Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 33

Robert was awoken, a few hours later, he assumed due to the daylight, by a very over-worried Diane and a concerned looking Vic standing over him, staring at him. There were also two doctors, a short woman with red hair tied back. She looked weary and stern. Behind her was a man bearing a similar expression to his colleague. "Oh Robert you're awake! He is awake isn't he?"

"Yes he is." The female doctor confirmed.

"Robert love they seem to think you had a fit."

"No they didn't say that." Vic told him quickly. "You were kind of writhing about and sweating a lot."

"Well that's close enough to one!" Diane argued. Robert closed his eyes and sighed whilst they decided to battle out what the definition of a fit was. Suddenly the nights events hit him. The knife. His back shot off the mattress. Sitting up now he scanned the room.

"Rob?" He heard Vic say. The female doctor shushed Robert's family members and sank down on to the edge of the bed beside Robert.

"Robert, we think we know what's going on in terms of you not sleeping very well." Robert ignored her, continuing to glance nervously around the room, his eyes darting from corner to corner. "We're assuming this has happened more than once Robert."

"What? But he's living with me. I...I would've noticed." Vic said, starting to feel bad.

"Mr Sugden." Robert's head suddenly turned in a zombie like fashion, his eyes wide and unblinking. "I have a psychotherapist here, like a... let's say a counsellor. He's had many experiences with patients suffering from ptsd."

"Pts..."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder..." Vic cut Diane off, almost whispering the words as though they were forbidden.

"I know what it is thank you, Chas has got it and she let me know about it remember...Has Robert got it, do you think because he was shot?" Diane earned glares from everyone.

"Let's all quieten down now and leave Robert and our specialist Chris to have a little chat in private." The female doctor suggested to Vic and Diane.

They all left in silence, however as soon as they were out of the room, Vic began to cry silent tears. If anyone had noticed Robert suffering, she thought she would've been the one to notice it. But she hadn't. It had been months. How long had he been suffering all on his own?

Aaron was stood in the kitchen, a mug of tea in his hands. He hadn't stopped thinking about Robert's words all night. He'd tried convincing himself that Robert had been possibly kicked in the head and he'd just been a little delusional, but he believed his words one-hundred percent. Suddenly there was a knock on the sitting room door, Aaron peered up over the rim of the mug against his lips. It was Ds. Wise. Aaron put the mug down on the shelf beside him. "Good morning, um is Chas here?"

"Yeah she is, why?"

"Well I figured you'd both want to hear the news."

"I'll get 'er." Aaron didn't hesitate to start moving across the sitting room.

"Uh, Aaron. We haven't found her yet, if that's what you were thinking."

"Yeah, yeah I know." He lied, his spirits dampened again. After a quick trip upstairs Aaron returned with Chas in tow.

"Hello Detective, what can we do for you?" Suddenly Marlon's head popped around the door.

"Hi, Chas, yeah uh can I possibly get some help? Vic's at the hospital with Robert and I'm kind of on my own out there trying to hold the fort."