Next Steps
I started to get out of the car to open the garage doors so Walt could pull in, but Charlie beat me to it. I got out anyway because it was easier to clamber out of the back seat where I could open the door all the way than to do it inside the cramped garage. We waited for Walt to park before we went in.
Charlie wiped his eyes again and scrubbed the moisture on the front of his coat. He tried to speak, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I…uh, is there a place to get a pack of smokes around here?”
I almost reminded him that he quit for Emily, but I didn’t want to mention the other girl who left him suddenly. “Sure, T-Squares, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll get a pack from the restaurant. Go on up with Walt and I’ll be there in a minute.”
He thanked me and helped Walt close up the garage. I went into the restaurant through the kitchen entrance in the alley. Owen was there with a crew doing prep. He called out when he saw me. “I thought you were going to see the Christmas thing at Longwood.”
“We were. We went to pick up Charlie’s friend Judy. She’s dead; suicide.”
The news shook him. “My God, Law! That’s awful!”
“It was. My heart breaks for Charlie. His girl back home dumped him just before he left to come here and now his friend killed herself. He’s pretty broken up about it.”
He shook his head. “What a waste. I liked her. I mean, I only saw her once, but she was a pretty girl. What on Earth would make her do something like that?”
“I don’t know. Charlie asked me to find out. Looks like that’s what we’ll be doing.”
“Can I do anything?”
I shrugged helplessly. “Who the hell can do anything? Figure out how to make the world a better place where young women don’t slit their wrists in the fucking bathtub!” I realized I raised my voice and apologized for it.
He shook his head again. “No apologies, not after as long as we’ve been friends. You can always shout at me if it helps.”
I thanked him and went through the kitchen into the dining room. I took a green pack of Trafalgar Square Kings from behind the bar and a book of matches. I picked up a bottle of rye from the barback and pondered over it. I put it back because Charlie didn’t seem like much of a drinker. I also had a vague notion that he’d do better to experience his grief rather than to try to smother it with booze.
I had Benny the bartender let me out the front door and lock it behind. They wouldn’t be ready to open for another hour or so and the door needed to be locked until they did. I went up the stairs into the apartment and put my overcoat and scarf away in the closet.
Walt and Charlie were in the kitchen. Walt was making coffee. Charlie was staring at his hands. He looked about as miserable as a young man could. I gave him the cigarettes and set an ashtray on the table. Walt switched on the ventilator fan over the stove.
Charlie opened the pack with unsteady hands and coaxed the first cigarette loose. He hesitated. “I don’t want to smoke in your apartment.”
I waved to tell him to go ahead. “Walt and I have been known to share a cigar after dinner. If you need to smoke, then smoke.”
He lit his cigarette, blew a grey cloud at the ceiling, and leaned back in the chair to close his eyes. “I’m sorry I attacked you. I can’t believe I did that.”
I patted his shoulder. “You scared the hell out of me, but you didn’t do me any harm.”
“I’m still sorry. After all you’ve done for my family, I laid hands on you.”
I shrugged with indifference. “Your father pointed a gun at me once. Made me mad because it was my own.”
“My dad did what?”
I realized it wasn’t the time for old stories. I waved my hand like I needed to fan away the memory. “Doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
I got the cups from the cabinet and took the sugar bowl down. I put the sugar right back because I remembered none of us used it. Walt put the cast iron trivet on the table and went back to the stove to wait for the coffee. I sat down across from Charlie. He drew on his cigarette and talked the smoke from his lungs. “I can’t stop seeing her. How do I get it out of my head?”
“You can’t. The image will fade with time, but it will always be there. I’m sorry for you, to have to see something like that as young as you are.”
He lowered his head to look at me. “Is that why you tried to keep me out?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen.” He rested his cigarette in the tray and rubbed his red eyes with the heels of his hands. “Why am I so fuckin’ stupid?”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You did what you thought you needed to do. You also bore witness for your friend.”
“What’s that mean?”
“You cared about her, and by seeing her the way that you did, you bore witness to the end of her life. You cared enough to weep for her passing. When the Lord receives your friend in heaven, He’ll tell her how much you cared and that you stood for her when no one else could. You didn’t wait for the funeral, when the dead are sanitized and safe for everyone to see. You bore witness to the grim way that she departed the world. You hurt yourself to do it, and because you’re hurt, she’ll know you cared.”
