Thank you as always to Hollie for your reviews! I hope you enjoy this!
Jess and Dan were sitting on hard, plastic orange chairs outside one of the theatres. Luke had been whisked up for surgery on his brain, and the doctors had told the couple that there was a high chance Luke might not make it through the surgery. Jess was staring straight ahead, feeling numb, flashes of her smiling son in her head. Dan would get up every few minutes, pace a few times, then sit back down again. Jess hadn't spoken a word to him since he admitted he had been drinking while looking after their son. As the fifth hour of Luke being in surgery passed, a doctor came out of surgery, pulling off his mask.
"Mr and Mrs Waite?" the doctor questioned, coming to stand in front of them.
Dan leapt to his feet, Jess still sat rigid, "Yes that's us. How is our son?" Dan questioned.
The doctor took a seat next to Jess, "My name is Mr Chambers, I was one of the surgeons working on your son. There were a few complications during surgery. He'd lost a lot of blood and had some internal injuries which caused your son's heart to stop beating three times, and it took us a while to get him back the last time. Now, we're not going to know if the surgery on his brain to release the pressure was successful until he wakes up."
"So he will wake up?" Jess asked, clinging onto that small sliver of hope as she turned her head to the doctor.
Mr Chambers opened his mouth to speak, shut it, then tried again, "We can't say. The injuries he sustained were extremely severe. Even though we released the pressure, his brain could still be damaged. We're not sure if he's going to wake up. We'll be taking him to the PICU, where he'll be hooked up to a ventilator and other machines which will keep him going."
"Is he going to die?" Dan whispered, sinking into the chair on Jess' other side.
The doctor looked sympathetic, "It's too soon to say. There's a high chance that he may never regain consciousness again. And if he does, we won't know what the long term damage could be."
Jess' breath caught in her throat, the images of Luke going round her head froze, and her heart stopped beating. "This is some kind of sick joke, right?"
"I can assure you Mrs Waite, this is no joke. I am so very sorry." Mr Chambers said consolingly.
"Stop talking about him like he's already dead!" she begged.
"I'm sorry. Would you like to see him?" the doctor asked, looking up as the doors to surgery opened and Luke's bed was wheeled out by some nurses.
"Oh Luke." Dan cried, rushing to his son's side. Luke was the same pale white as the pillows he was resting on, his hair dull. There was a tube in his throat, forcing his chest up and down in a mechanical way. The rest of his body was swamped by tubes and wires, all hooked up to a number of different machines.
"Mrs Waite? Come on, let's follow them to the PICU." Mr Chambers said gently, helping Jess up.
Another hour had passed and Jess and Dan were sitting on either side of Luke's bed, looking at nothing but their son. Each grasped one of Luke's small cold hands, hoping that the energy and love from them would pass into their son. Jess shut her eyes, praying for Luke to wake up, praying that Dan was telling the truth and it really wasn't him who did this, bargaining with God to let Luke live. She would do anything, as long as he lived. But as she opened her eyes Luke was still lying motionless, no change. Both Jess and Dan jumped as the quiet in the PICU was disturbed by the opening of the door. They both looked round, seeing the doctor followed by two police officers; Callum and Sally.
"Jess, Dan, can we have a word please?" Callum asked, barely taking a step into the room and keeping his eyes from straying to look at Jess' son.
Jess just shook her head, and reverted back to looking at her son. Dan however gently placed Luke's hand back onto the bed and slowly got up, walking to where Callum was, watching as the door shut, sealing his wife and son inside.
"I'm really sorry about Luke." Sally said, handing Dan a tea.
"Thanks." Dan said quietly. He took a sip of the hot tea; it scalded his lips.
"I'm afraid we need to ask you some questions about what happened." Callum said, pulling out his pad and pen.
"I thought so." Dan replied sadly, placing the cup of tea on the empty seat next to him.
"We know that you called Jess at the station around midnight, why was that?" Callum asked, pen poised.
"There had been an accident at home. Luke had been injured, I had to call an ambulance, then I called Jess. She had to know, our son was hurt, we had to both be with him." Dan muttered.
"And how did Luke hurt himself?" Callum asked.
"I don't know. I was asleep. The accident happened at around half past eleven. All I heard was a massive crash from his room. So I ran in, and there he was...he was just lying on the floor, the bookshelf on top of him...the carpet was red from his blood..." Dan paused, taking a shuddering breath.
"It's ok Dan, carry on when you're ready." Sally said gently.
"Right, so Luke was under the bookshelf. I pulled the bookshelf off him, and then I didn't know what to do! I was just frozen, and then I snapped out of it and called the ambulance." Dan carried on.
"And what happened when the paramedics arrived?" asked Callum, pausing in his note taking.
