Thirty minutes later, the orderly returned Jesse to the same curtained holding area with Ethel walking closely behind. He locked down the wheels. “Dr. Kershaw will be here as soon as the scan is read. Then we’ll get you to a real room.”

“We’ll see,” Ethel said. “Thank you for your help.”

The orderly left.

Jesse scooted higher up on the inclined bed. “What do you mean, ‘we’ll see’?”

“If the scan comes back negative, no bleeding, no fracture, then I want to take you home. You’ll need rest, and I can check on you every few hours. At one time, doctors warned victims of concussions not to go to sleep till beyond the time of any complications. But with CT scans, that view’s been reversed, and rest is now recognized as an appropriate and preferred treatment.”

“What about my clothes?”

“I spoke to Lisa. She’s bringing you something to wear. I hope you don’t mind her going through your things.”

“No. Of course not. Have you told Bradshaw about the money?”

“I’ll do that once we get you released. Lisa’s going to hang out in the ER waiting room until the doctor gives us the verdict.”

Ten minutes later, Dr. Kershaw, a physician who looked like he was ten minutes out of med school, arrived. He delivered the results as much to Ethel as to his patient. The scan was clear, and Jesse was free to leave. He recommended Jesse sit up for at least ten minutes for any dizziness to subside and then check out in a wheelchair. If there was any change in his condition, he should return immediately.

Checking out was much slower than checking in, and it was nearly three o’clock before Jesse was wheeled to Ethel’s waiting black Infiniti sedan. Lisa Draper helped him into the front passenger seat.

“Do you want to drive?” Lisa asked Ethel.

“No, you got my car here safely. I’ll sit in the back.”

“Ethel thought my SUV would be more difficult to climb into,” Lisa explained to Jesse. “Be my luck you’d fall out and sue me.”

“I might need to sue somebody. We’ll see how good my student health insurance is.”

“How are things at the house?” Ethel asked.

“Officer Tepper’s there. Detective Mancini asked him to stay on.”

Ethel buckled her seat belt. “Really? That’s interesting.”

***

Trevor Norwood returned to his apartment with a bag from the nearby CVS pharmacy in one hand and a bag with a Big Mac and fries in the other. He’d walked to avoid anyone seeing inside his car where the blood was smeared across the seat. The interior cleaning would need to wait until his arm stopped throbbing.