Fresh tears ran from his eyes. He didn’t bother to hide them. “Do you really think they’ll let her in heaven? Isn’t suicide a mortal sin?”
Walt put the coffee on the table and joined us. “The Lord has no wrath for the innocent. The way I see it, her punishment for ending her life is the life she doesn’t get to live. If she sinned, she paid for that sin with all the time she should have had. I can’t imagine the almighty would punish her the same way He punishes rapists and murderers. Whatever pain she suffered is over. She’s safe from it now.”
He sniffed and rubbed his eyes again. “Thanks.”
Walt poured out the coffee. We sipped and waited while Charlie got control over himself. He crushed his forgotten cigarette out and lit another. “What…uh…what do we do now?”
“Tonight, we’re having dinner with your brother and Stephan.”
He tried to object but I didn’t let him. “You’re upset. I know you don’t feel like socializing, but it’ll be better if you’ve got some people around who care about you. We were originally going to have dinner downstairs. We don’t have to do that. We can eat right here and have a quiet evening with our friends and loved ones.”
He reluctantly agreed.
“Tomorrow, we’ll go up to Reading and open the house.” I fished a piece of paper out of my pocket and showed it to Walt. “This was the return address on an envelope in Judy’s bathroom. Whatever came out of that envelope had something to do with what happened. We’ll track it down and see what we can see. I seem to remember she was from Scranton. We’ll see if we can track down some family or friends or locals who knew her. We’re going to have to work under the assumption that this was suicide and not murder…”
Charlie seized on the fresh idea. “Murder? Could she have been killed?”
I admitted she could have been. “I’ve seen people murdered and set up to look like suicides. It would be hard to hide now-a-days with the forensic tests they can do and all that.”
He drew on his cigarette and blew the smoke toward the ventilator fan. “Tell me how it could have been murder.”
I hesitated. “Do you really want to add another layer of horror to your imagination? There are a few ways it could have been done, but for what it’s worth, I think it was suicide.”
He shifted to the edge of his seat and breathed more smoke. “Please tell me.”
I exhaled a sigh and answered against my better judgement. “Someone could have drowned her in the tub and cut her wrists to make it look like suicide. That wouldn’t be very convincing because she would have water in her lungs and blood in her veins. She could have been drugged. Let’s say she had a friend who she liked to drink or smoke reefer with. They could have slipped her something extra. Once she passed out, they dump her in the tub and cut her wrists. The medical examiner could find the drugs on tests, but if she had a history of drug use, they could dismiss the findings.”
He interrupted. “She didn’t do drugs! Judy didn’t even smoke.”
I shrugged. “You asked how it was possible. I told you. The point I’m making is this looks like suicide and until we get the autopsy results, we should assume it was.”
Walt had a question. “What do you mean, ‘until you get the results?’ Why would they share with you?”
“I don’t think they’ll send me a copy of the report, but as a professional courtesy from a current cop to a former cop, I think they would at least confirm suicide. If they get the medical examiner’s report and suspect murder, they’ll refuse to say or they’ll tell me they have no comment. Either way, I’ll have a pretty good idea what happened. We won’t know for several days though, maybe a week. These things take time. We’ll have to go to the station tomorrow morning for statements. I’ll ask to be notified. I’ll also get permission to work on the case. I doubt they’ll refuse.”
Charlie was worried. “What if they say you can’t work on it?”
“We’ll do it anyway.”
Walt wasn’t convinced. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you digging around in other people’s lives. How will you ask them questions? What will your premise be? You’ll have to tell the people you talk to that poor Judy is dead. What makes it your business?”
I gestured toward Charlie. “He makes it my business. My friend wants to know why his friend died. He asked me to find out. As his friend, I’m going to do as he asked. We planned to spend a week in Reading anyway. The address from the letter is in Scranton. Judy was from Scranton. They’re not that far apart. It’s easy enough for us to run up there and spend a couple days talking to people.”
Walt wasn’t through objecting. “Scranton is a big place. How will you find anyone who knew Judy in a place that big?”
