Beyond Eden

13

Taylor / Eden

Even as he rang Eden’s doorbell, Taylor knew he wasn’t going to say anything to her about meeting Dr. Gruska at Columbia. Not yet. He was fairly certain that the young woman Dr. Gruska spoke briefly about was Eden. She was terrified of men, that was true, and she sure as hell didn’t trust Gruska. As for that sod, the man was certifiable. Taylor didn’t think Dr. Gruska could even be taken with a half-grain of salt. How, then, to unmuddy the waters?

Lindsay stared through her peephole, then unlatched, unfastened, and unbolted her front door. “Goodness, Taylor! You’re early and I’m a mess.”

He hadn’t realized he was early until that moment. “I’m sorry, but I was in the neighborhood and—”

“Oh, come in, no problem. I just need to jump into the shower.”

Taylor saw that she was wearing an ancient white terry-cloth bathrobe and nothing else. She’d tied her hair up in a rubber band. He smiled. “Again, forgive me. Why don’t I grab a beer and watch the news?”

She waved him away and retreated into her bedroom. He shook his head at himself as he moved several novels out of the way on the sofa. He didn’t turn on the TV; instead, he thought more about Gruska and what he’d said and what he obviously believed. And he recalled Eden’s words, seemingly a jumble: . . . the way he thinks, what he’s found out, what he now knows, what he threatens… .

His mind latched on to what had really scared her. What Gruska had found out about her. And that something he needed to discover himself if he was going to be of any help to her. Taylor stopped cold with that thought. He’d just made the quite conscious decision that he wanted Eden in his life, that he wanted her whole and healthy, that he wanted her in bed as well as out of bed, that he wanted, quite simply, all of her.

He felt slightly stunned with the realization. Jesus, he was the bugger who’d sworn off a second marriage. Now he wanted a woman he’d known for only four days, and he wanted her forever. He thought of tall lanky-legged girls in white karate outfits with her gorgeous eyes who would be their offspring. He shook his head. He was losing it.

Taylor rose and walked to the telephone. First things first. He dialed Valerie’s number. It was Tuesday and he had promised to call her on Monday.

She picked up on the second ring.

“Hello, Valerie, it’s Taylor. How are you?”

“I’m fine.” She didn’t continue with her usual spiel. She paused, then said, “Look, Taylor, I’m sorry about the other night, really. I was just stressed out and flailed at you. Will you forgive me?”

“Sure. No problem.”

“Are you busy tonight?”

“Yes, I am.”

There was another very long pause. “Are you still working on that same job?”

“No, it’s been resolved.”

“Successfully, I hope.” He heard the strain in her voice, recognized her attempt at civilized behavior, and wondered why it was so difficult for her.

“Yes,” he said, “very successfully.”

He could picture her sitting on the plush silk chair beside the Louis XV table. The phone was pseudo-antique in an old-fashioned cradle. He wondered what she was thinking. He was on the point of softening his answer to her when she said, her voice sharp, “It’s another woman, isn’t it, Taylor?”

“We aren’t married, Valerie,” he said mildly.

“But I wanted you to come over tonight.”

“Are you free tomorrow night?”

“No, damn you, I’m not.”

“Well, then, as I said, we’re not married. How about Thursday night?”

“You just want to see me so you can screw me!”

“I take it the thought doesn’t entice you in the least?”

“Eight o’clock. I’ll have Carrousel send over dinner. Don’t be late.”

She hung up on him. Tit for tat, he thought, slowly setting down the phone, since he’d hung up on her the last time they spoke.

When he saw her on Thursday, he’d break it off. He had to because the only person he could see in his present, in his future, was Eden.

Eden, who was terrified of men. When she came out of the bedroom, freshly scrubbed, dressed in a pale yellow silk dress, her long legs in panty hose and impossibly high heels, he laughed.

“You’re going to look me straight in the eye now? You’re going to put me in my place?”

“Intimidation,” she said, smiling at him. “I thought you could use a good dose. I should even be a bit taller than you.”

“Have at it, any abuse you like. You look beautiful. I like your hair up in an old-fashioned bun like that.”

She merely nodded. She stood next to him then quirked her eyebrow at him. “Maybe not just a little bit,” she said.

And he was thinking there was so much of her to learn, to explore, to appreciate, finally, to savor. He thought about buying her some four-inch heels.

“Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

He took her to meet Enoch and his mother, Sheila, 230 Maple Street, Fort Lee, New Jersey, for dinner that evening.

Sheila was going through her muumuu phase and she even served roasted pig in palm leaves in a grill in the backyard. She appreciated the fifty-degree weather, she said, or she and the pig could have been the same temperature. There were yams and poi, gray and thick and disgusting, and wonderful rolls. She gave Eden long looks, then turned on her charm, which she had in abundance. If she occasionally gushed or overwhelmed, they handled it, at least until dessert of scooped out papaya filled with vanilla ice cream. As for Enoch, he just stared at Eden as if trying to figure something out.

“Enoch’s six-foot-four. You’ll have to tilt your head just a bit.”

Lindsay laughed as she shook her head.

“It’s nice not to have to crick my neck,” Enoch said.

“What’s your last name, dear?” Sheila asked as she expertly sliced up her papaya. “I must have missed it. That damned pig required too much of my attention.”

Taylor’s spoon paused on its journey to his mouth.

“Oh, I don’t have one, Mrs. Sackett. Just Eden.”

“You entertainers, so coy and elusive.”

“I’m a model, ma’am, not an entertainer.”

“It’s close enough, I’m sure,” Sheila said to the table at large. “More dessert, dear?”

“No, ma’am. This is wonderful.”

Too bad, Taylor thought. He’d already made up his mind he wasn’t going to find out Eden’s real name, no, she would have to tell him herself, when she was ready. He wasn’t going to stoop to going through her mail to discover her real name. He wasn’t going to muck about in things she evidently wanted kept hidden.

“Is Eden your real name, then?”

“Sheila,” Enoch said, waving his fork at her, “it really isn’t any of your business. Leave Eden alone.”

Lindsay just smiled, but it was hard. The woman wasn’t any nosier than others she’d met, but she was persistent and Lindsay was her prisoner for the evening. She slipped a glance toward Taylor and saw, to her surprise, that he understood, for he nodded. Not five minutes later, he said quite loudly, “Goodness, Sheila, would you look at the time.”

“What time? It’s not even nine o’clock, Taylor.”

Enoch, no slouch, said, “Yeah, Sheila, it is late. I’ve got a meeting in the morning.”

“And Eden and I must leave. She’s got to be up by five-thirty. She’s got a photo session.”

Sheila Sackett regarded the three children with grave displeasure. Her son refused to meet her probing eye. She would deal with Enoch later. As for this Eden girl, she was certainly pretty enough for Taylor, and she seemed reasonably nice, but still—“I’d planned to have coffee now. Then I was going to play some jazz for you, Taylor, on my sax.”

Taylor looked disappointed, and he was. She was very talented. “Next time, Sheila,” he said, rising. He came around the table and kissed her cheek. “Great meal, thanks for inviting us. I love your muumuu and the roasted pig.”

“I’ll bet you two are going out to do some love-making, aren’t you?”

“Sheila, please.”

Lindsay wondered why he called his mother by her first name.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Taylor said as he kissed Sheila’s cheek again.

“Oh, boy,” Lindsay said on their drive back into the city. “She’s a real pusher, isn’t she?”

“One of the front-runners. She’s been after me for years to remarry. She somehow pictures herself as a grandmother to any kids I’d have.”

“Remarry?” Lindsay glanced over at him, her back suddenly straight as a witching stick.

“I was married to a very nice woman when we were both very young. It didn’t work out. My fault as well as hers. It’s been a long time since the divorce.”

He’d been married. He’d been intimate with a woman.

“How long were you married?”

“Two years and some.”

—intimate with one woman, for a long time. Lindsay couldn’t imagine such a thing. Sleeping with someone, eating every day with someone, sharing thoughts and troubles with another person—the same person always—being crabby and irritable and letting it show. Arguing about who would clean the bathroom or the freezer. She felt a yearning for that complete intimacy, for that incredible freedom to be as you really were without secrets, without mysteries or guile, without having to watch what you said because it might make the other person leave you in disgust. But still she couldn’t imagine it, not for herself, not for Lindsay Foxe.

To Taylor’s surprise, she dropped the subject entirely, saying, “Sheila truly plays the saxophone? Jazz?”

