Chapter 38
The monitor bleeps rhythmically.
I don't pay any attention to the nurse when she comes in to check his condition and administer more pain relievers. They want to keep him sedated for a while, to allow his body time to heal, but I worry that he'll never wake up.
It's bad.
His face and hands are about the only parts of him visibly unbandaged, though even the dressings are getting soaked through with his blood. I can smell the iron in the air from the blood bags as he receives transfusions; it takes away a little of the scent of his wounds. They smell of old rotting meat, but the wraps can't be changed too often in case they pull off or disturb the scabbing that is forming.
He just lays there, unmoving.
"Hey dad," I breathe. "It's three in the afternoon. The weather's getting warmer; we're starting to get the hot weather again. I guess you'll be glad to be cool; I know you hate the hot."