Palomino (27 page)

Or her there. What do you think?

Can your firm charter a plane? Would they do it?

Yes. He had called Harvey that morning and Harvey had told him to spare no expense. A nurse, a doctor, any kind of machinery you want. You run the show, we'll pay the bills.

All right, the doctor said thoughtfully, all right, if her condition stays stable for the next few days, I'll make the arrangements for you and we'll fly her to New York this weekend.

You'll come too? Charlie crossed his fingers and the doctor nodded. Hallelujah! Thank you, Doctor! The doctor grinned, and Charlie hurried to tell Sam.

You're going home, kid.

I am? I can leave? She looked both startled and thrilled. But what about my barbecue? Won't they charge us a lot for excess baggage? Although she was joking, he saw that she looked nervous at the prospect of leaving. She was beginning to understand just how much danger she had been in and that she wasn't totally out of the woods yet. The only thing she really didn't understand was about her legs. But she would. Charlie still cringed at the thought. As long as she was still in the cast, she wouldn't figure it out.

No sweat you should pardon the pun, he said, grinning. We're taking the barbecue with us. Harvey says we can charter our own plane.

But, Charlie, that's crazy. Qn't they just set me up with crutches or something, or if worse comes to worst, stick me in a wheelchair with my stupid body cast and let me fly home on the plane?

Only if you want to give me heart failure. Look, Sam, the truth is you kicked the shit out of yourself, so now why take chances? Why not go home in style? I mean, if you're going to do it, baby, do it!

A chartered plane? She looked hesitant but he nodded with a grin.

Of course we'll have to see how you do in the next couple of days.

I'll do fine. I want to get out of here. She smiled wanly at him. I just want to go home to my own bed. He realized then with a jolt that by home, she had understood her apartment, when all he had meant was New York. He mentioned it later to the doctor, who reassured him.

I'm afraid you're going to see a lot of that, Mr. Peterson. The human mind is a wonderful thing. It only accepts what it can handle. The rest it just kind of puts away somewhere, until it can deal with it. Somewhere, deep in her psyche, she knows that she is still too sick to go home, but she's not ready yet to accept that. When she is, she will, you don't have to say anything. Not yet at least. We can discuss that little matter at the New York airport if we have to. But she'll deal with it when she's ready to, just like she'll deal with the fact that she can't walk anymore. One day all the information she already has will fall into place and she'll know.

Charlie exhaled softly. How can you be so sure she'll understand?

There was a moment's pause before the doctor answered. She doesn't have any choice.

Charlie nodded slowly. Do you think we'll be able to take her back there?

Sooner or later. The doctor answered calmly.

I mean this weekend.

We'll just have to see, won't we? He smiled then and disappeared to make his rounds.

The next few days seemed to take forever, and Sam was suddenly impatient and nervous and jumpy too. She wanted to go home, but she was having problems. The body cast was chafing, she was coughing slightly, she had a rash on her arms from some of the medication, and her face itched terribly now that all the scabs were healing and dropping off.

Christ, Charlie, I look like a goddamn monster! She sounded irritated for the first time since she'd been there, and when he came into the room, he thought her eyes looked red.

I don't think so. I think you look gorgeous. So what else is new?

Nothing. But she sounded sullen, and he watched her carefully as he toured casually around the room. She was no longer in intensive care, but had a small room, almost entirely swallowed up by the bed, and in the corner was a table covered with flowers, from Henry and his lover, Jack, the rest of the crew, another bunch from Harvey, and still more from Mellie and him.

Want to hear some of the office dirt?

No. She lay in her cast and closed her eyes, and he watched her, praying that she wasn't getting sick. It seemed a long time before she opened them again. And when she did, she looked angry, and he saw that there were tears in her eyes again.

What's up, babe? Come on, tell Papa. He sat down in a chair next to the bed and took her hand.

The night nurse ' the one with the funny red wig' The tears slowly spilled over. She said that when I go home ' Sam gulped down a sob and squeezed his hand, and as she did it Charlie was grateful that she could. She said I'm not going home ' that I'm just going to another hospital' in New York ' oh, Charlie, she wailed like a small child, is that true? He looked at her, wanting to hug her, like one of his children, but there was no way to put one's arms around the huge plaster cast or her surrounding machine, all he could do was hold her hand and gently touch her face. He knew he had to tell her the truth.