“She truly does and she’s quite good. Blues is her thing. She loves to go to Atlanta and perform in the clubs there. Next time, maybe we can have her play. With her mouth full of reed she won’t be able to keep chipping away at you. Also, the thought of her playing a sax in a muumuu boggles the mind. Enoch told me she wears long black gowns when she plays professionally, kind of like Kate Smith.”

Lindsay laughed. “She and Enoch look so unlike each other. Sheila’s short and plump and he’s so tall and skinny. Why isn’t she after him to marry or remarry?”

“That’s entirely different,” Taylor said, turning into the underground parking garage beneath his building. “Enoch’s off-limits when it comes to a wife. Sheila doesn’t mind him having free-lance associations, as she calls them, but no wife.”

“Strange.”

“Oh, yeah, very.” He paused, then added easily, “Of course a Freudian type would think it’s classic Oedipal complex. Have I got that right? You’re the psych major.”

“Yes, you’ve got that perfectly correct.”

He heard the withdrawal in her voice. She said, “Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee or tea before I walk you home?”

He wanted to, but he shook his head. She didn’t really want him to. She was just being polite, hoping he’d say no. She didn’t trust him yet. It was that simple. Her fear won out.

He left her at her door, lightly touching his knuckles to her cheek.

He’d wanted to kiss her very much. In fact, it had been difficult not to stare at her mouth. Lindsay stood in the corridor, watching him until he disappeared around the corner. She sighed and went into her apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her, sliding each of the chains, clicking the deadbolt. She heard a noise and whipped around terrified, her stomach heaving up into her throat. There, seated in her living room, a glass of white wine in her left hand, a magazine with a full-length photo of her in the other, was her half-sister.

Lindsay’s hand was over her galloping heart. “Oh, my God, you scared me, Sydney. However did you get in here?”

“Oh, hello, sister dear. Your super let me in. I’ve been here before and the dear man hadn’t forgotten me. I’ve only been waiting fifteen minutes. Your date left quickly enough. I assume it was a date. I could hear you saying good night from in here. I must admit surprise at hearing a man’s voice. Who is he? Some guy I should meet? Check out for you?”

Lindsay shook her head, saying nothing.

“Ah, well, maybe it was Demos?”

“No. What do you want, Sydney?”

Sydney Foxe di Contini—La Principessa—rose slowly, smoothing her black leather pants. She wore a hot-pink silk shell over the pants, topped with a black leather vest with gold chains clipping the vest over her breasts. She looked exquisite, slender, elegant, perfect as usual.

“I called but you weren’t here, obviously. I wondered, that’s all. You never go out with men and I was concerned. You have so few friends and I knew you were out with Gayle just last Monday, so she was a doubtful candidate. I just wanted to tell you I’m flying to Milan this weekend.”

“You want me to water your plants?”

Sydney laughed. “Oh, no. I just wanted to be able to tell everyone that I’d seen you and that you were in fine form.”

“I’m in fine form.”

“Excellent. You haven’t put on any weight, have you? No? Well, perhaps you should lose just a bit more, a couple of pounds should do it. Who’s the man, Lindsay?”

“No one you know.”

“Well, considering your taste, which I imagine has remained frozen in time since you were sixteen—why then, this charmer is probably slender, handsome, and suave as hell.”

Lindsay forced a smile. “Yes, all of those things.”

“Ah, an aristocratic New Yorker. Is he in the business? Perhaps he’s gay and you’re just too inexperienced to recognize it. Or perhaps he’s gay and you feel safer that way. His voice sounded pretty deep to me.”

“No, he’s not gay. Look, Sydney, I’ve got an early shoot tomorrow. I’m bushed.”

“All right, I’ll go. I’ve canceled the shoots my agent had scheduled. Nothing all that important, I told him. I also keep telling him it’s time to become more hard-assed, more discriminating. After all, it’s my face and my body, and my time. Maybe you’d better let me meet this guy. I could make sure he won’t try anything with you.”

“That’s a beautiful photo of you in Self. Demos commented on it last week. It’s certainly discriminating.”

