FORTY-FOUR
We hadn’t noticed him when we first entered the cafeteria. We had been too focused on getting our drinks. And although Jason and I had only met him once-almost a week before at the Magnolia Glen construction site-we recognized Rod immediately.
The two older ladies now looked from the three of us, over to Rod and then back. White coat shook her head and pursed her lips. Blue smock closed her eyes and sighed. They then pushed their way through us as if we were snails they wouldn’t avoid crushing on a wet sidewalk. We stepped back to let them by and, managing not to spill any more of our drinks, we strode back down the empty lunch line and made our way to the dining area, over to where Rod sat.
“How goes it, boys?” he asked when we arrived at his table.
“Not bad,” Jason said, nodding his head. “How’s it going with you?”
Rod closed his eyes and shook his head. He seemed a little tired and out of it as if he were a bit sleepy. “Oh, I guess I’ve had better days. Who’s your friend?”
Jason turned to his right and said, “This is Steve. He lives across the street from us.”
“Hey, Steve. It’s nice to meet you,” Rod told him, glassy-eyed. “Come on, boys. Have a seat.” He was already seated at a table for four and he pulled out the chair next to him, pushed the two across from him out with his feet.
“Thanks,” Steve said. “But we can only stay a minute. We’ve got a friend waiting for us outside.”
“Two friends,” I corrected.
Steve looked at me, nodding his head in confirmation. “That’s right. Two friends.”
Jason sat down next to Rod and Steve and I sat down across from them. We all took long sips from our cups, quenching our thirst. When we were done and had set them down on the table in front of us, Rod asked, “So what are you guys doing here at the hospital? Y’all sick or something?”
Shaking his head and swallowing what was left in his mouth, Jason said, “Nah, we just came in here to get something to drink. We do it sometimes because the iced tea is free.”
“Yeah,” Steve added, “we were just out wandering around and decided to come in from the heat.”
As if this made perfect sense, Rod nodded and asked, “Are you allowed to do that? I mean from what that lady said it sounds like you’re not supposed to be in here without an adult.”
“I guess not,” Jason told him after another sip. “We just kind of mind our own business. Get in and get out before anyone notices.”
“Ever been caught?”
Steve smiled and said, “Just once. A while ago. But the lady just made us leave, told us not to do it again.”
“Sounds like you boys are very mischievous.”
“I guess,” Steve said.
We sat in silence for a time before it was my turn to ask a question.
“So, how come you’re in here? Are you visiting someone or something?”
Rod looked at me long and hard with his watery eyes until I thought he’d stare a hole clean through me. It was starting to make me a bit uncomfortable, but finally he said, “Oh, I guess I had a little accident last night. Nothing big, though.”
“What happened,” I pushed.
“Hey, Ricky,” Jason broke in, giving me a look. “It’s not polite to ask people stuff like that. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“No, no. It’s okay,” Rod assured us. “He didn’t mean no harm. He’s just curious is all. Here take a look at this.”
He was wearing a green circus tent of a t-shirt that read: THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT BUDWIESER BUILT. He lifted it up high exposing his fat stomach and man boobs. I don’t think I had ever seen a man with breast before that day and I almost let out a bark of laughter. But my laugh was cut short as he twisted his body to show us his right side. Under his armpit was a bruise the size of a teacup saucer and the color of a grape juice stain. Instead of laughing, I sucked air in through my teeth, almost feeling his pain, and thought about the bruise Steve had in nearly the same spot.
“Good, God,” Steve cringed. “Did you break any ribs?”
Jason closed his eyes and shivered as Rod lowered his shirt back down. The big guy looked around, probably realizing that he had just exposed himself to three young boys in public. He winced once as he brought his beefy arm back to his side.
“That’s what they’re trying to find out right now. I came in a couple hours ago to Urgent Care and had some x-rays done. I think they might just be bruised. I broke ribs before and it hurt a hell of a lot worse than this does.”
Another moment of silence past between us and we used the break to drink more tea. That ugly purple bruise had left a bruise of its own in my mind and like he said, I was a curious boy. I needed to know more.
“How did it happen?” I asked. This time Jason didn’t get on me for being nosey. I think he and Steve wanted the details just as much as I did.
