“I told you they’d let you know as soon as anything
happened,” Renie said. “Take it as a good sign.
Wouldn’t you think that if Joe wasn’t going to pull
through, he would have gotten worse by now? It’s almost ten o’clock.”
Judith flopped back on the pillows. “Maybe.”
Renie waited a few moments before speaking again.
“Tony says Bill has the Chihuahuas in his workroom in
the basement. He sits down there watching them. Then
the dogs watch Bill. And he watches them watch him.”
“Maybe it’s better than watching what’s on TV,” Judith said without much interest.
“Bill doesn’t usually conduct those kinds of experiments,” Renie fretted as Avery, the night nurse, came
in for the relentless vital signs routine.
“Maybe,” Judith suggested after submitting herself
to the procedures, “he did that kind of thing while he
was still teaching at the university. You just never knew
about it.”
246
Mary Daheim
“Dubious,” Renie replied before the thermometer
was stuck in her mouth.
Judith bided her time, drumming her fingernails on
the bedclothes. After the nurse left, she turned to
Renie.
“I can’t stand it,” Judith announced. “I’m getting out
of here.”
Renie sighed. “I should have known. That’s why
you didn’t take your Valium a while ago.”
“Yes.” Judith signaled for Renie to be quiet. A full
five minutes passed as she listened for the voices to die
down and the patter of feet to fade. “They’re settling in
for the night. Help me get into the wheelchair.”
“No.” Renie glared at Judith. “You’ll do yourself
some harm. Besides, we’ll get caught.”
“We won’t,” Judith asserted, laboriously starting to
get out of bed. “Come on, give me a hand.”
“That’s all I’ve got,” Renie shot back. But, seeing
that Judith was determined, she got out of bed. “I
really don’t want to do this, coz. Where are we going?
As if I couldn’t guess.”
“You can,” Judith replied. “The ICU, of course.”
“Of course.” Renie shoved the wheelchair next to
the bed, then used her good arm to help Judith stand.
“Didn’t you tell Woody you thought we were in danger? Isn’t this trip a trifle risky?”
“It’s also necessary,” Judith declared.
Renie sighed again as she helped her cousin prepare
to sit down in the wheelchair. “Are you okay?”
Judith waited to make sure she didn’t feel dizzy.
“I’m fine.” She let Renie help ease her into place and
put a blanket across her lap. “Let’s roll.”
Just down the hall, an older nun sat at the nurses’
