haunted from within by ian irvine

Author:ian irvine
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Lilyhill Press
Published: 2013-01-30T06:00:00+00:00

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Chapter Twenty Nine

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Edinburgh Royal Infirmary

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Sergeant Cameron Angus sat up in bed and winced. A stab of pain shot down his right side, and he swore underneath his breath.

He would be getting out tomorrow. Most of the ribs on his right side were bruised, and his right arm was in a sling, also very bruised but not broken. But that was not the worst of it: one rib was broken, and apparently, there was nothing that anyone could do for him. There was no treatment for a broken rib. And when he got out tomorrow, the hospital medication would stop. He had been warned that he should visit his own doctor as soon as possible, and discuss pain relief with him.

"For a week or so, the pain could be quite severe," was all the doctor was prepared to admit. "So take it easy, and mind how you go."

Cameron winced again.

He knew that the National Health Service was under-resourced and under strain, but how about a morphine-drip-to-go?

He had been in hospital for a few days, just to make sure that he did not develop any infection: when he had hit the tiled mantelpiece in Mr Wallace's flat, the rib that had cracked had pierced his right lung, and it had instantly deflated.

As the intruder had pushed Mr Wallace to the floor and made good his escape, Cameron had been struggling to breathe, and for a few seconds he had thought he was going to die.

Thankfully, his lung partially inflated again, and the paramedics that arrived almost immediately (thank God!), had sedated him, laid him on the stretcher and delivered him to A&E in the hospital in less than ten minutes.

After the doctor had examined him again this morning, he had just said. "Don't worry, ...you will live," smiled, and then left.

That was this morning. Since then, he had begun to feel as if he was just taking up space. He was no longer the centre of attention. In fact, he was beginning to think that they had completely forgotten about him. He was starving! Where were the meals-on-wheels and dinner-on-a-tray?

His wife had been and gone, bringing some grapes and Lucozade, and had left to make the kids their dinner and put them to bed.

Cameron was just about to reach for another magazine to read, when old Mr Wallace walked into the ward.

As soon as he saw him, the old man smiled. Cameron couldn't help but smile back. He liked the old man. Which was why, when the call had come in, and he once again recognised the address as Mr Wallace's, he had turned his motorcycle around from where he was going and sped straight over.

The next door neighbour had called the police, informing them of a suspected burglary. Unlike the last time he had been called over and had not made it, this time he had been the first on the scene. He'd got there just as Mr Wallace had got back early from the Bingo.

Fat lot of use he'd been though.

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