Another very short story written to order for my regulars.
Please don't complain about its length it's in the description, or about the editing unless you are offering to do it for me.
Enjoy. :)
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"Do you know what the fucking time is?" she bellowed down the phone at 2:39am.
"Mum."
The alcohol haze made her brain sluggish. "Dustin?"
"Yeah it's me. Dad's been hurt at work, he's in hospital."
"Stupid sod, probably deserves it."
That was probably not quite the way she meant it but the drink didn't help.
"Mu'um!" I know he is a stupid person and for that matter an ignorant big head but I didn't expect that reaction. "I'll come and get you."
"What for?"
"To go to hospital."
"O.K."
The conversation in the car was a little better and Mum got around to asking what had happened and how badly he was hurt.
I didn't have any answers.
As it happens there was one of Dads managers in the waiting room when we arrived and we soon got to talking to him. He was able to fill us in on what happened at work. It seems Dad left his CNC welding machine running while he was shagging one of the female workers on a pile of packing material on the floor beside the machine. A large metal bracket which was being welded fell off the machine and landed between his shoulder blades.
The doctor came out to find, "Mrs and... err Mr Robinson?" Yes my parents did have a sense of humour failure when I was born and named me Dustin Robinson! "Your husband has a big hole in his back where the flesh has been ripped open, crushed most of the ribs on his left side and a collapsed lung, he is in intensive care and we have put him into a drugs induced coma."
"Stupid bastard."
Flummoxed he left us promising to return in a short while.
I didn't like Dad anymore and I knew Mum had had enough of his bad behaviour but to show her contempt of him so blatantly in front of his boss and the doctor was a bit disconcerting to me. I was so confused I had to get away and went to find some coffee.
At the vending machine I saw the doctor again and in a fairly short conversation he told me Dads injuries were quite bad and gave him only a ten to fifteen percent chance of survival, he said there was no reason to stay as they didn't expect any news for a number of hours, he briefly explained that Dad was likely to be in this coma for a minimum of four days. Additionally he suggested Mums condition was best addressed at home.
We attempted to drink the plastic cup full of scalding hot disgusting tasting brown water and gave up, swapped contact details with his boss who was also leaving and said goodbye. We went home to Mums. Once there I made a coffee for us which tasted marvellous after the vending machine shit and we sat for a while talking, it seems he had been shagging around for several years and Mum had already put divorce action into place.
Mum fetched a bottle of scotch and poured a generous helping into our mugs.
"Cheers."
"All the breast Dad."
We both laughed at my faux pa.
"I suppose the best thing that could happen now is the bastard dies and I can save the cost of the divorce. Plus I won't have to divi out this place."
"I must say Mum I didn't quite expect your reaction to Dads problem."