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“What did he say?” Je
The intern rolled his eyes. “He said, ‘Am I in a hospital?’ I told him that he was, and he said, ‘Get me out of here.’”
Carl burst out laughing. “Sounds like our boy is on the road to recovery,” he said.
The doctor held up a hand. “Well, he’s not out of the woods yet by a long shot, but it’s a very good sign. My guess is that he’ll be with us for a while; we’ll have to run quite a few tests to make sure there was no damage before we can let him play again.” He surveyed the bedraggled company. “I suggest all you good people go home. I have your number, Miss Blacktree, and I’ll call you if there’s any change. You can visit him during the regularly scheduled hours.”
Buoyed by relief, the group began to assemble personal belongings in preparation for departure. Joe put his arm around Je
“Why don’t you come home with me?” he said. “My wife will make breakfast for us; you’ll feel better.”
Je
Joe nodded. “All right.” He hesitated. “Jen, I...” He stopped and sighed. “He’s the stubbornest cuss I ever met. Why is it that he can’t see ...”
Je
He looked mulish. “Not now. But sometime. I mean it, this is not my last word on the subject.”
Yes, it is, Joe, Je
Je
“Just as the sun rose,” Dawn said. “It was the power of his totem.”
“Take care of him,” Je
Dawn did not miss the finality of Je
“No.”
“Shall I tell him anything for you?”
“No.”
Dawn inclined her head, accepting Je
Je
* * * *
Je
She had previously contacted a real estate agency that handled rentals in the Tampa area, and the day after Thanksgiving she flew to Florida to look for an apartment. A very patient agent spent a long time with her, and she finally found something close to the Bengals’ office that was in good repair and that she could afford. It was still occupied, but Je
Her last few days with the Freedom were occupied with putting things in order for her departure, and saying goodbye to everyone, especially Dolores, who was proving to be very emotional. After promising hourly that she would write and telephone whenever she could, she heard herself inviting Dolores down over the Christmas holidays. This finally placated her, and she concentrated on helping Je
Lee was still in the hospital. Joe kept her posted on his condition, which was steadily improving, but he wasn’t ready for discharge yet. They were keeping him there for “observation,” whatever that meant, but he was ambulatory and demanding to be released. Je
Je
Je
* * * *
The move to Florida was a nightmare from start to finish. Je
Her car broke down in Georgia in some tiny hamlet with one service station, and it took her two days to get it fixed. She spent her time reading magazines purchased at the general store. They were several months out of date and on subjects that did not fascinate. When she started on Popular Mechanics for the second time, she knew she was in trouble. To make matters worse, she hadn’t been able to reach the Holiday I
She thought she had it made when she hit Florida, but discovered that she was wrong again. She got lost. She hadn’t realized before that everything in central Florida looks like everything else in central Florida. Nothing but citrus groves and trailer parks for endless miles on either side of a straight ribbon of sandy, dusty road. When she at last got directions she could understand from a state trooper, she had wasted almost a day wandering aimlessly among the orange trees.
She drove into Tampa at night, and its lights and beautiful bay looked like the Promised Land to her. But not for long. When she called the real estate agency in the morning, she was told that her apartment was not empty yet—there had been a slight delay. And as there was no place for the movers to put her furniture, it went into storage in the company’s warehouse in Spring Hill, an hour’s drive away. And, oh yes, there would be a slight storage charge.
A few days before she was to start her new job, Je
She took possession of her apartment that afternoon and got the moving company to deliver her things. She collapsed that night and slept on the floor, using a tablecloth for a blanket.
* * * *
The next morning, she read in the Tampa newspaper that Lee had been discharged from the hospital.
Chapter 10
Je