HOPE FOR CHANGE... But Settle for a Bailout (32 page)

“Copenhagen. I need it now. Fly someone out
now.”

.

“I just asked my person if he can fly a
doctor out from Denmark, and I’m not sure if he will come through,”
said Larry, to Dr. Bosch, who was checking Emma’s reflexes.

“I also made some inquiries,” said the
doctor, smiling as Emma slowly opened her eyes and looked about.
“Can you tell her that she is going to be just fine?”

“Farmor,” said Larry. “We’re here in the
hospital. Calvin’s here, too,” said Larry, looking across to his
father’s gurney. “The doctor says you’re gonna be fine. You gonna
be okay, Farmor.”

“We have an orderly who is Norwegian and a
rehabilitation specialist from Sweden, each of whom will be
checking on your grandmother,” said the doctor, completing her
examination. She spoke directly to Larry. “She’ll be in for a
couple more days, getting her strength back, but she should be just
as she was before.”

“Great news!” said Lori, clasping Emma’s
hand.

“Thank you, doctor,” said Larry.

“Your father,” said the doctor, looking to
the drawn curtain separating the two beds.

“… what… a… bout… him…?” came a weak voice
from behind the curtains.

“He’s obviously a fighter,” said the doctor,
to Larry. “That will serve him well, as it’s. gonna be a fight, but
he might just pull out of this. Depends on his spunk.”

“He’s got plenty of that,” said Lori.

.

“Seriously, your dad, dude?” said Ed. “Man,
it’s a family affair.” Ed pulled back the curtain separating the
two beds and went to the gurney. After a moment fumbling with the
wheel locks, he rolled the gurney closer, such that Larry sat
between his grandmother and father. “In case you wanna do double
hand holding duty,” said Ed.

“He’s out,” said Larry.

“… nooo… he’s… not…,” whispered Calvin.

“Me, I bet on the old man making it,” said
Ed.

Larry groaned, while turning his chair so he
was sitting such that he could reach to hold hands with Emma and
Calvin.

“When’s Lori coming back?” said Ed.

“She’s just at the cafeteria,” said
Larry.

“She eats actual food?” said Ed.

“She’s training,” replied Larry.

“Thought she missed it at the
regionals?”

“Gotta be ready,” said Lori, entering.
“Thanks for sleeping with my girlfriend, Ed. Jeeze, man.”

“… hhh… hottt….”

“You said it yourself,” said Ed, “She’s a
big girl.”

“… st… stuff….”

“You certainly found that out after riding
in Larry’s limo and partying her up in Vegas,” spat back Lori.

“It’s Ralphie’s car,” said Larry.

With Ed holding Emma’s hand, Lori took a
chair next to Calvin, holding his hand. “Grr… no….”

“Yeh, yeh,” said Lori, glowering at Ed.

“So, Larry,” said Ed, “sorry I didn’t do the
third-degree on your missed calls. Guess it’s good I gave you a
methodical list so you could call them all back. Sounds like you
made a lot of people happy spreading the capitol.”

“Sounds like you have no problems spreading
capital, yourself,” said Lori.

“No, please,” said Larry, stuck between two
hands.

“My client seemed to enjoy himself,” said
Ed, “especially relaxing in the jacuzzi.”

“No...,” plead Larry. “Please.” Larry let go
of both Emma and Calvin’s hands and quickly scanned the room,
before getting up. Walking unsteadily to the bathroom, he grabbed
for a bedpan, but let go with an expulsion of vomit before he could
reach it. A moment later, he was over the bowl, retching. Lori
quickly rushed in, and stroked Larry’s back.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

On the bed, Larry’s phone buzzed. Ed,
standing, took the call. “Mr. van der Bix’s phone. How....” Ed
pushed loudspeaker and a voice, speaking in heavily-accented
English, echoed through the room.

“Lar-ry? Are you van der Bix?” asked the
caller. “I am van der Velden.”

“Anekee!” came an excited voice from the
bathroom. Larry rushed to Emma’s bedside and pulled the phone from
Ed’s hand and put it to his ear. “Anekee?”

“Lar-ry?”

Ed silently waved to Larry, and pointed to
his own chin.

“I am now arrived for meeting you,” said the
accented voice.

“You’re at the airport?”

“Yes,” said Anekee. “Me, child and
translator, who is also nanny and traveling friend.”

“I’ll send a car to meet you,” said
Larry.

“I’ll go,” said Ed, “I doubt Ralphie knows
what she looks like,” Ed said, while continuing to point to his
chin. “You’ve got… right there….”

