The Hull Home Fire (20 page)

“To give our baby a proper name. My name.” He looked at Mrs. Norris with a
clear, steady gaze. “Most important of all, because I love her more than I
believed possible.”

“Just as I thought,” Flora said. “Just as I thought.” She smiled, yet it didn’t
brighten her face. “Mary’s awake. Go on up.”

Henry’s heart began to gallop faster than a frightened horse as he climbed the
stairs. He walked down the hall to her room, rapped on the door, and opened it
before Mary could object to him coming in.

She lay back against the pillows, milky white, her cheeks sunken. “Henry,
please leave me alone.”

“I can’t. I won’t,” he said, moving to the bed.

Mary stared at him, unblinking. “You don’t have to worry about the baby any
more,” she said, her voice a hollow whisper.

“That’s easier said than done. What kind of man would I be to walk away from
you, from our baby ?”

Mary sank into the bed and pulled the covers to her neck. “That
obligation is gone.”

Henry felt his knees weaken and held onto the bedpost for support. “What do you
mean ?”

“I miscarried last night. The baby’s gone.” She turned toward the window.
Clouds gathered on the horizon. “You don’t have to marry me now.”

Henry fell into the rocking chair. “It can’t be true.” He dropped his head into
his hands. “Oh, God. It can’t be true.”

“I want to be alone,” Mary said.

“I love you,” Henry said, and ran a hand through his hair. “You’ll never know
how much I wanted our baby.”

MIKE AND TOM SAT IN
front of the fireplace, each smoking a Camel
cigarette. Tom puffed out perfectly shaped rings which disintegrated as they
floated to the ceiling.

“I’ve never been able to get the hang of that,” Mike said, attempting to blow
out a circle. A mushroom cloud formed and flattened almost immediately.

Tom grinned. “It’s a natural-born talent,” he said. “Either you have it or you
don’t.” His grin faded. “Mike, you haven’t truly met the real Henry yet.”

“He’s on your mind a lot lately.”

“Normally he’s the kind of person who sees the bright side of things. If he
wants something, nothing gets in his way.” Tom sighed. “He’s seems to have given
up.”

Alice stood in the entrance to the living room, looking at the grandfather
clock. “I don’t know what’s keeping Henry,” she said, turning her eyes to the
window. “He should’ve been here twenty minutes ago.”

The front door opened. “Henry,” Alice said. “Where were you ? I was beginning
to worry.”

He stared in his mother’s direction, yet seemed to look through
her. “I’m sorry,” he said, and walked past her into the living room without
removing his coat or boots.

Alice followed him. “Henry, are you all right ?”

“No, Mom. Everything’s a mess.” He sat down on the chesterfield, his head bent
low.

Tom doused his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray on the side table. “Son,”
he said, “what’s the matter ?”

Henry looked from his mother to his father, then back to a blank spot on the
wall. “It’s gone,” he whispered. “I’m really sorry. You didn’t even know.”

Alice and Tom exchanged a look, waiting for an explanation. When none came,
Alice sat next to her son. “Know what ?” She tugged on his arm. “What’s
gone ?”

Henry continued to stare ahead, his eyes glazed over. “Maybe it’s my
fault.”

Tom leaned toward his son, trying to make eye contact. “We don’t understand
what you’re talking about.”

Henry’s gaze drifted to his father. “I should’ve told you, but I
couldn’t.”

“Please,” Tom said. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I knew you’d come ’round.”

“Come around to what ?”

“Me being a doctor.”

“Yes ?”

“But... I decided against it. You couldn’t understand why.”

“Yes,” Mike said. “It was quite a shock.”

“I couldn’t tell you before because...” He paused as if unsure of what to say
next. “... because Mary asked me not to.” Henry’s right heel tapped the floor.
“She is pregnant, having our baby. I asked her to marry me, but she
refused.”

Tom and Alice gaped at each other.

Mike spoke up. “I take it she doesn’t want to ruin your chance to be a
doctor.”

Henry nodded. “Every time I tried to talk to her she turned me away.”

“Love,” Alice said softly. “It’s gone, you said.”

“The — ”

The front door smacked against the wall and Mary burst into the house. “Henry,
I must talk to you right away.” Her cheeks burned scarlet. “You and me, alone.”
She looked at Tom and Alice. “It’s very important.” Her chest heaved.

