[etropacip]

that is way better thanks, I got the story out of archive.org

[etropacip]

Ted paced beside his wife as she was wheeled down the corridor to the front entrance.  He tried to squelch his disquiet over the events of the last two days and failed.  Accompanying Darlene out of the hospital were Callander, Hale, Ozawa, and Stewart Corwin, who had suddenly materialized like an apparition just as she was readying herself to leave.  Corwin was a small but very polished man with nut-colored hair and sharp, inquisitive eyes.  Ted couldn't help noticing him openly look his wife up and down several times.  At any other time Ted would have felt a sense of pride whenever he saw such glances directed at her but Corwin's ice-cold gaze was disturbing.  The expression of the executive assistant to—whoever-it-was—resembled that of a farmer eyeing a particularly well-fed farm animal prior to rendering.  Corwin seemed to notice Ted's scrutiny.  His features suddenly changed, becoming concerned and smiling.  Ted began to harbor the notion that all of the people involved in Darlene's accident were actors—they spent so much time hiding their real thoughts.
     "Stacey did tell you that we are picking up the entire cost of your wife's hospital stay?" Corwin asked.  Ted nodded.
     "Yes.  Thank you."
     Ted felt Darlene squeeze his hand.  He looked down at her and got a warning look.  Ted sighed and returned her squeeze.  He knew that he could be overly cynical at times—Darlene had on occasion told him he sounded almost paranoid, only half-jokingly.  His voice must have sounded distrustful in his reply to Corwin.  He smiled down at her and brought her hand up for a quick kiss.  His wife's face dissolved into a broad smile, then just as quickly her mouth formed an "O" of concern.
     "Oh, no.  Ted, my car.  It's in the parking lot at the Research Center," she said.
     "Oh, don't worry about that," Callander replied quickly.  "We can arrange to have someone drop it off at your house.  You should just enjoy the day."
     Ted fixed a sharp gaze on Callander, whose smile and glinting eyes stayed fixed.  Darlene squeezed his hand again, and he shrugged in defeat.  "That would be great, if your could."

——
that ends the first chapter,there are 7 written. it is a pain to post in little parts

[etropacip]

It was obvious from the receptionists' expression that Ted's being able to see his wife before official visiting hours was very unusual.  A vague, nebulous sense of suspicion began to nag at him.  Why was Darlene the object of so much overt concern?  If the accident she had been involved in was so minor, as everyone he met kept insisting, then why the smothering layers of official concern, the amazing therapy used on her the previous evening, the surprise in people's faces?  Ted looked carefully at the receptionists' pinched face.  Her previous expression had vanished and she now looked bored to the point of official disinterest.  Ted blinked.  He was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  He promptly signed the sheet of paper extended towards him and was rewarded with a page-sized sheet of stiff colored cardboard bearing the word VISITOR in large letters. ?     Ted could hear low voices as he stepped into his wife's hospital room.  At the threshold of the room he stopped abruptly, rocking on his heels.  Three men surrounded his wife's bed.  None of them were doctors.  All of them were conservatively dressed and two had briefcases beside their feet.  One man had a clipboard in his hand and was writing on it.  He paused as Ted arrived, his pen at mid-stroke. ?     "What's going on?" Ted asked. ?     "Mr. Baldwin?  Hello, I'm George Dallas.  I work for the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration," the nearest man said, turning on his heel and offering his hand.  "We are here conducting an investigation into the accident that occurred at the Ikagawa facility yesterday." ?     Ted shook the proffered hand as the others introduced themselves.  That the New York State Department of Health was making an inquiry alongside OSHA was no surprise to Ted.  The presence of a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was, however. ?     "Ted?" his wife called.  With a muttered apology Ted slipped between the men. ?     "Hi, baby," he murmured.  He took up Darlene's hand and squeezed it gently.  Darlene smiled, obvious relief flooding her face.  She returned his squeeze.  He presented the bouquet he carried to his wife with a flourish. Darlene accepted them and sniffed them. ?     "Mrs. Baldwin?  We can talk later," Dallas said.  He motioned to the others and they stepped out of the room. ?     "Oh, Ted, I'm so glad to see you," she said.  Ted was startled.  All Darlene's facial hair had returned.  In sharp contrast to the smooth baldness of yesterday her eyebrows now stood out thickly against her pale skin, and lashes once again decorated her eyelids.  He gulped back his surprise and reached out to run his hand over her hair.  This time no hairs came free on his hand.  In fact, her hair felt thicker than he remembered.  It looked a little different, too, more blond than usual.  He almost shook his head in disbelief.  He knew she had lost all her facial hair-even that doctor Hale remarked on it more than once.  Now, it looked like all of it grew back.  How did it grow back so fast? Darlene sighed happily and leaned her head against his palm.  Ted felt the warmth of relief run through him.  Tears spurted into his eyes.  Darlene reached up to stroke his cheek with her hand, then pressed her palm more firmly against his face.  Ted obeyed the gentle pressure of her touch and leaned across the bed to give her a kiss. ?     "I'm so glad you're all right," he murmured.  Darlene kissed him again. ?     "I feel fine, Ted, I really do." ?     "When I saw you yesterday—all the things they were doing to you.  I was so scared—" ?     Darlene looked puzzled at the emotion in Ted's voice and expression. ?     "I feel fine." ?     "Can you tell me what happened?" Ted asked.  Darlene screwed her face up in concentration for a moment, then shook her head. ?     "I honestly can't remember anything that happened yesterday.  All I remember is going into one of their lab rooms to help type some documents into the new computers they installed a few days ago.  I remember hearing a hissing sound, and this cloud of gray dust suddenly fill the air, and that's all."  Darlene sniffed.  Her expression visibly changed as a thought struck her.  "I remember the smell of the stuff—it was sweet, almost overpowering.  That's it.  The next thing I know I woke up here.  What happened to me?" ?     "I don't know, baby.  There've been these people from Ikawa here.  They told me it was some kind of 'substance' they were working on—" ?     "Ikagawa, Ted," Darlene interrupted him.  Her tone was teasing.  Ted felt the weight on his heart lift even more.  Darlene kidding him was a sure sign she was all right. ?     "So, they had you in some kind of bath when I arrived.  Stuff stunk like hell.  Then they brought you up here.  They said the stuff you got on you was some kind of corrosive." ?     "Oh."  Darlene looked out the door.  "I guess that's why those people are here." ?     Ted's reply was interrupted by the arrival of a nurse bearing a small wire basket filled with papers and glass tubes that rattled together as she walked. ?     "How are we feeling today?  Good.  We need to take a blood sample from you." ?     "Again?" Darlene asked. ?     "Well, I'm afraid the lab had a problem with the previous samples and they were unusable.  I'll take it out of your other arm.  We need three altogether.  There, you're all done." ?     Ted had made himself small against the wall as the nurse drew the blood samples from his wife.  He had a tremendous aversion to needles and taking blood samples always made him queasy.  As soon as the nurse labeled the samples and left he slipped back to his wife's side.  He was about to speak again when the three investigators returned.  They continued to question Darlene as Ted held her hand. ?     After some fifteen minutes another interruption appeared, in the form of a heavily made-up woman in a dark dress suit followed by two men bearing a video camera and a boom microphone.  The three investigators hastily vacated the room once more. ?     "Hi.  I'm Shauna Brown, with News-12," the woman announced.  "We'd like to interview you about the accident at the Ikawaga Research Center yesterday."  