"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Courting Disasters" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

He turned his head. Rachel sat in a chair nearby, her dark hair raying out around her head, the freckles
stark on her thin, pale face, her green eyes sunken. She wore a bronze-green Indian-print dress with dots
of gold on it.
тАЬRae?тАЭ he said. He tried to reach for her, but his hand was taped to the railing. He wanted her. He
remembered why he had run away from her. тАЬWhat are you doing here?тАЭ

тАЬDo you know where you are?тАЭ

тАЬObviously itтАЩs a hospital,тАЭ he said, once again secure in the fortress of his skull, all input from below the
neck reduced to proper second-class status. тАЬNo one has seen fit to inform me of its name or location. I
never expected to see you again.тАЭ His voice seemed raspy, and talking hurt.

She leaned forward and gave him a strained smile. тАЬSame Simon,тАЭ she said.

тАЬNo,тАЭ he said, staring up at the ceiling. Stranger-thoughts had been passing through his brain. After two
breaths, he looked at her.

She clasped the fingers of her left hand in her right.

тАЬThen you know?тАЭ

He had never seen the skull so clearly beneath her skin before.

тАЬKnow? Oh, you mean the foot?тАЭ He heard his own detachment, then felt his stomach churn. He tasted
bile, and felt a sinus ache around his eyes. The foot. One of his selves had recognized that his right foot
was gone, but somehow it hadnтАЩt mattered to that self. Simon closed his eyes and tried to keep back
tears. He had not cried since he was eight, the last time he had given his father any satisfaction during a
whipping.

тАФIt doesnтАЩt really hurt, having it replaced. First the jack, then a violation of the place under the hood
where you hide the spare; but then youтАЩre back in business.тАФ

Simon smiled, heard a gasping laugh come from his throat.

тАЬSimon?тАЭ Rachel reached for his free hand. тАЬAre you all right? Can I get you anything?тАЭ

He swallowed, wadded up the pain and put it away. Years of practice made it easy. тАЬInformation.
Where am I? How long since the accident? What are you doing here?тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩre in a town called Hoodoo. You were in intensive care a week, then they moved you in here three
days ago. They found my phone number in your stuff, Simon. They couldnтАЩt find any other addresses or
phone numbers except the apartment you stayed in, in Menlo Park. The landlady couldnтАЩt give them any
information. They called me. I came up. Is there anybody you want me to call?тАЭ

тАЬNo,тАЭ he said. тАЬNobody out there to wonder.тАЭ

тАЬExcept me. How come you didnтАЩt say good-bye? The landlady didnтАЩt even know you were gone. Said
you were paid through the end of the month. I called Express Communications and they said you had
finished up and left. How could you?тАЭ