don’t like anyone who doesn’t respect the pecking order, and Hanna, hell, she doesn’t know a pecking order exists. And they don’t like the way she’s breaking all the long-standing paradigms. Most of my colleagues have become quite comfortable doing the same thing year after year. They’re smart, competent people, and they usually get good results, but they’re slow to change. In comes this pretty, young woman who challenges much of what’s considered standard practice.”
“So what’s happening with Lynne?”
“The patient’s in intensive care. Hanna will probably be living in the hospital the next few days watching over her.”
“Prognosis?”
“It’s hard to say. I’ve been told there was a lot of tissue damage. I guess it all depends on whether the repairs hold together, and there’s no infection or other complication. This patient won’t be out of the woods for a long while. But let’s talk about you,” said Feldman. “Are you still getting physical therapy for that leg?”
“I finished last week. The PT said I was good to go.”
“How about the psychiatrist, Dr. Sandlow?”
“I’m seeing her twice a week. And to be frank, Saul, I don’t know where the therapy’s going.” Ray reflected on therapy sessions, the long silences when he didn’t know what to say.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m okay during the day when I’m busy at work. It’s when I’m trying to go to sleep, or when I wake at 2:00 or 3:00 and can’t get back to sleep. That’s when the enormity of it all hits me. I’m struggling to even understand what happened. I have this sense of loss and sadness. And I don’t think I’ve ever really been depressed before. Not like this.”
“You really had a double whammy. The physical and emotional stress from being shot, well, that’s enough for anyone. But then the discovery of your relationship to the victim, that’s almost beyond comprehension. It’s going to take time, Ray. And it goes without saying that there are some things we never completely recover from. But we do get to a place where we can go on with our lives. You like Dr. Sandlow?
“You always refer me to good people.”
“How about that pretty woman who visited you in the hospital. You seeing her?”
“Occasionally, but I don’t know if it’s fair to date someone when I’m feeling so…what… down…confused?”
“Look Ray, you won’t feel any better isolating yourself and waiting for a time when you have everything figured out. We’ve got piles of literature that says people are healthier when they are involved with other people. I know that this is easier to say than do, but you need to try to get on with your life.”
Ray nodded, indicating his understanding of the advice.
“And come in and see me this week or next. I’d like to closely monitor your health for the next few months. Let’s see if we can find ways to mitigate some of the physical effects of this stress.”
“What can I say, Saul. I’m forever in your debt. But I’m really busy right now….”
“And when you fall over dead, people will remember your dedication to your job for at least two weeks after the funeral. If I don’t see you in a few days, I’ll come looking for you. Where are you going now?”
“I wanted to know about Lynne’s condition. You’ve helped with that. Now I’d like to find her father.”
“He’s probably in the surgical waiting room.”
“That’s where I was heading when I ran into you.”
20
There were only two people in the surgical waiting room, a large man talking forcibly on a cell phone and a much younger man sitting attentively at his side. As Ray approached the pair, the man on the phone looked up briefly, his eyes magnified by the thick lenses of his glasses, and continued on with his conversation. Although Ray had yet to get the drift of the conversation, he could tell by the man’s commanding tone that he was used to getting what he wanted.
The young
“So what’s happening with Lynne?”
“The patient’s in intensive care. Hanna will probably be living in the hospital the next few days watching over her.”
“Prognosis?”
“It’s hard to say. I’ve been told there was a lot of tissue damage. I guess it all depends on whether the repairs hold together, and there’s no infection or other complication. This patient won’t be out of the woods for a long while. But let’s talk about you,” said Feldman. “Are you still getting physical therapy for that leg?”
“I finished last week. The PT said I was good to go.”
“How about the psychiatrist, Dr. Sandlow?”
“I’m seeing her twice a week. And to be frank, Saul, I don’t know where the therapy’s going.” Ray reflected on therapy sessions, the long silences when he didn’t know what to say.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m okay during the day when I’m busy at work. It’s when I’m trying to go to sleep, or when I wake at 2:00 or 3:00 and can’t get back to sleep. That’s when the enormity of it all hits me. I’m struggling to even understand what happened. I have this sense of loss and sadness. And I don’t think I’ve ever really been depressed before. Not like this.”
“You really had a double whammy. The physical and emotional stress from being shot, well, that’s enough for anyone. But then the discovery of your relationship to the victim, that’s almost beyond comprehension. It’s going to take time, Ray. And it goes without saying that there are some things we never completely recover from. But we do get to a place where we can go on with our lives. You like Dr. Sandlow?
“You always refer me to good people.”
“How about that pretty woman who visited you in the hospital. You seeing her?”
“Occasionally, but I don’t know if it’s fair to date someone when I’m feeling so…what… down…confused?”
“Look Ray, you won’t feel any better isolating yourself and waiting for a time when you have everything figured out. We’ve got piles of literature that says people are healthier when they are involved with other people. I know that this is easier to say than do, but you need to try to get on with your life.”
Ray nodded, indicating his understanding of the advice.
“And come in and see me this week or next. I’d like to closely monitor your health for the next few months. Let’s see if we can find ways to mitigate some of the physical effects of this stress.”
“What can I say, Saul. I’m forever in your debt. But I’m really busy right now….”
“And when you fall over dead, people will remember your dedication to your job for at least two weeks after the funeral. If I don’t see you in a few days, I’ll come looking for you. Where are you going now?”
“I wanted to know about Lynne’s condition. You’ve helped with that. Now I’d like to find her father.”
“He’s probably in the surgical waiting room.”
“That’s where I was heading when I ran into you.”
20
There were only two people in the surgical waiting room, a large man talking forcibly on a cell phone and a much younger man sitting attentively at his side. As Ray approached the pair, the man on the phone looked up briefly, his eyes magnified by the thick lenses of his glasses, and continued on with his conversation. Although Ray had yet to get the drift of the conversation, he could tell by the man’s commanding tone that he was used to getting what he wanted.
The young
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