to make you more comfortable.”
“Thanks,” Judith said as she tried to move around
in the bed to find a less bothersome position. “My
back aches more than my hip.”
Heather nodded and left the ward. Judith’s phone
rang a moment later. It was Joe, and he sounded
brusque.
“I’m going to try to get out this afternoon,” he
said, “so maybe I can stop by the hospital later on.”
“You’re going out?” Judith said in surprise. “How
come?”
“Just business,” he said. “I put the chains on your
Subaru. I don’t like to chain up the MG.”
“Where are you going on business?” Judith
asked, concern surfacing.
“Just routine,” Joe replied.
188
Mary Daheim
Judith knew when to quit pushing her husband for
answers. Instead, she switched to a different sort of
question. “How’s Phyliss?”
“Fine.” Joe’s tone lightened a bit. “The medics hung
around for a while to make sure she was all right. I
think she converted one of them.”
“What about Ernest?”
“Ernest? Oh—the snake.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sure Ernest is fine.”
“
“Somewhere,” Joe answered, far too breezily. “Got
to run or I’ll be late for my appointment.”
Judith stared into the receiver as Joe rang off. “He’s
keeping something from me,” she declared.
“Like what?” Renie inquired, her face a mask of
misery. “A cache of opium?”
“I don’t know,” Judith said. “But whatever it is, it’s
important enough to get him to chain up the Subaru
and go out in this snow.”
Wincing, Renie looked out the window, which was
partly frosted over. “It’s not snowing now, hasn’t been
all morning. Joe’s like Bill. They know how to drive in
it.”
“True,” Judith conceded as Heather returned with
their pain medication.
“No ham sandwich?” Renie asked hopefully. “It’d
make a nice chaser for the painkiller.”
But Heather had only Demerol, which provided
some relief. But not much. Half an hour later, Renie
buzzed again for the nurse.
“This stuff ’s not as good as Excedrin,” Renie