Tom grabbed his crutches. “We’ll be in the kitchen. Come on, Alice.” Mike
followed them from the room.

“Mary,” Henry said as soon as the others had left. “What are you doing here ?”
He led her to the chesterfield. “Sit down. You shouldn’t be out of bed in your
condition.”

“I still can’t believe I did it.” The groove between Mary’s brows deepened. “It
was mean and cruel. You’ll never be able to forgive me.”

“It’s not your fault you lost the baby. Maybe if I hadn’t hounded you all...”
Henry left the sentence unfinished.

Mary started to rock. “You can’t blame yourself. Oh, Henry, I’ve made such a
mess of everything.”

Henry stroked her cheek. “No you haven’t.”

“I lied about the baby.”

“What ? I...” Henry shook his head. “Lied about the baby ? It... doesn’t make
any sense.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You refused to marry me. Why pretend you were pregnant ?”

Mary burst into tears. “You don’t understand. I was
pregnant.”

“Then what are you trying to say ?”

Mary pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her nose. “I’m still pregnant. I
didn’t miscarry.”

“You lied about the miscarriage,” Henry whispered, his bottom lip
quivering.

“I was confused, desperate.”

Henry stood up, staring at Mary as if she were a stranger. “What kind of game
are you playing ?”

“It was wrong of me. I realize that now.”

“Why did you do it ?” Henry barked.

“I couldn’t bear to marry a man who only wanted to give his child a
name.”

Henry’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”

Mary’s fingernails dug into the palms of her hands, puncturing the flesh. “I
deserve your anger. But I’d rather be alone than be hurt the way my mother
was.”

“The lie was your way of getting rid of me,” Henry snapped. “To hell with our
baby.”

“No. It was a test to see if you really wanted me for me.”

Henry laughed, a guttural, unpleasant sound. “A test. How could you do
that ?”

“I felt shoved aside like a used dishrag when you applied for medical school.
Then the fire happened and all those people died.” Mary sobbed. “When I found
your grandmother dead, it hurt so bad. Then the roof caved in on both of us.”
Her voice shook. “My life’s been turned upside down and I can’t think
straight.”

“A lot of people’s lives have been turned upside down,” Henry said, his voice
cold. He turned to leave.

“Henry, don’t go. I realize now that you really do love me.”
She swallowed to ease the lump growing in her throat. “Has my deceit put an end
to that ?”

Henry looked back at Mary’s puffy red eyes, the tear-stained cheeks, and the
blonde hair in disarray. He went into the hall without uttering a single
word.

Tom and Mike sat at the table smoking. Four butts and smouldering ashes filled
an ashtray. Alice wiped down the countertops for the fifth time, scrubbing away
at invisible stains. “Is everything all right ?” she said when Henry stopped
just inside the door, standing as motionless as an ice sculpture.

Tom tried to stand up without his crutches and plopped back into the chair.
“You look winded, like you’ve been kicked in the guts.”

“Can you all come back to the living room ?” Henry waited for them to follow
him.

Tom’s crutches thumped down the long hallway, loud in the awkward
quietness.

Mary wrung her hands as the silent group seated themselves.

Alice sat on the arm of her husband’s chair. “Goodness,” she said, “there’s
enough tension in this room to sink a steamship. It must be awful bad
news.”

“Now, love,” Tom said in a calm voice. “Don’t look for trouble. Let’s hear
Henry out.”

Henry moved to the chesterfield and stood over Mary. She looked up at him, her
eyes pleading. He sat down. “It’s not bad news, Mom. At least I hope you won’t
think so.” Henry took Mary’s hand and held it to his chest. “We’re going to have
a baby.”

There was a silent pause, broken by Tom. “And ?”

“He wants to get married,” Mary said.

Alice inhaled deeply. “How long have you known about the baby ?”

“The day before the fire, Mrs. Gibbs. Henry found out after I came home from
the hospital.”

Henry looked at both his parents. “You’re some calm about this. Why aren’t you
shocked, surprised ?”

“Love,” Alice said. “You don’t reach our age with your head stuck in a paper
bag.”

“That’s the truth of it,” Tom said. “The sudden decision to drop medical school
had to be prompted by an awful big event. The possibility of a baby did cross
our minds.”

“Why didn’t you confront me ?”

“Because you’re not a boy anymore.”

Mary covered her face with her hands. “I’ve made a mess of everything.”

Alice put her arms around the young woman. “Don’t look so ashamed. It’s not the
end of the world.”

