Chapter 10
Another round of tests. I gripped the sides of the gurney and concentrated on keeping my emotions in check. Mostly, anxiety and a little bit of fear. I made it to all the rounds and by the time I was back in my room, I was ready for a nap and lunch. Dad had stayed with me through the whole six hours of tests. He left me when the newest nurse finally took out the catheter with a minimum of fuss and embarrassment. Dad offered to help me take a shower. By then, my hair was really gross and I wanted one bad.
He held onto me until I was certain I could stand and scrubbed my ring of hair gently, careful not to touch the stitches where the doc had bored my skull open.
I wanted to dress in clothes, but was afraid that I would jinx my chances to go home. So Dad put my PJs on me and grinned.
“Makes you look like you’re twelve, Danny. I remember when you wore only flannel PJs.” I still wore flannel PJs, but wasn’t telling him that.
“Now what?”
“We’re waiting on the test results, Danny. Once we hear how your scans look, we go on from there.”
Felice wasn’t there, Dad said she was in school, she had taken the week off to be with me, and now had to make up her classes. Towards noon, after lunch, both doctors came in and talked to Dad. They seemed optimistic; cautiously upbeat and explained what they found to me as well. My brain and the thing in it had shrunk back to the size of a pea and had a complex growth of spider-like veins coming out of it. Surgery couldn’t remove the pea without causing grave consequences to my motor skills, cognition and sight, so our options were to blast with radiation in the hopes of killing it, drugs to shrink it or leave it alone and see how it reacted. I had a sudden, stomach wrenching reaction to the first two. “Dad, leave it alone.”
The doctors thought I had given up in despair and was refusing treatment. I was refusing treatment because I knew doing anything was more dangerous than not. “Well, we won’t force you to make a choice now, Senator, Danny. You can go home tomorrow.”
“Best news I have heard today,” I said.
“You can go out of your room, too, if you want. The nurse will take your IV out. We prefer if you rest some but I realize you’re a fourteen-year-old boy stuck in a room with nothing to do so you must be going crazy.”
“Just about. What about the pills? Can I stop them?”
Doctor K shook his head. “I’m keeping you on the steroids, Danny and I prefer you to stay on the Elavil so you don’t spike any blood pressures in your head.”
“It makes me feel dopey,” I protested.
“You’ll get used to it a few weeks, your body will adapt and level off. The nurse will be in to help with the paperwork.”
I bounced around the room happy I was going home. Dad grabbed me by my collar, laughing as he settled me down. Both doctors said they’d see us later and left us to my elation. Dad called Ms. Penny and had her make arrangements for my return home. He even called and left a message for Felice. “Where is your cell phone?” He asked as he flipped his sat phone shut.
“Book-bag.” I threw off my PJs and was in my jeans, shirt and vest in seconds. Dad handed me my socks and boots, raising an eyebrow at the shoes.
“No sneakers?”
“Dad, I never wear sneakers, they’re… juvenile. Besides, they hurt my feet.”
“Like your Mom,” he said softly. “Her shoe allowance was the size of the National Debt.”
I giggled and he looked sad. “You sounded just like Vange,” he murmured, and I leaned into him, giving and taking comfort from him.
“Dad, I love you.”
He nuzzled my head in his arms, and hugged me ferociously. “Love you too, Danny boy. I’m glad you not too tough and grown-up to say so.”
“Never, Dad,” I vowed.
He cleared his throat and let go patting me on the back, gesturing to the wheelchair in the corner. “You want to ride down to the cafeteria, gift shop, or just wander around and get out of this room?”
“Sure. I think I can walk, no problem.”
Dad called the nurse so they could take out my IVs and after that was done, Dad and I headed out for the elevators and the cafeteria. I didn’t look at the other kids; I kept my eyes down and concentrated on my feet. We shared the elevator with Jake, Dad’s Secret Service bodyguard. He was smiling and wished me welcome back.
The other people in the elevator were quiet as they recognized my Dad. He was invariably polite to his constituents, and never failed to say hello or listen to their complaints. He really tried to do what they wanted and what was best for the state.
Jake subtly steered them away from close contact with us and shepherded us out when the doors opened to the atrium. Cool. They had a fountain inside and lots of plants so it looked more like a jungle. Big skylights let in sunshine so we were either on the ground floor of one wing or in the Annex.
I saw a used book cart and made a beeline for it, squatting to read the titles. I found a John Connolly I hadn’t read and a new Dean Koontz. I loved his Odd Thomas series and Christopher Snow.
Dad said mildly, “don’t you have them on your NOOK?”
“No. This Koontz is new, it’s nine ninety-nine in the store, and this one’s only fifty cents.”
I held my hand out and he dug through his pockets for change. Gave me a dollar in quarters so I got both, and stuck the change in the wooden box. “Thanks, Dad.”
Looking around, I spotted the cafeteria and hurried over to it when I felt myself receding from the room. My steps faltered, both Dad and Jake grabbed my arm and steered me towards the couch….
*****
Saw a mirror in a big bedroom with blue carpeting, four poster bed made up with a white cover of hand knitted spread, big balls like popcorn and cables like on Felice’s sweaters. White lacy curtains tied back with gold tasseled ropes. The walls were painted green below with green stripes above. One whole wall was a green check separated by double doors painted white like the woodwork.
A big yellow lab was staring into the mirror as his owner adjusted his tie. Purple with purple stripes.
“I have to go to Vermont, later today, Jazz,” the man said. “To check on some old issues regarding the death of Evangeline De Rosier.”
“Really? What brought that up?” A woman’s voice asked from behind what the dog knew was the bathroom door. Steam escaped from the cracked opening.
“I reread the reports, it seems it might not have been a random drunk driving accident.”
“She was murdered? Who would want to kill Evangeline? She was such a caring woman, she made you feel so good,” the voice sounded shocked.
“You know the cops always check out the husband first. Well, they are re-investigating the Senator’s whereabouts that evening. Seems like a witness saw him in town when he swore he was in Vermont.”
“I don’t believe it,” the woman said and came out with the dog and I could see. She was a brunette and naked. I dropped my eyes and the dog did, too. Looked back up in fascinated awe at the full boobs, nipples as thick as my finger, dark curls between her legs misted with steam. I felt the dog affected by my own lust, and was grossed out.
She had dark hair and blue eyes, her face was pretty and flushed from the steam. She leaned up into the man kissing him, hungrily as he held her way from his clothes.
“Oh baby,” he groaned. “I wish I could stay, but I have a seven thirty flight and I’ll miss it if I don’t leave in ten minutes.”
She grabbed his crotch and even as I turned away, I wanted to watch, but being a peeping Tom was so not cool, even if no one would ever know. Especially if I saw the dude for real. I didn’t recognize either of them.
He patted her on the butt cheek and squeezed, stroked the lab on the way out of the bedroom. The dog stayed in the room with the lady and she looked at us, sighed and said, “I’ll take you for a jog later, Sassy. We both need a diversion.” We woofed, trotted out of the room to get a leash and watched through the front window as the man got into a black Denali, backed down a short driveway into a circular cul-de-sac and out of our view.
“Danny? Danny, are you here?” Dad’s voice broke into my awareness. I blinked and grabbed him, his worried face lightened up. Jake was kneeling in front of me.
“How long, Dad?” I asked.
“Not long. Less than five minutes. Your eyes were blank and you seemed to have trouble walking. Danny, about going home…”
“Dad, don’t,” I pleaded. “It’s not my head doing this. I can control it. Please don’t tell the doctors. I want to go home. They’ll make me stay. If they do anything to that spot in my head, it’ll kill me. I know it, or worse, I’ll wind up like Uncle Townsley.” I started crying in my distress, and that made it worse. Plus, I felt like a big baby, but I couldn’t stop.
“Danny, calm down, okay? Just relax. No one’s going to force you to do anything. I just want what’s best for you, for you to get over this.” He turned his head to Jake and murmured something I couldn’t hear, but the agent nodded and hurried off.
“Where is he going, Dad?” I stood up. “You sent him to get the doctor, didn’t you? I’m not staying here, Dad. I’m not!”
I bolted for the door and Dad shouted at me, for Jake and for someone to stop me. I dodged several people leaping over couches and muscled my way through the lines near the cafeteria, never slowing up. I could see the EXIT sign and pushed the doors open so hard, they flung around and smashed the ones next to them. Glass shivered and exploded inside.
The sidewalks were busy with people coming in, two ambulances and firemen were offloading. They turned around as Dad screamed at me to stop. A line of people were following him. Pausing for one stride, I looked up, down the street and ran across into the big department store across four lanes of traffic to disappear into the Mall of the Americas.