“I bet you know what she looks like,” said
Lori, drawing close to Larry.

“My driver can be there in an hour?”

“The Los Angeles,” said Anekee. “The
International terminal. Swiss Air.”

“I’ll call Ralphie,” said Ed, walking to the
door. He pointed to the corner of his mouth, “You got throw-up on
your face, man....”

.

Anekee van der Velden entered Emma and
Calvin’s hospital room like a movie star – wearing stylish,
oversized sunglasses; bags hanging from her shoulder bearing logos
of New York and European designers and an entourage – a toddler and
nanny – in tow. Wearing form-fitting jeans and a white turtleneck
that hugged her spectacularly disproportionate body, she smiled
naturally and broadly when she approached Larry, whose own smile
looked oddly natural.

The two mashed their bodies together into a
long embrace, which went on long enough that others in the room
began commenting.

“Damn,” said Ed.

“Okay, guess that one’s been pent up,” said
Lori.

“Swe… eeet... shuggg... grrrr… tits…,”
groaned Calvin.

“C’mon, Ed,” said Lori. “It looks like these
two have some catching up to do. Why don’t we take her daughter and
friend to get something to eat.”

Ed, openly gawking at Anekee’s turtleneck,
seemed to have missed Lori’s comment. Lori swatted Ed on the
shoulder. “Ed!”

A monitor above Calvin’s gurney began
beeping. Lori looked up to the readout, and ran into the hallway.
“Need a nurse in here!”

Lori and a nurse came back into the room and
Lori shepherded the nurse to Calvin. “Heart,” said Lori. The nurse
looked up to the monitor and then, with apparent urgency, to
Calvin, and finally ran into the hallway.

“Cardiac,” yelled the voice in the hallway.
“Code red.”

“… swe… eeet....”

Three medical crew ran into the room, with
the nurse. The monitor line moved irregularly.”

“Someone known to you?” asked Anekee.

“… shuggg….”

“Defibrillate!” said one of the crew,
reaching for a pair of plastic paddles attached to a device on the
wall.

“... grrrrrr....”

The monitor began to flatline. “Clear!”
called out the crew leader, who placed one paddle on Calvin’s upper
chest and the other on his left side. Crew members stepped away
from the gurney.

“… tits….”

The sound of electricity jolted through the
room, as Calvin’s upper body bounced upwards from the gurney.

“Get this patient into ICU!” yelled the crew
leader, and swiftly two crew members unlocked the wheels and within
seconds, the nurse had transferred the oxygen tube to a canister
below the bed and had taken several IV drip bags from the stands
and placed each onto Calvin’s body. Seconds later, the crew, the
gurney and Calvin were gone.

From the hallway came, “Clear!” and the
sound of Calvin grunting.

“Um,” said Larry, staring at the door, “yeh…
my dad.”

“Oh,” said Anekee, “I’m sorry for you.”

“Dude, wow,” said Ed.

“Larry, do you want me and Ed to take your
friend’s daughter and companion to the cafeteria or the playground
in the children’s hospital?” asked Lori.

“No,” said Anekee, “We must sleep. Can you
help for that?”

“Lori, can you get them to my
grandmother’s?” asked Larry. “Oh, wait, that won’t work. Have
Ralphie take them to my apartment?” Larry turned to Anekee. “It may
not be fancy, but it’s clean.”

“Yes, good,” said Anekee, taking a key that
Larry from slipped from his ring.

Anekee again mashed her body into Larry, who
surrendered into her arms. “We talk again on the tomorrow.”

Lori walked Anekee and her entourage back
across the red carpet and out the door, leaving Ed and Larry alone
with Emma, who, aside from shifting her body and stretching her
arms, had shown little connection to the events of the last few
minutes.

“Okay, Mr. van der…,“ said Dr. Bosch,
entering Emma’s room and looking for a moment at the empty spot
where earlier Calvin’s gurney had been.

“ICU,” said Ed. “Heart thing.”

“Ah,” said the doctor. “Good thing he’s in a
hospital.” The doctor stepped up to the bed and began an exam of
Emma, who showed sign of responsiveness and fatigue as the doctor
leaned in close and whispered into her ear. “Hello,” said Dr.
Bosch, cheerfully, and placed a hand onto Emma’s cheek. Emma smiled
faintly. “Very good.”

“Hi hi, Farmor,” said Larry, still gripping
Emma’s hand. Her faint smile widened.

.

