Accidentally Yours (15 page)

“
All right. I’ll stop and get my keys and purse and meet you downstairs.”

She had put the small television on the floor and was locking the apartment when
the door to 3-C opened and Miles Harris—or maybe it was Mason—poked his head out. “Miss Vivian, where’s my daddy?”

“
He’s helping the landlord. He’ll be up in a minute.”

She clumsily walked down one flight with the
television, which she deposited on her table, then retrieved her purse. By the time she emerged, Zack and Michael were almost to the first floor landing. She could tell that Zack was becoming more adept at moving with only one leg. She waited quietly while Zack maneuvered the remainder of the stairs with help from Michael, then called out, “Here I come.”

“
How far away are you parked, Vivian?” Michael asked.

“
I’m right out front. I guess we’ll go to Mount Vernon Hospital, huh, Zack?”

“
If that’s the closest. All they have to do is an X ray. They shouldn’t botch that up.”

Skepticism dripped from his
voice like liquid from cooked collard greens, and Vivian said with a smile, “I suppose the only hospital you really trust is Hudson.”

“
I feel more comfortable there, yeah.”

She shook her head.
“I feel sorry for whoever treats you.”

Chapter
9

Role Reversal

“
T
hanks a lot, Michael,” Vivian said, echoing Zack’s sentiments after Zack was seated in her passenger seat.

“
No sweat. Free rent next month, right, Zack?” he joked before growing serious. “You take care of yourself.”

“
I will.” Zack closed his eyes. His ankle was throbbing now, and it felt like it weighed fifty pounds.

Vivian settled behind the wheel and spoke with cheery optimism.
“We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes. It’s Sunday, so I don’t think they’ll be too busy. We probably won’t have to wait long.”

He looked at her skeptically. She seemed to be in a hurry, and he wondered why.
“You got a date?”

“
No, silly. I’ve just got to go to work tomorrow.”

“
Is Michael a friend of yours?”

Vivian
didn’t know whether to smile or pout. On one hand, it was cute that he seemed to be a tad jealous of an imagined flirtation between her and her neighbor. On the other hand, he knew she had gone out with Gary, Gordon, and Bernard; and she certainly didn’t want him to think she had been around the block more times than the mailman.

“
Michael lives down the hall from Mr. Ellis, or maybe I should say from where Mr. Ellis lived. With his wife and sons,” she added pointedly.

“
Oh. Well, it was good that you thought to go get him. You’re right, getting me down those stairs might have been a bit much for Mr. Hughes.”

As Vivian predicted, the emergency room at Mount Vernon Hospital wasn
’t very crowded, and Zack was seen right away. X-rays determined that there was no fracture in either his ankle or his elbow, but both were sprained badly. He also had bruises on his chest that would give him some discomfort in that area.

“
I don’t want you to bear any weight on that foot for four days,” Dr. Christine Kalafus instructed after she had bandaged Zack’s right ankle and applied a sling to his right arm. “On Friday morning you can try it, and I want you to follow up that day. By then you should be all right We’re getting crutches for you, but is there someone at home who can perhaps help you minimize your movements, help with your ADLs?”

Vivian wrinkled her forehead.
“What’s ADLs?”

“
Activities of daily living.” Zack and Dr. Kalafus spoke simultaneously, then laughed.

Zack proceeded to answer the doctor
’s question. “I live alone, Doctor, and there’s a flight of outside stairs to the entrance of my house, plus another flight inside to my bedroom. And my couch is terribly uncomfortable to sleep on.”

“
That’s far from ideal. Any family members you can stay with?”

“
My parents are retired, but they’re at my brother’s in Virginia. They just left yesterday. My cousin used to be my tenant, but she took a job transfer to Detroit. My only contact with the guy who lives there now is collecting his rent check.”

Dr. Kalafus glanced at Vivian before returning her attentions to Zack.
“Any friends?”

Zack shrugged.
“Well, I don’t like to brag, but—”

“
It’s a slow night here, Dr. Warner, but not that slow,” Dr. Kalafus said dryly. “Can you tell me the situation in ten words or less?”

