Enemy Mine

Chapter 47

Not only did Sylvie call in sick, but I forced her to follow me to the VA hospital where I needed to take care of Mr. Pearlman's dilemma. While she got the once-over from a nurse, I talked to Mr. Pearlman's doctor, pushing aside the memories of demon ambushes and pretending everything was hunky dory. By the time we loaded my fragile neighbor into Vincent's Bentley, the day was nearly spent.

A hospital nurse followed us home and made a full inspection of Mr. Pearlman's penthouse apartment, giving it a thumbs-up as far as handicap accessibility. I hadn't even seen the place, but Vincent had gone behind my back to make it move-in ready, with a home care bed and a recliner that helped frail people stand. Even an air purifier had been set-up next to the recliner to tackle Mr. Pearlman's gross cigarette smoke. Before the nurse left, she handed me a card with the number to the therapist who would be attending to Mr. Pearlman for the next six to eight weeks, starting tomorrow at six AM.

Mr. Pearlman looked beat when we got him settled into his new recliner, and I figured he would doze-off before dinner. As I thought about all the meals I would be responsible for over the next six to eight weeks, I checked the pantry and found every shelf empty.

"Oh, nuts. I was afraid of this," I said. "The pantry is as empty as a tip jar at the gates of hell, and I don't have the energy for grocery shopping right now."

Vincent walked into the kitchen and hauled me away from the empty cabinets. "We'll have groceries delivered." Whipping out his cellphone, he sat across from Mr. Pearlman, tugging me down with him. "What do you like to eat, Henry? I'll make a list and send it to Russell's. They've got a great deli."

Mr. Pearlman's eyes went wide, as if a deli sandwich would be the best thing to ever happen to him.

"He likes pastrami," I said. "With Swiss cheese, tomato and brown mustard on toasted white bread."

I got a wink from Mr. Pearlman, giving me permission to rattle off the list I knew by heart. An hour later, Harv, the night guy at the security desk, called to tell us our groceries had arrived, and we ate together in the living room while Mr. Pearlman told us about his first New York pastrami sandwich, which he'd eaten back in nineteen forty-five. In between his tall tales, various Valentinos visited the apartment, offering their warm welcomes.

Given Mr. Pearlman's delicate condition, I needed to stay the night with him, and Vincent committed himself to the task as well. That first trip to the bathroom was awkward, but I only had to follow Mr. Pearlman and his walker to make sure they didn't tumble along the way. When Vincent and I finally got the old guy tucked into his orthopedic bed, we stretched out on the couch and snuggled.

"Have you ever considered becoming a nurse?" Vincent said. "You have the bedside manner of a saint."

"We both know that's not true. I read Mr. Pearlman the riot act when he complained about moving in here."

"Yes, but you did it with love. I've noticed you have a hard time saying no to a cause you think is worthy."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" I asked, lifting my head to study him.

"Only that I love you for it." Vincent kissed the top of my head, and I felt him relax beside me. When his cellphone chimed, he didn't move a muscle, and I took it as a compliment.

"It's probably Milt," he said quietly, like he thought I was trying to sleep. "He's not happy about Ori winning the prize. He has threatened to decapitate me, but he's going after Ori first."

"Considering you could crush him like a bug, I'd say that's a no brainer on his part."

"He's a no brainer, alright."