The Tolerance Wars - 10
what the elevator said
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begin at the beginning—Chapter 1
The Tolerance Wars
10.
what the elevator said
“So what the hell are you into anyway? And howcome people are shooting at you?”
“Honestly? I don’t really know. And I’m not sure they were shooting at me.”
“Alright shooting in your general direction then. It’s still not a good thing.”
We were on our way to the hospital. To visit a sick friend. That’d be the one who’d tried to blow us up. Or not. As opposed to my smart-lady scientist friend who’d told the cops that we’d just happened to be passing by when the shooting happened. Which was true, as far as it went. Maybe.
The gendarmes seemed to be thinking it was a random whacko drive-by moment spilling out from the party zone. Which was quite possible, frankly. Word of a good time had gone out a couple years back, so people had started coming from miles around to drink and get stupid. Not necessarily in that order. And stupid is as stupid does, so it’d been way out of hand for a long time now. But apparently it was good for business. Town this size and the bars were licensed for five thousand total pissheads within a single block alone. You gotta admire the nerve that cheerfully calls that urban planning. No, for the guys in the cruiser it was just another day at the office.
We headed into the hospital and up to the elevator. Archer hit the button for four. I was clueless, but she sure seemed to know where she was going. I must’ve looked like a question. “I told them I was his daughter.”
She wasn’t saying much. In a way I was glad. More of that kind of weirdness I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear. I was having enough trouble keeping up already. But she’d said she wanted me to come along, so here I was. Dazed and confused. Situation normal.
The fourth floor. At least that’s what the elevator said, but I had no idea how you’d tell. And there wasn’t anybody to ask at the nurse’s desk. So I followed Archer, she found the room. Place was open. We made to go in. And both stopped in the doorway. Private room, guy was lying there, looked asleep. I was kinda surprised he had a visitor, sitting in a chair on the far side from the door. Looked like he’d been there a while. When I recognized who it was it made some kind of sense. Shows how confused I really was.
Sparechange didn’t look up right away. When he did, he took in the two of us, nodded, then went back to watching the man in the bed. “He’s asleep. Had a long night.”
I was looking to follow my friend’s lead, but I think this threw her for a loop. We stood in the doorway the length of a couple of choruses. She didn’t twitch. So I moved first, walked in like I’d come to visit, sat on the chair by the door, took off my jacket and threw it on the back. Hospitals are always warm. “You workin’?” I never know why I say these things.
“Nah man, took the day off. Family’s important.”
Archer unfroze, came in and grabbed the seat on the side of the bed closest to the door, across from Sparechange. “Family?” She sounded surprised. Good to know I wasn’t the only one.
“Uh huh. Known Uncle Alex since I’se a kid.”
I looked over at the man on the bed. Hooked-up, hard-wired and out cold. Hospital light is never kind, but he looked older than he had last night. I tried to do the math. Only I never could figure Sparechange’s age. So anything was possible. What does somebody’s uncle look like anyway?
“Man, was always special when he came to visit, y’know? He’d bring us little stuff from all kinda places. Places I’d never heard of. Make me go an’ look ‘em up, eh? I was always learnin’ things from ‘im. Even when he wasn’t around. My brother figured ‘im for a spy. I knew better. I knew he was superman.” He shook his head. “Funny seein’ ‘im like this.” Buddy didn’t take his eyes off the guy.
“Is he gonna be okay?” She sounded genuinely concerned.
“He’s strong, he’ll make it.”
To my ear that sounded more like faith than medicine, but the man had been there a while, I just got here. “He’s your uncle?” I was still trying to make that fit.
“Yeah.” Then something clicked and he slowly lifted his eyes from the guy on the bed to look straight at me. Like he was seeing me for the first time. Ever. Felt like a couple of hours passed. I don’t think he blinked. I know I did. When he finally spoke it seemed to come from the other side of the world. “Who wants to know?”
I opened my mouth hoping an answer would come out, but Archer was there first. “We were there last night, when he got shot.”
“Any idea why?” He was still looking at me, looking for some kind of answer, to a question he hadn’t asked me. Still hadn’t blinked.
