AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Just letting you all know I will be posting a Heath/Darcy story probably later today and for those who I may have told it's not the Heath/Darcy story I had planned, that's still in progress. So if anyone's interested feel free to check it out. Thanks.
Enjoy this chapter - Brax finally comes home! :)
Chapter 65: Nature of an injury
It was finally time for Brax to come home and Cheryl went to the hospital to pick him up. When Brax walked in he saw Heath on the lounge.
"Hey Brax. How are you feeling?" Heath asked.
"Okay I suppose. Where's Casey?"
"In his room." Heath replied.
"Is he okay? " Brax asked with concern.
Heath shrugged. "He's been quiet lately."
"Why?"
"I don't know. The kid just tells me he's fine." Heath explained.
Brax sighed and wandered down to Casey's room. Casey looked up to see Brax standing in the doorway to his room. "Brax!" He exclaimed.
"Hey Case, you okay?" Brax said with a smile.
Casey ran up to his brother but stopped just before reaching him. "Can I hug you?" Casey whispered.
"Sure. Just be careful hey?"
Casey gently wrapped his arms around his brother. "I've missed you." Brax stroked Casey's hair. "I missed you too mate."
When Casey pulled away Brax led him back to his bed where the two sat down.
"How have you been? Heath told me Mum's been pretty hard on you." Casey turned his gaze to the floor.
"You wanna talk to me about it?" Brax asked as he gently lifted his brother's head. He could see the remainder of the bruise on Casey's face from where Cheryl had slapped him.
"Case I'm sorry." Casey shook his head and rubbed his injured arm.
The wound had become swollen and inflamed and had been irritating him. To make matters worse he had put the bandaging on too tightly and had restricted adequate blood flow into his arm making his arm tense.
"You okay?" Brax asked as he gave him a bump. Casey gave a weak smile and nodded.
"Okay, but you come and talk to me if you need to yeah." Casey nodded and Brax stood up and left Casey's room.
Casey was in the front yard when Heath tackled him from behind. Casey fell hard on his wounded arm.
"OW!" He screamed and held his arm.
"I didn't knock you that hard. Suck it up Case." Heath joked, but Casey wasn't joking, he began to look pale and felt dizzy.
"Case you alright? Case what's up mate?" Casey's vision became fuzzy and he collapsed, surprising Heath.
"Case! Casey! Get up! Stop mucking around mate."
There was no response only shallow breathing. Heath raced inside to get Brax who was sitting on the couch. "Brax! It's Casey, he's collapsed!"
Brax pulled himself up, he was still very sore from his accident but when it came to his brothers he had more important priorities than worrying about pain. Brax lent down to Casey.
"Casey! Casey! Mate wake up!" Brax quickly picked up his baby brother and grimaced in pain with his ribs and broken wrist.
"Brax should you be doing that?" Heath asked concerned.
"Don't ask questions Heath. We need to get Casey to hospital." Brax placed Casey in the back seat of his Mum's car and drove towards the hospital.
Brax gently carried him out and rushed inside, followed by Heath. "We need someone to look at my brother. He just collapsed."
A doctor rushed over to assist and led the brothers into a room where Brax placed Casey down on the bed, groaning in pain as he done so. "You are in no condition to be carrying a child." The doctor said to Brax.
"I don't care, just look after Casey."
"What happened?" The doctor asked. "I don't know." Brax answered.
"I was wrestling with him, and then he screamed, holding his arm then he collapsed." Heath added. The doctor nodded.
"Okay, wait outside while I examine your brother."
It felt like forever as Brax and Heath waited anxiously outside the hospital room. The doctor approached.
"How is he?" Brax asked.
"Your brother is fine. It just seems he suffered from shock brought on by a nasty infected wound on his arm. The wound has been treated poorly and whoever bandaged his arm put the bandage on too tight and limited your brother's blood flow to his arm."
"What?" Brax stood stunned and concerned while Heath gave his brother a queried glance. "What wound? I knew nothing about Casey even being hurt. Did you know anything about this Heath?" Brax demanded.
Heath shook his head. "Nup, the kid said nothing to me." Brax shook his head in disbelief. "We didn't know he'd been hurt, he didn't tell us. How bad is it?"