The cameraman snapped on his camera light on oriented the lens on Darlene.  Ted felt her squeeze his hand harder.  He slipped as close as possible to her in a gesture of support as the news crew crowded around the foot of her bed.  The reporter was barely civil and almost hyperactive in her gestures and questions.  Darlene repeated to her how she didn't remember much of anything that happened.  The body language of the female reporter visibly telegraphed her disappointment. ?     "D'you know there was a fatality at the facility?" she asked.  Her voice was professional, clear, and overloud.  "A Professor Moroboshi Ito.  The cause was said to be some chemical that got loose in their labs." ?     Darlene's eyes widened in surprise—probably just as this Shauna Brown intended, Ted thought—and she brought her free hand to her face.  She grimaced in pain as the plastic tubes leading to the I.V. line in her arm caught on the metal rail of the bed. ?     "No, I didn't know.  I'm sorry," Darlene replied. ?     "Did you know Doctor Ito?" ?     "No." ?     "Where were you when the accident occurred?" ?     "I-I guess I was in the laboratory at the time." ?     "You don't remember anything?" ?     "No, I'm afraid I don't." ?     When it became clear that Darlene could not be able to provide any new information the reporter abruptly ended the interview.  The camera light switch off and they breezed out of the room.  Darlene never released Ted's hand all through the ordeal.  She squeezed it again. ?     "Ted, do you know what happened?  Why are all these people here?" ?     "No, baby, I don't.  I got a call from a Stewart somebody last night, telling me you were in some sort of accident.  When I got here they had you in that bath.  I guess they were cleaning some corrosive chemical off you.  The good news is, the doctor said you could go home today." ?     "Oh, good," Darlene sighed in relief.  She picked at the flimsy cotton gown covering her.  "You don't know how embarrassed I felt this morning when I got up to go to the bathroom."  She pointed to the IV stand.  "I had to drag that thing in with me and nobody had tied up this gown in back.  I was cold." ?     Ted smiled and leaned down to kiss her lips.  Darlene making a joke was like a tonic to him. ?     "Did you see Dr. Zarcone?" she asked.  Ted shook his head.  He felt his face grow warm.  Emily Zarcone was Darlene's personal physician.  In all the excitement and worry he had completely forgotten about calling her. ?     "No, baby.  The doctor taking care of you is one of the hospital staff.  He said his name was Hale." ?     "Oh."  Darlene thought for a moment.  She wriggled on the bed as she stretched her muscles like a cat.  Ted smiled again.  Even after ten years of marriage he was still charmed by that habit. ?     "I'd really like to go home," she said.  Ted rubbed her hand. ?     "I'll go find Dr. Hale and get you set up.  Is there anything you need?" ?     "Just my clothes." ?     Ted investigated the closet in the room.  It was empty. ?     "What happened to my clothes?" Darlene asked.  Her voice was plaintive and clearly annoyed. ?     "I don't know, baby.  After I find Hale I'll run home and get you something to wear." ?     "But that was my best outfit!" Darlene exclaimed.  Ted nodded to himself.  He hid a short grin.  Darlene's reaction to her missing clothes was the final proof he needed to see.  Whatever had happened to her, his wife was clearly all right now. ?     "Tell you what," he replied.  "Once we leave here, we can stop by the mall and get you another one." ?     Darlene looked at his face intently.  Her annoyance vanished. ?     "You got the job?" ?     "Yes.  Worked the full day, too" ?     "Oh, Ted, that's wonderful!" ?     Ted smiled broadly.  "It's at least five years' work.  The boss is a nice guy, too." ?     "Honey, I'm so happy for you.  Now I can have some peace around the house." ?     Ted's smile did not diminish, but his eyebrows rose. ?     "And here I thought you were getting used to having me around," he replied.  Darlene snorted.  Ted could see her eyes dancing. ?     "No, but with you out of the house I can watch my soaps in peace," she said.  Ted began to laugh. ?     "Now I know for sure you're okay.  I'll go find Hale and run home to get you something to wear."
