said.
Just as I walked back into his room, I heard Ben moan. It wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t — as I briefly suspected — because I had returned. When he realized I was in the room, he looked embarrassed.
“Not enough morphine after all?”
“I thought I was alone,” he snapped.
“Ah, now there’s the Ben Sheridan I’ve come to know and love. I think I would have left here wondering what they had done with him.”
To my shock, he began crying.
“Ben . . .”
“I don’t know what the fuck they did with him either,” he said, wiping at his face. He drew in a halting breath and said, “Shit. Ignore this little display, please. It must be the drugs.”
“Or maybe it’s that part of your body has been taken from you.”
“Not now, okay?” he said angrily. “Christ. Not now.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t hard to capitulate.
“Why did you come back?”
“Ellen Raice.”
That brought him back under control. “What?”
“She came by. I won’t even try to repeat everything she said.”
“She told you to, you know — say ‘get well soon,’ ” he said, imitating her voice and mannerisms perfectly. It made me laugh. He smiled and said, “Not very kind of me, was that?”
“No, but that’s the great thing, Ben, you don’t have to pretend to be kind around me. I know you’re an asshole, remember?”
“Too true, I’m afraid. Now I just realized.what you have there. She brought the damned final essays in, didn’t she?”
“Well,” I said, not able to resist, “as she put it, it’s something you can do without a foot.”
His jaw dropped, then he gave a shout of laughter. “I wish I thought you were making that up.”
I shook my head. “Shall I take them back to the college for you?”
He hesitated, then said, “Oh, what the hell. She’s right. Maybe I’ll actually be able to bear reading them. I’ll end up devising excuses to be loaded up with morphine at the end of every semester.”
I set them on the nightstand next to his bed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ben,” I said, heading for the door.
“Irene — wait.”
“Need something else?”
“You might — you might think about talking to Jo Robinson — no, don’t make a face. I mean it. What happened up there — no one expects you to be a little tin soldier, marching on with life. Not after something like that.”
“I’ll be okay.”
He acted as if he was going to say more, then seemed to change his mind. “Yeah. Well, see you tomorrow.”
“Are you going to be all right? I mean, here alone?”
“Yes. Actually, I think I need a little time to myself.”
“Call if you need to talk before tomorrow.”
I caught up to the others in the waiting area. “Sorry about that. I forgot to give him the bluebooks — although I suppose Dr. Robinson would say there are no accidents.”
“No, and I’ve never been to Vienna, either,” she said lightly. “I’m sorry we won’t have a chance to talk, I have an appointment this evening. Your husband and Mr. Fremont can fill you in on what I’ve said about Ben.” She handed me a business card. “Call me if you have any questions.”
I thanked her, stuffed the card into my purse without looking at it, and turned to Frank. “Think there’s a way to take a few things from David’s house without getting into trouble?”
But although I didn’t want to admit it, I was already in trouble. Plenty of trouble.
33
SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 20
Las Piernas
The first time I saw Nicholas Parrish in Las Piernas was early that evening.
Jack, Frank, and I left the hospital, then met up again at our local grocery store to buy the ingredients for dinner. I wasn’t much help; I was too lost in thought. At some point, I realized that I wasn’t letting Frank out of my sight — I was cowering. Despising that fact, I made myself move away from him. “I’m going to get some bottled water from the other aisle,” I said, and when Frank started to move off with me, added, “I’ll be right back.” I ignored the glance Frank and Jack exchanged.
I had just bent to pick up a six-pack of spring water when I saw Parrish out of the corner of my eye, moving past the far end of the aisle. He was wearing a dark green shirt and some sort of baseball cap. I caught no more than a glimpse of him, but I let out a sharp cry and ran in the opposite direction.
Frank had apparently heard me — I nearly bowled him over as I turned the corner.
