A game of squash at my club ended in an accident
Accident or Attacked.
or was it just meant to look like an accident?
Playing squash in a Friday night league game I was inadvertently wacked by my opponent's racket which forced me to concede the game. Normally I would wait until home before showering on this occasion I decided to have a shower at the Club hoping an early shower would prevent any bruising from showing.
Towel on I headed from the locker room into the showers, being right handed instinctively turned right and selected a shower stall. I tried to hang my towel on the adjacent peg but the peg fell off, the Allander Leisure Centre was plagued with snagging problems since its rebuild.
Frustratingly I dumped my towel on the bench seat.
The shower was one of those water saving designs where you punch the button and you get about three minutes of water then you spar with it until you have showered. I hit the ball shaped button out came cold water stepped back out the cold spray waiting for it to run hot.
Something caught my eye, didn't know what, at the opposite end of the showers someone was on the floor not moving, caught unaware I paused as I took in what I was looking at.
It was then I noticed blood running from his head towards a drain on the floor. Reality kicked in I went to help, midway near the shower entrance I noted an emergency alarm, punched it, instantaneously it lit up but no sound.
I thought another bloody thing not working.
I saw movement and heard muttering, something that could have been 'don't hit me again' I kneeled down the left side and his face was covered in blood with blood streaming from his nose and mouth. He also had whelk marks on his body and legs.
He reached up put his arms around my neck hugging me as he tried to get up, I knew he should stay on the floor but wasn't going to be deterred from getting up, a sort of flight survival thing.
Anyway I wrapped my arms around him under his arms bear hugging style helping lift him on to the bench seat. I don't know what any onlooker would have thought, two naked guys hugging each other, I must have been hurting him I could feel him squirm and cry out in distress.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a paramedic with a large red first responder kit on his back 'what a relief.' I don't know what he must have though, two guys holding each other covered in blood. With an extra pair of hands we got him seated on the bench, I stood back as the paramedic started checking him over.
A second voice in my ear said.
"Ok we have him" firmly saying "go and wash that blood off under the shower; right now!"
As I walked away towards my towel and shower area I noticed three middle shower stalls taped off. First said 'maintenance' second 'Police do not cross' third 'maintenance.'
I went into my shower stall hit the button, cold then hot water cascaded over me, I looked down all I could see was blood washing off me and running down the drain. Not mine? I had to convince myself of that by patting my body, my turn to wince as I touched the top right hand side of my hip where I had been wacked by the squash racket.
Dried off donned my towel and walked towards the two paramedics who were still wiping blood and drying off the person who had fallen on the floor and applying suture plasters.
A body raced passed me in a staff track suit with seams pressed into its trousers and a clip board in hand saying to me.
"Wait outside!"
I sat at my locker wearing my towel recovering from shock, two paramedics with their red responder kits on their back came out of the shower area assisting the person whom I had found on the floor.
At least he was now recognisable with blood wiped off his face and body and sat him down alongside me. He said "thanks."
First Paramedic; "Kenneth get your friend to take you to A&E to be checked out as a precaution, you received quite a bang on your head when you fell."
Kenneth subdued, clearly in shock, replied "okay I will."
Second paramedic to me.
"Normally we would get an ambulance to take him to A&E, given it a Friday night and the shortage of ambulances could mean a wait of three or more hours; can you take him?"
What could I say, other than his name I didn't know him, "yes ok."
The pressed tracksuit with clip board and pen in hand asked me.
"Can you tell me who you are and what happened?"
I gave him name rank and phone number and what happened.
He started a new page and asked.
"Kenneth can you tell me your address, phone number and what happened?"
I couldn't hear his reply. Off went the pressed track suit clipboard in hand chasing after the Paramedics for their statements with a loud encore directed at me.
"Remember take your friend to A&E, head injuries can be quite serious."
What a twat.
We both sat there with only towels on, at least we now knew each others name. I dressed then helped Kenneth dress, we were both equally embarrassed doing that.
My car was a low slung sports car and painful for Kenneth to get into, getting him out at A&E was more challenging.
