Chapter 37
"Hershey," Rickie said.
"Rickie?"
It was just the two of them, Hirschfeld startled by her sudden appearance in his private room in the wing which he had helped to fund.
"I had a vision of the mother of God the other day," she said. "I finally remembered what she said the secret of life is. The secret is love."
"Rickie, you're soaking wet. What is that? You're covered with blood! How did you get in here looking like that?"
"Your nurse's station is empty. And there was a big disturbance outside in the alley," she said. "Everybody on the main floor was too busy with that to notice me."
The private room on the third floor of the Medical Center was very still, save for the faint prattling of rain on the window. On a table within easy reach, Hirschfeld kept a cell phone, an orange vial of pills, a water bottle and a box of tissues. Hirschfeld, impressively wired and tubed and attached to a complex array of machinery, resembled something more cyborg than human. His eyes traveled hopefully to the door of his room.
"Those two men you hired to hurt me won't be coming by any time soon," she said. "On account of they're both fighting for their lives this very minute down in the Emergency Room. The one with the box cutter went down first. The other one with the full bladder tried to run for it, but he didn't make it. It happened very fast. There was a lot of blood and urine. I didn't realize how much blood could come from one human being. They say we only hold seven pints, but it looks like a lot more when it's running down the street."
"Rickie, I--"
"--I have something for you. Something you're not going to like, but something you deserve all the same." She reached her hand into the Gelson's shopping bag. Hirschfeld's eyes went wide. Her hand withdrew, clutching the stiffened corpse of Just Plain Dot.
"This is your first victim who died as a result of your evil actions," she said. "A poor, crippled cat. But its death served a high purpose. It brought me back here to bring you the punishment you deserve. Your punishment is going to be living the rest of your life knowing I've fallen in love with Shank and am living happily ever after in a big white house on a hill while you rot in your own evil juices." She placed the stiffened, somewhat foul-smelling cat on his chest, and watched the revulsion steal over his features. With trembling hands, he reached for his vial, fumbled the cap off and got a pill under his tongue before closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "Because I remembered what Our Lady told me. She was a beautiful lady, with dark hair and very fine skin. She told me love is the answer."
"Rickie, he whispered. "I guess I went a little over the top after you attempted to shoot me. I've done a lot of thinking. It's like we've been in a storm and the eye is passing over us right now. Maybe it's a time of renewal. Maybe we can change."
"How's your heart?"
"Damaged," he said. "A myocardial infarction surrounding the right atrium. The muscle has suffered some loss of function. I'm on a trial medication. Dr. Lerner says I may get fair results if I'm lucky."
Rickie nodded.
"I've got to know something, Rickie. The two men I sent after you. How did you get them?"
"I can't tell you that. Let's just say their negative energy finally attracted something incredibly fast and sharp into their lives."
"They're family. The underboss will kill the man responsible."
"They can't kill someone who's already dead. But if they want to try, they're more than welcome."
"What do you mean? Rickie, you're talking crazy!"
"Hershey, I want you to know I never really loved you. I'm filing for divorce. If you're smart, you won't fight it. I think it's time you canceled the contract on my life. I'm putting everything in a letter to the police. If any harm comes to me, my lawyer will come after you. For the time being, I'm taking over The Dell. I don't want to see you there."
"Okay," he said. "Okay. You win. It's over as far as I'm concerned."
Shank stepped into the room. "It's not over as far as I'm concerned. Rickie, leave us alone."
"Shank, you're drunk. I want you to get out of here."
"Hirschfeld, do you want to die in your bed, or do you want to get up and take it like a man?" Casually, Shank reached into his pocket, coming out with his taser in one hand and his Colt Commander .45 in the other. "Sorry. There's no fifty grand prize this time."
"No," Rickie said. "We can't kill him. He's got a bad heart muscle. Love is the answer. That's what Our Lady told me. Shank, you've got to listen to me."
Shank pointed the taser. Rickie grabbed his hand. Hirschfeld's mouth fell open but no sound came out. The taser fired with a loud pop.
Epilogue
"Good coffee," Shank said. "You brew a mean pot."
"It's part of my healing," Rickie said. "Dr. Black said I have to take back The Dell, beginning with the kitchen. I still haven't been able to go upstairs to where Just Plain Dot died, but I think I'll be ready soon."
He stood up and drained his cup. "We'd better get going. The funeral is set for eleven and it's already after nine."
"I'm not going," Rickie said. "I can't go. Not after all that's happened."
"Look," Shank said. "I know it's hard, but you have to. It's not about what you feel inside. It's about your place in society. We live in a world of rituals. No matter whether or not they offend you."
"I still feel like I killed him."
"You didn't fire the taser. I did."
"We both did," Rickie said. "Both of us had our hands on the button. It was a senseless, idiotic mess. Our Lady told me all I needed was love. I went to Hirschfeld's room to try and forgive him, and I wound up acting as executioner."
"Let's be glad we didn't kill Hirschfeld, even though we tried. He was just incredibly lucky your cat caught the darts."
"I have to admit I'm glad Hirschfeld isn't dead, but I am not proud we tased a dead cat. It was horrible the way it caused her stiff dead body to evacuate its juices like that. I'll never forget the smell."
"Hirschfeld was lucky. When his heart failed and all those monitors went off, it was amazing how fast those technicians rushed into the room. Perhaps that was God's way of closing my window of opportunity and calling off his death by large caliber bullets."
"Yeh, too bad about his second heart attack, but I think Hirschfeld got the point. Dr. Lerner said they managed to save him, but he'll never be fully recovered. He's on the list for a transplant. Until then, the best he can hope for is to live very carefully, one day at a time."
"That's the best any of us can hope for," Shank said. "At least we can be fairly certain he will never bother you again. Most likely, seeing as how he's an alky, he won't be able to stand being confined and go on a bender and finish the job himself."
"Shank, I've changed my mind. I'm going to the funeral. It's the least I can do for Just Plain Dot. I just wish I didn't feel so guilty about treating her with such indignity."
"Let's admit we've got a long way to go," Shank said. "I'm going back into the program right after the funeral. I'm also going to confession."
"Okay," Rickie said. "For me, I'm going to continue working with Dr. Black, trying to sort things out. I'm also going to start running again in a few weeks. The running will help me think things through. I'm not sure about confession, but maybe I'll try and visit AA with you."
"Don't judge yourself too harshly," Shank said. "One thing I learned in the war is once you're operating outside the envelope of our neatly sanitized little world, different rules apply."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you need to forgive yourself."
"I think I'm actually starting to," Rickie said. "After all, it was the most dangerous time of my life."
"Let's go then. It's a long drive to Calabasas. I hope I don't drive us off the freeway."
"Shank?"
"Yeh?"
; "I think it's about time I started telling you I loved you."
"Does that mean I can start saying I love you back?"
"It does."
He released a slow, lazy smile. "I can hang with that," he said.
The End
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