we’ve been through major surgery, and we got a room
next to a corpse. My car’s been stolen, you’re stuck
with a major life decision about telling Mike who’s
who on his family tree. What else could be wrong?”
“You’re right,” Judith said. “We’re a mess.”
“Justifiably so,” said Renie, pulling the curtain back.
“It’s going on nine o’clock and we need a nap. I’m
shutting off the light.”
“Go for it,” murmured Judith, clicking off her own
bedside lamp. “Frankly, I’m exhausted.”
“We should be,” Renie said. “G’night.”
“Mmm,” said Judith.
Five minutes later, the night nurse, whose name was
Trudy and who wasn’t given to idle chatter, came in to
take the cousins’ vital signs and replenish their supply
of pain medication. Ten minutes later, a workman in
overalls arrived to check the thermostat.
“Kinda cold tonight, huh?” he said, fiddling with the
dial.
Judith and Renie didn’t respond.
“Still snowing,” he said, pounding on the radiator
with his fist. “Must be close to six inches out there.”
The cousins remained silent.
“Lots of accidents out there,” the workman said.
“Damned fools don’t know how to drive in this
weather. All those folks who move up here from California.”
Judith buried her head in the pillow; Renie chewed
on her blanket and swore under her breath.
144
Mary Daheim
“Warm enough now?” the workman asked after yet
another bang on the radiator, which wheezed like a
dying asthmatic.
“Fine,” Judith bit off.
“Okey-dokey,” he said. “I’ll come back to check on
it later.”
“Don’t,” Renie said, “or I’ll have to kill you.”
“Har, har,” said the workman, who finally left.
Seven minutes later, Trudy returned. Judith knew it
was exactly seven minutes because she was now wide
awake and had been staring at her watch with its glowin-the-dark dial.
“You need to use the bedpan, Mrs. Flynn,” Trudy announced. “You haven’t voided for almost two hours.
Are you sure you’re drinking enough fluids?”
“Yes. No. I’m trying to sleep,” Judith said, sounding
cross.
“Plenty of time for that,” Trudy said. “It’s only a little after nine. Come, come, try to lift those hips.”
“Good Lord,” muttered Renie in a mutinous voice.
After the usual painful effort to move on and off the
bedpan, Judith mumbled her thanks to Trudy and
