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priscaTitle: Anxious hours
Character: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor
Word Count: 803
Challenge: anxious, Yahtzee 2022, card 1, fill 4
Finished: 29.04.2022
:::
Casey was sitting on the wooden hospital chair, kneading his hands. „Here.“ Zeke stepped closer, holding out a paper cup. „Hot tea. And a sandwich.“
„Thanks, but... no thanks. I don't think I can...“
„Oh yes, you can.“ Inwardly cringing, Zeke noticed Casey's pale face, the anxious look in his eyes. „We are here already for some hours, and you need to eat. It won't help your mom when you collapse.“
Tears were running over Casey's face. „What if she doesn't make it through the surgery? The doc sounded very serious, as if there were complications. What's going on inside there? And why does it last for so long?“
Reassuring, Zeke smiled; impossible to pull him into his arms and hold him, not here in the waiting area from the hospital. The last they needed was even more drama. „Your mom is no one who gives up so easily,“ he said, trying to sound as confident as possible. „It was a severe accident, but I am sure that everything will go well in the end.“
But secretly, he wondered what would be if he was wrong. The bond between Casey and his mom was close, much closer than the relationship between a mother and an eighteen-year-old teenager usually was. The circumstances had bound them together. Casey had had many health issues as a baby, but in contrast to his father, who hadn't been willing to accept that his son might be disabled, his mother had never stopped fighting for him. The marriage finally ended; Mr. Connor left the town head over heels, unwilling to pay child support at least.
But giving up had never been an option for Mrs. Conner. She managed to build a new life for herself and Casey from close to scratch, supporting her son in every possible way, and when he came to highschool, he was still the smallest boy at school but also one of the smartest. A geek who knew what he wanted. The boy Zeke had opened his heart to. Which, he had been sure of that, would never happen to him.
Slightly worried, Zeke watched Casey sip his tea, the sandwich still untouched on the chair beside him. No, he didn't want to think about what it would mean for Casey when his mom wouldn't return home to him again.
„Hello!“ A friendly voice tore him out of his reverie and made Casey spill his tea. The doc didn't seem to notice. „You are the family of Mrs. Connor?“
Casey's eyes widened, and Zeke nodded.“He's her son. I'm a friend of the family. How is she doing?“
„The car hit her with full force on her right side, but luckily no internal injuries. A concussion, and a complicated fracture of the hip, though. The surgery lasted longer than hoped, and the stress caused some cardiac problems.“
„Oh, God!“ Looking for hold, Casey squeezed Zeke's arm so hard that it hurt.
„No need to worry, something like this can happen during a long surgery, and we got it under control quickly.“
Casey sobbed silently, and Zeke asked: „And her hip? Will she recover completely again?“
„Well, to be honest, we will have to wait with a final diagnosis until she wakes up again. As far as we can say by now, the surgery went well, but she will have to stay at the hospital for some weeks, and after this, it can take months of rehab until her hip is fully weight-bearing again.“
„Can I... can I see her?“
The doc hesitated before he nodded. „Give her an hour or two. A nurse will get you when she wakes up. But only for five minutes; a more extended visit will have to wait until she is more stable.“
"Understand!" Casey nodded. „Thank you, doc."
When the man turned back to the swing door of the intensive care station, he sank back onto the chair, covering his face in his hands. „Hey, these are good news.“ Zeke tried a reassuring smile. „Everything will be okay again. Your mom is a fighter, and a stupid accident won't stop her.“
„I don't know if I am coming or going,“ Casey murmured. „Where will all this go from here? When she finally comes home, she will still need help. What does this mean for us and our college plans? I can't go to New York when...“
„Okay, breath!“ Zeke put a hand on his shoulder. „We don't have to think about this right now. At the moment, all that counts is your mom. And you will stay as long as she needs you. No question.“
„But you...“ Casey blinked some new tears away.