     Inquiring as to the whereabouts of Dr. Hale proved unsuccessful.  It seemed the fat little doctor was nowhere on the hospital grounds. ?     "But we do have other doctors on call, Mr. Baldwin," the floor supervisor explained.  The answer sounded too pat to Ted. ?     "Okay, fine.  Then, I'd like to call my wife's doctor and have her come in." ?     "Er, your wife's doctor?  Is she accredited by this hospital?" ?     "I don't know—" ?     "I'm afraid it's policy that, as a private hospital, we can only allow staff doctors to make decisions on patients here, Mr. Baldwin." ?     Ted began to feel utterly bewildered. ?     "You're telling me our own doctor can't come in?  I thought this was a public hospital." ?     "No, this is a private hospital, Mr. Baldwin.  We used to be the Northern Westchester Hospital Center, until it was sold by the county last year." ?     "Will Doctor Hale be here this afternoon?" Ted persisted.  He looked at his watch.  It was just after one in the afternoon-all the interviews by the investigators and the news people had taken longer than he thought.  He looked up from his watch.  One of the two nurses on the floor had walked over to stand behind the floor supervisor.  She straightened abruptly as Ted’s gaze fell on her.  Again he felt that obscure nagging suspicion in the back of his mind.  The floor supervisor caught herself in the act of nodding to the other nurse.  She smiled at Ted, a genuine, sympathetic smile. ?     "I will page Dr. Hale for you immediately, Mr. Baldwin," she said.
     An hour later found Ted returning to the hospital, the paper bag in his hand containing a change of clothes for his wife.  Since it was now after two in the afternoon re-acquiring the visitor's pass from the front desk presented no problem and Ted walked confidently to the elevators. ?    As he walked into her room he discovered that Darlene had acquired new visitors.  The formerly absent Doctor Hale stood beside her bed, one hand on her shoulder and a smile on his face.  Callander had also returned, her appearance and couture perfect.  Ted looked across them at the third visitor, a small, rail-thin oriental-looking man with slicked black hair and a conservative black suit.  He smiled broadly at Ted.  With his hornrimmed eyeglasses and buck teeth he looked just like the caricatures Ted had seen in cartoons when he was a kid. ?     "Ah, Mr. Baldwin," Callander said, turning towards him and offering her hand.  "How are you." ?     "Uh, I'm fine," Ted replied, shaking her hand.  Her smile stayed fixed on her face. ?    "Good.  Mr. Baldwin, I'd like you to meet Toichi Ozawa.  He's chief of our Human Resouces Department in our Headquarters Offices.  We came in to see how your wife is doing." ?     Ted smiled and nodded to the little Japanese man, then slipped next to his wife.  Darlene smiled at him. ?     "Hi, Baby.  What's up?" ?     "Miss Callander and Mr. Ozawa came in to tell me that the company is going to pay for all my medical costs while I was here," Darlene said.  Ted echoed her smile of relief. ?     "That's great.  Thank you," he said to their visitors.  Ozawa gave them a jerky bow. ?     "It's the least we can do, given the circumstances," Callander replied.  Ozawa startled Ted by suddenly babbling in Japanese.  Callander cocked her head to listen to what he said, then straightened and smiled again. ?     "Mr. Ozawa would like to know when you think you'll be returning to work, Mrs. Baldwin," she said.  "You are a valued and valuable member of our team.  We'd hate to lose you." ?     "Yes, there are certainly no reasons for you not to be able to return to work," Hale interjected, patting Darlene's shoulder.  Ted's sense of suspicion flooded him, almost overwhelmingly.  Why did they seem so insistent? ?     "I don't know," Darlene replied.  Her voice was hesitant and uncertain.  "I do like the job, but I don't want to work someplace where people get killed, like Dr. Ito." ?     "That was a one-in-a-million event, Mrs. Baldwin," Callander said.  "I can promise you that you will never be asked to go into one of the iso-labs again."  She paused as Ozawa again erupted into his native tongue.  "Mr. Ozawa tells me to tell you that your supervisors had already recommended that you be promoted to office manager and that they are taking the recommendation under consideration.  It's a challenging—and very rewarding—position, Mrs. Baldwin." ?     "I-I'd like a couple of days to think it over," Darlene replied.  Ted almost broke into a cheer.  He had clenched his jaw to keep from exploding at the overt efforts of the part of Hale, Callander and Ozawa to twist Darlene's arm to return to work right away.  Their demeanor was so sweet it was almost treacly.  His suspicion skyrocketed into real concern.  It was almost as if they wanted her back in the place, and right away.  Why the insistence in her returning to work at the Ikagawa facility? ?     "Yes, I think a couple days' off is a good idea, honey," Ted added.  He could not keep the concern out of his voice. ?     "I understand," Callander said.  Her face fell into a concerned frown.  "It's not surprising you are a little shaken by what happened."  She turned to Ozawa.  A short conversation in Japanese resulted.  Ozawa's expression seemed frozen for a moment, then he nodded. ?     "Well, Mrs. Baldwin, since you are part-time, you can schedule yourself as you see fit.  However, please understand that the opening for office manager will not remain indefinitely.  It's a great opportunity—I know."  Callander leaned forward a little, nodding conspiratorially.  "Not too many of us women get jobs like this in a Japanese-run company."  She smiled again and straightened.  Ted saw Darlene grin in response. ?     "I'll think about it and tell you tomorrow," she replied.