"Well the wound appears to be about a week old and needs proper treatment before it leads to more damage." Brax nodded. "Anything."
"We will need to give him a local anaesthetic to cut away some of the infected tissue and stitch up the wound. I need a guardian to sign his patient form to give us permission to do so."
With Brax being now over 18, he could sign the required form for Casey's treatment. "I'll sign." Brax said firmly.
The doctor handed the form to Brax. "How did he say he got the wound?" Heath asked.
"He hasn't. I still need to find that out." The doctor replied. "Can we see him?" Brax asked.
"Sure, follow me."
Heath and Brax entered the room and saw Casey with a bandage on his arm. "Hey champ." Heath greeted.
"How are you feeling mate?" Brax asked. Casey shrugged and looked away. The doctor stood next to his bed.
"Now Casey I need you to tell me how this happened?"
"Yes, I'd like to know too." Brax said curiously and with a slight sternness in his voice. Casey avoided his brother's looks of concern.
"I had a fall and cut my arm on something sharp. I think it might have been a nail... It was too crusty and brown to tell."
Heath and Brax couldn't believe what they just heard. "You mean rusty?" The doctor asked and Casey shrugged. Heath shook his head annoyed.
"Was that the day you came home and told me you fell?" Casey avoided Heath's gaze.
"You told me you were fine Casey!" Heath yelled.
Brax rested his hand on Heath's chest to silence him and glanced at Casey.
"I told you to come and talk to me if you weren't okay! You lied to me!" Heath yelled.
"Hey. We'll deal with it later okay." Brax told Heath and pushed him back.
The doctor continued. "It's no wonder that wound of yours is pretty nasty. Rusty objects are very dirty and can do a lot of damage to you if bacteria get in your blood stream. Now I know your brothers didn't know you were hurt, did you tell anyone?"
Casey hung his head and gently shook a no. "Okay. What first aid did you have for this wound when it happened?" The doctor asked.
"I just wiped it a bit and found some bandage stuff to put on." Casey replied quietly.
Brax ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Casey! Why would you do that?" He yelled. The doctor shook his head also.
"A young boy like you shouldn't be managing something like this on your own. It could have been very dangerous and bandaging your own arm like you did could have affected your circulation." The doctor added.
Casey looked away shamefully. He knew his brothers were not impressed at what they were hearing.
"Now let's have a proper look at this shall we. I will have to give you a needle to numb the area on your arm so I can clean it up properly and stitch it and you also need to be given a Tetanus shot, because of the nature of the injury."
Casey gave a look of concern. He didn't realize how serious the wound actually was.
The doctor removed the bandage he placed earlier to prevent any more infection. Brax and Heath looked in shock.
"Geez Casey!" Heath exclaimed. Brax couldn't believe his 10 year old brother could keep something like this from them. The wound was dirty, pus filled and dark red in color.
"Now Casey, what would you like me to give first?" The doctor asked. Casey glanced up at his brothers. The doctor turned to them.
"Your brothers can stay with you if you like." Casey nodded.
"The second one." Casey whispered.
The doctor drew up the Tetanus vaccine and Brax walked over to Casey and sat next to him. Brax ran his hand over Casey's hair. "It'll be alright mate."
"Okay, this will give a little sting then it may be tender for a few days."
Casey couldn't remember the last time he was given a needle, after the boys had their baby immunizations Cheryl and Danny didn't keep up to date with them.
Casey looked to Brax with worry. The doctor injected the vaccine into Casey's upper arm, causing Casey to flinch slightly.
"Now the local anaesthetic will be a bit more painful but it only takes a moment to take effect, then I promise you won't feel anything I do on that arm."
Casey's arm already hurt so bad he didn't want to have a needle put in as well. Brax took hold of Casey's hand and gave him a comforting smile.
"The first injection will go at the top of the wound and the second at the bottom of the wound."
"Two?" Casey asked worried. "It's so the whole area can be numb."
The doctor took hold of Casey's arm. "Just try and keep still for me okay?" Casey nodded.
As the doctor placed the first needle into the skin at the top of the wound, Casey cried out and pulled away slightly. "Just keep still."
Casey squeezed Brax's hand with all his might, as he felt tears slip from his eyes.
"Ah, come on Case, you're tougher than that." Heath said with encouragement. "It hurts." Casey whimpered.
