“Aren’t you going to bed?” he asked.
“I wanted to be sure you were okay,” she said. She leaned forward to stare directly into his face. “Your pupils look equal to me.”
“To me too,” Jack said. He laughed. “You are taking those doctor’s orders seriously.”
“You’d better believe it,” she said. “I’ll be coming in to wake you up, so be prepared.”
“I know better than to argue,” Jack said.
“How do you feel in general?” Terese asked.
“Physically or mentally?”
“Mentally,” Terese said. “Physically I have a pretty good idea.”
“To be truthful, the experience has scared me,” Jack admitted. “I know enough about these gangs to be afraid of them.”
“That’s why I wanted you to call the police,” Terese said.
“You don’t understand,” Jack said. “The police can’t really help me. I mean, I didn’t even bother to tell them the possible name of the gang or the first names of the intruders. Even if the police picked them up, all they’d do is slap their wrists. Then they’ll be back on the street.”
“So what are you going to do?” Terese asked.
“I suppose I’m going to stay the hell away from the General,” Jack said. “Seems like that’s going to make everybody happy. Even my own boss told me not to go. I suppose I can do my job without going over there.”
“I’m relieved,” Terese said. “I was worried you’d try to be a hero and take the warning as a challenge.”
“You said that before,” Jack said. “But don’t worry. I’m no hero.”
“What about this bike-riding around this city?” Terese asked. “And riding through the park at night? And what about living where you do? The fact is, I do worry. I worry that you’re either oblivious to danger or courting it. Which is it?”
Jack looked into Terese’s pale blue eyes. She was asking questions that he strictly avoided. The answers were too personal. But after the concern that she’d demonstrated that evening and the effort she’d expended on his behalf, he felt she deserved some explanation. “I suppose I have been courting danger,” he said.
“Can I ask why?”
“I guess I haven’t been worried about dying,” Jack said. “In fact, there was a time when I felt dying would be a relief. A few years back I had trouble with depression, and I suppose it’s always going to be there in the background.”
“I can relate to that,” Terese said. “I had a bout with depression as well. Was yours associated with a particular event, if I may ask?”
Jack bit the inside of his lip. He felt uncomfortable talking about such issues, but now that he’d started it was hard to turn back. “My wife died,” Jack managed. He couldn’t get himself to mention the children.
“I’m sorry,” Terese said sympathetically. She paused a moment and then said: “Mine was due to the death of my only child.”
Jack turned his head away. Terese’s admission brought instant tears to his eyes. He took a deep breath and then looked back at this complicated woman. She was a hard-driving executive; of that he was sure from the moment he’d met her. But now he knew there was more. “I guess we have more in common than just disliking discos,” he said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
“I think we’ve both been emotionally scarred,” Terese said. “And we’ve both overly invested ourselves in our careers.”
“I’m not so sure we share that,” Jack said. “I’m not as committed to my career as I once was, nor as I think you are. The changes that have come to medicine have robbed me of some of that.”
Terese stood up. Jack did the same. They were standing close enough to appreciate each other physically.
“I guess I meant more that we both are afraid of emotional commitment,” Terese said. “We’ve both been wounded.”
“That I can agree to,” Jack said.
Terese kissed the tips of her fingers and then touched them gently to Jack’s lips.
“I’ll be in to wake you in a few hours,” she said. “So be prepared.”
“I hate to be putting you through all this,” Jack said.