2020 Hindsight by Barry Welch

Author:Barry Welch [Welch, Barry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10 – Hospital

Oliver's consciousness clawed its way back through a thick fog of confusion, his eyelids flickering open to the sterile glare of fluorescent lights overhead. He was sprawled across two seats on a hospital corridor, the bustle of white-coated figures and the squeak of rubber soles against the floor forming a dissonant orchestra that hammered at his temples.

"Wh—where am I?" His voice came out as a croak, his throat parched.

"Welcome back, mate." Said Ethan who was sat upright on the third adjoining seat.

The hospital corridor throbbed with urgency, the air itself seemed to pulse with tension. Nurses darted past, their faces etched with focus, while distant intercom announcements echoed like the cries of unseen birds. The walls, painted in what originally must have been intended as a soothing blue, did little to calm the frenetic energy that charged the space around him.

Oliver struggled to push himself up, his once impeccable clothing now rumpled and crumpled beneath him. It was a stark contrast to the usual pristine tailoring that hugged his frame when he poured over financial forecasts at Fothergills. Ethan reached out a hand to help Oliver up, concern etched on his face.

"Was there an accident?" Oliver's voice was shaky as he took in his surroundings. He noticed the bustling of medical staff, their hurried movements and the clattering of trays somewhere in the distance.

"Let's make sure you are fully with us first, eh? Give you a chance to take in the surroundings," said Ethan, his tone gentle but urgent.

"Okay...I'm here, I'm with you. I can see everything, thank you." Oliver straightened his leather jacket in a futile attempt to regain some semblance of dignity. His mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened.

"Something's happened, hasn't it? To my father?" His thoughts were jumbled, memories fighting for prominence in his mind.

"Everything will become clear soon, Oliver," Ethan reassured him as he helped him up from the seats. They began to walk down the corridor, Ethan gesturing which way they should go.

The sterile walls seemed to close in around them as they made their way towards the unknown fate of Oliver's father.

Nurses brushed by them, their brisk footsteps and hushed tones painting a picture of contained urgency.

"Clear?" Oliver echoed, squinting under the harsh fluorescent lights that seemed to bleach the colour from the world. "Feels more like walking into a fog." He attempted a chuckle, but it caught, dry and hollow in his throat.

"Trust me," Ethan said, his gaze never wavering. "It's just the shock. It'll wear off."

Oliver tried to anchor himself in Ethan's assurance, to regard the chaos around him with the detachment he’d honed over years at Fothergills, where numbers and risk danced a delicate ballet. But the beeps and pings of medical machinery were not the familiar ticks of the market; they were harbingers of a reality he wasn't prepared to face.

Suddenly a familiar voice became clear through the chaotic sounds "Is there a doctor I can speak too?!" The sharp cry sliced through the

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