“How are the boys? And Whiskey?” my mom wanted to know.
Big smile from Julie. “Driving me nuts.”
My dad was looking around. He didn't care about Whiskey and the boys. He was scoping out televisions and vending machines. Good to know where the essentials are in a new environment.
Julie wedged Valerie into a wheelchair and took her away. My parents went with Valerie. Kloughn and I were left to complete the admission ritual. From the corner of my eye I caught site of a black hulking mass, positioned against a wall. Steroidasaurus was still watching over me.
When we satisfied admissions that the bill would be paid, I sent Albert upstairs to be with Valerie and I went over to talk to Cal.
“It's not necessary for you to stay,” I said. “I'm going to be here for a while. When I'm done at the hospital I'm going back to Morelli's house. I don't think I'm in any danger.”
Cal didn't move. Didn't say anything.
I slipped out the emergency room door and called Ranger and filled him in. “So I thought it didn't make sense for Cal to stay here all night while I'm with Valerie.”
“Hospitals don't screen for killers,” Ranger said. “Keep Cal with you.”
“He's scaring people.”
“Yeah,” Ranger said. “He's good at that.”
I disconnected, returned to the emergency room lobby, and went upstairs to look for Valerie. Cal followed close at my heels.
We found Valerie on a gurney, in a hospital gown under a sheet, her stomach a
huge swollen mound on top of her. My mother and father were at her head. Albert was holding her hand. Julie was attaching an ID bracelet onto Valerie's wrist.
“Omigod,” Valerie said. “Unh!” And her water broke.
It was an explosion of water. A tidal wave. We're talking Hoover Dam quantity water. Water everywhere . . . but mostly on Cal. Cal had been standing at the bottom of the gurney. Cal was totally slimed from the top of his head to his knees. It dripped off the end of his nose and ran in rivulets down his bald head.
Valerie drew her legs up, the sheet fell away, and Cal gaped at the sight in front of him.
Julie stuck her head around for a look. “Uh-?oh,” Julie said, “there's a foot sticking out. Guess this is going to be a breech baby.”
That was when Cal fainted. CRASH. Cal went over like he was a giant redwood cut down by Paul Bunyan. Windows rattled and the building shook.
Everyone clustered around Cal.
“Hey,” Valerie yelled. “I'm having a baby here!”
Julie went back to Valerie.
“Is it a girl or a boy?” Valerie wanted to know.
“I don't know,” Julie said, “but it's got big feet. And it's not a puppy.”
A doctor appeared and took charge of Valerie, wheeling her down the hall. Kloughn and my mom followed after Val and the doctor. My father wandered into a room that had a ball game going. And I watched a couple nurses pop ammonia capsules under Cal's snout.
Cal opened his eyes but it didn't look like anyone was home.
“He hit his head pretty hard when he fell,” one of the nurses said. “We should get him checked out.”
Good thing it was his head, I thought. Not a big loss there if it's broken.
It took six people to get Cal onto a stretcher and then they rolled him away in the opposite direction they'd gone with Valerie.
One of the nurses asked if I knew him. I said his name was Cal. That was about it. That was what I knew. I wasn't allowed to use my cell phone in that part of the hospital, so I went outside to call Ranger.