The mistake of Jack - Chapter 4 - FICTION

The room was filled with sunlight and there were women talking in the distance. The brightness in the room was almost too much for his eyes to handle, but by squinting, Jack lifted his head up to look around at where he was. He saw blue curtains and white linen and while hearing a “beep-beep” sound, Jack immediately realized that he was in a hospital. He looked underneath the covers and saw that he was dressed in a baby blue hospital gown and that he had an IV in his arm. His head hurt and he felt drowsy but there was no one in the room except for him. The clock on the wall showed that it was ten past seven. Jack still remembered washing his face at the gas station but he had no recollection of what happened after that. He looked around for the call button and as he reached it, someone entered the room.

“Hi Ja…”

“What the hell are you doing here?” he interrupts.

“Your wife phoned Mr. Fischer last night looking for you.”

“My wife?” he asks puzzled.

“She phoned the office this morning to inform us that you won’t be coming to work today as you’re in the hospital, so I came over to check on you. I saw her downstairs at the Café. She’s probably on her way back here. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t know why you haven’t told her yet, but you know that you can’t keep it a secret forever, Jack.”

“I can’t believe you have the audacity to show up here, Cindy. Please just go. I want nothing to do with you and that shithead Fischer!”

Cindy didn’t look shocked and he could see on her face that she expected him to say that. She turned around to walk out the door, paused and looked back at him very sympathetically. When she was gone, he pushed the call button and a few seconds later a nurse came into the room, all happy and smiling, super excited that he was awake. She asked him how he felt and what happened to him but he was still unable to remember.

“Your wife sat with you the whole night. I sent her down to get something to eat earlier” the nurse said.

Jack felt very uncomfortable about seeing his wife, mostly because he did not know what to tell her about the day before. He wondered if Fischer told her anything over the phone last night and if the whole office was aware that his wife doesn’t know anything about the situation at work. Cindy would’ve answered the phone when Miranda called the office. He was still thinking about how embarrassing this whole situation was when Miranda walked into the room with coffee…

“I just heard from the nurse that you are awake and spilled almost all of my coffee to get here faster. How are you feeling my love?” She looked worried but he felt relief that she didn’t seem angry. She did not even give him a chance to answer as she rambled down with all she wanted to say and know.

“You had me so worried! I have so many things to tell you and then when you didn’t come home…I looked everywhere for you until I found you. Audrey phoned all the hospitals and when she found out you were here, I came immediately from the other side of town where I was looking for you in hospitals. What the hell happened, Jack?”

Jack didn’t really know where to start and he knew that he had to come clean but now didn’t feel like the right time.

“I am not quite sure what happened” he said. “I stopped at the gas station to use the restroom and…I’ve tried to remember the rest but I can’t seem to.” He knew that she would ask what he was doing there in the middle of the day, but surprisingly, she didn’t ask that, yet.

“Well you just get some rest. I’m sure it will all come back to you soon…and don’t worry about work. I’ve already arranged with them that you will take a few days off" she said, looking very proud of herself.

“That wasn’t necessary my dear, but thank you!” He smiled at her and suggested that she go home to get some rest when the doctor came in the door.

“Good morning Mr. Adams. How are you feeling this morning?” the doctor asked. He seemed nice and asked a few general health questions while moving his stethoscope up and down Jack’s torso. “You had yourself quite a big knock on the head it seems. We’ve covered that up for you and the tests came back normal. We also did an ultrasound and a couple of X-rays which were also normal.”

“He can’t remember what happened doctor” Miranda interrupted.

The doctor explained to them that it would only be temporary and that he just needed to get some rest in order to make a full recovery. He joked about how Jack was a handful when the paramedics brought him into the ER last night. Jack just lay there listening and was hoping that the doctor would keep him in the hospital for a few days, just so that he can think of answers for when Miranda starts questioning him. The doctor asked the nurse to write a prescription for him and then said he can go home later that day and informed him that he has to come back to the hospital after three days to redo the tests.

Jack laid his head back down onto the pillow after the doctor left and for the first time he was aware of the pain in the back of head. With his hand he could feel that there was a plaster and that the hair around it had been shaved. Miranda was on her phone explaining the situation to her sister when the nurse came back with the prescription medicine, a medical note for work and the release forms. Miranda told Audrey that she would phone her back later and then the nurse explained everything she was supposed to.

“Mr. Adams, would you like us to e-mail the medical note directly to your employer or would you rather give it them in person?” the nurse asked. Miranda looked like she wanted to answer but Jack made sure to take the note and said that he would submit it himself. He wasn’t expecting being released so soon and was taking his time to get dressed. Eventually when he was ready, a male nurse came with a wheelchair to take him to the car.

As they drove home, Jack was very quiet and laid back in his chair with his eyes closed. The radio was on and he asked Miranda to turn the volume up when the news came on. When they reached home, Tracey and Miranda helped Jack into the house and he desperately wanted to take a shower. Miranda wanted to help him but he asked her to rather fix him a sandwich. She is a good woman and a great wife, but she always wants to know everything and she will not stop until she finds out.

After his shower, he climbed into bed. Miranda brought him his sandwich and then went into the bathroom to run herself a bath when they heard the doorbell ring. Miranda then told him about Mrs. Jackson and they both thought it’s probably her at the door. Luckily Tracey will open the door and she’ll be able to give her information if that is what she came for.

Tracey knocked on the bedroom door.

“Master Jack, there is a man at the door asking for you. He says his name is Fischer."

(To be continued...)

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Previous chapters:

Chapter 1: https://steemit.com/fiction/@bdmomuae/the-mistake-of-jack-chapter-1-fiction
Chapter 2: https://steemit.com/fiction/@bdmomuae/the-mistake-of-jack-chapter-2-fiction
Chapter 3: https://steemit.com/fiction/@bdmomuae/the-mistake-of-jack-chapter-3-fiction

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