“
Actually, most of my friends are of the female persuasion. They think highly of me, but I don’t know how they’d feel about me dropping in on them for such a long period. Might give some of them ideas. I might not be able to get out without making a lifetime commitment.” He shrugged. “You know how it is.”

Anyone else saying those words would come off sounding like they had an ego the size of the Pentagon, but Zack looked so boyish and bashful as he spoke, like a wide-eyed, innocent child, that it only added to his charisma.

Dr. Kalafus smiled. “All right. What about you, Ms. St James?”

Vivian lowered her chin to her chest in her best
Say Whaaaat? look. “Who, me?”

“
You look like a sensible girl. Do you think you can take care of your friend for a few days without wanting to make it permanent?”

“
Wishing for permanency isn’t a problem.” If anything, it’ll probably make me want to kill him arid bury his body in the basement. “But I work all day. I can’t take off to play Florence Nightingale.” She thought of Mrs. Hughes, but then quickly remembered that the older woman spent her days in nearby Eastchester, caring for her young grandchild while her daughter was at work.

“
Taking off from work wouldn’t be necessary, as long as you have food for him. The fridge or the microwave is as far as he should go for his lunch.”

“
Well, I do have a sofabed that’s pretty comfortable, but...I don’t know. How long will this be for?”

“
Vivling…your reluctance…it wounds me.” Zack placed his palm over his heart.

She rolled her eyes. He was giving a performance worthy of Bernard Williams
’s mother. She hoped Dr. Kalafus would help her out, but the woman was clearly enjoying Act One, Scene One. Shame on her. Hadn’t her mother taught her it wasn’t nice to take delight in the discomfort of others? “All right,” she said finally. “I guess it’s the least I can do, after you’ve taken such good care of my fr—of some people I know.”

“
Well, it looks like that’s all set. I love happy endings,” Dr. Kalafus said, sounding so cheerful that Vivian wanted to smack her...or pelt her with popcorn. This was her life for the next week, not some MGM movie.

Zack puckered his lips and made a kissing sound.
“Thanks, Vivling. I promise, you’ll miss me when I’m gone.”

“
I’m already looking forward to it.”

Dr. Kalafus chuckled.
“I’m sure it won’t be too difficult for you, Ms. St. James. All the doctor has to do is keep his foot elevated. Just remember, Dr. Warner, you shouldn’t try to bathe or do anything that might require assistance while you’re alone.”

Vivian
’s head jerked. “Are you saying I’ll have to bathe him? That’s out of the question, Doctor.” She cast a murderous look Zack’s way. “One word out of you and I’ll twist your bad arm.”

“
Ouch.”

“
No, you won’t have to bathe him, Ms. St. James,” Dr. Kalafus assured. “I just think it’s best for someone to be at home when he’s in the shower in case he should lose his balance or need help for any other reason. Simple things, like getting in and out of the tub and finding out the soap is by the sink, can be a terrible inconvenience when only one leg is fully functional.”

“
I’ll make sure I leave a bar in both places.” And so help me, if he gives me a hard time I’ll leave one on the floor as well.

“
Excuse me. I want to see what’s holding up those crutches.” Dr. Kalafus left the room.

Zack had been sitting up, but now he laid back and rested his left hand on his abdomen.
“Well, roomie, I just have one question. What’s for breakfast?”

“
If you’re about to tell me how you like your eggs, don’t bother. I usually eat cereal.”

“
I hope you like Cocoa Puffs.”

“
I don’t touch that sugary stuff. That’s for kids.”

“
I said Cocoa Puffs, not Frosted Flakes.”

“
I eat Total.”

He made a face.

“It’s part of a balanced diet, but I know, you’d rather eat Cocoa Puffs. How did you manage to graduate from med school without passing nutrition?” He was unbelievable. This was unbelievable. She was his tenant, and now he was going to be her houseguest. What a crazy setup.

“
Aw, don’t give me that righteous jazz. I’ll bet you’re the first one in line when the doughnut cart comes around.”

She glared at him. The truth was she had realized the probable connection between her sweet tooth and her weight gain and had given up on pastries, but she wasn
’t about to share that fact with him.