Yeah, babe, that's true.

Oh, Charlie, I want to go home. She sobbed in anguish and then winced at the pain.

Don't do that, silly, you'll hurt yourself, but it's all right to cry. Just keep it down. He tried to tease her, but inside he was sad at what was happening. For Sam, it was the beginning of a long, difficult road she had only just begun to travel. Her old life had ended in the flash of an instant, at the feet of a gray horse. Come on, Sam, just getting back to New York would be a step in the right direction, wouldn't it?

I guess so.

Sure it would.

Yeah, but I want to go home. I don't want to go to a hospital.

Well he grinned at her lopsidedly at least we know you're not crazy. But okay, so you have to go to a hospital for a while, so what? I'll be able to visit you, and Mellie and Harvey and whomever else you want.'

Not my mother! Sam rolled her eyes and laughed through her tears. Oh, shit, Charlie, why did this have to happen to me? The smile faded, and the tears began in earnest again. For a long time he just sat there and held her hand, and then he said the only thing he knew to tell her.

I love you, Sam. We all do. And we're right here with you.

You're such a good friend, and I love you too. It made her cry more, but the nurse arrived then with her lunch.

I hear you're leaving us, Miss Taylor. Is that true?

I'm trying to. She smiled at Charlie. But I'll be back. Under my own steam next time, just to visit!

I sure hope so. The nurse smiled and left the room, as inwardly Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment he had been terrified that the nurse would give something away when Sam said under my own steam.

So, she looked at Charlie, sipping at some soup, when are we going home?

Does Saturday suit you, or do you have other plans? He grinned at her, immensely pleased. She was trying. Oh, God, she was trying.

No, Saturday sounds okay to me. She was smiling as she looked at him, and he couldn't, help thinking that the doctor had been right. When she was ready to know something, she would. He just wondered when she would be ready to face the rest. Yeah, Saturday sounds just fine. What hospital am I going to, Charlie?

I don't know. Do you care?

Do I have a choice?

I'll find out.

Try for Lenox Hill. It's in a nice neighborhood, and it's near the subway. That way everyone I want to see will be able to come visit. She smiled softly. Maybe even Mellie. And then, Do you think she could bring the baby?

There were tears in Charlie's eyes when he nodded. I'll sneak her in under my coat and tell them she's yours.

She kind of is, you know.' She looked embarrassed. Kind of ' after all, she's got my name. He bent over and kissed her forehead then, there was nothing more he could have said in answer without bursting into tears.

Charlie held his breath when the plane left the Denver airport on Saturday morning. They had Sam's orthopedic surgeon with them, as well as a young resident, two nurses, a life-support unit, and enough oxygen to blow them all the way to South America, but Samantha was slightly sedated, seemed very relaxed, and was excited to be going home. The doctor seemed pleased with her condition and had made all the necessary arrangements both at Lenox Hill Hospital and with an ambulance unit that would be waiting for them at the airport when they arrived. In addition they were getting special clearance all along their route and were making themselves known to air-traffic control from sector to sector. If Sam had suddenly needed help they couldn't provide in the air, they could have come down almost anywhere along the way at a moment's notice. Everything that could have been thought of had been, and all that remained now was to fly safely back to New York.

It was a brilliantly sunny day in August, and Sam did nothing but talk about going home. She was also slightly punchy from the sedative she'd been given, and she giggled a lot and made a number of jokes in poor taste, which everyone laughed at, except Charlie, who was a nervous wreck. Once again he felt the responsibility upon his shoulders, and he felt that if something went wrong now it would be his fault. He shouldn't have pushed, he had rushed them, he should have left her in Denver. The doctor found him halfway through the flight, staring out a rear window, and he gently touched his shoulder and spoke softly so Sam wouldn't hear in case she woke up. She had just gone to sleep.

It's all right, Peterson. It's almost over. And she's doing fine. Just fine.