I held up the paper again. “I’ll start at this address and go from there. I’ll check the telephone directory for people named Diamond. I’ll check all the regular places that employ young people; the diners and retail shops and places like that. I’m a harmless old man. Most people, especially the women who work there will be happy to help. If the young ladies won’t help me, I’ll show them Charlie. He’s an attractive young man. They’ll fall all over themselves to help him. It shouldn’t take us too long to find Judy’s friends and some family. We’ll talk to these Spencer people who wrote the letter. Pretty soon we’ll get a picture of who she was and why she left home.”
Charlie had an answer for that. “She left because she wanted to be an actress.”
I shook my head to disagree. “I don’t think so. I don’t doubt she wanted to be an actress, but no one leaves a comfortable, loving, safe, secure home to live in a flophouse like the Ben Franklin Hotel and work for peanuts on the off chance they make the big time. Most people who take big risks, do it because they have very little to lose.”
He stubbed out his cigarette and tried to argue. I held my hand up for quiet. “I’m not saying anything bad about your friend. I’m making an observation from long experience. I suspect we’re going to find that the situation she left behind wasn’t any better or worse than the one she was in. That’s likely another reason she did what she did instead of asking her people for help.”
I had my first sip of coffee and was disappointed to find the cup had cooled to lukewarm. I drank it anyway and offered a mild warning to Charlie. “You should know that most people have something to hide. They’ve got ugliness in their past or a skeleton in their closet. You want to know why your friend did what she did. I understand the impulse and I’m willing to help. If we do this, you have to be ready to deal with whatever we find.”
“What do you mean?”
I drained my coffee cup and refilled it hot out of the percolator. “Take me for example. I’m a clean, respectable, retired restaurateur. I’m also a former soldier and ex-cop who killed forty men. I’m queer. When I was on the police force, I took graft from whorehouse operators and bootleggers. I’ve helped draft dodgers escape to Canada. I’ve done things that people could judge me for.
“If your friend is like most people, she’s done things that people would judge her for. We want to know why she committed…I mean why she did what she did. To find out, we’re going to have to learn everything we can about her. We’ll need to know the things she was proud of and the things she wasn’t. You’ve got until we leave here tomorrow to decide if you’re ready to know all there is to know about Judy. If you are, we’ll go ahead. If you’ve got some rosy notion of who she was and you don’t want to risk that notion, we better stop right here.”
He shook another cigarette out of his pack and stared at it. He put it away and tossed the pack down like he was disgusted with it. “I have to know.”
“Fine, we’ll go ahead.” I checked with Walt. “I’ve made this thing my business. If you’ve got any objections, let’s have them now.”
He refilled his own coffee cup and frowned at it. “I don’t like it, but I understand. I won’t argue. I’ll go along to be whatever help I can be. Just promise you’ll be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
He rolled his eyes. “Be more careful than you always are.”
“Fair enough, Love. I’ll try.”
* * * *
We passed a quiet day. Walt and I packed our things to go to the Reading house the next day. Charlie did the same. In between, he smoked a lot. It broke my heart to see him so upset, but there wasn’t anything I could do to make him feel better. He had to experience the shock and grief of losing his friend and he had to do it on his own.
In the afternoon, we made a quick trip to the store to pick up ingredients for dinner. Walt said he would make a simple meal, then proceeded to prepare a culinary masterpiece. I didn’t comment on the difference between the simplicity he promised and the art he was creating. Cooking brought him peace and we all needed some of that.
I helped as much as my painful hands would allow, which wasn’t much. I also played the radio. My favorite AM station didn’t let me down. It featured classic big band music from all the greats with an occasional Cole Porter composition that made me smile in spite of my misery.
About an hour before our guests were due to arrive, I telephoned their house and spoke to Stephan. I made my call in private from the bedroom extension because I didn’t want Charlie to hear what I had to say. I explained what happened and asked that Stephan and Larry be kind but not make a fuss. Charlie seemed like the type who didn’t like fuss.
Stephan was beside himself on the telephone. His theatrical manner of speech came over the wire as if he was right next to me. “My GOD, Lawrence! The poor girl KILLED herself? I’m shocked! I’m bewildered! I do not even have the words to describe my emotions. The POOR THING! Poor Charles! She was such a sweet girl; not a dancer of any note, but she certainly made the effort. What on EARTH could have caused her to take such DRASTIC measures?”
I said that I had no idea what motivated her, but that Charlie and I planned to find out.
“Dear man, what good will that do?”
