Bogart and Bacall
It was still dark in the room when Alvin got out of bed. Looking out the window, he saw a magenta glow on the horizon. He went to the bathroom, then pulled on his robe and made his way slowly down the stairs. One step at a time, he thought, ain't that a pisser?
He started the coffee maker, although he didn't enjoy his morning cup as much as he once had. Decaf was better than it used to be, but it still wasn't the real thing. As he waited for the coffee to brew he heard a rooster crow and looked out the window. A tall shadowy figure moved across the dooryard. It was Omar, out to gather the morning's eggs. He thought about how much he'd love a big plate of bacon and eggs, but Mary would give him hell for that too.
When the coffee was done, he poured a cup and took it out to the front porch. Omar came out of the chicken coop, waved to him and crossed the yard.
"Good morning," he said in a hushed voice, "You are up early."
"I didn't sleep well," Alvin replied, "Don't know why, just didn't."
Omar nodded sympathetically. "So what do think? Rain will come today?" he asked. He had an almost superstitious faith in Alvin's ability to predict the weather.
Alvin raised his face and breathed in deeply. "I expect so. Probably not till later, though."
"Good, I am worried for the tomatoes if they do not get a good soak."
"Oh, there'll be fat and red soon," Alvin said.
Omar waved and went back to his work. Alvin stood on the porch a few minutes longer, enjoying the quietude of the morning, until the rooster disturbed it again.
"Sun won't come up if you don't crow, will it?" he muttered, and turned to go inside. As he went through the door, he bumped his shoulder against the jamb, sloshing some of his coffee on the floor. What happened there, he thought, feeling suddenly light headed. He went toward the sink, thinking he would get a towel to clean up the spilled coffee, but before he got there, he began to have trouble breathing. He tried to set his cup down on the counter, but he missed and it clattered into the sink.
"Mary," he called, but all that came out was a weak wheeze. He staggered toward the stairs, but realized he did not have the strength to climb them, so he turned into the living room and fell on the couch, knocking the lamp off the end table and sending it to the floor, where it shattered with a loud crash.
Mary sat upright at the sound of the lamp breaking. "Alvin!" she shouted as she threw back the covers. Hearing no answer, she rushed to the stairway. Pieces of ceramic littered the floor at the bottom of the steps. She called for Alvin again as she rushed downstairs, but there was still no answer.
She saw him slumped on the couch. A memory flashed through her mind, of Alvin's description of finding Bonnie lying in her garden. She rushed to him, kneeling on the floor before the couch.
"Wake up, baby," she said, her voice on the verge of cracking. She took him by his hands and attempted to pull him upright, but he slid further down on the couch cushions.
CPR, she thought, you have to do CPR. She had taken a course years before, but she could not focus on remembering what to do. Danni will know, she thought. She shouted for help.
Another memory came to her. She was in the hospital, looking up at him.
"Alvin did you save my life?"
"I don't think so."
"I think you did."
She raised her arm and brought her fist down hard on the center of his chest. He may have stirred, but she could not be sure. She did it again, hitting him harder, and he drew in a great, gasping breath.
Alvin opened his eyes and saw Mary looking down him, tears streaking her cheeks.
He took another deep breath, then on the exhale, said, in a barely audible voice, "Baby, don't cry."
Mary heard a voice behind her, and turned to see Omar standing in the entrance to the hall. He had a phone in his hand and was speaking with the 911 operator.
"Help me sit up," Alvin said, raising his arms. Omar stepped around Mary and pulled him into a sitting position.
"That's better," Alvin said, "Easier to breathe."
"Help is on the way," Omar said. "I will call Jennifer and Hannah."
Mary climbed on to the couch and knelt beside Alvin, cradling his head in her arms.
"Jeezum, I broke the lamp," he said.
"I don't care about the lamp."
"Gotta clean it up."
"You don't have to do it."
Danni burst through the door, with Jennifer close behind her.
"Daddy, what happened?" Jennifer panted.
Danni leaned down in front of Alvin, took his chin in her hand and looked into his eyes.
"Jen," she said, "Go to the bathroom and bring back aspirin and a glass of water." Turning back to Alvin she asked "Are you in any pain? Pressure in your chest?"
"Feels like someone punched me," he said, rubbing his solar plexus.
"That was me," Mary said softly.
Alvin looked at her. "Jeezum, Mary, you pack a wallop."
"Are you having trouble breathing?" Danni asked.
"No, I just feel sort of weak."
Jennifer returned from the bathroom. Danni shook three aspirins out of the bottle and gave them to Alvin, "Chew these, don't just swallow," she instructed him. When he had done so, she gave him the water.
Omar tapped Danni on the shoulder. "Where did the blood come from?"
She glanced around and saw smears of blood on the hallway floor and the living room rug. She looked at Alvin and frowned, then looked at Mary.
"Sweetie, your feet are cut."
Jennifer sat down on the coffee table and lifted Mary's feet into her lap. Omar went to the kitchen and returned with a damp towel.
"It's from the lamp, I guess," Mary said, "I didn't even notice."
"It's just a few cuts," Jennifer said, washing away the blood. There was still a shard of ceramic in Mary's heel and she deftly plucked it out. Omar went upstairs and fetched the first aid kit from the bathroom, then handed it to Jennifer, who bandaged Mary's feet.
Omar got a broom and dust pan from the closet and cleaned up the broken lamp. As he was dumping it in the track can under the sink, he looked out the kitchen window. "They are here," he said.
The ambulance pulled near the house. Jennifer met the paramedics on the porch and let them into the house. Danni knew both of them from her duties with the sheriff's department. She greeted them and explained the situation.
"He passed out at some point. We don't know how long he wasn't breathing. His wife pounded on him and he came around. Says he's not in any pain."
One of the paramedics knelt in front of Alvin. "How are you feeling, sir?" he asked. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Alvin shrugged. "I got up, made some coffee. Spoke a moment with Omar there, then come back in the house and couldn't breath. Then, it all went to black."
"Did you have any pain?"
"No, just felt woozy."
"Okay. Well, we are going to take you to the hospital and have them check you out."
"Well, alright then." Alvin tried to stand.
"Let's get you on a gurney, sir, just to be on the safe side."
"I can walk," Alvin insisted. "Danni can help me. And Omar."
Danni nodded to the paramedic and he stepped back. She took Alvins right arm, and Omar took his left. They carefully walked out to the porch. The gurney had been set up at the bottom of the steps, set at knee level.
Hannah drove into the yard as Alvin was lowering himself on to the gurney. She parked her car, then ran to him.
"Papa, are you alright?" she called as she approached. Alvin reached out toward her.
"No, honey, let them get him in the ambulance," Danni said.
Hannah stopped and watched helplessly as the paramedics raised the gurney and pushed it to the ambulance.