“Yes, it turned out nicely. I’m pleased. Drake Otis did the shoot. Too bad he’s gay. Well, no matter. I’ll see you when I get back from Italy. Oh, yes, just in case you’re interested, Father is doing well. He was embroiled in a very high-profile drug case and the defense attorneys were confident he would throw out the major evidence because supposedly the cops obtained it illegally. Father did throw it out, but he allowed great latitude to the prosecutor, with the result that the three men, Colombians all, got a guilty verdict. Father sentenced them all to twenty years, no chance of parole. He told me he threw out the evidence because if he hadn’t, he knew the defense attorneys would appeal and the case would probably be overturned. He’s laughing his head off, having the time of his life. You know he hates the liberal judges in California. He pulled the rug out from under the defense lawyers. They’re screaming to the media, and of course, since the media are all liberal idiots, they’re all over Father’s back. He’s enjoying it all. As for Holly, the poor thing is now as fat as your mother was just before Father kicked her out. He’s got a new mistress, a woman about my age. Her name is Cynthia—Cyn for short. Isn’t that precious? As for Grandmother, she’s just the same. Father thinks she’ll outlive us all.”

She blew Lindsay a kiss, turning in the open doorway to say, “I will give the prince your fond regards. It will make him grimace, remembering those bullets, which in turn makes Melissa giggle. You see, some good comes out of everything.”

Lindsay wished her half-sister would fly to Italy and stay there the rest of her life. Then, to her own surprise, she laughed. Sydney would never change. But Lindsay was beginning to. It was odd, yet it was true.

Taylor dutifully went to Valerie’s apartment on Thursday. When she opened the door, he realized that each time he saw her he’d forgotten how absolutely beautiful she was. She was wearing pale blue-ice silk lounging pajamas tonight and her hair was long and thick to her shoulders, pulled back on one side, held with a gold clip.

She looked as rich as his ex-wife, Diane.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello, Taylor. Goodness, you look good enough to eat. Do come in. Our dinner will arrive in an hour or so. Would you like a drink?”

Taylor followed her, wondering what he was going to say and how she would react. He was relieved that she hadn’t immediately started on the attack. It sounded like she wanted his pants off, soon, and that would be even more embarrassing. The thing about it was that there was another woman and he was perfectly capable of feeling like a guilty jerk because she’d been right. But not at first, no, not at first.

Valerie didn’t attack, seduce, nothing but sparkling conversation until after they’d eaten their way through the lobster thermidor, tossed earth salad with a light vinaigrette dressing, potatoes sliced thin and broiled, and a chocolate mousse for desert that was to die for. The Château le Duc-Dupress ’89 was exquisite, dry and crisp. It tasted like hemlock to Taylor.

Taylor just wanted to get it over with. He hadn’t eaten all that much because he didn’t want to be here and he didn’t want to feel guilty.

“So,” she said, sitting back, a brandy snifter in her hand, “tell me about this job of yours.”

“The one I no longer have?”

“Yes.”

“I was protecting a woman from a threat made against her employer. It turns out another employee was attacked instead. It’s over now.”

“I see.” She rose slowly, giving him a smile that would have made him hard as a stone just the week before. She untied the silk sash at her waist.

He raised his hand, his eyes on that damned sash. “Wait, Valerie, don’t. Please don’t.”

She paused, her eyebrow going up.

“I want to talk to you.”

“We’ve been talking, Taylor.” She looked down at her Cartier watch. “For nearly an hour and a half now we’ve been talking. So, lover, just relax now and let me—” She broke off, smiled at him, and put her fingers on her lips. “No, Taylor, enough. Actually, I’m the one who wants to do the talking. Your turn will come. I wanted to speak to you about this all through dinner, but you were enjoying it so much, I didn’t want to ruin it for you. I’m so sorry, baby, I don’t want to hurt you, but I’ve found a man who’s divine and he’s got everything you don’t have and he’s aced you right out of the race. I just thought a good-bye fuck would be nice. Assuage my guilt. And you are quite good in bed, nearly as good as he is.”

Taylor felt such relief he nearly fell off his chair.

“Come on, pretty boy, one last time and then you’re gone. My new man is coming later.”

He stared at her. “But why would you want to make love with me when there’s someone else you’re interested in? That’s crazy, Valerie.”

She shrugged. “I’ve always liked comparisons and I do think this one would prove very interesting. Maybe you could go see one of your other girlfriends later and do the same.”

“No, Valerie, not this time. I wish you luck. You’re beautiful and smart and it’s been fun.” Jesus, he sounded like a trite recording.

Her face was set into a smile that left her eyes cold as a glacier. He hadn’t a clue to what she was thinking. Was she angry because he was refusing to go to bed with her, or was that all a game? Possibly.