Again, Rod stared at me, looking tired. And again it made me uneasy. But we all looked back hoping he’d answer and finally he did.
“Well, you know how I told you boys that I stay in that trailer at the west end of the site? I was in there sleeping just like I always do and I guess it must have been around two or three this morning when I woke up. I had had a few beers last night but it’s okay because we didn’t have any work, today being Sunday and all, so I could sleep off a hangover if I had to.” He stopped for a second, looking up, as if trying to put the memory back together. He mouthed something none of us could hear and then continued. “Anyway, I’m not sure if I was half asleep and still dreaming but my eyes shoot open and I can hear a sort of scratching sound coming from the door. I get half way out of bed to try and listen better but the noise stops. I think it might be a raccoon or a stray dog trying to get in, gave up and went on its way.”
He looked down at the table now with that same look of searching, as if confused. “Oh, yeah. I figure that it’s given up and gone on its way so I lay back down in bed when all of a sudden; boom.” As he said it he pounded a massive fist down onto the table making our cups dance. We about jumped out of our seats and a few of the other diners looked in our direction, shook their heads.
“Sorry,” Rod said, grabbing my cup before it toppled over. “Anyway, something hit my door, hard. The whole trailer rocked back and forth. I jumped up and put my boots on and grabbed the ball bat I keep next to my bed. I go up to the door and say in a loud voice, ‘Whoever you are, I got a shotgun and I have every right to use it.’ I wait and listen and hear footsteps walking away from the trailer and someone yell F-you. Well now I know someone’s trespassing and I just can’t have that because part of my job is to keep people out of there that don’t belong. Especially at night.
“So I open up the door a crack and peek out. I don’t see anything and I open it up a little more, stick my head out. Just then I see someone walking into one of the houses across the way and so I follow. I go kind of slow so they can’t hear me. I got the bat cocked back like this, ready to swing and once I get up close enough to the house they went in, I stop and listen. I hear them inside, breaking bottles. I go in and see two of them. Wait? Was it one or two? No it was two? Sorry, boys, I was kind of still half asleep at that time and also the doc gave me something for the pain so my brain ain’t exactly working right.
“Anyway, I go inside and see two people standing there. It’s dark so all I see is two black figures. I yell, ‘What the hell’s going on here?’ Well right when I say that one of them runs out through the garage. But the other one,” he shook his head, staring up. “The other one throws something. I can’t tell what it is so I try to twist out of the way, try not to get hit in the head with it. But I feel it slam into me hard. He must have put everything he had into that throw, got me right here under my arm and knocked the wind right out of me.”
We sat, transfixed by his story, wondering if there was more.
“Did you find out who it was?” Steve asked. “Did you catch them?”
For a moment he only shook his head. “No.
Damn punks got away. I couldn’t move for about two minutes.”
“Did you find out what it was that hit you?” Jason asked.
“Yeah. After it hit me in the side it fell on the foundation and broke. I smelled it right away. It was a beer bottle. You believe that? Just some punks getting drunk on my site.”
“Man,” Steve exclaimed. “Did you call the cops on them?”
He nodded now, slowly. “Yeah. I went back to bed because there ain’t no phone where I’m at. But I called from here, this morning, while I waited to see the doctor. I couldn’t give them a description so whoever it was will probably get away with it. Boy, I wish I could get my hands on them. I’d really clean their clocks if you know what I mean.”
“Sounds like you had quite an adventure last night,” Steve said.
“I guess I did,” Rod answered, sitting in deep thought again. “But boys, I’m sorry to have to tell my story and run. I got to go back and see if my x-rays are done. You kids stay out of trouble and come by for more bottles if you want. Hell I’ve got extra after last night. I’ll leave them out by the sign like last time.”
He stood up, wincing with the pain in his side. He said good-bye and went on his way.
“I think we should get going too,” Jason said. “Cory and Frisbee are waiting.”
“Okay, come on then,” Steve said.
We got up, heading for the exit and stopped at a trashcan just long enough to throw our empty cups in, Jason held onto the full one he was taking out to Cory.
Walking back down the hallway we came again to the intersection with the sign and were about to turn right to head back out when Steve said, “Hey, you guys want to got see the babies.”
Jason and I looked at him in confusion.
