“Nowhere man, don’t worry. Take your time, don’t hurry. Leave it all ’til somebody else lends you a hand…*
407 words, 2 minutes read time.
“Hennessey, neat,” said Dr. Hapless. He sounded tired. He was tired. He’d just spent most of a twelve-hour shift trying to revive a comatose clergyman.
Mel turned and poured the doctor a slow tumbler of his favorite premium Cognac, “How’s our patient doing, Doc?”
“Oh, yes, of course, that’s why I dropped by… He’ll be okay. They’d first diagnosed him as sustaining a Diffuse Axonal injury, but then downgraded him to having just a very severe concussion.”
Mel didn’t know whether to feel more concerned or relieved about his friend.
“They’ll keep him there for observation another day or two, but he’ll be back here drinking and off pounding his Bible in a week or two. Just give him time.”
The mysterious Islander woman, sitting by her bag resting on the stool between her and Hapless, lit a Virginia Slim with an exotic-looking Zippo lighter.
“Otherwise, he’s doing much better. He’s eating. He’s talking some. His eyesight is nearly back to normal, and his motor skills are returning. He’ll require some physical therapy, but providing there is no lingering brain damage, he’ll be back to his old self in a week or two…”
“Oh, thank god!” Suzy cried softly in relief. She had just moved closer to the bar to eavesdrop.
Hapless saw no need to mention Bill’s entire prognosis. The potential blood clots, which might cause strokes or even brain damage, or the arterial condition they discovered would require stents or bypass surgery, things which were possibly pending sometime in the future.
The doctor also mentioned, gently in passing, that Bill might be subject to additional seizures in the future. Time would tell. Most of Bill’s health concerns were due to his reckless lifestyle: binge drinking and a three-pack-a-day smoking regimen, not so much due to the concussion he suffered yesterday here at Nel’s Bar.
“Here you go, Doc.” Mel set the richly scented cognac on the bar on a paper napkin. For a moment, the doctor nested it between his fingers, almost as if in prayer. He then reached for his back pocket, Mel presumed for his wallet.
With a wave of his hand, Mel motioned the doctor to halt, announcing to him, Suzy, and the Asian-looking woman, “In honor of the Doctor, and Bill’s pending full recovery, all drinks are free for Bill’s friends tonight!
~~~~~> more to come…
<~~~~~0~~~~~>
*Lennon, McCartney (Nowhere Man)
-dalton
5-19-26
(384)/583/407
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