just_1_word | 20.9. Injury
20.9. Injury
Co-written with notskywalker
[Simultaneous to THIS]
Ali kept a hold of Andrew’s hand as she used his cell phone to look for his cousin’s number. She found it and hit the call button, exhaling slowly as she listened to wait for him to pick up. Andrew was asleep on the narrow hospital gurney, the ER bustling noisily around them beyond the thin curtain pulled around the bay. He had some thick bandages wrapped around his head and his right leg was braced and immobile awaiting a plaster cast. Weren’t the paramedics supposed to be the ones rescuing the injured, not getting injured themselves?
Luke pulled his pen from his mouth and glanced over at his cell phone when it started to ring. He was working through a bunch of figures and facts on a possible venue for the Princeton bar. It was working out perfectly so far and if the estate agent could manage to get the seller to drop the price by a few grand, Luke was thinking they might’ve hit the jackpot. It was a funky little ex pizza place, two stories with a huge back area for possible extension. It would make a great outside stage and beer garden. His mind had been in overdrive since they viewed it. He picked his cell up and flipped it open. “Hello, this is Luke,” he answered, hitting the off key on the calculator.
“Luke, it’s Ali,” she murmured when he answered. “Listen, I was wondering if you could come to New York. Andrew’s been injured on the job. We’ve got him in the ER right now and I just thought you would want to know.” She put Andrew’s hand up to her lips and kissed his fingers softly.
“Fuck, is he okay?!” Luke asked in panic, already pushing back out of his chair. “What happened?”
Ali shrugged a little, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m not completely sure. He was unconscious when they brought him in. His colleague said they got a call out to a woman who had taken an overdose. Apparently her sister called for the ambulance, but the defacto boyfriend hadn’t wanted them called. Andrew was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The guy shoved him near the stairs of the apartment building and he lost his footing and fell down some of the stairs. He’s hit his head and broke his ankle. The guy got hauled off by the cops and charged with assault. He’s okay. He’s a bit bruised, got a concussion and we’re just waiting for him to get a cast on his leg. I’m going to take him home with me when they discharge him, of course. I just… I mean, you’ve got to watch someone closely with a head injury in the first day or so following it and I’ve got my hands full with Jamie. I don't think I can do it all on my own.” She knew it would be pushing it too far to ask Marc to take the baby girl for the night. “Plus, I knew you would want to know if something happened to him. I tried to call his Mum but she wasn’t answering.”
Luke frowned and rubbed his hand over his face. “Bloody hell. Of course… sure. I’ll come. I’ll see if Tab wants to come. We can give you a hand with anything you need. How is he, though? Concussion alone can tear you a new arsehole.” Tab was at the hospital with Riley visiting the baby. He’d give her a call as soon as he finished talking to Ali.
“They’ve got him a bit drugged up on painkillers for the moment so he’s sleeping. He wasn’t too good, though. The concussion was making him sick and woozy. Plus he expectedly had a hell of a headache. I think he’ll be okay once we get him home in a comfortable bed where there’s no noise or bright lights. This place is like a madhouse,” Ali said, scrunching up her nose wryly.
“You sound tired,” Luke noted. “Are you going to be okay until we get there?”
Ali rested her forehead against Andrew’s hand tiredly. “I’m just drained. I’ll be fine. I think I’ve grown myself quite a set of balls over these last few months. It could be awhile before they come to put his cast on, plus he’s on a drip that still looks mostly full. Call me on my cell when you’re nearly to the city and I’ll tell you if we’re still here or not.”
Luke nodded, understanding well enough how she might be feeling. “Well, you can rest with him when we get there. I can take care of Jamie for you. Just take it easy, Ali. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised.
“Thanks, Luke,” Ali mumbled. “I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll just steal your chocolate biscuits when I get to your place,” Luke assured her with a small smirk. “See you soon.”
