'Corbett, what in the hell is going onhere?'
Still half-dazed, Harry turned toward thevoice. Caspar Sidonis stood several feet away, hands on hips, his expressionpinched and angry.
'I don't know what you're talking about,'Harry managed. 'But right now I'm a little busy. You see, my — '
'I'm talking about Evie, dammit!' Sidonissnapped. 'Oh, never mind.'
He pushed past Harry and into the room.Richard Cohen, the neurosurgeon, was again checking Evie's eyes. Sue Jilson wason the other side of the bed adjusting the IV.
'Dick, what happened here?' Sidonis asked.
'Oh, hi, Caspar. This woman a patient ofyours?'
'No. She's. . she's a close friend.'
'Well, her husband is right over th — '
'I don't want to hear from him, Dick. Iwant to hear from you. Tell me what happened.'
It was a demand, not a request. Cohen,taken aback by the physician's aggressiveness, quickly regained his composure.
'You know she was pre-op for repair of aberry?'
'Yes, yes. Of course I know.'
'Well, a little while ago, Sue Jilson,here, came in and found her unresponsive, with one blown pupil and a systolicpressure of over three hundred. We've thrown the whole pharmacy at her andwe've still had a bitch of a time getting her pressure down to one-thirty,where it is now. Meanwhile, her other pupil's blown. She has bilateralpapilledema indicative of massive intracranial pressure, and she's posturing.'
'Jesus.' Sidonis looked shaken.
From the doorway, Harry watched, stunned,as the cardiac surgeon reached down and took one of Evie's hands gently in his.Then, with his other hand, he caressed her cheek. Richard Cohen looked onnonplussed. Sue Jilson was wide-eyed.
'Dick, does she have any chance at all?'Sidonis asked.
To any physician, let alone one ofSidonis's pedigree, the answer to the question was inescapable. Theneurosurgeon looked at him queerly.
'I … um … I don't think so, Caspar,'he said. 'We're waiting to take her down for a CT and an EEG.'
'Was he in here with her?' Sidonisgestured toward the doorway.
'Pardon?'
It was only now that Harry shook off hisown reluctant fascination with what was transpiring and moved into the room. Asfar as he knew, Sidonis and Evie might have met in passing at some staff partyor other. But certainly she had never spoken of the man.
'Caspar, do you know my wife?'
Sidonis whirled like a startled cat. 'Youknow damn well I do. Were you in here with her before. . before thishappened?'
'Of course I was with her. She's my wife.Now, just what in the hell — '
'Dick, was anyone else in here after him?'
'What?'
'I said, was anyone else in here with Evieafter Corbett?' Sidonis was nearly shouting.
'Caspar, calm down. Calm down,' Cohensaid. 'Let's go out in the hall and talk.'
'Leaving the respiratory technicianbehind, the three physicians left the room, followed by Sue Jilson.
'Now, what's this all about?' Cohenwhispered. 'Does this have something to do with the meeting this morning?'
Sidonis's fury was barely under control.He spoke loudly, without regard for Maura Hughes, her brother, or the tworesidents standing nearby.
'All I asked was whether anyone else cameinto this room between the time Corbett — excuse me, Dr. Corbett — left,and the time Evie was found.'
'I think I can answer that question,' SueJilson said. 'There was no one else. Dr. Corbett didn't leave untileight-forty-seven. That's in my notes. The only way on to the hall after eightis through the elevators and past the nurse's station. Officer Hughes — that'sMaura's brother, the man with her over there — arrived on the floor aroundnine-thirty, but we were already in with Mrs. Corbett. You can check with AliceBroglio, the other nurse on the floor, but I'm sure she'll confirm what I'vesaid.'
'I knew it.' Sidonis's fists wereclenched.
'Caspar, will you please tell us what thisis all about,' Cohen demanded.
'Ask him.'
'Harry?'
'I have no idea what's going on,' Harrysaid.
'Bullshit,' Sidonis snapped. 'Evie wasleaving you to be with me, and you know it. She told you so last night at therestaurant she took you to. The SeaGrill. See, I even know the place. Now, whatdid you do to her?'
'You son of a bitch — '
Harry's burst of anger and hatred wasalmost immediately washed away by a consuming despair. There was no reason forhim to doubt what he was hearing. Evie and goddamn Caspar Sidonis. Suddenly, somuch made sense. The months and months of coolness and distance. The odd hoursshe kept. The trips out of town. The excuses for avoiding sex. Yesterday'scryptic call. 'Harry, I need to talk to you'. . Sidonis!
You're lying, he wanted to shout. You sonof a bitch, you're lying! But he knew the man wasn't. For months he hadfelt as if he was battling a persistent, inexplicable sadness. Now heunderstood what he was really responding to. Without another word, he left thegroup and walked back into room 928.
'Give me a minute, will you?' he said tothe respiratory technician. 'I'll call you if there's any problem.'
He turned off the bright overhead light,pulled a chair to Evie's bedside, and sat down. Beside him, the ventilatorwhirred softly, then delivered a jet of oxygen-enriched air into Evie's lungs,paused, then whirred again. It had been nearly ten years since they first met. Tenyears. They had been fixed up by a mutual friend who felt certain that eachwas exactly what the other needed. Harry would acquire adventure, spontaneity,and some stamps in his nearly barren passport. Evie would get some desperatelyneeded serenity and stability. She would be the sail, he the rudder. And it hadworked, too. At least for a while. In the end, though, she never was able tochange in the ways she had hoped to. She just. . just wanted more. That'sall.
'Dammit, Evie,' he said softly, 'whycouldn't you at least have talked to me? Told me what was going on? Whycouldn't you have given us a chance?'
He reached through the bedrail and tookher hand. It had been stupid and naive to believe she could become a differentperson — or even that she truly wanted to.
A hand settled gently on his shoulder.
'Harry, are you okay?'
Doug Atwater looked down at him withconcern.
'Huh? Oh hi, Doug. Actually, no. No, I'mnot okay at all.'
'What's with Sidonis? He's over at thenurse's station right now, phoning the medical examiner and the police. I askedhim what was going on, and he just glared at me. For a moment I thought he wasgoing to tell me to go screw myself.'
Harry shook his head. This was anightmare. The medical examiner. . the police. .
'Doug, I don't know what's going on.Evie's aneurysm has blown. She's not going to make it.'
'Oh, God.'
'Sidonis just announced that he's beensleeping with her and that she was going to leave me for him. He thinks shetold me so last night, but she didn't.'
'Oh, Harry. I'm so sorry, pal.'
'Yeah. What are you doing here at thishour anyway?'
'Anneke and I were at a film. I just stoppedby to pick up some papers, and the guard downstairs told me what was going on.I left Anneke in my office and came up here. Why is Sidonis calling thepolice?'
Harry loosened his grasp and moved awayfrom the bed. The thought of Caspar Sidonis touching his wife was at oncesaddening and repulsive.
'I was the last one in with her. He mustthink. . actually, I don't give a shit what he thinks.'