The doctor took out the first needle and placed the second needle at the bottom of the wound. Casey started to fidget. "Almost done Casey, you're being very brave."
Casey shed a few more tears and Brax squeezed Casey's hand and stroked his hair. "Hang in there mate." The doctor took out the last needle and disposed of it.
"Now I'll just wait a moment for the anaesthesia to take effect. You can look away for this part if you like Casey."
The doctor then went to work on cutting away the dead tissue and flushed out the wound. Heath and Brax watched as the doctor undertook his procedure. Casey glanced occasionally at his arm, but kept a tight hold of his brother's hand. The doctor put in four stitches and was finished.
"I'll just get some bandaging to wrap this up and we will be done." He smiled at Casey.
"There, all done Casey. You did very well." The doctor said as he finished bandaging Casey's arm.
"How long will he need that bandage on for?" Brax asked. "Keep it on for 3 days then it should be fine to come off, just make sure it doesn't get dirty. I will also want to see him again in 10 days to remove the stitches." The doctor gathered his things ready to leave.
"I will leave you to it. I have some paperwork to fill out and some antibiotics to get ready. I will be back soon." The doctor left, leaving the three brothers alone.
Brax and Heath looked at Casey with seriousness again. "I'm sorry." Casey said quietly.
"So you should be. Why didn't you tell anyone you were hurt?" Brax reprimanded. "And you lied to me when I asked if you were okay?" Heath added and Brax nodded.
Casey didn't answer, so Brax pulled his chin up to force his gaze. "I'm serious Casey. I want an answer now." Brax spoke, in the tone that meant business.
Casey pulled away. "I didn't say anything be...because I deserved it after what I did to you and... Dad and Mum..." Casey whispered.
"Casey what are you talking about?" Brax questioned firmly.
"I don't deserve anyone to worry about me because I ruin everything." Casey turned away only to have Brax pull his head back up to look him in the eye.
"Don't you say that. That is not true. None of what happened was your fault and whether you like it or not I worry about you and so does Heath."
"But Dad said I would pay for getting him in trouble then you got hurt and Mum keeps telling me I'm to blame." Casey whispered.
Brax sighed. "Case it is not your fault, you understand me? You're a kid. You are not responsible for everyone else's actions. I told you before you done the right thing with dobbing Dad in and as for Mum just don't listen to her put you down like that."
Casey turned away and fiddled with the hospital sheet. "Sorry." Brax rubbed Casey's shoulder.
"You never hide when you're hurt from us again." Brax warned.
"That's right squirt. We're always here for ya." Heath added. Casey nodded.
"Good kid." Brax smiled and pulled away. "I'm going to find the doctor and see when you can come home. Heath will stay with you."
Heath took the seat next to Casey's bed as Brax left the room. "You really must have lost your marbles when you had that fall hey? You're crazy to have left that injury like that Case." Heath joked.
Brax returned shortly after with the doctor. "You are right to go home now Casey. Your brother has signed the discharge papers. I have given him some antibiotics for you to have for a week and I want you to look after that injury of yours alright?"
Casey nodded. "Come on Case." Brax said as he helped his brother off the bed.
The three brothers went to Cheryl's car and drove back home. Upon arriving home, Cheryl was already inside, a bottle of Vodka in her hand.
"Where 'ave you lot been all day? And where'd ya take me car?"
Brax decided it best to keep Casey's injury from their mother, if she knew it would only worsen the situation.
"I wanted to take Heath and Casey out for a drive." Brax said.
"In your condition Darryl? I don't need ya going back ta hospital so soon. Someone has to look after ya useless brothers."
"Humph. Thanks Mum." Heath mumbled.
"Ya always leaving your poor mother here to do everything in the house." Cheryl moaned.
Brax ignored her and he and his brothers walked into their rooms. Casey went to rest on his bed and Brax stopped in.
"You okay?" Casey nodded. "Just a little sore."
"Okay, if anything gets worse you let me know straight away." Brax told him and Casey nodded.
"Okay?" Brax pressed. "Yes Brax." Casey replied.
Brax nodded and then walked out of the room into his own, taking a pain tablet to ease the tension he felt in his ribs and wrist from carrying Casey and driving then rested on his bed.