"We're his parents," Mr. Eberhardt said evenly, "and we intend to see him right away."
"Sir, don't make me call a supervisor."
"I don't care if you call the Wizard of Oz," said Mr. Eberhardt. "We're going in."
The clerk trailed them through the swinging double doors. "You can't do this!" he objected, scooting ahead of the Eberhardts and blocking the hallway to the patient ward.
Officer Delinko edged forward, assuming that the sight of a police uniform would soften the fellow's attitude. He was mistaken.
"Absolutely no visitors. It says right here on the doctor's notes." The clerk solemnly waved a clipboard. "I'm afraid you'll have to go back to the waiting room. That means you, too, Officer."
Officer Delinko shrank away. Not the Eberhardts.
"Listen, that's our son lying in there," Roy's mother reminded the clerk. "You called us, remember? You told us to come!"
"Yes, and you may see Roy as soon as the doctor says it's allowed."
"Then page the doctor. Now." Mr. Eberhardt's tone of voice remained level, but the volume had gotten much louder. "Pick up the phone and dial. If you've forgotten how, we'll be happy to show you."
"The doctor's on a break. She'll be back in twenty-five minutes," the clerk said tersely.
"Then she can find us right here," Mr. Eberhardt said, "visiting our injured son. Now, if you don't move out of the way, I'm going to drop-kick you all the way to Chokoloskee. Understand?"
The clerk went pale. "I'm r-r-reporting you to my s-s-su-supervisor."
"That's a dandy idea." Mr. Eberhardt brushed past and started down the hall, guiding his wife by the elbow.
"Hold it right there!" snapped a firm female voice behind them.
The Eberhardts stopped and turned. Emerging from a door marked STAFF ONLY was a woman wearing baby-blue scrubs and a stethoscope.
"I'm Dr. Gonzalez. Where do you think you're going?"
"To see our son," replied Mrs. Eberhardt.
"I tried to stop them," the desk clerk piped up.
"You're Roy's parents?" the doctor asked the Eberhardts.
"We are." Roy's father noticed Dr. Gonzalez eyeing them with an odd curiosity.
"Pardon me if this is out of line," she said, "but you sure don't look like you work on a crab boat."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Roy's mother said. "Is everybody at this hospital a total wacko?"
"There must be some mistake," Officer Delinko interjected. "Mr. Eberhardt is a federal law-enforcement agent."
Dr. Gonzalez sighed. "We'll sort this out later. Come on, let's go peek in on your boy."
The emergency-patient ward had six beds, five of which were unoccupied. The sixth bed had a white privacy curtain drawn around it.
"We've got him on I.V. antibiotics and he's doing pretty well," Dr. Gonzalez said in a low voice, "but unless we find those dogs, he'll need a series of rabies injections. Those are no fun."
The Eberhardts locked arms as they approached the enclosed bed. Officer Delinko stood behind them, wondering what color shirt Roy would be wearing. In the patrolman's pocket was the bright green scrap of clothing that had snagged on the Mother Paula's fence.
"Don't be surprised if he's sleeping," the doctor whispered, gently pulling the curtain away.
Nobody said a word for several moments. The four grownups just stood there, blank-faced, staring at the empty bed.
From a metal rig hung a plastic bag of ginger-colored fluid, the intravenous tube disconnected and dangling to the floor.
Finally, Mrs. Eberhardt gasped, "Where's Roy!"
Dr. Gonzalez's arms flapped helplessly. "I just… I really… I don't know."
"You don't know?" Mr. Eberhardt erupted. "One minute an injured boy is asleep in this bed, and the next minute he's vanished?"
Officer Delinko stepped between Mr. Eberhardt and the doctor. The patrolman was afraid that Roy's father was upset enough to do something he might later regret.
"Where is our son?" Mrs. Eberhardt demanded again.
The doctor buzzed for a nurse and frantically started searching the emergency ward.
"But he was the only patient here," Mr. Eberhardt said angrily. "How can you possibly lose the one and only patient you've got? What happened-did aliens beam him up to their spaceship while you were on your coffee break?"
"Roy? Roy, where are you!" cried Mrs. Eberhardt.
She and Dr. Gonzalez began checking beneath the other five beds in the ward. Officer Delinko whipped out his portable radio and said, "I'm calling for backup."
Just then, the double doors to the waiting room flew open.
"Mom! Dad! I'm right here!"
The Eberhardts practically smothered their son with a tandem hug.
"Little devil," chuckled Officer Delinko, holstering his radio. He was pleased to see that Roy wasn't wearing a torn green T-shirt.
"Whoa!" Dr. Gonzalez clapped her hands sharply. "Everybody hold on a minute."
The Eberhardts looked up quizzically. The doctor didn't seem especially overjoyed to have found her lost patient.
"That's Roy?" she asked, pointing at their son.
"Of course it is. Who else would it be?" Mrs. Eberhardt kissed the top of his head. "Honey, you get back into that hospital bed right now-"
"Not so fast," Mr. Eberhardt said. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but I've got a feeling we owe the doctor an apology. Probably several apologies." He planted both hands on Roy's shoulders. "Let's see those dog bites, partner."
Roy lowered his eyes. "I didn't get bit, Dad. It wasn't me."
Mrs. Eberhardt groaned. "Okay, now I get it. I'm the crazy one, right? I'm the raving loony bird…"
"Folks? Excuse me, but we've still got a major problem," Dr. Gonzalez said. "We've still got a patient missing."
Officer Delinko was thoroughly confused. Once again he reached for his radio in anticipation of calling headquarters.
"Before my brain explodes," said Mrs. Eberhardt, "would someone please explain what this is all about?"
"Only one person can do that." Mr. Eberhardt gestured toward Roy, who suddenly wanted to crawl down a hole and hide. His father turned him around to face Dr. Gonzalez.
"'Tex?'" she said, arching an eyebrow.
Roy felt his face redden. "I'm really sorry."
"This is a hospital. This is no place for games."
"I know it's not. I apologize."
"If you're the real Roy," the doctor said, "then who was that young man in the bed, and where did he go? I want the truth."
Roy stared at the tops of his sneakers. He couldn't remember another day in his life when so many things had gone so wrong.
"Son," his father said, "answer the doctor."
His mother squeezed his arm. "Come on, honey. It's important."
"You can be sure we'll find him," Officer Delinko chimed in, "sooner or later."
Bleakly, Roy looked up to address the grownups.
"I don't know the boy's name, and I don't know where he is," he said. "I'm sorry, but that's the truth."
And, technically, it was.
THIRTEEN
While Roy took a shower, his mother made a pot of spaghetti. He ate three helpings, though the dinner gathering was as quiet as a chess match.
Setting down his fork, Roy turned to his father.
"I guess it's the den, huh?"
"That's correct."
It had been years since Roy had gotten a spanking, and he doubted that he was in for one now. The den was where his father summoned him whenever there was serious explaining to be done. Tonight Roy was so tired that he wasn't sure if anything he had to say would make sense.
His father was waiting, seated behind the broad walnut desk.
"What've you got there?" he asked Roy.
"A book."
"Yes, I can see it's a book. I was hoping for the particulars."