He turned to smile at the doctor. She may make it, but what about me? I think I've aged twenty years in the last two weeks.

It's a very trying experience, for the family as well. The craziest part was that he wasn't even family, but he was her friend. He would have done it for anyone, for his brother-in-law, for Harvey, for ' Sam ' he would have sat at Sam's bedside for another month if he had to. He felt so damn sorry for her. What in hell was her life going to be like now? And she had no one, no husband, no boyfriend, that damn cowboy she'd mentioned had run out on her and she didn't even know where he was. Who did she have to take care of her? No one. For the first time in a long time he found himself hating John Taylor again. If the bastard had stuck around, like a decent husband, she wouldn't be alone now. But she was. The bitch of it was that she was all alone. The doctor was watching him as he thought it out, and his hand pressed gently on Charlie's shoulder. Don't overprotect her, Peterson. It would be a terrible mistake. When the time comes, she'll have to stand on her own, so to speak. She's not married, is she?

Charlie shook his head. No, not anymore. And that's what I was just thinking. It's going to be very rough.

It will be for a while. But she'll get used to it. Others do. She can lead a full life. She can help herself, help others, she can go back to her job in time. Unless she's a tap dancer by profession, it shouldn't make that much difference, except psychologically. That's where the problems arise. But they won't let her leave Lenox Hill until she's ready, psychologically as well as physically. They'll teach her how to take care of herself, be independent. You'll see. She's a beautiful young woman, a strong one with a fine mind, there's no reason why she shouldn't adjust perfectly. And then after a moment he gave Charlie's shoulder one last squeeze and smiled. You made the right decision ' both times. It would have been a crime not to operate, to lose that spirit and that mind, and she should be in New York, surrounded by friendly faces. Charlie turned to look at him then, with gratitude in his eyes.

Thank you for saying that. The doctor said nothing. He only patted Charlie's shoulder and went back to take a look at Sam.

Two hours later they landed at Kennedy Airport. The transfer to the large ambulance unit went perfectly smoothly, and a life-support unit with three paramedics traveled alongside. Their lights were flashing but there were no sirens as they made their way along the highway at full speed. And half an hour later they reached Lenox Hill without a problem.

Sam was smiling up at Charlie as they made the last leg of the trip. It's quicker this way, you know that, no baggage claim to hassle with and no cabs.

Look, next time, Charlie said, grinning at her, do me a favor. Hassle me a little with the baggage and let's take a cab.

She grinned up at him, but once they arrived at Lenox Hill, she was busy. It took them more than two hours to process her into the hospital and settle her comfortably in her own room. The doctor assisted with all the arrangements, then she met the new doctor who had been awaiting her arrival, thanks to Harvey once again. When it was all over she and Charlie and the doctor from Denver were all exhausted. The rest of the group had been dispensed with. They had all been paid before the trip and they would all be returning to Denver on the ambulance plane later that evening. The doctor was going to spend a few days in New York observing at Lenox Hill and would return to Denver by commercial jet.

Think you'll be okay now, Sam? Charlie looked at her with a tired smile as she accepted a shot and began almost instantly to drift off to sleep.

Yeah, babe ' sure ' I'll be fine ' give Mellie my love ' and thank you.' Five minutes later he was in the elevator with the doctor, and then he was in a cab, and ten minutes later he was on East Eighty-first Street with his arms tightly around his wife.

Oh, baby ' oh, baby ' He felt as though he had come back from a war zone, and suddenly he realized how desperately he had missed her and how exhausted he was. Sam's tragedy and Charlie's total responsibility for her had been an awesome weight to carry, and he hadn't let himself feel it until now, when suddenly all he wanted to do was make love to his wife. She had had the foresight to have hired a baby-sitter to be with the children, and after they all duly attacked their father, teased and played and ran him ragged, she shooed them off with the baby-sitter, closed the bedroom door, ran a bath for him, gave him a massage, and made love to him, before he smiled at her sleepily and fell asleep in their bed. She woke him up again two hours later, with dinner, champagne, and a little cake she had made for him that said I love you. Welcome home: