Glitz

29

VINCENT MADE A TRIP through the Ashford Medical Center from Emergency to Surgery to Intensive Care without seeing much of it. In the morning they moved him to a private room on the second floor of the old hospital’s newer wing. Through the window at an angle he could see the high-rise top of Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge against blue sky. A good sign.

He believed he was on safe ground legally. Even after the guy had shot him, attempting to commit murder, he had offered the guy the option of staying alive, for an indeterminate period of time, or dying then and there. He had not read the fine print to him, but that was what “Drop it” amounted to.

He believed he was reasonably okay physically, though his chart would indicate some kind of trauma inside, an insulted organ maybe; he did have a couple of tubes in him and a key question to ask somebody. He knew the pain he felt could be relieved. If his condition were serious he’d be in a room full of monitors and not looking at Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge.

They had given him good dope. He opened his eyes to see Linda in the hall talking to DeLeon and Lorendo Paz, Linda the one he wanted to see.

When she came to him she looked so sad and then felt so good, close, and smelled so good, kissing him, touching his face, asking him if he was all right, if he needed anything. He asked her if she would go close the door.

She smiled-he was all right-closed it, came back to him and he asked her where he was shot, touching the sheet below his waist, close to his groin.

“I think it’s right here. But what I don’t know-did I lose anything important?”

“About six inches of bowel. You can’t eat Puerto Rican food anymore. The bullet lodged in your gluteus maximus,” Linda said, “your ass.”

“I know where my gluteus maximus is.”

“Can I look?”

“You want to?”

She pulled the sheet down carefully, lifted his gray hospital gown. “You’ve got stitches in your groin, like you had your appendix out.”

“Nothing’s missing?”

“No, it’s there. Awww, look at it. Poor little guy.”

He said, “Linda? Pull the catheter out, will you? I don’t need it.”

“Should I?”

He could tell she wanted to and he would love her forever if she did. She knew what was good for him, how to make him happy. She pulled the tube out so gently, slowly. What a touch. His eyes filled. He wanted to tell her how much he needed her and wanted to be with her…

But she was kissing him again, brushing his mouth with her lips, murmuring then, close to him, “Vincent, there’s something I have to tell you.” He waited and she said, “You know the bullet they took out of your butt?”

He said, “Oh no, you better not tell me.”

“I have to,” Linda said. “It was from your gun, not Teddy’s. I guess it went right through him.”

He took a moment, breathed in and out, settled. “It will do that.”

“I shot you, Vincent.”

“You didn’t mean to.”

“No, but I shot you. I want you to understand, it wasn’t to get you to stay.”

Vincent said, “Oh.” He said, “Are you sure?”