My Brother's Keeper (33 page)

He ran up the stairs with the box and down the narrow driveway to the front porch. He got there in time to see the milk crate overturned and a shining black cat leaping from the porch with the baby bird clamped in its teeth. The cat paused as Lou turned the corner, and then it was gone, racing toward the bushes at the back of the yard, the bird still alive in its jaws.

Lou had watched in horror, powerless. He'd given chase, albeit briefly. Then he fell to his knees in the backyard, letting his head sink into his hands. He swore he'd never come down from his window again. He'd stay in his room and ignore the world outside. And he swore if he ever saw that cat again, he'd kill it. These were promises he'd made to himself, vows he'd made as a boy, on his knees under a summer sun. But they were promises he hadn't kept.

He'd never told his father what happened just as he'd never told anyone about his dreams. He was afraid of what they'd think. He felt he knew now what his father would have said. He'd say, ‘get used to it.' He'd tell Lou these were facts of life destined to repeat themselves, imminent events that occur at times of their own choosing. The dreams that follow stay with you forever. They could remain dormant for years and then surface when you least expect. You keep reliving it until you get it right or you die trying. For Lou's father, it had been the latter.

He'd been killed on the job, answering a domestic dispute up in Logan. It had been the same day Lou had decided to become a cop himself. He'd told him that morning before he left for work and by nightfall his father was dead.

They pulled up in front of the hospital and stopped in the cafeteria before going up to Betty's floor. Lou ordered a black coffee. Maggie got hot chocolate. They rode the elevator to the third floor, looking at themselves in the mirrored walls. The second they stepped out they saw Betty coming down the corridor. She was almost running toward them.

‘You guys are just in time.'

‘Why?'

Betty was smiling. She had a nice smile, Lou thought, as if he'd forgotten what a smile was supposed to look like.

‘Catherine Waites is awake.'

‘You're kidding. When?'

‘Just a little while ago. I was updating the chart in her room. Next thing I know she's asking me for a drink of water.'

‘Can we see her?'

‘You can but it's not all good news. After the accident we knew she had a brain injury but it was difficult to assess the extent of the damage. We think now that her brain had suffered some oxygen deprivation.'

‘What does that mean?'

‘She can't remember anything, not a thing. She doesn't even know her own name, doesn't recognize anyone. She's got no recollection of the accident. The doctors said some of her memory might return. Otherwise, she'll have to relearn everything, her whole life.'

‘Why don't you go in and see her, Dad?'

‘I don't know. What would I say?'

‘She doesn't have anyone else. She's all alone in there. You know her. Say anything.'

Lou pushed the door open a few inches and looked in. His arm was still in a sling and his chest felt heavy. He went in and the door closed behind him. Catherine Waites stared up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was still yellowish and swollen. There were stitches visible along the left side of her head. The respirator was gone. She didn't say a word as Lou came to the side of the bed and sat down. He placed his hand over hers.

‘Hello, Catherine. I'm Lou Klein. An old friend.'