The Bad Boy of Waterloo Road

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Stepping off the bus, I quickly looked left and right before crossing the road, which is where the hospital was located. Usually, I'd be taking my time in getting here, knowing that it would be the same process but knowing that my dad was no longer in ICU meant that I had something positive to look forward to.

Walking across the very packed car-park, I found the main entrance, stepping through the automatic doors, the clinical smell of the inside hitting me immediately. For the past week, I knew where to go, considering I'd spent so much time here but now that my dad was out of intensive care, did that mean he'd been moved onto a different ward?

Thinking I'd ought to check before just going ahead, I scurried over to the Reception desk, where I saw two woman sat behind it. One was mid-40's with red, long hair and a black pair of glasses sat upon her nose whereas the other was around late 20's with long, blonde hair which had been tied back into a bun. Both of them looked very approachable, I must say, but the red-haired lady caught my attention first.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" She politely asked, sending me a small smile.

"Uhm hi..." I muttered, trying to think of the right words to say. "I had a phone call early this afternoon informing me that my dad Michael Byrne had woken up from his coma. I was just wondering if he was still on the ICU ward or if he'd been moved elsewhere?" I requested, removing a strand of hair from my face.

"Oh, that's wonderful news!" She beamed, her eyes lighting up with delight. "Give me a second, I will phone through to the ICU department and find out for you..." She informed, picking up the handset of the white, cord telephone located at the side of her.

Sending her a friendly smile, I waited patiently, tapping my foot against the tiled floor beneath me. I listened sneakily into the conversation, seeing her nod every so often at what the person on the other end was telling her. Around two minutes later, she placed the handset back down and regained eye-contact with me, her smiley exterior still prominent.

"I've been informed that your dad has been moved onto our step-down ward, which is used to further aid his recovery. To get there, you'll need to take the lifts upto the fifth floor and then follow the signs from there. Our lifts are located just at the end of the corridor..." She relayed, using her hands to gesture where I needed to go. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"No, I'm fine." I softly replied. "Thank you so much for your help." I added, giving her one last grin before I made my way in the direction of the lifts.

Stopping in front of them, I pressed the button, watching the silver doors open. Walking inside, I searched for the key-pad and pressed the button that had the number 5 on it, seeing the doors close moments later. The lift ascended up before jolting to a stop, the doors opening after the action.

Nervously walking out, I came face to face with a sign, containing several arrows and words. I eventually found the words 'Step down ward', followed by an arrow which was pointing left. Following the signposted directions, I came across a few more, leading me further into the depths of the hospital and what was located on this particular floor.

At long last, I'd finally found the ward I needed. Pushing open the double doors, I entered a small waiting area, a circular desk located in the far corner. Venturing further out, I accidentally bumped into a nurse, making them drop their clipboard to the ground.

"S-Sorry..." I stuttered, bending down to pick up the clipboard as I passed it back to them. "I should have been looking where I was going..."

"It's fine." They smiled, not wanting to make a big issue out of it. "Can I help you?" They added, studying me intensely.

"I've been told my dad, Michael Byrne, has been moved onto this ward..." I uttered, secretly hoping they worked in this section.