“You tell me.” I found my voice but I still felt like I was pinned in place. “Who’d wanna shoot superman?”
“Bad guys, man.” He snorted and shook his head, letting me go, and turned his attention back to the man himself. “Nothin’ but bad guys.”
I was relieved he wasn’t so interested in me anymore. My eyes followed his, down to the uncle. I remembered what he’d said in the alley back when. “Hard times, man.”
He nodded without looking up. “Ain’t nothin’ but trouble comes from hard times.”
I still wasn’t convinced, but it didn’t seem like the time to argue the point. Quiet settled in for a few minutes and none of us moved. Like some kinda painting. Still life with oxygen. Finally Sparechange came up for air. “He’s gonna be out for a while. I need a butt. You holding?”
I only had a couple left, but half of what’s mine is my brother’s. I nodded. “C’mon I’ll join ya.” I stood up and nodded to the door.
He didn’t move for a beat or two, eyes on the man in the bed, like he was looking for something. Then he took a deep breath and sighed. Then, “Ya mon.” and he stood up. But he didn’t move from beside the bed. “Like t’be here when he comes to.”
“Be out for a while?”
He looked at me. Only this time he knew who I was. That was a relief. “Yeah. C’mon, we should let ‘im get to it.” And he walked to the doorway and out of the room without looking back.
I followed behind, figured Archer would join or not, her call. I caught up with Sparechange at the nurse’s desk. I looked back and saw there’d be three of us. She had that thinking look on her, but she was coming with. Nobody said a word while the elevator took its time. We were silent while the doors opened and we got in. It wasn’t until we were downstairs and outside that any of us said anything. It was me. “Oh man! I forgot my jacket.” I couldn’t afford to lose it, so I pitched the pack at Sparechange. “Leave me one. I’ll be right back.” I hauled it back inside.
It took a while for the elevator to make it down to the ground floor. Long enough that I actually considered the stairs, but figured I’d probably get lost, so I stayed with the safe route. I knew enough to press the button for four. And I sort of remembered I wanted to turn to the right when I got there.
The doors opened and I stepped out. Still nobody at the nurse’s desk, probably short-handed as usual. I turned right. Or was it left? No it was right.
I sort of remembered the room, but wasn’t sure until I saw my jacket on the back of the chair where I’d left it. I was still in the hall when I heard a voice from the inside.
“What the hell happened here!?!”
Someone was plenty upset. Then I heard the crash bar of the fire door at the end of the hallway. Sounded like somebody didn’t want to wait for the elevator. I caught a flash of movement. Man, they really were in a hurry, like the parking gods were after them. And hospital parking gods are particularly nasty. It took a second to register that I actually recognized the person disappearing into the stairwell. For a moment I was stunned. Again. Our friend the blond. Please feel secure. The door clanged shut behind him.
“He was fine a minute ago! What the hell is this!?” Whatever was going on in there it was plenty not good. I started running toward the end of the hall and the stairs. I heard the sound of people moving quickly behind me, now more voices in the room. I knew if something stupid just happened and anyone saw me right now I was gonna have some explaining to do. I kept running.
I got to the end of the hall, pushed the handle on the door, mis-timed it and whacked my head hard before the bar gave way. After which the door opened. Man, this is not how it happens in the movies. Shaking it off, I moved into the stairwell and let the door close behind me. I stood still for a second, listening. Somebody was on their way down to ground level. Somebody in a real hurry.
I took off down the stairs. Eight steps, turn, another eight steps, past the third floor. Eight steps, turn, eight more steps, the second floor had no handle on this side, pass on by, turn, eight steps, turn… I heard a door open just below me and caught a flash of movement and daylight before the door slammed shut. Keep moving, eight steps two at a time, turn, bang into the wall, I could see the door ahead of me, eight more two at a time, I landed in front of the door and pushed hard on the crash bar.
The moment the door opened and I hurled myself through into the daylight a quiet little voice in my head asked, “What the hell am I doing?” I didn’t have time for an answer. I got three steps past the door and something hit me from behind. Hard.
I remember thinking I never did get my jacket.
Then everything went black.
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