[etropacip]

Hale escorted Ted into Darlene's hospital room.  It was a single room on the top floor of the hospital.  The pleasant wallpaper and furnishings told Ted it was top-quality space.  Ted worries compounded as he looked around.  He'd just begun working-his benefits with Kee Construction wouldn't have started yet, and his union benefits wouldn't cover the cost of a first-class hospital stay. ?     "Your wife—Darlene, is that her name?—will be here shortly," Hale said.  "We just need to keep her overnight for observation, Mr. Baldwin.  You'll be able to take her home tomorrow." ?     Ted was about to reply when a squeaking noise caught his attention.  A hospital gurney appeared in the doorway.  Darlene was stretched across it.  Ted forgot Hale and everything else.  He jumped to the side of the gurney, reaching out towards his wife. ?     "Please, Mr. Baldwin," Hale blurted.  The doctor grabbed at Ted's sleeve, holding him back.  "Let them get her in the bed, first." ?     Ted moved to his wife's side as soon as the orderlies and floor nurse cleared away from her.  He looked at her carefully.  Her skin and hair were covered with an oily sheen.  He thought he caught a whiff of the same intense, sour odor he smelled before when the doors to the isolation unit had opened—the fragrance of the soap and shampoo used to wash off whatever that stuff was did not completely cover the odor.  Darlene looked asleep.  Her mouth was slack, her breathing slow.  As Ted looked at her carefully he suddenly realized her hair was much thinner than it should be, even counting it being wet.  His mouth fell open as he realized her eyebrows and eyelashes were missing. ?     "The hair loss is temporary, Mr. Baldwin," Hale suddenly said.  Ted looked at the short, fat doctor.  Hale's rheumy eyes and fixed, coffee-stained smile could not completely hide an inner worry that kept wandering across his face.  Ted felt real fear and anger now.  He opened his mouth to speak.  A soft sound interrupted him.  He looked back down at Darlene, focusing all his attention on her face.  Darlene's eyelids fluttered as he squeezed her hand. ?     "Uhhh," Darlene said. ?     "Baby?" Ted said softly.  He squeezed her hand again. ?     "Ted?"  Her voice was soft and weak. ?     "I'm here, baby.  I'm here." ?     Darlene opened her eyes slowly.  She looked up at Ted.  He saw her eyes narrow as she attempted to focus on him. ?     "Ted?  What—where am I?" ?     "You're in the hospital, baby," Ted replied.  "The doctors here say you're going to be okay." ?     Darlene's face contracted into a slight frown.  Her expression reminded Ted again that her facial hair was missing. ?     "You're going to be okay, baby," Ted murmured reassuringly.  He leaned over the hospital bed's rails and caressed her head with one hand.  To his shock a tuft of Darlene's dirty-blond hair came free, clinging to his callused palm.  He looked up at Hale.  The doctor looked at Ted's hand.  His eyes grew wide, then he looked away. ?     "It's-it's only temporary," Hale said again.  Ted felt tears begin to well up in his eyes.  He looked back down at his wife.  She had closed her eyes again in sleep.  An angry fear filled Ted.  He fixed a fierce expression on Hale. ?     "What the hell happened to my wife?" he snapped. ?     "I understand that she was helping transfer documents onto a new computer system," Hale replied.  His tone was slow and uncertain.  "One of our top researchers needed to have his materials translated into english and put into the database.  Your wife was asked to work with the translator in his lab.  