“Charlie needs to know. It’s not like he’ll have any fun now that it happened. All he’ll do is think of Judy. This will give him purpose and occupy his time. Hopefully, we’ll find some answers and he’ll get some closure. He’s here for two and a half more weeks. Maybe if we do this, we can salvage the last one.”
“You’re the expert, dear man.”
“I’m just old enough to know a lot of stuff.”
He turned the talk to practical matters. “Shall we still come tonight?”
“Please come. Charlie needs company even if he doesn’t want any. He needs friendly faces and all the love he can get. Don’t smother him. Just be there for him.”
“We shall do as you say, you dear, sweet, lovely, thoughtful man. See you in a bit.”
We said our goodbyes and I hung up.
An hour later, Stephan and Larry were smothering Charlie with hugs and kisses. Stephan wasn’t even out of his coat when he wrapped his willowy dancer’s body around Charlie’s broadness. Larry shed his coat and scarf and wrapped himself around both men. Stephan kissed Charlie’s face all over. Larry gave him a single kiss on the cheek.
I let them hug but kept an eye in case Stephan planned to talk about the events of the day. I would allow them to mention it but no more. Charlie didn’t need to tear open the fresh wounds in his emotions by talking about the suicide.
Larry squeezed the pair extra tight and released them. He patted Stephan’s shoulder, which made him step out of the embrace as well. Stephan explained how they knew. “Lawrence telephoned. We shan’t discuss it unless you need to. Just know that we love you and we’re here for you.”
Larry added his thoughts. “Steph says it better than me but the same goes. If there’s anything we can do, we’ll do it. You know that, right?”
Charlie sniffed like he was fighting back tears, but none came. “Thanks, guys. Means a lot.”
Walt invited the couple in and I took their coats. I asked Stephan to help me put them away in the bedroom because the hall closet was full. He obliged and went with me. I tossed the coats over the bed and closed the door behind us. He made a joke. “Naughty, naughty Granddaddy Lawrence, you’ve trapped me in your bedroom, and my husband is right outside. We’ll have to be extra quiet.”
I smiled at his teasing even though I wasn’t in a joking mood. He could always make me smile. “I need to ask you about Judy, and I didn’t want to do it in front of Charlie. You worked with her, right? What can you tell me?”
“Only that she was a dear, sweet, lovely…”
I interrupted his speech. “Stephan, you know I love you, right?”
“Of course, dear man.”
“Then, know that when I tell you to cut the crap, it’s said with love.”
His face tightened with strain, but he didn’t say anything. I kept talking. “She’s dead. I’m sad that she’s dead, but I’ve got to find out why she killed herself. I’ve got to do it for Charlie. Your refusal to speak ill of the dead doesn’t help me. She was a chorus girl who lived in a flophouse. Her situation didn’t seem to bother her at all. I suspect she was used to living on the ragged edge. If you know anything about her, I need to know.”
He backed against the dresser and spread his arms behind his upper body. He fanned out his fingertips and propped them on the wood. He crossed his legs like he wanted to show them off and pouted his full, lightly rouged lips. He was a very attractive man. His double-knit hunter-green polyester slacks hugged his dancer’s legs, and his cream turtleneck sweater clung to his upper body. Except for his cat-like pose, he would have looked very masculine.
When he spoke, his voice was deeper and all the affectation was gone. “I don’t pay much attention to women. I don’t really like them. They’re silly, vain creatures and too many of them think a nice figure and a willingness to offer it up, is an adequate replacement for talent and hard work. A lot of women don’t like me because I’m immune to their wiles. I hold them accountable for what they bring to a show, not what they offer in the dressing room.
“Judy wasn’t very different. Whenever we spoke of her position on stage, she would do it while wearing nothing or nearly nothing. All the girls want to be out front. They think talent scouts are in every audience, and they’ll only be discovered and whisked away to the big time if they’re out front. Unfortunately for them, that’s not how things work. The odds of a chorus girl making the big time are about the same as me getting pregnant. I believe miracles are possible, but I’ve never seen one.”
He flicked his hands up in a gesture of indifference, then put his fingertips back on the dresser. “She showed off for me, but she never went any further.”
I stopped him to see what he meant. “She never offered to service you?”
