Chapter 20

Richard said, “Okay, Doc, I think we’ve got the hang of this sling business.”

The doctor left, saying that he would send an orderly with a wheelchair. He also told me to check with him for instructions on the care of my arm and cast, and I assured him that I would do so.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll leave orders with the X-ray department, telling them what to do. All you have to do is stop by when you can.”

Richard, meanwhile, opened the bag and produced pants, shorts, and a short-sleeved shirt, laying them on the gurney beside me. I said, “You’re not just feeding me a line are you, Richard? Charles isn’t really in any danger, is he?”

“I wouldn’t string you along about something like that, Philip. They told me that he really is going to be okay, but it’s going to take a while.”

“It seems only yesterday that I found him. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose him,” I said.

“I know,” Richard said.