Chapter 70 Eddie

70

Eddie

I can drive. I mean, I can really drive.

But I had nothing compared to Bloch.

She tore through Queens, onto the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge over the East River and onto Randalls and Wards Islands and hit one hundred miles an hour over the Harlem River. I could see Lake holding on to the handle above the passenger door, his body being thrown around as Bloch cornered coming off the bridge and onto FDR Drive.

It was all I could do to stay a hundred yards behind her. I could hardly breathe, and I had to slow down twice to wipe the tears out of my eyes.

I called Kate and Denise from the car, told them to get to the hospital right away.

Told them I'd got the call.

The call we had all dreaded for so long. That nurse in the hospital I'd spoken to before – she had been trying to prepare me for the worst.

And now the worst was happening.

Denise and Kate were closer, and they said they would meet us there.

Traffic on the FDR caused Bloch to weave in and out of lanes and I lost her twice.

By the time we pulled onto Madison Avenue, it had been ten minutes since I'd seen Bloch's Jeep.

But I saw it double-parked outside the hospital and I pulled up behind it.

As I ran inside the hospital, I tried to remember if I had even closed the door to the Mustang, never mind locked it. I had the keys in my hands.

I couldn't think.

It didn't matter.

All that mattered was Harry.

All that mattered was that I made it in time to say goodbye.

I hadn't been there when my father died. I was in the hospital with him and my mom for days. She sent me out of his room to get something from the vending machines. When I came back in, he was gone. My mom knew he was going, and didn't want me to have to watch his last few minutes. She was trying to save me pain, and I didn't blame her for that. But I wished I had been there for him.

I wished I could have held his hand.

I wanted more than anything to hold Harry's hand right then.

There were people waiting at the elevators, and I ran right past, burst open the stairwell doors and started climbing, taking the stairs two at a time, three at a time, grabbing the rail on the landings and hurling my body around them, up more flights, my heart pounding, gasping for air, up again, counting off the floors in my mind. I couldn't speak, no air, sweat and tears streaming down my face as I burst through the doors of Harry's floor and sprinted down the corridor, my shoes sliding on the polished tiles. The door to his room was open and nurses were surrounding the bed. Lake stood outside and I rushed past him.

Bloch stood at the back of the room. There were four nurses around Harry's bed, hovering over him. Kate was among them. She was crying.

I couldn't speak. I had no air.

‘Can you believe they won't let me have one glass of bourbon in this goddamn hospital?' said Harry.

Two of the nurses stepped away from the bed.

Harry was sitting up. Eyes open, wide awake.

One of the nurses turned to me and said, ‘I'm Chantelle. Sorry, I was talking to your partner Kate – I think maybe you misinterpreted my message. I'm really sorry. He woke up shouting for you and for a drink. He hasn't been rude to the staff at all – he's just really disturbing the other patients and we thought you could calm him down. I think it's the drugs that's making him react this way . . .'

It was only then I noticed Kate was smiling as the tears fell over her cheeks.

I still couldn't speak. I had no breath, but even if I could have talked I had no idea what I'd say. The nurses moved away from the bed and gently I put my head on Harry's shoulder. He put his arms around me.

‘I love you too, kid,' he said.

Something sharp drove into the small of my back. I didn't care. Then something wet licked my face.

‘Clarence, my boy,' said Harry, as the dog licked his face too and I heard Denise screaming with sheer joy.

‘Could I ask you all to be quiet,' said Chantelle.

‘I'll get him some bourbon,' said Bloch.

‘It's not allowed in the hospital,' said Chantelle.

‘Lady, either you owe us all about a thousand dollars in speeding tickets, or you can let her go get this man a drink so we can shut him the hell up,' said Kate.

Chantelle apologized again, said one small drink wouldn't hurt, and left the room.

I closed my eyes.

And held my friend.