An Apartment in Venice (26 page)

“So that’s what made him cough?”

“Yes.”

Giulia’s face crumpled.

“It’s going to be all right, signorina, coughing is good even if it sounds horrible. His points on the Glasgow are pretty good, and the doctor thinks the lingering coma is more about the smoke damage than the head injury. He’s probably not getting enough oxygen.”

That was scary. Giulia knew the brain needed oxygen. When she’d first arrived, he hadn’t had oxygen cannulas in his nose, but now he did. Was that a bad sign? She felt frantic and couldn’t leave his side. Finally, the doctor came in to check him and sat with Giulia.

She introduced herself as Dr. Cornaro. Tiny, not five-feet tall, with short blond hair and dark brown eyes. She didn’t look much older than Giulia, maybe in her late thirties. Energy radiated from her wiry body.

“He’s had a head injury but the results of a CT indicated no bleeding in the brain. The swelling has gone down and his Glasgow scores are improving.” She frowned a little. “Of course, we can’t ever know for sure, but things look good for your husband.”

“He’s not my husband, but… I care for him.”

“I can tell.” She put her hand on Giulia’s shoulder. “And from my nurses’ reports, you’ve been diligently squeezing his hands and talking to him. Smart to change his hands from time to time. Those are important stimulations for him right now. We all try to do that for our patients but with your perseverance, well, I can’t tell you the
good
you are doing.”

“What else can I do?”

“You can get a bite to eat and take a walk. Then come back and start all over again.”

“Please. Can you tell me what this scale is, and what’s a CT?”

“CT merely means Computerized Tomography. As I said, it’s a test to measure bleeding in the skull. And the Glasgow Coma Scale is a very useful tool. If used correctly, it’s an excellent way to assess the level of a coma. Even better, it’s non invasive. For example, when you squeeze his hand and his eyes flutter, he gets two points. If his eyes open or move to a loud voice, he gets three, and if he does it spontaneously he gets four. There are points for various verbal and motor responses. When you squeeze each finger separately, as I saw you do, I’d say he gets four more points when he reacts to the pain—no matter how slight. And his toes. Clever! “

“How many points does he need to be awake and oriented?”

“A fully awake person has a score of fifteen.”

Giulia stood up and looked down at him. She heaved a big sigh. “He’s a long way from fifteen isn’t he?”

“Right now, yes, but occasionally patients wake up all of a sudden and we can stop counting. I’ve used this scale for many years. You might say it’s my specialty.” Her brown eyes shone with what Giulia thought of as a dedicated light. She moved closer to Giulia and touched her shoulder again. “Go now. Eat and walk. We need to aspirate him.”

Giulia started to rise but stopped and said, “He didn’t have oxygen going into his nose when I got here at one. Later, when I came back in, he did. What does that mean?”

“That you’re too observant for your own good.” She smiled. “It means that we use oxygen for a time, then take it away, then bring it back. That way we can assess his situation and also stimulate his bronchial tubes to function better on their own.”

“I see.”

Dr. Cornaro smiled. “No, you probably don’t, but it
is
standard procedure. Now go. Come back in an hour. We’ll take care of him.”

“Marlowe! Thank you for coming.” They hugged outside the front door of the rehab.

“How is he?”

“About the same. They asked me to leave for a while and assured me he’s moving in the right direction, but I hate not being beside him every minute.”

“I can imagine. Come on let’s walk, you look pale,” Marlowe said. When they sat on a bench along the Riva overlooking the basin, Marlowe handed her a package. “I brought you the latest Donna Leon to read while you’re with him.”

“Oh thanks, Marlowe.” Giulia hugged her again. She appreciated Marlowe’s gift but couldn’t focus on anything but Chuck’s situation. “Chuck’s doctor measures his progress with something called the Glasgow Coma Scale.” She explained what she knew about it.

“Marlowe, when you get time, would you find out more about his doctor, Luisa Cornaro? Does she know what she’s talking about? When I get home, I can’t seem to concentrate on the computer.”

“I’ll get on it right away.”

“Maybe more about the coma scale too?”

Marlowe nodded. “Glasgow, right? Scotland?”

Giulia just shook her head. “I’m going back. It’s been almost an hour, I doubt
they
need an hour. The doctor probably thought I did.”

“Shall I come sit with you?”

