“No, I’ve never... I mean, I haven’t got a family doctor.”
“I’ll call the nearest one. Where’s your phone book?”
“On the end table. Underneath. Where the phone—”
“I see it.”
“Helen, I don’t need a doctor!”
“We’ll call one, anyway. Just for kicks, okay?”
“I don’t see why...”
Helen went to the end table and took the Classified from where it rested on the lower shelf. She was opening the book when the knocks sounded on the door.
“Who is it?” Bud asked.
“Police,” the voice answered. “Open up.”
“Wha—” Bud looked to Helen.
“Answer it,” she said.
“But wha—”
“You won’t know until you answer it. There’s nothing illegal going on here. Go ahead, answer it.”
“All... all right,” Bud said.
He felt very weak and tired. He pulled back his shoulders and went to the door. Police. What could the police... He opened the door. Mrs. Heald, his landlady, was standing there with two patrolmen. Mrs. Heald looked very angry. The patrolmen looked indifferent.
“I see you’re back,” Mrs. Heald said heatedly.
“Yes. Yes, I am,” Bud said, puzzled.
“Is your friend gone?”
“My—” He stopped. Did she know about the suicide attempt? Was that why the police were here? God, would they... why was all this happening to him? Why did trouble follow upon trouble? Couldn’t he have a clear stretch of hours without trouble? “My friend,” he stammered, and his mind went blank, and he was suddenly incapable of cohesive thought. He stared at Mrs. Heald’s seamed and angry face, stared at the imperturbable faces of the patrolmen.
“I don’t hear any record player,” one of the patrolmen said.
“It was going full blast!” Mrs. Heald shouted. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Donato. And the way he talked to me. The young snotnose! I’m old enough to be his mother. Shouting at me, and pushing me out of the apartment! It’s a wonder I didn’t fall down and break my neck. What kind of friends do you have, anyway? What’s going on in this room, anyway?” She stared into the room, seeing Carol, and seeing Helen at the telephone. Bud could hear Helen’s voice. She had located a doctor. She was giving the address now. Her voice was calm and level.
Helen is a rock, he thought, Helen is a rock, and he could think of nothing to say to Mrs. Heald or the patrolmen.
“Who are you?” Mrs. Heald shouted, pointing her finger at Carol.
Carol turned, frightened. “I’m... I...”
“What’s going on here, Mr. Donato?” Mrs. Heald screamed. “I run a clean house. I don’t like these goings-on. I don’t like it one bit. I want your friend arrested. I want him arrested this minute!”
“Now, calm down, lady,” one of the patrolmen said. “The record player ain’t going now.”
“It was going, and I’m not going to lose my tenants because of a... a bunch of bums. Now you arrest him, do you hear me? Where is he, Mr. Donato? Where have you hidden him?”
“We... we haven’t hidden him anywhere, Mrs. Heald,” Bud said. “If he was playing records, well, well gee, I’m sorry, but you see I wasn’t here when it happened, so I don’t know—”
“And what are these girls doing here at this hour of the morning? I don’t like this, Mr. Donato!” Her voice was high and shrill now. “I don’t like it, do you hear me?”
“Yes, of course, but—”
“Disturbing the peace! That’s what your friend was doing! And that’s against the law. I want him arrested! I want him—”
“I wish you’d keep your voice down,” Helen said, coming to the door.
Mrs. Heald’s eyes flared. “What! What! You young snip, I’d like to tell you—”
“Officers,” Helen said gently, “I’ve just finished calling the doctor. There’s a very sick person here, and all this shouting isn’t going to help him.”
“Well, miss,” one of the patrolmen said, “we got this complaint about the record player, so—”
“And long enough it took you to get here!” Mrs. Heald screamed. “God forbid somebody was getting murdered! God forbid we really needed a policeman!”
“He won’t play the records any more, officers,” Helen said. “I promise you. We’re waiting for the doctor now. Do you think—” She smiled pleasantly.
“Come on, Sam,” one of the patrolmen said, “the guy’s a sick man.”
“Aren’t you going to arrest him?” Mrs. Heald shouted.
“He’s sick, lady! For Pete’s sake, the records ain’t going now, are they?”
“What difference does that make? They were going! Are you just... just...”
“Come on, Sam.”
The patrolmen walked away from the open door. Mrs. Heald stared into the room, fuming. She looked at Bud and said, with great dignity, “I think you had best look for another place to stay, Mr. Donato.” She turned on her heel then and started down the steps.
“Mrs. Heald!” Bud called. He turned back into the room. Helen was standing beside him, her face impassive. “I... I’ve got to talk to her,” Bud said. “Jesus, I can’t get kicked out of here. I’ll... I’ll be right back.”
Helen smiled briefly. Carol seemed struck dumb. She huddled on one side of the room, her face white. Bud ran out of the room, and Helen closed the door.
“Mustn’t lose the apartment, must we?” she said quietly. “I’ll bet Mrs. Heald thought our young Bud was running a brothel here.”
Carol nodded. She was beginning to tremble now.
“Get a hold of yourself,” Helen said sharply.
“I’m sorry. I... he... he almost killed himself.”
“Hardly,” Helen said. She walked to the sofa. Andy was breathing regularly and heavily. “He’s asleep,” she said.
“Helen, I... I...” Carol shook her head. “I... I feel...”
“Stop it!” Helen said, a cutting edge to her voice. “For God’s sake, stop it! It’s bad enough Andy is a mess. Now stop it.”
“Yes, yes, I must. I know I must. If only I could be... be... but he tried to kill himself... he almost killed himself. Helen, I... I love him so much... if he...” She shook her head again, and she began trembling violently, and Helen went to her and put her arm around her shoulders and said gently, “He’ll be all right, Carol. Please try to get hold of yourself.”
“Yes.” Carol nodded. “Yes, I will. Yes.”
They were both silent for several moments. Carol sat in the butterfly chair. Helen sat on a corner of the sofa. She rose once to arrange the blanket around Andy, and then she sat again.
“Do you think he’ll be here soon?” Carol asked.
“He said he’d come right over.”
“Good.” Carol’s eyes blinked. “I want to thank you for... for all you’re doing.” She paused. “Are... are you in love with him?”
“What?” Helen said.
“Andy. Do you... love him?”
“Why...” Helen was staring at Carol, a surprised expression on her face. “Why, no.”
“It doesn’t matter. I just wondered. Your coming here and... and helping. I wondered why you would bother unless you... loved him.”
“No, I don’t love him.”
“Did you and he...” Carol lowered her eyes. “Forgive me, I have no right asking.”
“It won’t make you any happier to know, will it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Andy needed someone, Carol. He needed someone very badly. I think he always will. It’s very hard to turn your back when someone needs you.”
“Yes.”
“He’ll be all right. Don’t worry.”
“Do you really think so?”
Helen hesitated. “Yes, I do,” she said.