“Come on. Let’s walk down to the nursery and see if there are any newborns,” Steve added.
“What if we get caught?” I said. “Those ladies back there told us they’d call security on us.”
“Come on. Nothing’s going to happen. Just follow me and keep cool.”
“What about Cory and Frisbee?” Jason asked. They’ve been waiting for like fifteen minutes now.”
“Oh, they’ll be alright for a couple more minutes.”
He was right. A few more minutes out in the heat wouldn’t kill them. Plus, it was so nice inside that I really didn’t want to leave. And that’s all it took to convince me. It was almost worth the risk of getting caught. So, instead of taking a right, we headed farther down the hallway past Pediatrics and Maternity until we came to a large window set into a wall. On the other side of the glass was a spacious room painted pink and blue, ten basinets spread throughout. Inside four of them were small pink bundles wrapped in warm blankets. From the color of their skull caps we could tell there were three girls and one boy.
Less than a decade before I too had been in that room, separated from my mother for a short period while they ran tests and drew blood and removed a little excess skin from a vital appendage that even then I had grown rather fond of.
One of the girls began screaming only the way babies can, mouth wide, eyes shut, tongue vibrating.
“Oh, look at her. Poor thing,” I said.
Steve and Jason looked at me like I was pond scum.
“What?” I asked
“Ooh, wittle, Wickey. Feels sowwy for da itty baby,” Steve mocked. Jason began laughing like it was going out of style. “Want to take her home so she can suck on your boobie?”
“Hey, shut up!” I demanded and began laughing myself. “You’re the one that wanted to come here to look at them. Maybe you want to have one. Stevey weevey, want to get pregnant and have a wittle chubby wubby…”
“Hey,” a voice shouted. “Now what are you boys up to? Causing trouble down at this end of the hospital, now?”
It was one of the older ladies from the cafeteria that Steve had nearly dumped his tea on. It was blue smock.
“Uh oh, guys,” Steve whispered, turning from the window. “Come on. Follow me.” Slowly we began strolling away from her and deeper into the heart of the hospital.
“Don’t you boys walk away from me! You get back here right this instance!” she screeched.
At that command, the three of us began to walk faster, trying to put distance between ourselves and the self righteous bat behind us. Jason still held onto Cory’s cup of tea and was having a bit of trouble not splashing it everywhere.
She may have looked to be around sixty years old, but she was spry for her age as she began chasing us down the hall.
“You stop right now or I’ll call security!”
That did it. There was no turning back now. We came to a three-way intersection this time and Steve said, “Split up.” He and Jason, breaking into a run, went right. I took the left and at once felt as though they had abandoned me. But I knew we would be harder to track down if we separated ourselves.
Just as I turned the corner I heard blue smock scream, “Security!” and instantly the four babies began screaming themselves.
I jogged down the hall until I came to another intersection where one could either keep going straight or turn right. Stopping, I looked back just in time to see Steve move left down a hallway and Jason go right. Now each of us was alone.
A moment later blue smock reached the intersection were the three of us had parted ways and looked directly at me.
“Don’t you dare move, young man! You stay right…”
Hell, I had nothing to lose. I took the hallway to the left at a light jog. Halfway down I knew I’d get caught unless I hid somewhere. Twenty feet away, a door stood half open and I took my chances with it. I went in, closed it behind me leaving just an inch of a gap so I could see out if need be. Standing to one side, so she wouldn’t see me as she passed, I caught my breath. The room was dark but the crack in the door gave me just enough light to make out a single bed, a chair and some sort of monitor with a green light bouncing up and down on it. I could hear someone or something breathing. It sounded big and at first I thought of dragons and Darth Vader. But I knew that I was in a hospital room and that dragons and guys in black helmets were only in movies.
After a moment of getting used to the breathing sound I felt a little less anxious and became a little more curious. So, slowly I walked toward the bed to investigate. A small boop boop sound came from the monitor every time the green line rose and fell. Closer I got to the bed and closer still in the darkness. A sliver rail ran down the length at its side and I grabbed onto it to look down at the mattress and saw what looked to be a very tiny old man.
All the wind left me in a rush and my guts knotted as the name left my lips.
“Donald.”
Frisbee Page 52