“
Here we are,” Dr. Kalafus said, returning with a set of long crutches. “Someone will be in shortly to train you on how to use these, but let’s just check the fit.” She continued speaking as Zack stood and positioned the crutches under his armpits. “I’d like you to follow up on Friday, either here or with your regular doctor.” She handed Zack a white sheet. “These are your written instructions, which we’ve already talked about. Please look them over so I can clarify anything if necessary. And remember that you can always call in case you’re unsure of anything.”

After satisfying the staff that he could maneuver with his crutches, including making repeated trips up and down the practice stairs, Zack was discharged from the emergency room. They insisted he utilize a wheelchair for his exit, and he held his crutches across his lap while Vivian pushed the chair.

“I like this. It reminds me of that movie, Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart. He had the beautiful Grace Kelly catering to his every whim, and I’ve got the beautiful Vivian St. James…not catering to my every whim, of course, but nearby.”

“
My personal favorite is Kiss of Death, when Richard Widmark ties a lady to her wheelchair and pushes her down a flight of stairs.” She thought she saw his shoulders shudder at the creepy picture she painted, but he couldn’t see her smiling. Not because she’d shaken him up, but because he thought she was beautiful.

“
My sofa is comfortable,” Vivian said. “My first apartment was a studio, so I bought a Castro Convertible. It was expensive, but it was worth it. I slept on it every night for four years. An ordinary sofa bed mattress never would have held up to that type of use.”

“
Why don’t I just sit down for now? It’s too early to go to bed for the night.” He sank down and sighed loudly. “If the mattress feels as good as these cushions, I may never wake up. I might just sit here all night.”

She watched as he moved sideways and rested his bandaged foot on the cushion.
“You don’t have anything to sleep in, do you?”

“
I don’t even have anything that’s clean. I’m afraid I don’t have any other alternative but to ask if you would mind terribly going down to my house and picking up a few things for me? Some scrubs and some underwear is all I need. Maybe Glenda can go with you. I wouldn’t want you to go alone; it’s dark out.”

Vivian was reluctant
. Her restful evening at home was becoming an endless round of errands; she’d be lucky if she got to bed before midnight. Still, Zack was in a spot. He had no clothes except for his paint-spattered sweatshirt and jeans. Besides, he looked awful, his handsome face pale and drawn, his vivid blue eyes dark. The stress of his accident, combined with the pain medication he received at the hospital, and the energy required to climb a tall flight of stairs on crutches, had worn him out.

“
I’ll go call Glenda,” she said as brightly as she could.

Before she could leave, he put a hand on her forearm and stroked it creating a warm friction she could feel through her long-sleeved cotton blouse.
“You know I hate to ask you this, Vivling.”

Oh, my. Between his large hand covering her arm and the low tone he used, which managed to be both seductive and sincere, if he
’d asked her to go to Jupiter to retrieve his personal belongings she’d do it. “It’s all right. You’ve got to have clothes, and once you have them you’ll be all set.”

*****

“Are you kidding?” Glenda mused. “Get a chance to see his place without him being there? Hell, yeah, I’ll go. I hope you’re leaving right now.”

“
I can always count on you to want to help me out, Glenda. Your motives are so…unselfish.”

“
Never mind me and my selfless motives and get over here. I want to hear all about what happened…and I can’t wait to see where he lives.”

“
I’m leaving now.”

“
I’ll be in the lobby.”

True to her word, Glenda was standing in the lobby of her apartment building when Vivian reached
Baychester. “Okay, where does he live?” she asked.

“
Don’t you think you should at least get in the car before you start asking questions?”

Glenda pulled the door closed and fastened her seat belt.
“Okay, I’m in. Give me the scoop!” She rubbed her palms together for emphasis.

“
He lives on One Hundred Seventeenth Street in Harlem. He has a brownstone.”

“
A brownstone! I should have known. The man’s a doctor.”

“
He’s a doctor, but I don’t think he makes the money you’re thinking about. Remember, he specializes in emergency medicine. It’s the other specialties, like the plastics or cardiovascular guys, who are making the real ducats.”

“
All right, but I’m sure he’s not going hungry.”

“
Of course not.”