While she was there a canister of—of an experimental substance broke.  It released its contents into the room.  Dr. Ito managed to get everyone out with only slight exposure to the materials he was working on.  You saw the bath she was put in?  That was done to preclude any possibility of her suffering any ill effects from the exposure.  Your wife is going to be fine, Mr. Baldwin." ?     Fatigue and worry were sapping what little energy Ted still possessed.  He only half-heard Dr. Hale speaking softly and insistently as he rubbed Darlene's hand with his own.  Her skin felt as oily as it looked and the sour smell persisted.  Darlene continued to sleep deeply, her breathing slow and shallow.  Despite his best efforts Ted felt his eyes wavering shut from the exhaustion that was steadily creeping up on him.  A touch on his arm made him jerk upright from the slouch he had fallen into. ?     "Mr. Baldwin?  I said your wife is sedated," Dr. Hale said.  He gestured broadly.  A wide, insincere smile crossed his face.  "She will be asleep all night.  The company's arranged to have a private nurse here all night to keep an eye on her.  You needn't worry." ?     "Mr. Baldwin?"  The sound of Callander's voice startled Ted.  She must have slipped into the room a few moments ago.  He was so tired he did not notice. ?     "Why don't you go home, Mr. Baldwin," she continued.  "If you like we can have a company car take you." ?     The heavy malaise imposed by stress and his long day was really beginning to catch up with Ted.  His eyes began to swim again as he shook his head at Callander's suggestion and rose.  He squeezed Darlene's hand one more time before he left her bedside.  Both Hale and Callander continued to speak to him but he was so tired he paid no attention to their words at all.  His movements were like those of an automaton as he walked out of the hospital.  It took a few moments of what limited energy he still possessed to find his pickup.  Seating himself, he struggled to find the ignition switch with his key—
  Ted snapped awake.  His eyes felt fouled and gummy and he blinked several times to clear them.  He looked around.  He was slouched in his easy chair.  Slanting sunlight coming in through the nearby window made him squint.  He rubbed his eyes again. He remembered finding his way home last night and falling into his chair.  All he could think of was his wife, lying in a hospital bed with her hair falling out.  He must have fallen asleep in the chair instead of going upstairs to bed— ?     Ted suddenly remembered what had happened.  Darlene.  She was in some sort of accident. He remembered his wife lying naked in a pool of some foul-smelling liquid.  It was a decontaminating bath, they had said.   He snapped fully awake. Ted jumped to his feet.  Shivers of fear coursed up and down his spine. God, he had to see her— ?     Ted stopped.  He shook his head to clear it.  The sunlight streaming in through the window reminded him of something else.  He looked at his watch.  Nine o'clock.  Oh, no.  He was late for work, and it was only his second day on the job.  He had fallen asleep at-three this morning?  Four?  He couldn't remember.  Ted shook his head again.  Worry and the length of the previous day were muddling his thinking.  He had to go see Darlene-that much he knew.  Ted found it hard to think of anything else. ?     Ted showered and dressed quickly.  As he was pulling on fresh clothes he realized that he had not gotten any contact information for his new employer.  Ted sighed in frustration.  He was going to have to stop at the job site first before going to the hospital.