"They sorted him out, and said that it looked very serious. They asked where Luke's mum was, and then I remembered! Jess didn't know anything about it! And that's when I rang you, Sally, but she wasn't there." Dan finished, his tea shaking in its polystyrene cup.
"So you claim that Luke's injuries were the result of an accident he brought on himself?" Callum confirmed.
"Yes, I didn't do it!" Dan said vehemently
.
"I never said you did. Had you had a drink last night Dan?" Callum asked, placing his pad back in his pocket.
Dan looked taken aback from the sudden change in questioning, "What? No! I mean I had one before bed but that was it!"
"It seems like it may have been more than one. We can still smell the alcohol on you." Sally said slowly.
"I'm not lying!" Dan replied.
"Well you won't mind doing a breathalyser then will you?" Callum said, standing up.
"Sergeant Stone, are you charging me with anything?" Dan asked.
"Not currently, we are just asking you to help with our enquiries." Callum said coldly.
"You know the drill Dan. You know how it'll look to Jess if you decline. And besides if you really did only have one like you said then there's nothing to worry about." Sally said.
"I can't leave Luke." Dan said, looking back towards the PICU.
"Jess is here. He won't be alone, and she'll ring you as soon as anything changes." Sally replied.
Dan looked torn. His eyes flicked back to where his wife and son were, and then to the two officers next to him. "How long will it take?"
"An hour maybe." Callum stated.
Dan closed his eyes, "Fine. An hour, that's it. Then I'm gone."
"Don't you want to tell Jess?" Sally asked, looking back at her friend.
"No, she won't miss me." Dan said, not looking back as he walked out of the PICU.
Dan walked out the station an hour later after his breathalyser and blood alcohol levels were taken. Callum watched him go, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had a feeling that it was a case of negligence on Dan's behalf, but he knew that Dan would be able to talk his way out of it, being a lawyer and all. He walked back through the station up to CID, where there was a board already started with Luke's case.
Terry looked up as Callum walked through, "Has Eddie got the sample?"
"Yeah, I told him to make it a priority." Callum said, sitting on the edge of a desk. "What was found at the scene?"
"Well the big pool of blood from Luke, but also another blood sample which Eddie thinks is from where Dan cut himself trying to get the bookshelf off his son." Stevie explained.
"But was it an accident or negligence?" Callum pressed.
"It's impossible to tell I'm afraid. But the evidence is pointing towards an accident like he said all along." Terry added.
Callum scowled and stormed out of CID, down to his office. He collapsed into his seat, the heels of his palms pressed into his eyes until he saw stars. This shouldn't be happening to Jess and her son. If only she had left him after the last attack, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Dan walked down the corridors of the hospital, searching desperately for salvation. He happened upon it down a corridor which was exactly like every other corridor in this god forsaken place. He slowly pushed the door open and peered in. There was no-one else in there but quiet sanctuary. Dan wasn't a religious man, but regardless he walked down the aisle, his hands clasped in front of him as if he were already praying. He slipped into a pew, getting to his knees.
"God help me for I have sinned..." he began, eyes closed, hands clasped in front of his face in prayer.
Sally crept into the PICU, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Jess. She placed a hand on Jess' shoulder, making her jump. She looked round, and Sally was shocked at the expression on Jess' face. She looked as if her soul had left her already, her eyes were flat, there were deep purple bruises under her eyes, and her skin was the sallow yellow associated with being in a hospital too long.
"Hey you, how're you doing?" Sally whispered.
"Not good." Jess admitted, her voice hoarse from being silent for so long. Her heart felt like it had deflated, and all the energy had been sapped out of her. But instead of going to Luke, like she hoped, it had just gone. She had desperately wanted to stay positive, but it was hard every time she looked at her son. She kept asking God why her son, why her family, why her? What had they done to deserve this? In fact, Jess decided there wasn't a God, because an all loving God wouldn't do this to a child.
"How's Luke?" Sally asked, her eyes sliding from Jess' face to Luke's.
"Not good." Jess repeated, her gaze falling back to her son.
"Dan should be back soon." Sally said, not really sure what to say.
"Back from where?" Jess asked, confused.
"We took him to the station to breathalyse him." Sally said, forgetting that Dan hadn't told her. "I'm not sure if he wanted you to know that."
"You breathalysed him? Is he under suspicion?" Jess asked, shocked.
Sally pulled a face, "Not so much as under suspicion, but helping us in our inquiries."
"So he is then. Well maybe it's for the best." Jess said, a sad note in her voice.
"Why don't you go and get a change of clothes. You're still in your uniform! Go and freshen up for when Luke wakes up. " Sally suggested.
"I can't leave him..." Jess began but was cut off by Sally.
"Don't argue with me. Come on, go. I'll stay with Luke. Just take half an hour. Now go!" Sally chivvied her out, watching her walk slowly down the ward. She sat next to Luke, adding to Jess' prayers for him to wake up.