While Everyone Was Sleeping

by Donald Collins

  “You look good,” she said and then forced a smile.

  “So do you, Honey,” Matthew responded and then lowered his head. “I wish we didn’t have to be separated like this when you visit,” he said when he looked up again.

  Audrey forced a second smile. “You look like you’ve recovered from your injuries.”

  Matthew covered his upper lip with his lower lip and nodded. “The prison doctor told me I could participate in cardio and stretch exercise classes the prison offers and any physical activities that don’t involve weights.”

  Audrey closed her eyes for a moment. “Jake needs a new kidney,” she said sadly. “I was at the hospital this morning and he didn’t look good.” She chewed on her lower lip and then grimaced. “The doctors said if he doesn’t get a transplant, he won’t see his tenth birthday.”

  Matthew inched forward in his seat and jutted his jaw. “And naturally, you think I should give him one of mine ‘cause I’m a perfect match, right? Is that what you came here to tell me, that I should give him one of my kidneys?”

  “Well, yeah,” Audrey responded. “He is your son and like you just said, you’d be a perfect match.”

  “So would Susan,” he growled. “So, don’t go putting the full weight and responsibility on me.”

  It was a side of Matthew that Audrey had never seen before, and she didn’t like it. “I thought you loved your son.”

  “This isn’t about love,” Matthew insisted. “It’s about who’s in a better position to get the job done,” he said and then anguished as he struggled to raise his left arm. “Look at me, damn it. I’m in no condition to donate a kidney or any other part of my body.”

  “Your kidneys have nothing to do with your chest wound,” Audrey snapped back. “The doctors explained that to me before I came over here today. They said your wound is healed.”

  “Well, go back there and tell them I disagree.”

  Audrey pressed her hand against the plexiglass. It was her signal that she was ready to go.

  “You’re not gonna leave so soon are you? You just got here.”

  Audrey twisted her mouth. “I don’t want to argue, Matthew. I’ll leave before you get all worked up. It will give you time to think about what you want to do.”

  When he didn’t press his hand against the glass to meet hers, Audrey stood and blew him a quick kiss.

  When she got home, she boxed up all of Jake’s clothes, toys and school books and brought them to Susan’s apartment. Susan stared back vacantly when she opened her door and eyed a dark-haired woman standing alongside five medium-size cardboard boxes and Otto standing behind them.

  “I’m sure you don’t recognize me. I’m Audrey Adams, Matthew’s wife.”

  “Yes, of course,” Susan replied.

  “You have every right to hate me,” Audrey said. “I just want you to know that I knew nothing about the kidnap. As far as I knew Jake was Jason. They looked very much alike, you know.”

  Susan eyed the boxes again. Naturally, she was angry with Audrey for her part in keeping Jake away from her for the past five years, but Danski had explained that the woman suffered a nervous breakdown following the death of her own son and she was now undergoing psychiatric counseling to repair some of the damage that was done.

  “These are Jake’s things. Mr. Fischer was kind enough to help me get them up here.”

  Susan eyed Otto and then nodded. After an uncomfortable moment, she invited Audrey in.

  “Let me help you with that,” Susan said as she reached out for the first package and put it on her coffee table. Audrey placed a second box next to it and Otto brought in the others. He put them next to the coffee table and then excused himself. “I should go,” he said.

  Susan gestured to an empty recliner and Audrey sat.

  “When Jake recovers, naturally, he’ll come home to be with you,” Audrey said trying to hide her emotion. “I wanted to get these things to you so you can have them when he gets home”

  “I’d prefer to take him shopping for new clothes,” Susan said coldly.

  “Yes, of course,” Audrey said. “I thought it would be a shame to let these things go to waste.”

  Susan closed her eyes for a mini-second, then pinched her lips together and nodded. “I realize it wasn’t easy for you to come here. I can only hope and pray that Jake recovers.”

  “I can’t imagine the torture Matthew has put you through. I want you to know I was not a party to his inexcusable actions. What he did was cruel and unforgiveable.” She sat up straighter and began to explain what happened and how she was duped into believing that Jake was really her son Jason.

  “You must think I’m a very stupid woman,” Audrey said.

  “Maybe just vulnerable,” Susan said, finally able to allow a small smile. “I realize Matthew can be very convincing.”

  Audrey smiled, too. “Yes, he can. I just left him as a matter of fact.”

  “Oh?” Susan responded.

  “I told him that Jake was doing better, but he wasn’t out of the woods, yet. I told him the doctor said he’ll required a kidney transplant very soon.”

  “And what was his reaction? Did he say he would donate one of his?”

  Audrey shook her head. “He agreed that he would be a natural match, but he said you would be as well.”

  Susan pinched her lips together and then sighed. “Well, he’s right, I guess.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Hillsdale Hospital

  Later That Week

  Susan fought back tears. “It’s so hard for me to stand here and watch him lying there fighting for his life,” she said as she watched TFW evaluate Jake’s progress. “I feel so helpless.”

  “Yes, I know,” Audrey said. “It’s difficult to see him like this.”

