pillows.
“Well . . .” Judith was at a loss for words. “I guess
you should. Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Renie brightened a bit.
“I really doubt if your little horror show caused Dr.
Van Boeck’s collapse,” Judith said carefully. “A perfectly ordinary man wouldn’t have gotten that upset.
He’d have just blown you off or walked out. But he
must have been on the edge in the first place. You can’t
be the first patient who ever had a tantrum at Good
Cheer. Just think of all the genuinely crazy people who
must have been in and out of this hospital over the
years.”
Renie looked perturbed. “Are you saying I’m not
genuine?”
Judith grinned at her cousin. “You know what I
mean. But you definitely hit a nerve with Van Boeck.
194
Mary Daheim
Remember, he was yelling at somebody out in the hall,
probably Addison Kirby, and he certainly didn’t look
very happy when he came out of the staff lounge a
while ago. I still think he had a row with Dr. Garnett.”
“They don’t seem to get along,” Renie noted. “It’s a
wonder Garnett tried to save Van Boeck.”
“He has to,” Judith said, wishing the effort to converse didn’t exacerbate the pain. “The Hippocratic
Oath.”
“Uh-huh,” Renie said in a thoughtful voice. “So
maybe I just sort of gave him a little nudge. I still feel
terrible about it. Besides, we never got our pain medication. I don’t hurt any less just because Van Boeck
had a fit.”
“True enough,” Judith sighed. “Neither do I. In fact,
I feel worse. By the way, did you notice that Mr.
Mummy wasn’t limping when he left?”
“I couldn’t see him with all those people blocking
my view.” Renie gave Judith a curious look. “No limp,
huh? Interesting. I wonder what he’s doing here.”
“So do I,” Judith said as Heather came into the
room.
“I’ve brought your pain medication,” she said in a
voice that was chilly with disapproval. “Maybe it will
settle you down.” She gave Renie a hard look.
“Thanks,” Renie said meekly. “How’s Dr. Van
Boeck?”
“I don’t know,” Heather replied, her mouth in a
straight line. “He’s in the OR.”
“Goodness.” Renie lay very still.
“His wife has been sent for,” Heather added. Her
tone seemed to indicate that Renie should feel even
guiltier for alarming the illustrious Blanche Van