„Don't even think about this. I will go nowhere without you. It is that easy.“
Character: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor
Word Count: 803
Challenge: anxious, Yahtzee 2022, card 1, fill 4
Finished: 29.04.2022
:::
Casey was sitting on the wooden hospital chair, kneading his hands. „Here.“ Zeke stepped closer, holding out a paper cup. „Hot tea. And a sandwich.“
„Thanks, but... no thanks. I don't think I can...“
„Oh yes, you can.“ Inwardly cringing, Zeke noticed Casey's pale face, the anxious look in his eyes. „We are here already for some hours, and you need to eat. It won't help your mom when you collapse.“
Tears were running over Casey's face. „What if she doesn't make it through the surgery? The doc sounded very serious, as if there were complications. What's going on inside there? And why does it last for so long?“
Reassuring, Zeke smiled; impossible to pull him into his arms and hold him, not here in the waiting area from the hospital. The last they needed was even more drama. „Your mom is no one who gives up so easily,“ he said, trying to sound as confident as possible. „It was a severe accident, but I am sure that everything will go well in the end.“
But secretly, he wondered what would be if he was wrong. The bond between Casey and his mom was close, much closer than the relationship between a mother and an eighteen-year-old teenager usually was. The circumstances had bound them together. Casey had had many health issues as a baby, but in contrast to his father, who hadn't been willing to accept that his son might be disabled, his mother had never stopped fighting for him. The marriage finally ended; Mr. Connor left the town head over heels, unwilling to pay child support at least.
But giving up had never been an option for Mrs. Conner. She managed to build a new life for herself and Casey from close to scratch, supporting her son in every possible way, and when he came to highschool, he was still the smallest boy at school but also one of the smartest. A geek who knew what he wanted. The boy Zeke had opened his heart to. Which, he had been sure of that, would never happen to him.
Slightly worried, Zeke watched Casey sip his tea, the sandwich still untouched on the chair beside him. No, he didn't want to think about what it would mean for Casey when his mom wouldn't return home to him again.
„Hello!“ A friendly voice tore him out of his reverie and made Casey spill his tea. The doc didn't seem to notice. „You are the family of Mrs. Connor?“
Casey's eyes widened, and Zeke nodded.“He's her son. I'm a friend of the family. How is she doing?“
„The car hit her with full force on her right side, but luckily no internal injuries. A concussion, and a complicated fracture of the hip, though. The surgery lasted longer than hoped, and the stress caused some cardiac problems.“
„Oh, God!“ Looking for hold, Casey squeezed Zeke's arm so hard that it hurt.
„No need to worry, something like this can happen during a long surgery, and we got it under control quickly.“
Casey sobbed silently, and Zeke asked: „And her hip? Will she recover completely again?“
„Well, to be honest, we will have to wait with a final diagnosis until she wakes up again. As far as we can say by now, the surgery went well, but she will have to stay at the hospital for some weeks, and after this, it can take months of rehab until her hip is fully weight-bearing again.“
„Can I... can I see her?“
The doc hesitated before he nodded. „Give her an hour or two. A nurse will get you when she wakes up. But only for five minutes; a more extended visit will have to wait until she is more stable.“
"Understand!" Casey nodded. „Thank you, doc."
When the man turned back to the swing door of the intensive care station, he sank back onto the chair, covering his face in his hands. „Hey, these are good news.“ Zeke tried a reassuring smile. „Everything will be okay again. Your mom is a fighter, and a stupid accident won't stop her.“
„I don't know if I am coming or going,“ Casey murmured. „Where will all this go from here? When she finally comes home, she will still need help. What does this mean for us and our college plans? I can't go to New York when...“
„Okay, breath!“ Zeke put a hand on his shoulder. „We don't have to think about this right now. At the moment, all that counts is your mom. And you will stay as long as she needs you. No question.“
„But you...“ Casey blinked some new tears away.
„Don't even think about this. I will go nowhere without you. It is that easy.“