Thirteen Million Dollar Pop

79

There was noise, and white lights flashing in his eyes, and it was bone cold. He felt steel against his skin and heard tearing, then felt even colder as his shirt was cut away. There were voices, talking to each other, not to him, and scraping and digging in his body. His every nerve felt raw, as if they were plugged into a surging electrical current. Then there was a sharp jab. A needle. It was held in place with tape. A burning erupted at the spot of the puncture, it was agony, but soon a warm, floating sensation carried him away, as if in a bubble of saline. Sound became muffled as he entered a gauzy tunnel. Was he dying or already dead? He might’ve been. But he didn’t think so. Then, black.

His eyes opened. It was much later and everything hurt. He was flat on his back. He felt pinned in place, but not by any restraints, just his own inability to move. He stared up at the plastic diamond grid of the light fixture above him for what felt like hours, gathering himself, and then was finally able to turn his head. He saw her there, her blond hair spilled along the edge of the bed where her head was down.

“Suze.” The word was a croak, a gasp.

She rose up, a look of abject relief on her face.

“You came back.”

“I came back,” she said.

He felt himself smile. It felt like everything inside him was going to tear apart.

“You crazy jerk,” she said. “You had surgery. A collapsed lung. They gave you blood. You were a couple quarts low.”

“How long have I …?”

“Thirty hours or so, maybe a little longer,” she said. She was completely scrubbed free of makeup. He’d never seen anything as beautiful as her face.

“Dwyer?” Behr asked, his eyes cutting toward the door.

“The guy you were chasing?” she said. “There was-what did they call it? — a blast crater and lots of blood, but he was gone. Police are looking for him all over the place. They said they’re sure they’ll get him. Soon.”

His eyes closed in pain. No they won’t … Behr knew the man was gone again on the same dark wind he blew in on.

“And Decker?”

“He’s … okay. They sewed him up-a hundred and thirty-seven stitches-and he left. He just walked out,” she said. “They released Gina’s body to him and he had her … them … cremated this morning.”

Behr pictured Decker, alone in his Camaro, a blister on the highway, driving toward some unknown destination, bent on ungettable revenge.

“Was there a service?” he asked quietly. The words were coming more smoothly now, but it was easier to whisper than talk. “Were you there?”

“Not sure if anyone was …” Susan said, “I was a little busy.”

That’s when Behr realized she was dressed in a robe, over a hospital gown. “You had him?” Behr asked.

“He wouldn’t wait. I went into labor while you were under. Dr. Bezucha has privileges here, and he came.”

“And I missed it.”

“You did. Won’t say you didn’t miss a lot, but I’m sure it wasn’t pretty.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“And how is he?”

“He’s unbelievable,” she said. Behr couldn’t lift his head to see. She wheeled a clear plastic bassinet around the foot of the bed and close to him. In it, like a cotton-wrapped doll, was the baby, with a furrowed brow and his pink nose peeking out between a swaddling blanket and tiny watch cap. She lifted him, his eyes closed like a kitten’s, and showed him to Behr.

“Your son,” she said, with the first smile he’d seen on her in weeks. “Weighed in at eight-eight, so thank god he didn’t wait any longer.”

“Kid’s a light heavyweight,” Behr said, hardly recognizing his voice for the mystified joy in it.

“So, Frank Junior? Little Frankie?”

Behr, feeling as weak as he ever had in his life, shook his head with all the force he could muster. “No. He’s gotta do better-be better than me.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she held the boy up to him.

“Then it’s Trevor, because we wanted to go with a ‘T,’ ” she said. “And Frank is his middle name. Don’t even try and argue.”

There was so much to be strong for and to protect. With effort he reached out and touched the tiny fingers in front of him and held them for a moment, before his arm tired and fell away. The baby woke then, and Behr’s head sank back onto the thin pillow as he stared into the eyes of his son.