"I guess so. Everybody's making nice-nice now that they think I caved in. Actually, she made a dramatic turnaround. Almost miraculous. One day she's dragging around, next day she's chipper and demanding to go home." A warning bell sounded in the back of Gin's brain.
"When was that? " "Wednesday."
"I wonder, ' Gin said uneasily. "I had a talk with her just the night before and she said she'd heard you were in trouble I
because of her. I remember her saying something like, I won't be a burden to anyone. I'll be out of here sooner than you think." Conway stared at her. "Christ. That'd be just like her." He picked up the phone and called medical records. He got Mrs. Thompson's phone number and dialed. And listened. He redialed and listened again. Then he hung up.
"No answer. I'm going over there."
"She could be out, " Gin said.
"At seven A. M. ? A seventy-eight-year-old lady? " "I'll go with you.
' "You're on duty. I'll let you know how it goes." Gin spent the next hour wondering what Conway would find. When she wasn't thinking about that, it was back to the committee. At one point she found herself dialing her apartment, readying to activate the remote playback on her answering machine.
What am I doing? she thought, and hung up.
It was too early. No one from a senator's office would be calling before ten. Before noon, more likely.
She was about to leave when she was paged by the emergency department.
Dr. Conway was asking for her assistance.
Gin found him standing by the x-ray box, studying a chest film. She took one look at the opacified right lung field and said, "Not Harriet, I hope." Conway nodded. "Found her on her back steps, barely conscious, a bunch of bread crusts in her hand. Looked like she'd gone out to feed the birds last night and collapsed."
"She was out all night? " "Sure as hell looks that way. She's shocky, hypothermic, and hypoxemic, plus", he tapped the chest film, "three fractured ribs and I'll bet that's a hemothorax. I called in Fielding.
He's going to intubate her and put her on a respirator, then it's up to ICU ." He snapped the film off the view box.
"Damn! I never should have sent her home! " "She told you she was fine. What else were you going to do? " "I should have seen through that. I believed her because I wanted to.
I was so damn glad to get the PRO and the rest of them off my back I jumped at the chance to discharge her."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, " Gin said. "Where is she? " Conway jerked a thumb over his shoulder at one of the curtained-off alcoves.
Gin wasn't sure which way to go until she saw Fielding, the pulmonologist, step through a set of curtains and approach the nurses station. She slipped behind the curtains.
Harriet Thompson was almost unrecognizable. The right side of her face was swollen and purple where it must have struck pavement. A ribbed plastic tube curved from the corner of her mouth, connected by a larger tube to a hissing and puffing respirator. Her eyes were half open but they weren't seeing anything. Gin gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze.
'"Hang in there, Harriet, " she said. "You're in good hands." There wasn't much Gin could do. Between Conway and Fielding and the ICU staff, all bases were covered. When she came out, she patted Dr. Conway on the back and wished both him and Harriet good luck.
She got behind the wheel of her Sunbird and rubbed her burning eyes.
She was scheduled to assist Duncan this morning. Despite her fatigue, that had its up side, Time would move faster. But first a shower.
She noticed the message light blinking on her answering machine. She hurried over to it but her finger hesitated, hovering above the replay button. Dread and anticipation swirled through her. Was this it? The big turndown?
She shook herself. She was going off the deep end. No way it could be Marsden's office.
She hit the button. It was Gerry. A rush of warmth filled her at the sound of his voice. He'd been so sympathetic yesterday.
Hi, Gin. It's about eleven now. I forgot you were moonlighting tonight, so you probably won't hear this till tomorrow morning. But I want to remind you to call me as soon as you hear from Marsden's office. the .
It's a good bet you'll be hearing early. When you get word, call me at home. I won't be leaving till around nine. Good luck, but it'll be their good luck to get you. Bye.
How sweet, she thought, smiling as she hit the erase button. And how naive. She wouldn't be hearing early from anyone.
Funny, though, how sure Gerry seemed about the early call. And he was anything but naive.
Gin heard the phone ringing as she stepped out of the shower. Still dripping, she wrapped a towel around herself and rushed to the bedroom to grab it. It was Alicia Downs.
"You're in, Gin." Gin was stunned, speechless for a moment.
"Hello? " Alicia said. "You still there? " "Yes. I'm here. I just can't believe this. I'm in? " "You are. I heard Blair telling one of the secretaries to call you and give you the word. I'm doing it for her. ' "But how, ? " "Don't ask me. I put in my vote for you. I don't know about Blair. All I know is that sometime between last night and this morning the senator made up his mind. You're our new legislative assistant on medical affairs." She felt weak. "This . .
. this is wonderful. Thanks for the call. And for your support. " "Don't thank me. I mean, I think you're a nice person and bright and I'm sure you'll do a good job and all, but I want you for other reasons.
You'll be a good PR asset."
"An asset. Wow." Alicia laughed.
"Hey, you're not just a doctor, you're a bright, attractive, female doctor fresh out of training. You're not Washington.
An outsider, no connections to the bureaucracy. You're now. Your presence shows the senator's got a mind open to fresh ideas from the medical profession." Gin felt herself going cold, and not from the water dripping down her legs.
"Look, if I'm just going to be window dressing, you can tell, " "No way.
Not with this senator. He wants you for your medical expertise. I'm the one who's concerned with appearances."
"That's a relief. I think." She laughed again. "Relax, Gin. You're in. And you're in with one of the good guys. I've been earning my living up here for twenty years now, and Senator Marsden is the first guy in a long time to restore my faith in the electoral process. I can't tell you what a joy it is to polish the image of a guy you really like. ' "That's good to hear. Really good."
"Then I take it you accept? " "Of course I do." Great. Our staff is meeting here tomorrow at ten A. M. t sharp.
I hope you don't have any major plans for the weekend."
"Well, nothing firm." She'd been hoping she and Gerry might get together.
"Good. With the hearings opening next week, you can expect to work through the weekend. Welcome aboard. See you tomorrow." Gin hung up and stood in the center of her bedroom, grinning foolishly, absently toweling herself off as she let the reality sink in.
"I'm in. I . . . am . . . in! " She pumped her fist into the air.
"Yes! " As she dried her hair, she began to dance around, shuffling into the front room, blindly turning, gyrating, undulating her hips in time to a regge tune on the radio.
Here she is, ladies and gentlemen! The latest, the greatest, the hottest legislative assistant in the nation's capital, dancing under her stage name, Pasta Primavera, with her own exclusive interpretation of the Hill Rat Hustle!
Gin lowered the towel from her hair and found herself in front of the bay window, standing nude as a jaybird over Kalorama Road.