He looked back at Domino.
‘Who did you tell?’
‘W-w-what?
‘Who did you tell? You told somebody about me. That’s how they knew. They were after me, goddammit. Don’t you get it? They suckered me by setting up my best friend. They told him it was all right if I came with him. Not Arch, not Papa, or Friscoe. Me.’
He jabbed his wounded hand at her. ‘You blew the whistle on me. You gave somebody my name.’
He was shaking almost uncontrollably and he began to sweat again.
‘They were gonna cut them off. Those crazy goddamn monkeys were gonna cut all my fingers off, one at a time, until I told them where you were. Can you believe that, hunh? Cut off all my fingers. Now what’s his name?’
‘Please,’ she said. She was crying hard. ‘Please, let us help you.,
‘Only one way to help me. Gimme the name. Just say it.’
His fingers pressed into her arm.
‘DeLaroza,’ she whispered. ‘Victor DeLaroza.’ It was all happening too fast. Could Donald also be part of ii? Of course — he had to be. It was Donald she had given Sharky’s name to, not DeLaroza. And yet, could there be an explanation? She needed time, time to reason it out.
Sharky began to sag, like a drunk losing control. It was almost an anticlimax, hearing it. ‘Shit,’ he said inanely. ‘Wouldn’t you know it? I never even heard of the motherfucker.’ He looked at Livingston. ‘You gotta promise me, Arch, promise me you won’t go after them without me. Tell Friscoe, tell him nobody’s stealin’ my melons this time.’
‘Sure, Shark, just take it easy.’
‘Promise me, damn it.’
‘I promise.’
‘Don’t let him flush it at roll call. Make him hold off, okay?’
‘Right.’
‘All I need.. . see, I need. . . couple hours’ sleep. .
He took a step towards Livingston and his legs went. He sagged into the black man’s arms.
‘Shit, where’s everybody going?’ he said and passed out.
When Sharky awoke the first time, Twigs was sitting by the bed with his black bag open, taking his blood pressure. Sharky looked around the room and it was filled with fog. Vaguely, faces appeared and disappeared through the mist.
What the hell you doin’ here, Twigs?’ Sharky said. ‘Am I dead?’
‘Not quite. But I can’t remember anybody recently who tried any harder.’
‘I’m okay. Just, uh. . . just . Tired?
‘Yeah, that’s it.’
‘Sure, just a little tired. In a state of shock. Blood pressure reads like a basketball score. Nothing at all.’
He took a hypodermic needle out of the bag.
‘Whatcha gonna do?’ Sharky said fuzzily.
‘Antibiotics. Also got to get a little snooze juice in you.’
‘Doandothat. . . gottastay. . . wake. ..‘
‘You got someplace to go at five in the morning?
‘Nawbdystealenm’melons...’
‘Sure.’
‘Right here, buddy.’
‘Doand. . . nuthin . . . outme. . ...‘
‘Right.’
‘Is be going to be all right?’ Domino said.
‘He’s got the constitution of a horse. Didn’t lose as much blood as I thought. Just keep him warm so he doesn’t go into shock. If he makes it until noon he’ll live forever.’
‘I’ll keep him warm,’ she said.
He felt the needle enter his arm, felt the warmth from its fluid flooding his body. The room did a Little dance for him and he faded out again.
He was dreaming. A crazy dream without form, Faces floated in and out of focus. The Nosh. The fat man on the junk. And Domino, like a face looking at him through smoke. He was on fire. And then suddenly he felt cold and began to shiver.
‘It’s all right, it’s all right,’ she said, and he opened his eyes. There was only one light in the room, a lamp in the corner. He had a hard time separating light and shadow. Another chill passed over him.
‘Easy,’ she said. She was talking softly and he felt her hands moving over his body.
‘Cold,’ he said.
‘It’s alcohol,’ she said. ‘I’m trying to break your fever.’
His lips felt scorched and his throat was like dust. He could hardly swallow.
She put her hand under his head and lifted him halfway up and held a glass of cold water against his lips. He gulped at it.
‘Not too much,’ she said. She reached over to the night table, to a bowl of ice cubes, and wrapped one in a washcloth, holding it against his lips.
‘Just suck on it,’ she said, and lowered his head back to the pillow.
She poured more alcohol in her hands and spread it on his chest, .moving her hands easily and lightly over his hot skin.
He closed his eyes. The fire was going out. He could feel it leaving his body.
‘Hey,’ he said, without opening his eyes.
‘Hey,’ she said back.
‘Sorry.’
‘For what? Saving my life?’
‘Slapping you. Dumb move.’
‘Please, it’s all right.’
‘No. I think....’
The words drifted off, as thou,1 he had fallen asleep. She touched his cheek, then his forehead. He seemed cooler. She started to move away but his fingers closed on her wrist.
‘I thought you were asleep again,’ she said.
‘No. What I think. I think maybe it was jealousy.’ ‘Sharky, you don’t —,
‘You gotta understand about 1’he Nosh. He shouldn’t have even been —‘
She put her fingertips to his lips.
‘Don’t, please. Arch told me abut him. I’m sorry. I’m so very, very sorry.’
Tears flooded her eyes and she turned her face away from him. Her throat started to close up and she knew it would be difficult to say any more.
‘Point is, gotta stop them, okay?’
‘Oh, yes.’ She leaned back towards him and the tears dribbled down her cheeks and fell on his chest. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. Then he reached up and brushed them away with his thumb.
‘Don’t.’
‘I want to tell you about it. You have a right to know. It was like’ — she swallowed and wanted to stop crying but the tears kept coming — ‘it was like...’
He pulled her gently down until her cheek lay against his chest. The tears poured down over him.
‘He was very good to me. For a long time. And I felt. . . I couldn’t believe he could.. . could. .
‘All I wanted was the name. What happened. . . what was between you.. . none of my business.’
‘But I want it to be.’
‘Baby, I don’t care.’
‘Oh, God,’ she said. ‘I just want it to be over. I want it to be over with them. I don’t want to see Neil again. I —‘
He rubbed her neck with a weak hand.
‘Soon.’
And he fell asleep again.
The room was dark. She had turned out the light. He reached over and felt her beside him and sighed.
‘Do you need anything?’ she said.
‘Feeling better,’ he said. ‘Just pooped. What time is it? He felt her hand cross his chest and she moved close to him. For the first time he realized they were both naked. He put his hand on top of hers.
‘Don’t worry about the time.’
‘You feel good. Soft. And warm.’
He felt her cold hand on his forehead.
‘You’ve still got a little fever,’ she said. ‘But it’s going down.’
‘Yeah.’
She moved her hand on top of his and closed her fingers around it, squeezing it. Her head moved closer to him. He could feel her hair against the side of his face and he moved it closer to her.
‘Thanks for taking care of me,’ he said.
‘Ummm.’
‘Shhh.’
‘No.’
‘Go back to sleep.’
‘I want to tell you. I, uh. . . before I flake out again.
About The Nosh. It’s okay. Everything just got screwed up.’
‘Please. Go to sleep.’
‘Yeah. That time in the market, when I first talked to you, I, uh...’
He moved his head closer to her, and lying there in the lark, he began to drift again and a moment before he fell asleep he said, ‘I love you.’