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FRIDAY

Doubt thou that the stars are fire;

Doubt thou that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt that I love

--WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet

CAMPBELL

THE MINUTE I WALK INTO THE HOSPITAL with Judge at my side, I know I' with a very bad perm--crosses her ars," she orders

"This is a service dog"

"You're not blind"

"I have an irregular heartbeat and he's CPR certified"

I head up to the office of Dr Peter Bergen, a psychiatrist who happens to be the chairman of the medical ethics board at Providence Hospital I'm here by default: I can't see her lawsuit Frankly, after the hearing yesterday I was pissed off--I wanted her to come to me When she didn't, I went so far as to sit on her doorstep last night for an hour, but no one showed up at her ho Anna ith her sister, I cao in to see Kate I can't find Julia, either, although I fully expected to see her still waiting yesterday on the other side of the door when Judge and I left after the incident at the courthouse I asked her sister for a cell nu tells me that 401-GO2-HELL is out of service

So, because I have nothing better to do, I' to work on my case on the off chance that it still exists

Bergen's secretary looks like the kind of woher than her IQ "Ooh, a puppy!" she squeals She reaches out to pat Judge

"Please Don't" I start to come up with one of my ready replies, but aste it on her? Then I head for the door in the back

There I find a sraying curls, wearing yoga gear and doing Tai Chi "Busy," Bergen grunts

"So we have in common, Doctor I'm Campbell Alexander, the attorney who asked for the charts on the Fitzgerald girl"

Arms extended forward, the psychiatrist exhales "I sent them over"

"You sent Kate Fitzgerald's records I need Anna Fitzgerald's"

"You know," he replies, "now is not a very good time for me"

"Don't let e lies at erald? Do you have any notes from the ethics committee about her?"

"The ethics coerald's behalf It's her sister who's the patient"

I watch him arch his back, then hunch forward "Do you have any idea how many times Anna's been both an outpatient and an inpatient in this hospital?"

"No," Bergen says

"I'ht"

"But those procedures wouldn't necessarily coree hat the patients want, and vice versa, there's no conflict No reason for us to even hear about it" Dr Bergen lowers the foot he has raised in the air and reaches for a towel to mop under his arms "We all have full-time jobs, Mr Alexander We're psychiatrists and nurses and doctors and scientists and chaplains We don't go looking for problems"

Julia and I leaned against in Mary I had been fingering her miraculous medal--well, actually, it was her collarbone I was after, and the otten in the way "What if," I said, "she was just soenious way out of it?"

Julia nearly choked "I think they can even throw you out of the Episcopal Church for that one, Campbell"

"Think about it--you're thirteen, or however old they were back then when they were shacking up--and you have a nice little roll in the hay with Joseph, and before you know it your EPT is co up positive You can either face your father's wrath, or you can spin a good story Who's going to contradict you if you say God's the one who knocked you up? Don't you think Mary's dad was thinking, 'I could ground herbut what if that causes a plague?'"

Just then I jacked open uys fro like hyenas "Figured you could use a new supply," one of them said

Well, as I supposed to do? I smiled

Before I knew it Julia had taken off For a girl, she ran goddamn fast I didn't catch up to her until the school was a distant sh I didn't knohat should coirl cry, but it was the first time it hurt me to do it "Should I have decked them all? Is that what you want?"

She rounded on me "What do you tell them about us when you're in the locker room?"

"I don't tell the"

"What do you tell your parents about us?"

"I don't," I admitted

"Fuck you," she said, and she started running again

The elevator doors open on the third floor, and there's Julia Roets up and starts wagging his tail "Going down?"

She steps inside and pushes the button for the lobby, already lit But it makes her lean across me, so that I can s here?" she asks

"Beco supremely disappointed in the state of American health care How about you?"

"Meeting with Kate's oncologist, Dr Chance"

"I assume that means we still have a lawsuit?"

Julia shakes her head "I don't know No one in that fa my calls, except for Jesse, and that's strictly hormonal"

"Did you go up to--"

"Kate's roo about dialysis"

"They said the sa to me," I tell her

"Well, if you talk to her--"

"Look," I interrupt "I have to assu in three days until Anna tells me otherwise If that's the case, you and I really need to sit down and figure out what the hell is going on in this kid's life Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?"

"No," Julia says, and she starts to leave

"Stop" When I grasp her arm, she freezes "I know this is uncomfortable for you It's uncomfortable for row up doesn't mean Anna shouldn't have a chance to" This is acco look

Julia folds her arain?"

I burst out laughing "Jesus, you're tough--"

"Oh, stuff it, Calib you probably oil your lips every "

That conjures all sorts of ies for me, but they involve her body parts

"You're right," she says then

"Now that I want to write down" When she starts walking away this tie and I follow

She heads out of the hospital and down a side street, an alley, and past a tene Avenue in North Providence By that tiht to the leash of a dog with an excessive a left to do for Kate," Julia tells me

"You mean other than the kidney transplant"

"No Here's the incredible thing" She stops walking, plants herself in front of h"

"And Sara Fitzgerald's pushing for it," I say

"When you think about it, Ca to die without the transplant anyhy not go for it?"

We step delicately around a homeless man and his collection of bottles "Because the transplant involves hter," I point out "And putting Anna's health at risk for a procedure that's not necessary for her seems a little cavalier"

Suddenly Julia comes to a halt in front of a si Ravioli It looks like the sort of place they keep dark, so that you don't notice the rats "Isn't there a Starbucks nearby?" I ask, just as an enormous bald man in a white apron opens the door and nearly knocks Julia over

"Isobella!" he cries, kissing her on both cheeks

"No, Uncle Luigi, it's Julia"

"Julia?" He pulls back and frowns "You sure? You ought to cut your hair or soive us a break"

"You used to get on my case about my hair when it was short"

"We got on your case about your hair because it was pink" He looks at ry?"

"We were hoping for some coffee, and a quiet table"

He grins "A quiet table?"

Julia sighs "Not that kind of quiet table"

"Right, right, everything's a big secret Colances down at Judge "Dog stays here"

"Dog comes," I respond

"Not in i insists

"He's a service dog, he can't stay outside"

Luigi leans close, a couple of inches away from my face "You're blind?"

"Color-blind," I reply "He tells e"

Julia's uncle's mouth turns down at the corners "Everyone's a wiseass today," he says, and then he leads the way

For weeks, irlfriend "It's Bitsy, right?--the one we hter, the redhead, is it?" I told her over and over it was no one she knehat I really nize