Katherina listened in silence to Jon's description of the law office environment as they drove out to the State University Hospital. He talked non-stop until they reached the hospital, but he seemed to sink back in his seat the moment he turned off the engine and stopped his complaints. He looked as if he'd just awakened from a dream and needed time to figure out where he was before he could continue. They sat in the car for a moment, staring through the windscreen at the grey hospital building, before Katherina got out and Jon followed.
'He's been moved to a private room,' explained the nurse behind the counter.
'Is he all right?' asked Katherina in alarm.
'Yes, yes,' the nurse assured them. 'He's fine. We just thought it was better for him to have his own room, considering his condition. He's had quite a shock, but he's getting better, especially after that young man brought some books for him.' She smiled.
'Pau?' asked Katherina.
'I didn't get his name. He was here yesterday, a young man, he was bald, and wearing those baggy trousers that seem to be in style these days.'
Katherina nodded.
'You'll find Svend Iversen in room five-twelve,' the nurse said, pointing down the hall to her left. 'He's alone now.'
They thanked her and walked down the corridor she'd indicated.
'How thoughtful of him,' said Jon in a low voice.
'Yes, it's not like Pau,' replied Katherina.
They stopped at the door to room 5-12, and Jon knocked. There was no response, so Jon knocked again, this time louder. Katherina thought she heard a rhythmic banging from inside the room, like two pieces of metal being slammed together.
'Iversen?' said Jon, pushing open the door. 'It's us, Katherina and…'
From the doorway they both had a full view of the small private room, which had space enough for only the hospital bed and a couple of visitors' chairs. The curtains were open and light was streaming in through the window and onto the white bedclothes, almost blinding them.
Iversen was sitting in the bed, his back erect and his right hand gripping the bed rail, which was rattling frantically because his whole body was shaking so violently. He was foaming at the mouth, and a disturbing hissing sound was escaping from his lips as saliva sprayed out with each spasmodic breath. Even scarier were his eyes, which were open wide and staring down at the duvet in front of him without seeing a thing.
'Iversen!' shouted Katherina and ran over to the bed, followed by Jon.
When they got closer, they could see that a book lay open in Iversen's lap. His left hand was holding the volume, gripping it tightly in spite of all the shaking. Jon reached for the book, but Iversen had such a grip on it that he couldn't wrest it from him. His body shook even harder, and Jon had to let go. He promptly grabbed the pillow from behind Iversen's back and pressed it down over the book, hiding the pages from the man's wild eyes.
As if Jon had turned a switch, the shaking stopped and Iversen's eyelids slowly closed as his old body sank back against the bed. His breathing was still fast and irregular, but the awful wheezing sound was gone.
'Go get the nurse,' said Jon as he removed the pillow and tore the book out of Iversen's hand.
Katherina dashed out into the hall and headed for the nurses' station, which suddenly seemed very far away.
'Help!' she cried loudly as she ran. She was quickly out of breath from running and shouting at the same time, but she didn't stop, even when the nurse came into view. She shouted again, motioning to the woman.
'Iversen,' she gasped, pointing back towards the room. 'He's had… he's had an attack.'
The nurse started running while Katherina stayed where she was, bending over and supporting herself against the wall to catch her breath. The blood was roaring in her ears as she gasped for air and her fingers began to tingle. Slowly she straightened up and stared in both directions. Patients were peering inquisitively from the doorways, some in wheelchairs, others wearing robes or hospital gowns. A doctor came running past her with a stethoscope bouncing round his neck.
Katherina clung to the railing along the wall as she walked back. With each step she looked around, studying the faces of the people who had begun to crowd into the hall. Everyone wore expressions of surprise and concern. Some whispered to each other as she passed, but no one was behaving suspiciously or tried to slip away.
Back at Iversen's room, they had hooked him up to an ECG, and the sound of his heartbeat cut through the room like a knife. The doctor was bending over the patient while the nurse adjusted the dials on the machine. Jon stood a few steps away from the bed, studying the scene with a worried look. In his hands was the book that Iversen had held on his lap.
Slowly the patient's heartbeat began to slow, and the doctor straightened up so that Katherina could see Iversen lying in bed. His face was white and his eyes were closed. His right hand was still holding the bed rail, but as she watched, it released its grip and dropped onto the bed.
'He's okay now,' said the doctor with relief.
Katherina went to stand next to Jon with her hands pressed to her cheeks. He put his arm round her shoulder and gave her a brief hug. It felt nice, and she leaned against him.
'I've given him a sedative,' explained the doctor, casting a quick glance in their direction and then looking back at his patient. 'He'll sleep for the next five hours. But he seems to be stable now.'
'What happened?' asked Jon.
'It was probably a panic attack,' said the doctor, sounding as if he believed it. 'It happens sometimes with patients who have gone through a traumatic experience. They relive the event, which can provoke a panic attack like this. It can be dangerous for a man his age.' The doctor nodded at them. 'It was lucky you were here, otherwise it might have ended with a heart attack.'
'And there's nothing else that might have provoked it?'
The doctor shook his head. 'That's very unlikely. The patient suffered no serious physical injuries in the fire, he has no lesions or any sign of a concussion, so I would rule out any other causes.'
Jon and Katherina exchanged glances.
'Can we stay with him?' Katherina asked the nurse.
'If you like. But as the doctor told you, he won't wake up for at least five hours.'
'We'll stay.'
Jon went to buy provisions while Katherina stayed at Iversen's bedside. She listened to his breathing. It was calm and regular. His face wore a peaceful expression, a sharp contrast to the wild grimace that had frightened her so badly only a short time ago. Of the two of them, Iversen was undoubtedly the one who felt most comfortable being there. Katherina didn't like hospitals, especially hospitals where they couldn't feel safe from attacks by receivers. She couldn't think of any other explanation – a receiver had to be involved, and Jon's expression had told her he'd come to the same conclusion.
It couldn't be a very nice way to die.
The image of Iversen's face, contorted with pain and fear, kept returning over and over again to her mind, and she regretted sending Jon off while she remained here alone.
The feeling of guilt resurfaced. She thought she was over it, but Luca's death and now this incident with Iversen had summoned up unpleasant memories. It was something that had happened so long ago, and for years she had kept the memory at bay, but it was like trying to cover rust with paint – sooner or later it would break through. She discovered that she was sitting there rubbing her chin, the spot where the scar had formed a small cleft.
The door opened, and Jon cautiously tiptoed inside with a plastic bag in his hand.