Saving Grapes - Madeline Kirby Page 0,47
room entrance.
“Are you here for Thomas Caldwell?” He asked. He looked tired, but Ben didn’t think he looked like someone about to deliver bad news, and he allowed himself to hope.
“Yes,” he choked. He cleared his throat and stood. “Yes, we are. How is he?”
The doctor turned to Chuck and smiled. “Hey Chuck, haven’t seen you since your youngest fell out of that tree. I saw in the notes that you’re Mr. Caldwell’s emergency contact.” He turned back to Ben. “Are you family?”
“He’s my nephew, and Thom’s partner.” Chuck told the doctor. Ben didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure Thom was ready to call them partners yet, but Chuck was the one who said it, not Ben. And if it got him the information he wanted, he wouldn’t contradict his uncle.
It seemed to satisfy the doctor, who nodded. “Okay, he’s in recovery. The surgery went well. He was very lucky there were no internal injuries or spinal cord trauma.”
Ben’s knees gave way and he sank back down to the chair, exhaling a breath it seemed he’d been holding for hours.
“What else?” Chuck asked.
“There’s no evidence that he was struck by lightning. If there was a strike nearby, the shockwave may have thrown him against something, which accounts for his injuries.”
“He hit the side of the house.” Ben said.
“What kind of injuries?” Chuck asked.
“He has a concussion, a broken collarbone, and his right hip was broken. It was a clean break, and we were able to stabilize the bone without having to do a full replacement. There were also some minor scratches, he needed a few stitches, and he’s going to have a hell of a shiner, but nothing more serious, and no internal injuries. It’s the concussion we’re most concerned about. We’ll need to keep him here for a few days, and we’ll need to have some conversations about recovery and physical therapy, but for now I suggest you both get some rest. You won’t be able to see him until tomorrow morning. Let’s go to the nurses’ station and I’ll make sure you’re both on the ICU visitor list.”
After thanking the doctor again, and making sure the nurse had all the information she needed from them, Ben and Chuck headed out to the parking lot. It was dark out and Ben realized he must have been at the hospital all day.
“What time is it?” he asked his uncle.
Chuck looked at his watch, “Nine-thirty. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
Ben climbed into his uncle’s truck. They drove without speaking for a few minutes before Ben decided he had to break the silence. He’d been putting it off, but now that he knew Thom was out of danger he needed to know.
“What’s going on at the vineyard?”
Chuck stared straight ahead, chewing his lower lip, and for a minute Ben though he might not answer.
“I don’t know for sure,” he said. “But there was a fire.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“No, but there was a lightning strike. It hit the north field. Even with all the rain, well, lightning is lightning. I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like there may have been a lot of damage.”
Ben groaned. He wished he hadn’t asked.
“There’s insurance, right?” Chuck asked.
“Yeah, we made sure everything was covered to the max. It had to be, for the loan. It’s not the money, though. It’s the time, the work, Thom’s dreams… This will devastate him.”
Neither man spoke again until they reached the house. They sat in the truck, looking at the white farm house. Ben wondered whether anyone had cleaned Thom’s blood off the wall. He didn’t want to see it. All the lights were on – his aunt and cousins must still be here. His father’s car was parked next to Thom’s truck. It was too dark to see anything beyond the house, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and it would still be there in the morning.
“Let’s go in,” Chuck said at last. “My guess is Lorraine’s probably made chicken and dumplings – that’s her go-to when there’s trouble. Let her take care of you tonight, so you can take care of Thom, right?”
Ben nodded. “You’re a good man, Uncle Chuck.”
Chuck clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake. “So are you, Ben. So are you.”
Chapter 17
BEN WAS already at the hospital, waiting, when visiting hours began the next morning. Because his name was on the list, he had no difficulty getting in, even though Thom was still under