Page 44 of Maybe in Another Life

“They made me promise not to warn you,” Gabby says.

Carl rolls his eyes and comes closer to me. “Surprises are better,” he says. He leans down and hugs me lightly. Tina is right behind him. As he moves out of the way, she takes position. She smells like vanilla.

“Thank you both for coming.”

“Are you kidding?” Tina says. “Gabby has had to hold us back from visiting sooner. If I had my druthers, I’d have been here days ago and not left the room.”

She puts the vase of flowers on the table, next to the others.

Carl sits himself right down in the chair next to me. “How are you?” he says. He looks at me intently, with compassion, sympathy, and expertise. I’m not sure if he’s asking as a friend, a father figure, or a physician.

“I’m OK,” I say.

“Try to move your toes for me,” he says, looking intently at the foot of the bed.

“Dad!” Gabby says. “You’re not her doctor. Dr. Winters has been doing a fabulous job.”

“You can’t have too many doctors looking at a patient,” Carl says. “Hannah, try to move your toes.”

I don’t want to try to move my toes.

“Later, Dad,” Gabby says. “OK? You’re making Hannah uncomfortable.”

“Hannah, am I making you uncomfortable?”

What am I supposed to say to that?Yes, you’re making me uncomfortable? Actually, screw it, yes, life is too short to go around lying.

“Yeah,” I say. “A little. It’s hell being in this bed, dealing with this body right now. I’d love to just forget about my toes for a few minutes.”

Carl looks me in the eye and then nods and looks at Gabby. He puts his hands up. “My apologies! We’ll put it on the back burner.” I think he’s done, but then he speaks up again. “Just make sure you’re giving that doctor a challenge now and again. Make sure she’s working hard for you, has you as a priority.”

“Will do,” I say. When he winks at me, I wink back.

“So,” Tina says, “has Gabby told you about our dog, Barker? I’m completely in love with this guy. Anywhere I go, I insist that people look at pictures.”

She moves toward me with her cell phone and gives Gabby a smile. She doesn’t care about me looking at Barker. She is trying to change the subject so Carl doesn’t keep going.

“I keep trying to persuade Gabby to get a Saint Bernard just like him,” Tina says as she swipes through picture after picture of Barker in various rooms of their house.

“I know,” Gabby says, “but Mark’s allergic to dogs. It’s a whole thing.”

We talk for a while, catching up on what I’ve been up to, what they’ve been up to, the three of us making fun of Gabby. And then they start to head out. I appreciate that they came but aren’t staying long. They seem to understand perfectly the toll that being around other people can take on someone in the hospital.

“When you get out of here,” Tina says, “and you’re feeling up for it, I want to talk to you about a lawsuit.”

“A lawsuit?”

Tina looks to Gabby for permission to continue talking, and Gabby subtly grants it.

“Gabby has filled me in on the situation with the person who hit you, and I talked to a friend of mine who is an ADA.”

I don’t know whether to be ashamed or proud of the fact that I know that an ADA is an assistant district attorney because of all theLaw & OrderI’ve been watching.

“OK,” I say.

“They have the woman who hit you. She’s being charged with a hit-and-run.”

“Well, that’s good, right?”

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