Page 82 of Something to Believe In

Any news?

Mum insisted on dropping her home when they took me in for another CT scan, so she could shower and freshen up. I let out a sigh, drumming my fingers on the bed as I text her back.

Still waiting for the doctor.

My feet bounce up and down restlessly. I hate being cooped up in a hospital bed–almost as much as I hate the fact I frightened both Hannah and Mum. Jake crashed at a friend’s place last night, but now he’s down in the cafeteria making sure Mum eats something.

Turning on the television, I flick through the channels, finally settling on an outback adventure show. My mind wanders though, and I sigh again before switching it off. I knew things were not good to still be getting the headaches more than a month after the accident. I hit my head against the brick wall when Joel pushed me last night, but it wasn’t hard enough to cause the pain that reverberated through my skull.

When Dr. Henry walks in a couple of minutes later, I don’t know if I’m ready to hear what he has to say.

“How are you feeling this morning, Oliver?” He asks, looking over the top of his glasses as he studies my chart.

“Fine,” I say. “Better.”

He nods. “Right, and where’s your mum?”

“Getting something to eat with my brother.” I wipe my sweaty palms on the bed sheets. “I’m eighteen. I don’t need her here. Can you just tell me what’s going on?”

My heart sinks when Dr. Henry sighs. “Oliver, the concussion you received on the football field was the second traumatic brain injury you suffered in the last six months. The third in two years. The effect on the brain from multiple traumas is nothing to take lightly.”

I clear my throat. “So, what does that mean?”

“We need to keep an eye on your symptoms.” He glances down at my chart again. “You’ve had headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, loss of consciousness and vision changes.” I nod. Listing it like that makes me realise just how bad it sounds. “Any neck pain of stiffness?”

I shrug. “Not really. No.”

“Memory loss?”

I shake my head.

“Trouble breathing? Difficulty speaking? Slurred speech?”

Again, I shake my head.

“Okay. Well that’s good.” He gives me a small smile, but it doesn’t put my mind at ease. “Any of those symptoms I just mentioned, including the ones you have already admitted to having, are serious, Oliver. If you have any more episodes, it is important you get checked out straight away.”

I don’t know what to say, so I just nod again.

“Good. I’m going to start you on some new medication to reduce the swelling around your brain. I’ll be consulting with your prescribing doctor about your current medications, but my recommendation will be that you stop taking them until we make sure this is all under control. You’re also going to have to have regular check-ups for the next couple of months, but you should be able to leave the hospital either tomorrow or the day after. Have you got any questions for me?”

I attempt to swallow, but my mouth is bone dry. “I…” I clear my throat. “I’m supposed to get cleared for training in a couple of weeks. My shoulder…” My voice trails off at the look on Dr. Henry’s face.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea right now. While your collarbone has healed quite nicely, the CT showed some slight swelling on the brain still. Nothing too concerning, but I would still like to send you for an MRI next week. You’ve got to give yourself time to recover properly. Even then, it might not be a good idea to continue to put yourself at risk. The slightest head knock could do more long-term damage.”

“The draft,” I manage to choke out.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s going to happen there, I’m sorry. We’ll have to reassess after the MRI. I can’t give you much more than that at the moment. I need to reaffirm, this is serious. There are no shortcuts when it comes to head injuries.”

I turn my head away from him, swallowing down the bile rising in my throat and blinking back the tears stinging the corners of my eyes. After losing my dad, the only thing I had besides Hannah was football, and now that’s being taken away from me too.What the hell have I done to deserve this?Breathing deeply, I try to keep it together.

“Oli?”

Hearing Mum’s voice in the doorway breaks me and the tears stream down my face. She perches on the side of the hospital bed, rubbing my back like she did when I was a little kid. I bury my head in her shoulder, clinging on for dear life.

“What’s going on?” Concern coats my brother’s voice.

A buzzing noise rings in my ears as Dr. Henry explains everything to Mum and Jake. I don’t need to hear it again. The first time was bad enough. My palms are sweaty as I cling to Mum, and my body’s shaking. My whole world feels like it’s falling apart and there’s nothing I can do about it.

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