Hospital A&E was quiet the Friday night mayhem hadn't yet developed into frenzy. We were there for an hour and a half, matching track suites categorised us as accidental casualties.
Prognosis was Kenneth had lost a lot of blood and may have a mild concussion as such someone had to stay with him overnight. He had already confided in me he had Patron, I didn't know what that actually meant but he was overseas on business.
The senior nurse who was clearly a veteran of weekend triage wouldn't let him fob her off with an unconvincing "yes ok". She was a formidable force looked at me and told me in no uncertain words as you are good friends I would have to stay overnight with him.
It was now clear to me that Kenneth was gay with a sugar daddy, the iron willed Triage Nurse Practitioner somehow knew this and I was conscripted-in to be his night nurse. The penalty clause in her argument, otherwise Kenneth would have to stay overnight in an emergency ward with all the Friday night junkies and drunks.
Not really a negotiable point what could I say but "okay I will stay with him" she went on to explain what that meant. I would have to check on him every half hour. With an iron stare said even if that means you have to sit on his bed. She thought I was gay too.
Kenneth's place was one of those high-end one bedroom apartments's you associate with discreet girlfriends, or boyfriends I suppose.
I could see he was still doped up with the medication and pain killers they gave him.
He headed for bed I had to undress him, not as embarrassing for either of us this time. I also undressed went into the living room and lay on a couch with a blanket over me.
My watch dinged every thirty minutes to go and check on him, one time he was wandering about the living room looking at me with only underwear on.
He sat on down on the couch opposite me, still shaking, told me who his Patron nicknamed JoJo was, and their history together; I was surprised but impressed.
He seemed reluctant to leave me in shock I presumed. Then said "can you come to bed with me I don't want to be alone, in case they come back." I didn't know what to say but "yes ok."
We both lay naked in his bed apart from our underwear, it was a big fun sized bed, with Kenneth spooning me and arm round my waist for security. The half hour checking regime had taken its toll we both woke up early, I had to help him out of bed.
We sat at his breakfast bar chatting having coffee, cereal and toast with only our underwear on. Doorbell rang nervously frightened Kenneth asked me to answer it, still unsettled from last night. I retrieved my track suit bottoms from the bedroom chair pulled them on and went to answer the door.
Standing their were two serious looking individuals with identification cards in their hands, a tall, slim, attractive DI Carol McLagan and a six foot plus bear size DS Tom Moor.
Carol introduced themselves as a specialist team of investigators dealing with potential homophobic violence and asked 'could they come in.'
I stepped back, more in surprise of who they were, and invited them in just as Kenneth returned from his bedroom struggling to pull-on his track suit bottoms in full view of everyone.
I introduced Carol and Tom to him and invited them to sit down Kenneth was very nervous and sat close alongside me on one of the two couches.
We were both only wearing matching tracksuit bottoms, no shirt, trainers or anything else.
Kenneth seemed reluctant to say anything.
Carol kicked things off with a soft but caring voice as her sergeant switched on the voice recorder in his phone.
"Last night's incident at the Allander Leisure Centre has been brought to our attention by the Centre and the Hospital you attended, particularly because of the extent of injuries you suffered Kenneth.
There have been a number of similar incidents happen over the past few months and we want to see if they are connected?"
Like you see on the Police interrogation program's Tom turned and looked at me with a penetrating stare in a slow deep gruff voice asked.
"Shane tell us what happened, in your own words?"
I reiterated what happened and why I went for a shower following the squash racket accident as opposed to my normal showering at home and hospital insisting I stay the night with Kenneth.
Carol looked at Tom then me and turned to Kenneth.
"We know you are gay you don't rent this apartment your Patron allows you to live here with an allowance, in consideration for shall we say sexual favors.
Did you know the previous person who lived here, under similar arrangements, ended up in hospital after he was videoed in a compromising act with a well-known businessman of questionable pedigree?"
Kenneth stuttered. "No I only moved in three weeks ago."
"Did you see what happened to Shane?"
"Yes; but he was deliberately hit by his opponent's squash racket, I was up in the gallery watching them play."