“Dr. Kennedy said the same thing. Oh, Mrs. Gibbs, I’ve done an unforgivable
thing.”

“Nonsense, child. You didn’t make the baby on your own.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Mary glanced at Henry. “I — ”

“Mary won’t marry me,” Henry said quickly. “She doesn’t want to hold me back
from becoming a doctor.”

Tom lit a cigarette. “I have only one question for you, Henry. If Mary doesn’t
become your wife, will you go to medical school ?”

Alice gasped. “Tom, what kind of a question is that, especially in front of
Mary ?”

“Please answer the question, Henry.”

“I won’t run away from my child for any reason.”

“You heard him, Mary,” Tom said. “There’s no reason to put my
son off any longer.”

Mike sat with his elbows resting on the arms of the chair. “If I may be
permitted to make an observation.” All eyes turned to him. “Why does it have to
be one way or the other ? Can’t we all work together to find a solution that
will get both these young people what they want ?”

HENRY WALKED MARY HOME
. “Why didn’t you tell your parents about
my horrible lie ?” she asked.

“To what end ? I can only imagine how hard it was on your family when your
father ran off.”

Mary stopped and faced Henry. “I would never keep our baby from you or your
parents, no matter what you decided about us.”

“For the last time, Mary, please hear what I’ve been trying to tell you from
the beginning. I want to give our baby a respectable start in life for two
reasons.”

“Which are ?”

“The baby deserves both parents.”

“That’s one reason. What’s the other ?”

“I love you.”

“
BREAKFAST WAS WONDERFUL AS USUAL
, Mrs. Simms,” Mike said,
patting his stomach. “I’ve gained weight since I’ve been here.”

“A few extra pounds never hurt anyone,” the housekeeper said. She looked down
at her own voluminous waistline. “I can outwork any skinny young lass.”

“I don’t doubt it in the least.”

“Besides,” Mrs. Simms added, “you need some fat to keep warm in this cold
weather.”

Dr. Kennedy pushed his eggs and bacon around the plate.

Mrs. Simms folded her arms. “What’s gotten into you, Doctor ? Any other time
I’d have a second helping served by now.”

“I’m not hungry. Maybe a nice hot cup of tea will do the trick.”

“Right away,” Mrs. Simms said, taking away the empty teapot.

“Frankie,” Mike said, “you’ve been sullen and withdrawn since yesterday. Does
it have anything to do with the release of the Emerson report on the
fire ?”

“Afraid so. Emerson found Isaac Hull directly responsible for the fire because
he was careless over the stove.” Dr. Kennedy threw his napkin over his cold
breakfast. “Not enough staff and lack of a fire escape contributed to the many
deaths which were all Isaac’s responsibility.”

“How’s the man holding up ?”

“I dropped by his house after the report came out. His wife laid into me about
how unfairly her husband has been judged. She accused me of standing on the
sidelines instead of defending him.”

“It’s understandable she’s upset, but you could only tell the truth.”

“You’re right, of course, yet...”

“Yet nothing.”

“I was the Home’s doctor and medical adviser. Perhaps I should share some of
the blame.”

“Don’t be absurd, Frankie.”

“I suggested to Isaac that he needed to hire more nurses. But I didn’t press
the issue.”

“According to what Henry told me about both of the Hulls,
it
wouldn’t have made one inkling of a difference if you had sung it from the
rooftop.”

“City Hall and the Health and Welfare Department were equally criticized for
not enforcing the improvements which were needed.” Dr. Kennedy shoved his plate
aside like it was an annoyance. “No one in a position of power cared enough
about the sick and old to make sure they were safe.” He looked at Mike. “What
does that say about us as a society ?”

“Hopefully it’ll wake the government up to the realization that changes must be
implemented to protect those unable to care for themselves.”

“Why does it always take a disaster ?”

“We won’t allow ourselves to envision the worst, especially if money is
involved. Do you know if criminal charges will be laid against Mr. Hull ?”

“Afraid not,” Dr. Kennedy said. “Which isn’t going to sit real well with
anyone.”

Mike couldn’t hide his surprise. “How did he accomplish that feat ?”

“Manslaughter charges are only brought against a person if they neglect safety
with the knowledge that human life is at risk. Sir Emerson believes that Isaac
Hull was negligent, yet didn’t really consider the full implications entailed by
that neglect.”