“Yes… No… I don’t know, Marlowe. All I want to do is talk to him, pinch him, squeeze his hands… maybe later, okay?”

“Sure. Marc will want to come, too. He’s in Germany working on a construction-equipment deal, but he’ll be back tonight. He’ll be thrilled to hear Chuck’s good news. It sounds encouraging.”

“Maybe.”

“I’ll print out whatever I find about his doctor. Surely she knows what she’s doing or the military wouldn’t have sent him to her.”

“I hope so,” Giulia said, but her shoulders drooped.

“Hang in there. Tomorrow, I’ll drop by as soon as I finish classes. Agree?”

Giulia nodded and watched her leave, but felt alone and helpless. No, not alone. Her grandparents would be with her in a minute, and Marlowe and Marc, were “with her” too. But squeezing fingers didn’t seem enough. What
else
could she do? She stayed beside his bed until the doctor woke her out of a doze at nine and insisted she go home.

As she walked through the quiet calles, she breathed in the chilly air. Then all at once, she turned and ran back to the rehab. She’d forgotten to tell him she loved him. She wanted him to hear it no matter what level he’d comprehend it. The nurse at the door didn’t want to let her back in, but when Giulia told her why, she smiled and opened for her. Giulia felt much better on the way home knowing she’d left him with a positive thought. She needed to stay positive herself until Chuck was really back with her. At least she knew he was safe and good people were caring for him.

She stood on the top of the Rialto Bridge for a moment and looked at the Grand Canal as it wound toward the most elegant palazzos in all of Venice. She thought of the Gritti Palazzo at the far end. Tom! She’d forgotten to get in touch with him. She hurried home to find the card he’d put in her hand the day he left. If he’s in Brussels now, he might come here soon. She hadn’t used the small purse since Tom was here. She grabbed it off the shelf in “her” room and looked in the small pocket with a zipper. There it was. She dialed the number.

“Giulia! To what do I owe this call? Everything all right?”

“No, nothing’s right. Tom . . .” the words stuck in her throat but she choked them out, “Chuck’s in a coma.”

“How did that happen? Where is he? What’s the prognosis?”

“He’s here in Venice at a private Rehab in Campo San Zaccaria. Can you imagine the military shipping him here from a big hospital in Germany and—”

“Landstuhl?”

“That’s the one.” She told him what she knew hoping he could come.

“Of course, I’ll come. You needn’t meet me, I’ll find my way to Zaccaria. Give me the name of the facility again.”

“Thanks. I know he’d want you here, and I could use a big shoulder.”

“You’ve got it. I’m guessing things are better between the two of you.”

“Yes. We were still working on… but yes, definitely better.”

“That’s good. Okay, let me get on the horn for reservations. See you soon. Hold on, he’s a tough one. He’ll be grabbing you before you know it.”

* * *

It was Tuesday. Giulia hurried to the rehab.
No negative thoughts. He needs positive energy around him.
She got an idea and began to jog. When she arrived at seven, the nurse, who usually took care of Chuck, told her he’d uttered a few words.

“They weren’t understandable, but—”

“What were they?” Giulia interrupted.

“One sounded like ‘Chools.’
Senta,
what is your name?”

“Giulia.”

“That could be it. The “chu” could be “giu,” don’t you think?”

“And the other word?”

“‘Zomash’ or maybe ‘Zahmash.’ Does that mean anything to you?”

“Zahmash? His best friend is Tom. His Polish name is Tomasz,” and Giulia pronounced it the way Chuck had taught her, “Tomahsh.”

“Hmm, pretty close. Maybe he’ll say them again.”

Would Chuck say Tom’s Polish name? Then she remembered hearing him call Tom a “blue ass.” A private joke.
Close enough.

“The important thing,” Doctor Cornaro said, walking into the room, “is he’s trying to speak. Makes no difference whether it’s comprehensible to us. This is terrific news!”

“I hope so. I called his best friend, Tom. He’s coming from Brussels.”

“All good. Now you step out for a few minutes, while we check him out and see if we can aspirate more residue from his bronchial tubes.”

It seemed she had to step out a lot. But the doctor had been so cooperative and supportive, Giulia didn’t want to rock the boat. As she walked down the hallway toward the small cafeteria, the aroma of fresh coffee floated toward her. She picked up her pace, realizing she’d forgotten all about eating this morning. She carried a cup of coffee and a brioche back to Chuck’s room.

