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Chapter 17
“Stop! She doesn’t like strangers to touch her.” Ben pleaded with the
nurses. He’d already endured having his head stitched up. He didn’t want
Tori freaked out now.
“We have to check her for injuries.” One of them tried to explain, while two
others tried to hold Tori down to examine her. Ben, already overwrought
with guilt, tried to fix the only thing he could.
“Wait! Let me hold her. She’ll sit with me. Do you have a book? She likes
books.” Ben jumped off his gurney ignoring his aches and pains, and
climbed up next to his sister. She calmed a bit just having him near her.
The nurses backed off and someone else handed Ben a medical journal.
“It’s all we have in here right now.” She apologized. Ben didn’t even
answer.
“They have a lot of numbers in this magazine.” He noted.
“Numbers?” Tori hiccupped.
“Pages and pages of numbers, look.” Ben turned the page so she could
see it but not reach it. Tori immediately scooted over and tried to take the
magazine from him, but he held it out of her reach. “First, sit in my lap,
then you look at the numbers.”
Without hesitation Tori climbed into his lap and he let her have the
magazine. “I’d do whatever it is fast while the magazine has her attention.”
They wasted no time with their examination and on top of her bruises,
discovered a broken bone in her right forearm which explained why she
was holding the magazine so awkwardly and continued to whimper.
“Did you find my mom yet?” Ben asked. “When can I see my dad?”
“Your mom is on her way.” The nurse told him. “They’re still treating your
dad, so that may be awhile yet.”
Just then they heard a commotion outside.
“Sir, you’re not family, you can’t go back there.” A female voice insisted.
“The hell I’m not. Take me to them or I start taking a tour on my own.” Ben’
s face lit up as he recognized the voice.
“Uncle Toby, we’re in here!” he called right before Toby pulled the curtain
aside.
“See?” Toby said amiably to the nurse. “I told you I’m family.”
“This is your uncle?” the nurse confirmed with Ben.
“Didn’t I just call him Uncle Toby?” Ben answered.
“Uncle Toby!” Tori echoed without looking up.
“Are you two okay?” Toby asked as he approached the gurney.
“I don’t know. Are we?” Ben asked the doctor.
“Ben here, has got some pretty colorful bruises and a few stitches but
other than that, he’s in good shape. His sister was on the side of the
impact and has a broken bone in her forearm. We’ve given her some
medication for the pain until her mother gets her and can approve the
treatment plan.”
“They won’t let me see Dad.” Ben complained.
“Where’s Josh?” Toby demanded.
“Mister…?”
“Ziegler, Toby Ziegler.”
“Your…brother…?”
“Brother-in-law.” Toby threw in to explain the different last names.
“Yes. Mr. Lyman is receiving treatment right now.”
“What for?” Toby said in exasperation. This was like pulling teeth.
“Could we step out in the hall for a minute?” The doctor motioned for
Toby to precede him.
“Sit tight, guys, Uncle Toby will be right back.” Toby winked at Ben but if
Tori heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it.
Ben watched them walk down the hall a bit and tried to hear what they
were saying, but it was impossible. He could see their bodies though, and
his father had taught him all about reading body language.
The doctor was talking fast and Uncle Toby got pale. Then Toby started
pacing back and forth in front of the doctor rubbing his forehead with his
fingers. Every few steps, Toby would turn back and ask the doctor
something. Sometimes the doctor would shrug in reply, other times he
shook his head while he answered. Ben could tell that whatever the doctor
was saying wasn’t good. So he was incredibly relieved when his mother,
siblings, and cousin Jenny came running into the ER.
“Ben, Tori!” Donna cried. “Are you okay? What happened?” Donna ran
her hands down Ben’s arms and through Tori’s long hair.
“They’re going to be fine, Mrs. Lyman.” The nurse assured her. “The little
one has a fracture in her right forearm, and your brave son has a few
stitches, but other than that they’re both okay.”
By this point, Toby and the doctor had reached the group.
“Mrs. Lyman, I’m Doctor Ames. I’m taking care of your children and you’ll
be glad to know, they’re both doing very well.”
“Yes, that’s wonderful. Where’s Josh? I want to see my husband.”
“They’re still treating him. One of the nurses will take you to him as soon
as possible.”
“As soon as possible? No, right now.” Donna insisted.
“Brenda? Will you find Doctor Whittaker and tell her Mrs. Lyman would like
an update on her husband’s condition?” Dr. Ames requested.
“Tori, baby, does your arm hurt?” Donna asked.
“I can’t hold the pages.” Was Tori’s only complaint.
“We can take her to cast her arm as soon as you’ve signed the consent
form.” The doctor handed the paper to Donna who signed immediately.
“Ben, what happened?” Donna asked her son.
No one was more surprised than Donna when her son collapsed in tears.
“It was my fault.” Ben told her. “I got in a fight with Dad when he was
driving and then we got in an accident. It was all my fault!”
“Honey, I’m sure that’s not true.” Donna tried to calm him.
“Yes, it is. I told him I’d never talk to him again and then I told him I hated
him. Our shouting made Tori have an episode and when Dad turned
around to talk to us we crashed.”
Donna’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Mrs. Lyman we can take your daughter to the casting room now. Dr.
Whittaker will call you there shortly.”
“Can you please just tell me how badly he’s injured?!” Donna pleaded.
“We’ll talk on the way up.” Dr. Ames promised.
“We’ll be right back, Ben. Jenny, take the kids into the waiting room
please?” Jenny nodded and ushered Jacob and Ally out to the waiting
room. Toby indicated he would stay with Ben. Once everyone had cleared
out, Toby took a seat on the gurney next to Ben who continued to cry.
“Sounds like you had an awfully bad day, sport.”
“What did the doctor say about Dad?” Ben sniffled.
Toby didn’t even consider a lie. “He took most of the impact from the
oncoming car. Luckily the passengers in the other car weren’t seriously
hurt.”
“But Dad was?” Toby could hear the plea in Ben’s voice, asking Toby to
contradict him.
“They’re not sure yet, Ben. He’s still unconscious and he’s got some
injuries they’re taking care of.”
That made Ben cry harder. Toby drew the boy to his side and Ben’s arms
went hesitantly around Toby’s shoulders. Toby let him cry out the stress
and guilt for awhile.
“Okay, Benjamin. Time to pull yourself together. When your dad wakes
up, you and Tori are going to be the first people he’ll want to see.”
“No he won’t. It’s my fault he’s hurt. I told him I hated him.” Ben admitted.
“Well then you’re going to want to tell him you didn’t mean it…or did you?”
Toby inquired.
“I did at the time. I was really, really mad at him.” Ben explained. “He’ll
never want to see me again.”
“Let me tell you a little secret about Dad’s.” Toby leaned closer to his ear.
“We’re suckers for our sons. Your dad loves you more than you can ever
know until you have a son of your own. It will be okay.”
Ben just looked at the floor completely dispirited.
“I’ve been writing a speech for a pompous windbag in New York, so I’ve
been thinking of jumping off a bridge most of the day.”
No response. “You’re going to want to watch Tori with that cast. It can
easily be used as a weapon.” Toby tried again; with no success. “Excuse
me, nurse? Is my nephew free to go?”
“We need a parent or guardian to sign the discharge papers.”
“That’s me; the guardian.” Toby took the clipboard out of her hands and
signed the bottom with a flourish. “Any special instructions?”
“The doctor has a prescription for pain meds. Ben should take it easy for
a couple days, and if any of the symptoms on this list show up, call us
immediately.”
“Will do. Come on champ, I’m breaking you out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
“To see your dad.” Toby answered simply.