Evan Hunter - Far From the Sea

His father smiled around the tube.

“I miss you very much, Grandpa,” David said. His voice broke. “I love you very much, Grandpa.”

He folded the letter. He put it back in the envelope.

“You see, Morris?” Bessie said. “Everyone misses you and loves you.”

His father raised his hand again. He looked across at the wall. His forefinger traced a circle on the air.

“No, don’t worry about those shelves,” David said.

“Don’t worry about nothing but getting better,” Bessie said.

His father nodded.

“I can’t get over the way you look, Pop,” David said.

“He looks wonderful,” Bessie said. “Next time I come, I’ll bring the scissors, I’ll trim your nails.”

“Many man swallow, but fu man chew,” David said, and again his father smiled.

The Vietnamese nurse appeared in the doorway.

“Time’s up,” she said.

Bessie went to the bed. She kissed his father on the cheek.

“I’ll be here tomorrow morning,” she said. “Sleep well, Morris.”

He touched her arm. Gently.

“Yes, Morris?”

His eyes met hers.

“Yes, honey,” she said. “You’re going to be fine.”

She moved away from the bed. David took his father’s hand in his own. He leaned over the bed.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.

His father nodded.

He kissed his father on the forehead.

He hesitated.

“I love you, Pop,” he said, and wondered if he meant it this time.

In the corridor outside, he said, “He really looked good, didn’t he?”

“He looked terriffic!” Bessie said. “I didn’t see him look so good since he first came in here, I mean it.”

“I think he’s going to make it,” David said.

“I think so, too.”

“I’m not kidding myself, am I?” David said. “I mean, he really did look good, didn’t he?”

“Marvelous,” Bessie said.

“He’s going to fool us all,” David said.

“God willing.”

“I think he will, I really do.”

“I think so, too.”

“ Boy , he looked good.”

“His eyes so bright!”

“And the smiles? Did you see him smiling?”

“Of course I seen him!”

“Boy!” David said.

“Listen, let me give you his things,” Bessie said, “before I forget.”

She unclasped her handbag. She took out a small paper bag. “I was so nervous on the bus, you got no idea.”

He accepted the bag.

“I wrapped his ring in a little tissue,” Bessie said.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll take good care of it.”

“For when he gets out of here.”

“Soon, I hope,” David said.

“ Alevai ,” Bessie said.

He called Hillary the moment he got back to the room.

“David!” she said. “How’s your father?”

“Much better. Do you know a good Italian restaurant down here?”

“Are we on for dinner then?”

“If you’re still available.”

“I’m available,” she said.

“Quarter to eight?” he said. “In the lobby.”

“Super,” she said, and hung up.

He was whistling when he went into the shower.

Well, he thought, he’s really going to pull through, the old bastard. He really is. Surprise us all. Still a few tricks in the old bastard’s bag. Jesus, he really looked good! I’ll have to call Molly, tell her to stop worrying, he’ll be okay. He started singing in the shower. Gene Kelly. He soaped himself and sang “Singin’ in the Rain.” He let the water pour down on him. He stayed under the water for a long time. He turned the water to icy cold just before he got out of the shower. The water beat down on his shoulders and head. He was shivering when he got out of the shower, but he felt better than he had in a long time.

He was toweling himself when the phone rang.

Molly, he thought.

Good. Get that over with.

He picked up the receiver.

“Hello?” he said.

“Mr. Weber?”

“Yes, Dr. Kaplan?” he said.

“How are you?”

“Fine, thanks,” David said. “I just got back from the hospital, my father looked terrific.”

“Well,” Kaplan said, and the single word struck an ominous note. David waited. “His condition is still grave,” Kaplan said. It was the first time he had ever used the word “grave.”

“He didn’t look that way to me,” David said. “There seemed to be a big difference between when I saw him at four o’clock...”

“It’s really too early to expect any appreciable change,” Kaplan said. “I don’t think it’s possible to expect any change just yet.”

“But his eyes were...”

“It would be a good week at least before we could see any real change for the better,” Kaplan said.

Why the hell did he sound so down?

“Each day he maintains his status is encouraging, of course,” Kaplan said.

Then why do you sound so down? David wondered.

“But... Mr. Weber,” Kaplan said, “I must be frank with you.”

“Please,” David said.

“I’m very concerned about his condition. We’re all concerned. His condition is grave. Very grave. We’re supporting his blood pressure with medication...”

“Yes, but that was this afternoon ,” David said. Why are we going over all the same shit you gave me this afternoon? he thought. I just came back from seeing him, he looked fine. “I just saw him,” he said aloud. “He looked fine, really. If you’re going back to the hospital again, why don’t you take a look for your...?”

“I won’t be going back to the hospital tonight,” Kaplan said.

“Well, in the morning then. When you go there in the morning, you’ll see...”

“Mr. Weber,” Kaplan said, “if he makes it through the night, I’ll be very much surprised.”

“What?” David said.

“I’m sorry,” Kaplan said again.

Well, don’t be so sorry, David thought. Go over to the hospital and see for yourself. You’re the doctor, go take a look at him.

“Mr. Weber,” Kaplan said, “how do you feel about autopsy?”

“He’s not dead yet,” David said sharply.

“In the event,” Kaplan said.

“I don’t know how I’d feel about autopsy. I don’t want to talk about autopsy. I just got back from the hospital, my father looked fine . If you went over there and took a look at him, you wouldn’t be asking me about autopsy.”

“I’m in constant touch with the physicians on duty,” Kaplan said.

“I didn’t mean to imply...”

“I know this is a difficult time for you.”

Yes, it’s a difficult time for me, David thought. I’m being jerked from pillar to post, yes, it’s a very difficult time. So don’t ask me about autopsy , damn it!

“I don’t want to discuss autopsy,” he said aloud.

“I can understand that. But a postmortem diagnosis...”

“If you can’t find what’s wrong while...”

“...might allow us to...”

“...he’s still alive ...”

They both fell silent.

“I’m sorry,” David said.

“This inability to heal,” Kaplan said.

One more time, David thought. Just tell me one more time how baffling it all is.

Kaplan said nothing.

“Well, let’s see what happens in the morning,” David said.

“It’s in God’s hands,” Kaplan said, and hung up.

Terrific, David thought. Leave it to God. Dumb sons of bitches can’t find what’s wrong, so leave it to God, right, let God take care of it. Call in the Supreme Surgeon, let Him diagnose the case. I’m in constant touch with the physicians on duty. Good, you stay in touch. Run around with your finger up your ass and stay in touch with all the other busy little assholes who don’t know any more than you do. Carve him up afterward. Take out his liver and his spleen, weigh his lungs and his heart, and then shake your goddamn head and tell me it’s all very baffling.