Cuckoos on the Mersey. The Death of all Hope by Conrad Jones

Author:Conrad Jones [Jones, Conrad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime, organised crime, gangs, Social Services, Child Exploitation, County Lines
Published: 2023-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16. The Hospital

You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul, so don't come back for me, who do you think you are?

PHIL MOULT WAS TIRED of sitting in the relatives’ room listening to Heather Norris ranting. She was blaming everyone but herself for the situation she found her family in. Her voice was echoing around his head, and he needed to get away from her for a while. The uniformed police officers were equally irritated by her constant waffling. The woman was a balloon who floated through life bumping into things with nothing of substance inside her.

Phil walked to the surgical ward just as a surgeon was walking out. He stopped and shook his head. Phil felt his stomach sink.

‘How is Hope?’ he asked.

‘Not good. Removing the pellet was simple enough but we have no idea how hard the projectile hit her skull. The damage could be deeper than we thought,’ the surgeon said, lowering his voice. ‘The impact of the pellet has caused a lot of damage to the soft tissue and vascular system beneath the skull. She's been bleeding inside and that’s caused pressure, which has caused more damage. We have stopped the bleeding that we can see but there will be bleeding in there that we can’t see, so deep that we can’t reach it. Her skull has been removed here,’ he said, pointing to his head above his temple, ‘so we could see the bleed and to release the pressure. We have no idea how much damage has been done or what the lasting effects might be, if she survives this.’

‘If she survives?’ Phil asked, his voice a whisper. ‘Is she that bad?’

‘I’m afraid so,’ the surgeon said. ‘She’s in an induced coma for now and if she makes it through the next forty-eight hours, she has a chance, but it’s fifty-fifty.’

‘Can her mother see her?’ Phil asked. The surgeon thought about his answer. ‘She will ask me when I get back to the relatives’ room.’

‘She’s in a very vulnerable state, her skull is still open,’ the surgeon said, shaking his head. ‘She can see her through the window, but it must be quick and there can be no noise on that ward, understand?’ Phil looked unsure. ‘All the patients in that particular ward need silence. If you think the mother might have a meltdown or become hysterical, then don’t take her there. Keep her away until we can move her from critical care.’

‘Okay,’ Phil said. ‘Thank you. You have my number if anything changes.’

‘We have it in the case notes.’

‘Thank you,’ Phil said.

Phil took his time walking back to the relatives’ room. He bought a cup of coffee, which tasted of water, and went outside for some fresh air. He had some decisions to make and none of them were easy. Heather was a firework, likely to go off at any time. He couldn’t take her to the critical care unit. If she kicked off in there, she could do some damage.

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