  It was the second time the women were together. This time they concentrated on their mutual concern – Jake. They were encouraged by TFW, who they’d since learned was Doctor Thomas Winfield, a resident specializing in diabetes treatment.

  “I went to see Matthew again yesterday,” Audrey said and then tried to gauge Susan’s reaction. Susan remained stone-faced. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we can count on him to donate a kidney. At least that was the impression I got. This time he argued that he’s a diabetic, too, and what if something ever happened to one of his kidneys?” She shook her head angrily. “The man is so stubborn and pigheaded. Have you spoken with him?”

  “No,” Susan said and did her best to keep from smirking. “Not for a few years.”

  “I can’t believe how insensitive he is,” Audrey said. “He said it was up to you to save Jake. He said you’re not diabetic so it would be far less dangerous for you to donate a kidney than it would be for him.”

  “He’s right, it’s my responsibility,” Susan said. “And I’m ready, willing and able to fulfill it.”

  Doctor Winfield joined them in time to hear their exchange. “That might not be necessary,” he said smiling. “Fortunately, Jake’s kidney is not as badly damaged as we originally thought. His vegetative state will probably continue another few days. I hate to call it that, but that’s what it is, a vegetative state. After that we can expect a gradual recovery. He’ll have a certain amount of physical and intellectual problems, even psychological difficulty that will need special attention, so it’s important that you be patient with him.”

  ***

  Wanting to share her good news with someone, Susan called Danski when she left the hospital. Already working on a new- cold case, Danski and Litchfield were on their way to Brooklyn when Danski’s phone rang. He waited several seconds before pulling it from the cup holder in the center console and checking the Caller ID.

  “Is that Susan again?” Litchfield asked and Danski nodded.

  “You’re going to have to talk with her sooner or later,” Litchfield said. “Answer it. I’ll sit in the back seat if you want so I can’t hear what you say.”

  “I guess you’re right. I might as well get it over
with,” he said and put the phone to his ear.

  “You haven’t called,” Susan said after an icy hello. “I thought I’d have to go to your office if I wanted to see you again.”

  “You don’t want to do that. It could cause problems for me. I haven’t called because we got Jake back and except that I’ll have to testify in court, my job is done. I don’t mean to sound cold and insensitive, but Jake’s investigation was the thing we had in common.”

  “I thought we had more than that.”

  He heard a tear in her voice, and it hurt. “My ex-wife Christina and I are trying to work things out.”

  “Is that her name, Christina?”

  “Yes, Christina. There’s a chance we might get back together again.”

  “I guess I should be happy for you.”

  “I didn’t say we were getting back together again, I said there’s a chance we will. They’re two different things.”

  “What about me? Should I just go away? Is that what you want?”

  “We made love, Susan, and it was wonderful. But we weren’t in love. We were there for each other when both of us hit a rough patch and needed someone to help get them through the night.” He paused a moment and sighed. “Besides, I can’t have a relationship with someone who has more problems than I have. I have a way of adding to their problems.”

  “Don’t put yourself down, Steve. You’re a good man.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been to the hospital in a few weeks. Gregory and I are working on a new case. What’s the latest with Jake.

  “He might need a kidney,” Susan said and then chortled. “You don’t happen to have an extra one, do you?”

  Danski was finally able to smile. The difficult part was over. They ended their conversation amicably, both promising they would keep in touch, though they both knew they would probably not keep the promise.

  ***

  Susan called a week later with an update on Jake. “He’s going to be all right,” she said excitedly, not giving Danski a chance to say more than hello when he picked up. She quickly related Doctor Winfield’s words of encouragement. “He expects that in time, Jake will make a full recovery. it won’t happen overnight, but he’s confident that Jake will get better.”

  “What about the kidney transplant?”

  “That’s the truly amazing part. He won’t need a new kidney after all.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Danski said. “I’m sure you’re relieved.”

  “Yes, of course I’m relieved. Doctor Winfield said Jake ’s recovery will take time, but gradually he’ll become aware of what’s going on around him and he’ll be able to respond.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t got time to talk right now,” Danski said. “Gregory and I are at a Brooklyn precinct squad room and we’re about to question two suspects in a murder investigation. If things go well, we’ll take them over to Central Booking when we’re done.” He paused a second. “I’ll call later. You can tell me all about Jake’s recovery then.”

  “I assume that was Susan,” Litchfield said when Danski snapped his phone shut and shoved it in the cup holder in the center console.

  “She just wanted me to know that Jake is out of the woods and is expected to make a full recovery.” Danski paused a few seconds and raked his teeth across his lower lip. He appeared to be sorting things out in his mind.

  “Congratulations, by the way. I heard you tell Susan last week that you and Christina were getting back together,” Litchfield said and eyed Danski skeptically.

  “I thought you weren’t listening in on our conversation.”

  Litchfield grinned. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”

  “It’s not true,” Danski said. “I just don’t need a woman in my life right now.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  A cool breeze floated across Flushing Bay as Danski carried a small cooler holding three Heinekens in one hand and his Shakespeare reel and rod in the other as he trudged off to the beach chair on his dock fifty feet away. He had the next two days off and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend the time than fishing for striped bass and bunker fish off his dock and then releasing them. He baited his hook, cast his line and then sat back and waited for some action. Twenty minutes later he raised the collar of his heavy corduroy shirt as the breeze grew stronger. He felt a tug on the line just as his phone rang. With his left hand he deftly pulled his phone from his pocket and cranked it in the small of his neck. At the same time, he trapped the Shakespeare between his knees and slowly reeled in a medium-sized flounder.

