my boy!" the man snarled standing and blocking the door, John swore under his breath. The Doctor made sure to put himself between the bigger man and the small boy.
He was surprised by the sudden urge to rip the man apart, the only thing holding him back was the presence of a young boy who'd lived with enough violence, John knew the kid didn't need to see that. He'd been through enough, enough was enough.
John readied himself for the lunge, pushing the boy into the far corner, hoping to inch him closer to the door, damn these rooms were way to small.
Mr. Reece never made the lunge, or managed a swing, a pair of steady hands firmly gripped the beefy man's shoulders pulling him backwards through the doorway into the corridor, slamming the surprised man into the white tiled floor.
"That'll be enough I think." Officer Kelly growled. "You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something, which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."
"Fuck off!"
"Right. Duly noted." Kelly pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pockets, technically he was still on duty. He frowned at the swelling wrist of the bigger man.
"Sorry big man. They'll have to take these off after you calm a bit and can have a doctor look at that wrist it might be broken."
Kelly had some help keeping the man down as two more hospital security men and another constable who had been picking up a drunk disorderly, arrived to pull the bigger man to his feet.
"You alright doc?" Kelly asked. Eying the red staining the doctors white lab coat along the outside of his right arm.
"Good timing officer, good timing." John replied.
"Nah, you tired him out for me." Kelly's glanced over the young boy.
"Hey there Matthew, this is my friend officer Tim Kelly." John was surprised at how even his voice was, he even managed a friendly smile. The adrenaline was starting to leave his system he didnt know how much longer he could hold the smile, or even stand. He would definitely sleep hard tonight.
"You a cop too?" Matthew's green eyes narrowed scrutinizing the doctor.
"Not exactly but he does help us out every once an a while don't you doc?"
"On my days off." John smiled. "Officer I need to take the boy to have his arm x-rayed." John was trying to keep his steadily bleeding right arm out of the boys sight.
"I'll just come along. Why don't I. You two can fill me in." the young boy looked up at the policeman wearily.
"Nothing to worry about Mathew, officer Kelly is one of Scotland Yards finest." Still the boy tiredly watched his drunk father being led away.
"Well I wouldn't say finest. I was just wondering Doc, I bet I can get a nurse to show us the way to x-ray. Will u pop in and let my wife know I'll just be a bit." Kelly moved his eyes towards john's bleeding arm.
"Oh, right. I'll do that. Nurse." John motioned for a shaken Tori to show the police officer and young boy to x-ray.
"Hey Doc you know the routine, I'll be needing a report in a bit." Kelly had looked apologetically at the exhausted doctor before John nodded and headed off.
"Your wife is sick?" Mathew asked sadly. "Is she going to die? My mum died."
"No, she's not sick." Officer Kelly tried to clear his voice, suddenly wishing he'd of tightened those cuffs on the drunks wrists. "My son just had surgery."
"He's sick?"
"He was, but the Doctor found what was wrong and now he'll be home tomorrow."
"Did he fall?" Matthew watched the officer from the corner of his eye, holding his wrist to his chest still clutching the ice pack now halfway to just a small bag of water.
"No. No he didn't fall." Kelly's jaw muscle twitched, but he kept his eyes forward. "Appendicitis."
"How old is your son?"
"Four. Do you have any siblings?" The boy shook his head no.
"Do you have a gun?" this was asked out of curiosity, Kelly realized the boy was dropping his guard. He didn't hear suspicion or apprehension as green eyes studied the officers face.
"No. Don't need one when I've got two arms and a truncheon." Officer Kelly smiled flexing his arms. The boy laughed now, genuinely laughed.
"Can I see your trunk-trench"
"Truncheon."
"Right, can I see it?" Tim Kelly resisted the urge to reach out and ruffle the boy's red hair, the kid sounded and looked so much like Gloria's little brother Michael they could be twins. He wondered how old Matthew was, he was small and thin, he could imagine what Gloria would say if she'd seen him. He frowned sadly realizing the young boy was still waiting for an answer.
~0~
"Doctor, uh nice work tonight." Doctor Bales finished the stitches on John's arm.
"Thanks. I'm sorry about the exam room."
"No, it's fine. Listen Doctor Watson, I'm going to talk to Sarah and see if we cant keep you on full time, it seems a waste they only use you a few days a week. We sure could use a man like you, reliable and quick on his feet. Although I will not encourage fighting for any reason, we do have hospital security for a reason." John wasn't going to protest that the other man started and he was sort of backed into a corner.
"Wont happen again ma'am." Was all he could say.
John nodded as the older woman wrapped his arm. "Good thing this wasn't worse."
"I've had worse." John replied. The older woman looked him over once more, "Something tells me it wasn't the army you're talking about." John didn't reply. "You know John you're a good man. A good doctor. I apologize for speaking to you as I did earlier."
"No it's fine. You're right. Protocol is important and I do understand triage."
"Well, instinct Doctor Watson is a thing that some of the best of us are lacking sometimes. As well as common sense."
"No. I think sometimes Protocol gets in the way." Doctor Bales now handing the younger man a prescription.
"You know the game, be sure to follow the directions and in week we'll take those stitches out. If you haven't already. Alright. Off you go now. Straight home."
"But I have-"
"Yes. I know I'll speak to the officer. Don't argue with me Doctor, I am a mother, a grandmother and a supervisor, so off you go. I'll let the constable know where he can find you for a report."
"Thank you Doctor. Have a good night." John left the older Doctor, unaware of the sad look on her face. And for a moment she didn't see the man but a young blond boy in a hospital gown saying he fell off his bike.
"Doctor Bales. It's been too long."
"Wondered if you would turn up Mr. Holmes. I expect you want to know if I'm going to hire him full time."
"No, I already knew you would be hiring the Doctor full time, it would be a grave mistake not to."