Finally, all the medical people had left—at least for a while. She put down her coffee and half-eaten pastry and moved her chair close to his bed into a position where she could see anyone coming down the hallway.

“Okay, Karlo with a K,” she said in a loud voice. “It’s time you do something to let
me
know
you
know I’m here!”

Did he squeeze her hand? Did his eyelids almost open? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t have much time. She slid a hand under the covers and gradually moved along his thigh toward his cock. She was determined to find out if he’d react if she touched him there. She placed her fingers lightly on his soft, lifeless penis. She didn’t remember seeing it—or feeling it—this soft before. Then it changed. Only a little, but there was a definite quiver. Was it only an involuntary response or did he sense he was being fondled? She caressed him again, and knew for sure.

She heard him drag in air and wheeze out a word that sounded like “Sahyaz.” She leaned closer and squeezed his cock a little more. He rasped again, “Sahyaz.”

Was that “say yes?”

“Karlo,” she almost shouted. His eyes opened for a second. “Karlo, what’s the question?”

With great effort, he raised off the pillow—his bed was already inclined—and rasped out “Chulsa! Chulsa?” And he coughed violently.

A nurse came rushing in and shooed her toward the door. “Chul?” he coughed out again.

Another nurse came in and pushed her toward the door. But before going out, Giulia turned and yelled, “YES! YES! YES! “ Maybe that would revive him even more. Was he asking if she loved him? If she’d stay with him? Her mind was going crazy. But for sure, he was
not
injured in that part of his anatomy!

Giulia hovered outside the doorway and heard the ugly sucking sound of the aspirator. She could almost feel that dreadful tube going down his throat and needed to gag. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

“Whatever you did in there,” his nurse said as she came charging out, “he coughed up what we’d been trying to get out of him since he’s been here.” The nurse carried the metal pan again, this time with a cloth over it. “A big, old black hunk of stuff. Want to see it?”

Backing away, Giulia put out both hands. “No!”

The nurse laughed. “Don’t blame you. He’ll sleep easier now. We shot him with a mild sedative. You can go in but he won’t be aware for a few hours.”

Giulia slipped in and stood as close to him as possible. She leaned over to listen to him breathe. Then straightened to peer intently. He did look different, didn’t he? He seemed to be breathing easier. She inhaled deeply herself then checked the color in his cheeks. She kissed one lightly. There
was
more color wasn’t there? She stared down at this big man who had stolen her heart. She stood that way for a long time. Finally, someone touched her shoulder. The doctor again.

“The worst is over. He’ll make it now. Go home and rest.”

It was eleven in the morning. She didn’t know how long she’d stood there immobile watching him sleep. If she didn’t move soon, she’d keel over like a dying tree in the forest.

“When you come back this afternoon, we’ll talk.” The doctor gave Giulia a gentle shove. “Now go.”

Giulia leaned over one more time, slipped her fingers through his hair and lightly kissed his lips. “I love you, Karlo with a K.”

Maybe there was a slight smile on his face as she dragged herself away.

Giulia dropped everything, stripped, showered and fell into bed but not before setting her alarm. She didn’t want to miss Doctor Cornaro at three.

At the sound of both alarm and phone, she dragged herself awake. It was two already. She punched the alarm off and lurched across the room to grab her bag. Had something happened to Chuck? She fished out the phone but the call had already gone to voicemail. She let out a breath of relief to see it was from Nancy. Two other calls were also from her. Coffee first.

It would be five in the morning in Eugene, but Nancy often went in early to call the East Coast for the latest data. She’d have her favorite croissant and latte from The Beanery across from her office.

“Tell me your story,” Nancy began as she always did.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re the one who called three times within one hour.”

“Yes, but I have a hunch you’ve got the best story. So?”

“Where to start? Too much since we last spoke.”

“Start with that hunk of yours?”

“The truth is, Nancy, he is my hunk. I’ve fallen hard.”

“Tell me what I don’t know.”

“What? Last time, I told you I had no intention of getting involved.”

“I know. So, what’s happened since you insisted you weren’t involved?”

“You smartass,” Giulia laughed. “So. You knew I’d moved in with him until I found my own apartment. Right?”

Nancy made a yes sound while chewing.

“Well, I found my so-called dream apartment and—”

“On Rio what’s it Raphael?”

