“Well, not really. We just don’t have many residents anymore. I’m surprised they took on new staff, actually, though I’m glad to have you on board. Oh, but hey, here’s his room.”
She nudged his shoulder. “He must be pretty cool if you like him so much.”
“He is. I mean, he was. I guess, um, he’s not really the same anymore. Not since the escape. He’s been on hospice for a long time.”
Back in the days when Gabriel had still been walking, talking, and trading theories with him, Harry had never realized how much he was going to miss the old guy when he was gone. Sure, Gabriel was still in there, but that silent, bedbound man with the dazed, constantly blinking eyes, ghostly skin, and slack-jawed mouth wasn’t the same Gabriel that Harry had liked to think of as his friend.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Katie said, looking down sadly. “What was he like? Other than being tough… and smart. I guess he must’ve been really smart.”
“Well, he was, ah… brilliant. Total genius, that guy. Would you believe he was seventy-some years old with Alzheimer’s and he was still trying to cure viruses?”
“You know, Harry,” Katie said, leaning closer. “You’re really cute when you talk about him. Your whole face just lights right up.”
“D-does it?” Harry asked. A blush warmed Harry’s cheeks. He couldn’t believe he had stuttered. No wonder he always had bad luck with girls.
A loud, obnoxious female voice emanated from Gabriel’s room. “Hey! Just roll over, dude. God!”
Harry peered into the room. Oh, God. Natty Bruckheimer. He marched in, acutely aware of Katie following him.
Gabriel’s defenseless, motionless body had slid halfway down the bed. Natty was rolling him onto his side to finish changing his Depends. She hadn’t drawn the privacy curtain, so the Nobel Prize-winner’s half-naked front was on display for anyone passing in the hallway. Gabriel’s eyes were glazed over and blinking. His lips were chapped, and a long strand of drool fell from his lower lip.
Natty stood behind him, wiping his backside. “It’s so hard to roll him,” she said, noticing Harry’s presence. “He doesn’t help out at all, man.”
“He can’t help,” Harry replied.
Natty—who, after a series of bad reports, had recently been taken off the night shift and moved to three-to-eleven so that the administration could keep a better eye on her—rolled Gabriel back onto his back.
“I’ll take it from here. You’re… um, kind of being too rough.” Harry stepped in and finished the job then gave Gabriel a boost back up the head of the bed.
“Fine by me, honey.” Natty sneered. “Guy was always an ass, anyway.” She started for the door, but after a sharp glare at Harry, she went into the bathroom and washed her hands. When she came out, she seemed to notice Katie for the first time. “You new?”
“Hi,” Katie said. “Nice to meet you. I’m K—”
“So, this guy?” Natty jutted a ruddy thumb at Gabriel. “This dude is a fucking ass, just so ya know. Hit me with his stupid cane once, the damn—”
Harry scowled. “Don’t talk about him that way, Natty. He’s right here.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, he can’t hear us. The guy can’t even wipe his own ass. God, Harry, you’re always so damn protective of this dude.”
“Helping these people is my job,” Harry muttered, adjusting his glasses. “And yours, too.” He pulled the sheet up over Gabriel.
Harry squared his shoulders. For too long, he’d allowed Natty to step on him, to push him around, to insult the residents, and to infect the nursing home’s general morale like a terrible disease. It was time to speak up. “Um, Natty. One more thing.”
She stopped in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“We need to treat these people like human beings. You gotta realize, these old folks have had long lives, and all they want is someone to take care of them in their time of need. That’s what being an LNA is all about. These are people, Natty, good folks who just had some bad luck. And no offense, but if you can’t do that, if you don’t like taking care of people, maybe you should look for another job.” Harry adjusted his glasses again. “And just so you know, if I see you mistreating a resident again, I’m going to report you.”
Natty snorted and shook her head. “Ass,” she said, leaving the room.
Katie took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Nice.”
Harry shrugged sheepishly and smiled. He then grabbed a wet cloth and cleaned the drool from Gabriel’s chin.
“You did the right thing,” Katie said. “It was really cool of you.” She gestured at the bed. “So this is Gabriel Schist?”
“Yep.” Harry nudged Gabriel’s arm. “Hey, buddy. This is Katie. She’s going to be working here with you now.”
She waved. “Hiya, Gabriel!”
Gabriel didn’t respond, but he never did. Even a visit from his daughter wouldn’t prompt a reaction.
“Nice to see you today, sir,” Harry said. “Hope everything’s okay in there.”
It was depressing. The Gabriel lying in that bed hardly resembled the Gabriel who had once wandered the corridors in his familiar detective getup. He weighed less than a hundred pounds, and every bone in his body jutted out.
But his eyes were the worst part. Once, they had contained a vibrant, otherworldly spark. But the two blinking orifices that remained in his skull were completely drained of life, empty, vacuous glass balls.
Katie walked over to look at the collage of graphs, awards, and photographs on the wall. She pointed at one photo. “I like this one. Is this him? Wow, he was a handsome guy.”
Harry joined her. It was a picture he’d never seen, so Melanie must’ve brought it in recently. “Oh yeah. That’s him, all right.”
The image was of a younger, happier Gabriel sitting astride a motorcycle and gazing up at the sun. He wore a leather jacket, blue jeans, and a perfect suntan. He was grinning and giving the camera a thumbs-up sign.
“This is cool,” Harry said. “Really cool. You know, he totally was an awesome person. All the way up until…”
Gabriel sputtered and gasped as if he were choking. Harry froze in shock.
“Gabriel?” Harry whispered. He hurried back to Gabriel’s side.
