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She stands by the door with an arm out.
I lean to put my lips close to Mikey’s ear. “Hang in there, Mikey. We’re going to get you well.” I squeeze his hand and I lean closer to stroke his face. I whisper, “And I’m going to crucify the fucker who did this to you.”
A tiny nerve under his eyelid twitches.
“I’ve been there, Mikey. You’re going to be fine.” I’m able to believe it for the time it takes to say it. So I get out of there as fast as I can after that.
I thank the ward sister, without going too close. I reckon she wants to look like the boss here. I tell her, “You’re taking great care of him. Thank you.”
She nods. I say, “I really appreciate what you’re doing but, please. Keep the curtains shut. He’s a very private man. If the world can see him, he won’t want to wake up.”
There are plenty of other reasons I want him to have privacy, but that’s the one that I figure will get the ward sister’s co-operation.
As we move away down the corridor, Alessio and Carlo walk either side of me. I ask Alessio, “How many men have we got around the hospital, protecting Mikey’s room?
“Six altogether.”
“Double it. In fact, make it twenty.” With my voice low, I say, “All our businesses are going to hell, right?”
His lip hardens. “Right.”
I say, “That means we don’t have anything more important to be focussed on.”
He nods. “I’ll put all the best people on it.”
“Our best man is in that hospital bed.”
Then I think of something else. “Yeah, all except for Catlin and Erin. Have them call me.”
Alessio says, “You’re remembering more and more.”
Before he can go on, I say, “I’m remembering an old school friend who’s a hospital administrator.” Then I tell them, “You two need to be getting everybody together.”
Carlo says, “Most of the soldiers we have are out protecting premises and businesses.”
“Waste of time,” I tell him. “Close them all up.”
They both straighten up.
“Until we get all of this turned around, any business we do is just going to be trashed within a day or two.”
Their eyebrows rise. They both nod.
Alessio says, “That’s whats been happening all over,”
“Playing Whack-a-Mole,” I say, “with brush fires breaking out, right?”
They both nod.
“Time to stop that,” I tell them. “You two take cabs. I’ll ride with Bruno when he gets back with Diabolo.”
Carlo says, “You really think they’ll let Diabolo stay in the room?”
I ask him, “Care for a bet?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Iwonder if my old friend Maria is in her office. I call her. And, I’m in luck.
