The Road Home Read Free

it’s just a bad idea. Besides, Rick wouldn’t go for it.”
    â€œHow do you know?” Burke argued.
    â€œHe doesn’t like you,” said Gregg.
    Burke, surprised, looked at him.
    â€œI’m sorry, sweetie, but he doesn’t. He thinks you’re overbearing.”
    â€œI am not,” Burke objected.
    Gregg gave him a small smile. “You kind of are,” he said. “Besides, I have to work. What about your insurance? Maybe they’ll pay for an in-home nurse. You might even get a hot one,” he added.
    â€œMy insurance doesn’t pay for anything,” said Burke. “I’ll be lucky if they cough up anything for this little vacation.”
    â€œI can call them for you,” Gregg said. “We’ll find out.”
    â€œI don’t want a nurse,” Burke complained. “The last thing I need is a stranger helping me to the toilet and trying to talk to me about his life while he’s giving me a sponge bath.”
    Gregg didn’t come back with a smart response, which surprised Burke. It also worried him. Gregg’s sharp sense of humor waned only when he was trying to avoid confrontation. The fact that he wasn’t saying anything meant that he didn’t want to discuss the situation.
    â€œFine,” Burke said after a minute or two had gone by. “Call the insurance company. See what they’ll do. I’ll figure something out.” He waited for Gregg to nod in agreement, then added, “I’m tired. I think I should sleep now.”
    Gregg got up. “I’ll let you know what they say. And you’re welcome.”
    Burke didn’t look at him as he mumbled, “Thanks.”
    â€œI’ll be back tonight,” said Gregg.
    When Gregg was gone, Burke tried to form a plan. He hoped his insurance would come through, although he really doubted it. Having never been really sick, he’d always managed to get by with the bare minimum, figuring he would up his coverage when he got older.
    Yeah, well, you are old now, he told himself.
    He ran through a list of his friends, thinking about who might be able either to take him in or, better, to come live with him for a month or two, if he needed help for that long. He didn’t like the idea of having to move in with someone else. He liked being in his own place, even if he couldn’t get around it very well.
    Gregg apparently was out as a potential nursemaid. But he had other friends. Oscar, maybe, or Dane. But Oscar worked long hours, and Dane was too much of a cock hound. Burke didn’t relish the idea of being in Dane’s guest room and listening to his host getting it on with one of his numerous tricks.
    What about Tony? he wondered. Tony lived alone, and as a writer, he worked out of his house. But he has cats, Burke reminded himself. Just the thought of Tony’s three Himalayans—LaVerne, Maxine, and Patty—made his throat close up. No, his allergies would never survive an extended stay with the Andrews Sisters.
    He continued mentally working his way through his address book. But for one reason or another, nobody fit the bill. Abe’s apartment was too small. Jesse was a slob. Ellen was a vegan. One by one he crossed the names off his list until he had run out of options. Then he rang for the nurse, asked for another shot of Demerol, and drifted into sleep.
    When he awoke again, it was dark outside and his room smelled like his elementary school cafeteria. Gregg was once again seated in the chair by Burke’s bed. He indicated a tray on the table beside him.
    â€œSalisbury steak,” he said. “And Tater Tots. Who’s a lucky boy?”
    He picked the tray up and placed it on the movable tabletop that swung out from the wall beside Burke’s bed. Positioning the tabletop in front of Burke, he laid out the napkin and silverware as if he were setting a table.
    â€œAnd what will you be drinking this evening, sir?” he