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Matt drove to the hospital keeping his speed just a few miles per hour above the speed limit.
‘Won’t this car go any faster?’ asked Brett.
‘Look, I’ve had one accident on this stretch of road and I don’t want another, so keep quiet, will you?’
‘Sorry, mate, I just want to see what’s happened to Nick.’
‘You and me both,’ said Matt.
They continued in silence and Brett checked his phone. There was nothing so far on the local websites about any assault at the university nor on the Persford police Twitter feed. Matt slowed as he approached the turning to the hospital. They followed the signs for visitor parking and easily found a space. They headed towards the main hospital buildings following the signs for Accident and Emergency. There were half a dozen people in the waiting room and one person was giving their details at the reception. The person in the queue was told to take a seat and then Matt spoke to the woman behind the glass of the reception booth.
‘Oh, hello, I’ve just had a call from Polly Thomas, her husband was brought in following an attack and she phoned me to come over and support her.’
‘Your name sir?’
‘Matt Pearson, Doctor Matt Pearson.’
Matt didn’t usually give his title as doctor but there were times when it helped to open doors.
‘Are you his GP?’
‘No, a colleague,’ replied Matt.
‘I’m afraid only next of kin are allowed into the medical ward,’ said the receptionist.
‘Well, can you please let his wife know that we are here? She specifically asked for us to come up and be with her. She’s had a big shock and is on her own.’
The receptionist seemed rather unmoved by his plea.
‘Please take a seat, I’ll phone through to the treatment area,’ she said without emotion.
Matt and Brett sat down away from the rest of the others and Matt leaned forward to rest on his knees.
‘Typical jobsworth,’ muttered Brett. ‘Some people like to feel powerful even though they are in a menial position.’
‘Shush,’ said Matt, ‘she’s only doing her job.’
‘What does she think we’d be doing in there? Having a party, disturbing the others?’
‘We just have to be patient, hopefully, Polly can persuade them.’
Matt went over to the coffee machine and rummaged in his pocket for some coins. He selected black coffee and pressed the button. ‘Want one?’ he called over to Brett.
‘No thanks, I’ll give that muck a miss. I don’t want to end up in hospital myself,’ he added.
Matt sat down and sipped his drink. It was as he expected but at least it was hot and he hoped the caffeine would perk him up a bit. It was now after 11 p.m. and he was starting to feel tired. A TV screen was fixed high up on the wall and was showing an old Carry On Film. Fortunately it wasn’t Carry on Nurse, or Carry on Doctor. Brett didn’t remember seeing this one and smiled at some of the hackneyed jokes.
Matt finished his coffee and binned the cup. He wandered around the waiting area to stretch his legs. Emma had texted to say she was at home and all was well. Toby had only woken up once and her mother had managed to settle him back to sleep. She asked for news of Nick but Matt had to let her know that they were still waiting to speak to Polly.
He went to sit down by Brett who was still engrossed in the Carry On Film. The door to the treatment area opened and Polly emerged, her eyes scanning the waiting area. Matt and Brett both rose from their seats and went over to her. Matt was unsure whether to kiss her or shake her hand and decided neither was appropriate.
‘Polly, how is he?’ asked Matt.
Polly looked around and ushered them over towards the door to gain some privacy. Her face was all red and blotchy and her eyes were filled with tears. She swallowed a couple of times to try to compose herself. ‘He’s taken a real beating. A broken nose, two black eyes, several broken ribs,’ and Polly’s voice trailed off and she searched in her pocket for some tissues.
‘Shit, Polly, that’s awful,’ said Brett and he reached forward to hold her hand.
‘They will need to do a scan to check whether there is any damage to his internal organs. They are worried about his spleen,’ and she shook her head.
‘Is he conscious?’
‘Well, that’s the good thing, he’s conscious for short periods but they’ve sedated him and he’s had lots of painkilling injections, so he’s very groggy.’
‘Was he robbed?’ asked Brett.
‘No, that’s the odd thing. He had his messenger bag across him, his phone still in his pocket and that’s a new one. His wallet and credit cards are all still in his bag and there’s over fifty pounds in his wallet.’ Polly shrugged.
‘Perhaps someone disturbed them?’
‘Well, the ambulance people told me he was lucky as two security guards spotted what was happening. Mark Jameson was one of them. Remember he used to work on the science park, well he still does apparently but I remember Nick saying he’d bumped into him the other day and he’s doing a few shifts at the university.’
‘Well, let’s hope the police got a description and they can find those bastards,’ said Brett with malice.
‘The strange thing is that Nick keeps saying, Dan all the time.’
‘Dan?’
‘Yes, Dan, then sometimes he says, not Dan,’ and she looked at both Matt and Brett and pulled her lip slightly as if to say, it’s a mystery.
‘Well, there’s a Dan that he works with, Dan, what’s his surname?’ Matt paused and rubbed his forehead. ‘Dan Lythgoe, that’s it.’
‘Well, until Nick becomes more lucid we won’t know. But the doctor did say that his memory of the attack may be sketchy.’ She got up from her seat. ‘I must get back to him, I want to be with him all the time.’
‘Of course, can we come in and see him?’
‘They told me one person can come in but not both of you, sorry.’
Brett indicated to Matt with his head, ‘You go, he’s known you for longer.’
‘OK, well I’ll pop in and see him.’
‘Polly, can I get you a hot drink or something to eat? I could go and see if there’s a cafe open in the hospital somewhere?’ asked Brett.
‘Well, a tea would be nice, no sugar. Perhaps something like a cake or a pastry to keep me going.’
‘I’ll go and have a wander, see what I can find,’ said Brett, giving Polly a gentle smile. ‘Matt, anything for you?’
‘No thanks, text me if you manage to buy any food and I’ll come out and get it from you,’ said Matt.
‘Right, I best be going back into Nick,’ said Polly, ‘it’s this way. And thanks so much for coming over. My Mum should be able to come over to me tomorrow.’
‘Keep in touch,’ said Brett, ‘and give Nick my best wishes.’
‘Will do, thanks again,’ and Polly and Matt went into the treatment area.
Brett was glad he could escape from the waiting room. He went over to the main entrance and looked at the map. There seemed to be an all-night cafe over in another part of the hospital. He set off down the silent corridors passing a few hospital staff and cleaners busy with their mops and floor polishing machines. He thought back to his brief stay in this hospital when he’d been brought in by ambulance. Poor Nick, though, he thought, he was so unfortunate to be on the receiving end of another vicious assault. He wondered how much more his body could take. This was the third time that Nick had received head injuries. The brain was fragile and it would be tragic if Nick’s mental capacity was impaired. He was such a good chemist, that’s why they’d suggested him in the first place. It was odd that he kept mentioning Dan, was he trying to tell them something? The next couple of days would be crucial and would hopefully shed more light on the incident. Brett had now reached the cafe wherein there was around a dozen medical personnel taking a welcome break and a middle-aged couple who were obviously visitors. Brett scanned the meagre fare on offer and chose a couple of American style muffins. The drinks were again from a machine but they should be a little better than from the vending machine in Accident and Emergency department. He found the tea bags and pressed hot water. He had no idea how Polly liked her tea but he hoped it would give her some comfort. He decided to get himself a black coffee and went to pay for his refreshments. It was now early morning and he was relieved that his meetings up in London weren’t in the morning. He would have a lie in and hopefully then feel more refreshed as there was a long day ahead.