“Yes, it has been fun, hasn’t it, Taylor? Well, babe, I hope you also have fun with your new little cutie. You know, the one you started out protecting and ended up screwing? And don’t lie to me now. Does the bimbo have a brain? Or is she all tits and ass? Why don’t you call after you’ve taken her to bed and let me know who’s better.”

“I don’t think so. Good-bye, Valerie.”

She watched him go to the front closet, pull his camel coat off a padded hanger. He shrugged it on, then pulled on his brown leather gloves. She watched him, unmoving, as he walked toward the front door without turning back. She watched every move he made. She watched him stride out the door. He closed it quietly behind him. She felt such fury and pain she thought she’d choke on it. She went to the phone and dialed. A man answered.

“Barry? This is Valerie. Yes, lover. Come on over. Who cares what you tell your wife? Tell her you’re constipated and need a constitutional. Yes. Thirty minutes, no longer.”

Lindsay discovered on Thanksgiving that both of Taylor’s parents were dead. He had one older sister, Elaine, who was married with three children and lived with her accountant husband in Phoenix. It was too far to go, he told Lindsay, then asked her about her plans.

She was predictably vague, which annoyed him, but he let it go. They ended up together again with Sheila and Enoch.

Sheila played the saxophone for two hours, letting it wail and moan until Lindsay had gooseflesh with the power of it. Sheila wore a long black dress. She was incredibly good. There was no prodding, no questions of any kind, on Thanksgiving.

That evening Taylor kissed her for the first time.

They were standing in front of her apartment door, and she didn’t want him to go. But she was afraid to let him in.

He simply leaned down, catching her chin in the palm of his hand, and kissed her. Lightly, nothing threatening, nothing to make her withdraw.

“Oh.”

He grinned at her, eyes warm, wanting trust from her, wanting warmth from her as well. “Did you like that maybe a little bit?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s honesty. Always be honest with me, Eden, all right?”

“Sometimes,” Lindsay said very slowly, looking down at the buttons on his coat, “sometimes it’s just not possible.”

“When you come to trust me, you’ll find it will be easy as chewing gum, at least I hope so. Good night, sweetheart. Happy Thanksgiving. Sleep well.”

“I will, since I’m stuffed with more food than I usually eat in a week. Did you know that fashion photo sessions tend to slow down dramatically during the holiday season? It’s because models are people too and the temptations are just too great. I’ve got until December 1 to get rid of my turkey-and-stuffing lining.”

He was pleased that she was lingering to talk, very pleased, probably more pleased than the situation warranted, but what the hell. She paused and he picked it up. “Tomorrow I’ve got to fly to Chicago. A meat packer, of all things, has brought himself and his company into the twentieth century with a computer that should scare every cow on the hoof in the U.S. Unfortunately, there’s a major screwup with a critical part of a specialized program and all the techs haven’t been able to straighten it out. He’s so teed off with the company that he called me. I’ll phone you from there tomorrow night and give you my number.”

Before she could say anything, Taylor leaned down and kissed her again, just as lightly, his gloved fingers caressing her cheek. He loved touching her, even with gloves on. He cupped her chin in his palm. “Miss me, all right?”

“I think I will,” Lindsay said, and knew it was true.

Taylor didn’t have luck or an attack of genius on the meat packer’s job. It took him three long days of pure grunt work to diagnose the problem and figure out how to fix it. The man who’d hired him, Mr. Closse, was looking over his shoulder every minute, wringing his fat hands and cursing technology in general.

Chicago was cold and raining. The wind was loud, even through the double windows in his hotel room. Taylor was tired, impatient, and he missed Eden. Missed her more than he’d thought he would. He looked forward to their long talks each night.

When the job was finally done and the five thousand dollars in his wallet, Taylor flew back to New York.

He was at Eden’s apartment by six o’clock that evening.

To his surprise, a young woman he’d never seen before opened the door. She stared at him and he stared back.

“Are you selling something? Why didn’t the super ring you up?”

“I’m Taylor and I’m a regular. The super and I drink beer together on Thursday afternoons at Clancy’s. Who are you? Where’s Eden? Is something wrong?”

“You’re a friend of Lin… Eden’s?”

She sounded shocked and plainly disbelieving. “Yes,” he said easily, “I’m a very good friend. I even spent Thanksgiving with her. Who are you?”

“I’m Gayle Werth. Please come in. I’m sorry for grilling you, but it’s just that Eden didn’t say anything about a man or a friend who was a man. Oh, dear, let me take your coat.”

