Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2)(166)

“I get the point.”

“Years later, in a bar in St. Petersburg—”

“Stop! I said I get it!” She was trembling.

“—I beat a man unconscious with a pool cue because he laughed when I scratched. After that, the son of Jack and the grandson of Don spent thirty days in an orange jumpsuit, picking up trash along Highway 41.”

She turned away, starting to cry. “Thanks, Uncle Dan. Thanks for spoiling . . .”

An image filled his head, momentarily blotting out the river: a charred and smoking birthday cake. In some circumstances, the image would have been funny. Not in these.

He took her gently by the shoulders and turned her back to him. “There’s nothing to get. There’s no point. There’s nothing but family history. In the words of the immortal Elvis Presley, it’s your baby, you rock it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Someday you may write poetry, like Concetta. Or push someone else off a high place with your mind.”

“I never would . . . but Rose deserved it.” Abra turned her wet face up to his.

“No argument there.”

“So why do I dream about it? Why do I wish I could take it back? She would have killed us, so why do I wish I could take it back?”

“Is it the killing you wish you could take back, or the joy of the killing?”

Abra hung her head. Dan wanted to take her in his arms, but didn’t.

“No lecture and no moral. Just blood calling to blood. The stupid urges of wakeful people. And you’ve made it to a time of life when you’re completely awake. It’s hard for you. I know that. It’s hard for everyone, but most teenagers don’t have your abilities. Your weapons.”

“What do I do? What can I do? Sometimes I get so angry . . . not just at her, but at teachers . . . kids at school who think they’re such hot shits . . . the ones who laugh if you’re not good at sports or wearing the wrong clothes and stuff . . .”

Dan thought of advice Casey Kingsley had once given him. “Go to the dump.”

“Huh?” She goggled at him.

He sent her a picture: Abra using her extraordinary talents—they had still not peaked, incredible but true—to overturn discarded refrigerators, explode dead TV sets, throw washing machines. Seagulls flew up in startled packs.

Now she didn’t goggle; she giggled. “Will that help?”

“Better the dump than your mother’s plates.”

She cocked her head and fixed him with merry eyes. They were friends again, and that was good. “But those plates were ug-lee.”

“Will you try it?”

“Yes.” And by the look of her, she couldn’t wait.

“One other thing.”

She grew solemn, waiting.

“You don’t have to be anyone’s doormat.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Just remember how dangerous your anger can be. Keep it—”

His cell phone rang.

“You should get that.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you know who it is?”

“No, but I think it’s important.”

He took the phone out of his pocket and read the display. RIVINGTON HOUSE.

“Hello?”

“It’s Claudette Albertson, Danny. Can you come?”

He ran a mental inventory of the hospice guests currently on his blackboard. “Amanda Ricker? Or Jeff Kellogg?”

It turned out to be neither.

“If you can come, you better do it right away,” Claudette said. “While he’s still conscious.” She hesitated. “He’s asking for you.”

“I’ll come.” Although if it’s as bad as you say, he’ll probably be gone when I get there. Dan broke the connection. “I have to go, honey.”

“Even though he’s not your friend. Even though you don’t even like him.” Abra looked thoughtful.

“Even though.”

“What’s his name? I didn’t get that.”

(Fred Carling)

He sent this and then wrapped his arms around her, tight-tight-tight. Abra did the same.

“I’ll try,” she said. “I’ll try real hard.”

“I know you will,” he said. “I know you will. Listen, Abra, I love you so much.”

She said, “I’m glad.”


3

Claudette was at the nurses’ station when he came in forty-five minutes later. He asked the question he had asked dozens of times before: “Is he still with us?” As if it were a bus ride.

“Barely.”

“Conscious?”

She waggled a hand. “In and out.”

“Azzie?”

“Was there for awhile, but scooted when Dr. Emerson came in. Emerson’s gone now, he’s checking on Amanda Ricker. Azzie went back as soon as he left.”

“No transport to the hospital?”

“Can’t. Not yet. There was a four-car pile-up on Route 119 across the border in Castle Rock. Lots of injuries. Four ambos on the way, also LifeFlight. Going to the hospital will make a difference to some of them. As for Fred . . .” She shrugged.

“What happened?”