“Oh Nance. That was a nightmare, and I’m back with Chuck. But in the meantime, we had a bad fight and… Oh geez, I don’t have time right now. I’m due at the rehab in twenty-five minutes.”

“Rehab? What kind of fight was it, for God’s sake?”

“Not that kind. Chuck left on a mission and came back in a coma. Been that way for at least a week, but I only found out yesterday. Today, what’s today?”

“Tuesday, May twenty-seventh according to my calendar,” Nancy said.

“Yes, Tuesday. This morning he started to come out of it. Anyway, I’ve got an appointment with his doctor at three and—”

“We
do
have a lot to catch up on. I’ll be quick. Your Fiat stock is rising, and I recommend you sell some if not all. Papers are coming by Fed Ex. The gist of my call is that you are a rich woman!”

“That’s nice,” Giulia said. “I’ll call you later. My… my man needs me.”

“Zowee! Never thought I’d hear those words from your mouth. I’m thrilled for you. Have you told him everything?”

“About the Fiat shares?” Giulia asked.

“Not exactly. I mean . . .” Nancy hesitated for a moment and then charged on, “I mean did you tell him about Julietta?”

“W-w-hat?!” Giulia screamed into the phone.
How’d she know about the Service?

“Calm down, sugar plum. You weren’t the only one doing the vetting when we first met. I checked you out, too.”

“Oh.” There was a long pause. “You’ve known all along?”

“The important question is does
he
know?” Nancy asked.

“Yes. He knows.”

“G-R-R-R-E-A-T! That’s all I need for now. Go see your man, but don’t you dare forget to call me back any time day or night.”

“I will, Nance. I will. So you’ve known all this time?”

“Of course. My momma didn’t raise no dummy even if we were trailer trash. I knew you couldn’t be depositing that much money as a student just from scrimping and saving. I wished you’d felt you could tell me back then, but what the hey. You had your reasons.”

“Thanks for hanging with me, Nance.”

“What are friends for, huh? Go to him. But this time I get all the info straight from the horse’s mouth. Every juicy morsel.”

“Love ya,” Giulia said but already the line was dead. Tears rushed into her eyes, and this time, she didn’t fight them. Not tears of grief or guilt, but tears of a different kind. A joy she never imagined she’d have. People loved her just as she was.

* * *

In the rehab cafeteria, Dr. Cornaro was gentle but continued to press Giulia to find what she’d done to cause Chuck to cough so violently. When she finally told her, the doctor seemed disappointed as she lifted her cup of tea. “I’d been hoping it would be a method we could use with other patients.” She grinned, set her cup down and laid her hand on Giulia’s. “It might not be considered accepted practice by most of my colleagues—particularly the male ones.” She lightly pinched Giulia’s hand and laughed aloud. “But in certain cases, I’ll probably encourage the…
the procedure.”

At that, Giulia laughed for the first time in days, weeks maybe? After a moment, though, she sobered. “You said it was about over, but he’s still not really awake.”

“
Pazienza, cara, pazienza,
” the doctor said. “It all takes time. This can be the most difficult period for the patient and loved ones.”

* * *

Wednesday morning. Ordinarily she’d be leaving to teach, but instead, she was heading back to the rehab. A friend had agreed to fill in for her. She’d told Giulia that most people on the base knew about Chuck and his coma. That meant they also knew about their relationship. They hadn’t exactly tried to keep it a secret, and the Camp Ederle community—including those off the base—was like a little town. Few secrets can be kept in a village.

Rob Ryland told her the men in Chuck’s unit were chafing to come visit, but their superiors wouldn’t allow them yet. They’d all made it back, although Gene Linch had a broken leg. He was the man Chuck had dragged out of the building moments before the final explosion. No wonder he had so much gunk in his lungs.

When she reached his room, he wasn’t in his bed. It was empty and the bedding all gone. In a panic, she ran toward the nurse’s station. On her way, she bumped into his regular nurse. She steadied Giulia and said, “
Calma. Non si preoccupi del Generale Novak.
Relax, don’t worry yourself about General Novak. We moved him to another room for his final recovery. Come along.”

Giulia let out a huge sigh of relief. “How is he?”

“Agitated. In and out of consciousness. That happens. He’s asking for you. I said you’d be here but I’m not sure he believed me.”