     It only took a few minutes for Ted to find the foreman at the construction site. ?     "You need what?" Bill Mancuso asked.  He was a potbellied man with a florid, weathered face that sprouted an immense, frizzled beard.  "What happened?  You just started yesterday." ?     "I'm sorry, Mr. Mancuso," Ted began, "but something has come up." ?     "Like what?"  Ted had learned the day before that Mancuso was a cheerful dictator, demanding a full days' work from every employee under his eye.  He saw his foreman's expression grow jaundiced. ?     "What's going on?" a new voice asked.  Ted turned.  His new employer stood immediately behind him.  James Kee was a tall, well-built man with a tanned complexion and a ready smile.  He turned to Ted and offered his hand. ?     "How are you, Ted?" he asked.  "You look worried." ?     Ted was surprised.  Kee Construction had a good reputation both among its employees and its clients as a capable, solid company.  With over a thousand employees it was also very big.  When he had interviewed for the job Ted had been surprised to see the owner actually participating in the task.  Even more surprising was the fact that Kee remembered who he was. ?     "Baldwin here says he needs the day off," Mancuso growled. ?     "It's not for me, you understand," Ted said quickly.  "My wife was in an accident at her job yesterday.  She's in the hospital.  I just want to be with her." ?     "Your wife?  In the hospital?  I'm sorry," Kee said.  His small gesture cut off Mancuso in mid-sentence.  "By all means, take the day.  Bill, mark Ted as present for the day.  I'll authorize it." ?     "Okay, chief," Mancuso replied.  Kee nodded. ?     "Is your wife going to be okay?" he asked Ted.  Ted noticed that he seemed genuinely worried.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Mancuso looked amused, a ragged smile splitting his face muff. ?     "The doctors say so," Ted replied.  He couldn't keep the uncertainty out of his voice.  Kee nodded and thumped Ted's shoulder. ?     "If you need any help, you let me know.  Here, take my card.  If you need more time, just call me." ?     Ted flushed.  Kee's broad courtesy was startling if welcome.  He nodded.  Kee smiled, thumped his shoulder again, and walked away. ?     "Okay, Baldwin, the boss has cleared you," Mancuso growled.  "You can get out of here.  Here, take my number, too.  Just let me know what's happening." ?     "Thanks, Mr. Mancuso." ?     "Don't thank me, thank the chief." ?     Mancuso followed Ted back to his pickup. ?     "Kee's a good guy, Baldwin," he continued.  Ted nodded as he caught the implication in Mancuso's voice.  "He's got five kids.  Talks about them and his wife by the hour.  He meant what he said.  Just make sure you touch base with me and him and everything'll be fine."  Mancuso sighed resignedly.  "Go see your wife."
     "I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours are from two until ten p.m.," the receptionist at the front desk said in a dry, bureaucratic tone of voice.  Ted stared at the receptionist.  The bouquet of flowers held in his hand began to shake as his temper went from cool to simmer. ?     "I was told I could see my wife at any time," he replied.  "Her name is Darlene Baldwin.  I'd like to see her now." ?     The receptionist looked rebellious for a few moments, then turned to her computer terminal.  She pecked at the keys for a moment, then peered closely at the computer screen.  Ted's eyes wandered as he struggled to keep his annoyance in check.  His eyes fell on a sign behind the receptionist's counter that read VISITING HOURS DAILY 2:00PM TO 10:00PM.  He sighed and looked at his watch.  It was just approaching eleven in the morning.  The idea of fighting hospital officialdom was not something he relished, but waiting for three hours until visiting time began was unpalatable as well.  He gathered himself to plead his case. ?     "Darlene Baldwin, you said?"  She tapped at the keys some more.  Another of the receptionists slipped beside her and whispered something in her ear.  She gave a start and looked up at Ted. ?     "Oh."  For a moment she stared at the terminal like she had never seen one like it before.  Then she lifted her chin and stared at Ted with the same peculiar expression.  "Uh, okay, you can go right in.  Just sign this entry form and we'll give you a pass."

[etropacip]

must mention this site http://www.lances66.co.uk/

[Author]

Posts