“Oh, she offered, dear man; but she did it like one would offer a handshake. I refused and she never said another word about it. I don’t think the offer had anything to do with her career. I think she just wanted to experience me. I appreciated that she wasn’t as forward as some of the others. Some women are very aggressive. Obviously, I never accept. My preferences are well known, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. I suspect many try harder because they think what they have between their legs is so special it could cure my gayness. As if a hole could ever replace what Larry gives me!”
He blushed with uncharacteristic embarrassment over the brazenness of his speech and cleared his throat. “Ahem; Judy offered only once and never again. I respected her for that. She was a reliable member of the chorus with a decent voice but not an outstanding one. She was good-looking in a common sort of way. She fit well with all the other good-looking women who make up the chorus. She could dance reasonably well but was not exceptional. She was willing to work a little harder than most but had very little natural talent. She was never going to make the big time. She simply wasn’t leading lady material. I never told her because she wouldn’t have listened and it’s not my business to shatter dreams.
“None of the women are happy in the chorus. They all see it as a stepping-stone to their name in lights. The sad shame of it is, only one in a million will ever get there. If they could be happy just to be a part of the theater, to be the best chorus girl they could be, their lives would be much better.” He flicked his hands up again. “That’s not how it works, though.”
The information was good for background, but there was nothing to pursue. “Did she ever talk about where she came from? Did she have friends other than Charlie?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t socialize with the other girls. It’s funny you mention that. Most of the girls live at the Hotel Taft where we had our wedding reception. The owner gives them a special rate to keep his top floor full. The rooms up there are small and were originally built to house the hotel staff. He lets them out by the month to struggling theater people. Judy lived at the Ben Franklin which has a lousy reputation. I never knew why. She also said something about Larry once. He came to take me to lunch one day during a rehearsal. Judy said he looked like a Marine, something about the way he walked with his head up and his eyes straight. She said her boyfriend was a Marine. I assumed she was telling tales.”
“Why would she do that?”
He shrugged. “These girls tell all manner of stories. I’ve heard tales of rich relatives, fine houses, boyfriends of every description, finishing schools, and you-name-it. They make up what they never had in order to show off for each other. It’s kind of sad.”
There was a knock at the door. Larry walked in and shut the door behind. “Everything ok?”
I explained. “I wanted to ask about Judy. I knew Stephan worked with her.”
Larry understood. “For the investigation?”
“Right; I didn’t want Charlie to hear.”
He nodded. “Finish up, huh? Walt’s worried you two are gettin’ it on in here.”
Stephan got a devilish grin on his face. “We were just about to.”
Larry smiled back. “I’ll stay and watch. Maybe Law can teach me something.”
I shook my head. “Not likely. I’m too damn old for enthusiasm and when I go slow my joints creak so loud, I sound like a haunted house.”
Larry patted my back with a huge hand and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. “You always make me laugh.”
“I only wish I was kidding. Never mind about that. I didn’t realize how long we were in here. Let’s get back to the kitchen before Walt thinks we’re having a threesome.” I stepped out from under Larry’s arm and left the room. Larry gathered his husband and followed.
I changed the subject to ask Larry about Malcom as we went to the kitchen. He hadn’t been happy at Walt’s Special, so Larry took him on as an apprentice carpenter. He moved out of the apartment next door and into one of the top floor rooms at the Hotel Taft to be closer to the theater district and his new employment.
“He’s doing really well. The kid can read a ruler, which puts him head and shoulders above about half the kids I hire. He gets along with the rest of the crew and works hard. I think he’ll go far. Thanks for sending him my way.”
“Thanks for giving him a chance.”
I was glad Malcom was working out for Larry. He’d been a good worker for Owen in the kitchen, but he didn’t like the work. Carpentry seemed to suit him better. I was also pleased that he was still sending Walt the agreed upon five dollars a week toward the costs we incurred when he tried to throw a brick through the window of Walt’s Special. As much as I didn’t like the mouthy fuck when I met him, he turned out to be a better man than I thought he could be.
* * * *
We passed as fine an evening as was possible under the circumstances. The meal was excellent and the company just as good. We even managed to coax an occasional chuckle out of poor Charlie, even though most of the time he looked like he was barely holding back tears. Larry and Stephan stayed as long as they could but finally had to leave around ten. I showed them out and came back to the kitchen.