“Where’s Eden?”

“In the bedroom. She’s got a great case of the flu and is at very low ebb right now.” Gayle studied him for a minute, still not believing that this hunk, this man who was every inch a man and not a gay, was a friend of Lindsay’s, that Lindsay would allow such a man to come within ten miles of her. How much of a friend? “I’ll see if she’s awake. It’s been a very long day for her.”

“I’m here now. I’ll take care of her.”

Again the young woman looked incredulous. At his offer? At his very presence? Taylor had the feeling it was the latter.

“You’ve known Eden long?”

“We went to boarding school together in Connecticut. The Stamford Girls’ Academy. Doesn’t that sound great? Anyway, we go all the way back to first ear piercings and exchanging formulas to cover zits. Sit down, Taylor, and I’ll see what Eden—”

“No, don’t bother.” Taylor walked past her, aware that she was on his heels, uncertain what she should do.

He walked quietly into Eden’s bedroom and stopped short. She was lying on her back, blankets up to her chin, and her face was white as rice paper. Her hair was in a lank dull braid. She was just opening her eyes. “Oh,” she said and moaned. “I had hoped you would call so I could tell you to keep your distance. Don’t come any closer, Taylor, I’m sicker than a pig.”

“I never get sick,” he said, and sat down on the bed beside her. He laid his palm on her forehead. “Fever. How long have you felt this bad? What have you taken and when?”

“Dr. Taylor, I presume?”

“Eden, what do you want me to do?”

“Oh, Gayle—”

Taylor turned to the woman who was standing there, nearly en pointe, looking worried, amazed, and uncertain. He said easily, as nonthreatening a smile as he could muster on his face, “It’s been a pleasure to meet a friend of Eden’s. You can leave her with me now, Gayle.”

If Lindsay hadn’t felt like garbage that had already been completely squashed in a compactor, she would have smiled at the utterly bewildered look on Gayle’s face. “He’s a friend, Gayle. It’s okay. I’ll call you tomorrow if I’m still alive. Thanks for letting me boss you around and for being such a wonderful slave.”

“You’re sure, Eden?”

“Very. Taylor will be leaving soon too.”

Taylor didn’t say anything. He nodded to Gayle and remained silent until he heard the front door close.

“Now, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were sick last night when I called you?”

“I wasn’t all that sick. It hit me during the night. I even swore along about two A.M. that I’d become a missionary, but it didn’t matter. God must have known I was lying because it just got worse.”

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she stared at him, turning whiter than a moment before, and leapt from the bed. He saw long bare legs from beneath a sleep shirt saying Don’t Hit Psychiatrists or They’ll Shrink You on the back.

He followed her into the bathroom, waited until she was shuddering from dry heaves, then lifted her beneath the arms and helped her back into bed.

“You’re sick and it’s time to call the doctor.”

She fluttered her hand but didn’t argue. She felt too awful. Then, when he was reaching for the phone, she said, “I wish you wouldn’t. It’s just a stomach flu.”

“I have a friend who’ll tell me what’s best. Have you been throwing up all day?”

She nodded.

“You haven’t tried to eat?”

“Gayle made some Jell-O but it didn’t stay where it was supposed to.”

“Okay, just lie there and try to keep still.” Taylor called Dr. Metcalf, one of the New York City coroners. He had no intention of telling Eden that all the guy’s patients were always dead.

He got hold of Metcalf after a five-minute wait.

“Damn, Taylor, I was in the middle of an autopsy.”

Taylor told him the problem and asked his advice. He got it, thanked Metcalf, and hung up the phone.

“Okay, here’s what we do. First I trundle down to the market and pharmacy. Don’t move.”

Thirty minutes later, Lindsay looked at him with some surprise. The saltine cracker appeared to be happy in her belly, the weak tea as well.

“You get a cracker every hour and a bit of tea. Then we’ll see.”

“Thank you,” she said, and closed her eyes. “This is so embarrassing. Please go away. I can take care of myself.”

He said something very crude about her self-reliance, and her eyes flew open.

“But you shouldn’t have to take care of me, that’s crazy. You don’t even know me and—”

“Just shut up. I’m staying. I’m sleeping here, next to you, and if you have any problems, then I’ll handle them. Now, you’re to take two of these pills, then go to sleep. Can I use your toothbrush?”