  “Happy Columbus Day,” Quinn said.

  “Right back at’cha, Boss.” Danski said. “Sup?”

  “I just heard from Rikers and I wanted to let you know that one of your prisoners got shanked last night. He bled out before help could get to him. I figured it was better that you heard it from me rather than reading about it in the newspapers or seeing it on the six o’clock news.”

  “Thanks, Boss. Which one was it?”

  “Matthew Adams,” Quinn answered. “He was probably caught rifling through some other prisoner’s property in the middle of the night. The good news is it frees up your calendar a little since the case won’t be going to trial next month.”

  “Adams, huh? I’m surprised. I would have put my money on Felix Guzman. Has Audrey been told?”

  “If they called me, I assume they would have called her.” Quinn answered. “Don’t worry about it one way or the other, it’s not your job. I just wanted to pass the information along before it hit the papers.”

  “Thanks, Boss.”

  When Danski clicked off he called Audrey. “I just heard the news about Matthew,” he said getting right to the point when she picked up with a teary hello. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No, nothing I can think of,” Audrey answered. “I’m all alone in the world now. My husband is dead and the boy I thought was my son is with his real mother now. I guess tomorrow I’ll go out and try to start my life all over again. I suppose I’ll find a small apartment somewhere near my mother’s nursing home, and go from there. Thank you for reaching out to me, Detective. I appreciate your concern.”

  He realized Audrey needed counseling on many levels and couldn’t help wondering if she was receiving it. But, just as Quinn had told him – it wasn’t his job. When he disconnected, he called Latimer and filled him in.

  “Congratulations,” Latimer said. “I knew the case was in good hands.”

  “We got extremely lucky,” Danski responded.

  “I think it was more than luck,” Latimer said. “Again, congratulations.”

  His next call was to Susan. “I’ve got something to tell you and I don’t know how it will affect you,” he said. “Matthew was murdered at Rikers last night.”

  Susan was silent for several seconds. “Matthew did a lot of bad things in his life. He hurt many people,” she said and then sighed. “But he was Jake’s father, so I feel badly in that sense. I’ll explain it all to Jake when I think he’s old enough to understand.”

  Her words made Danski think about the legacy he would leave when his time came. He wondered how many lives he had affected over the years, and how many people could say he was really important to them? They were things he had never considered before, but suddenly felt a need to address. Until now, he had insisted he didn’t need a woman in his life. He’d even joked that he didn’t need one who had more problems than he had. He could see now that he was just inventing excuses to justify turning Susan away. But he had feelings for her that he could no longer deny. He needed to think of a way for them to get back together, hopefully without having to admit he was wrong.

  “Do you like to fish?” he asked.

  “Do I like to fish?” she responded with a girlish laugh. “That’s an odd question.”

  “Well, do you?”

  “It all depends; do you?”

  “Yes, I love to fish. As a matter of fact, at this very moment, I’m fishing off the dock behi
nd my house. I’d like you and Jake to come here and join me. I think it would be good for Jake.”

  “Only good for Jake?” She asked coyly.

  “You never know,” Danski answered.

  “What about your ex-wife? You said you were trying to reconcile.”

  “We’re not trying so hard anymore.”

  THE END

  Note From The Author

  * Per Wikipedia: The Ed Koch Bridge is a double-decker, thirty-seven-hundred-foot expanse that connects Manhattan’s Upper East Side with the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City. The Manhattan side of the Ed Koch Bridge is located in the congressional district Koch represented before he was elected mayor in 1977.

  When bridge construction began, city officials intended to call it the Blackwell’s Island Bridge after the piece of land now known as Roosevelt Island that it traversed. But by the time it was opened in 1909 it was the Queensboro Bridge. It’s also informally known as the 59th Street Bridge, which is how it was memorialized in the iconic Simon and Garfunkel song “59th Street Bridge song (Feelin’ Groovy).”

  About The Author

  Don Collins is a retired NYPD investigator and former licensed New York private detective. An Army veteran of the Vietnam War, Don served with the 716th Military Police Battalion and the 9th Infantry Division during the 1968 TET Offensive. For eight years, Don was the Chief Investigator for the Home Shopping Network. He received a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from the New York Institute of Technology. “WHILE EVERYONE WAS SLEEPING” is Don’s 13th novel.

  Acknowledgements

  Cover photo by Photo by Jorge Vasconez on Unsplash

  A special thanks to my cousin Virginia Peragalo-Dittko for taking time from her busy schedule to edit the portions of this novel that pertain to diabetes. Virginia is Executive Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Institute at NYU Winthrop Hospital, and Professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine. Also, a shout out to my good buddy Don Verdi who proof-read “While Everyone Was Sleeping” and made some strong and convincing recommendations before the finished product went to press.