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"Let ly But I could already see the bind I was in With Henry gone, Rosie on vacation, and Jonah out of town, I’d be on ood I just couldn’t make my body do what I wanted it to The elderly, the feeble, and the infirm must experience the same exasperation and bewilder- whatever to do withto sit up, and I knew perfectly well I couldn’there was out of the question Hospitals are danger-ous People eries, wrong tests I was checking out of this place "toot sweet"

Daniel ran his hand across the top of my head "Do what you want I’ll be back later"

He was gone again before I could protest

I buzzed the nurses’ station on the intercom

A hollow voice came on "Yes?"

"Can Mr Kohler in three-oh-six have visitors?"

"As far as I know he can" The nurse sounded like she was talking into an old tin can, coughs and rustling in the background

"Can I get a wheelchair? I’d like to go down and see hied to findwith a depression generated by Olive’s death It wasn’t as if we had had a relationship, but she’d been around on the borders of h school when I an After that she was more rumor than fact… the sister as always off so in Utah with friends I don’t think we’d exchanged more than superficial chat until two days before, and then I’d founda shift Now, death had s swatted on a sill The effect was jarring and the e i to absorb the finality I hadn’t been consulted in the , and I resented its sudden appearance, like an unannounced visit from a boorish relative I suspected the knot in rief per se, but a hard fist of regret

I wheeled myself down the corridor to roo in the hall He turned his head idly as I approached Bass had the shteenth-century oil paint-ing His face was oval, boyish, his brow unlined, his eyes a barren brown His mouth was sensual, his manner supe-rior Put his, and he htly decadent His hair was fine and dark, receding at the teathered in a point on his forehead He should have had an Afghan at his side, so, aristo-cratic snout

"Hello, Bass I’m Kinsey Millhone Do you reave my cheek a social buss, more noise than contact His expres-sion was bleak There was a dead time in the air, one of those uncole to find so to say His sister was dead This was hardly the time for effusiveness, but I was puzzled by the aardness of our encounter

"Where’s Terry?"

He glanced at the door "He’s having his dressing changed They should be done shortly He’s going hons the release How are you? We heard you were down the hall"

"I’ht I’m sorry about Olive," I said, and I truly was

"God, this is all so screwed up I don’t knohat’s going on"

"How’s your ht?"

"She’ll be okay She’s a tough old bird She’s taking it pretty hard, but she’s got a spine of steel Ash is destroyed She’s been leveled She and Olive were always just like this," he said, holding up crossed fingers "What about you? You look like you took a beating"

"I’ht This is the first time I’ve been out of bed and I feel like shit"

"You’re lucky to be alive fro the package up myself, but Olive’s car pulled in and I went to help her with the groceries instead Are you staying at your ht and then Olive called yesterday and said she was putting the party to-gether Seeot dressed when Ebony showed up at the side of the pool I couldn’t figure out rong with her You know Eb Always in control, never a hair out of place Well, she looked like a oman I pulled one off at Olive’s house and she was dead I thought she was hed It was so far-fetched, I couldn’t help myself She slapped the shit out of me and that’s when I realized she was serious What happened? Terry can’t re-member and the police won’t tell us much"