@@@@@Wireman, I believe he went to the cafeteria 848
@@@@@Wireman, I believe he
went to the cafeteria for coffee," the nurse said
"That's on the fourth floor I started away, then turned back
Hadlock part of the surgical team?"
"I don't think so," she said, "but he's
observing
I thanked her again and went in search of Wireman
I found him in a far corner of the caff, sitting
in front of a paper cup about the size of a World
War II mortar shellExcept for a scattering of
nurses and orderlies and one tense-looking family
group in another corner of the room, we had the
place to ourselvesMost of the chairs were
upended on the tables, and a tired-looking lady in
red rayon was working out with a mopAn iPod hung
in a sling between her breasts
"Hola, mi vato," Wireman said, and gave me a wan
smileHis hair, neatly combed back when he made
his entrance with Elizabeth and Jack, had fallen
down around his ears, and there were dark circles
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around his eyes"Why don't you grab yourself a
cup of coffee? It tastes like factory-made shit,
but it do prop up a person's eyelidsJust let me borrow a sip of yours I
had three aspirin in my pants pocketI fished
them out and swallowed them with some of Wireman's
coffee
He wrinkled his nose"In with all your germy
change
"I have a strong immune systemHow is she?"
"Not good He looked at me bleakly
"Did she come around at all in the ambulance? Say
anything else?"
"She did
"What?"
From the pocket of his linen shirt, Wireman took
an invitation to my show, with THE VIEW FROM DUMA
printed on one sideOn the other he'd scrawled
three notesThey jagged up and down - from the
motion of the ambulance, I assumed - but I could
read them:
"The table is leaking
"You will want to but you mustn