Andrew Connor [paramedically], Tab Browne [asinthecity], Riley Browne [pullmysteth] & Marcus Fraser [agentfraser] referenced with permission
Word Count | 817
Co-written with notskywalker
[Simultaneous to THIS]
Ali kept a hold of Andrew’s hand as she used his cell phone to look for his cousin’s number. She found it and hit the call button, exhaling slowly as she listened to wait for him to pick up. Andrew was asleep on the narrow hospital gurney, the ER bustling noisily around them beyond the thin curtain pulled around the bay. He had some thick bandages wrapped around his head and his right leg was braced and immobile awaiting a plaster cast. Weren’t the paramedics supposed to be the ones rescuing the injured, not getting injured themselves?
Luke pulled his pen from his mouth and glanced over at his cell phone when it started to ring. He was working through a bunch of figures and facts on a possible venue for the Princeton bar. It was working out perfectly so far and if the estate agent could manage to get the seller to drop the price by a few grand, Luke was thinking they might’ve hit the jackpot. It was a funky little ex pizza place, two stories with a huge back area for possible extension. It would make a great outside stage and beer garden. His mind had been in overdrive since they viewed it. He picked his cell up and flipped it open. “Hello, this is Luke,” he answered, hitting the off key on the calculator.
“Luke, it’s Ali,” she murmured when he answered. “Listen, I was wondering if you could come to New York. Andrew’s been injured on the job. We’ve got him in the ER right now and I just thought you would want to know.” She put Andrew’s hand up to her lips and kissed his fingers softly.
“Fuck, is he okay?!” Luke asked in panic, already pushing back out of his chair. “What happened?”
Ali shrugged a little, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m not completely sure. He was unconscious when they brought him in. His colleague said they got a call out to a woman who had taken an overdose. Apparently her sister called for the ambulance, but the defacto boyfriend hadn’t wanted them called. Andrew was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The guy shoved him near the stairs of the apartment building and he lost his footing and fell down some of the stairs. He’s hit his head and broke his ankle. The guy got hauled off by the cops and charged with assault. He’s okay. He’s a bit bruised, got a concussion and we’re just waiting for him to get a cast on his leg. I’m going to take him home with me when they discharge him, of course. I just… I mean, you’ve got to watch someone closely with a head injury in the first day or so following it and I’ve got my hands full with Jamie. I don't think I can do it all on my own.” She knew it would be pushing it too far to ask Marc to take the baby girl for the night. “Plus, I knew you would want to know if something happened to him. I tried to call his Mum but she wasn’t answering.”
Luke frowned and rubbed his hand over his face. “Bloody hell. Of course… sure. I’ll come. I’ll see if Tab wants to come. We can give you a hand with anything you need. How is he, though? Concussion alone can tear you a new arsehole.” Tab was at the hospital with Riley visiting the baby. He’d give her a call as soon as he finished talking to Ali.
“They’ve got him a bit drugged up on painkillers for the moment so he’s sleeping. He wasn’t too good, though. The concussion was making him sick and woozy. Plus he expectedly had a hell of a headache. I think he’ll be okay once we get him home in a comfortable bed where there’s no noise or bright lights. This place is like a madhouse,” Ali said, scrunching up her nose wryly.
“You sound tired,” Luke noted. “Are you going to be okay until we get there?”
Ali rested her forehead against Andrew’s hand tiredly. “I’m just drained. I’ll be fine. I think I’ve grown myself quite a set of balls over these last few months. It could be awhile before they come to put his cast on, plus he’s on a drip that still looks mostly full. Call me on my cell when you’re nearly to the city and I’ll tell you if we’re still here or not.”
Luke nodded, understanding well enough how she might be feeling. “Well, you can rest with him when we get there. I can take care of Jamie for you. Just take it easy, Ali. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised.
“Thanks, Luke,” Ali mumbled. “I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll just steal your chocolate biscuits when I get to your place,” Luke assured her with a small smirk. “See you soon.”
Andrew Connor [paramedically], Tab Browne [asinthecity], Riley Browne [pullmysteth] & Marcus Fraser [agentfraser] referenced with permission
Word Count | 817