Walt was doing dishes and Charlie was leaning against the stove to smoke the last cigarette from his pack. I asked if he needed another, but he refused. “I haven’t enjoyed smoking today. They gave me something to do, but I don’t want to start again. Mom and Dad were happy when I quit. I felt better too. I think I’ll just go back to being a non-smoker tomorrow.”
I said I was glad. I checked with Walt to see if I could help with the dishes, but he was almost finished. I sat at the table to wait until he was ready to go to bed. I looked up at Charlie. “Are you going to be able to sleep?”
He finished his cigarette and crushed it out, then he shook his head. “Probably not. I can’t get it out of my head. I’m afraid to close my eyes.”
Walt spoke up as he rinsed a dish. “Would you be more comfortable over here with us than next door by yourself? The sofa is very comfortable. We could turn the radio on to keep you company and if you needed to talk, we’d be nearby.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
Walt insisted. “You’re not putting anyone out. You had a bad shock today. We all did, and we have to get through it together. Why don’t you run next door and gather what you need to spend the night? I’ll make up the sofa.”
He relented with no more argument. “Thanks, Walt.” He hurried from the room and thundered down the stairs with the speed of youth.
I complimented my husband once Charlie was gone. “You would’ve made a good dad.”
“So would you.”
“I’ll make up the sofa.”
Walt dried the last dish. “I’ll do it. I know how badly your hands hurt in the winter. When do you see the new doctor?”
“Couple weeks, in the beginning of February. The last time I went to the VA for a checkup, Doc said they’ve been doing great things for arthritis. He got me an appointment with a specialist.”
“I hope he’ll be able to help.”
“Me too.”
He dried his hands and mopped up the counter with the towel before he hung it up. I followed him to the living room where he took bedding from the linen closet and started to make up the sofa. “I’m so glad Larry and Stephan came tonight. Charlie seemed to have fun.”
I agreed. “Isn’t it funny how alike the brothers are? They’re almost twenty years apart but they’re both obviously David’s sons.”
Walt fluffed the pillow and propped it on the arm of the sofa. “David could never deny either of them. It’s nice that Charlie gets along with Stephan. He even stood for being kissed. Most straight men would balk, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. He didn’t even say anything when I gave him a towel to wipe away the lip rouge Stephan left on his face.”
“He accepts people as they are and doesn’t judge them. That’s his father’s teaching. David knows better than most what it feels like to be rejected. I’m sure he was very careful to make certain his children would never hurt anyone by being bigots.”
I turned the radio on and set the volume low. The big band station played music all night, so it could keep Charlie company until he woke up. I left it on my favorite station because I didn’t think the type of music mattered, only that there was sound. I also went to the kitchen and filled the bottom third of a glass with rye.
Charlie came back. He got ready for bed and sat on the sofa. I gave him the glass and told him to drink it. He sniffed the contents. “What is it?”
“Rye whiskey.”
He offered the glass back. “I don’t really drink.”
“Pretend you do, just for tonight. There’s about three shots there. It’ll quiet your mind and let you rest. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow and you need your sleep. I’m not going to bed until I know you won’t sit here all night and brood.”
He did as I said and threw the whiskey down the hatch. He smacked his lips and shook his head. “Gross!” It started to hit him right away. He leaned back against the cushion. “Whoa…that’s…uh, that’s something.”
I got him to lay down and tucked him in. He thanked me. I held the glass up. “I’ll bring you a glass of water and put it on the end table.”
He thanked me again. I sent Walt to get ready for bed and filled the glass and brought it back. I turned all the lights off and sat in the chair. Charlie craned his head to look at me. “What are you doing?”
“I’m just going to sit here until you fall asleep. You’re safe, my friend. Rest your head and let the whiskey do its work. You did a good job today. You did as much as anyone could. Give yourself permission to sleep.”
He settled and rolled to face the back of the couch. His voice came once more through the dark. “Hey, Law?”
“Yeah?”
“You…uh…you were really great today. She really needed someone like you…someone who knows what they’re doing. I needed you too. Thanks for being there.”
I was flattered by his praise but wished he would settle down. “Shhhh, just rest.”
He pulled the blankets up a little higher and didn’t move or speak again. A few moments later, he started to snore very softly. I waited awhile to make sure he would stay asleep. When it seemed he was safe in dreamland, I struggled out of the chair and went to join Walt.
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