Part 20 (2/2)

”He's had a real jolt,” the nurse said. ”It will take a while. If you need me, ring that bell.”

”How long have I been in here?” I said.

Linda patted my cheek. ”Yes, honey, yes.”

My right side felt as if it had been sc.r.a.ped raw. I put my left hand out to Linda. She smiled and took it.

”He's awake,” she said.

”Alive,” I said.

Linda leaned toward me, ”What, love?”

”Alive,” I said.

”Yes,” she said. ”Yes. Alive.”

”Hot d.a.m.n.”

Linda leaned over and kissed me. ”You are going to be fine,” she said. ”There's a policeman here.”

I turned my head carefully. Frank Belson was sitting on the window ledge in his s.h.i.+rt sleeves, his gun b.u.t.t forward on his belt, a cold cigar in his mouth.

”They won't let me smoke,” he said.

”They spoil everything,” I said. ”How long I been here?”

I held Linda's hand as hard as I could. Which wasn't very hard.

”Three days,” Linda said. ”You had no pulse when they brought you in.”

”They were worrying about brain death,” Belson said, ”but there was no way to tell.”

”You're darling to wake up to, Frank.”

”He's been here every day,” Linda said. ”He and another policeman and a man named Hawk.”

”Quirk?” I said. Belson nodded.

”Marty's been curious about the three stiffs plus you.” He grinned. ”Almost four.”

I nodded. The nod was a mistake. It made my whole right side hurt.

”We'll talk about it later,” I said.

Belson said, ”Sure.”

”The girl dead too?”

”Yeah. Somebody broke her neck. Hawk brought you in.” Belson chewed the cold cigar b.u.t.t into a better position in his mouth. ”Hawk don't shed a lot of light on things.”

Linda's hand was motionless in mine. Her eyes were fixed on my face. This was the part she didn't like. The part Susan knew about and didn't like.

”You okay?” I said to Linda.

She took in a deep breath and let it out and nodded.

”Susan know?” I said.

”Paul was going to call her,” Linda said. ”Hawk said no. He said you'd decide when you woke up.”

I was slipping again. Sleep would feel a lot better than my right side. I let myself sleep and in a little while my side stopped hurting. I could feel Linda's hand in mine a long time after my side stopped hurting, well after I was otherwise asleep.

The next time I woke up Linda was gone and so was Belson. Hawk was there and Paul. As I came out of the sleep I heard Paul's voice, softly.

”No, like this, shuffle, ball, change. You see, shuffle, ball, change.” I heard his feet move lightly on the hospital floor. ”How can a man with your heritage not be able to tap-dance.” I heard Hawk's gliding chuckle. ”My ancestors busy eating missionaries, boy. We didn't have no time for no f.u.c.king shuffle ball change.”

”Well, you wanted me to show you.”

”That's before I knew you was going to do it better than me,” Hawk said.

”Hey,” I said, ”Heckle and Jeckle. Don't you realize there's a wounded man in here?”

They appeared at the foot of the bed. Paul said, ”How do you feel?”

”Pretty good, I think. Where's Linda?”

”Home, asleep,” Hawk said. ”She about ready to fall over.”

”How long have I been sleeping?” I said.

”Day and a half,” Paul said. ”You woke up yesterday morning.”

”How bad am I?” I said to Hawk.

”This the Easter season for you, babe,” Hawk said. ”You was dead when we brought you in.”

”I know, Belson told me.”

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