7

"Hi, Jake!"

"Hello, Johann. How do you feel?"

"Mean as a fox with its tail in a trap except when these tyrants dope me with something that makes me sweetness-and-light in spite of myself. Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you come when I sent for you?"

"On vacation. First decent vacation I've had in fifteen years. Any objections?"

"Get your feathers down. You do have a nice tan. And taken off a little weight, too, I think. Okay, okay—though I don't mind saying I was disappointed that you didn't trot back for a day or two at least when I woke up. Hurt my feelings."

"Humph! You have no feelings. Never did."

"Now, Jake—I do so have feelings, just never was one for showing them. But, damn it, I needed you."

The lawyer shook his head. "You didn't need me. I know why you thought you did. You wanted me to interfere with Dr. Hedrick's management of your case. Which I would not have done. So I extended my vacation to avoid useless argument."

Johann grinned at him. "Always the sly one, Jake. Okay, I've never been one to fret about yesterday's trouble. But now that you're back—well, Hedrick's a good doctor, but he's highhanded with me when it's not necessary. So we'll change that. I'll tell you what I want and you tell Hedrick—and if he balks, you can let him know that he is not indispensable."

"No."

"What do you mean, ‘No'?'

"I mean No. Johann, you still require constant medical attention. I haven't interfered with Dr. Hedrick up to now and the results have been good. I won't interfere now."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Jake. Sure, sure, you have my interests at heart. But you don't understand the situation. I'm no longer in a critical condition; I'm convalescent. Look, here's late news, important. Know what I did this morning during physiotherapy? Moved my right index finger. On purpose, Jake. Know what that means?"

"Means you can bid in an auction. Or signal a waiter."

"Crab apples. Wiggled my toes a little, too. Jake, in a week I'll be walking, unassisted. Why, I spend thirty minutes each day now without this lung thing, this corset and when they put it back on me, it's simply set to assist, if necessary. But despite all this wonderful progress, I'm still treated like a wired-up laboratory monkey. Allowed to stay awake only a short time each day—hell, they even shave me while I'm asleep and God alone knows what else; I don't. I'm strapped down every minute that at least six people don't have their hands on me for physio. If you don't believe me, lift the sheet and take a look. I'm a prisoner. In my own house."

Salomon didn't move. "I believe you."

"Move that chair around so that I can see you better. They've even got my head clamped—now I ask you, is that necessary?"

"No opinion. Ask your doctor." Salomon stayed where he was.

"I asked you. ...ecause I'm fed up with his top-sergeant behavior."

"And I declined to express an opinion in a field in which I have no competence. Johann, you're getting well, that's evident. But only a fool replaces a quarterback who is winning. I never thought you would live through the operation. I don't think you did, either."

"Well... truthfully, I didn't. I was betting my life—literally——on a long gamble. But I won."

"Then why don't you try being grateful?—instead of behaving like a spoiled child!"

"Temper, Jake, temper—why, you sound like me."

"God knows I don't want to sound like you. But I mean it. Show gratitude. Praise the Lord—and Dr. Hedrick."

"And Dr. Boyle, Jake. Yes, I am grateful, truly I am. I've been snatched back from the edge of death—and now have every reason to expect a wonderful new life—and all I risked was a few more weeks of a life that had grown intolerable." Johann smiled. "I can't express how grateful I am, there are no words. My eyes are twenty/twenty again and I'm seeing shades of color I had forgotten existed. I can hear high notes I haven't heard in years. I get ‘em to play symphonies for me and I can follow the piccolo clear up to the roof. And the violins. I can hear all sorts of high sounds now, higher than ever—even my new voice sounds high; he must have been a tenor. And I can smell, Jake—and I lost my last trace of a sense of smell years ago. Nurse, walk past me and let me smell you."

The nurse, a pretty redhead, smiled, said nothing, did not move from the bed's console.

Johann went on, "I'm even allowed to eat now, once a day—eat and swallow, I mean, not a blasted tube. Jake, did you know that Cream o' Wheat tastes better than filet mignon? It can. Hell, everything tastes good now; I had forgotten what fun it is to eat. Jake, it's so grand to be alive—in this body—that I can't wait to go out in the country and walk in fields and climb a hill and look at trees and watch birds. And clouds. Sunbathe. Ice-skate, maybe. Square-dance. Ever square-dance, Jake?"

"I used to be good at it. No time for it, late years."

"I never had time for it even when I was young. I'm going to take time, now. Reminds me, who's minding the store?"

"Teal, of course. He wants to see you."

"You see him, I'm too busy learning to use my new body. And enjoying it. Do I have any money left? Not that I give a hoot."

"You want the ungarnished truth?"

"You can't scare me, Jake. If I have to sell this house to pay off this gang of jailers, it won't worry me. Might be fun. I can tell you this: I'll never be on Welfare. I'll get by—always have, always will."

"Brace yourself. You're worth more than ever."

"Huh? Oh, what a shame! When I was just beginning to enjoy being broke."

"Hypocrite."

"Not at all, Jake. I—"

"Hypocrite, I said. Oh, hush up. Your fortune had already reached the takeoff point, where it can't possibly be spent no matter how you try; it just keeps growing. I didn't even spend all your income on this operation and all that went with it. However, you no longer control Smith Enterprises."

"So?"

"Yes. I encouraged Teal to borrow money and buy some of your voting shares; it gave him incentive in minding the store. And it looked better. Also, as de-facto chairman of the board, I thought it would look better if I owned a bigger block, too, so I traded you some blue chips and tax-exempts for some of your senior-corporation voting stock.

At present two of us—you and I, or you and Teal—hold voting control. But no one of us. However, I'll trade back any time you want to resume control."

"God forbid!"

"We'll leave the matter open, Johann. I was not trying to take advantage of your illness."

"No, Jake. If I don't have controlling interest, I don't have even a moral responsibility to look out for the company. I'll resign as chairman of the board—and you can be chairman, or Teal, or you can put it up for grabs."

"Wait till you're well."

"Okay but I shan't change my mind. But now about that other matter—Uh, Nurse, don't you have to go empty something, or wash your hands, or check the roof to see if it's on tight? I want private conversation with my lawyer."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, sir. You know I can't leave the room even a moment without being relieved. But I'm authorized by Dr. Hedrick to do this, sir: I can shut off the voice monitor to the remotes, then go over in that far corner and watch video with the sound turned up high so that you'll be certain I can't hear you. Dr. Hedrick said you might want privacy in speaking with Mr. Salomon."

"Well! The old bug—bug-hunter is human after all. You do that, Nurse."

Shortly, Johann was able to say quietly, "You saw that, Jake? God knows there could be no harm in you alone watching me a few minutes—you could call for help if I choked or something. Anyhow, any trouble would show on their dials. But, no they chaperon me every second and won't agree to the most harmless request. Look, very quietly now—do you have a pocket mirror on you?"