Inside the Lincoln, Larry dialed 411 and got
an address for Kashabara’s Place, in Redondo Beach and, after
writing it down on a slip of paper, handed the address to Ralphie,
before dialing Lawrence.

.

“Copenhagen means Copenhagen,” Larry yelled
into the phone.

“Look, Larry, there’s actually pretty strict
rules about who can practice medicine in California,” I said. “A
doctor or nurse has to have a license in this state. You can’t just
fly in medical personnel like you’re demanding.”

“Lawrence, why are you telling me this
now
, when my grandmother is coming out of a coma?” Larry
demanded. “Have you made any calls to Denmark?”

“Larry….”

“And I want to fire Ed,” Larry added.

“Fire him?”

“He’s doing the scandal thing here with us,
too, and I am mad, so just fire him,” Larry said.

“Immediately cutting him off wouldn’t be
wise,” I advised. Outside the window, it was a beautiful day. I
could be cut there. I could just walk away. I could probably just
get my old gig back. Dealing with Larry doesn’t have to be the path
I choose for myself.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “What?”

“Nevermind,” said Larry. “I just want him
fired.”

“Ed?”

“Yeh,” said Larry, “Do it soon.” He hung
up.

.

“Good job, Bix,” said Lori, leaning into the
leather seat. “Bet he takes his time.”

“As long as it happens,” said Larry,

Larry’s phone buzzed. “ED.” Larry answered.
“What?”

“Dude, glad your grandmother is starting to
come out,” said Ed. “I know she means the world to you.”

“Um, yeh,” said Larry. “Thanks.”

“I’ve got a native Italian-English speaker
available for translation in bargaining with your Italian woman,”
said Ed.

“I’m not
bargaining
with Anekee,”
said Larry. “She’s my friend.”

“Anytime you’re creating a business
arrangement – especially among friends – there is always
bargaining,” said Ed. “Best to have an agreement with signatures.
Clear expectations keeps a friendship from going bad, over
miscommunication.”

Larry looked out the window, as the Lincoln
snaked its way along Pacific Coast Highway, past the Philips 66
refinery. “Uh, maybe, okay.”

“Dude, if you like, I can make my translator
available to you, and you can conduct talks yourself, but I’d
suggest me hashing out the ideas she has, to see what ideas she
has. She may he latched onto something that just has no possibility
of going anywhere, and that way you don’t have to be the one
telling her no. Or, who knows, maybe she’s got something
brilliant,” said Ed.

“I’m the decider,” said Larry.

“Oh, sure,” said Ed, quietly. “I know…. Just
wanted to offer you Gina.”

“Gina?”

“My translator,” said Ed. “Nice girl. Met
her a few years ago. She did the same thing for me when I bargained
with a film company out of Rome that wanted to shoot a western in
Arizona. Freakin’ Italians love westerns. Go figure.”

“Bullshit, Ed!” yelled Lori, laying back in
the leather seat.

“Hi, Lori,” said Ed. “Love you, too.”

“Look, I don’t know,” said Larry.

“Think about it,” said Ed.

“I’ll think about it,” said Larry.

“I’ll think about it,” repeated Larry.

“That works,” said Ed, calmly. “Just think
about it. Ciao.”

Larry dropped the phone into the cup
holder.

“He’s so full of shit,” said Lori, sitting
up and rifling through the refrigerator for water.

“He probably does know someone who can
translate,” said Larry.

“Because he slept with her,” said Lori.
“Notice, it wasn’t Gin
o
.”

“I guess some people sleep with a lot of
people,” said Larry. “And then there’s people like me.”

Lori opened the water bottle and took a long
drink. “If Ed won’t keep his dick in his pants, then he will
eventually cause real problems for you and everyone.”

“Um, you know, actually, in Las Vegas, he
wasn’t the one pushing the women to….”

“I don’t wanna hear it,” said Lori.

“But he really didn’t…,” said Larry. “It was
sort’a December and the other girl....”

“Woman, Larry,” said Lori, quickly.

“I know,” said Larry, softly. “I didn’t
mean….”

“Anyway, I just don’t want to hear it,” said
Lori. “Guys with big dicks walk around like they are God’s
gift….”

“I… don’t… walk around….”

Lori looked to Larry. “Oh, Bix, I’m sorry. I
forgot. Ever since the crash, it’s just that that’s
so not
how I think of you, you know. I didn’t mean to hurt your....”

Larry looked sullen. “It’s… o….”

The smoked glass lowered. “Kashabara’s
Place,” said Ralphie.