Chapter 2

“Hello, Mr. Jensen,” Chris said. “I’m glad you could come on such short notice.”

“No problem, Mr. Bottoms. Seems like every time we meet, you’ve just been in the hospital.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Are you going to be all right?”

“So they tell me. Let’s go out onto the porch, and I’ll show you what we need a quote on.”

The contractor followed Chris out onto the porch, where Chris settled down in the swing.

“Excuse me for not standing, but I’m not up to full strength yet.”

“No problem,” the man said.

“We’d like to be able to make use of this porch all year long,” Chris said, “which means that it needs to be enclosed. However, we’d also like to be able to take advantage of the breeze off the river at certain times, especially in the spring and fall, so we were thinking that two or three patio-type doors would solve the problem. Unless, of course, you can come up with a better idea—we really don’t want to have to spend a lot of time opening and closing a huge number of windows. And we want to do the same kind of enclosure with the back porch downstairs.”

“Do you want the heat and air extended to both porches?”

“Yes, Sir, although we’ll need to be able to easily shut them off when the porches are open.”

“That’s understood. Let me take some measurements upstairs and downstairs, and I’ll get back to you with a quote in a couple of days.”

“Fair enough.”

“One question.”

“Yes, Sir?” Chris said.

“It occurs to me that a deck would add a great deal of utility to this porch.”

“A second-floor deck?”

“Yes, Sir. We could enclose the porch with windows and perhaps a patio door leading to an upper-level deck. You could put one of those retractable awnings over the deck.”

“What about screening it in?” Chris said.

“Do you have a serious problem with bugs here?”

“No, Sir. The city’s spraying program seems to keep things under control around here most of the time.”

“Then why screen it?”

“You’ve sold me. Why don’t you work up two estimates—one with a deck included, and the other without?”

“I can do that.”

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to my recliner. This young man will show you downstairs when you’re ready. Ted, that’s your cue.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Chris returned to the den and settled back in his recliner. Sometime later, he heard the distinctive slam of the backdoor, and a few minutes later Ted came into the den.

“The man decided to leave by the backdoor,” Ted said.

“Thank you, Ted. I heard the door slam and wondered who it was.”

“Are you gonna go downstairs to cook dinner?”

“Mickey is bringing us our dinner today,” Chris said.

“Can I cook tomorrow?”

“I don’t see why not, as long as you keep it simple. Let’s discuss that with Mickey when he gets home.”

“Okay.”

Mickey arrived a bit later than usual and explained that he’d had to wait to pick up Chris’s prescriptions at the drugstore; then wait again for his order at the restaurant he’d selected. Ted was eating his meal in the kitchen, and Mickey had brought a tray upstairs for himself and Chris.

“This is so good, I’ll forgive you this time,” Chris said. “And before I forget it, Ted wants to cook our dinner tomorrow.”

“All by himself?”

“Mostly.”

“Fuck mostly, babe. You shouldn’t be coming down those stairs.”

“Says who?”

“Says me—and probably your doctor for that matter.”

“I’ll call him and get special dispensation,” Chris said. “After all, he did call me his ‘miracle’ patient.”

“If you get his permission, I’ll shut up about it.”

“Fair enough. Consider it done.”

“You’re mighty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. But I’ve been reading up on Dr. Banzhof, and one of the things I’ve learned is that he encourages his patients to be active.”

“What, if anything, did he say when he released you from the hospital?”

Chris thought a moment. “He didn’t say much of anything. In fact, now that I think about it, he said something along the lines of ‘given your profession, I’ll trust you to take care of yourself and not overdo it’.”

“Did you just make that up on the spot?” Mickey said.

“Michael O’Donovan! Shame on you for suggesting such a thing.”

“I apologize. It’s just that I know how you tend to go overboard with anything you undertake, and I don’t want you to strain yourself. We were living in a one-story house the last time you came home from the hospital; but this isn’t a one-story house, so you can’t expect to do everything quite as quickly after this visit. Remember, you’ve got to be fully recovered and rested up by the time of your next surgery.”

“I’m somewhat painfully aware of that, Mick.”

“I’m sure you are. So, how was your day?”

“I called our contractor, and he came by to see me.”

“Because—?”

“Remember our conversation about making both porches useable all year long?”

“Sort of.”

“He’s going to give us a quote on doing just that.”

“We don’t want to close them in totally. What about the river breeze?”

“I suggested a pair of patio doors or something similar, so the porches could be open to fresh air when we want it. The fact that both of them are on the corner of the house and have screened openings on two sides will make that very workable.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Seriously, Mickey, I need something to occupy my time. This porch enclosure thing will involve making a decision and writing a check. Then what?”

“You need a project to keep you busy.”

“You think!” Chris said.