HUM by Dan Hawley (chromebook ebook reader TXT) 📕

CHAPTER 22

“Good morning Mr. Steele!” said a bright voice from a crack in the door after a quick knock. “Are you decent?”

“I’m sure you know I’m decent; you’ve been watching me all night.”

Jerry opened the door and gave a little wave. He walked over to the bed and began removing the probes from Jason’s head.

“Well, now, I wasn’t watching you all night Mr. Steele…”

“Jason.”

“Oh, ok, Jason. We always have one person on in case of emergency. Mostly I watched YouTube videos and napped.” Jerry winked.

Below his eyes, Jerry’s mask was black with white sheep jumping over little brown fences.

“The name’s Jerry.”

His voice was almost shrill; that pitch one hits when they are forcing cheerfulness. It put Jason off. Or maybe Jason was just disappointed that Jerry was Jerry instead of the nurse from the night before. Instead of Jerry’s fake enthusiasm and stupid mask, Jason would have much preferred to have her perfect, perky breasts in his face. Jason’s groin began to swell again at the thought of her. Realizing this, he caught the thought and stopped it cold.

They weren’t that great, Jesus man, get it together.

Jason shook his head slightly.

“So you didn’t see if I was talkin’ or moving around last night?” he asked.

“Huh-uh, no sir. I have an alarm set to check on the monitors every hour.” His eyes fell away from Jason’s. “Every time I looked, you were just lying there.”

Jerry set a probe down on the machine and reached for another.

“So you just had quick little naps then.”

Jason studied Jerry for any signs that he might be hiding something that he saw. Like when you go to get x-rays and ask the technician if everything looks ok and they reply that they aren’t allowed to say. Was that pity in their eyes? Did they see something? Is it the big C?

After removing the last probe and the black box from Jason’s chest, Jerry looked back at Jason.

“Yes sir, just quick little catnaps.”

Jason nodded, convinced that Jerry had spent most of the night not watching the monitors closely at all. Something in Jerry’s eyes told Jason that Jerry’s ‘quick little catnaps’ were probably more like he slept the whole damn night through, and that was why he was so fresh and annoying.

Jerry piled all the wires onto the machine with the black Vader box, wheeled it about a foot from the bed, and turned to Jason.

“Dr. Luu will let you know the results at the follow-up appointment you set for Wednesday at four o’clock. It takes a bit of time to review the data. Do you have any questions for me, Mr. sorry, Jason?” Jason spun his legs over the side of the bed and stretched.

“Nope, I’m good. Thanks, Jerry.”

With that, Jerry turned and wheeled the machine out the door, leaving it open. Jason looked over at the side table. Everything that was supposed to be there was there. Nothing out of place or moved around. Disappointment colored Jason’s face. He was hoping he had moved things around. He hoped that he talked and elbowed and swore. He hoped that he got up and did a damn sleepwalking jig. Only so the doctor could see what the hell was going on in his brain when it happened. Oh well, he thought, sleeping Jerry may have missed something after all. Just going to have to wait and see.

Jason stood up, bent over for another stretch, and then headed into the bathroom to relieve himself. As he passed the mirror, he stopped.

“Man, you’re looking old,” he said to his reflection. The hair at his temples had started greying recently, and now that it had grown out, the grey was very noticeable. The bags under his eyes were like fluid-filled sacks tugging at his lower eyelids. His beard was getting grey at the sides too, and needed a trim.

Jason stared into his reflection’s eyes. They were deep, dark blue, like the color of an angry ocean.

Hair turns grey and skin becomes loose and lined, but the eyes remain unchanged. Jason stared a moment longer into the ocean, attempting to see below the rough surface, into his own soul.

His concentration was broken by voices from the hallway. The person from the room across the hall was leaving. Jerry’s voice sounded shrill.

Jason relieved himself, washed his hands, and then brushed his teeth. He spat and rinsed, then looked briefly into the reflection’s dark eyes, daring them to reveal what lay below the surface.

With a deep breath of resignation, Jason grabbed his toiletries and left the bathroom, turning off the light as he passed.

He dressed quickly, suddenly hungry and missing Samantha, and headed out the door.

Three of the doors were open in the hallway.

All except 2B. The room where he had seen the boy the night before. That strange little boy dressed like a grown man. He had looked like a grown man, really—a grown man in a child’s body. Jason shivered as he passed the closed door, anxious to get home.

* * *

Samantha poured a glass of orange juice and took a long drink. The sweet wetness coated her mouth and cooled her throat as it fell to her stomach. She gasped a little from holding her breath, took in another deep lungful, and finished the glass. The sugar and vitamins seemed to invigorate her instantly as she stood in the kitchen.

Jason had just texted; he would be home soon.

Thank God, she thought. Being alone was difficult enough, but tack on a pandemic and the pregnancy and this damn apartment with the constant hum.

Jason hadn’t mentioned anything; he had just texted,

“Be home soon.”

Sam moved to the window and looked out at the harbor. The sun’s reflection on the water looked like thousands of diamonds shining brilliantly upon a blue blanket. People were milling about below, out for their Sunday morning walks.

Some shops were open now, as long as they sold food, but their capacities had been greatly reduced, creating