When she got to his room, he was propped up and wearing the pajamas she’d bought after the doctor said he’d need them for walking the halls. They were crummy because she’d rushed into Standa—the K-Mart-style department store—and grabbed the first ones large enough. At least they were pale blue and not a horrid orange plaid, but to her, he’d look marvelous in anything.

His eyes were closed and his mouth was hanging open a little, but those lips—those full lips— begged to be kissed. So she did. His eyes flew open, looked straight into hers and kissed back.

“You’re back,” she said leaning over him.

“Giulia! Giulia!” He took hold of her hands and held them tightly, too tightly, but she wouldn’t have pulled away for any reason. He looked into her eyes, sighed and closed his.

She waited. After a moment, he opened his eyes and squeezed again.

“Chuck, don’t you dare disappear on me again.” She was certain he could feel heated daggers burning into him. His eyes looked like a startled woodland creature caught in headlights.

“I… I left a note,” he stammered.

“Thank God for that. I was frantic. Your note said you’d call.”

“I couldn’t. Couldn’t say more—still can’t.”

“Of course I know
that.
But you
knew
it was coming. You knew for a few days and didn’t trust me enough to—”

“Nothing to do with trust,” and he coughed, but struggled through more coughs to say, “protect you.”

Coughing or not, she didn’t let up. “Some protection! If I’m going to live with you, it’s only fair—”

“Absolutely. As my roommate,” and it seemed he couldn’t keep a little grin from emerging, “as my partner, that is, you have every right to be on a need-to-know-basis.”

“More!” She grabbed his face and forced him to look straight into her eyes. “If we’re apartment partners—bed partners—surely I rank higher than your unit members. They’re the ones on a ‘need-to-know-basis.’ And she spit out those words in a brittle voice.

“I love it when you’re bossy.”

“After the best lovemaking ever, you left me with a… a damned note.”

“Best… YET,” he said. “Come here.” He dragged her onto his bed to lie beside him then gave a huge sigh and dropped into a deep sleep. She lay in an uncomfortable position but felt content. She tried to lie quietly but finally had to re-adjust her hips. He opened his eyes and pulled her closer.

She squirmed up to straddle him, and said, “It’s been a long,
long
ten days since you vanished, and
Mister
Novak, you’ve got lots of explaining to do.”

“I love you, too,” he said grinning, and that dimple on the right side of his cheek appeared melting her heart.

“Oh God, Chuck. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Bad, huh?”

“Worse than bad.” And the tears started to form. “I didn’t know how… I couldn’t live without you.”

“Tell me.”

She leaned back to glare at him, “You’re a greedy bastard.” She sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve, then started to grin.

“I am,” he said. “But look what I had to do to hear you say those words.”

“Do you remember anything?” She worried because what she’d read about comas and post traumatic amnesia said the
length
of the amnesia gave a better idea of brain damage than how deep or long the coma was.

“It’s all in the report. Let’s talk more about how important I am to you.”

She smiled. “There’s no report yet, silly, you just woke up. Do you remember where you were and what happened?”

“How can I make a complete report until I get answers from you.”

She gave up and leaned down to hug him. “Am I too heavy for you?”

“Nah. Girl weight. No problem.”

That did it. Hot tears dampened his new pajamas. They felt stiff and scratchy. She should have washed them first, but when he put his arms around her, she let that go. When she raised her head, she thought she saw tears glistening in his eyes, and she kissed his stubbly cheek.

“Ho there! Is this standard hospital procedure?” Tom said as he walked into the room. “A woman in your bed, ol’ buddy? How’d you pull this off?”

“You got here fast.” Giulia hopped off Chuck’s bed and gave Tom a hug.

“Fickle woman.” Chuck grumbled.

Tom and Chuck joshed with each other. But within ten minutes, Chuck was fading. He invited Tom to stay at his apartment with Giulia, but Tom declined. He’d already booked into a small hotel near the Stazione; he knew how fragile a man feels when his body’s weak.

“Next time, ol’ man. I’m going to take Giulia for lunch, then I’ll be back.”

“What can I bring you?” Giulia asked Chuck.

“Real clothes. I saw my rear in these PJs. My ass looked lop-sided.”

Tom laughed. “‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’”

She laughed, too, enjoying the novelty of humor.

“Don’t forget a belt. I think I’ve lost weight.” And Chuck drifted off before they were out of the room.

“He has lost weight,” Giulia said with a little frown on her face.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be whipping up one of his rich frittatas in no time.”